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Durham E-Theses A critical analysis of Christian responses to Islamic claims about the work of the Prophet Muhammad, `the Messenger of God'. Long, William Thomas How to cite: Long, William Thomas (1993) A critical analysis of Christian responses to Islamic claims about the work of the Prophet Muhammad, `the Messenger of God'., Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5660/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 A critical analysis of Christian responses to Islamic claims about the work of the Prophet Muhammad, ^the Messenger of God". William Thomas Long, 1993 ABSTRACT The aims of this study are to analyse critically the different Christian responses to the Islamic understanding of the work of Muhammad. Chapter one consists a short introduction leading to an appraisal of Muhammad which incorporates historical, hagiographal and Quranic source material, and in the light of relevant Christian and Muslim scholarship. The second chapter presents a summary critical analysis of Muhammad in Christian theological perspective, from 661 A.D. to modern times. Chapter three presents a critique of Christian responses to the Muslim allegations that the text of the Bible has been infected with corruption; and that Muhammad's advent and status are foretold in the ^unadulterated' scriptures, and in the Gospel of Barnabas. Chapter four examines the theological significance of the work of Muhammad for Christians. Thus, Jesus and Muhammad are critically assessed and contrasted in order to ascertain the importance, for Christians, of the Muslim claims in respect of Muhammad as ^ the messenger of God'. Chapter five provides a critical evaluation of the various Christian responses to Muhammad. It is argued that many of the said responses have been entangled in myths and misperceptions which have severely distorted the true account of Muhammad's work. Consequently, many Christians have failed to appreciate the divine legitimacy of Muhammad's call to prophethood. Further, it is argued that Christians should accept that Muhaittmad is a genuine prophet, and the messenger of God. However, Muhaitmad's use of the power-structure in order to maintain Islam is in sharp contrast to Jesus' decision to face the consequences of his ministry passively through faith in God. Accordingly, orthodox Christian belief in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus provides another dimension to prophethood, where the messenger and the message become one, an identification which finds no parallel in Islam, and which, in the nature of the case, cannot find a parallel. A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF CHRISTIAN RESPONSES TO ISLAMIC CLAIMS ABOUT THE WORK OF THE PROPHET MOHAMMAD, ^THE MESSENGER OF GOD' WILLIAM THOMAS LONG, 1993 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. UNIVERSITY OF DURHAM DEPARTMENT OF THEOLOGY 1993 N TO A critical analysis of Christian responses to Islamic claims about the work of the Prophet Muhammad, ^the Messenger of God'. CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements 7 Notes on the Transliteration of Arabic Words 8 Abbreviations 9 INTRODUCTION Scope, Limits, and Method of the Study 12 CHAPTER ONE: Muhammad and the Rise of Islam 1.1 Arabia in the ^Days of Ignorance' (al-jahiliya) 14 1.2 Muhammad's Life: The Meccan Period, to 610 A.D. 19 1.3 Muhammad's Ministry in Mecca, 610 to 621 A.D. 31 1.4 Muhammad's Work in Medina, 621 to 632 A.D. 37 CHAPTER TWO: Muhammad in Christian Theological Perspective: A Critical Analysis 2.1 Christian Responses to Muhammad: Seventh to Tenth Centuries A.D. 53 2.2 Christian Responses to Muhammad: Eleventh to Fourteenth Centuries A.D. 110 2.3 Christian Responses to Muhammad: Fifteenth to Twentieth Centuries A.D. 128 4 CHAPTER THREE: The In^rtance of the Scriptures Page 3.1 The Integrity of the Bible According to the Qur'an and the Hadlth. 160 3.2 Prophecies Regarding Muhammad in the ^Unadulterated' Scriptures. 185 3.3 The Status of Muhammad According to the Gospel of Barnabas. 210 CHAPTER FOUR: The Theological Significance of Muhammad's Life and Ministry for Christians 4.1 Muhammad and Jesus: Messengers of God; Bearers of Revelation? 231 4.2 Muhammad and Jesus in Universal Perspective. 255 4.3 Muhammad and Jesus: The Question of Finality. 262 CHAPTER FIVE: Conclusion 271 NOTES 274 BIBLIOGRAPHY 344 Section (a) Primary Sources 1. Books 344 2. Articles 354 Section (b) Secondary Sources 1. Books 371 2. Articles 387 The material contained in this thesis has not previously been submitted by me for a degree in this, or any other. University. