Another Taqiyyist Bites the Dust Pt. 1
It is time to once again expose another misleading taqiyyist, one who claims to have been former atheist turned Muslim named Dr. Laurence B. Brown. Sadly, Brown is another dawagandist who is more interested in distorting what the Holy Bible teaches, and misrepresenting Church history, in order to deceive people into becoming Muslims.
Since Paul Williams posted his article, Where is the “Christ” in “Christianity?”, on his blog we have decided to refute the gross distortions and misinformation which is found throughout Brown’s writing.
BROWN
Unreliability is a recurring problem in the Old Testament, the most prominent example being the confusion between God and Satan! II Samuel 24:1 reads, ‘Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”’ However, I Chronicles 21:1 states, ‘Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.’”
RESPONSE
Brown’s comments here not only expose his gross ignorance of Biblical theology, it also shows that he doesn’t know much about his own Islamic faith either.
After all, does not the Quran itself testify that it is Allah who actually sends devils from among men and jinn to tempt the prophets?
Thus have We appointed unto EVERY PROPHET an adversary - devils of humankind and jinn who inspire in one another plausible discourse through guile. IF THY LORD WILLED, THEY WOULD NOT DO SO; so leave them alone with their devising; S. 6:112 Pickthall
And does it not further say that Allah has assigned devils as comrades to the disbelievers in order to mislead them and cause them to sin?
Seest thou not that We have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion? S. 19:83 Pickthall
Whoso blinds himself to the Remembrance of the All-merciful, to him We assign a Satan for comrade; and they bar them from the way, and they think they are guided, S. 43:36-37 Arberry
So, then, who is responsible for tempting people to sin and rebel against God, Allah or the devils which he appoints to bar people from the path?
We will let noted South African Christian apologist John Gilchrist answer the question, which is taken from his response to the late Ahmed Deedat who raised the same objection that Brown does:
“Deedat begins his seventh chapter "The Acid Test" with a claim that there is a contradiction between 2 Samuel 24.1, where we read that the Lord moved David to number Israel, and 1 Chronicles 21.1, which says it was Satan who provoked him to do so. Anyone who has a reasonable knowledge of both the Bible and the Qur'an will immediately perceive that Deedat is exposing nothing but his hopelessly inadequate understanding of a distinctive feature of the theology of both books. In the Qur'an itself we find a similar passage which sheds much light on this subject:
Seest thou not that we have set the devils on the disbelievers to confound them with confusion? Surah 19.83
“Here we read that Allah sets devils on unbelievers. Therefore, whereas it is God who moves them to confusion, he uses the devils to provoke them towards it. In precisely the same way it was God who moved against David and used Satan to provoke him to number Israel. Likewise in the Book of Job in the Bible we read that Satan was given power over Job (Ayub in the Qur'an) to afflict him (Job 1.12) but that God later spoke as if it was he who was moved against him (Job 2.3). Whenever Satan provokes men the action can also indirectly be described as the movement of God for without his permission Satan could achieve nothing. This quote from Zamakshari's commentary on Surah 2.7 (Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts) should suffice as the final word on this matter:
It is now in reality Satan or the unbeliever who has sealed the heart. However, since it is God who has granted to him the ability and possibility to do it, the sealing is ascribed to him in the same sense as an act which he has caused. (Gätje, The Qur'an and its Exegesis, p. 223).
“It appears that novices like Deedat should take a lesson in Qur'anic theology from renowned scholars like Zamakshari before exposing themselves to ridicule through unwarranted attacks on the Bible.” (The Textual History of the Qur'an and the Bible)
The problems are just starting for this greenhorn and pseudo-scholar, since the Quran is confused over the issue of who exactly corrupts, deceives and misleads people.
For instance, is it rebellious and disbelieving human beings that do so?
And when some hurt touches man, he cries to his Lord (Allah Alone), turning to Him in repentance, but when He bestows a favour upon him from Himself, he forgets that for which he cried for before, and he sets up rivals to Allah, in order to mislead others from His Path. Say: “Take pleasure in your disbelief for a while: surely, you are (one) of the dwellers of the Fire!” S. 39:8 Hilali-Khan
And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur'an) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire). S. 31:6 Hiali-Khan – cf. Q. 14:30; 16:25; 22:3-4, 8-9
Perhaps it is actually Satan?
