In this post, we will be covering common Muslim attacks on Christianity. Let’s get right into it
Attack 1: Where Did Jesus Say “I Am God, Worship Me”?
“Where did Jesus say, I am God, worship me?” Muslim leaders made it a common question for Christians about 20 years ago. However, there is something we have to keep in mind while looking at this question.
“The direct word fallacy.” The direct word fallacy is the logical fallacy that requires the exact words “I am God, worship me.” Instead of the idea of the words. So if you’re thinking of John 10:30 or Mark 2:5-7, you would run into muslims asking for the direct words. What you have to do when that happens is to tell them the direct word fallacy and keep pulling up verses of Jesus claiming to be God. But what would some of those verses be?
Jesus Claiming To Be God.
“I and the Father are one.”
The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
Jesus replied to them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?”
The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
John 10:30-33 is a really good group of verses to bring up, just because of how direct it is. Some Muslims will say, “I and the Father are one, is not Jesus claiming to be God.” We have to understand that Jesus is claiming to be God when he says that, so much so that the Jews are trying to stone him for it.
‘And Jesus, seeing their faith, *said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts,
“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?”
This one also makes it clear that he is claiming to be God, and again, the jews fully understand that.
Jesus NOT Claiming To Be God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Let’s make this very clear. This is not Jesus speaking, this is John speaking. Jesus does not claim to be God here
‘When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,”
Although Jesus is claiming to be God in this, we have to remember that the book of Revelation is a dream to John, and that this has not happened yet.
Jesus Saying To Worship Him (Kinda)
So the “Worship me” part of the whole thing is tricky. But why? Because Jesus never says, “Worship ME!” Well, not directly. Here, let me explain. If Jesus claims to be God, and then he says to worship God, I think that would count for him saying to worship him. But a big question is, where does he say to worship God? Well in…
‘Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” ‘
Well, there we go, Jesus (Kinda) saying to worship him. But that’s not good enough, is it? Let’s look at two other points, shall we?
Angels And People Of God Rejecting Worship
To understand my point, we need to look at angels and people rejecting worship.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
At this I(John) fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.”
Right here, an angel is rejecting worship from God. But to give some credit where credit is do, this is a dream from John, and it has not happened yet. Butttt I think it still works.
As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence.
But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”
So, in these verses, it makes it very clear that Peter is rejecting worship, for he is “only a man.”
Jesus Accepting Worship
Now we need verses of Jesus accepting worship.
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
These verses talk about a womon worshiping Jesus, and others don’t like her doing it. But Jesus tells them off, saying that she is doing a good thing.
Final Thoughts And Conclusion
In these verses of the Bible, we can clearly see that Jesus claimed to be God and claimed that we should worship God. But we do have to note that it is outside of Jesus’s character to directly say, “I AM GOD! SO WORSHIP ME!” Jesus was humble and would not say that at all.
Attack 2: Jesus was Muslim
Muslims believe that Jesus was a muslim, why? Well, because they have to. Let me explain, so Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet from God and not God himself. So with that, they also think that he was a Muslim. But besides that, why else do they think that? Well, let’s pull up some Quran verses and quotes from Muslims
Quran verses
The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And they both used to eat (earthly) food. See how we make the revelations clear for them, and see how they are turned away!
(Muslim Jesus speaking) Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path.
But when Jesus became conscious of their disbelief, he cried: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples said: We will be Allah’s helpers. We believe in Allah, and bear thou witness that we have surrendered (unto Him).
Conclosen
“Jesus” kinda claimed to be muslim in these verses
Quotes from Muslims
From Dr. Shabir Ally on “Was Jesus a Muslim?“1 To sum up the post, the author connects Jesus’s praying habits and Muslims’ praying habits, the author connects the two, and says that he is a muslim
A video by Lily Jay on “🤔 Was Jesus Actually… a Muslim?“2 In this video, the author notes some of the things that Jesus did and she tries to connect them with what muslims do.
JESUS WAS NOT MUSLIM!
So let’s debunk all of the claims.
I. Dr. Shabir Ally
Shabir notes, “The meaning of the term ‘Muslim’ is one who submits to God.” So by that logic, everyone who follows a “God” is a Muslim, so Jews, Christians, Mormons, Zoroastrians, Hindus, and Jehovah’s Witnesses are all Muslims. Huh, very interesting… Side Note: If your definition is so broad that it covers everything, then your definition is useless.
