Islamic Methodologies Made Easy by Ehab Shawky - HTML preview
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Some fusion was witnessed between the Yahvist and Elohist texts.
620 B.C.:
War erupted between the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and the Assyrians.
After many years, the Chaldeans eventually won the war.
Prophet Habakkuk lived during the years of this war.
586 B.C.:
The Babylonians invaded Judah after gaining triumph over the Assyrians. The temple was destructed, and the Ark of the Covenant was destroyed. The Jews fell in captivity. Afterwards, they were deported to work as slaves in Babylon. It was Ezekiel who led the Jews while in captivity. His role was important in preserving the identity and customs of the Jews. His students were the ones who compiled the
“Sacerdotal text.” The Diaspora began with the destruction of both nations. Synagogues also began as an assembly of at least 10 men (Quorum) and a copy of the Torah with them. Rabbis or masters, was the title given to those who studied the scripture and taught it to people.
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Cyrus the great of Persia invaded Babylon, destroyed its idols and freed the Jews as was predicted by Isaiah. Among the Jews who were freed later on was Prophet Ezra. The Jews who returned to Jerusalem reestablished the temple in 520 B.C.
300-200 B.C.: The 3rd century B.C. witnessed the production of the “Hebrew
Masoretic text” called “Tanakh” + The Greek Septuagint written by the Jews living in Alexandria of Egypt + The Hebrew Samaritan
Pentateuch written with Samaritan alphabets in Babylon.
100 B.C.-70 A.D.: The “Dead Sea scrolls” were written in this period.
70 A.D.:
Destruction of the second temple by the Romans. Jewish revolutionaries were slaughtered, thousands were enslaved, and the Diaspora was renewed. Jews of the Diaspora separated themselves from the gentiles by refusing to work on the Sabbath, refusing to eat prohibited kinds of food, practicing circumcision, etc. The rabbis sought by laymen, faced a huge problem in applying the laws of the scripture in countries ruled by non-Jews, but the people gathered around their knowledgeable ones.
“Yohannah Ben Zakkai” was one of those rabbis, he was living in Jerusalem during the siege, and he managed to escape to Titus’s tent one night to ask his permission to gather the rest of the rabbis and discuss the future of Judaism. Titus agreed and those rabbis assembled; their discussions continued for years. Among the results of their councils was the formation of the canon which we know today as the Old Testament.
After the destruction of Jerusalem, Jews moved to Galilee.
135-217 A.D.: “Judah Ha Nasi,” was one of the most important rabbis in the Jewish history. He compiled the commentary of the Jewish scholars on the laws of Moses since the time of Ezra. He called it “Mishnah.” It was published in 200 A.D. as the oral Torah. It included the debates between the 2 most famous schools of thought in Judaism: Hillel and Shammai schools, what they agreed on and what they differed about, and it also included the opinions of famous rabbis like rabbi Akiva (died 137 A.D.). The oral Torah or the secondary law was a means of preserving the primary laws of the Torah and making their understanding and application easier for Jewish people.
306 A.D.:
Constantine became Emperor of Rome. He was favorably inclined towards Christianity. In 325 he ordered the assembly of the council of Nicaea. This helped in establishing Trinitarian Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire. Consequently, persecution against the Jews ensued. Most Jews were forced to escape towards the more tolerant communities. Many moved to Babylon where some Jews were still living there since 586 B.C. There, discussions over the laws and additional sermonic material were compiled under the title “Gemara.”
“Mishnah + Gemara” formed the Talmud. Two Talmuds were produced, one in Jerusalem called “The Palestinian Talmud.” It was published in 425 A.D. The other was “The Babylonian Talmud.” It was published in 500 A.D. The legal matters’ section is called “Halakah,”
while the narratives’ section is called “Haggadah.” 30% of the
Babylonian Talmud is Haggadah.
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600-1000 A.D.: Rabbis who had compiled the Talmuds were succeeded by scholars who established schools and ran academies teaching the Talmud. Dean of the academy was called “Gaon.” This period is called the “Gaonic period.”
Another group named the “Karaites” rose against “Gaons” and denied their authority and that of the Talmud. They only accepted the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). This period also witnessed the compilation of
“Sepher Yetzirch”—or the “Book of Creation” —by the Babylonian scholars. It contributed in the evolution of “Kabbalah.”
610-660 A.D.: The advent of Islam and the expulsion of most Jewish tribes from Arabia.
711 A.D.:
Muslims enter southern Spain and establish Andalusia.
750 A.D.:
The ‘Abbāsid Caliphate rose in Iraq. They showed tolerance towards the Jews of Babylon who mingled with Arabs and Muslims. This continued for almost 200 years and the Jewish academies flourished in Baghdad.