Hast thou not regarded those who assert that they believe in what has been sent down to thee, and what was sent down before thee, desiring to take their disputes to idols, yet they have been commanded to disbelieve in them? But Satan desires to lead them astray into far error. S. 4:60 Arberry
And he entered the city at a time of unawareness of its people, and he found there two men fighting, - one of his party (his religion - from the Children of Israel), and the other of his foes. The man of his (own) party asked him for help against his foe, so Musa (Moses) struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: "This is of Shaitan's (Satan) doing, verily, he is a plain misleading enemy (mudillun mubeenun)." S. 28:15 Hilali-Khan
Or maybe it is Allah who actually does so?
Say (O Muhammad): "O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things.” S. 3:26 Hilali-Khan
And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright; but he whom He sends astray for such you will find no Auliya' (helpers and protectors, etc.), besides Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces blind, dumb and deaf, their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire. S. 17:97 Hilali-Khan
“… Thus Allah leads astray WHOM HE WILLS and guides whom He wills. And none can know the hosts of your Lord but He. And this (Hell) is nothing else than a (warning) reminder to mankind.” S. 74:31 Hilali-Khan
What makes this last point rather significant is that the Quran attests that the only reason why Satan deceives and misleads people is because he is trying to get back at Allah for deceiving and misleading him!
Said he, 'Now, for Thy perverting me (aghwaytanee), I shall surely sit in ambush for them on Thy straight path;’ S. 7:16 Arberry
He said, "O my Lord! because thou hast beguiled me (aghwaytanee), I will surely make all fair seeming to them on the earth; I will surely beguile them (wa’laoghwiyannahum) all;” S. 15:39 Rodwell
Even more shocking is the fact that the Quran actually agrees with Satan by unashamedly admitting that Allah does indeed deliberately mislead and deceive people, just as the above verses which we just cited and the following texts conclusively prove!
Then what is the matter with you that you are divided into two parties about the hypocrites? Allah has cast them back (to disbelief) because of what they have earned. Do you want to guide him whom Allah HAS MADE to go astray? And he whom Allah HAS MADE to go astray, you will never find for him any way (of guidance). S. 4:88 Hilali-Khan
“And my advice will not profit you, even if I wish to give you good counsel, if Allah's Will is to keep you astray (yughwiyakum). He is your Lord! and to Him you shall return.” S. 11:34 Hilali-Khan
And We sent not a Messenger except with the language of his people, in order that he might make (the Message) clear for them. Then Allah misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. S. 14:4 Hilali-Khan
We will leave it to this pseudo-scholar to try and resolve all of these major problems.
The greenhorn went on to raise a host of supposed biblical contradictions, all of which have already been thoroughly addressed in the following articles and rebuttals:
Errors and Contradictions in the Bible?
Mohamed Ghounem's The Gospel of John
A Bible Commentary for Muslims
And since this taqiyyist seems rather fascinated with contradictions and errors, perhaps he will be elated to read about all the irreconcilable mistakes and gross historical and scientific blunders found throughout his “holy” scripture: http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/index.html
Incompleteness and Incoherence of the Qur'an
Quran Blunder: An Inspired Apocryphal Fable?
Quran Inconsistency: Does Allah sanction and permit lust or not?
Quran Error: Were the Disciples Muslims? [Part 1], [Part 2]
Quran Difficulty: Is Allah the only ruler?
Quran Contradiction: Does Allah Forgive All Sins Or Not?
Another Quran Contradiction: Whom does Satan intend to tempt?
Addressing Zawadi's Harmonization of the Quran's Contradictory Creation Stories
The Quran’s Contradictory Creation Accounts
The Quran's Fables, Myths and Conflicting Tales
Rebuttals to Muslim Polemics against Christianity
Now that we have gotten this out of the way it is time to move on to the second part of our rebuttal.