Crisis of Faith?

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate and Merciful

I hope this message finds you in the best of health and spirits.

What is described is not just a crisis of faith, but a victorious opening sent from God, Mighty and Majestic. Religious devotion through Catholicism doesn't make it strange that one would take heed to God's word and final messenger, but rather that one is more prepared for it than others. This was what we saw during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad himself (God bless him and give him peace). One such historical occurence involved Bahira the Monk. The bases for the details of this event are derived in large part from the following tradition:

When the Messenger of Allâh (Allah bless him and give him peace) was twelve years old, he went with his uncle Abu Talib on a business journey to Syria. When they reached Busra (which was a part of Syria, in the vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain) they met a monk called Bahira (his real name was Georges), who showed great kindness, and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the habit of receiving or entertaining them before. He readily enough recognized the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and said while taking his hand: "This is the master of all humans. Allâh will send him with a Message which will be a mercy to all beings." Abu Talib asked: "How do you know that?" He replied: "When you appeared from the direction of ‘Aqabah, all stones and trees prostrated themselves, which they never do except for a Prophet. I can recognize him also by the seal of Prophethood which is below his shoulder, like an apple. We have got to learn this from our books." He also asked Abu Talib to send the boy back to Makkah and not to take him to Syria for fear of the Jews. Abu Talib obeyed and sent him back to Makkah with some of his men servants. [Ibn Hisham 1/180-183; Za'd Al-Ma'ad 1/17]

Like many other religious Christians, Bahira was aware of the likelihood of a final prophet coming to confirm the tenets of faith that were brought by Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and all the prophets back to Adam (peace and blessings be upon all of them).

The greatest biography written in English about the Prophet Muhammad (God bless him and give him peace) is Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings. The book goes through in greater detail the event mentioned above, as well as the details of the rest of his life. Another great book [Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)] in the subject area of prophetic biography has been translated and made available on-line at:

http://www.sunnipath.com/library/Books/B0033P0000....

While Abdullah Yusuf Ali put forth a great effort in attempting to translate the word of God (which really cannot be effectively translated), it is very difficult for someone to translate from Arabic to English when neither is their native language. I would strongly encourage you to get ahold of another translation, such as A.J. Arberry's "Koran Interpreted" or Pickthall's translation.

One who turns to God in sincerity and asks for help in pursuing the truth and separating it from falsehood does not get turned away. And God Alone gives success. And all praise is due to God, Lord of all the worlds.

I don't see how the "equally yoked thing" is so tired. The Bible teaches this for a reason, and what you are going through now is the exact reason. Either Jesus Christ is the Son of God or He is not. Lord, Liar, or Lunatic. Either He is who He said He is, or He is a Liar, or He is a deranged lunatic who thinks He is God. The Faith of Islam and Christianity cannot mix. Both sides forbid inter-marriage. If Islam is true then Jesus didn't die on the cross and everything you believe about Catholicism is a gross lie. If He did die on the cross than the Qu'ran is contains error which it claims it does not so then the whole book has to be thrown out.

No man can serve two masters, he will either love one or hate the other.

The God of the Bible and Allah of the Qu'ran are not the same. Look at either's description of Heaven, a place created by either for their people.

I do not doubt your love for this man, but think of how this will affect any children you will have. In what faith will you raise them? What if one believes you and not their father and thinks him a liar? What about the contrary? And what if you raise them with a confusion of faiths or a mixture? Is there any hope for them?

Believing that Jesus existed does not make one a believer. The Devil and his demons believe and they will have no place in the Kingdom.

Why should there only be one true religion?

There are so many different languages and cultures...

doesnt it make sense given the known history of man, that there have been many great men and women who have directed the path of mankind.

Why should God have ever stopped sending profits to tend to the flocks?

In theory there should be more today than there has ever been, because there is more people than ever before.

Your religion is not nearly as important as your relationship with God and the way in which you treat your brothers and sisters of this world.

You and your husband should have a common faith if you will work well together and prosper in your matrimony,

but all the same, it is not absolutely necessary.

Everything is relative to the individuals perceptions and past experiences.

