(I have permission from the
author to reproduce his article and respond to it in full, Matt
Slick.
Mr. Zawadi's original is in
brown.
My responses are in
green.)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Bassam Zawadi's Original:
"Introduction This article is in
response to Matt Slick's article
questions for Muslims.
God willing I will
try my best to provide answers to the questions posted by Matt
Slick. The answers mostly are not of my own. I just provide them.
Matt Slick said:
- The Qur'an says
"To those who
believe and do deeds of righteousness hath Allah promised
forgiveness and a great reward" (Surah 5:9).
- Question: Are you
doing enough good deeds to receive salvation on the Day of
Judgment?
- Question: Are you
doing all you can or are you relaxing in your dedication to
Allah?
My Response: How do you know if you studied
well enough for the test the next day? You just know. Your heart
tells you. You know when you are doing more good deeds than bad. It
is obvious. You feel it. People could stop and think about what they
have done through out their lives and think if they have used it for
the good or bad. God judges you by your intentions and efforts. The
person knows if he put the necessary effort into it or not. There is
no other way to explain it."
Matt Slick's
Response: What Mr. Zawadi offers us is nothing more than
his opinion. He appeals to the heart, the very thing that the
Bible says not to trust because it is desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9).
There have been many times when my heart has told me that I had
studied very well for a test and I knew I would get a good grade.
Unfortunately, the grades I sometimes received were not what my
heart told me I would earn. There have been women I have
felt very strongly towards but later found out that my feelings were
misguided. Is it wise to trust in
something that can be mislead? I think not.
What Mr. Zawadi is telling us is that he feels that
he's good enough to merit the forgiveness of his God. If his opinion
accurately reflects the teachings of Islam, then he lowers the
stature and holiness of God. The Christian would never say that he
feels he is good enough or done enough good to merit the forgiveness
of the Almighty. Such a thing is sinful because it is boastful and
self-centered. When it comes to forgiveness before God and our
works, we are commanded to boast only in what Christ has done and
not in ourselves: "For by grace you have been saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a
result of works, that no one should boast," (Eph. 2:8-9), and
"For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves,
but they desire to have you circumcised, that they may boast in your
flesh. 14 But may it never be that I should boast, except
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has
been crucified to me, and I to the world," (Gal. 6:13).
Finally,
Mr. Zawadi did not answer the question. He did not tell us if he is
doing enough good deeds to receive salvation on the day of judgment.
He also did not tell us if he was doing all he could do or if he was
relaxing in his dedication to his God. If Mr. Zawadi were to tell us
that he was good enough, that he was doing enough good deeds to earn
his salvation, then he is a far better man than I am. For I would
never boast and could never claim that I was good enough or doing
enough good deeds to please my Lord -- no matter how hard I tried. Instead, I must rely completely
on his grace found in Jesus that has been manifested in the cross through which I
am forgiven by the sacrifice of the Son of God.
Zawadi's Original:
"Matt Slick said:
- The Qur'an says,
"O ye who
believe! Turn unto Allah in sincere repentance! It may be
that your Lord will remit from you your evil deeds and bring you
into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, on the day when Allah
will not abase the Prophet and those who believe with him. Their
light will run before them and on their right hands; they will
say: Our Lord! Perfect our light for us, and forgive us! Lo!
Thou art Able to do all things," (66:8-9). Notice how it
says if you are sincere you may receive forgiveness.
- Question: How do you know you are sincere enough
to be forgiven of Allah?
- Question: Does it give you peace to know that
even if you are very sincere that at best, you may
receive forgiveness?
- Question: If you say that you know you are
sincere enough in your repentance before Allah, how do you
know you are not deceiving yourself?
- Question: Is your heart really good enough to
muster enough sincerity before a Holy and Righteous God?
- Question: If you say yes, I honestly and humbly
ask you, "Are you being prideful?"
- Question: If you say you are not being prideful,
then are you boasting in your sincerity?
My Response:
This is only a figure of
speech that God is using. For example, "if you wash my car I
might let you take it for a drive". Now when I say "I might", it
means that I will let the person take it for a drive. It is only
a figure a speech.
The person knows that his
repentance is sincere when he has fulfilled the conditions of
tawbah (repentance)
Taken from
http://www.alinaam.org.za/library/duaa/tawbah02.htm
Hazrat Allie [radhiyallahu anhu] was asked as to what
Tauba is. He replied, "It is a combination of six things,
1) To
regret over ones sins.
2) To make Qadha of any Fardh or Wajib one had foregone.
3) To return the property of others which one usurped.
4) To seek forgiveness from the aggrieved if one has harmed him
physically or verbally.
5) A firm resolution not to embark on sin in future.
6) Just as one has witnessed himself disobeying Allah Ta'aala he
now beholds himself in His obedience.
