Islam

INTRODUCTION

According to Muslim traditions, Allah wrote the Qur’an in pure Arabic in heaven on a large stone table. The angel Gabriel took the table of the Qur’an and made Muhammad recite it. His recitations were memorized or written down by others on whatever objects were on hand such as sticks, stones, bones, palm leaves, etc.. After Muhammad died, various conflicting Qur’ans were produced. It was the Caliph Uthman who made his own version of the Qur’an the official one (See Bukhari’s Hadith vol. 1, pg. 56, no. 63). He later burned all the other conflicting Qur’ans.

The Qur’an sold today is the Uthman version.

The Hadith is the record of the teachings and examples of Muhammad not found in the Qur’an and are thus authoritative for all Muslims. To deny the Hadith is to be guilty of apostasy under Islamic Law. The greatest of all Hadith scholars was Bukhari.

STRANGE TEACHINGS AND/OR PRACTICES OF ISLAM:

Jihad (Holy War)
Surah 2:190-194 Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you...and kill them wherever you catch them...if they fight you, kill them. Such is the reward of those who suppress the Faith...And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith in Allah.

Surah 2:216 Fighting is prescribed for you

Surah 2:244 Fight in the cause of Allah

Surah 4:89 If they turn apostates, seize them and kill them wherever you find them.

Surah 4:91 Seize them and kill them wherever you get them.

Surah 5:33 The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and his apostle...they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall be struck off alternately, or they shall be banished from the land.

Surah 5:51 O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends.

On Jesus
Surah 5:72-73 They do blaspheme who say: Allah is Christ the son of Mary...They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three (gods)...Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle.

Ask No Questions
Surah 5:101 Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you may cause you trouble...Some people before you did ask such questions, and on account lost their faith (in Islam).

The Greatest Deceiver
Surah 3:54 The greatest Deceiver (Makara) of them all is Allah

Beating Wives
Surah 4:34 Men are the managers of the affairs of women...those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches, and beat them.

People Turning Into Monkeys
The Qur’an
Surah 2:65 And you know well those among you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: “Become apes! Despised and rejected.”

Surah 7:163-166 When in their insolence they transgressed the warnings, We said to them, “Become monkeys! Despised and rejected.” Mohammed’s InspirationThe HadithMohammed would hear ringing in his ears; his heart would beat rapidly; his face turn red; his breathing labored; he would fall to the ground or lie down; he would shake; his eyes would open wide; his lips tremble; spit drool from the corners of his mouth; he would sweat profusely; he saw and hear things no one else ever saw or heard; he would sometimes make a snoring noise like that of a camel; and he would be covered with a sheet.Vol. I, nos. 1, 2, 3, 4Vol. II, nos. chap. 16 (pg. 354), 544Vol. III, nos. 17, 829Vol. IV, nos. 95, 438, 458, 461 Vol. V, nos. 170, 462, 618, 659Vol. VI, nos. 447, 448, 468, 478, 481, 508

The Man Who Died For A Hundred Years & Then was Resurrected
The Qur’an
Surah II: 259 Or take the similitude of one who passed by a village in ruins to its roofs. He said, “Oh! How shall Allah restore it to life after its death?” But Allah caused him to die for 100 years. The he raised him up and said, “How long have you stayed here?” He said, “A day or a part of a day.” He said, “No, you have been here for 100 years! But look at your food and your drink, they show no signs of age. And look at your donkey! We have made you a sign unto the people. Look further at the bones (of your body) how We clothed them with flesh.

A 90 Foot Adam
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 543 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Allah created Adam, making him 60 cubits tall.”

No Dogs Allowed!
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, nos. 539 Narrated Abu Talha: The Prophet said, “Angels do not enter a house which has either a dog or a picture in it.” Allah’s Apostle ordered that the dogs should be killed in no. 540, vol. 4 Dog lovers would not make good Muslims

Satan In The Nose Over Night
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 516 “Satan stays in the upper part of the nose all night.”Footnote (1) We should believe that Satan actually stays in the upper part of one’s nose, though we cannot perceive how, for this is related to the unseen world of which we know nothing except what Allah tells us through his Apostle Mohammed.