882-942 A.D.: “Saadi Ben Joseph,” the last great Gaonim who led spokesmen against the Karaites, translated the Hebrew Bible to Arabic. Later on, the struggle among the Jewish sects became more intense; gradually, the academies declined and closed their doors. The leaders of the Jews passed through the Islamic states safely and freely till they reached Spain where they were allowed to enter the fields of government, science, medicine, philosophy, etc. The most famous Jewish philosophers and Talmudists were living in Islamic states. With the decline of Babylon community, Spanish Jews became the leaders of the Jewish world. Among them were: Samuel Ibn Naghrillah (993-1056): The Grand Vizier of Granada.
Judah Ha Levi (1075-1141): A physician and poet.
Moses Ibn Nachman (1195-1270): Nachmanides was a Talmudist, Kabbalist, and philosopher.
Moses Ibn Maimoun (1135-1204): Maimonides was a physician, Talmudist and philosopher. He escaped from Al-Mohad’s persecution to Egypt where he became Saladin’s personal physician. His most famous books were: “Mishnah-Torah,” a summary of the Talmudic laws, and “Guide to the perplexed,” which was an attempt to harmonize Judaic creed with Aristotle’s philosophical views. This book was criticized greatly by the rabbis and Talmudists of the time.
1096 A.D.:
Beginning of the Crusades by orders of the Pope. 80,000 citizens of Palestine were massacred by the Franks in the first crusade. Around 40,000 of whom were Muslims, the rest were Christians and Jews.
1280 A.D.:
Vast persecution campaigns were launched against the Jews forcing many of them to escape to Poland and Turkey. Approximately 160,000
Jews lived in Poland. “Ashkenazim” was the name given to them. They spoke “Yiddish,” which is a combination of German and Hebrew. About 500,000 Jews lived in Turkey. “Sephardim” was the name given to them. They spoke Spanish with some Hebrew. Meanwhile, a Spanish scholar named Moses De Leon compiled “The book of Splendor,”
known as “Zohar.” He attributed part of it to Simeon Ibn Yohai, the student of rabbi Aquiva who lived in the 2nd century. This book replaced the Talmud and became the most widely read book in Judaism.
The Kabbalistic literature addressed the oppressed who have little hope.
This is why it was sought by most Jews, especially after their expulsion 384
from Spain in 1492. In the period 1534-1572 A.D., Isaac Luria led a Kabbalistic group in upper Galilee.
1290 A.D.:
Expulsion from England.
1306 A.D.:
Expulsion from France.
14th century:
Expulsion from Germany.
1391 A.D.:
Thousands of Jews massacred by European Christians.
15th century:
Expulsion from Spain, followed by Portugal.
1492 A.D.:
Ferdinand and Isabella expelled Muslims and Jews from Spain.
Main Reasons of Persecution
1. Jews were accused of killing Jesus.
2. They were accused of the ritual murder of some Christians and using their blood to bake unleavened bread for Passover.
3. They were accused of making lepers poison the Christian water wells during the period of plagues.
4. They dealt with usury, which was forbidden by the church. This made them the available money lenders in most cities.
5. They always isolated themselves from their communities and formed secret societies.
1520 A.D.:
Martin Luther started preaching Protestantism. First, he denounced the Catholic Church and its persecution campaigns against Jews, but when Jews refused his version of Christianity, he turned against them.
In response to his views, the Catholic Church made some reformations that were accompanied with the inquisitions and the formation of the Ghettos (These were confinements in which Jews were forced to live).
1648-1656 A.D.: Cossack peasants led a revolution against the nobles in Poland.
They directed their anger towards the landlords and tax collectors who were mostly Jews. Many were slaughtered, women were raped, etc.
Around 100,000 Jews were killed in this revolution. The survivors fled to Western Europe.
1665 A.D.:
A Jew called Sabbati Zevi claimed to be the Messiah. He entered Constantinople where he was captured and converted to Islam.
1743 A.D.:
Moses Ibn Mendel entered Germany to study in its schools. He was a talented poet and was generously accepted by Germany’s poets. This made him encourage the Jews to leave the Ghettos, mingle with the gentiles and speak their language.
1750 A.D.:
Israel Ibn Eliazer, nicknamed “Baal Shem Tov,” preached that God was not to be found in the Torah or Talmud, but was rather heartfelt. His followers were known by the name “Hasidim.” They were excommunicated by orthodox rabbis.
1789 A.D.:
The French revolution, followed by the declaration of human rights and the tearing down of Ghettos.
1843 A.D.:
100 years after Moses Ibn Mendel entered Germany, his call was fruitful. German Jewish leaders issued the following declaration: 1. There is continuous development in Judaism.
2. The Talmud has no authority over modern Jews.
3. Jews seek no Messiah and know no homeland but that of birth.
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The assassination of Alexander II, Emperor of Russia, Poland and other eastern countries. This resulted in new pogroms against the Jews.
Thousands fled to U.S.A.
1894-1899 A.D.: The Dreyfus case: Captain Alfred Dreyfus was accused of committing treason against the French army. He was convicted falsely and received a life sentence in prison. 7 years later, his trial was declared erroneous.
