Dear Tan Sri Datuk Murphy Pakiam,
Firstly, I like to congratulate your determination to continue challenging the Malaysian Government for the Catholic to used " Allah" even though the Court of Appeal had in October overturned a High Court decision which ruled that the Home Ministry's ban against Christian publication The Herald from using the word " Allah" was unconstitutional. The Church is now appealing the decision at the Federal Court.
Nowhere Christians have to fight for their right to used "Allah" for the Almighty Creator in the bible except in Malaysia.
I would like to suggest both the Church and the Malaysian Government to refer to Bible and Al Quran for some solution:
1. Is Allah the God of the Bible?
Let us start with the Genesis.
1.1 God of the bible rest on the seventh day?
And on the seventh day God ended his work, which he had made: And he rested on the seventh day from all his work, which he had made. (Genesis 2:2 KJV)
We refer to the Quran whether Allah rest on the seventh day?
Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. ( Baqarah 2:255)
So no Muslim will accept Allah that rest on the seventh day because it is clearly mentioned in the Quran and all Muslim memorized this famous verse due to its emphatic description of God's power over the entire universe.
Therefore, Allah is not the God of the bible because the God of the bible rest on the seventh day and Allah do not rest or sleep.
1.2 God has a begotten Son?
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ( John 3:16 )
Let us check what Al Quran said about God having a begotten Son.
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none comparable unto Him. (Al Ikhlas:1-4)
No son did Allah beget nor is there any god along with Him: (if there were many gods) behold each god would have taken away what he had created and some would have lorded it over others! Glory to Allah (He is free) from the (sort of) things they attribute to Him! ( Al Mukminun:91)
They say: "God hath begotten a son!" - Glory be to Him! He is self- sufficient! His are all things in the heavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! say ye about God what ye know not? Say: "Those who invent a lie against God will never prosper." A little enjoyment in this world!- and then, to Us will be their return, then shall We make them taste the severest penalty for their blasphemies." (Yunus :68-70)
According to Islamic tradition, the Christians of Najran were unhappy about the rapid spread of Islam in the lands of Arabia. They wished to discuss this matter with Muhammad and arrived in Madina in 630 CE. Learned scholars were selected by the Christians who had a continuous dialogue with Muhammad for three days. It started on Saturday, when Sunday arrived, the Christians asked to leave the city to pray. Muhammad told them to stay and pray inside the masjid which they did.Muhammad and the Christians were unable to arrive on any mutual understanding. At this point, Muhammad received revelation from God (recorded in Surah Al Imran)
But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your sons and our women and your women and our near people and your near people, then let us be earnest in prayer, and pray for the curse of God on the liars. (Al Imran 3:61)
The next morning, Muhammad emerged from his house with his closest family. He held the hand of Hassan walking beside him, held Hussain in his arms, followed by his daughter Fatimah and finally by his son-in-law Ali. He came and stood with this family in front of the Christian bishop who also came forward to perform the Mubahela ( Oath ).
The chief of the Christians was bishop Abul Harris. When he saw this small family of the Prophet he turned towards his fellow Christians and told them,
"Do not indulge in Mubahela with this family, for I am observing such pious faces that if they would order the mountain to come to them the mountain shall move towards them. It is therefore prudent to make treaty with them rather than confrontation of this spiritual imminence."
They asked Muhammad for peace and it was accepted. Muhammad extended the hand of friendship towards them, a treaty was signed and both parties left on friendly terms.
Those who read the bible will remember the following saying of Jesus:
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."( Matthew17:20)
1.3 Is Jesus God?
Most Christians believed Jesus is God, even though there are conflicting opinions among the them. However, the Unitarian Church and Jehovah's Witnesses do not believed Jesus is God and in direct contrast to Trinitarians.
Let us refer what the bible said:
"Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him, (1 Cor. 8:6).
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.( 1 John 5:7 )
Jesus is Lord of all (Acts 10:36;)
What Al Quran said:
"And behold! God will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, "Worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God"? He will say: "Glory to thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, though I have not known what is in thine. For thou knowest in full all that is hidden." ( Al Maidah : 119)
"Verily, the likeness of Jesus before Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then He said to him: "Be!" - and he was"….( Al-Imran: 59)
They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One Allah: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him). ( Taubah:31)
Knowing there are Christians who believed Jesus is God , the Malays will run amok if the Government allow the word Allah to refer to Jesus. Even in the Indonesia translation of the bible, Allah is only used when refers to the Almighty Creator not Jesus.
