Sunday, March 26, 2023

Muslim Identity: Can You Recognize a Muslim?

My fourteen years old son and I always discuss and share thoughts and ideas while we drive to and from the masjid for Fajr and Ishaa and during one of our trips, he asked me this question.

"When my sister is at school, she is easily identified as a Muslim. Her attire tells the world what her faith is. But how would they know if I am a Muslim or not? I just look like every other guy at school."

He seemed genuinely curious about the answer since he wanted to be recognized as a Muslim in public. However, the question was so profound that I thought it deserved more than a 5 or 10 minutes answer so I took some time before I responded. He seemed very excited with the answer which is why I decided to share them online, in case anyone else was struggling with the same issue.


I could’ve easily ended discussion by saying that your male outfits that are traditionally known to be worn by Muslim men exist (ie. Thawb, Jilabyah, Kurta, Panjabi or Kufi, Turban, Headscarf, etc), but I do not believe that was the correct response in this situation. This is because Muslim men’s traditional outfits around the world are more cultural than religious. Even though these clothes are heavily influenced by our religion, they vary from region to region because there is a large cultural influence on them. Personally I wear a thawb, kufi, panjabi, etc. during many events, but I am convinced that those dresses aren't meant to label ourselves as Muslim. If you search for islamic rulings for what to wear, you won't find the names of the clothing that are mentioned above. Instead the Quran describes what purpose our dresses serve: how to cover body parts, what materials are to use and what are discouraged or prohibited. So, wearing one of the cultural clothings would certainly identify him as Muslim but that's not the answer he should leave this discussion with.


So, don't we have any way for Muslim men to be recognized? As a matter of fact, there's not just one but many attributes that Muslim men should have that identify them and make them stand out from the crowd. Those who only exhibit one or two may be missed but when it's a set of identifiers, it is more difficult to write someone off as "just a good person". Rather I would argue that it would be very distinctively noticed similar to how neon signs are unignorable. Just like when you see a US Marine or a military man, you can easily recognize him by his approach, physical posture, and speech, even if he is not wearing his uniform. See for yourself what the Quran and Sunnah tells about a Muslim.

