CHAPTER XXXI: CONCLUSIONS ON THE ‘PROOF’

Did Jesus Need to Give A 'Command' To MakeThese Records? 

  We note that some in Islam find themselves in such a weak position that they argue that these records are not valid since since there is no record that Jesus gave his Companions a specific instruction to make them. 

  We would point out first that to argue from Islam’s fallen standards is hardly valid after what we have seen! However, for the sake of those who are deceived by such empty arguments we will address it in Islamic terminology.

  All we need consider is why such people make this accusation when even Islam derives its own actions from assessing its materials so that
  1/ If something is obviously obligatory, then it is Halal. 
  2/ If something is obviously unacceptable, then it is Haram. 
  3/ But most importantly, if things are not plainly in either of these categories, then it is up to the people to decide for themselves.

  We find that similar acknowledgements are made by the chief Shi’ah missionary of Tanzania - and he mentions the Qur’an, amongst other things:

  The Gospel records are completely valid records - even from the Islamic perspective.
  Neither, then, did it require a ‘command’ from Jesus for the succeeding 

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generations of the Community of Believers in al-Masih to compile ‘between two covers’ not only the Companion and Tabii Gospel records, but also the Companion Epistles for the sake of preserving the Faith of Jesus.

  Since Jesus had given a Promise of Divine Guidance [by the Holy Spirit’s Presence in them] the Companions were Divinely Enabled to enlighten the people. They did this in their personal teaching when present, and in their Gospel records and letters when absent.
 

The Gospel Record Is "The Word Of God" Written, "The Revelation Of His Will" Written 

  Thus the Gospel records and the Companion Epistles are collectively worthy of the term "the Word of God Written". Christians denote it this way  since it is the expression of God’s Will to mankind in written form. 

  This is the record known as the ‘New Testament’. It relates all that is considered reliable concerning the New Covenant, the Faith of al-Masih. 

  It comprises the true LAST TESTAMENT, for no-one would come after Jesus to point the Way. 

  He himself is the Way as he said:

  The New Testament is, then, the only reliable authority on matters of the True Religion of the Living God. It is clear in its presentation and explicit concerning the Way of Salvation.

  To find that there are copyists errors, and even some small discrepancies in certain early manuscripts [like Islam will now declare the Samarqand manuscript to be] is quite normal. 

  To find that the doctrinal content is uniform in even those early Manuscripts is God’s provision for Those Who Want Truth - the people who seek to be right with Him before they die - the true ‘muslims’.

  Only those blinded by Satan think otherwise.
 

This Is Why The Qur’an Faced Opposition

  Is it any wonder then that the Jews and Christians of the Hijaz questioned this new Qur’an declaring their allegiance to what they already possessed? Of course not. In fact the comment recorded by Ibn Ishaq from the Jews is quite understandable. Their ‘Book’ too did not resemble the Qur’an. They asked:

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"We will never give up the Torah and never change it for another." (Sirat Rasul, #685/6). 

Indeed, one would have to be willing to ‘change Books’ in order to accept Islam and the Qur’an. And this is what we saw as the charge from Maududi when he wrote:

  Those who knew the clarity of the content of the Injil records also knew that the baffling Qur’an did not belong with them. Neither did Muhammad. 
 

Jesus Had Certified The True Scripture

  In fact, one can see clearly the wisdom of God functioning through history preparing the safety of the Scripture of the People of the Torah and Gospel long before Muhammad was to come. 

  First He certified the Scripture of Bani Israel. 

  Although the early Hebrew was somewhat like early Arabic, God had caused that Scripture to contain the Words of God, Hadith, Sirah, etc., from the beginning.   Then, almost 300 years before Jesus was born, He had it ‘fixed’ into the complete written form of the Greek language. This is known as the ‘Septuagint’ ¹. Then He had Jesus, His (non-sexual) Son, come into the earth from Heaven and certify the Scripture of Bani Israel which was in use in his day. Who is better ‘qualified’ to do this than One from Heaven!

  Next, God had Jesus’ Companions and Tabi'un record his profuse use of the Old Testament as ‘Proof’ that it was not ‘corrupt’ as Islam claims. Further He endued the Companions and Tabi'un of Jesus with special Divine Recall and Enlightenment so they could make clear and accurate records - all that was necessary for transmitting Jesus’ teachings clearly.

Thus the True God sent His (non-sexual) Son into the world to certify His Scripture which was in the hands of Bani Israel, and further to provide Divine Inspiration for those who would be responsible for writing the Gospel Records. 
God did this so that coming generations who wanted to know the Father’s Will through the Son, would have written ‘Proof’ for it all.

  Those who fight against this Scripture fight against the True God.
 
 

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  1/ This fact reflects the trustworthiness of the Torah and Prophets for in about 280 BC the entire Old Testament was translated into the complete written language of Greek, as Yusuf Ali notes:
  "The Septuagint was supposed to have been prepared by 70 or 72 Jews (Latin, septuaginta = seventy) working independently and at different times, the earliest portion dating from about 284 B.C. This version was used by the Jews of Alexandria and the Hellenized Jews who were spread all over parts of the Roman Empire." (Appendix II, p. 285)
  Further to this, while the Appendices of the Yusuf Ali translations continue to state "The primitive Torah must have been in old Hebrew, but there is no Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament which can be dated with certainty earlier than 916 A.D.", the fact is that since his time Old Testament MSS in Hebrew have been uncovered which go back a further 1000 years to before Jesus’ day. 

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