Paul Derengowski, ThM
Muslims believe in a god that is a totally different being than those whom it supposedly created. Allah is absolutely unique. “Say: He is Allah, the One; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten, and there is none like unto Him” (Qur’an 112:1-4).
The problems with such an exclusive statement is that (1) it defies further Islamic belief about the Bible, (2) it defies what the Bible says, and (3) it destroys any possibility of a relationship between God and man. That being the case, the Muslim must either deny that Allah is as unique as the Qur’an claims that he is, thereby undermining the credibility of the Qur’an or the Muslim must attempt to explain away or ignore the problems. Or he must accept that contradiction is a part of God’s “true religion.” But, let’s take a little closer look at the ramifications to demonstrate just what happens by asserting such a theological view of God is built more on sand than a solid foundation.
Denying Islamic Belief About the Bible
Muslims have a love-hate relationship with the Bible, as all counterfeits of Christianity do. Muslims love the Bible when they believe it supports their preconceived notions. Muslims hate the Bible when it falsifies or undermines them. For instance, if one were to quote Deuteronomy 6:4 to the Muslims, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” he would give a hearty “Ameen!” Why? Because Muslims are strict monotheists and they believe that such a verse supports their ideology.
However, mention that the first reference to God in the Bible (Gen. 1:1) is Elohim (אְֶלֹהִים), that the name is plural, and the Muslim immediately has a conniption. Add to that the fact Elohim is combined with “Lord” (יְהוָה) nearly 900 times in the Old Testament and that “Lord” or “Yahweh” (יְהוָה) is not only attributable to Jesus, as Lord, but as a cognate of his name, and the Muslim nearly loses his mind trying to discredit the Bible.
If the Muslim is going to be consistent, then he cannot love and hate the Bible at the same time. Moreover, he cannot pick and choose the things he likes, only to discard the rest, when it’s convenient. The Bible is either God’s word or it is not. If it is God’s word, then there is someone like God, whether it be mankind created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27) or Jesus Christ, who the Bible reports is the “exact representation of His [God’s] nature” (Heb. 1:3).
Conversely, if the Bible is not God’s word, then all of the claims made by Muhammad in the Qur’an would be misleading, or simply false. Moreover, the Qur’an itself would then be invalidated, along with all the arguments that it is a perfect book, handed down throughout the ages without a change. The Qur’an, in other words, is contingent upon the Bible being true. Because if the Bible is not true, meaning that it is not God’s word, then neither is the Qur’an.
Defying What the Bible States
As touched upon briefly in the previous point, the Bible makes it clear that mankind was created in God’s image. “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27 cf. 5:1). What the image of God entailed has been the product of much writing, introspection, and debate. Some have thought the image includes physicality, while the majority tend to believe that it has more to do with the personal qualities and characteristics of God that allows mankind to be able to communicate with its Creator. Intelligence, love, compassion, will, spirit, et al, all contribute to what it means to be a person, which God is the the ultimate person. Man is like God in other words.
But, the Muslim denies that anyone or anything is remotely like God. God is a being all to himself without match or resemblance. The Muslim must deny the previous revelation, that he says is authentic, in order for his presupposition to hold true. However, by denying what God has revealed about not only himself, but of mankind as well,the Muslim falsifies his confession about previous revelation. He claims to accept the Torah, of which the Book of Genesis is a part, while denying its contents, particularly when it comes into conflict with what he already presupposed to be true. The Muslims wants the cake and to eat it too!
Of course, the Muslim frequently attempts to justify his position by asserting that someone, either the Jews or Christians, have perverted or distorted the Scriptures by adding their faulty ideas to them. The problem, though, with such a justification is that there is no justification for the assertion. What we know about the Bible and its formation, which includes all the books available to Muhammad when he dictated the Qur’an, is that whatever alleged “corruptions” occurred have been corrected. Whatever variants that remain in the Bible do not effect one doctrinal belief that was held by those who penned it contents thousands of years ago! Since that is true, then the Muslim argument, oftentimes culled from the pages of Bible-doubting, liberal scholars, is invalid.
Nevertheless, if the Muslim decides to ignore the evidence and the arguments, then once again, all he has done is contradict himself. On the one hand he claims that the Bible is God’s word, only to turn right around and excuse it as something wholly other, simply because it disagrees with what he already believes. Interestingly, he does not apply the same standard to the Qur’an, as he does the Bible, even though history and textual scholarship demonstrates that the Qur’an the present-day Muslim holds in his hands is not the same text as the one originally written.
Destroying God’s Relationship with Mankind
As if sin did not do enough to destroy the relationship God had with Adam back in the Garden of Eden, Islamists, with their skewed view of both God and revelation, continue to prohibit God from relating to his highest creation, namely mankind, by arguing for God’s essential exclusivity. If man is not created in God’s image and God is so exclusive that nothing can resemble him, then there is no possible way for man or God to relate to each other. And if they cannot relate to each other, then there is no way that humans could possibly know what is expected of them. Moreover, there is no possible way for God to demand worship, holiness, or obedience from his creation, as it could not comprehend what those terms are, since God would be defining something according to his character that the human being does not share.
Only if man is like God in the qualities and attributes mentioned above is it possible for humans to understand God, love God, worship God, pray to God, or serve God. To possess such qualities does not mean that humans can become gods or goddesses, ala Mormonism, but that in a finite and limited way humans are like its Creator in the sense that they can think and act as their Creator does. Humans are persons, as God is a person. Humans makes decisions, as God makes decisions. Humans converse, as God converses. Any other explanation or a denial of that which is essential for a relationship to take place between intelligent persons, as Islamists wish to argue, only serves negate that relationship.
Conclusion
Muslims wish convince everyone that there is no one that is like God. God is so far removed from his creation, as a being, that to assume anyone or anything is like him is a major sin. It is shirk or the equation of the creation with the Creator. But, as pointed out in this article, such a attempt at persuasion, accompanied by the subsequent arguments and conclusions are foolhardy at best.
Demanding that God is as exclusive as the Muslim contends only serves to deny—more like, contradict—what the Muslim claims he believes about the Bible. He loves it, but then he hates it, only because it does not serve his presupposed purposes.
Demanding that God is as exclusive as the Muslim contends on serves to contradict what the Bible has to say on the subject. It claims that man is created in God’s image. Hence, man is like God, even though man can never become a god. If the Muslim denies that, then he must deny that the Qur’an is what is claims to be. The Qur’an is contingent upon the Bible for its accuracy, even though the same cannot be said about the Bible’s contingency upon the Qur’an for the same.
Finally, demanding that God is as exclusive as the Muslim contends only serves to deny any possible relationship between man and God. Yet, the Muslim believes that a relationship is possible. He cannot have it both ways, though. If mankind is capable of relating to its Creator, it is only because the Creator is relatable and has instilled that quality in human beings, which is part of God’s image. If the image of God in man is denied, then so is the relationship. Yet, man is like God and can relate to Him. And since man is like God, then the whole Muslim argument concerning God’s exclusivity is invalidated.