  1. Muslim men wear loose clothes that cover their body to below their knees to maintain modesty, as taught to us by our Prophet (pbuh) and told in the Quran.
  2. Muslims meet and greet people with a smile. That's sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh)
  3. Muslims maintain good hygiene as ordered by Allah and modeled by our Prophet (pbuh)
  4. Muslim men keep their beard - "keep the beards and cut the mustaches short" is recommended by the Prophet (pbuh)
  5. Muslims keep the body clean and healthy: they wash their face, arms, legs and wipe their head 5 times a day and brush and massage (miswak) their teeth - those are order from Allah and practice of the Prophet's Sunnah.
  6. Muslims aren't anxious or stressed out in the face of adversity through maintaining patience because Allah said that He loves the patients and He is with those who are patients. [Surah An-Nisa]
  7. Muslims control their anger when they become aggravated because it’s in the Quran and the Prophet (pbuh) warned to not be controlled by the devil and also mentioned that whoever controls their anger is the true strong person. [Surah Al-Imran, Hadith]
  8. Muslims are confident and fear none but Allah because none has any power to do harm or bring any benefits except Allah. [Surah At-Tawba]
  9. Muslims walk with humility and do not boast or show off. Allah taught us that through the advise of wise Luqman (a.s.) [Surah Luqman]
  10. Muslims don't yell when debating because the loudest voices are those who have the value of a donkey. [Surah Luqman]
  11. Muslims don't waste time in vein talks and vein activities as time is the most precious commodity given to them. [Surah Al-Asr, Sura Al-Mu’minun]
  12. Muslims don't gossip or backbite because this is considered as an abhorrent act in the eyes of Allah. [Surah Al-Hujurat]
  13. Muslims stand for justice and are impartial regardless of their kinship with the perpetrators. [Surah An-Nisa]
  14. Muslims aren't racist and cannot be bigoted. Be it towards a fellow muslim or non-muslim or to an entire nation or ethnicity - Allah has explicitly ordered against such action. [Surah Al-Hujurat and Al-Maeedah]
  15. Muslims don't mock or make fun of others because they know that those same people could be better than themselves. [Surah Al-Hujurat]
  16. Muslims live in community, centered on masajeed and take care of their community while they have their individual rights and responsibilities. Those are ordained by Allah and exemplified by the Prophet (pbuh) through his entire life. [Quran; Sunnah]
  17. Muslims shouldn’t be overweight or obese as the Prophet (pbuh) instructed us to keep one third of the stomach empty when eating and drinking. They also fast for 30 mandatory days in Ramadan. Moreover, our prophet (pbuh) highly recommended Muslims to fast on Mondays and Thursdays as well as 3 middle days (Ayaam Al-Bid) of every lunar month. [Sunnah; Surah Al-A'raf]
  18. Muslims are not wasteful rather they take care of the earth as Allah sent human as Khalifa (representative) on the earth [Surah Al-A'raf; Surah Al-Baqara; Quran]
  19. Muslims don't drink alcohol, don't gamble, and don't watch inappropriate or indecent contents. [Surah Al-Maidah]
  20. Muslims eat only halal food and avoid eating drinking or inhaling anything toxic or harmful for their body because Allah ordered them not to. [Surah Al-Maidah]
  21. Muslims maintain modesty between boys and girls, and avoid unnecessary interaction between the two genders. [Surah An-Noor]
  22. Muslims don’t identify or associate themselves with the LGBTQ+ movement as it is explicitly forbidden in the Quran. [Surah Hud; Quran]
  23. Muslims are just in transactions and don't give less than the true value of the exchange. They are not also engaged in bribery. [Surah Al-Baqara; Surah Al-Mu’minun]
  24. Muslims are upfront and explicit in business transactions because they have to keep the contract in writing along with witnesses. [Surah Al-Baqarah]
  25. Muslims don’t take interest when they lend money and avoid interest bearing transactions and businesses. [Quran]
  26. Muslims always give good advice and never deceive or lie to others. [Quran; Hadith]
  27. Muslims always side with the oppressed and against the oppressors - regardless of their religious identity. [Surah An-Nisa]
  28. Muslim men protect the dignity of women, take care of their family and are respectful in their dealings with women and their wives [Surah An-Nisa, Sunnah]
  29. Muslims children are respectful to their parents and take care of them. [Surah Al-Isra; Hadith]
  30. Muslims have low divorce rates because divorce is the least liked action in the eyes of Allah. Even when they are dealing with a separation, they are respectful and civil. [Surah An-Nisa; Surah An-Noor]
  31. Muslims consult with others before making decisions and once a decision is made they go with that without any hesitation. Also don't regret on the outcome, whatever it may be. Nothing befalls good or bad without the permission of Allah [Surah As-Shura; Quran]
  32. Muslims don't insult others' deities even when they disagree with them because Allah ordered them not to use foul languages. [Quran]
  33. Muslims do not use harsh words when conversing or debating with regular Christians and Jews because they are ordered to use good words. [Quran]
  34. Muslims are literate, because the Quran started with the order to read and reminded us the blessing Allah bestowed us with the ability to write. [Quran]
  35. Muslims will give you commitments about future event with “InshaAllah” i.e. he will do everything possible to meet the commitments - and there’s no lapse from his side and rely on Allah to allow him to succeed [Surah Al-Kahaf]
  36. A neighbor of a well off Muslim, would be assured to not only get full protection but also food, shelters, and  all kind of supports whenever they need it - forty houses are the neighbor who have rights on a Muslim. [Quran; Hadith]
  37. Muslims take care of their relatives as their relatives have rights on them. Also, they never sever ties with their relatives - because whoever does it they are never to enter in the Jannah. [Quran; Hadith]
  38. Muslims are content in their life with whatever materialistic wealth he earns, be it big or small, because Prophet (pbuh) had explicit instruction: whoever wakes up in a morning with healthy body, roof over your head and a day worth of provision - as if he has everything in this world. [Hadith]
  39. Muslims don't pollute the earth because Allah has warned against the corruption on the earth and sea that will wreak-havoc to the climate. [Quran]
  40. Muslims are generally strong physically and psychologically because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has encouraged and instructed explicitly to be so. A strong Muslim is better than a weak Muslim even though both are good. [Hadith; Quran]
  41. Muslims leave the plate of their food clean without any leftover because waste of food is strongly disliked by Allah and prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The prophet (pbuh) recommended through his own example to eat food to the last bit and leave the plate clean. [Quran; Hadith]
  42. Muslims go to bed early and wake up before sunrise for Fajr prayer and go out to find Allah’s bounty. Because the Quran instructs us to wake up for night prayer (tahajjut) and strongly reprehend who stays at bed up until the  sun rise. [Quran; Hadith]
  43. When inflicted with fear of overwhelming crisis and opposing forces, Muslims show their passion by saying that - Allah is my protector and He is sufficient for me in overcoming all crisis. [Quran]
  44. Muslims are naturally scientific minded because the Quran repeatedly asks the mankind to observe, ponder, and make reasoning out of that observation- and always keep the mind open for evidence. [Quran]
  45. Muslims are very logical in their dispositions because Allah said in the Quran that the worst of creature in His creation are those who do not use their reason and intellects. [Surah Al-Anfal]
  46. Muslims are active listeners because they learned from the prophet of Islam (pbuh) as he showed the best example of how to listen: facing towards the speaker with full physical and mental attention. [Sunnah]
  47. Muslims feed the poor as Allah commands them to feed the hungry, take care of poor, and do charity. [Surah Al-Mu'minun]
  48. Muslims are very keen and careful to protect orphans because Allah and His prophet (pbuh) repeated it so many times to take care of the orphans. [Quran; Hadith]
  49. Muslims take action with the best of their ability to change the surroundings when injustice, indecency, wrongdoing, etc. become prevalent while relying on Allah for the outcome because Allah explicitly mentioned that He will not change the status of a nation until they try and change with their own selves and also He doesn’t burden anyone more than they can bear. [Surah Al-Baqarah; Surah Ar-R’ad]
  50. Finally, when a Muslim is asked about their identify they are proud of their Muslim identity and say: indeed we are among the Muslims. [Quran]

The list can include more traits, but the aforementioned traits should be sufficient to stand out in a crowd.


