Book Reading Events

Click here for previous session     To swear and to take Oath (binding) upon Allah It is narrated from Jundub bin Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him)...

Click here for previous session       In recent years, many have found their doubts strengthened by a trail of engaging theories in books of critical Christian challenge. One such work, The Jesus Conspiracy by Holger Kersten and Elmar R. Gruber, is of particular interest with regard to the subject of this chapter, for the authors present powerful evidence that whoever was wrapped in the Shroud of Turin did not die. Kersten and Gruber proposed that the Catholic Church realized the devastating impact this theory, if true, could have. After all, if the evidence suggested that Jesus had been wrapped in the shroud but did not die, the church would be left without a death, without an atoning sacrifice, without a resurrection and, in short, the church would...

Click here for previous session       The Protection of Allah's Covenant and the Protection of His Prophet's Covenant   Allah Almighty said: "And fulfill the Covenant of Allah (Bai'a : pledge for Islam) when you have covenanted, and  break not the oaths after...

Click here for previous session     In any case, Jesus in Matthew 12:40 reportedly taught, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” This simple verse opens the gates to a relatively uncharted territory of thought. “Three days and three nights” must be assumed to mean exactly what it says, for otherwise it wouldn’t have been stated with such clarity. However, if we believe the Bible, Jesus spent only one day and two nights—Friday night, Saturday day and Saturday night—in the sepulcher following the alleged crucifixion. Does this pose a difficulty? We should think so, because the above quote is Jesus’ response to the request...

Click here for previous session       The forbiddance of taking Oaths frequently   Allah the Most Exalted said: "And protect your oaths." (5:89) It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he heard Allah's Messenger (May the peace and blessing...

Click here for previous session       Crucifixion   The report of my death was an exaggeration. —Mark Twain, Letter to the New York Journal, in response to rumors of his death while in Europe If there is a keystone to orthodox Christianity, it is the doctrine of the crucifixion. However, if Christians expect others to adopt their belief, they have to satisfy the demand for supporting evidence. Everyone knows the story. Everyone knows the biblical record. But everyone also knows that other myths have been propagated over longer periods of religious history, and the duration and popularity of a deception in no way validates it. So while many accept the crucifixion unquestioningly, many others are not...

Click here for previous session       (What is the punishment) for the Picture-makers Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah's Messenger (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: "Allah said: 'Who would be more...

Click here for previous session     Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. This verse not only clarifies the...

Click here for previous session     The One who denies Qadar (Divine Decree)   Muslim reported that Ibn Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) said: "By Him (Allah) in Whose Hand is the soul of lbn Umar, if anyone possessed gold amount...

Click here for previous session     Holy Spirit   Free from desire, you realize the mystery. Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations. —Lao­Tzu, Tao Te Ching Everyone knows the term “Holy Spirit,” but few attempt to define it. Those who do usually produce a mix of personal opinion and ambiguous, though doctrinally sanctioned, apologetics. In the minds of most, this “oil and water” theology fails to gel into a homogeneous reality. The Islamic understanding, on the other hand, is remarkably concrete, teaching that the “Holy Spirit” is Gabriel, the angel of revelation. When we come to Rûh­ul­Qudus in the Holy Qur’an (see ayah...