Shabir quotes Matthew 26:39
‘And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed.”
Shabir says Jesus is Muslim because Jesus prayed on his face like a Muslim would. But if you clicked on the link and read the verse, you would have noticed that half of the verse is missing. Now let’s read the full verse, shall we?
And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Huh, a Muslim calling God his Father? (Context: Muslims don’t believe that God has the name Father. Surah 19:88-89 & Surah 21:26). If you can’t see what is happening, Shaibr is nitpicking the verse to fit his narrative.
Shabir also quotes John 17:3
“When he looked up into heaven and prayed, he said that they may know you as the only true God and Jesus, your Messenger, as Christ.“
Again, if you clicked on the link and looked at the verse, you can easily tell that he is changing the verse. Now let’s look at the real verse
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
You see much different from the real verse.
II. Lily Jay
Lily Jay made 11 different claims in this video, and we will be looking at ALL OF THEM!
- “Jesus, He called God, allah, right?” – Nope, not once. Jesus would call God Father, Lord, or just God, and He would most likely not use the Arabic word “allah” which means God.
- “When he prayed to God, He put His head to the ground(Matthew 26:39).” – Again, I say, in the same verse, He calls God, Father.
- “He fasted for 40 days. (Luke 4:2)” – She is trying to connect this with Ramadan, but there are a lot of issues with this. 1: Ramadan is 30 days long, not 40. 2: Ramadan was not a thing back then. 3: Jesus tells us to fast. (Matthew 6:16-18)
- “He never ate pork. (Leviticus 11:7)” – For starters, Jesus was not in the Old Testament, and Jesus made it very clear to eat what God has given you(Mark 7:18-19)
- “Jesus was circumcised. (Luke 2:21)” – Um… How does that mean he was Muslim? Jesus was a Jew, Jews got circumcised…
- “He greeted everyone with Salaam alaykum(Peace be upon you)(John 20:21) – Jesus said this once, not every time. If it were every time, you would have more than one time of Jesus saying it. Plus, Salaam alaykum is Arabic, and Jesus did not speak Arabic.
- “He washed himself before praying. (Leviticus 16:4)” – How did she get Jesus washing himself out of this verse? For starters, Jesus is nowhere near this verse, and this verse is about Aaron cleaning himself so he can be on holy ground.
- “He forbade being drunk. (Ephesians 5:18)” – YES! Finally, she can read the Bible right. Jesus did not want us to be drunk, but that disagrees with what Islam teaches. Islam says you can’t drink alcohol. But Jesus made water into wine and gave wine to people.
- “Jesus taught that there is one true God. (Mark 12:29)” – Okay, yes! Jesus did teach that there is one true God. But the verse that Jesus was quoting was Deuteronomy 6:4, but the word God used in the verse is “Elohim.” But the “-im” at the end of the word makes it a plural word. So this verse hints towards the Trinity.
- “Jesus’s Mother had a head covering. (1 Corinthians 11:5-6)” – So this chapter does not talk about Jesus’s Mother. But it does talk about womon needing head coverings, but not because they were Christian. (If you want to see why they wore head coverings, click on the verse.)
- “So what religion was Jesus?” – He did not have a religion.
Attack 3: Jesus Can’t Be God
Let’s look at some Muslims’ claims that “Jesus can’t be God.”
A video called “Why God Can’t be a Man” by Farhan Ahmed Zia. The author notes that Jesus can’t be God because God is uncreated, and Jesus was “created.” The author also notes the definition the Quran gives for God, and says Jesus does not meet the definition.
A video called “Why Jesus Can’t Be God” by I Am “THE WARNER”. And in this video the author notes that Jesus had human attributes, and that God can not.
Jesus Can Be God
Now, let’s debunk these videos
I. Farhan Ahmed Zia
Farhan uses the Quran’s definition of God to disprove the Bible’s definition of Jesus being God, and that does not work at all. It’s just like saying, “I don’t like your definition, so I’m going to use a different one to fit what I want to say.” But no less, he makes some claims that I’m going to be debunking.
- “The Creator can’t be the creation.” Farhan notes that a creator becoming its creation is a logical contradiction. Which is normally true, but that does not work with God. Why? Well, for starters, how is it logical that something came out of nothing? It’s not. There is only so much “logic” that we can use with God. Some logic only applies to us, and not God, and that is one of them. especially if you believe God is all-powerful, then you should also believe God can limit Himself.