Initially, this list was created for my 14-year-old son. However, upon compiling the list, I have also started evaluating myself to determine where I stand in terms of my Muslim identity. If this were a questionnaire for an exam, what grade would I give myself? We always strive for an "A" in our education, profession, business, sports, and even vacations. So, what should be our target grade when we assess ourselves using this list?


Final thought: It's no wonder that the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) became exemplary men and women who conquered the world, both physically and intellectually, in their time.


Healthy living Framework: Getting back to shape being inspired by Quran and Sunnah

Getting back to shape: Inspired by Quran and Sunnah

Congratulations! This is the most important journey of your life at this time.


In this article, I will go over the scientific facts about the metabolism, and how our food habit impacted our body and life, and finally, will share a scientific plan inspired by Quran and Hadith that I had used and alhamdulillah, works for me like a magic.


Let’s start with the name of Allah (Bismillah) and seek power and wisdom from Allah so that He grants us to be successful.


Then, go over the scientific facts on metabolism, impact of food in the body, and what it means by healthy life styles  from Metabolism, Sugar/Carb and Impact of Food on Body


If you want to be inspired from my journey or if you are in doubt if it would work, check my past blog from the year 2020: Living a Healthy Life - my personal journey

Now you're ready to create a plan for your own journey. 

Disclaimer: This is not the only way but a proven way that worked for me and many others. You don't need to follow these instructions if you can come up with an alternate way. However, make sure that follow the guidance from Quran and Sunnah otherwise, you'll only be benefited for this temporal world and waste the eternal life hereafter.

1. Take the vitals and lab works to check your current body situation (use Data capture and Plan below). Have a initial visit to doctors office to make sure you’re healthy otherwise.

2. Kick off Fat Adaptation 

a. Follow the no-carb diet for 3-4 days (usually it takes that much time to kick off but it may vary person to person)

b. Eat as much as no-curb food to make sure you don’t fill hungry 

c. Once you start faded away from carb-withdrawal symptoms you are now ready for the journey that means your fat adaptation has kicked in.


3. Go for long fasting - I.e., put yourself in long Autophagy mode as long as possible (not more than 24 hours). Fast for 5 to 10 days continuously. That’s the key.

a. Initially, You take Sahoor following breakfast schedule and then eat Iftaar accordingly

b. If you can: start water fasting i.e., only water during Sahoor and then iftaar.  Make sure you drink plenty of waters at iftaar and night


4. Exercise everyday. Morning after Fajr: walk or hike or get on the treadmill- doesn’t matter what you do but do it at least for an hour. 

5. If you want to expedite, do it just before iftaar for half an hour to an hour- that burns the fat faster, allow cells to take glucose directly

6. Sleep at 10 pm to at least for 4 hours - that’s VERY crucial. The most fat burning happens at that time
Watch your body. Pray tahajjut if you can. That's for your mind, body and get help from Allah. 

7. Eat tons of vegetables, fish, non-sweet fruits- that gives you nutritions.

8. Take measurement of your body everyday. Weight log. Watch the progress and adapt accordingly if you don’t see much weight loss.

Use the feedback signals from your body. Do not overdo it. Your body is an amazing system Allah has blessed you with. Use organic Apple cider vinegar, or dietary fiber and Baxter supplement from over the counter . Otherwise you may have constipation. 

9. Once you go one cycle of fat adaptations, and achieve your goal, go into maintenance mode: 

Eat moderate carbs. Our lifestyle is now so cut from physical activity so utilizing curbs are difficult. Maintain No sugar and less salt. Sugar we get from many natural sources like dates, apples, so no need to take additional added sugars. 

Follow the Sunnah: One third food, one third water and one third empty stomach. Fast as per Sunnah- Monday and Thursdays and 3 full-moon days on the Lunar Calendar's month.


Few key points: 

a. I am not convinced that continuing Keto or no-curb for long term is a good idea and our prophet (pbuh) used to eat curb food so I recommend to not to continue no-curb or keto for longer than 5-8 weeks. Go back to Sunnah as soon as possible.


b. Take picture of yourself before and after each stage - compare at every milestone! You need to keep yourself motivated by seeing the progress of your own.


Data capture and Plan:


Capture Vital and lifestyle statistics <date captured> and the plan Goals to reach by <target date>. Compare it weekly.

  1. Your list of medications (at the start of the journey): <list>
  2. You vitals
    • Your current weight:
    • height:
    • You BMI:
    • Lipid Profile: Cholosterel, HDL, LDL, TG
    • Kidney function number
    • Blood pressure
    • Glucose
  3. Capture your food habit: <List>
  4. Sleep pattern
  5. Physical activities: <List>
  6. Goal of body weight and vitals: 
    • Target weight: ?
    • Weight you are losing: ?
    • You target for eight 6-week cycle (epoch)
    • Target milestone with dates: 
      • Milestone 1: Date-1 - my weight will be: ?
      • Milestone 2: Date-2 - my weight will be ?
      • Milestone 3: Date-3 - my weight will be: ?
      • Milestone 4: Date-4 - my weight will be:? 
      • Milestone 5: Date-5- my weight will be:?
      • Milestone 6: 3/26/2023 - 190lb
    • Target vital:
      • Glucose: ?
      • Lipid profile: ?
      • BP: ?
      • BMI: ?
    • Other Target chronic disease (e.g. Sleep apnea, back pain, headache, etc.)
      • Chronic disease 1
      • Chronic disease 2
    • Your List of Medications (after the journey): <list>