Muslim vol. I, no. 462 Abu Huraira reported: The Apostle of Allah said, “When any one of you awakes from sleep and performs ablution, he must clean his nose three times, for the devil spends the night in the interior of his nose.”

Playing Chess Forbidden
The Hadith
Muslim vol. IV, no. 5612 Chapter CMXLVI

Allah’s Apostle said, “He who played chess is like one who dyed his hand with the flesh and blood of swine.”

Non-Muslims Have Seven Intestines!
The Hadith
Muslim vol. III, nos. 5113 Chapter DCCCLXIIA Believer Eats In One Intestine, whereas A Non-Believer Eats In Seven Intestines. Ibn Umar reported Allah’s Messenger as saying that a non-Muslim eats in seven intestines while a Muslim eats in one intestine. (See also nos. 5114-5120)

Don’t Pray Looking Up
The Hadith
Muslim vol. I, nos. 863 Chapters CLXXIII It Is Forbidden To Lift One’s Eyes Toward The Sky in PrayerAbu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle saying: “People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes would be snatched away.”

The Wondrous Wings of a Fly
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 537 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “If a house fly falls into the drink of anyone of you, he should dip it (into the drink) because one of its wings has a disease and the other wing has the cure (for that disease).

Bukhari vol. VII, no. 673 Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “If a fly falls in the vessel of any of you, let him dip all of it into the vessel and then throw it away, for in one its wings there is a disease and in the other wing there is healing.”

The Setting of the Sun
The Qur’an
Surah 18:86 When he (i.e. Zul-qarnain) reached the setting of the sun, he found that it set in a pond of murky water.

Drinking Camel Urine
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 234 The Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of camels and to drink their milk and urine.

The Crying Palm Tree
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. II, no. 41 Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah: The Prophet used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree. When the pulpit was placed for him we heard the stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it.

Bukhari vol. IV, no. 783 Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet used to deliver his sermons while standing beside the trunk of a date-palm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying.)

Shouting Food
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. IV, no. 779 ...no doubt, we heard the meal glorifying Allah, when it was being eaten (by Allah’s Apostle).

600 Wings
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. VI no. 380 Mohammed has seen Gabriel with six hundred wings.

The Devil Urinates Into the Ear
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. II, no. 245 If one sleeps and does not offer the prayer, Satan urinates in his ears. Narrated Abdullah: The Prophet said, “Satan urinated in his ears.”

No Garlic or Onions Allowed
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 812 What has been said about uncooked garlic or onion. And the statement of the Prophet: “Whoever has eaten garlic or onion because of hunger or otherwise should not come near our mosque.” (see also nos. 813-815)

Yawning Comes From Hell
The Hadith
vol. IV, no. 509 Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Yawning is from Satan.”

Hell-Fire for Women
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. I, no. 28 The Prophet said, “I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.”

Bukhari vol. I, no. 301 Allah’s Apostle...said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you women...I have not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence and religion than you.”

Bukhari vol. II, no. 161 The Prophet then said...”I also saw the Hell-fire and I had never seen such a horrible sight. I saw that most of the inhabitants were women.”

No Assurance of Salvation
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. V, no. 266 The Prophet said, “By Allah, even though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me.”

What Color was Mohammed?
The HadithBukhari vol. 1, no. 63 While we were sitting with the Prophet in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said, “Who among you is Mohammed?” At that time the Prophet was sitting among us leaning on his arm. We replied, “The white man reclining on his arm.”

Bukhari vol. II, no. 122 Mohammed is described as “a white person.”

Bukhari vol. II no. 141 When the Prophet raised his arms in prayer “the whiteness of his armpits became visible.”

Bukhari vol. IV, no. 744 Narrated Ismasil bin Abi Khalid: I heard Abu Juhaifa saying, “I saw the Prophet and Al-Hasan bin Ali resembled him.” I said to Abu Juhaifa, “Describe him (i.e. Allah’s Apostle) for me.” He said, “He was white and his beard was black with some white hair in it. He promised to give us 13 young she-camels, but he died before we got them.”