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My thanks are due to many friends who helped me prepare this thesis, but I am particularly indebted to my Supervisor, Professor Edward Hulmes. His academic expertise has saved me from many small errors and not a few large ones, and his sincere interest has been a great encouragement to me. Notes on the Transliteration of Arabic Words The system of transliteration is the same as that found in the Encyclopaedia of Islam with the following modifications: th becomes th dj becomes j k becomes q. Abbreviations AQ A. Yusuf ^Air, The Holy Qur'an, Text, Translation and Commentary. 1st published, 1934; new edn., Leicester, Islamic Foundation, 1975, CAF Cragg, K. , The Christ and the Faiths; Theology in Cross-Reference. S.P.C.K., London, 1986 CTM Gragg, K. , The Call of the Minaret. 1st published, 1956; 2nd revised edn., Collins, London, 1985, ECI Gaudeul, J,-M,, Encounters and Clashes: Islam and Christianity in History, 2 Vols. Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e Islamici, Rome, 1984. GBT Ragg, L. and L. , (Trans.), The Gospel of Barnabas. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1907. ICT Sweetman, J.W., Islam and Christian Theology. Lutterworth Press, London, part 1, vol, 1, 1945. IWI Daniel, N.A. , Islam and the West: The Making of an Image. Edinburgh University Press, 1960. JCT Macquarrie, J., Jesus Christ in Modern Thought. S.C.M. Press, London, 1990. JDI Sahas, D.J., John of Damascus on Islam, the "heresy of the Ishmaelites". Brill, Leiden, 1972. JME Cragg, K., Jesus and the Muslim - An Exploration. George Allen and Unwin, London, 1985. JPG Casey, M. , From Jewish Prophet to Gentile God: The Origins and Development of New Testament Christolocfy. James Clarke, Cambridge, 1991. JTJ Vermes, G. , Jesus the Jew. 1st published, 1973; 2nd edn., S.C.M. Press, London, 1983. MAM Robson J., (Trans.), Mishkat Al-Masabih, English Translation with Explanatory Notes. Kashmiri Bazar, Lahore, 1975. MCE Watt, W.M., Muslim-Christian Encounters: Perceptions and Misperceptions. Routledge, London, 1991. MPS Watt, W.M., Muhammad, Prophet and Statesman. 1st published, 1961; Oxford University Press, 1964. MTC Cragg, K. , Muhammad and the Christian. Darton, Longman and Todd, London, 1984. PVI Kritzeck, J., Peter the Venerable and Islam. Princeton University Press, 1964. Q al-Qur'an RLB Peers, E.A., Ramon Lull: A Biography. S.P.C.K., London, 1929. RM Rodinson, M., Mohammed. 1st published in English, 1971; Pelican Books, 1983. RSV The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. Collins, Glasgow, O.T., 1952; N.T., 2nd edn., 1971. TLM Ibn Ishaq, M. , The Life of Muhammad. Trans., Guillaume, A., 1955; 3rd impression, O.U.P., Pakistan, 1970. UDN Dunn, J.D.G., Unity and Diversity in the New Testament; Enquiry into the Character of Earliest Christianity. 1st published, 1981; revised edn., S.C.M. Press, London, 1990. 10 WGQ O'Shaughnessy, T. J. , Word of God in the Qur'an. 1st published as The Koranic Concept of the Word of God, 1948; revised edn.. Biblical Institute Press, Rome, 1984. 11 INTRODUCTION Scope, Limits, and Method of the Study The stibstance and argument of this thesis is predicated on the theistic hope that all things are in unison with God's creative purposes. But can those creative purposes be comprehended by the human mind? Perhaps they can only be taken on the trust, in the manner of an Abraham, or Jesus, or Muhammad. From the orthodox Christian perspective, there is a continuity between Abraham and Jesus. The Christian belief in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus represents the essence of the theistic hope. In other words, it is the Christian claim that God was in Christ in a way that denotes a unique, final and universal divine message to mankind. On the other hand, the Muslim perception of the theistic hope is grounded in the belief that the message proclaimed by Muhammad was from the true divine source, and in continuity, not only with Abraham, but also with Jesus. The Qur'an portrays Muhammad as, ^the Seal of the Prophets' (Qur'an 33:40). According to Muslims, Jesus was a precursor of Muhammad, and even a witness to him. The aims of this thesis are to examine critically the various Christian responses to the claims forwarded by Muslims with regard to the divine legitimacy, finality and universality of the work of Muhammad, and to determine if the Muslim claims in question can find any echo in Christian faith and experience.