This case was covered by an Austrian Jewish journalist called Theodore Herzl, who concluded that, “Regardless of the liberal façade of Europe, Jews would never be treated fairly until they have a land of their own.” Herzl started a movement that pleaded the cause of a Jewish state. It was called “Zionism,” and it chose Palestine as a place for this dream.
1900 A.D.:
Jews started buying lands in Palestine.
1909 A.D.:
The foundation of Tel Aviv.
1917 A.D.:
Belford declaration to Chaim Weizmann.
1920 A.D.:
50,000 Jews settled in Palestine.
1928 A.D.:
100,000 Jews settled in Palestine.
1931 A.D.:
175,000 Jews settled in Palestine.
1933 A.D.:
220,000 Jews settled in Palestine.
1935 A.D.:
Hitler issued new laws reducing Jews to second class citizens.
They could not vote, hold office or work in most professions.
1941 A.D.:
The Holocaust started. 6 million are claimed to have been annihilated.
The Main reason behind it was the troubles that faced Germany after WW-I, they blamed the Jews for their defeat. The “Protocols of the
elders of Zion” was believed to play a big role in this.
1947 A.D.:
The United Nations voted for a partition plan for Palestine though Jews only owned 2% of Palestinian lands. Palestinians refused this decision which led to an unresolved situation till the moment of writing this.
Most importantly, it led to the transformation of Judaism from a religion to Zionism as an ideology.
Jewish sects today
1. Orthodox Judaism: They are Talmudists. They observe the Kosher food law and the Sabbath. Men are always separated from women inside the synagogues, and women wear a veil.
2. Reform Judaism: They developed modernized practices of Judaism. They worship on Fridays. Men and women sit together, and they utilize music and choirs in their recitations.
3. Conservative Judaism: They are closer to the Orthodox, but they incline towards science and make scientific studies for the Jewish Bible.
4. Reconstructionists: They mingled religion with culture, history, law and art.
Famous Jewish feasts and holidays
1. Passover: Deliverance of the Israelites from slavery.
2. Shavuot: Receiving the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai.
3. Yom Kippur: The holiest of all holidays.
4. Hanukkah: The rededication of the temple in 165 B.C.
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According to the Christian transmitted chronicles: Jesus was born in Bethlehem prior to the death of Herod the Great 4 B.C. He was the miraculous born son of a pious virgin called Mary. When he turned thirty, he was baptized by John the son of Zachariah in Jordan River. Thereafter, he secluded himself in the wilderness and fasted for 40 days.
When this period ended, he entered Galilee and began preaching, teaching and healing the sick. His ministry reverberated between Galilee, Jerusalem and Judea. He had a group of disciples who followed him, the Gospels name 12 disciples.
Jesus’s teachings were mainly concerned with values, morals and ethics. His use of parables was an easy and extremely nice method of teaching. The gospel of Luke has many parables recorded in it. Jesus also defended the Judaic laws and held them as a means of reformation if properly applied. During his ministry, he fought bravely against the improper application of the laws by hypocritical rabbis. His teachings attracted those who had pure hearts and his miracles in healing stood as evidence on his relation to the Omnipotent Creator. He is recorded to heal the sick, the blind and the lame. He also raised the dead, fed the hungry, walked upon water, cast out demons and stilled storms.
The gospels tell us that he was recognized by John the Baptist as Elijah, some people thought of him as a prophet, and his disciples recognized him as the Messiah. Near his death, Jesus went to Jerusalem with his disciples. He taught in the temple and engaged in debates with the Pharisees. During this period he stayed in a village called Bethany, a few miles away from Jerusalem. This continued for a few days until he was betrayed by a disciple called “Judas,” who gave his location to the Romans lurking to arrest and kill him. He was captured, tortured, crucified and buried near Jerusalem. The exact reasons behind his arrest are unknown. Some say that the Pharisees informed the Romans that he was enticing a revolution against them, others say that he was related to the “Zealots” —
a group of revolutionists trying to overthrow the Roman government, and some say that the “Sadducees” who controlled the temple hated him for threatening their authority.
Two days after his burial, his tomb was found empty. The gospels tell us that he appeared for some of his disciples in Jerusalem and Galilee at various times for 40 days. He gathered his followers at the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem and ascended to heaven.
These final events formed the foundation base of the Christian faith. After these events, Jesus’s followers started preaching the new faith and Christianity evolved. Simon Peter led the Christians who were still a Jewish sect at that time. He traveled through the Roman Empire until he reached Rome where he built the Roman Church. When Peter started his journey to preach Christianity for other communities, he was succeeded by James, the half-brother of Jesus. 7 men were chosen to serve Christians in Jerusalem. One famous figure was Stephen, whose preaching enraged the Romans, so they had him stoned.
He was the first martyr in Christianity.
