What is the Evidence for Islam?

Whenever any discussion of Islam arises, there is no point in engaging in polemics about the content of the Qur'an or the character of Muhammad. Doing so will only provoke a Muslim to anger, and bring charges of hate speech and Islamophobia. Rather, we have the tools of historical criticism that skeptical scholars have used against Christianity for the last 200 years. They tried to tear apart the Bible and the evidence for Jesus, and failed to do anything except dig up the evidence for the truth of our faith. 

Let's use these same techniques of historical criticism to show how Islam fails to preserve any evidence of its origins. Instead, the evidence shows that the "Standard Islamic Narrative" has too many holes in it. Indeed, so far from being a shelter for believers, any decent rain would wash it away. Islam is a house built on sand. 

Unfortunately, too few Muslims have taken any interest in looking for the foundations of their faith, fearing that they might instead be left wandering in apostasy. This they cannot afford, because the penalty in Sharia Law would be death. They can't just leave. They need to replace it with a faith worth dying for, and only finding a right relationship with Jesus can save them. In the West, they may find refuge, but in a Muslim country, they face real danger, and need a real faith.

All we need to do is ask the right questions, and insist that the evidence they offer must come from within the 7th century, when Muhammad supposedly lived. If the King, Ibn al-Malik could build the golden Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem in 695, surely there must be plenty of proof for their claims about their religion. Where is the evidence for Muhammad, and for the four "rightly guided" Califs of the 7th century? We need to talk about their Prophet, the city of Mecca, and the Qur'an. If they want to claim extraordinary things, we only need to ask them to "prove it."

Here are some important questions to ask that will hold their story to account:

1. Which Muhammad are you talking about? "Muhammad" is not a name, but a title meaning, "the Praised One." Are there any outside records that specifically speak of him by name, and does he fit the story?

2. What evidence, from the 7th century, do you have for Mecca in Arabia? Is that really the place where Muhammad was born? Is there any archaeology? 

3. Where are your manuscripts, the official copies of the Qur'an, that Uthman had written and sent out for safekeeping and preservation in 652 ce? 

4. Why are your earliest manuscripts written in the 8th century in the wrong kind of Arabic? It's not the Sabaic Arabic of southern Arabia.

5. How can you decide what those oldest manuscripts say when they are written with only 16 characters and have no dots or vowels?

6. Why are all of your sources for the story of Muhammad and Islam from so far to the North, and collected in the 8th and 9th centuries? 

7. Why does all of the archaeological evidence show that the Saracen, or Ishmaelite, empire in the 7th century was ruled by Arian Christians from Damascus? The coins and stones carved with inscriptions have crosses on them, and the writing in the Dome of the Rock is about Jesus.

8. Why do all of the earliest mosques, built before 720 ce, have qiblas that don't point toward Mecca? Most of them point to Petra instead.

9. Why does none of the geographical description in the Qur'an have any resemblance to the Mecca you go to today? It matches either Petra or Jerusalem. 

10. There are 30 different versions of the Qur'an in print today. Which one is the correct version that speaks Allah's perfect Truth? 

11. If there are so many important disagreements among your different versions of the Qur'an, how can you say that Allah has preserved it from corruption? 

12. If there is so little evidence for the "Standard Islamic Narrative," why are you so sure that you have not been deceived into believing a falsehood? 

It would appear that the Islam of today was fabricated to serve as an ideology of conquest, condoning violence, pillage, slavery and oppression so that their warriors would be motivated by the desire for booty. Most of the story of Islam comes from sources away too far north, and collected centuries too late. If there had been any proof, why was it not preserved for the edification of the faithful. Wasn't it worth keeping?

On the other hand, we have a faith in the One God who offers us a faithful relationship based on his activity in history. Our God is not limited by his "spiritual divinity." Rather, YHWH is the true creator of all of the reality we can perceive, and of the Heaven where He now resides. He can inhabit his creation, and -- being omnipotent -- he can enter into the world he created to interact with humanity, even to the extent of becoming a man Himself! And that is what He chose to do, so that He could bridge the impossible gap between us by his own action, and save us from destruction. Allah cannot do that, he is only a fallen angel. 

There is ample evidence to support the truth of Christianity, and better promises for the salvation of its believers than anything Islam has to offer. We need to offer them the Truth found in our own faith. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. So ask them: Since Islam itself acknowledges that Jesus was a perfect man, why not try to find out what you've been missing and come back to the faith that the Arian heretics pulled you away from? 

