I was speaking with a Muslim once, or as we should call them Mohammadians because they worship Mohammad.
I say that they worship because our God declared, "You shall not make any idol of heaven above or of earth beneath to bow down to worship it" (Ex 20v4). Muslims are ordered to make no image of Mohammad. Why state this unless it is that they worship him?
It was one of the rare occasions where a Christian and Muslim could speak together, without a crowd of Muslims sent from their mosque to control the conversation and safeguard each-other from any Godly influence. But as we spoke, I felt I could not reach him, so I asked the Lord God for help, like the emergency prayer help Nehemiah did before he spoke to king Artaxerxes (Neh 2v4), son of Xerxes (Esther 1v1). The Lord God immediately showed me how I should reply. I boldly dare say it came from the Lord God Almighty because I have never been taught this, the message came from the scriptures, and centred on and honoured the Lord Jesus Christ, not myself.
"I would become a Muslim if you could show me that the Lord Jesus Christ was not crucified as the Koran claims and that Mohammad was a prophet. It is written in the Holy Bible that we need the testimony of more than one witness and even Mohammad knew of this law and even extended it, as he demanded there must be four witnesses for an accusation against an adulterer to stand. Yet Mohammad had no-one who was of a prophetic status who was his second witness."
It is this law which was referred to by the Pharisees in John (8v13).
The Lord Jesus showed He was divinely approved in His replies in (8v16-17), but humanly speaking, Christ answered the testimony given by John the Baptist (5v30-34) was His second affirming witness and was more important than any other person because John was a prophet. Of-course for us, we also have the Old Testament prophecies which substantiate Christ's status as well.
The Mohammadian was visibly shaken by this response.
And as taught in the Institute, there are 26 surviving documents -all of which can be verified - written by 12 men within 90 years of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ (AD 31/32) which EXPLICITLY stated that our Lord Christ was executed. In ancient historical studies, this number is unique, and occurred a very short period of time following the event. 7 of these men: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul in the Holy Bible, and Josephus and Tacitus, all stated the Lord was executed in the time of Pontius Pilate (AD 26-36) in Judea.
Let us never compare our religion which is divinely inspired with anything like the fake claims of other religions or what some people teach about our Lord.
Please use this argument if you think it will help a Mohammadian you witness to come to know the Living Lord God.
"The phrase I would become a muslim if" sounds very specific.
After talking with muslims, I get the feeling they are not sure what a muslim actually is.
Some of it is a trick of capture. If you say their creed, you are a muslim and if you then deny it, you are an apostate and can be executed.
It is this emotional game play I find very hard to justify other than for people born into muslim families it literally dominates their position on pain of death.
My second point is simply about Jesus. It is claimed Jesus failed and Muhammed was the perfect revelation.
Jesus was the extension of Israel and the law, and the meaning of the law as expressed through love, one to one.
Jesus's theme was love and acceptance, walking righteously one with another.
How did Jesus fail, and Muhammed share something better?
There is nothing like the love, repentance and forgiveness in the Koran, the Haddith or traditions of Islam.
It is a legalistic and brutal approach to life, its name comes from submission to God, which is the denial of need, role, individual and social value. At every social level, when Islam gets a grip, violence is used to force conformity and murder for the "right" reasons by anyone is justified. It is a psychopaths charter and an open book for dictators to rule with no freedom or justice given to anyone in the name of religious rights to rule.
Female abuse is rife, temporary marriages, anything to get around the "letter" of the law without penalties, and buying favour to get into paradise.
It works very well in uneducated societies where women are possessions to be passed around and slavery is a common outlook towards anyone not within the special group. ISIS exemplifies what happens when the simple morals are lived out, a living dysfunctional hell is created.
In their view expressing such a disparaging view of anyone is evil, let alone their faith and belief system, so little wonder any real objective reality is rarely expressed though actually experienced day after day. People get so dispirited they would rather die than continue in these groups.
What is most ironic, is Islam was most likely invented in its final form 400 years after Muhammeds death and Muhammed probably grew up in Petra not Mecca. Even the idea Korans are the same is barely questioned, and when analysed across different countries differences arise in all the different versions and cultures. It has even been shown because a lot of inflection marks are missing from the arabic, possibly 20% of the language is unknown in meaning. To sustain such a weak position, you need total intimidation of any critics or those seeking truth and reality, it is simply insane the hold and lethal force such a faith has on billions of people.
So the image of islam is about loyalty to a name and to an image, not the content. It is like a hollywood set with its mystical charm, but dare threaten it or see any flaws, we will kill you. And I am 100% sure there are enough lunatics who would do this for any one word they regard as blasphemous. To have this as ones moral framework is so dangerous and intimidating. No wonder their countries fail to function. Openness is not on their agenda ever, not upsetting people is, which means crooks get off completely free...it is a crooks charter to power.
So there is no way I would say Jesus and Muhammed compare. The words I would become a muslim would not even begin.
God bless you