A couple of year after Jesus’s departure, a man named Saul from Tarsus—later on, changed to Paul—who was a Pharisee, converted from Judaism to Christianity. He was one of those who persecuted Christians. On a persecution mission to Damascus he was struck down by light and he heard a voice telling him that the Lord’s son orders him to stop persecuting Christians and that he should go and preach Christianity to all people.
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Paul traveled all over the Roman Empire preaching in Jewish synagogues and to the gentiles. He preached that gentiles should join Christians in their quest to spread Christianity. His opinion was that the old Judaic practices are no longer important for the new converts; he denounced circumcision and kosher food, he permitted the eating of pork among other things which created a wide gap between the teachings of Judaism and Christianity. After spending several years traveling and preaching Christianity, Paul was arrested by the Romans. He was imprisoned for several years and then executed approximately in 67 A.D. Paul was the author of 14 books of the New Testament. He is the real founder of Christianity.
Early Christians followed the Judaic rituals and prayed inside the temple at Jerusalem.
They continued to practice the animal sacrifice, followed the Jewish prayers, recited the same hymns, etc. They added baptism as a doorway for new converts, they began some new rituals like the “Eucharist,” or the communion meal in which they share a meal and recall the last supper and death of Jesus. From this ritual came the practice that the bread and wine become the flesh and blood of Jesus.
30-150 A.D.:
Christianity was still under formation; there were many sects and beliefs during this period.
64 A.D.:
Nero ordered the burning of Rome and initiated a persecution campaign against Christians after blaming them for Rome’s destruction.
70 A.D.:
The Romans destroyed the second temple in Jerusalem and the Church.
This event was deemed the cause behind the evolution of most gospels during that time. Among these gospels were the 4 famous ones.
Main Characteristics of the 4 Gospels
Matthew
Mark
1. A prolongation of the O.T.
1. The oldest and shortest gospel.
2. Emphasizing that Jesus was the one in 2. Written by a clumsy writer, the whom God has fulfilled the history of
weakest among all evangelists.
Israel. He is the Messiah.
3. He Contradicts Matthew regarding
3. Tracing the genealogy of Jesus till
Jonas’ sign.
Abraham.
4. Its closing verses 16{9-20} were
4. Jesus describes himself to be sent to
recognized to be an early addition that
the lost sheep of Israel.
was not found in all codices.
5. The passage that says: “Then certain 5. The text doesn’t name any author.
of the scribes and of the Pharisees 6. Some scholars saw in the story of the answered, saying, Master, we wish to
young man who had nothing but a
see a sign from you. But he answered
linen cloth an anonymous signature
them: ‘An evil and adulterous
proving that the author was mark the
generation seeks a sign, no sign shall
disciple. 14{46-52}.
be given to it but the sign of prophet 7. The author was of Jewish origins but Jonas: For as Jonas was three days
the presence of Latin expressions
and three nights in the whale’s belly,
suggests that the gospel was written in
so shall the Son of man be three days
Rome. The author is also keen on
and three nights in the heart of the
explaining the Aramaic expressions
earth.’ ”
he uses.
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6. It is the work of a Judeo-Christian 8. Mark was most probably Peter’s community. It harmonizes with the
companion.
O.T.
9. Evidence preponderate that this
7. Matthew was recognized by Origen
gospel was written in Rome between
and Jerome as one of Jesus’s
65-70 A.D.
companions. He was known by the
name Levi, he was a customs officer
at Cafr-Na‘um when Jesus invited
him to be one of his disciples. This
opinion is no longer held today.
8. This gospel was written in Greek. Its
author knows the Jewish customs well
and he knows Aramaic.
9. Most commentators date this gospel
to 80-90 A.D.
10. Matthew was most probably a teacher
or an educated Jew turned Christian.
Luke
John
1. The writing style indicates that Luke 1. This is a totally different work from was a true novelist.
the previous three. It has a different
2. He narrates on account of eye
arrangement, speech, geography, style
witnesses.
chronology and theological outlook.
3. He touches on Jesus’s childhood.
2. It doesn’t mention the institution of
4. He provides a different genealogy of
the Eucharist, but the author limited
Jesus from that of Matthew.
himself to describing the last supper,
5. He describes the Eucharist in a
Jesus washing the feet of his disciples
different way from Matthew and
and predicting Judas’s betrayal.
Mark. His description matches that of 3. The author places a description of Paul in Corinthians.
Jesus raised from death to his
6. He contradicts himself regarding the
disciples beside the sea of Tiberius.
ascension of Jesus, for in the gospel
This is different from Luke who
he puts it on Easters day, while in acts
describes a miraculous fish catching
he places it 40 days later.
incident during Jesus’s life.
7. Luke was a well-educated man, most 4. John described Jesus’s mission to probably a physician as referred to by
have taken place over 2 years.
Paul and confirmed by his precision 5. The author was most probably an eye in describing the sick.
witness. Many commentators attribute
8. It seems that he witnessed the siege
this gospel to John son of Zebedee.
and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus 6. This gospel was written near the end in 70 A.D. His gospel was written in
of the first century. This indicates that
Greek after this period. Most critics
it was written by a young disciple who
situate it in 80-90 A.D.
lived till he was almost 100 years old.
