Thursday, November 5, 2009

Jesus' Greatest vs. Muhammad's Best

In light of the events of recent days, or perhaps I should say the “better” part of the past 1400 years, the following contrast would seem to be a timely one.

Those Muslims who say they love God and their neighbor, and who, in keeping with this, few though they may be compared to the greater body of Muslims in history, condemn the many irreligious and inhumane acts of their co-religionists, should weigh the following carefully.
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According to Jesus, the greatest commandment is to love God above all else and with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself:

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to Him, "Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is one, and there is no one else besides Him; and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions. (Mark 12:28ff.)

According to Muhammad, the greatest deed is to believe in Allah and his apostle, and the second is to participate in Jihad in Allah’s cause.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet was asked, "Which is the best deed?" He said, "To believe in Allah and His Apostle." He was then asked, "Which is the next (in goodness)?" He said, "To participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." He was then asked, "Which is the next?" He said, "To perform Hajj-Mabrur. " (Bukhari 2:26:594; see also 1:2:25)
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The disparity between the teaching of Jesus on the one hand, and that of Muhammad on the other couldn’t be clearer. But for the sake of those who are slow of mind and heart, consider the following brief commentary on the differences:

1. With respect to the first commandment/greatest deed, there is a monumental difference between merely believing in God and actually loving Him. Furthermore, even if we accept the baser idea suggested by Muhammad to be the greatest duty or the best deed, there is still a trenchant difference to be found between a faith that is directed at God alone, and one that is directed at God and a creature in addition to Him.

2. With respect to the second commandment/greatest deed, there is a difference of mammoth proportions between loving your neighbor, which clearly includes more than just fellow believers according to Jesus (cf. Luke 10:25-37, esp. 30-37), and engaging in Jihad, the full implications of which include warring against those who do not believe.

What Jesus taught about the first (and second) greatest commandment is undeniably greater than what Muhammad taught; what Muhammad taught about the first (and second) best deed is undeniably bested by what Jesus taught. It takes a very special person to say otherwise, and all too often they make the news saying it….just ask Major Nidal Malik Hasan.

8 comments:

Nakdimon said...

1. With respect to the first commandment/greatest deed, there is a monumental difference between merely believing in God and actually loving Him. Furthermore, even if we accept the baser idea suggested by Muhammad to be the greatest duty or the best deed, there is still a trenchant difference to be found between a faith that is directed at God alone, and one that is directed at God and a creature in addition to Him.


Nice post Semper! This here above is a clear case of association with Allah, i.e. SHIRK. In our faith, the greatest duty is indeed to God alone and to no creature, yet in Islam it is to the creator and the creature. And they call us “mushrikun”. They constantly associate Muhammad with Allah and give him the same praise as Allah. I find it ironic that in Islamic sources, Allah would not have created the world if it were not for Muhammad. Preposterous!


2. With respect to the second commandment/greatest deed, there is a difference of mammoth proportions between loving your neighbor, which clearly includes more than just fellow believers according to Jesus (cf. Luke 10:25-37, esp. 30-37), and engaging in Jihad, the full implications of which include warring against those who do not believe.

When I started reading your post on loving your neighbour a yourself I thought about the teaching in Islam that you only love Muslims, since Allah only love Muslims and then I’m only talking about Muslims in good standing. The example of Luke that you provided is a concise counter argument on the superiority of the Divine teachings of the Lord of Glory, Yeshua the Messiah, and the, in comparison, purely human and often backwards teachings of Muhammad. I think it is only fitting to post the teachings of Yeshua on one’s neighbour in Luke 10 to emphasize this evident superiority of Yeshua over Muhammad.


25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'
36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."



Yeshua is greater in teaching, rank, calling, conduct, in all aspects than Muhammad. To even make the comparison is just sheer blasphemy.

Fernando said...

Brother Semper Paratus saide in this great and consise analises:

«there is a trenchant difference to be found between a faith that is directed at God alone, and one that is directed at God and a creature in addition to Him»...

absolutelly true! and muslims still they are nott commiting shirk when they do thate... how blind can they bee?