A Child Bride
The Hadith
Bukhari vol. V, nos. 234 Narrated Aisha: The Prophet was engaged to me when I was a girl six years old...I was playing in a swing with some of my girl friends...Unexpectedly Allah’s Apostle came to me in the afternoon and my mother handed me over to him. At that time I was a girl of nine years of age.

Bukhari Vol. V, no. 236 The Prophet...married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age and consummated that marriage when she was nine years old.

What Do Spirits Eat?
The Jinn or spirits eat dung and bones according to Muhammad (vol. 5, no 266)! This bit of information is as far out as one can go.

Fevers from Hell
Muhammad believed that a fever when sick was from the heat of hell. The Prophet said, “Fever is from the heat of the [Hell] fire, so cool it with water.” (vol. 4, nos. 483-486).

Stars as Missiles
Allah created the stars as missiles to throw at the devils, according to Muhammad in vol. 4, chap. 3, p. 282. Astronomers should be interested in this doctrine of Muhammad.

CONCLUSION
If Muhammad was truly Allah’s apostle, then what he taught came from Allah and must be true. But, if what he said is so outlandish and absurd that it cannot be true, then how can he be an apostle of Allah? The logic is inescapable.

San Francisco Logic

San Francisco Logic
(A scene at City Hall in San Francisco)
-by Joseph M. Sweeney

"Next."
Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license."
"Names?"
"Tim and Jim Jones."
"Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance."
"Yes, we're brothers."
"Brothers? You can't get married."
"Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender couples?"
"Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!"
"Incest?" No, we are not gay."
"Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?"
"For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other. Besides, we don't have any other prospects."
"But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples who've been denied equal protection under the law. If you are not gay, you can get married to a woman."
"Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I have. But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a woman. I want to marry Jim." "And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us just because we are not gay?"
"All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next."


"Hi. We are here to get married."
"Names?"
"John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson."
"Who wants to marry whom?"
"We all want to marry each other."
"But there are four of you!"
"That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert, Jane loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert loves June and me. All of us getting married together is the only way that we can express our sexual preferences in a marital relationship."
"But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples."
"So you're discriminating against bisexuals!"
"No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that it's just for couples."
"Since when are you standing on tradition?"
"Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere."
"Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples. The more the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us a marriage license!"
"All right, all right. Next."


"Hello, I'd like a marriage license."
"In what names?"
"David Deets."
"And the other man?"
"That's all. I want to marry myself."
"Marry yourself? What do you mean?"
"Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to marry the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return."
"That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of marriage!!"

Why I can't vote for Obama

We live in a democratic country. We each have one vote. We vote for someone whom we want to represent our convictions and beliefs.

So, if we vote for someone who believes it is ok to kill babies, then we are essentially complicit in the killing of innocent children. His radical views on when life begins and his priority of protecting abortion rights over the right to life for the unborn are beyond most of even the most extreme leftists. Supreme Court and Federal Court judge selection seems inevitable with this presidency and the President gets to make that choice.

That is the cold, stark reality. So, that is why I am not voting for Barak Obama.

It is as simple as that.

Don’t get me wrong. I have no problem if people look into the issues, look into the facts and find that Obama is the candidate to hang their hat upon. My biggest problem is the large number of people who have not looked into those issues but have just joined the litany of voices.

It is easy to get seduced into Obama’s rally cry of change, but the electorate needs to look at the facts and then make a decision. They shouldn’t just support Obama because it’s cool or they get a free T-shirt. Politics needs to extend beyond that.

If you don’t like Obama it’s usually because you are racist, intolerant and uneducated. I’d like to think that’s not me, but that is how I am made to feel much of the time.

According to The Washington Post, Barack Obama has missed 294 votes in Senate. That is 45.8 percent of all the votes while he has been in Senate.

This is our potential president, a man who has avoided making decisions his entire political career.