9. He highlights the cruelty of the Jews 7. Many additions produced confusion and the good relations with the
regarding the author’s true identity.
Samaritans.
Some say that the author’s disciples
must have made those additions.
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All accounts prove that early Christianity was not an organized religion with a well-established creed. Within the course of time, the church established some creedal statements and some form of Orthodox theology. Heresy within the church of the first centuries was centered on Gnosticism. Gnostics believed that God was a pure spirit and couldn’t have created this materialistic world. They believed that this world was created by some secondary deity. Based on this idea, Gnostics assumed that Jesus was pure spirit but appeared to be human. This is why the church has historically placed much emphasis on the divinity of Jesus and neglected his humanity.
117-138 A.D.: Persecution campaigns against Christians ordered by Emperor Hadrian.
140 A.D.:
A man named Marcion—son of the bishop of Pontus—entered Rome seeking an office in church. He taught that God of the OT was different from God of the NT; hence, Christians should not waste time reading the OT.
161-180 A.D.: Persecution campaigns renewed by orders of Emperor Marcus Aurelius.
182-254 A.D.: The life of Origen who was born and spent half of his career in Alexandria. His writings extended to theology, exegesis, philosophy, preaching, and spirituality.
306 A.D.:
Constantine became Emperor in Rome. He was favorably inclined towards Christianity. In 325 he ordered the assembly of the council of Nicaea. This helped in establishing Trinitarian Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire.
337 A.D.:
Constantine embraced Christianity in its Arian form and was baptized on his death bed.
379-396 A.D.: The reign of Theodosius during which Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
342-420 A.D.: The life of Saint Jerome who translated the Hebrew and Greek Biblical material to Latin. The Vulgate remained the standard Bible of the Roman church for over 1500 years.
354-430 A.D.: The life of Augustine who was the second most influential figure in Christianity after Paul. He formulated the doctrine of the original sin, the fall of man and predestination. He took Paul’s letter to the Romans as his evidence. He said that the original man and woman had willfully sinned against God; consequently, they passed their sinful nature to the next generations. For this reason, all mankind were incurably sinful and needed a redeemer. This is why God sent his son to die for the sins of men. Monk Pelagius refused this view and said that all mankind were free to act as they want, their salvation was something which they initiated and carried forth by their own will. Pelagius’s views were denounced by the Orthodox Church.
431 A.D.:
Council of Ephesus: It was convened to discuss the Nestorian creed which states that Virgin Mary was the birth giver of Christ but not God.
It ended by condemning the Nestorian teachings and confirming the Nicene Creed.
532 A.D.:
Council of Chalcedon: It was convened to discuss the truth about the nature of Jesus, whether he was God or man or both. It ended up with issuing a canon stating the following: “We, then, following the holy
Fathers, all with one consent, teach people to confess one and the same
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect 390
in manhood, truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body,
consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and
consubstantial with us according to the Manhood, in all things like unto
us, without sin, begotten before all ages of the Father according to the
Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of
the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood, one and
the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two
natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably.”
1225-1274 A.D.: The life of Thomas Aquinas who was the greatest thinker in the history of Christianity. He benefited from the writings of Plato, Aristotle and other philosophers. He is best known for “Summa Contra Gentiles,”
which was a series of arguments defending the Christian faith against pagans. The second was “Summa Theologiae,” which was a massive systematization of the Christian faith. He believed that both reason and revelation were necessary for Christian belief.
1320-1384 A.D.: The life of John Wycliffe who translated the Bible from Latin to English. His reformative ideas triggered the protestant movement almost 2 centuries later. The church condemned his opinions in 1415. In 1428
his remnants were dug out and burned.
1373-1415 A.D.: The life of John Hus who was influenced by Wycliffe’s writings. He fought boldly against the church’s practice of selling indulgences. He was condemned and burned at the stake.
1483-1546 A.D.: The life of Martin Luther who started preaching Protestantism in 1520.
He denounced the Catholic Church and declared that every Christian is a priest who could interpret the scriptures. He refused the concept of Transubstantiation, which holds the bread and wine used in the sacrament of the Eucharist as the body and blood of Christ in their actual form.
1509-1564 A.D.: The life of John Calvin who was the most influential writer and thinker behind reformation. His work “The institutes of the Christian religion”
was the rock upon which the protestant theology was built. He founded the University of Geneva and died there.
1545 A.D.:
The council of Trent: it was convened to respond to the protestant movement. It ended up declaring that the Catholic traditions were coequal with the scriptures as a source of truth for Christians, and that only the Catholic Church had the right to interpret the scriptures.
1491-1556 A.D.: The life of Ignatius Loyola who was a noble Spanish officer. He was wounded in a battle in 1521. During the period of his recovery, he read a book about the life of Christ and various saints. He developed spiritual exercises tailored to train special believers. He founded the secret society of the Jesuits. They took vows of poverty, chastity and total obedience to the Pope and the church. This society had a military nature that performed secret missions ordered by the pope himself.