- “If I make an iPhone, that does not make me an iPhone.” For starters, that is a crazy quote that I am going to be using at the next guys’ night out. Now, this is one of many times that we run into views that we don’t agree with. Creator looking like its creation. The Bible clearly states that we are created in the image of God. (Genesis 1:27) But he says that the creator does not look like its creation. Which is very true on many levels. Like God does not look like a sheep or a Cow, but the Bible does make it clear that we as humans look like God.
- “Believing God can become a man is unnatural.” For some reason, Farhan tries using fitra3 to say that God becoming a man is unnatural. 2 things. 1: The definition of fitra does not fit the way it is being used. 2: The idea of fitra is not proven, and disagrees with so many things. Like Hindus believe in polytheism, the same for Asatruers.
- “God can not make a squared circle.” I would agree with him when he says that God can not make a squared circle. But we run into some issues with this when he tries to compare that with God becoming human. He says it’s a logical contradiction, but like I said before are logic does not always work with God. A side note: A big issue I have with this video is that Farhan says God is infinite, but then he puts God in a jar, says that God can and can not do that, and it’s not the fact they he says the Quran says God can’t do that. But Farhan says God can’t do it.
- “If God became a man, he would _____” He says that God, if he became a man he would be eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom. Which I would agree with. Jesus did do all of that Stuff. Why? Well, because Jesus is 100% God and 100% human.
II. I Am “THE WARNER”
In this YouTube short, the dawah is talking to a person about Islam, and while doing that he explains that Jesus can’t be God. Now let’s debunk his points.
- “Obviously, Jesus was born, and we believe that God is eternal” We as Christians also believe that God is eternal. But we believe that Jesus has always been. (John 1:1)
Yeah, there is not much to say about this video. But I find it weird that the does not really disprove that Jesus is God, but more of he shows his beliefs on Jesus, and I respect that.
Attack 4: We Have The Same God
This claim, “We have the same God,” is somewhat of a common attack; it’s more rare than the others, but common enough to add it to the list. So let’s compare the God of the Bible with the god of the quran.
Comparing Yahweh To allah
Yahweh is a Trinity
For there are three that testify:
the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
(There is so much on this than just this verse. Click here to see the basics of it.)
allah is NOT a Trinity
O People of the Book! Do not go to extremes regarding your faith; say nothing about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and the fulfilment of His Word through Mary and a spirit ˹created by a command˺ from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say, “Trinity.” Stop!—for your own good. Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him! He is far above having a son! To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee of Affairs.
Yahweh is a Father to everyone!
John 1:12
‘But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, ‘
(We are adopted children of God)
Romans 8:15-16
‘For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, ‘
allah is a Father to no one
Surah 19:88-89
They say, “The Most Compassionate has offspring.”
You have certainly made an outrageous claim,
And say: “All praise be to Allah Who has neither taken to Himself a son, nor has He any partner in His kingdom, nor does He need anyone, out of weakness, to protect Him.” So glorify Him in a manner worthy of His glory.
O People of the Book! Do not go to extremes regarding your faith; say nothing about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and the fulfilment of His Word through Mary and a spirit ˹created by a command˺ from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say, “Trinity.” Stop!—for your own good. Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him! He is far above having a son! To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee of Affairs.
Yahweh Loves Everyone
Romans 5:8
‘But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ‘
allah does not love unbelievers
Surah 3:32
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Obey Allah and His Messenger.” If they still turn away, then truly Allah does not like the disbelievers.
Attack 5: The Bible Has Changed Over Time
OH MY WORD! I don’t think you understand how many Muslims make this claim. 95% of Muslims who claim that “The Bible has changed over time” have no idea what they are even saying and can not back up their claims. Here is an easy way to handle this.
Ask Questions
A very easy way to handle this attack is to ask Questions. When they answer the questions, try to look for inconsistencies in their answers. Like, do they contradict themselves? Are there answers backed up by facts, or are they just making up the answers? Anywho, let’s get right into this. Here are some questions you can ask.
- How do you know it changed over time?
- When did it get changed?
- Who changed it?
- Can you prove it was changed?
Some common answers you will get for “Can you prove it was changed?”