Matt Slick's
Response: Mr. Zawadi did not answer the questions. Instead
he dismisses them by saying, "This is only a figure of speech that
God is using." Which part of Sura 66:8-9 is a figure of speech? He
does not tell us. Mr. Zawadi does say, however, that there are six steps that
a person must follow in order to know is repentance is sincere
enough. Regret, restitution, asking forgiveness, repentance, etc.
but this does not address the issue of the heart of the Muslim. The
questions deal with the heart. How does the Muslim
know that his own sincerity down deep in his heart is good enough?
That is the question. The question is not what deeds must be done,
but how does he know his sincerity is enough? He does not address
the second question, nor the third, nor the fourth, nor the fifth,
nor the sixth. How can this response from Mr. Zawadi be taken seriously
as a rebuttal to a list of questions when he doesn't even answer
them? How do you rebut questions?
Don't you answer them? Why did Mr. Zawadi not do that?
Zawadi's Original:
"Matt Slick said: In Christianity, Jesus is
God in flesh who paid for our sins on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24). Because of that, we Christians are
secure in Him and do not have to worry about doing enough good
works to please God since we are saved by grace through faith in
Him, (Eph. 2:8-9).
- Question:
Why should we Christians give up our guarantee of salvation
in Jesus for the requirements of your Qur'anic law when you
yourselves don't even know if you have done enough good
deeds to be saved on the Day of Judgment?
My Response: Well Matt Slick is assuming
that Christianity is the truth and that Jesus really did die for
his sins. Well if Christianity is the truth, then Islam is false
and therefore we should all become Christians. However, people
do not choose a religion that appeals to them, they choose the
truth. The reason why Matt Slick and all Christians should leave
Christianity is because it is a false religion, therefore they
have no salvation unless they turn to the glorious Quran."
Matt Slick's Response:
Yes, I do assume that Christianity is the truth and that
Islam is false. But Mr. Zawadi is incorrect because if Christianity
is true, it does not mean that all people will become Christians. He
is incorrect again when he says that "people do not choose a
religion that appeals to them, they choose the truth."
Not all people choose truth. For example, many have chosen
Islam, and Mormonism, and Jehovah's Witnesses, and atheism, and
Buddhism, etc.
But again, Mr. Zawadi does not answer the question. I fail to
understand why he would write a rebuttal to my series of questions
if he doesn't even answer the questions in the first place. Again, how do you write a rebuttal
to questions? You don't. You write a rebuttal to statements, not
questions. Perhaps Mr. Zawadi would care to answer the questions
sometime in the future. Mr.'s Zawadi's statements are not
rebuttals.
Zawadi's Original:
Matt Slick said:
- The Bible says that God is love (1
John 4:16) and that He loves all people (Matt.
5:43-48;
John 3:16). The Qur'an never says that "God is
love." In fact, the Qur'an says that Allah does not love
unbelievers (2:98; 3:32).
- Question: If Allah
does not love unbelievers, can you say that Allah is
love, especially if the Qur'an does not say it?
- Question: If you say yes, that Allah is love,
then why does he only love the Muslims and not all people?
- Question: If you say Allah is love, is he more
loving than the God of the Bible who loves all people?
My Response:
God is fair, how can God
love the unbelievers and throw them into eternal fire? That is
illogical. How does it make a believer feel that with all the
good deeds he has done and all the love that he showed towards
God and then finds out that God loves the corrupt people
equally? It is not fair. It is illogical.
Matt Slick's Response:
Mr.
Zawadi comes close to answering the questions but fails to directly
address them. Matt. 5:43-48 deals with the love of God for all
people in that he provides for them rain, sunshine, etc. This is a
gracious act of God extended to the unbeliever. The point of my
original question was not to say that God does not hate anyone,
because God does (see my article
Does God hate anyone?).
The point was to show that the Bible says that God is very loving
and that he loves unbelievers as well. Mr. Zawadi missed the
point altogether.
Zawadi's Original: By the way, who said that
the God of the bible loves all?
[Formatting improved to save space] Ecclesiastes 3:8,
"a time to love and a time
to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." Leviticus 20:23,
"You must not live according to
the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you.
Because they did all these things, I abhorred them"; Deuteronomy 18:12,
"Anyone who does these things
is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable
practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before
you"; Leviticus 26:30, "I will destroy your high
places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies
on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor
you"; Psalm 5:4-6, "You are not a God who
takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell,
5 The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence; you hate all who do wrong.
6 You destroy those who tell
lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD abhors"; Psalm 11:5,
"The LORD examines the
righteous, but the wicked
and those who love violence his soul hates";
Romans 913, "Just as it is written:
'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."
Matt Slick's Response:
I addressed this above.
