Polygamy in the Bible

Actually, there is no place in the Bible where polygamy is forbidden, on the contrary, we find that it was told in the Bible that some prophets had more than one wife, for example Abraham had Sarah and Hajar, then after Sarah died, he had Keturah and other concubines as mentioned in Genesis 25:1-6, Jacob had 2 wives 2 handmaids:

Gen 32:22 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok.

David had 9 wives, 6 mentioned in that script:

2Sa 3:2 And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his first-born was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; 2Sa 3:3 and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; 2Sa 3:4 and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; 2Sa 3:5 and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

plus Michal (2 Sa 6:23), Batheshba (2 Sa 11:26) and Abishag the Shunammite (1Ki 1:3) plus more than 10 concubines:

2Sa 15:16 And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, that were concubines, to keep the house.

Also Solomon had 1000 women 700 concubines and 300 wives, as in 1Ki 11:1-11, and what the Bible condemned wasn’t having women, but that these women were disbelievers so they drove him (We Muslims totally reject that blasphemy that Solomon worshipped idols, he is innocent from this)

The Old Testament clearly sanctions it:

Deu 21:15 If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated;

So it tells that if a man had two wives, and didn’t say that it is forbidden.

And after the Bible tells what David made with Batheshba (Which we also consider as a blasphemy against God’s prophet David), it tells that God said to him:

2Sa 12:8 and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things.

So the Bible tells that if David needed more (which includes women), and not to commit adultery, God would have gave him, and let him do it.

Concept of salvation between Islam and Christianity

In Islam, it is neither work alone nor faith alone get man to Paradise. It’s both actually, Allah says in the Quran:

But as for those who believe and do good works, for them are the Gardens of Retreat – a welcome (in reward) for what they used to do.(Sura 32:19)

See, belief is mentioned before good works, because actually good works alone do nothing if they were without belief, and belief without good works is not a serious belief. So actually good works are an indication of belief and that’s why in Islam we are accounted on our good and bad deeds, where bad deeds negate good deeds and the rank of every man in Paradise is dependent on his score of good and bad deeds, so actually good and bad deeds distinguish between believers in Paradise rather than meaning that man shall enter Paradise because of his deeds:

47. And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners.(Sura 21:47)

Associate this verse with this hadith:

Jabir reported that the Prophet of Islam said: “No good works of yours can ever secure heaven for you, nor can they save you from hell – not even me, without the grace of God.”

God promised us that if we believed and obeyed Him, we shall go to Paradise:

9. Allah has promised those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) and do deeds of righteousness, that for them there is forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise). (Sura 5)

Now concerning sins, what if a man is a sinner? If he repented, God shall forgive him:

110. And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah’s Forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Sura 4)

If the sin was against God,then God has the right to forgive him, if the sin was against someone else as murder or insult for example, God won’t forgive it unless the one whom was sinned against forgives the sinner, otherwise, he shall take from his good deeds, if the sinner has no good deeds, he will receive the sins of the one whom he sinned against.

What if the sinner didn’t repent and doesn’t have good works that outweigh these sins?

116. Verily! Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom he pleases sins other than that, and whoever sets up partners in worship with Allah, has indeed strayed far away. (Sura 4)

The only sin that shall let someone be eternally in Hell is Shirk which is associating partners with Allah and not believing Islam is the right religion. Other sins are either forgiven by God’s mercy or by going to Hell for some time till they are cleaned from the sins and enter Heaven afterwards.

So if  they are Muslims even if they are sinners, they shall enter Paradise, but after being cleansed of their sins in Hell.