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The Return of the King

This entry serves as a final meditation for the Wildflower Rosary, the last decade for Sunday's Glorious Mysteries. The Second Coming of Jesus is the ultimate culmination of the Father's plan of salvation in this era of the Church. Many people these days are convinced that we are living in the days of the last generation, and there does seem to be a fair amount of evidence in their favor.

The Return of the King:

     "... and from his mouth, a sword ..."

     Revelations 19:11-16

There has been a lot of debate in learned circles about whether there will be a rapture of the believers before the worst of the Great Tribulation occurs. The prophecies are, by intention, unclear about the timing of this event, and certain teachers even deny that it will occur at all. I think the expectation, however, is clear that it is a separate event from Jesus' return to liberate Jerusalem from the final siege. Part of the confusion stems from the way the disciples asked their questions, mixing near events with far future end times. The first century destruction of the second Temple divides history in a way they could not imagine. 

Undoubtedly, St. Paul promised that we shall not forget those who have died in the faith. They shall rise when Jesus comes for us, and together we shall all be caught up in the air to meet him. What happens next is less clear. Either we wait and watch, or we go to war against the infidels attacking Israel. The saved shall be rejoicing, unthreatened by the horrors happening on Earth. Rather, we shall see what God's wrath does to those who oppose Him.

If there is no pre-tribulation rapture, I'm waiting for mid-tribulation, and if that isn't it, I know there's one at the end. The rapture is a fact. What we don't know is "when." We're waiting for Jesus, not the rescue. And yes, there will be a lot of martyrs near the middle, who will make up their minds when they see what is happening.

But also, the prophecies of the Second Coming are left unclear deliberately so as not to betray the Father's plan to the interference of the Enemy. Jesus said that we would only see the season blooming of his return, and that no one would be able to predict the day. Thus, it is our job to remain watchful, ever ready to greet the King upon his arrival. 

It is not until John receives his vision at Patmos and writes the book of Revelation that we actually see the final Return of the King to claim his remnant from among the Jews. This is not the rapture, but the return of the Beloved to claim his Bride. The wedding guests are already in attendance, anticipating her arrival. 

John sees two crucial events in the Tribulation, a harvest (ch.14), and Jesus' return for the last battle (ch.19). It may be that the harvest, taking away most of his true believers, removes all restraint from the world's conscience, thus allowing the nations to band together against Israel. At this point, Satan thinks he has a chance to win. He believes that if he can destroy all of the Jews, he can prove God a liar.

Only the 144,000 Jewish missionaries for Jesus, and those willing to stay and risk martyrdom to keep on calling those who might yet believe, are still preaching the Gospel. Many Israeli Jews may respond, but the few living elsewhere will likely be dependent on hearing with a conscience sensitive to the Lord's Voice. Surviving as a diaspora Jew will be a dangerous proposition. These remaining Jews are the ones for whom Christ returns in glory, pouring out his wrath to fight the many armies encircling Jerusalem. The Father never forgets his covenant with Abraham. The Jews are still his chosen people, and his betrothed, beloved Bride.

In Revelations 19, Jesus appears, riding on the clouds, when the heavens themselves rip open. He will be riding a white horse and his appearance is fierce, with his robe dipped in blood. He bears the name "King of Kings and Lord of Lords," and from his mouth comes a sharp sword which devastates the enemies arrayed around Jerusalem to oppose Him. When his feet touch the Earth, on the Mount of Olives, a great earthquake happens and splits the mountain all the way into the City, opening the way for his people to escape toward Moab and Petra. There He protects them until their enemies are vanquished. The resulting carnage will be too horrible to imagine, so the crows and vultures will feast. It will take months to bury the dead, and years to clean up the radiation.

The stories recalling the way these events from the Revelation actually played out will, no doubt, be recorded for posterity. The stories may become the third volume of our Holy Bible. When all is said and done, Jesus will be enthroned as King in Jerusalem, and He will oversee the clean-up of the scars of battle and the renewal of our planet. Then we will at last see what a correctly ordered society is supposed to look like, when the temptations of the devil are locked away. For a thousand years, He will reign over the whole world. And we shall live to see it all unfold. 

Hallelujah! Jesus is coming soon! 

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