Thursday, March 16, 2023

Living healthy lifestyle - scientific references

Living healthy - scientific references


#1. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee: make disease disappeared

https://youtu.be/gaY4m00wXpw 




#2. Sleep: sleep and healthy life

https://youtu.be/NUoi95RQ7Do



#3. Dr. Robert Lustig:  All Calories are not born equal.

https://youtu.be/nxyxcTZccsE 


Really eye opening moments: 

12:19- omega 3 fatty acid 

39:25 - medical science beaten out nutritional science

1:37:07 hour- how whole fruit sugar is metabolized.


#4. Dr. Robert Lustig: Toxic sugar

https://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM


#5. Dr. Robert Lustig: Food is medicine

https://youtu.be/DdDiarWB_h0


#6. Death by Sugar (and process food): Interview of Dr. Robert Lustig by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee

https://youtu.be/zXiQgTZZqPg


#7. Mitochondrial dysfunction, Types of fats, insulin resistance. Surprise!!! Sugar is one of many other causes (chemicals, pollutions, radiations, food, etc.)

https://youtu.be/WVFMyzQE-4w


#8. All about Cholesterol

https://youtu.be/C3rsNCFNAw8


Understanding Autophagy & Insulin Resistance


Autophagy:


https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2016/press-release/


“Autophagy can rapidly provide fuel for energy and building blocks for renewal of cellular components, and is therefore essential for the cellular response to starvation and other types of stress. After infection, autophagy can eliminate invading intracellular bacteria and viruses. Autophagy contributes to embryo development and cell differentiation. Cells also use autophagy to eliminate damaged proteins and organelles, a quality control mechanism that is critical for counteracting the negative consequences of aging.


Disrupted autophagy has been linked to Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and other disorders that appear in the elderly. Mutations in autophagy genes can cause genetic disease. Disturbances in the autophagic machinery have also been linked to cancer. Intense research is now ongoing to develop drugs that can target autophagy in various diseases.”


https://www.nobelprize.org/uploads/2018/06/ohsumi-lecture-slides.pdf


Insulin resistance:


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8319997/#!po=22.4359


“Regardless of the mechanisms, it is clear that upregulating autophagy consistently improves insulin sensitivity (Yang et al., 2010; Pyo et al., 2013; Yamamoto et al., 2018). Therefore, whether deficient autophagy is a cause or consequence of insulin resistance, or if it is in fact deficient in insulin resistance in humans, the therapeutic potential of autophagy induction to help treating insulin resistance and diabetes cannot be overlooked.”


DISCLAIMERS:

I have a disclaimer to tell as I am sharing these scientific resources so that you don’t create blind faith on the speakers and scientists but use your intellect: 

“Do not seek for the truth by men’s of men; find first the truth and then you will recognize whose who follow it.” 

I agree mostly with the sciences and statistics that Dr. Robert Lustig has shown behind the current health and medical disaster. Especially, the processed food, sugar overdose and ultimately the western diet. However, he and others are missing a big picture of the current materialistic, hyper competitiveness and lack of purpose of life, which is specifically true in the Western hemisphere. Also, his speciality is in the food and medicine but somehow missed the chemical (including plastics) invasion in our day to day life. For example, PFAS is just one officially declared and agreed by FDA and medical experts to cause many diseases that includes, cancer, gastrointestinal disease, hypertension, etc. And that chemical is everywhere in our daily life: paper plates, non-sticky pans, dishwasher detergent, water resistant clothings, carpets, etc. and the list goes on and one. There are other synthetic chemicals that we didn’t even talk and those in thousands. Also, the pesticides, artificial fertilizers, antibiotics, etc. are in our foods. And we never talked about the mobile, radio, microwave, etc. because we didn’t have much research on those. The environmental things can’t be resolved by “real food” alone. This needs a lifestyle change - and as a Muslim I am fully convinced of Islam’s holistic approach of this life and hereafter. I am writing on that now and InshaAllah will share when I finish inshaAllah. Having said all that- please enjoy the above scientific resources.

Is Jesus son of God? Is the Bible words of God?

The foundation on which the creed of Christianity is standing today is the claim that Jesus is the son of God (as well as God claimed by the majority of Christendom) which in turn gave birth to Trinity. At one point even the Bible was fabricated to add the Trinity into the scripture:

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these three are one." 1st Epistle of John 5:7 - AV


However, that fabrication was later removed or at least recognized in most of the Bible versions. This verse was the closest approximation to what the Christians call their Holy Trinity in the Bible as key-stone of the Christian faith yet has been scrapped from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Book without even a semblance of explanation.


