A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Is the Rapture unbiblical? ”   The Rapture is a doctrine that is not found in traditional Bible scholarship and was not mentioned by the Church Fathers in any of their writings.   It is loosely based on the concept of Futurism advanced by Francisco Ribera, a Jesuit, in 1590.   Futurism is the belief that Revelation, the last book of the Bible, was about the future of the Church.   Without boring you with the details of the doctrinal history and evolution, the Rapture as how modern American evangelists understand it, as a pre-Tribulation event, was first proposed and later popularised by John Nelson Darby in 1827.   This doctrine spread and was eventually accepted by a significant proportion of American Protestantism.   The Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Old World Calvinist Churches reject it.   The basis of the Rapture as a doctrine is spurious in i...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ If God is really All Powerful, All Knowing, and Truly Loving, then why does evil exist? ”   The first question is, does evil exist?   I am looking at this question for the Abrahamic and related traditions since they explicitly hold the concept of an Omniscient, Omnipotent God as central to their theological doctrine.   Mainstream Judaism and traditional Islam both agree that evil is perception since if God is All Good, then everything in the Divine Sight and cosmic scale is ultimately good.   It is our inadequacy and perception that causes things to be “evil”.   There is a Day of Judgement where all misconceptions are Addressed.   The doctrine of tzimtzumin , in Kabbalah, holds that God has Withdrawn Himself so that Creation can exist, but this withdrawal means Creation is Veiled from the Reality of Divine Attributes.   This is similar to the concept ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ If the 22 nd September 2015 was the Rapture, then can anyone still alive claim to be a true Christian? ”   The concept of a pre-Tribulation Rapture is not something found in traditional Christianity.   It was first proposed by John Nelson Darby in 1827.   The basis of it is found in futurism, where Revelation is interpreted as prophecy.   Revelation contains seven messages written to the seven churches of Asia.   Some Christians, particularly the Protestants, think that these seven messages contain a map of Church history from the first century until the end times.   The names of some of the seven churches to which John of Patmos writes are Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.   They were all located in what is now Turkey, in the Roman province of Asia Minor.   There were certainly more than seven churches in Asi...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Does this argument defeat the Qur’an challenge? ”   No, it does not prove anything.   Simply because somebody says it, does not make it so.   No one can produce a book like the Qur’an. Allah ( s.w.t. ) Issued this Challenge in more than one place:   سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء قُل لَّٮِٕنِ ٱجۡتَمَعَتِ ٱلۡإِنسُ وَٱلۡجِنُّ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَأۡتُواْ بِمِثۡلِ هَـٰذَا ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ لَا يَأۡتُونَ بِمِثۡلِهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَانَ بَعۡضُہُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ۬ ظَهِيرً۬ا (٨٨)   Say: “If the whole of mankind and jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support. (Surah al-Isra’:88)   سُوۡرَةُ یُونس … قُلۡ فَأۡتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ۬ مِّثۡلِهِۦ وَٱدۡعُواْ مَنِ ٱسۡتَطَعۡتُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَـٰدِقِينَ (٣٨)   … “Bring then a surah like unto it, and call (t...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is my answer to a Quora question: “ Are Muslim women really expected to obey their husbands at all times?  What does the Qur’an Say about this? ”   The Qur’an does not say anything of that sort.  In Islam, men and women are equal but different.  Whilst the wife must respect the husband, there is nothing in the religion about unconditional obedience.  This is culture.  On the allegation that a husband may hit his wife, this is again, another misunderstanding perpetrated by Muslims themselves.  Just as in the previous, they use the religion to perpetuate a culture of misogyny.   The verse in question is this:   سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء ٱلرِّجَالُ قَوَّٲمُونَ عَلَى ٱلنِّسَآءِ بِمَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بَعۡضَهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٍ۬ وَبِمَآ أَنفَقُواْ مِنۡ أَمۡوَٲلِهِمۡ‌ۚ فَٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتُ قَـٰنِتَـٰتٌ حَـٰفِظَـٰتٌ۬ لِّلۡغَيۡبِ بِمَا حَفِظَ ٱللَّهُ‌ۚ وَٱلَّـٰتِى تَخَافُونَ نُشُوزَهُنَّ فَع...