The message entrusted to all prophets is one and the same. It finds expression in a call for the worship of the one God and the avoidance of false dieties, God says: “And verily, we have sent among every ummah (community/nation) a messenger (proclaiming): ‘Worship God (alone), and avoid taghut (all false deities)’.” (Holy Qur’an: 16: 36). God almighty also said: “And We did not send any messenger before you (Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): ‘None has the right to be worshipped but I (God), so worship Me (alone and none else)’.” (Holy Qur’an: 21: 25). As for the multiplicity of the prophets, it has been caused by various motives:

1. So that people in any age may not have the pretext as to have been ignorant of God’s commandments. God says: “Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against God after the (coming of) messengers.” (Holy Qur’an: 4: 165).

2. Specifying individual laws for each nation which shall conform to its nature and circumstances. God says: “…To each among you, We have prescribed a law and a clear way…” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 48).

3. The differences among languages and their multiplicity, required entrusting more than one prophet/messenger, each speaks the language of a certain nation. This is obvious in the Almighty’s words: “And We sent not a messenger except with the language of his people in order that he make (the message) clear for them” (Holy Qur’an: 14: 4).

There is no doubt that all prophets (peace be upon them), beginning with Adam and ending in Muhammad, preached one religion—the worship of God alone and disregarding all other powers. This is something advocated by Islam. God says: “Truly, the true religion with God is Islam” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 19). About Abraham (pbuh), God says: “Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but was a true Muslim (hanif: monotheist—a worshipper one God alone) and he was not a mushrik—a polytheist” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 67). On the question of the disciples of Jesus, God says: “And when I (God) inspired al-hawariun (the disciples of Jesus) to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said: ‘We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims’.” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 111). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) confirmed this in his saying: “Prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.”

It is common knowledge that whoever is born cannot be deified. Jesus Christ was a human being who used to eat and drink just like anybody else. He was susceptible to hunger, grief and/or merriment. He experienced all the paraphernalia pertaining to human life. His miraculous creation from no father is no stranger than that of Adam, a being who was both fatherless and motherless. This is an evidence of God’s omnipotence. Jesus Christ was no more than a servant to, and messenger of God, who revealed the scripture in order to promulgate it and carry out His call. On the day of judgement Jesus Christ is not to be judged because of those who deified him in exclusion of God or thought of him as parallel. In the Qur’an we have a mentioning of this, where in the hereafter God will ask Jesus if he had asked his followers to deify him, whereby Jesus will answer God by saying: “If you punish them, they are your slaves, and if you forgive them, verily, you, only you, are the all-Mighty, the all-Wise” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 118). Here is one more reply to the one who seeks an evidence as to the deification of Jesus Christ, while he has none of the qualities of God. Whatever miracles he performed emanated from God, just as He supported other prophets.

Preference is God’s own prerogative. It is exclusive to such and not to others, in accordance with His Emmiscience and Wisdom. Preference has no relation with precedence or antecedence in time. Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) are among the latter batch of prophets, still they are the best among all those who preceded them except Noah and Abraham (peace be upon them). Furthermore, Prophet Muhammad’s religion, in terms of creeds and the morals, conforms to those preached by the previous prophets. As for the rules of these religions, the Prophet (pbuh), by commandments from Almighty God, nullified some, modified others; altered some, and augmented others. Accordingly, his call has become more comprehensive, more perfect, hence has dominion over precedences. The one in charge of such a call deserves being an imam to those who preceded him. Those were made to pledge to the be faithful to him and support him, Almighty God says:

“And (remember) when God took the covenant of the prophets, saying: ‘Take whatever I gave you from the book and hikmah (understanding of the laws of God), and afterwards there will come to you a messenger (Muhammad) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him and help him.’ God said: ‘Do you agree (to it) and will you take up my covenant (which I conclude with you)?’ They said: ‘We agree.’ He said: ‘Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for this)’.” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 81).

Such favours prove that he is the best.

There are numerous irrefutable evidences indicating that such teachings originated from God Almighty. Here are some:

All that has been enjoined, and denied, can be found highly propitious and useful to all mankind, everywhere and at any time. They are commensurate with the sound mind and the chaste insight. Examples are commandments on solidifying family ties, preserving superior moral qualities, avoiding usury and all misdemeanors. All that the Prophet (pbuh) has been told in inspiration has been proved valid. Such material falls in the following categories:

A. Pertaining to the past. These are corroborated by former books as well as authenticated evidence confirmed by science and modern discoveries, e.g. findings in geology as the era of the deluge, in archeology as the relics from the epochs of Thamud and the Pharaohs.