Apart from using rationality and reasoning, even the Bible has clear verses that should’ve been prioritized over obscured verses. Interestingly Allah warned in the Quran to use only the clear ayats to build the creeds of the Muslims. Now, let’s see what the holy scripture of the Christians - the Bible says clearly in plain words about Jesus and  “God” (see the Resources & Reference section):

  • Most of the prophets in the Bible are called the “son of God”. This is the Greek expression attributed to all the prophets. So Jesus isn’t any different than any other prophets. Moreover, even David was called the “begotten” son in the Bible . So according to the Bible, the Christian scripture, Jesus is no different than any other prophet whatsoever in that context. Though we, Muslims don't buy that "begotten" word. 

  • Jesus never claimed divinity but just like any other prophets of their time, mentioned that salvation is through him. Which is the case of every prophet of their time: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (peace be upon them all).

  • Jesus never said to worship him but called his decibels to the contrary - worship one God.

  • Jesus said that he can’t do anything without the help of the father (God).

  • Jesus showed everything that a human functions: born through a normal delivery, circumcision, learned knowledge, made mistakes, baptized as jew, ate food, and the list goes on. The divinity is never declared in clear terms by himself.

  • Moreover, ironically, there are other figures in the Bible who are attributed with more divinity than Jesus himself. It was “supposedly” shown by Melchizedek the Priest who had no beginning and no end. Jesus had a beginning (born), lived through a certain age, then he died (though the claim was that he was resurrected. As a side note, Muslims believe based on the Quranic ayat that Isa/Jesus (pbuh) didn’t die on the cross but taken up by Allah)

  • Finally, according to the Bible, he died like a mortal human which contradicts any divinity they may claim through interjecting their interpretation into the Bible.

Below passages are from the book “How Jesus became God” by Bart D. Ehrman


“They don’t pass any of our criteria. They are not multiply attested in our sources; they appear only in John, our latest and most theologically oriented Gospel. They certainly do not pass the criterion of dissimilarity since they express the very view of Jesus that the author of the Gospel of John happens to hold. And they are not at all contextually credible. We have no record of any Palestinian Jew ever saying any such things about himself. These divine self-claims in John are part of John’s distinctive theology; they are not part of the historical record of what Jesus actually said. 

Look at the matter in a different light. As I pointed out, we have numerous earlier sources for the historical Jesus: a few comments in Paul (including several quotations from Jesus’s teachings), Mark, Q, M, and L, not to mention the finished Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In none of them do we find exalted claims of this sort. If Jesus went around Galilee proclaiming himself to be a divine being sent from God—one who existed before the creation of the world, who was in fact equal with God—could anything else that he might say be so breathtaking and thunderously important? And yet none of these earlier sources says any such thing about him. Did they (all of them!) just decide not to mention the one thing that was most significant about Jesus? 


“These narratives are found in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20–21. Read through the accounts and ask yourself some basic questions: Who was the first person to go to the tomb? Was it Mary Magdalene by herself (John)? or Mary along with another Mary (Matthew)? or Mary along with another Mary and Salome (Mark)? or Mary, Mary, Joanna, and a number of other women (Luke)? Was the stone already rolled away when they arrived at the tomb (Mark, Luke, and John), or explicitly not (Matthew)? Whom did they see there? An angel (Matthew), a man (Mark), or two men (Luke)? Did they immediately go and tell some of the disciples what they had seen (John), or not (Matthew, Mark, and Luke)? What did the person or people at the tomb tell the women to do? To tell the disciples that Jesus would meet them in Galilee (Matthew and Mark)? Or to remember what Jesus had told them earlier when he had been in Galilee (Luke)? Did the women then go tell the disciples what they were told to tell them (Matthew and Luke), or not (Mark)? Did the disciples see Jesus (Matthew, Luke, and John), or not (Mark)? Where did they see him?—only in Galilee (Matthew), or only in Jerusalem (Luke)? “ Bart D Ehrman


All the verses from the Bible are given in the Reference section at the bottom of this article. Read for yourself.


Is the Bible words of God?


We, Muslims, believe Jesus and Moses, peace be upon them both, are prophets of God and they were given revelations (Injeel and Torah). However, the current Bible may contain some of those revelations scattered in it but primarily written by many known and unknown authors. The Bible is a beautiful literary creation by men but not the word of God. Thus it has many literary, historical, mathematical, and scientific discrepancies. Quran came as the final revelation to the final prophet of God, Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Quran is preserved in its original text, and free from any literary, historical, mathematical, and scientific error. I am presenting this to you to read and make up your own mind about the Bible I, subsequently, welcome you to read and research the final revelation of God, the Holy Quran. We have only one life thus one chance to find the truth before it’s too late!

Three types of texts in the Bible

Dr. W. Graham Scroggie of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, one of the most prestigious Christian Evangelical Mission in the world, answering the question — "Is the Bible the Word of God?", under the heading: It is Human, Yet Divine. He says on page 17: "Yes, the Bible is human, though some, out of zeal which is not according to knowledge, have denied this. Those books have passed through the minds of men, are written in the language of men, were penned by the hands of men, and bear in their style the characteristics of men."
The Bible contains three types of words in one book (a) The word of God. e.g Deuteronomy 18:18, Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah 43:22. (b) Words of a prophet of God. e.g. Matthew 27:46, Mark 12:29, Mark 10:18 and (c) Words of a Historian. E.g. Mark 11:13.
(a) I will raise them up a prophet . . . and I will put my words in ... and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." (Deuteronomy 18:18)
(b) "Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? . . ." (Matthew 27:46)
(c)  "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he, (Jesus) came, if haply he (Jesus) might find anything thereon: and when he (Jesus) came to it, (Jesus) found nothing but leaves . . ." (Mark 11:13)