- “There are so many versions of the Bible” (Most of the time, they are talking about different translations of the bible and not the Catholic Bible or Orthodox Bible.) – To answer this, look at the history of the bible4 and the points of the different translations5 (click on foot notes for videos)
- “The Quran says the Bible is corrupted.” – To answer this, we have to go to the Quran. I like to go to 3 different verses for this. (Surah 3:3, Surah 5:46-47, Surah 10:94) If you took the time to read those, you would know that these verses affirm the bible.
Attack 6: The Trinity Does Not Make Sense
So this question is probably the most common question you will get. But to get ready for this question, you will have to make sure you have your theology straight, then answer their questions.
Common Questions On The Trinity
- “How can 1 be 3?” – To answer this question, I like to point out how different things are one but also three. (Like one family of three, or how one person can be a son, father, and grandfather at the same time. etc…)
- “How can the father be greater than Jesus, if they are both God?” I could have a whole separate post on just this topic. But for a quick answer, the Father is greater in person, but not greater in essence. If you want a deeper answer, watch these videos: “The Father is Greater than I” Debunks Trinity? & Did Jesus Deny His Divinity by Saying ‘My Father is Greater’?
- “How is Jesus limited and still God?” – So if I believe that God is all-powerful, then I must believe that he can limit Himself. Because the word “Powerful” means “being able to control and influence people and events,” or “having great power or force; very effective.”6 So with that logic, God has to limit Himself, or he would inta-kill us with his presence. So it would make sense that if God wanted to be human, then he would have to limit Himself.
Debates Or Conversations
After many debates and conversations with Muslims, you will start noticing many consistencies, or in other words, Muslims will start doing the same thing. So here is a list of the common things that they will do in debates or conversations, and what to do if they do it.
The Common Things That Muslims Do
- “Switch the topic.” A lot of times, when you make a good point or when you get them in a corner, they will switch the topic and pass over your point or statement. When this happens, you have to go back to the point that you made and make sure that they answer it. If you don’t have the room to go back to the point, make sure to bring it up later.
- “Lie.” Sometimes Muslims will lie within debates or conversations. Why? Well, because they are allowed and encouraged to lie. So, make sure to double-check them if you feel that you are being lied to.
- “You need to understand Arabic to understand the Quran.” This is such a common statement, it’s like their catch phrase or something. But there is some truth to the statement. Arabic is a rich language, and English is not. But that does not mean reading it in English should change the whole meaning of the verse. A Good way to double-check and to make sure you’re reading it right is by using a tafsir (Commentary). I like using QuranX.com.
- “You need to read the full Quran to understand one verse of it.” This statement is also somewhat common. If you know anything about books, you know that this is a crap statemeant. Yes, I agree that there is a context to verses. But you don’t need to read the whole book to understand that context.
Things To Keep In Mind
- “Treat them with love.” Sometimes when you’re in a debate or a conversation, things will get heated. Sometimes that’s okay. But it is not okay to start name-calling or insulting them. The Bible makes it very clear to love your enemies(Matthew 5:44). Sometimes they might start insulting you, and that’s okay. The Bible makes it very clear that if someone slaps you on the cheek, then tell them to slap the other. (Matthew 5:39)
- “Understand the goal.” You need a goal while having conversations or debating with Muslims. My goal is to show them what I believe is the truth, and to work with them to find the truth. Your goal may not be the same as mine, but the core of it needs to be for the kingdom of God and not just wanting to debate someone.
- “It’s NOT your Job.” You NEED to understand what is and what is not your job. We will start with, what is your Job? 1. It’s your job to treat people with love. 2. It’s your job to have a conversation with someone about Jesus. 3. It’s your job to protect them. Now let’s look at things that are not your Job. 1. It’s not your job to convert people. 2. It’s not your job to instil people.
- “You are a Christian, not Christ.” You are a person, you are going to make mistakes, and you are not going to be able to answer every question, and that’s okay! But you need to admit when you are wrong and admit when you do not know something.
Footnotes
- Was Jesus a Muslim? by Dr. Shabir Ally ↩︎
- Video – 🤔 Was Jesus Actually… a Muslim? By Lily Jay ↩︎
- Farhan’s definition of Fitra is: “The Innate human nature that recognises the oneness of God” ↩︎
- Video – Canonicity: What Books Belong in the Bible? ↩︎
- Video – All Bible translations explained in 7 minutes ↩︎
- Definition of powerful adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary ↩︎