2. Is there Allah in the bible?
2.1 God of Jesus in the bible
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.'This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.'There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:28)
But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:34-40)
.. the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only" ( Matthew 4:9-10)
And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John17:3)
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.(Luke:4:8)
"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one] and love the other, or he will be devoted to one [hen] and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Matthew 6:24)
Stop clinging to me; for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren (disciples), and say to them,'I ascend to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.' (John 20: 17).
2.2 God of Moses in the bible
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)
"'I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Deuteronomy 5:6).
You shall have no other gods before me. (Deuteronomy 5:7)
"'You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 8–10)
"'You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Deuteronomy 8–10)
God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:5-6)
God said, "I am who I am. You must tell them: 'The one who is called I Am[a] has sent me to you.' 15 Tell the Israelites that I, the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have sent you to them. This is my name forever; this is what all future generations are to call me. 16 Go and gather the leaders of Israel together and tell them that I, the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, appeared to you. Tell them that I have come to them and have seen what the Egyptians are doing to them.( Exodus 3:14-16)
2.3 The Only One God in the bible
"You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You" (2 Samuel 7:22)
"You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth." (2 Kings 19:15)
"O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You" (1 Chronicles 17:20)
"You alone, Lord, are God."( Isaiah 37:20)
"Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me." (Isaiah 43:10)
"'I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me." (Isaiah 44:6)
"Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none."( Isaiah 44:8)
"Surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other God." (Isaiah 45:14)
"I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no One like Me" (Isaiah 46:9)
Those are some of the many statements in the bible which Muslim can't denied it represent Allah the Almighty Creator . Similar stories regarding Prophet Abraham, Prophet Moses and Prophet Jesus are clearly in the Quran and the bible.
And Abraham instructed his sons [to do the same] and [so did] Jacob, [saying], "O my sons, indeed Allah has chosen for you this religion, so do not die except while you are Muslims."( Baqarah:132)
Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac - one God. And we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."( Baqarah:133)
Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah , they both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah , Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.( Al Anbiya:22)
3.0 Who is Allah?
"Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" - and there is only One God. Let there be no doubt - Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus - peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims - like Jews - reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, does not mean that each of these three religions worships a different God - because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic Faiths", and all of them are also classified as "monotheistic." However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas.
4.0 Way forward
Everyone who called themselves as Muslim shall follow the teaching of Al Quran and the Hadith, I have not found any where in Al Quran or Al Hadith that prevent Christian from using the word "Allah" unless someone can show me any verses in the Quran or the Hadith that prove I am wrong.
Our Malaysian leaders should also follow the practises of Prophet Muhammad sending letters to world leaders including Heraculius the Emperor of Rome and Mukaukis Coptic leader of Egypt.
In the name of God the Beneficent, the Merciful:
(This letter is) from Muhammad son of Abdullah to Heraclius the Great (ruler) of the Romans (Byzantines). Peace be upon him, he who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to submit your will to God; submit your will to God and you will be safe, and God will double thy reward, and if you reject, thou you bear the sins of persecuting Arians (And I recite to you God's Statement:) (O Muhammad): 'and people of the scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but God and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside God. Then, if they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Muslims' (those who have surrendered to God).
Letter of the Prophet Muhammed to the Muqawqis of Egypt:
In the name of Allah the Rahman, the Merciful.
From the Apostle of Allah to the Mukaukis, chief of the Copts. Peace be upon him who follows the guidance. Next, I summon thee with the appeal of peace: submit your will to God and you will attain peace. God shall give thee thy reward twofold. But if thou decline then on thee is the guilt of the Copts. O ye people of the Book, come unto an equal arrangement between us and you, that we should serve none save God, associating nothing with Him, and not taking one another for Lords besides God. And if ye decline, then bear witness that we are Moslems.
Al Quran also teaches us the following:
"And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud. When they listen to that which hath been revealed unto the messenger, thou seest their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth. They say: Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses" (Al Maidah: 82-83)
Dear Tan Sri Datuk Murphy Pakiam
I would like to invite you and all the Christians in Malaysia the same invitation that our beloved Prophet Muhammad did to the Christian leaders .
Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah.(Ali Imran: 64)
There is also one Hadith and it is our responsibility to share with you and the Christians
"By Him (Allah) in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, there is none from amongst the Jews and the Christians (of these present nations) who hears about me and then dies without believing in the Message with which I have been sent (i.e. tauhid), but he will be from the dwellers of the (Hell) Fire." (Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, no. 284)
Oh Allah please guide us to the straight path ,
.
Araharah2012@gmail.com