So simply salvation in Islam is first through faith, so that actually all Muslims shall go to Paradise, based on their deeds, they shall distinguish, some will be in the higher ranks of Heaven, some will be in lower ranks, some shall go to Hell first till he is cleansed out of his sins, then he shall go to Paradise. Deeds doesn’t mean that man can fulfill God’s blessings by his good deeds, but they are a sign of loyalty to God as long as they are associated with real faith, so that he gains God’s mercy that shall let him go to Paradise. But good deeds without faith shall not be accepted by God:

27. And (O Muhammad ) recite to them (the Jews) the story of the two sons of Adam [Habil (Abel) and Qabil (Cain)] in truth; when each offered a sacrifice (to Allah), it was accepted from the one but not from the other. The latter said to the former: “I will surely kill you. ” The former said: “Verily, Allah accepts only from the pious”

In Christianity, considering that Jesus needed to die for people’s sin I see this concept as blasphemous to God as God needn’t die to forgive people’s sin, this is weakness not justice, God has the right to forgive those who sinned against him as I have the right forgive anyone who insulted me, that has nothing with me being just or not, but actually people consider this as something good I do, so it has nothing to do with God’s justice, but it actually poses a couple of questions.

Christians cite this point of Jesus’ death with the atonements in the OT. According to Christian belief, who put the rule that there must be an atonement for blood so that the sins are forgiven, who put this rule? Isn’t He God? So how can this be a sacrifice? What Jesus did is not a sacrifice, but he just gave a solution to the problem God of Christianity caused? He is the one who put the rule and it was found to be impractical, he did what he did to solve the problem. So either God of Christianity didn’t know the consequences of this rule, so he found a problem and solved it, which is against God’s omniscience, or that he actually knew and did what he did to make a show that he loves you.

The second thing, what I know is that people are accounted for their intention, if you do something and this deed gives consequences other than who you intended it to be, then you are actually accounted for your intention not for the consequences, for example if I robbed a guy walking in the street and gave what I stole as a present to a friend of mine, then I discovered that the guy I robbed actually stole this stuff from my friend, am I a thief or a noble guy who wanted to help my friend? For sure a thief, as my intention was just to rob a guy and I didn’t know the other part of the story. That’s exactly what the death of Jesus was about, it wasn’t intended by the Jews to make a sacrifice or atonement so that Jesus takes away their sins, they were just looking to him as someone who shall destroy their leadership and positions and they wanted to get rid of him. So the whole action can be accounted as an atonement, but as murder crime, and this has nothing with what Jesus himself intended, because he is not the one who implemented the action, otherwise he would kill himself.

http://jesus-is-muslim.net/concept-of-salvation-between-islam-and-christianity/

Concept of God in Islam

http://jesus-is-muslim.net/god-in-islam/

A common misconception Christians have about Islam is that they think Muslims have nothing to do with God except fearing Him. They think that God in Islam is just distant God and the way of worship Muslims should do is just through different works and rites God ordered Muslims to do without any spiritual relationship between a Muslim and God.

To answer this misconception we must first talk about what the Quran tells about Allah. We can first give what some verses tell about attributes of God.These verses tell about the Mightiness and Mercy of God:

22.  Allah is He, than whom there is no other god –

-    Who knows (all things) both secret and open;

-    He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

23.  Allah is He, than whom there is no other god –

-    the sovereign,

-    the Holy One,

-    the Source of Peace (and Perfection).

-    The Guardian of Faith,

-    the Preserver of Safety,

-    the Exalted in Might,

-    the Irresistible,

-    the Supreme:

Glory to Allah! (high is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.

24. He is Allah,

-    the Creator,

-    the Evolver,

-    the Bestower of Forms (or colors).

To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names:

Whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory:

and He is the exalted in Might, the Wise. (Holy Quran 59:22-24)

Now is God really distant from us? The Quran answers no:

186.When my servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me;

let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me; that they may walk in the right way. (Quran 2:186)

Now, do Muslims love God? Or is it just about fear?

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) says in Al Bukhari:

Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, “Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness (delight) of faith: 1. The one to whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else. 2. Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah’s sake. 3. Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire.”

Does Allah love Muslims?

31.Say (O Muhammad):

“If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you, and forgive you your sins,

for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

76. Nay. Those that keep their plighted faith and act aright, verily Allah loves those who act aright.

134. Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity, or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men;for Allah loves those who do good.