Zawadi's Original:
"Us Muslims believe that Allah has
put us on earth and made us all Muslims by fitrah (nature). That
it is natural for all of us to want to know God. To get to know
God. We are born pure. It is like he has put us all on a highway
leading to paradise but there are many exits. People
unfortunately take those exits despite God warning us not to
take them. Therefore, those who turn away from the mercy of God.
Reject the love that God wants to give them and has already
given them from the start. Therefore, God does not love them
anymore. They do not deserve to be loved."
Matt Slick's Response:
The Bible teaches us that none deserve to be loved.
But we are loved because of what and who God is. In other
words, God first loves us in spite of our sinfulness. God
loves us because of what is in him, not because of what is in us.
As Christians, we know we are not worth loving, that we have sinned
against an infinitely holy God, and that we deserve damnation.
But, we have been blessed by the grace of God to receive forgiveness
through Jesus. Therefore, we boast in nothing that we have
done, in none of our actions, and certainly not our own hearts.
Zawadi's Original:
"Matt Slick said:
Matt Slick's Response:
This is no response at all. The questions deal with
who has performed the greatest act of love. Mr. Zawadi did not
answer the question. He avoided it...yet again. This is
not an adequate rebuttal by any means.
Zawadi's Original:
Matt Slick said:
- Islam teaches that the Holy Spirit is Gabriel. In the
Bible, the
Holy Spirit lives in the Christians.
- Question: If the angel Gabriel is the Holy
Spirit, how can he dwell in us? (Note: According to the
Nestle Aland Greek New Testament Textual Apparatus, there
are no textual variations any of the following
biblical references. They are recorded and transmitted to
us accurately.)
- "Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,
the treasure which has been entrusted to you," (2
Tim. 1:14, NASB).
- "Do you not know that you are a temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1
Cor. 3:16, NASB).
My Response:
Matt Slick's logic is "if
the New Testament says something and the teachings of Islam say
something else, then Islam must be wrong". Matt Slick yet needs
to prove that whatever the New Testament says is superior to the
teachings of Islam. It does not matter if there are no textual
variations (I like how he indirectly admits that there are
though). It does not matter if that is what is really written,
it does not make it true.
Matt Slick's Response:
It goes without saying that as a Christian I affirm the
teachings of the New Testament. The issue here is how the Muslim
would answer the question that if the angel Gabriel is the Holy
Spirit, according to Islam, then how can he dwell within us. Instead
of dealing with the question Mr. Zawadi briefly mentions textual
variations. I had mentioned them because the Muslims claim that the
Bible is corrupted, though they have no proof of this. The textual
apparatus demonstrates that the text I quoted is identical in every
single manuscript that has been unearthed. Therefore, there is no
evidence whatsoever to demonstrate that the texts thus cited are incorrect. Mr. Zawadi sidesteps the question and yet again fails to answer.
Again, how is this a rebuttal? It is not.
Zawadi's Original:
Matt Slick said:
-
Lying is okay?
-
Question: Was Muhammad wrong for advocating
lying? Is Lying okay? "Muhammad bin Maslama got up saying,
"O Allah's Apostle! Would you like that I kill him [Ka'b bin
Al-Ashraf]?" The Prophet said, "Yes," Muhammad bin Maslama
said, "Then allow me to say a (false) thing (i.e. to deceive
Kab). "The Prophet said, "You may say it," (Hadith Vol. 5,
Book 59, #369).
-
Question: Who is more holy, Allah or Yahweh?
-
In the above quote from the hadith, Muhammad advocated
lying. The Christian God would never approve of lying.
Does the god of Islam approve of lying? If not, then wasn't
Muhammad wrong? If he was not wrong, then Allah approves of
lying. Which God is more holy? The God of Christianity is
far more holy.
My Response:
Lying is strongly prohibited in Islam.
Read this great article for the proof
http://www.islamtomorrow.com/lies.asp
Now Matt Slick needs to understand that
it was only during that specific situation. You can read about it
http://understanding-islam.org/related/text.asp?type=rarticle&raid=263&sscatid=149
and
http://www.bismikaallahuma.org/Muhammad/kaab.htm
Matt Slick's
Response: So what Mr. Zawadi
is telling us is that lying is strongly prohibited in Islam but it
is also permitted. That is a contradiction. The fact is that
Mohammed advocated lying so that someone could be killed. Jesus did
not teach people to lie nor does he approve of their lying. But in Islam,
Mohammed approved of it.
I'm not interested in reading multiple articles that he
references in his so-called rebuttal. If Mr. Zawadi wishes to answer
the questions forthright, I would be interested in seeing those
answers. As it stands, he has offered very little regarding
answering the questions and his rebuttal is no rebuttal at all.
I'm very disappointed in his response to my paper.
He did not answer the questions and by not answering them, he did
not have a grounds on which to establish the truth of those answers.
I assume that since he did not answer, he does not have answers.