Is Islam's View of God Reasonable?

Islam does believe in one creator of the Universe, which is logical (see the First Cause).

There are several faults with the Islamic view of God's character though. For example, why is He called the best deceiver?. Is lying something the maker of all with absolute power would do? According to the Bible, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18).

"And they cheated/deceived and God cheated/deceived, and God (is) the best (of) the cheaters/deceivers."

Qur'an 3:54, 8:30

How Was Muhammad's Authority Confirmed?

• The Qur'an is meant to be Muhammad's one miracle (a literary miracle), but it is apparently poorly written in the Arabic, and that is certainly obvious in the English translations. Read some of it online for free, and you’ll see what I mean.
• For God to confirm a message, there should be evidence, but Muhammad worked no other miracles than producing the Qur'an, by his own admission. Why should we believe his message?
• Muhammad consummated a marriage with a six-year-old girl and allowed his followers to marry pre-pubescent girls as well. He did many evil acts like this, which is a sign of an evil man, rather than a true prophet. For more on his behavior, see The Example Muhammad Set.
• Muhammad was illiterate, but this is put forward as a proof of his prophethood: how else could he have known the scriptures (the Bible) so well? The problem is, he got lots wrong about the Bible, including mixing up the people and names in it.
• Sometimes, from a guilty conscience, people admit when they are lying. Muhammad said that if he is a false prophet, he will die by having his aorta severed. How did he describe the pain of the poison that killed him?

“The Prophet in his ailment in which he died, used to say, ‘O Aishah! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison.’”

Sahih al-Bukhari 4428

Islam and Science

Muslim apologists often claim that the Qur'an is miraculous and its scientific accuracy, and that Muhammad showed outstanding knowledge of the workings of nature, far ahead of his time. However, according to Muhammad, the sun sets in a muddy pool (Surah 18:83–86; Sunan Abu Dawud 3991), and semen is produced between the loins and the chest bones (Surah 86:5–7). You can read a further discussion of this topic here.

Islam's Relationship with the Bible

1. The Bible Is God's Word

Clearly, Muhammad and his revelations endorse the Bible as the word of God:

“We have sent thee inspiration, as We sent it to Noah and the Messengers after him: we sent inspiration to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the Psalms.”

Surah 4:163

“It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).”

Surah 3:3

“And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.”

Surah 5:46

See Sura 2:87 as well.

2. God's Word Cannot Be Altered

According to Muhammad, God's word cannot be changed:

“Rejected were the messengers before thee: with patience and constancy they bore their rejection and their wrongs, until Our aid did reach them: there is none that can alter the words (and decrees) of Allah. Already hast thou received some account of those messengers.”

Surah 6:34

“The Word of your Lord is perfect in truthfulness and justice; no one can change His words. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”

Surah 6:115

“For them are glad tidings, in the life of the present and in the Hereafter; no change can there be in the words of Allah. This is indeed the supreme felicity.”

Surah 10:64

Now in fairness, in what sense does he mean it cannot be changed? The text doesn’t appear entirely clear; however, among modern Muslims, the belief is nearly universal that the Qu’ran itself has not been altered by a single punctuation mark. Since the Bible is also God’s word according to Muhammad, the same should be thought of the Bible if Muslims wish to be consistent.

There are actually multiple different versions of the Qu’ran, but that is an issue for another day. More relevant is that there are still copies of all the books in the Bible from before Muhammad was alive, and it clearly has not changed or been corrupted, even though most Muslims say it has. Some Muslim scholars will admit this. Therefore, the Muslim should give the words of the Bible the reverence that Muhammad confirmed is owed.

3. God's Word Contradicts the Qur'an

Jesus's Divinity

If you're a Muslim, you know that believing Jesus is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit is considered shirk. It is also said that Jesus is only a prophet. Observe the following from the Bible:

"'You are not yet fifty years old,' they said to him, 'and you have seen Abraham!'

'Very truly I tell you,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!' At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds."

John 8:57–59

There are many other verses in the New Testament showing that Jesus is divine. Read John 1, Hebrews 1, and Matthew 23:34–39, for example.

The Old Testament, including the Psalms (which are endorsed as coming from Allah), also pronounced the deity of the Messiah ahead of time:

"Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."

Psalm 45:6–7

Jesus's Death

According to Muslims, Jesus was the Messiah, yet He did not die on the cross. However, the Messiah's death was prophesied:

"After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing."

Daniel 9:26

See also Psalm 22 and Isaiah 52–53.

And it is made very clear in the gospels that Jesus died on the cross:

"It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.' When he had said this, he breathed his last."

Luke 23:44–46

Dawah

The evidence presented until will not be enough to convince many Muslims, because of the extent of lying that goes on in dawah (Muslim missionary work). For example, many Muslims are told that Jesus never claimed to be God because nowhere in the Bible does He say “I am God; worship me.” Yet this is like saying a man who clearly said he was a doctor, just not in so many words, is not a doctor because he never said, “I am a doctor; I can heal you.”

Jesus said that He has the power to forgive sins, that He is one with the Father, that those who have seen Him have seen the Father, that before Abraham was, “I am” (a name of God), and more. Further, God said from heaven to witnesses about Jesus, “This is my Son, with Whom I am well pleased,” and “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Thomas, a disciple, said to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” and worshipped him. Jesus accepted such worship.

Conclusion

Muhammad confirmed that the Bible is reliable testimony from God, but the Bible and the Qur'an are at odds. Therefore, believing the Qur'an would be like believing your friend, if your friend said, "Justin tells the truth about me," and Justin said, "Your friend is a liar, and you should not believe him." Moreover, Muhammad showed evil conduct, not befitting a man of God, and he did not confirm his message with great signs or prophesies, unlike Jesus, who fulfilled prophecies that are still amazing to behold today.