Jesus or Mohammed?
One of the fastest growing religions in the world today is Islam. Islam began in Arabia in 622 A.D. It was started by Mohammed, a camel driver who could not read or write. Mohammed became discouraged with idol worship in his home city of Mecca. He had learned from Jews and Christians that there is only one true God.
Mohammed claimed the angel, Gabriel, came to him. He said Gabriel told him he had been chosen to be the last and greatest prophet of Allah. At a temple in Mecca called the “ka’aba,” a black stone was worshipped. Three hundred and sixty idols were also worshipped there. One of these idols was “Allah,” the moon god. Mohammed said Allah was the one true god that all men should worship.
Mohammed also claimed that Allah revealed his will to him. This message came to him in various ways, according to Mohammed and his followers. Sometimes Gabriel appeared to him. Sometimes he had dreams or visions. Mohammed’s followers memorized these messages. After Mohammed died, they were written down. During the days of Caliphs Umar and Uthman, Mohammed’s successors, these “revelations” were collected together to form the Qu’ran (or Koran). The Qu’ran is accepted by Moslems as their holy scriptures.
Mohammed and his followers were persecuted in Mecca. They ran away to Medina in 622. Here Mohammed became the ruler of the city. He formed an army and robbed the rich caravans going to Mecca. Before he died, Mohammed’s army had conquered all of Arabia. Within a hundred years after his death, Mohammed’s followers conquered a great empire stretching from Spain across North Africa and the Middle East all the way to India. People who refused to convert to Islam were either killed or heavily taxed. Therefore, many became Moslems.
Is Islam the true way to God? Is Allah the true God? Is Mohammed the last and greatest prophet? Is the Qu’ran a true revelation from God or is it the words of men? These are important questions. Thousands of people are seeking the answers to them. Mohammed called Christians and Jews “people of the Book.” He taught that the books of Moses, the Psalms, and the Gospels in the Bible are true revelations of God. What does the Bible say about these questions?
The Bible warns that a different message from the gospel must not be accepted even though it comes from an angel:“I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:6-8).
Mohammed claimed Gabriel gave him his message. But according to the Bible, we must not accept another message even if it comes from an angel. Moslems say the Qu’ran is God’s final revelation to man. But the New Testament, which was written more than 600 years before the Qu’ran, claims it is God’s final revelation to man (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3). If the Bible is true, then the Qu’ran is false. Mohammed claimed the Bible was true, so according to his own claims, the Qu’ran must be must be false!
Was Mohammed the last and greatest of the prophets of God? Mohammed accepted the books of Moses (the first five books of the Old Testament) as being inspired of God. In one of them, God said He would raise up a prophet like Moses from among his brethren (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). The brethren of Moses were the children of Israel who were later known as the Jews. Mohammed was not a Jew. He was an Arab. Therefore, he could not be the prophet God raised up among His people. Who is the Prophet God raised up? The apostle Peter tells that this Prophet raised up by God was Jesus Christ (Acts 3:22-26).
Mohammed admitted that Jesus was one of the prophets of God. We know that a true prophet of God does not lie. Therefore, whatever Jesus said must be true. Please notice what Jesus said about Himself: “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). Jesus also said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
Is Allah the one true God? Is Allah the same as the God we read about in the Bible? The answer to both of these questions is “NO!” The Bible teaches there is one God {Divine Nature or Godhood} (Acts 17:29; James 2:19). There are, however, three Persons who possess the Divine Nature. They are the Father (Matthew 6:9; Ephesians 4:6); the Son (John 1:1-3, John 1:14; Colossians 2:9); and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). Moslems reject the teaching of the Bible concerning the Godhead. They deny that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18; John 3:16). Moslems claim to accept the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but these books teach that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. The very books which Moslems agree come from God disagrees with their teaching.
We have learned that according to Mohammed’s own teachings, the Qu’ran cannot be the true word of God, nor can Allah be the true God. Neither can Mohammed be God’s prophet.
Mohammed was a strong leader of men. He formed an army and conquered a great empire. However, he was a false prophet. Therefore, his teachings must be rejected. Mohammed has led millions of people astray. Those who follow him are lost (Matthew 15:13-14). Jesus Christ is the only Way to God (John 14:6). All spiritual blessings are to be found in Him (Ephesians 1:3). He alone can give eternal life (1 John 5:11-12). “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2). We must listen to God’s Son today in order to be saved (Acts 3:23). God’s Son, Jesus Christ, tells us we must hear and believe His gospel (John 3:16; John 8:24); repent of all our sins ( style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none;">Luke style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none;">); confess Him before men (Matthew 10:32-33); and be baptized in order to be saved (Mark 16:15-16).
Which will you follow? God or Allah? The Bible or the Qu’ran? Jesus or Mohammed? You must choose! Your eternal happiness depends upon it.