Faithful Dialogue

06/05/2025

The collection of the Qur’an didn’t happen in a perfect or magical way. It was a human process. People made mistakes, forgot things, had different opinions, and even disagreed with each other. At one point, Caliph Uthman burned many old Qur’an manuscripts to hide the fact that there were many different versions.

Even some of Muhammad’s companions and his wife Aisha said parts of the Qur’an were lost. Some chapters had hundreds of verses that we don’t have anymore. Even Muhammad himself forgot verses sometimes. One time, he heard someone reciting and said, “He reminded me of verses I forgot.” (Bukhari)

Another time, he said, “I’m human and I forget, so remind me when I do.” (Bukhari, Abu Dawud)

Aisha once said that Chapter 33 used to have 200 verses, but when Uthman collected the Qur’an, he could only find what we have today, which is much shorter. Ibn Umar also warned people not to claim they had the whole Qur’an, because a lot had already disappeared.

During the Battle of Yamama, many people who had memorized parts of the Qur’an were killed. Those parts were not written down and were lost forever. Even in early copies of the Qur’an, chapters and words were different from one another.

Both Aisha and Ubayy ibn Ka’b said that most of Chapter 33 is missing. Aisha even said that the verse about breastfeeding and the verse about stoning were written on paper—but a goat ate them!

Still, many Muslims today say the Qur’an has been perfectly preserved. But the history shows a very different story.

06/05/2025

There was once a young person living in a Middle Eastern country, where most people followed Islam. This person didn’t really believe in prayer or any religion. They were more like a deist—believing in a God but thinking He didn’t really listen or care.

One day, something very hard happened. A close family member, who had waited a long time to have a baby, finally gave birth. The baby, who we will call John, was born after many years of hoping and waiting. But right after he was born, John had serious problems with his breathing. He was taken to the NICU, and the doctors said his condition was very bad. They didn’t think he would survive. They even said that if he did live, he might never be healthy.

Everyone in the family was heartbroken. John's mother was in pain from giving birth and also very sad about her baby's condition. She asked this young person—who didn’t pray—to please pray for her baby. Even though they didn’t believe in prayer, they agreed, just to bring some comfort to John’s mom.

That night, the young person prayed. They said, “God, I know you usually ignore me, but please listen this time.” Then they asked all their friends, both Muslims and Christians, to also pray for baby John. After crying and praying, they went to sleep.

That night, they had a dream. In the dream, they were in a crowded and dark subway train. Suddenly, someone grabbed their hand very tightly. They looked and saw a strong, sunburnt hand with a big wound on it. It was bleeding, but they weren’t scared. It felt peaceful.

When they turned to see who it was, they saw it was Jesus Christ.

Jesus didn’t say anything, but the young person suddenly started shouting, “John will be healthy! John will be fine!” They said it again and again.

Then, even though the train was still moving and no one could leave, Jesus disappeared.

The young person woke up crying. They couldn’t believe what they had seen. They didn’t know much about Jesus before—only what they had learned in school, which didn’t include anything about the crucifixion or the wounds (called stigmata). So they were shocked that they saw Jesus like that in their dream.

Later, something amazing happened. John got better. His health improved. The doctors were surprised and called it a miracle. Now John is a happy, healthy, chubby baby, almost one year old.

After that miracle, the young person began to pray to Jesus. They gave their heart to Him, even though it was risky. In their country, becoming a Christian could be very dangerous. There are no churches for local people, and they haven’t been baptized yet. But they know what they saw. And they believe that Jesus saved John—and changed their life forever.

25/02/2025

19/01/2025

The Quran repeatedly emphasizes that Allah is all-powerful (Al-Qadeer), capable of doing whatever He wills (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:20, Surah Al-Imran 3:47). Yet, when it comes to the question of Allah having a son, a significant limitation is presented: Allah cannot have a son without a mate.

In Surah Al-An’am 6:101, it states:
“He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth. How can He have a son when He has no consort?”

This verse implies that Allah’s ability to have a son is contingent upon Him having a mate, a requirement inconsistent with the claim of absolute omnipotence. A truly all-powerful deity would not be limited by the need for a mate to have a son. This limitation raises an important theological question: If Allah is truly all-powerful, why would He need a mate to have a son?

Muhammad himself made a curious statement in Sahih al-Bukhari (Book 65, Hadith 4974):
“If Allah had a son, I would be the first to worship him.”

This statement carries significant implications:

1. If Allah Had a Son:
Even though the Quran denies that Allah has a son, Muhammad acknowledges the possibility that Allah could choose to have one.

2. Divinity of the Son:
If Allah’s son existed, Muhammad suggests he would be worthy of worship. However, the Quran teaches that only Allah is to be worshiped (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:255). This raises the question: How can a created being, a son of Allah chosen from creation, be worthy of worship?

3. Would Muslims Worship a Created Being?
If Allah’s son were part of creation, worshiping him would contradict the core Islamic belief in tawheed (absolute monotheism). Yet Muhammad’s statement suggests that a son of Allah could possess divine status. This paradox undermines the Islamic understanding of divinity and raises doubts about the coherence of its theology.

The Bible presents a fundamentally different view of God’s nature and His ability to have a Son. In Christianity, God does not need a mate to have a Son because His Son, Jesus Christ, is not a created being. Rather, He is eternal, sharing in the divine nature of the Father.

John 1:1-3 says:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”

Jesus, the Son of God, is not the result of a biological process but is the eternal Word of God, who took on human form to reveal God’s love and offer salvation. This concept reflects the limitless power of the Biblical God, who is not constrained by human limitations.

The Quran repeatedly emphasizes that Allah is independent and self-sufficient (Al-Ghaniyy). Surah Al-Ikhlas 112:2 states:
“Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born.”

Yet, the assertion in Surah Al-An’am 6:101 that Allah cannot have a son without a mate implies dependency on creation. If Allah is truly independent and all-powerful, He should not be constrained by the need for a mate or the limitations of human reproduction.

This theological inconsistency highlights a key difference between the Islamic and Christian understandings of God’s nature:

The Biblical God is all-powerful, able to transcend human limitations.

Allah, as presented in the Quran, is bound by human-like restrictions, such as the need for a mate to have a son.

The Quran’s portrayal of Allah raises important questions about His omnipotence. If Allah is truly all-powerful, why is He unable to have a son without a mate? Why does Muhammad suggest that a son of Allah, even if created, would be worthy of worship?

These contradictions point to the limitations of Allah’s nature as described in the Quran. In contrast, the God of the Bible is truly all-powerful, independent, and capable of having a Son who shares in His divine essence. This Son, Jesus Christ, is not a created being but the eternal Word of God, offering salvation to all who believe.

For those seeking the truth, these questions demand careful reflection and an honest exploration of the differences between Allah and the God revealed in the Bible.