I’m not sure about the rest of the electorate, but I have higher standards for the most powerful person in the United States. Yes, McCain has missed a large number of votes this cycle, but he has 20 years of voting records behind him.

Obama was in senate for (CATCH THIS NOW) 143 DAYS before he began his campaign.

So what, pray tell, is Obama qualified for? He is charismatic. I’ll give him that. But the President is not a talking head; he is a decision-maker. Where does Obama stand? He campaigns on change, that’s all good and well, but when has he shown that?

The sad thing about voter anger is that it’s misdirected. While there is plenty of blame and fault to go around for both parties, there really is hard evidence that John McCain tried in vain to get attention focused on the totally absurd lending practices of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are at the heart of the meltdown.

Did you know Barack Obama is the second highest recipient of political cash from the big bosses of these entities, and his chief economic advisor Franklin Raines took over $90 million in bonuses from Fannie Mae. That’s right---$90 MILLION.

Do you really think that Barack Obama will lead "reform" of a system that he has helped grease?
His work with ACORN, a radical political organization is especially noteworthy in light of the fact that ACORN received over $760 million in "fees" from banks to help push people into "N.I.N.J.A. loans." (These are loans made to people with No Income; No Job; and No Assets, thus NINJA loans.)

Imagine Obama as President and Democrats holding majorities in the House and with a possible 60 vote margin Senate.

-Goodbye, 2nd amendment rights.
-Goodbye, protection for the unborn.
-Goodbye, tax breaks.
-Goodbye, diligence against state sponsored terrorism from rogue governments like Iran, North Korea, and others.

-Goodbye, parental rights as a fundamental right to not be supplanted by the government.

-Goodbye, holding traditional marriage as one man, one woman for life. I’m not ready to accept that.

While I agree that both tickets have their strengths and weaknesses, after looking into the politics and actions of both groups, I have to back McCain/Palin over Obama/Biden.

We need to remember that opposing views strengthen our democracy and intolerance only weakens it. I am still trying to keep an open mind to all sides as we have only one month to go. I hope everyone else will too, because that is what we owe our country.

If we want real change it will only come from getting on our knees and crying out to the King of Kings for mercy and intervention upon this nation.

Righteousness

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness...."

Righteousness. That's it. That's what we are thirsty for. We're thirsty for a clean conscience. We crave a clean slate. We yearn for a fresh start. We pray for a hand that will enter the dark cavern of our world and do for us the one thing we can't do for ourselves--make us right again.

I'm overwhelmed at the thought that because of what Christ did for me roughly 2000 years ago I now have Right standing before a Holy God.

Wow. Thank you Jesus for thinking of me when you died upon that Roman Tree.

Ponder the Achievement of God

He doesn't condone our sin, nor does he compromise His standard.

He doesn't ignore our rebellion, nor does he relax His demands.

Rather than dismiss our sin, He assumes our sin and, incredibly, sentences Himself.

God's holiness is honored.

Our sin is punished... and we are redeemed.

God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream:
...perfect before God.

Your Road Ends Here

Today's blog is birthed from watching a lady on a moped die outside my office after she was hit by a car that simply didn't see her.

As you continue your trek through life simply allow the clicking of the clock to have its toll on you. Don't worry that your hair is falling out and you can't move the way you once did. You were not created for time, but for eternity.

Allow your heart to become homesick for that home you've never been to, made by The Architect of your soul.

Allow the inevitabilities of this life to turn your heart quietly towards the Maker of Days.

Allow His strength to renew you like that of the eagle and soar above the commotion and cares of everyday life to become a vessel ready for every good work. I know your hearts desire is to be a vessel of righteousness ready for the unexpected; a penny in his hand ready to be spent wherever you walk. Know this; you are well on your way, even though you are a failure.

I know you get saddened at different facets of times past. Many regrets from yester-year fill you with anxieties that weren't meant for you to bear. Squandered relationships have only resulted in heartache and current weirdness. Wandering thoughts, pointless exerted energy, and shameful exploits can only hold you down if you let them. He who the Son has set free is free indeed. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.