17th-19th century: The European Renaissance.
1869 A.D.:
The Vatican council: it declared that the pope was infallible.
1962-1965 A.D.: The 2nd Vatican council. The most revolutionary council since that of Trent. Among the decisions that this council took was that non-Catholics were recognized as Christians, and Jews were no longer held responsible for the death of Jesus.
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Biblical Teachings Utilized in Attacking Islam
Whenever I read in the Bible, I couldn’t help not noticing that there isn’t a single accusation, idea, or concept, utilized by some “thinkers” in attacking Islam except that it is originated from the Bible. I think that the fear of those people is not from Islam, it’s from losing their undeserved status in front of the justice of Islam. The next few pages hold a few Biblical verses which emphasize this idea. This is only the tip of the ice berg.
Regarding encouraging violence, bloodshed, slavery and taking sex slaves: From Leviticus, read (25:39-46):
“If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you, they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God. ‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you, from them you may buy slaves.
You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.”
From numbers, read (21:34-35):
“But the LORD said to Moses, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land, and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ So they killed him and his sons and all his people, until there was no remnant left him, and they possessed his land.”
From numbers, read (31:1-11):
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.’ So Moses said to the people, ‘Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them. Send into battle a thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel.’ So twelve thousand men armed for battle, a thousand from each tribe, were supplied from the clans of Israel. Moses sent them into battle, a thousand from each tribe, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, who took with him articles from the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling. They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man. Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals.”
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From Deuteronomy, read (20:10-17):
“When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city.
When the Lord your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it. As for the women, the children, the livestock and everything else in the city, you may take these as plunder for yourselves. And you may use the plunder the Lord your God gives you from your enemies. This is how you are to treat all the cities that are at a distance from you and do not belong to the nations nearby. However, in the cities of the nations the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, do not leave alive anything that breathes. Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you.”
From Deuteronomy, read (21:10-14):
“When you go to war against your enemies and the Lord your God delivers them into your hands and you take captives, if you notice among the captives a beautiful woman and are attracted to her, you may take her as your wife. Bring her into your home and have her shave her head, trim her nails and put aside the clothes she was wearing when captured. After she has lived in your house and mourned her father and mother for a full month, then you may go to her and be her husband and she shall be your wife. If you are not pleased with her, let her go wherever she wishes. You must not sell her or treat her as a slave, since you have dishonored her.”
From Joshua, read (8:18-29):
“Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.’ So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua. So Joshua burned Aib and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.”
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“When they had brought these kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had come with him, ‘Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.’ So they came forward and placed their feet on their necks.
Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous.
This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.’ Then Joshua put the kings to death and exposed their bodies on five poles, and they were left hanging on the poles until evening.”
From Joshua, read (11:15-18):
“As the Lord commanded his servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it, he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and put them to death. Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time.”
From Judges, read (1:1-8):
“After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, ‘Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?’ The Lord answered, ‘Judah shall go up, I have given the land into their hands.’ The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites,
‘Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.’ So the Simeonites went with them. When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek. It was there that they found Adoni-Bezek and fought against him, putting to rout the Canaanites and Perizzites. Adoni-Bezek fled, but they chased him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Then Adoni-Bezek said,
‘Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.’ They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. The men of Judah attacked Jerusalem also and took it. They put the city to the sword and set it on fire.”
From Judges, read (3:28-31):
“Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. ‘Follow me,’ he ordered, ‘for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.’ So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over.
At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong, not one escaped. That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years. After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.”
From 2 Samuel, read (8:1-2):
“In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines. David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.”
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Regarding oppressing women and denying their rights: From Numbers, read (27:8-11):
“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter.
If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’ ”
From Deuteronomy, read (22:13-21):
“If a man takes a wife and, after sleeping with her, dislikes her and slanders her and gives her a bad name, saying, ‘I married this woman, but when I approached her, I did not find proof of her virginity,’ then the young woman’s father and mother shall bring to the town elders at the gate proof that she was a virgin. Her father will say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter in marriage to this man, but he dislikes her. Now he has slandered her and said,
“I did not find your daughter to be a virgin.” But here is the proof of my daughter’s virginity.’ Then her parents shall display the cloth before the elders of the town, and the elders shall take the man and punish him. They shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver and give them to the young woman’s father, because this man has given an Israelite virgin a bad name. She shall continue to be his wife, he must not divorce her as long as he lives.
If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done an outrageous thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.”
From Deuteronomy, read (22:28-29):
“If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.”
From Deuteronomy, read (24:1-4):
“If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, and if after she leaves his house she becomes the wife of another man, and her second husband dislikes her and writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house, or if he dies, then her first husband, who divorced her, is not allowed to marry her again after she has been defiled. That would be detestable in the eyes of the Lord. Do not bring sin upon the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.”