B. Pertaining to the future. Certain incidents were predicted by the Prophet (pbuh), e.g. the fire which blasted Medina in 654 hijra, the good offices performed by Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib in reconcilating between two major factions of Muslims, the gathering of the Jews in Palestine today, the emergence of nudist women who earn their living in immodest ways, and the spread of ususry, corruption, murder, etc.

C. Evidences derived from the Prophet’s (pbuh) own life and morals, a study of both of which can only cofirms that such actions can never emerge except from one who is both true and honest. Whoever considers God’s support of His Prophet (pbuh), the victory over his enemies, and the spread of Islam, must come to the conclusion that this Prophet was sustained by God and that all he preached had come from the Almighty.

D. Some contemporary scientific discoveries support the Prophet’s (pbuh) tenets, e.g. stages of the life of the embryo, the way in which milk comes into being in the mammals, the existence of the aquarian barrier between two adjecent seas, the fact that the Dead Sea is the nethermost place on earth, etc.

E. The miracles performed by him: these were simultaneously witnessed by both his followers and antagonists, e.g. the fissure of the moon surface, the springing of water from his fingers, the healing of the sick, etc. His greatest miracle remains the glorious Qur’an that has proved the authenticity of its contents over the ages.

Initialy, it is to be maintained that there are two kinds of prostration:
1. Expressive of worship and favour-seeking, which is permissible only to God. If it is practised to appease some other power, this is polytheism.

2. Indicative of man’s desire to glorify an absolute power, in which case the action of prostration is not polytheistic. Kneeling down and/or prostration before human beings as a way of showing respect or greeting was quite acceptable in earlier creeds. But it has been abrogated in Islam. Joseph’s brothers did not worship him. They bent down before him in a expression of esteem and reverence. Such a posture was permissible in their creed, but abolished and abrogated in Islam. Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa was reported to have said that on coming from Sham (currently greater Syria) Mu’az ibn Jabal knelt down before the Prophet (pbuh) whereupon the Prophet (pbuh) enquired what the man meant. In explanation, Mu’az said that in Sham he had seen people bending down before their bishops and patriarchs, so he thought it would be fit to do so in front of the Prophet. In response the Prophet (pbuh) denied this by saying: “Muslims may not bow down to anybody except God…”.

It was obvious that Mu’az’s posture before the Prophet (pbuh) implies reverence, a sentiment he noted in the case of the faithful, but in no way does it denote worship, which is exclusive to God. When the Prophet (pbuh) knew that Mu’az’s posture did not denote worship, he still exhorted him not to perform such an action. Consequently, abrogation was applied to kneeling down and prostration in glorification of human grandeur.

It is true that Joseph’s father and brother prostrated before him, and equally true that God Almighty enjoined the angels to prostrate before Adam, but in neither case did the posture imply worship, rather it meant a gesture of honour and recognition of merit.

The answer to this question is threefold:
1. God Almighty is a universal God, the God of all creation. This is obvious in the following verse: “And your God is One (God), there is none who has the right to be worshipped but He, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful…” (Holy Qur’an: 2: 163).

2. Undoubtedly, God’s Mercy is comprehensive. It encompasses all creatures under its canopy. The evidence is clear: “…And My Mercy embraces all things...” (Holy Qur’an: 7: 156). Such a spacious clemency expresses itself in bestowing upon His creation so much bliss: material sustenance, the gifts of sight and hearing. Indeed, such blesisngs are countless.

3. Whatever adversities may befall man in this world, like pain, illness, poison, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., are not exclusively evils. They are mixed blessings. For some who are harassed by such evils they are a punishment for their disobedience or heresy, while for some others they are a reminder, a nudge, to awaken them from their slumber. They also indicate the absolute power of God, His ability to deal with His creation, the sphere of His dominion, in the ways He deems just and wise. All that God decrees emanates from His compassion, wisdom and justice.

In the Christian creed, God is the Creator. The Son is Jesus the Deliverer. And the Holy Spirit is His life or one of His creations chosen by Him as a messenger and/or prophet imparting God’s inspiration or cosmic order to whoever He wishes. Whatever the mission carried out by the Holy Spirit, the Christians believe in the above powers as three entities, three aspects, three qualities. They say: “Oneness in Trinity and Trinity in Oneness.” They are all phenomena of one God, etc. Therefore, the One God, they claim, consists of three separate categories, which they call the Trinity. As a matter of fact, God, as they take Him, is not one but three. In the Qur’an God says: “Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘God is the third of the three (in a Trinity)’.” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 73). The verse means that God the Creator is the third in relation to the Son and the Holy Spirit.