There is simply no need to ponder through the maze of all the wasted hours you spent on seemingly unimportant tasks and unrelated heavenly issues. Put your eyes on your Prize and run the race set before you with endurance forgetting what lies behind.

Know this …it will all soon be over. It's funny to think we all have a destiny with death, even you. It seems we are all handcuffed by this thing called time. However, you don't need to be. Choose this day to see the invisible and hear the inaudible. The fleeing passing pleasures of sin are simply not worth it in light of eternity.

Time seems to be fleeing quicker than the latest fad. It treats its casualties as if it doesn't care for them. You need to rise above the plaudits and applause of the world and not be moved.
Sheep are noisy. Come away from the sheep and be with the Shepherd. Just like John hearing the heartbeat of Deity lean upon the bosom of your Lord and allow him to quiet you with His love. Every time your heart beats it's the drumbeat of your own funeral march.

D.L. Moody said, "Be often at the place where men die." There is something innately surreal about it. It has its way of stamping eternity on our eyelids, that whether we are awake or asleep we see glimpses into the future and realize life is bigger than what we perceive it to be.

You are a Witness

We are witnesses.

And like witnesses in a court, we are called to testify, to tell what we have seen and heard. And we are to speak truthfully.

Our task is not to whitewash nor bloat the truth. Our task is to tell the truth. Period.There is, however, one difference between the witness in court and the witness for Christ. The witness in court eventually steps down from the witness chair, but the witness for Christ never does.

Since the claims of Christ are always on trial, court is perpetually in session, and we remain under oath.

Let us open our mouths and tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help us God. There is one way to get to heaven and that is through the Sinless Perfect Lamb Jesus Christ.

When was the last time you took the stand and boldly proclaimed Jesus as being the only hope for condemned criminals?

I Just want a Band-Aid

I Just want a Band-Aid
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:8-9

We do ourselves no favors in justifying our deeds or glossing over our sins. Some time ago my son Noah got stung by a bee in his foot. I took him to the sink and set out some tweezers, ointment, and a Band-Aid.

He didn't like what he saw. "I just want the Band-Aid, Daddy."

Sometimes we are just like Noah. We come to Christ with our sin, but all we want is a covering.

We want to skip the treatment. We want to hide our sin. And one wonders if God, even in his great mercy, will heal what we conceal.

How can God heal what we deny?

How can God touch what we cover up?

Quick Quiz

Quick Quiz-
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last six Academy Award winners for Best Actor and Best Actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.


How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the header-liners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.


"As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children's children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them." Psalm 103: 15-18

Why is it OK for God to kill?

The reason we can so quickly get down on God for wiping out multitudes of people is because we have a subjective stance on the definition of the word good.

For example, we define good perhaps as helping some old lady across the street. Someone watching us do such a task is immediately impressed with our servant hood and they give us praise and kudos. However, we don't see the big picture. If we knew that sweet old lady that we just helped across the street was going across that street to slip cyanide in all the people's cups at the corner coffee shop, we hopefully wouldn't have helped her carry out the task because of the bad that was in reality carried out by her.

Or we may think it is a good task to give money to someone off the street, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going to use it to purchase drugs? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?

Or we may think it is a good task to give a stranger a ride in our car to a grocery store, while that may seem noble if more information was given and you came to find out they were going there to rob the joint? It would not be such a good thing afterall would it?

Therefore, God alone has the right to define the word good. With God seeing the whole picture he never makes a mistake. There is no hindsight with God. Everything God does is motivated by his nature; his goodness, his justice, his holiness. And that is why God can kill an individual or a group of people, like the Amalikites, and it can be a good thing. In fact, it can be considered the best thing.

Finally, who is the One among you that is able to define good? What gives you the right to say what God does is right or wrong? If, as you say, goodness is subjective then there is no right nor wrong. Rather, you would be left with saying what God did is not your preference. However, even then, how can you make that statement since you are not omniscient to know whether or not it was the correct action taken to destroy a certain people group based upon all the information such as the instances above?

Just a thought.
-mark