(Holy Quran 3:31,76,134)

Does Allah love the unbelievers?

32. Say: “Obey Allah and His Messenger;”

but if they turn back, Allah loveth not those who reject Faith.

57. “As to those who believe and work righteousness, Allah will pay them (in full) their reward;

but Allah loveth not those who do wrong. (Holy Quran 3:32,57)

Christians may come and say, “This is the difference between God in Christianity and God in Islam, as God in Christianity loves disbelievers as well”. Actually I find it misleading when Christians say so, as Christians keep on saying that if we don’t believe in Jesus as our saviour we will go to the Hell and the lake of fire and sulphur. So God in Christianity loves me but he will punish me eternally in Hell. Does these really match? I doubt.

Kaaba in Biblical Scriptures

This shall be a brief account on what the Bible said about the Islamic Kaaba in Mecca.

Allah in the Quran telling about the Kaaba says:

96. The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka: Full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: (Quran 2:96)

In Psalm 84 it says:

4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;

they are ever praising you.

Selah

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

6 As they pass through the Valley of  Baca,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

7 They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;

listen to me, O God of Jacob.

So the word Valley of Baca is clearly mentioned here, and mentioned as a noun not translated to weeping as some other Biblical versions translate. Meaning it’s a real place not just a metaphorical one.

Then it comes to something else:

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

Don’t you know that Mecca has the spring of Zamzam which is a huge spring that has been producing water continuously for more than 1400 years and the pipelines transporting Zamzam water to Al Madina (about 400 km north) which is even an independent miracle in that blessed place.

Zion doesn’t necessarily mean Jerusalem, it has been used figuratively for the church and for Israel in the Babylonian captivity, so it seems like it has been used for any group or mass of people worshiping God, which can be applied on Kaaba here. This can even be seen among Christian sites:

Zion

The word Zion has various meanings in the scriptures. The most general definition of the word is “the pure in heart” (D&C 97:21). Zion is often used in this way to refer to the Lord’s people or to the Church and its stakes (see D&C 82:14). It has also been used to refer to specific geographical locations.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?locale=0&sourceId=8b93f73c28d98010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=bbd508f54922d010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Meaning of Zion

1. (n) an imaginary place considered to be perfect or ideal

2. (n) Jewish republic in southwestern Asia at eastern end of Mediterranean; formerly part of Palestine

3. (n) originally a stronghold captured by David (the 2nd king of the Israelites); above it was built a temple and later the name extended to the whole hill; finally it became a synonym for the city of Jerusalem; “the inhabitants of Jerusalem are personified as

http://wordhut.com/definitions/Zion.htm

What can even prove that the Bible talked about the house of God is in Genesis 22 in Targum Onkelos.Targum Onkelos (or Unkelus), is the official eastern (Babylonian) targum (Aramaic translation) to the Torah. However, its early origins may have been western, in Israel. Its authorship is attributed to Onkelos, אונקלוס, a famous convert to Judaism in Tannaic times (c.35–120 a.d).According to Jewish tradition, the content of Targum Onkelos was originally conveyed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai. However, it was later forgotten by the masses, and rerecorded by Onkelos.^[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Targum_Onkelos

Targum Onkelos when telling Genesis 22, gave some interesting issues:

And Abraham lifted up his eyes after these (words), and saw, and behold, one ram, holden in the bush by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham worshipped and prayed there in that place, and said before the Lord, Here shall generations worship: wherefore it shall be paid in that day, In this mountain Abraham worshipped before the Lord.[26]

http://targum.info/onk/Gen18_22.htm

This part in bold is not included in other Bible translations, it’s between verses 14 and 15. Here it talks about a place where Abraham offered his son, and this place was a place that generations shall worship God in. According to my knowledge, I don’t know a place Jews or Christians celebrate Abraham’s sacrifice and worship God in. But actually in Islam, we have a major feast which is Eid al Adha which can be translated to feast of sacrifice, where we believe that this place is in Mecca. Not only that, but Muslims go to Kaaba for pilgrimage in Eid al Adha.