As for the Muslim dictum “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,” it means three names of God which exceed ninety nine, all denoting one Entity. A name is not separate from the named. The Being named and described is not to be conceived except by His names and qualities, unlike the case of the Christian Entities, for they are three dimensional, but separate, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Man has been created in order to worship God: “And I (God) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship me (alone)” (Holy Qur’an: 51: 56). The Primary incumbency on man is to know God through His oneness, and thence to worship Him truly. Secondly, man is required to act his role as God’s vicegerent on earth, so as to enjoy bliss both here and hereafter. Indeed, his/her need to acknowledge the supremacy of God exceeds his/her need and drink: “O mankind! It is you who stand in need of God. But God is rich, worthy of all praise” (Holy Qur’an: 35: 15)

God is above the need for man’s worship. He does not benefit from man’s devotion, nor would He be adversely affected by man’s blasphemy. From beginning to end the story of man’s existence on earth, no matter how many are its incidents, is an ordeal, a test, whether for him/her as an individual or for all humanity. Man’s performance in this test determines either his praise and reward or reproof and punishment.

There is no doubt that the three religions acknowledge one source, God. They all agree as to the uniquness, the absolute omniscience and omnipresence of God, to the exclusion of any parallel power to be worshipped. All agree as to attributing to God all perfection and excluding all defects and blemishes. Whatever differences may appear is sporadic extraneous, accretious developing over the ages from distortions interpolated by members of both Judaism and Christianity. Herein came differences as to the essence of God. The difference, therefore, is between Islam, which God entrusted His prophet with, and other religions which have been distorted and adulterated. The difference is not between authentic religions, rather, it is between a true religion and others that have been invalidated and turned away. The latter category has been manipulated by vicious hands which misdirected them.

When we call upon a Jew or Christian to discard his/her religion and adopt Islam, we are in reality asking him/her to revert to the true religion which has been preached by all prophets. Should an impartial thinker consider Islam in relation to other religions, he/she is bound to acknowledge the radical difference between both categories. He/she is likely to find in the former the truth and monotheism, while the latter would reveal innovations and polytheism. Moreover, Islam advocates justice and tolerance, while the others imply racism and discrimination. In the one there are moral commitment and decency; in the other, disintegration and corruption.

At to the top of the forehead, there is one bone in the skull called frontal bone. It protects the frontal lobe which contains many neural centers: the main and secondary centers of motion, the frontal eye field, the centers of articulation movements, and the most important part, the pre-frontal cortex which represents the biggest part of the frontal lobe of the brain. The function of the frontal cortex is associated with the formation of the individual’s personality; it performs an organized role in the depth of the individual’s senses and feelings. It influences the taking of initiative and judgment. It directs some of man’s acts which express his personality, like honesty, lying, right and wrong.

The destruction of this cortex because of a certain disease, tumor, or an accident, leads to the loss of initiative taking and recognition. Some emotional changes may take place also; which leads to cheering up and trance. One loses his interest in his social appearance. Instead of being wise, observing others’ affairs around him, he becomes indifferent, irresponsible for himself and for others around him. The intoxicating drinks affect the tissues of the frontal areas of the brain.

The frontal folds of the brain are important for the mind, for they are connected with the supreme mental acts. We do those plans inside these folds. Thus, they affect the acts and functions of the other parts of the brain, like our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

At to the top of the forehead, there is one bone in the skull called frontal bone. It protects the frontal lobe which contains many neural centers: the main and secondary centers of motion, the frontal eye field, the centers of articulation movements, and the most important part, the pre-frontal cortex which represents the biggest part of the frontal lobe of the brain. The function of the frontal cortex is associated with the formation of the individual’s personality; it performs an organized role in the depth of the individual’s senses and feelings. It influences the taking of initiative and judgment. It directs some of man’s acts which express his personality, like honesty, lying, right and wrong.

The destruction of this cortex because of a certain disease, tumor, or an accident, leads to the loss of initiative taking and recognition. Some emotional changes may take place also; which leads to cheering up and trance. One loses his interest in his social appearance. Instead of being wise, observing others’ affairs around him, he becomes indifferent, irresponsible for himself and for others around him. The intoxicating drinks affect the tissues of the frontal areas of the brain.

The frontal folds of the brain are important for the mind, for they are connected with the supreme mental acts. We do those plans inside these folds. Thus, they affect the acts and functions of the other parts of the brain, like our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

The frontal lobe, then, is the location that controls the behavior of animals; eventually those ayas which were mentioned in the Noble Qur’an in the seventh century (A.D.) include knowledge understanding the whole functions of the frontal folds of the brain.
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