Anonymous said...

i really dont understand how some1 can choose muhammads teachings over jesus' ones. one has to be really a true moral relativist to make this decision.

Radical Moderate said...

CNN and FOX news have been spinning this as if he suffered from PTSD as a motive for the shooting. One small problem, he never served in COMBAT.

The truth is that although he had no problem taking KUFFAR money to acheive the level of success in life that he acheived. He had a problem doing his duty that he swored to do when he took the money.

He did not want to be deployed to IRAQ. That is the bottom line. He did not want to be deployed to IRAQ. No other explination needs to be givin.

Even though he took a oath to defend the constitution, to server the president and the congress, he could not as a "GOOD MUSLIM" go to Iraq to fullfill his oath.

But what did Mohamed say about oaths. "If I take a oath and then find something better I do what is better". In this case what was better was killing KUFFAR sodleirs he swore to serve and protect.

But what do you expect from a good muslim. And yes he was a good muslim. He went to friday prayers every week. He wore the traditional islamic dress, and he killed Kuffar's before they could go to muslim lands to kill muslims.

Anthony Rogers said...

Nakdimon,

Thanks for providing the full citation from Luke and for your additional thoughts.

By the way, nice articles on AI. I was going to write a response to Osama on Isaiah 53, but then I was told by JK that you were already on it.

Fernando, I see you and Nakdimon are on the same page. Me too. Let's keep "reading" it to our unlettered Muslim friends.

minoria said...

A bit more about the Shabir Ally video suggested by Krishnaraj.Shabir said MATT 5:17-19 means Mosaic law is still valid.First he does not tell his audience that in JUDAISM Mosaic law is ONLY for Jews,even when the Messiah comes.

Again,what lack of knowledge!So 99.99% of CHRISTIANS are NON-JEWISH.EVEN Jesus would say it is not for us.Shabir made his audience think:"Oh Jesus said Mosaic law is still valid,so CHRISTIANS have to IMPLEMENT death penality laws of the Torah."

Krishnaraj,you can see why Shabir is in reality playing with his audience.

minoria said...

Now Jesus in MATT 23:1-3 tells his followers to OBEY the PHARISEES.Hmmm,what did THEY believe?

1.They were against the LITERAL reading of "an eye for an eye,a tooth for a tooth."It was the PRICE of an eye for an eye lost.

2.They were also in favor of cooperating with the Romans.In 6 AD(according to the Talmud)the Romans took away fom the Jews the right to do CAPITAL punishment.The gospel of John confirms this:JOHN 18:30-31.

SO?

So the Pharisees accepted not to kill others in accordance with Mosaic law.They had no right.But MATT 5:19 says he who teaches to abolish the LEAST of the Mosaic laws is the least in the KINGDOM of GOD.

KINGDOM OF GOD

That is the KEY word.He was referring to an IDEAL situation(which did not exist with the Romans ruling) where GOD ruled the land.

Like "Our Father,who is in heaven,holy is your name,your KINGDOM(of God) come...on EARTH as it is in heaven."

So in the IDEAL situation all the Mosaic laws would be valid but also in an IDEAL situation nobody would disobey and so NO SANCTIONS would be applied.

minoria said...

Regarding again Shabir Ally and his video:

In my humble view MATT 5:17 means simply that Jesus came to FULFILL all in the Law and prophets regarding the First Coming of the Messiah which brought the Atonement.

Regarding MATT 5:18 it simply means the Mosaic law of the old alliance was valid but then would come the new alliance of the atonement("till all is fulfilled",of the prophecies concerning the First Coming of the Messiah)

ANESTHETICS

As for "the church" having prohibited anesthetics for women giving childbirth,something I had never heard before,based on GEN 3:16.I don't know if it was an official policy or just the opinion of some clerics or even which church.As always,Shabir shows lack of knowledge of Christianity.In the religion there is the Law of Christ=Golden Rule,so if you want somebody to decrease pain you feel you should do the same to others.