From Yusuf Estes
Islam Newsroom UPDATE - March 9, 2015 - "Letter From A Big Fan"
Christian "fan" of ours wrote to me about "converting" and wanted answers to "Questions about Jesus"
(my answers in RED)
Dear Mr Estes,
I'm a big fan of yours. Some Muslims told me you used to be a Christian minister and coverted to Islam.
(music minister & businessman)
What denomination were you?
(Desciples of Christ)
I want to share my feelings with you, to see if you understand the same way I do.
Some Muslims had a table set up outside, talking with people, giving out Qurans (they gave me one too).
I keep meeting with them and watched all the videos of you they gave me.
I'm a Christian without any particular church. I just believe in God.
(Many Christians are like this)
Seems to me God is not happy with Christians these days.
The condition of the church today breaks my heart.
There's no fear of God's punishment.
(Fear of God's punishment is critical part of faith, called "Taqwah" in Arabic)
The Muslims I'm talking to taught me a lot. He taught me a lot, especially something he called "tawheed" (I think it is like monotheism, right?)
(YES)
I appreciate these guys spending so much time to teach me and help me learn about Islam.
They are really special people.
(YES. I totally agree)
I have decided to accept Allah and be a Muslim now.
(Allahu Akbar! Congratulations! We are so happy for you!)
Here's my problem. I still love Jesus and cannot seem to get him out of my heart. I know about "shirk".
But how to I get away from this love for Jesus?
(MUSLIMS LOVE JESUS - A LOT)
Surah Fatihah is so over whelming and just really makes me feel like something really big.
But what about my love for Jesus?
How can I renouce him as Lord?
(DID HE SAY "I'M LORD"? NO)
So did you feel like this when you came to Islam?
Any fear come to you about the Day of Judgment?
What if we are being deceived?
(WHAT IF CHRISTIANS ARE DECEIVED?)
Many wonderful things in Islam.
Yet, I feel pressure inside when I think of renouncing everything I had in the past.
(KEEP ASKING GOD TO GUIDE YOU)
Did you think of yourself as "born-again" Christian?
Did you have fear in your heart?
(ANYONE WHO COMES TO ISLAM IS - 'BORN AGAIN' - REALLY)
Yours Very Truly,
(A Big Fan)
Our Answer:
First of all - MUSLIMS MUST LOVE JESUS - This is clear in Quran.
We have to love Jesus, peace be upon him, and all of the prophets and messengers of Allah, without any distinction. Read Quran, chapter 2, verse 285.
Your feelings are very normal - considering what you are going through.
However, this is not from you. This is from the very devil himself. He knows if anyone (even Muslims) make shirk (partners with God in worship) - they will go to Hell forever and that is what he is hoping to happen to all humans.
Let's consider what both Books teach (forget the people's interpretations - just the oldest, most authentic of the Bibles - and of course, Quran from original Arabic):
Jesus is mentioned by his original name in the Quran - "Essa, Masiha ibn Mariam" (Jesus The Christ, the son of Mary).
Jesus, peace be upon him, taught the same thing in the Quran in many ways of what we find in the Bible (even the modern day, corrupted translations).
BOTH BOOKS SAY THE SAME ABOUT:
GOD IS ONE
GOD IS ONE GOD ALONE (UNIQUELY ONE)
GOD IS PERFECT
GOD IS THE CREATOR
GOD IS THE SUSTAINER
GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING
GOD IS ABSOLUTELY FAIR
GOD IS THE ONLY JUDGE
GOD ALONE, ANSWERS PRAYERS
GOD IS THE MERCIFUL
GOD IS THE FORGIVING
GOD HAS THE ULTIMATE PLAN
GOD IS THE LOVING
You get the idea up to now? So let's ask:
Did Adam have a father? Mother?
(NO)
Did Eve have a mother?
(NO)
Who created Adam?
(GOD)
Who created Eve?
(GOD)
Who created us all?
(GOD)
Who created Jesus Christ?
(GOD)
Who created GOD?
(NO CREATOR - He always existed)
Does God need a mother or father?
(NO)
Muslims must love and believe in Jesus ('Essa, peace be upon him), as what?
1. Miracle birth (no father)
2. Spoke from the cradle (as a new born baby)
3. Performed miracles
4. Gave sight to the blind
5. Cured diseases
6. Brought the dead back to life
7. Ascended to the Heaven to be with God until he returns to kill the anti-Christ
All Muslims must believe 100% in all these points
Now let's look at the Lord's Prayer (according to the Bible, Jesus taught his followers to pray this way):
Our (Lord)* which is in Heaven, Sacred is Your Name
(We consider all of God's attributes as His Names, 99 of them)
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done (Inshallah - means "God's Will be done" - Who says this most? Jews? Christians? Muslims?)
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread,
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive anyone who sins against us.
Do not guide us into temptation, but deliver us from evil,
for to you belong the Kingdom, Power and Glory for ever and ever, ameen.
Notice: "God's Will be done!"
That meaning is in the Arabic word "aslaama", the verb for "Islam"
So Bible tells us to worship God - with NO GOD BESIDE GOD (Exodus: 20)
This is coming from Jesus right?
He told us to pray to God (or to Jesus?)
Does it say anywhere in your Bible - "Jesus is God"?
Or did Jesus tell the people, "I'm God - worship me?"
Did Jesus pray?
To who?
Let's talk about the term used in the Bible for prophets of God, namely Jeremiah, Ezekiel (over 80 times), Daniel and Jesus, peace be upon all prophets of God.
Was Jesus a man?
Does Bible say, "God is NOT a man?"
Did Jesus claim to be "son of man"?
Does Bible say "God is NOT the son of man?"
[read Numbers 23, 19]
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent..
Should we put our complete trust in in 'son of man'? Not according to the Bible, Psalms 146:3
"Put not your trust in the princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help".
God Knows everything from the beginning of the creation of the universe to the very end.
So no need for God to cry about anything, right?
Humans cry because they don't know everything, right?
[read John 11:35 - shortest verse in the whole Bible] - "Jesus wept" (he cried??)
God is the "LIVING GOD", mentioned 30 times in the Bible, right?
Does God - DIE? (of course not)
Did Jesus die? (according to the Christians today) Yes, on the cross at Golgatha.
But according to Muslims - NO! Not yet.
Jesus, peace be upon him, is with Almighty God in Heaven - RIGHT NOW.
He'll come back to earth in the Last Days!
He will kill the anti-Christ and lead the true believers to peace and then after some years.
Then he and his followers will all die, leave this earth and go to Heaven.
Answer back from "Big Fan":
Dear Sheikh Yusuf Estes,
Thanks so much for all your work and effort to explain everything in so much details to me.
I asked my Muslim friends to come over to my place and they did. One lady I work with came too. I showed them what you sent to me. We talked some more about it all.
You people really do touch me inside and I feel so much love, peace and happiness when I think of Jesus the way you described.
I see I am not giving up or turning my back on Jesus at all.
Now I am getting a chance to be closer to him than ever - in the Heaven.
I am ready to be Muslim to make shahadah now.
I pray for you to be there too. Thanks so much for everything.
Yours Truly,
[A Big Fan]
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