is there anyone on here who can help with the Muslim understanding of the version of events surrounding Man's existence and beginnings? i suppose that'll open a whole new kettle of fish but it would be interesting to see if that too is linked to Judaism or similar theory.
I was going to confirm with my son in law, a Turkish Muslim, (yep, I've got my very own Muslim to quizz!
), but I've bothered him with lots of Q & A sessions since he's been in the family and didn't want to just quote him, so instead grabbed some bits and pieces off the net that are in keeping with what he's told me.
Islamic creationism is the belief that the universe (including humanity) was directly created by God as explained in the Qur'an or Genesis. While contemporary Islam tends to take religious texts literally, it usually views Genesis as a corrupted version of God's message. The creation accounts in the Qur'an are more vague and allow for a wider range of interpretations similar to those in other Abrahamic religions. Several liberal movements within Islam generally accept the scientific positions on the age of the earth, the age of the universe and evolution.
Islam was begun early in the 7th century by a man named Muhammad. He claimed to have been visited by the angel Gabriel. During these angelic visitations, which continued for about 23 years until Muhammad's death, the angel purportedly revealed to Muhammad the words of God (called “Allah” in Arabic and by Muslims). These dictated revelations comprise the Qur'an, Islam's holy book. The key beliefs of Islam are that Allah is the only true God and that Muhammad was Allah's prophet. By simply stating these beliefs, a person can convert to Islam. The word Muslim means "one who submits to Allah." Compared to Christianity, Islam has several similarities but significant differences. Like Christianity, Islam is monotheistic (belief in one God), but it rejects the concept of the Trinity. Islam accepts certain portions of the Bible, such as parts of the Law and the Gospels, but rejects the majority of it as slanderous and uninspired.
Islam claims that Jesus was a mere prophet—not God’s Son (only Allah is God, Muslims believe, and how could He have a Son?). Rather, Islam asserts that Jesus, though born of a virgin, was created just as Adam—from the dust of the earth. They do believe in the Adam & Eve concept of creationism. Muslims believe Jesus did not die on the cross. Although denied by Islam, the Trinity and Christ’s redemption on the cross are central to Christianity.
Finally, Islam teaches that paradise is gained through good works and obedience to the Qur'an. The Bible, in contrast, reveals that man cannot measure up to the holy God. Only because of His mercy and love can sinners be saved through faith in Christ, who fulfilled the Law in the place of those who would believe in Him (Ephesians 2:8-9; Matthew 5:17). Therefore, Islam and Christianity cannot both be true. One is God’s Word and one is not. The truth has eternal consequences.
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There's a series just started on the History Channel (Foxtel/Optus) called Children of Abraham (I record the 12.30am Monday timeslot - not sure when/if it's repeated elsewhere through the week.) "This series embarks on a journey around the world to explore the shared roots and deep enmities of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths and to discover if there is hope in a shared future." I enjoyed the first episode and it's quite fitting that it should be screening now at the same time as this thread.
Covered in the first episode, amongst other things, was the reason for the animosity between Jews and Muslims.
Abraham is widely regarded as the patriarch of monotheism (belief in one god) which the big 3 religions believe in. The animosity between Muslims & Jews can be traced back to Abraham. His wife (Sarah) bore him no children for many years so he had a son (Ishmael) with his servant Hagar. Then his wife fell pregnant and bore him a son - Isaac. She talked Abraham into banishing Hagar and Ishmael. The Jews are descendants of Abraham’s son Isaac. The Arabs are descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. With Ishmael being the son of a slave woman (Genesis 16:1-16) and Isaac being the promised son who would inherit the promises to Abraham (Genesis 21:1-3), animosity between the two sons was almost inevitable.