Quran is free from the mix up

In Islam, on the other hand, the words of God are recorded in the Quran. The words of the Prophet (pbuh) are recorded in separate books of tradition, called Hadeeth, e.g. Sahi Bukhari, Sahi Muslim, etc.. The third kind of words of historians are recorded in historical books by some of high integrity and learning and others of lesser trustworthiness. The Muslim keeps the above three types of evidence Jealously apart, in their proper gradations of authority. He never equates them. On the other hand, the "Holy Bible'' contains a motley type of literature all under the same cover — A Christian is forced to concede equal spiritual import and authority to all.
We Muslims, believe in Tauraat, the Zaboor, the Injeel and the Qur'an. The Tauraat, we Muslims believe, is not the "Torah" of the Jews and the Christians. Likewise, we believe that the Zaboor was the revelation of God granted to Dawood (David) (Peace be upon him), but the present Psalms associated with his name are not that revelation. The Christians themselves do not insist that David is the sole author of "his" Psalms. 
What about the Injeel? Injeel means the "Gospel" or "good news" which Jesus Christ preached during his short ministry. The "Gospel" writers often mention that Jesus going about and preaching the Gospel (the Injeel): Matthew 9:35, Mark 8:35, Luke 20:1
But what Gospel did Jesus preach? Of the 27 books of the New Testament, only a small fraction can be accepted as the words of Jesus. The Christians boast about the Gospels according to St. Matthew, according to St. Mark, according to St. Luke and according to St. John, but there is not a single Gospel "according" to (St.) Jesus himself! In his life-time Jesus never wrote a single word, nor did he instruct anyone to do so. What passes off as the "Gospels" today are the works of anonymous hands!
Who are the real authors of the Bible? Modern christian scholars attribute various authors for many Bible books and some are even unknown. E.g. Books of Samuel, Chronicles.

The question before us is: "Do you accept that the Bible is God's Word?" Which Bible are you talking to? The Roman Catholic Bible was published at Rheims in 1582 has 73 books and The Protestants have expunged seven books and has 66 books (some Protestants added 14 books instead of 7 that they called “the Apocrypha” and to make it to 80 books).

Changes in the Bible

Revisions of the Bibles

Not surprisingly, the Bible has multiple versions and many revisions. On the contrary, the Quran is in its original form. Even critics of Islam agreed that: "There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve centuries (now fourteen) with so pure a text” (Sir William Muir).

First published, as Sir Winston says, in 1611, and then revised in 1881 (RV), and now re-revised and brought up to date as the Revised Standard Version (RSV) 1952, and now again re-re- revised in 1971 (still RSV for short). The publishers (Collins) themselves, in their notes on the Bible at the end of their production, say on page 10: "This Bible (RSV), is the product of thirty-two scholars, assisted by an advisory committee by representing fifty representing fifty co-operating denominations”
“Yet the King James version has grave defects.” And, “That these defects are so many and so serious as to call for revision…”- RSV 1971

Fabrication of “Begotten” son

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only BEGOTTEN son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16 - AV)
But this fabrication — "BEGOTTEN" — has now been unceremoniously excised by the Bible Revisers, from the New International Version (NIV) without a word of excuse.

Fabrication of “Trinity”

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST: and these three are one." 1st Epistle of John 5:7 - AV
This verse is the closest approximation to what the Christians call their Holy Trinity in the encyclopedia called the BIBLE. This key-stone of the Christian faith has also been scrapped from the RSV without even a semblance of explanation.

Removal and reinstatement of Ascension

4a. "So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was TAKEN UP INTO HEAVEN, and sat down at the right hand of God." (Mark 16:19)
The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.

The Bible has copy-paste Plagiarism in different books by different authors

In other words, Isaiah 37 and 2 Kings 19 are identical word for word. Yet they have been attributed to two different authors, centuries apart, whom the Christians claim have been inspired by God. Yet, christians don’t believe in the verbal inspiration of the Bible. Yet, Bible-thumpers will insist that "every word, comma and full stop of the Bible is God's Word!" 

Perplexed words in the Bible

God or Devil? 

The Bible contradicts its own historical account on who inspired David to take the census of Israel.
Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” (2 Samuel 24)

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel (1 Chronicles 21)

Was it Cavalry or Infantry?

“18. And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.” - II Samuel 10.

“18. But the Syrians fled before Israel: and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.” - I Chronicles 19.

Genealogy of God

According to Matthew 1:6 -16 and Luke 3:23-31, the genealogy was completely different.

Matthew 1:6 says that Jesus was the son of David through Solomon, but Luke 3:31 says that he (Jesus) was the son of David through Nathan.

Mathematical and Scientific contradictions

Now let’s take the mathematical and scientific facts mentioned in the Bible. According to Dr. Zakir Naik, if it's the word of God, it must not contradict established fact.

