The Jewish and Christian Scriptures and I

Assalamu alaikum.

Brother Kapolu. I have to great you for your beautiful posting. I was just going to post what you posted: Muslims seem to refer to the same Prophets of scripture, but seem to ignore much of what they say or teach.
Response. There are about 20 or 18 Prophets mentioned in the Qur'an whose names are found in the Bible. According to the Command of Allah everyone (sane, matured and free man) is bound to believe in them without drawing any distinction between them. This was the case for the first 13 years of Muhammad's preaching.  It is important to assertain that Muhammad addressed the Jews, Children of Israel according to what they knew and called them to believe in the Oneness of Allah and follow his teachings. The Jews believed in the Oneness of Allah for according to Martin Lings they stopped visiting the Sacred Mosque, Ka'ba when the Quraysh introduced idols. They also honoured Muhammad as a foreigner when he migrated to Madina.

For example, if God gave the Law to Moses, and Muslims believe him to be a prophet of God. Then why don't they keep all the laws?
Response: The followers of Muhammad and the followers of the Prophets before Muhammad are all guilty on this. The Jews unfortunately failed to lead the followers of Muhammad in obeying their Law (Shari'a) that could bring peace, prosperity and development to the world and insisting that the followers of Muhammmad do the same. If the Jews or Children of Israel had opposed Muhammad Rasulullah by refusing to sign the Madinan Covenant accusing him of introducing something new they never knew, he could have difficulty in stabilising Madina. Their agreeing meant that the Covenant was also their Law. The main difference betwen the Ten Commandments and the Madinan life is that no one will enter Paradise without strictly obeying Muhammad Rasulullah in Ibadat- establishing the Khalifate, his modes of prayer, fasting, giving out charity and Zakat and performing the annual pilgrimage. For world peace, progress etc, the Old Testament suffices. But unfortunatly the followers of Muhammad have failed to take the lessons from the Old Testament especially that despite Allah dividing the Children of Israel into 12 tribes with each having its water points they fell to disputations. But the Shari'a remained the same for the Northern Kingdom defeated and annexed the Southern Kingdom who were more prone to atrocities and braking the Law.   

Why do Muslims believe in certain narratives of the Prophets lives that are not given is Hebrew scripture. and disregard others that are given in scripture?
Response. We do not have the Hebrew scriptures so I personally do not know about the Prophets mentioned there not mentioned in the Qur'an. But we are supposd to beleive in what the Children of Israel tell us provided such narrations do not contradict the basic tennants of Faith. Note that the Hebrew scriptures dealt with the Children of Isaac only, leaving aside the Children of Ketura and Ishmael. The Qur'an did not tell us the names of the Childrn of Ismael but Muslim historians mention them.
Lastly, Muhammad did not call address mankind but as Muslims.
Friendship. 

Greetings Horneto,

You are correct when you say that when people hold to the view that they are correct that it is hard to understand everyone else.

I understand my limitations as a human. But you must understand that I cannot completely divorce my mind form my past teaching or experience just like that.

My background is a Judeo-Christian one, and hence everything that that is said to me at some level or another is filtered through this background. And I am sure that the same is for you. If a Hindu begins to speak to you about religion automatically your Islamic background predisposes you to interpret what he is saying in a particular light.

So I hope that I have made it clear that I dont entirely understand the Islamic perspective and that is why I am here.

Now many of my Muslim friends have been speaking to me about Islam and they make the claim that Allah is the same God of Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, and the other ancient Prophets.
I, on the other hand, have been trying to reconcile this with what the Hebrew and Christian scriptures say about God, and I have some serious issues.

Now what you are saying about the scripture is a matter of concern.

Are you saying that the law and the prophets have been altered and lost their true purpose and place (clearly i dont believe this)?
How do you come to this conclusion?
This is a startling claim that hits at the heart of Hebrew and Christian sciptures and theology.

Now I am not sure exactly how the Quran is used, read or interpreted, but Hebrew and Christian scriptures are not quote scriptures. they are  case and context scriptures.

In other words you dont just quote verses and divorce them from the context of the chapter and book that they are from. If you do, then your are likely to come up with some very strange interpretations.
You must also know that when they were written they were not divided into verses and chapters in the first place. They were written as continuous pros. Only later did scholars find it convenient to use verses.

So I ask you to read the entire books of 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles and tell me again if 1 Chronicles 22: 10 does not click with truth or common sense.

Also read 2 Chronicles 7: 19 - 22.
¹⁹ �But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, ²⁰ then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
²¹ �And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, �Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?� ²² Then they will answer, �Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.��

Clearly here and other places in the books of Chronicles and the other Prophets we see that God's promises were conditional. God would only establish the kingdom forever IF they continued to worship him and obey the law.

So actually your verse does click with the truth and with common sense when studied in CONTEXT.
We know that Isreal did reject God and Worshiped idols and therefore God was not could not keep his promise to David and Solomon. Thats why the temple was destroyed multiple times and finally in AD 70 and has not been rebuilt since.

But I digress...........

So then you seem to be suggesting that God made null and void or abrogated  the Law, the Prophets and the Christian scriptures?

This just flies in the face of the express revelation of God as given by the ancient Prophets and has serious implications not only from Judaism and Christianity but for Islam itself.  I will explain why in a later post.

So someone please help me on this issue.

What is the relationship between the Law(Torah) the Prophets( the rest of the old testament) and the new testament to Islam?

I have been very puzzled over this. Muslims seem to refer to the same Prophets of scripture, but seem to ignore much of what they say or teach.

For example, if God gave the Law to Moses, and Muslims believe him to be a prophet of God. Then why don't they keep all the laws?

Why do Muslims believe in certain narratives of the Prophets lives that are not given is Hebrew scripture. and disregard others that are given in scripture?