From 1 Corinthians, read (11:5-10):
“But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off, but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man, neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her ownc head, because of the angels.”
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From 1 Corinthians, read (14:34-35):
“Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.”
Regarding polygyny and taking concubines:
From Genesis, read:
(14:19) “And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of one [was] Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.”
(25:5-6) “Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.”
(28:9) “Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael.”
(35:22-23) “While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard of it. Jacob had twelve sons: The sons of Leah: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun….”
(36:12) “Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubine named Timna, who bore him AMālek.”
From Judges, read (8:30-31):
“And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.
And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.”
From 2 Samuel, read (3:7):
“And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah…”
From 2 Samuel, read (5:13):
“After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.”
From 1 Kings, read (11:3):
“He (Solomon) had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines.”
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Regarding severe punishments:
From Leviticus, read (20:1-16):
“The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people, for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek. I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head. If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death, their blood will be on their own heads. If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion, their blood will be on their own heads. If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death, their blood will be on their own heads. If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you. If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal. If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death, their blood will be on their own heads.’ ”
From Numbers, read (15:32-36):
“While the Israelites were in the wilderness, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the Lord commanded Moses.”
From Deuteronomy, we read:
“If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you.”
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Regarding killing apostates:
From Deuteronomy, read (13:6-11):
“If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, ‘Let us go and worship other gods’ (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. Then all Israel will hear and be afraid, and no one among you will do such an evil thing again.”
From Deuteronomy, read (17:2-7):
“If a man or woman living among you in one of the towns the Lord gives you is found doing evil in the eyes of the Lord your God in violation of his covenant, and contrary to my command has worshiped other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or the moon or the stars in the sky, and this has been brought to your attention, then you must investigate it thoroughly. If it is true and it has been proved that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, take the man or woman who has done this evil deed to your city gate and stone that person to death. On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness. The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting that person to death, and then the hands of all the people. You must purge the evil from among you.”
Regarding Abrogation:
From Genesis, read (29:16-30):
“Now Laban had two daughters, the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weaka eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, ‘I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.’ Laban said, ‘It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.’ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. Then Jacob said to Laban,
‘Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.’ So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant. When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?’ Laban replied, ‘It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. Finish this daughter’s bridal week, then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.’
And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.”
398
“Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.”
The above verses of Genesis describe Prophet Jacob’s marriage to two sisters, which was still allowed by God back then. The verse of Exodus states that Amram married his Aunt, his “Father’s sister” which was also still allowed by God. The previous permissible marriages were later on made highly forbidden.
Read Leviticus (18:12-18):
“Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister, she is your father’s close relative.
Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative. Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations, she is your aunt. Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.
She is your son’s wife, do not have relations with her. Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife, that would dishonor your brother. Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living. Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.”
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Also read Ezekiel, where God abrogates his order when Ezekiel calls for his mercy:
“Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread, bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.” Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.” “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.” He then said to me: “Son of man, I am about to cut off the food supply in Jerusalem. The people will eat rationed food in anxiety and drink rationed water in despair…”
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From Matthew, read (5:38-41), where Jesus abrogates the previous laws of the Torah:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”
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399
From Genesis, read (17:10-13):
“Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people, he has broken my covenant.’ ”
Then Paul abrogated circumcision in his letter to the Galatians (5:2-6):
“Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ, you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
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From Matthew, read (10:5-6):
“These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.”
Now read Mark (16:15), where this was abrogated by Jesus himself: He said to them, “Go into the entire world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
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From Leviticus, read (11:7-8):
“And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you.
You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses, they are unclean for you.”
And Deuteronomy (14:8):
“The pig is also unclean, although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses.”
And also Isaiah (65:2-4):
“All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations— a people who continually provoke me to my very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars of brick, who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping secret vigil, who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of impure meat…”
The prohibition of eating swine was later on abrogated by Paul’s letter to Titus (1:15), where he said: “Unto the pure all things [are] pure…”
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400
From Matthew, read (5:17-20) where Jesus is recorded to say:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. ”
From Matthew, read (19:16-19):
“Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only One who is good, [that is] God. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.’
He inquired, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus replied, ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’
Now read Romans (3:21-28) where Jesus’s teachings are abrogated by Paul:
“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
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Finale
The previous was just a simplified illustration to the fact that most of the accusations thrown at Islam are actually teachings from the previous scriptures. The Qur’an states that the previous scriptures have been tampered with and distorted, this is why Allah sent us one last message to rectify these corrupt teachings and elevate some of the burdens that were laid upon the previous nations. Allah took it upon Himself to keep this final message intact and safe from any distortion. He also chose a man, a final prophet to deliver this message to all people. As Allah took it upon Himself to protect His last message, He also took it upon Himself to protect that last messenger from all enemies until he completes his mission.
In the farewell pilgrimage, Allah revealed to all people the following verse:
“Today, I have fulfilled your religion for you, and have completed My blessing upon you, and I am satisfied with Islam as your religion.” [The Qur’an, (5:3)].