Mathematical Errors

  1. It is mentioned in Ezra (2: 1), and Nehemiah (7:6): “When the people returned from exile, from Babylon, when king Nebucheldeser of Babylon, when he released the men from Israel, they came back from captivity” - and the list of the people are given. The list is given in Ezra (2:2 - 63), and Nehemiah (7:7 - 65); the list is given with the names as well as number of people released. In these 60 Verses there are no less than 18 times - the name is exactly the same but the number is different. There are no less than 18 contradictions in less than 60 Verses, of these two Chapters.
  2. In Ezra (2:64) it says that the total congregation numbered 42,360. And if you read in Nehemiah (7:66), also the total is 42,360. But if you add up Ezra (2), it does not come to 42,360 but to 29,818. And if you add up Nehemiah (7), even then it does not come to 42,360 but to 31,089.
  3. In Ezra (2:65), it says that there were 200 singing men and women - Nehemiah (7:67) says that there were 245 singing men and women. Were they 200 - or were they 245 singing men and women?
  4. It is mentioned in the 2nd Kings (24:8), that Jehoiachin was 18 years old, when he began to reign Jerusalem, and he reigned for 3 months and 10 days. 2nd Chronicles (36:9), says that Jehoiachin was 8 years old when he began to reign and he reigned for 3 months, 10 days. Was Jehoiachin 18 years when he began to reign, or was he 8 years old?
  5. It is mentioned in the 1st Kings (7:26), that in Solomon’s temple, in his molten sea, he had 2000 baths. In the 2nd Chronicles (4:5), he had 3000 baths. Did he have 2000 baths or did he have 3000 baths?
  6. It is mentioned in the First Kings (15:33), that Basha died in the 26th year of the reign of Asa. And 2nd Chronicles (16:1), says that Basha invaded Judah in the 36th years of the reign of Asa. How can Basha invade 10 years after his death?

Scientific Errors

  1. The Bible speaks about the creation of the universe. In the beginning, Book of Genesis (1), it says that almighty God created the Heavens and the Earth in six days and talks about an evening and a morning, referring to a 24-hour day. Today scientists tell us that the universe cannot be created in a 24-hour period of six days. The Qur'an too speaks about six “ayyams”. The Arabic word singular is “yaum”, plural is “ayyam” . It can either mean a day of 24 hours, or it is a very long period, an “yaum”, an epoch. Scientists say we have no objection in agreeing that the universe - it could have been created in 6 very long periods.

  2. Genesis (1:3 - 5) says that light was created on the first day.” Genesis (1:14 - 19) says that “The cause of light - stars and the sun, etc. was created on the fourth day”. How can the cause of light be created on the 4th day - later than the light which came into existence on the first day?

  3. Genesis (1:9 - 13) says that earth was created on the 3rd day. How can you have a night and day without the earth? The day depends upon the rotation of the Earth.

  4. Genesis (1:9 - 13) says that earth was created on the third day. Genesis (1:14 - 19) says that the Sun and the Moon were created on the fourth day. Today science tells us that earth is part of the parent body, the Sun. It cannot come into existence before the Sun.

  5. Genesis (1:11 - 19) says that the vegetation, the herbs, the shrubs, the trees - they were created on the 3rd day and the Sun was created on Day 4. How can vegetation come into existence without sunlight, and how can they survive without sunlight?

  6. Genesis (1:16) says that God created two lights, the greater light, the Sun to rule the day, and the lesser light the Moon, to rule the night. The actual translation, if you go to the Hebrew text, is ‘lamps’. Lamps having lights of their own. And that you will come to know better, if you read both the Verses – Genesis (1-16 & 17). Verse no.17 says that “And Almighty God placed them in the firmament, to give light to the earth.” Indicating that the Sun and the Moon has its own light - which is in contradiction with established scientific knowledge that we have. There are certain people who try to reconcile, and say that the six days mentioned in the Bible, actually refers to epochs - like the Qur’an long periods - not six, 24 hour days. It is illogical - you read in the Bible , evening, morning - It clearly states 24 hours, it indicates. But even if we agree with the illogical argument - yet they will only be able to solve the 1st scientific error of 6 days creation, and second, of first day “light” and 3rd day “earth.” The remaining four, yet they cannot solve. Some further say that if it is a 24-hour period, why cannot the vegetables survive for one 24 hour day without sunlight? But you cannot say the days mentioned are 24 hours as well as epochs. If you say it is a long period, you solve Point-1 and 3, the remaining 4 points are yet there. If you say the days are 24 hours a day, you solve only Point-5 and the remaining 5 are still there - It becomes unscientific.

  7. Regarding the concept of Earth, there are various Scientists who have described how the world will end? Hypothesis - Some may be right, some may be wrong. But either the world will perish or the world will live forever. Both cannot take place simultaneously – It is unscientific. But this is exactly what the Bible says. It is mentioned in the Bible , in the book of Hebrews (1:10 & 11), and the book of Psalms (102:25 & 26), that ”Almighty God created the Heavens and the Earth, and they will perish.” Exactly the opposite is mentioned in the book of Ecclesiastics (1:4), and the book of Psalms (78:69), that “The earth will abide forever.” One has to be unscientific - Both cannot take place. The world cannot abide forever as well as perish – it is unscientific.

  8. Regarding “the Heavens”, the Bible says in Job (26:11), that “The pillars of the Heaven will tremble.” The Qur'an says in Surah Luqman (31:10), that “The Heavens are without any pillars - Don`t you see?” The Bible says heaven has got pillars.

