2 – Prophet Moses (PBUH) and his followers will enter paradise in large numbers. This is mentioned in The Correct Bukhari, no. 5270, Ibn Abbas narrated that the prophet (PBUH) said: "Nations were displayed before me; one or two prophets would pass by along with a few followers. A prophet would pass by accompanied by nobody. Then a big crowd of people passed in front of me and I asked: "Who are they? Are they my followers?" It was said: "No. It is Moses and his followers". It was said to me: "Look at the horizon". Behold! There was a multitude of people filling the horizon. Then it was said to me: "Look there and there about the stretching sky! Behold! There was a multitude filling the horizon". It was said to me: "This is your nation out of whom seventy thousand shall enter paradise without reckoning". Then the prophet entered his house without telling his companions who they (the 70,000) were. So the people started talking about the issue and said: "It is we who have believed in Allah and followed His messenger; therefore those people are either ourselves or our children who are born in the Islamic era, for we were born in the Pre-lslamic Period of Ignorance". When the prophet heard of that, he came out and said: "Those people are those who do not treat themselves with ruqya (spell), nor do they believe in bad or good omen (from birds etc.), nor do they get themselves branded (cauterized), but they put their trust (only) in their Lord". At that moment, Ukasha Ibn Muhsin said: "Am I one of them, O messenger of Allah?". The Prophet replied: "Yes". Then another person got up and said: "Am I one of them?". The Prophet said: "Ukasha asked before you."
3 – Muhammad's followers will be half the number of people entering paradise, not all of them. This is mentioned in The Correct Muslim, no. 324, Abdullah Ibn Masood said: The messenger of Allah (PBUH) addressed us and then supported his back (by reclining) against a leather tent and said: "Don't you like that you should constitute one-fourth of the inhabitants of paradise?”. We said: "Yes, messenger of Allah". He (PBUH) again said: "Don't you like that you should constitute one-third of the inhabitants of paradise?".They said: "Yes, messenger of Allah". He said: "I hope that you would constitute one- half of the inhabitants of paradise and you would be among the peoples of the world, like a black hair on (the body of) a white ox or like a white hair on the body of a black ox".
I have an important question here: Where's racism when Muhammad's (PBUH) followers enter paradise, and Moses (PBUH) followers will enter it in a great number? This means that not all the inhabitants of paradise will be Muslims as they objectors claim!
Third: The rest of the reply to this misunderstanding was previously mentioned in the reply to the misunderstanding of (Allah puts the sins of Muslims on the Jews and Christians). When reading Al Nawawi's interpretation to the speech: "When it will be the day of resurrection, Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from hellfire", we will find the convenient answer to the objectors' questions. He said: the meaning of this speech is what Abu Huraira narrated that every person has a house in paradise and a house in hellfire. So, when a believer enters paradise, a disbeliever will enter hellfire due to his disbelief. "your rescue from hellfire" means that you were subject to enter hellfire, and this Jew or Christian is your rescue, because Allah, the Almighty, managed a certain number of people that will enter hellfire. So, when the pagans and the disbelievers enter hellfire for their disbelief, and evil deeds, they will be a rescue for Muslims.
Fourth: The Bible mentions that the Lord, His prophets and messengers have a religious racism. This is mentioned in the following:
1 – The Bible mentions that Paul called for religious racism. This is mentioned in Paul's letter to the Galatians 2:15:
2:15 “We, being Jews by nature, and not Gentile sinners !!
And in the same letter 4:22-31:
4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman. 4:23 However, the son by the handmaid was born according to the flesh, but the son by the free woman was born through promise. 4:24 These things contain an allegory, for these are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children to bondage, which is Hagar. 4:25 For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to the Jerusalem that exists now, for she is in bondage with her children. 4:26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 4:27 For it is written,
“Rejoice, you barren who don’t bear.
Break forth and shout, you that don’t travail.
For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband.”*
4:28 Now we, brothers, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 4:29 But as then, he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 4:30 However what does the Scripture say? “Throw out the handmaid and her son, for the son of the handmaid will not inherit with the son of the free woman.”* 4:31 So then, brothers, we are not children of a handmaid, but of the free woman.
2 – The Bible also mentions that Jesus, the Christ (PBUH) called for religious racism. This is mentioned in Matthew 7:6:
6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.
3 – Besides, the Bible mentions that the Lord does racist acts in the favor of the children of Israel, as follows:
a) He allowed the children of Israel to give loans to people by the prohibited usury (interest on loans), but not to their brothers!! This is mentioned in Deuteronomy 23:19-20:
19 “You shall not charge interest on loans to your brother, interest on money, interest on food, interest on anything that is lent for interest. 20 You may charge a foreigner interest, but you may not charge your brother interest, that the LORD your God may bless you in all that you undertake in the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
b) He allowed the children or Israel to steal the Egyptians when they leave the land of Egypt, although stealing is prohibited!! This is mentioned in Exodus 3:21-22:
21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
4 – The Bible mentions that prophet Noah (PBUH) established the reign of racism and slavery!! This is mentioned in Genesis 9:18-27:
18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.[b]
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.[c] 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Cursed be Canaan;
a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
26 He also said,
“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem;
and let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth,[d]
and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
and let Canaan be his servant.”
I say: No comment on the previous texts, and I will leave the comment to the reader, who has a mind to think and judge, as mind is a great blessing!!
There's a question that puzzles me a lot: Why did prophet Noah (PBUH) cursed Canaan that hasn't been born yet?! What did he do that made prophet Noah (PBUH) curse him?!
Was it his sin that his father, Ham, saw prophet Noah (PBUH) naked, but he couldn’t do anything except that he went to his brothers to put a garment on that naked drunk prophet?!
This is according to what the Bible mentions about prophet Noah (PBUH)!
Written by Akram Hassan Morsi
Translation: Professor Islamic translation