I hope I was successful in presenting the Islamic teachings regarding the most famous misconceptions in a simplified way. Whatever success I may have accomplished in this is by Allah’s will and from His grace, and whatever deficiency or shortage, it is from me.
O Allah I seek your mercy and ask for your forgiveness, you are the Most-Forgiving, and you are the Best Disposer of all affairs.
Ehab Shawky Abd El-Khalek Ahmad
El-Manial Island, Cairo, Egypt
February, 2015.
402
Name
Author
Category
1
The Holy Qur’an
Holy Book
2
Tafseer Mujahed
Mujahed Ibn Jabr
Exegesis
3
Tafseer Al-Nasafi
‘Abdullah Ibn Ahmad
Exegesis
4
Al-Dur Al-Manthour
Jalal Ad-Deen Al-Soyouty
Exegesis
5
Al-Manar
Muhammad Rasheed Reda
Exegesis
6
Ma’aref Al-Qur’an
Mufti Muhammad Shaf’i
Exegesis
7
Reasons of revelation
Mahmoud Al-Naisaboori
Exegesis
8
The Sealed Nectar
Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarkarpuri
History
9
Fiqh As-Sirah
Muhammad Al-Ghazaly
History
10
Al-‘Abqaryat
‘Abbās Al-‘Aqqad
History
11
The hisory of Abu Bakr
‘Ali Tantawy
History
12
The hisory of ‘Omar
‘Ali Tantawy
History
13
Sahih Bukhari
Muhammad ibn Ismā‘īl
Traditions
14
Sahih Muslim
Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj
Traditions
15
Musnad Ahmad
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal
Traditions
16
Sunan Abu Dāwud
Sulaymān ibn al-Ash’ath
Traditions
17
Sunan Tirmidhī
Muhammad Ibn 'Īsá as-Sulamī
Traditions
18
Sunan Ibn Mājah
Muhammad Ibn Yazīd
Traditions
19
Sunan An-Nasā’ī
Aḥmad Ibn Shu‘ayb ibn Alī
Traditions
20
Tawdeeh Al-‘Aqa’ed
Abdur-Rahman Al-Jezery
Creed
21
Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar
Abu Hanifah Al-Nu‘man
Creed
22
‘Aqeedh Waseteyah
Muhammad Khalil Harras
Creed
23
Fundamentals of Tawheed
Bilal Philips
Creed
24
Reviving the sciences of
Abu Hamed Al-Ghazzaly
Jurisprudencial
religion
knowledge
25 The 4 jurisprudential schools
Abdur-Rahman Al-Jezery
Jurisprudence
26
Evolution of Fiqh
Bilal Philips
Academic study
27
E‘laam Al-Muwaqe‘een
Ibn Al-Qayem
‘Usool
28
‘Elm ‘Usool Al-Fiqh
Abd El-Wahab Khallaf
‘Usool
29
Usool Al-Hadith
Bilal Philips
Mustalah Hadith
30
‘Uloom Al-Hadith
Al-Azhar scholars
Mustalah Hadith
31
What did Jesus really say
Mish’al Ibn ‘Abdullah Al-Qadhy
Comparative
religion
32
The Bible, the Qur’an &
Maurice Bucaille
Comparative
science
religion
33
Religions of the world
Lewis Hope
Comparative
religion
34
My father Adam
Abd El-Sabour Shaheen
Academic study
35
How the creation started
Amr Sherif
Scientific study
36
The Brain, male or female?
Amr Sherif
Scientific study
37
The story of faith
‘Abdullah Nadeem Al-Jesr
Philosophy
403
Name
Author
Category
38
Abrogation in the Qur’an
Mustafa Zayd
Academic study
39
Sources of the Qur’an
Hamza Mustafa Najozi
Academic study
40
Estedrakat As-Salaf
Nayef Ibn Sa‘eed Al-Zahrany
Academic study
41 How to deal with the Qur’an
Yousuf Al-Qaradawy
Academic study
42
Muhammad in the Bible
Abdul-Ahad Dawud
Academic study
43 Muhammad in the Torah and
Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad
Academic study
the Gospel
44
Scientific miracles in the
‘Abdullah Al-Muslih
Academic study
Qur’an
45
Apology for Mohammad
John Davenport
Western study
and the Koran
about Islam
46
The preaching of Islam
Thomas W. Arnold
Western study
about Islam
47
Decline and fall of the
Edward Gibbon
European Library
Roman Empire
48
Seven great monarchies of
George Eawlinson
European Library
the ancient eastern world
49
Antiquities of the Jews
Joseph Ibn Matityahu
Jewish History
50
The Babylonian Talmud
Jewish rabbis
Jewish
Jurisprudence
51
The Orthodox encyclopedia
Coptic Christain priests
Christian
exegesis of the
Bible
52
The Bible
Different verisons
Holy Book
404
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405