@AlphDoti, anything that can be attacked, can also be defended.

Anything that is hidden can be exposed, and the exposed hidden.

So what matters is identity. And Identity extends beyond the Koran, or the Bible.

@tycho and @Mc, let me add one more thing before I go take some tea my wife is offering... with sneer in her face coz I have spent too much time of the computer this evening...

There are a lot of points
...even today if you go into Catholic church, you see so many potraits and statutes and idols and images thoughout the whole place.
For the one who has never experience that, for a Muslim who knows about these images he will be like "wow audhubilah! What's this!"

Even a protestant will be shocked
Because in the protestant religion, they are taught to believe that second commandment is just as important as the first commandment.

The first commandment
...in Exodus is same as the commandment in the book of Deutronomy.
It says I'm the lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage you know not God beside me.
Beside me THERE IS NO OTHER GOD. Thou shall not have other God besides me

How many agree with that commandment?
You notice that Muslims agree with this bacause it means "La Illa Allah" (there is no other God other than Allah).
That is the first commanmendt for us as well.

The second commandments
...you have clearly says that you shall not make any idols, craven images of anything that:
- creeps upon the land,
- swims in the sea underneth,
- that fly in the air above.


You sit in a church
...watch the preacher talk, and look around.
Wow in front of the podium, a fish with message "fishers of men".
Then look up above his head, in the glass window and they had a dove, flying.
Then look on the sides, and there is a cross with a man hanging on it.

They didn't miss a single one
They got them all;
- something walking on the earth,
- something swimming in the sea beneath,
- something flying in the air above.

Look at these things
clearly the first two of greatest commandments are bang! Finished!

Because if you say god is more than one
...where did you get it from?
When Jesus is talking to his own companions and they ask him what is the greatest commandments Mark 12:29.
The greatest commandments is to know oh Israel that the Lord our God is one God.
And you have to love Him with whole your heart, and whole your mind and whole your strengh.

This is what prophet Muhammad pbuh saying to his people
What you see is Muslims practising the commandments and you see people claiming the commandments and practising something else.

It is true that
there are more converts from Catholic church than any other of the many secs of Christianinty, esp
- nuns,
- priests and
- archbishops.

Now these guys are sacrificing their whole lives
...to get the true message Islam, not only to Christians but to Muslims as well.

Bottom line
Jesus (peace be upon him) he's not a part of a trinity.

Trinity does not exist

A symbol can't be negated.

First, let me remind you the meaning of word "Islam"
Word "islam" is derived from Arabic verb "aslama", which means to 'accept', 'surrender' or 'submit'. So, Islam means submission to and acceptance of God.

How do you submit?
...by worshipping Him, following His commands, and avoiding polytheism (associating God with other partners).

So who is the one who submits?
The one who submits, is said to have "aslam".
- In action form is "ku-aslam", "ku-slam", "ku-slimu".
- As the doer you says: "m-aslam", "m-slam", "m-slimu"
Just like:
- the one who politics is called m-wanasiasa
- the one who teaches is called m-elimu
- the one who nurses is called m-uguzi

So how did the Quran come about?
First, understand the meaning of "Quran".
- in Arabic means "the recitation"
- Muslims believe the Quran to be the book of devine guidance and direction for mankind
- and considers the text in its original Arabic to be the literal word of God revealed to Muhammed pbuh
- It was revealed over a period of 23 years
- Muslims view the Quran as God's final revelation to Humanity

Are there different versions of the Quran?
- No, there is only one version of the Quran and it is in Arabic as it was revealed by Allah 1400 yrs ago

How was it preserved all these years without any change?
The Quran verses were originally memorized by Muhammad's companions as he recited them.
And it was written down by some of the companions of the prophet.
As the Quran was being revealed, the Prophet Muhammad made special arrangements to ensure that it was written down.
Although the Prophet himself could neither read nor write, he dictated the verses orally and instructed scribes to mark down the revelation on whatever materials were available:
- tree branches,
- stones,
- leather,
- and bones.

His companions would then read
...their writing back to the Prophet, who would check it for mistakes.
With each new verse that was revealed, the Prophet Muhammad also dictated its placement within the growing body of text.

IMPORTANT:


When the Prophet Muhammad died, the Quran has been fully written down
But of course, not in book form, however. It was recorded on different parchments and materials, held in the possession of the Companions of the Prophet.

So you wonder how is it possible to memorize the entire Quran?
- today, there're over 12 million Muslims world wide that memorized the Qiuran cover to cover.
- every Muslim has memorized part of Quran

Quran is the only book which has its original text
Quran is in the hearts of Muslims.
Even if the books were removed, it can be reproduced from people's hearts.

Again, who has written the Quran?
Quran 80:11

Explanation:
Allah's Message is a universal Message, from which no one is to be excluded:
- rich or poor,
- old or young,
- great or lowly,
- learned or ignorant.
If anyone had the spiritual craving that needed satisfaction, he was to be given precedence if there was to be any question of precedence at all.

@AlphDoti
Those are some telling jabs you've unleashed on the Bible. In boxing parlance, you have your opponents on the ropes.

I'm yet to see the counter arguments from the usual suspects; Masukuma, Yesu wangu, arise!!!What is your take on @AlphDoti’s criticism of the bible on the following:
-God wrestling with Jacob
-Jeremiah giving God a ticking off for lying, etc.

@AlphDoti-On the other hand, could you shed some light on the 72 virgins tale?

“The joys and glories of Paradise are as fantastic and sensual as the lascivious Arabian mind could possibly imagine. "As plenty of water is one of the greatest additions to the delights of the Bedouin Arab, the Koran often speaks of the rivers of Paradise as a principal ornament thereof; some of these streams flow with water, some with wine and others with honey. But all these glories will be eclipsed by the resplendent and ravishing girls, or houris, of Paradise, the enjoyment of whose company will be the principal felicity of the faithful. The pleasures of Paradise will be so overwhelming that God will give to everyone the potentialities of a hundred individuals. To each individual a large mansion will be assigned, and the very meanest will have at his disposal at least 80,000 servants and seventy-two wives of the girls of Paradise.”
Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia
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