The bible you have learned from was changed 3 times over.

The languages it has been translated from were hardly compatible. Too much meaning was lost, and the church does not do a good job of interpreting it as was intended.

Too much of what it says is irrelevant and so much points to say that King James wanted better control over his people.

All of religion has been for the sake of control.

The church of God is in your heart.

I've got a copy of the Qur'an and am reading it. The Jesus of the Qur'an is NOT the Jesus of the Bible! He's only written about in the Qur'an as an argument against Christianity. The Qur'an has Jesus and the disciples saying they are Moslems. The Trinity doctrine is villified and mocked by implying that Trinitarians believe God had sex with the virgin Mary. Mind you, extra-biblical RC teaching on Mary accounts for that misunderstanding (Mother of God, Queen of Heaven language etc).

I would respectfully suggest that you put your RC teaching to one side, pick up the Bible and start reading the gospel of John in the New Testament. Moslems insist the NT is corrupted and does not contain the true gospel, but that's because the NT shows the deity of Christ, and that he is the one to save us from our sins. Once you have grasped the biblical gospel and God's means of salvation through Christ, then you will be in a position to untangle the contradictions of Islam. But not until then.

The darkness you speak of is spiritual. You need prayer protection and support. If the Jesus of the Bible is true, then the Jesus of the Qur'an is false. Only the Holy Spirit can protect you from deception. The New Testament says that the things the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God (no matter how sincere they are). If you step back from Moslem studies right now, fast and pray to God and read his Word, the Bible, you will sense the difference and the shadows will flee. "There is no salvation found in any name, other than the name of Christ" the NT says in Acts 4:12. Flee to Christ.

Frankly, I think you're messing yourself up by trying to mesh Catholicism and Islam together to begin with. There are some common threads, but they are two different religions with two different approaches to seeking, knowing and worshiping God.

I don't understand what you mean by saying, "I'm a Vatican II Catholic...having some issues with Benedict's changes to the progress JPII has made."

The Holy Father was one of the architects of Vatican II. He hasn't "changed" anything that Vatican II said -- added some clarification, maybe, but nothing has changed. Nor has he changed anything that John Paul II did. He's a different person, less media-worthy charisma and all that, but he hasn't countered anything that JPII did. They were very close friends and the current Pope was one of JPII's right-hand guys. I think it's rather odd that you think there is discord between them?

Just go to the basic. What is your perception of God? How do you pray to God? Who is your God? Why are prophets sent to mankind? You confuse yourself with some man-made doctrines and set of rituals that sometimes can cast a shadow on truth. Don't decide now, read more and let your knowledge increase. Try visiting the nearest mosque in your area or look for someone who is knowledgable enough on islam and ask questions...May Allah guides you...

Your confusion is understandable. I think that is why people are encouraged to marry others who have the same faith and beliefs. The uniqueness of our beings and life experiences leads us in different directions with regards to our spiritual life and faith. Would your fiance be willing to let you keep to your own faith? I think you should pray for guidance, don't you?

If you search for the truth you will find it. You don't need to listen to what everyone says. Listen to what your heart and mind leads you to based on logic and do a lot of research. I think to be a Muslim is to be a true Christian as Jesus wanted you to be. Jesus and Muhammad are both sent from the same God to guide humanity. If you have specific issues or questions you can email me.

Christianity, Judaism and Islam call claim to worship the same G-d, YHVH, G-d of Abraham. All three are screwed up in different ways.

At one time in Christianity, there were a great many books considered "scripture", remember the word simply mean "book"! It wasn't until someone started picking and choosing to teach something radically different that MEN decided which books were "inspired of god" and which weren't.

A Christian KNOWS the First Commandment.

There is NO other God, so why go after the god of the muslims?

Seriously, a marriage mixing these beliefs will be no end of heartache for you.

I know you do not want to hear this. I feel the obligation to warn you though.

Why can't he become Christian?

You probably should NOT marry him. It's hard to be married and serve two different gods. But like most women, I'm sure you'll justify your marriage by stating something like, "If I marry him, I can get him to covert to Catholicism/Christianity." Good luck with that, it won't work.