  9. Not only do the Heavens have pillars - the Bible says in the first book of Samuel (2:8), as well as the book of Job (9:6), and the book of Psalms (75:3), that “Even the earth has got pillars.”

  10. In the field of “Diet and Nutrition” The Bible says in the book of Genesis (1:29), that “God has given you all the herbs bearing seeds, the trees bearing fruits - those that bear seed, as meat for you.” The New International Version says ”The seed bearing plants, and the trees bearing fruits bearing seeds are good for you, all of them.” Today, even a layman knows that there are several poisonous plants like wild berries, datura, plants containing alkaloid, polyander - that if you ingest, if you eat there are high possibilities you may die.

  11. The Bible has a scientific test on how to identify a true believer. The Gospel of Mark (16:17 & 18): “There will be signs for true believers and among the signs - In my name they shall cast out devils, they shall speak foreign tongues, new tongues, they shall take up serpents - And if they drink deadly poison, they shall not be harmed - And when they place their hand over the sick, they shall be cured.” 

  12. In the field of medicine , the Bible says in the book of Leviticus (14:49 - 53) - it gives a novel way for disinfecting a house from plague of leprosy… disinfecting a house from the plague of leprosy. It says that “Take two birds, kill one bird, take wood, scale it - and the other living bird, dip it in water…and under running water - later on sprinkle the house 7 times with it.” Sprinkle the house with blood to disinfect against plague of leprosy?

  13. The book of Leviticus (12:1 - 5) says that “After a woman gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for 7 days, and the period of uncleanliness will continue for 33 days more. If she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks, and the period of uncleanliness will continue for 66 days.” In short, if a woman gives birth to a male child, she is unclean for 40 days. How come a woman remains unclean for double the period, if she gives birth to a female child, as compared to a male child.

  14. The Bible test for adultery - How to come to know a woman has committed adultery. In the book of Numbers (5:11 - 31) says, in summary: “The priest should take holy water in a vessel, take dust from the floor, and put it into the vessel - And that is the bitter water ‘And after cursing it, give it to the woman And if the woman has committed adultery, after she drinks it, the curse will enter her body, the stomach will swell, the thigh will rot, and she shall be cursed by the people. If the woman has not committed adultery, she will remain clean and she will bear the seed.”

  15. The Bible says regarding ‘Hydrology’ in Genesis (9-13 - 17): “After God, at the time of Noah, submerged the world by flood, and after the flood” subsided, He said… ‘I put up a rainbow in the sky as a promise to humankind never to submerge the world again, by water. Rainbow is due to the refraction of sunlight, with rain or mist. Surely there must have been thousands of rainbows before the time of Noah, peace be upon him. To say it was not there before Noah’s time you have to assume that the law of refraction did not exist - which is unscientific.


This phenomenon in the Bible can be fully appreciated by the Surah Nisa (4:82) “Do they not consider the Quran (with care) had it been from any other than Allah, they would have found therein many discrepancy.”

References:

Deuteronomy 6:4

King James Version

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” 


Mark 12:29

King James Version

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” 


Genesis 6:2

King James Version

2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.


Genesis 6:4

King James Version

4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.


Exodus 4:22

King James Version

22 And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:


Psalm 2:7

New International Version

7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;(A)

    today I have become your father.(B)


Luke 3:38

King James Version

38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.


Acts 2:22

New International Version

22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth(A) was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs,(B) which God did among you through him,(C) as you yourselves know.


Hebrews 7:1-17

New International Version

Melchizedek the Priest

7 This Melchizedek was king of Salem(A) and priest of God Most High.(B) He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him,(C) 2 and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means “king of righteousness”; then also, “king of Salem” means “king of peace.” 3 Without father or mother, without genealogy,(D) without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God,(E) he remains a priest forever.


Hebrews 7:3

King James Version

3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.


Romans 8:14

New International Version

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God(A) are the children of God.(B)


John 10:31, 33, 34

New International Version

31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’[d]? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” 39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

Jehoiachin was 8 or 18 years old?

“9. Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.” - II Chronicles 36

“Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s 

Four thousand or Forty thousand stalls?

“25. And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem.” - II Chronicles Chapter 9

26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.” - I Kings Chapter 4

Three years or Seven years of famine?

What did God say to Gad — Three or Seven years plague — "on both your houses?"

“13.So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue, thee?” II Samuel 24:13

“11. So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee 12. Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee;” - I Chronicles 21:11

Number of baths in Solomon’s house

“26. And it was an hand breadth thick, and the brim thereof was wrought like the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies: it contained two thousand baths..” I Kings 7.

“5. And the thickness of it was an handbreadth, and the brim of it like the work of the brim of a cup, with flowers of lilies; and it received and held three thousand baths.” - II Chronicles 4.

The Moral lessons

Due to the word choices made in the verses, I am not copying those verses but you can read it from the Bible available online. Genesis 19, verses 30 Story of incest: Deuteronomy 2:19


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Sources:


Dr. Zakir Naik and Dr. William Campbell on Scientific facts in Quran and Bible: https://youtu.be/XOD2KXXzsjM