No God but One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity

346 Pages·2016·1.63 MB·English

by  Nabeel Qureshi

ZONDERVAN
No God but One: Allah or Jesus?
Copyright © 2016 by Nabeel A. Qureshi
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Qureshi, Nabeel, author.
Title: No God but one : Allah or Jesus? / Nabeel Quereshi.
Description: Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016019945 | ISBN 9780310522553 (softcover) Subjects: LCSH: Islam—Relations—Christianity. | Christianity
and other religions—Islam. | Islam—Doctrines. | Christianity—Doctrines.
Classification: LCC BP172 .Q7185 2016 | DDC 261.2/7—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016019945

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16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 DHV 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to David Wood, a great
friend and total doofus.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Preface
Prologue: Fatima’s Dilemma
QUESTION 1: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY?
PART 1: Sharia or the Gospel? Two Different Solutions
1. The Way to Life
2. Comparing Sharia and the Gospel
3. Questioning Grace
4. Diagnosis and Deliverance
PART 2: Tawhid or the Trinity? Two Different Gods
5. The Islamic Inquisition
6. Comparing Tawhid and the Trinity
7. Questioning Complexity
8. Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?
PART 3: Muhammad or Jesus? Two Different Founders
9. The Council of Nicaea
10. Comparing the Messenger and the Messiah
11. Questioning the God-Man
12. Libya’s Best Friend
PART 4: The Quran or the Bible? Two Different Scriptures
13. The Burning of Scripture
14. Comparing the Quran and the Bible
15. Questioning Texts
16. The First Burning of the Quran
PART 5: Jihad or the Crusades? Two Different Holy Wars
17. The First Crusade
18. Comparing the Traditions of the Founders
19. Questioning Christian Peacefulness
20. Jesus versus Jihad
QUESTION 2: CAN WE KNOW WHETHER ISLAM OR
CHRISTIANITY IS TRUE?
PART 6: Did Jesus Die on the Cross?
21. The Positive Case: Unanimous Records
22. The Islamic Response: It Was Made to Appear So
23. Assessing the Islamic Response: The Quran and the Historical Jesus
24. Conclusion: Jesus Died on the Cross
PART 7: Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?
25. The Positive Case: The Best Explanation of the Facts
26. The Islamic Response: All Paul’s Fault
27. Assessing the Islamic Response: Paul and the Disciples in Proper
Perspective
28. Conclusion: Jesus Rose from the Dead
PART 8: Did Jesus Claim to Be God?
29. The Positive Case: Jesus Was Always God
30. The Islamic Response: Did Jesus Really Say “I Am God”?
31. Assessing the Islamic Response: Letting the Context Speak
32. Conclusion: Jesus Claimed to Be God
Midway Summary to Question 2: Assessing the Case for Christianity
and Islam’s Efforts to Account for Christian Origins
PART 9: Is Muhammad a Prophet of God?
33. The Positive Case: The Foretold Paragon
34. The Response: Don’t Forget the Counterevidence
35. Assessing the Response: Hadith versus History
36. Conclusion: The Dilemma of the Historical Muhammad
PART 10: Is the Quran the Word of God?
37. The Positive Case: There Is No Other Book Like It
38. The Response: In What Way Is That Miraculous?
39. Assessing the Response: What Kind of Book Is the Quran?
40. Conclusion: There Is No Compelling Reason to Think the Quran Is the
Word of God
Conclusion to Question 2: Islam or Christianity? The Evidence Is Clear
CONCLUSION: IS THE TRUTH WORTH DYING FOR?
Notes
Bonus Content (Exclusive to eBook Edition)
Q&A with Nabeel Qureshi
Bonus Videos
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
G
reat heart and countless hours of effort have been invested into this book. I
am deeply indebted to the Zondervan team for their encouragement in spite of
the many bumps and turns along the way. I would particularly like to thank
Madison Trammel for his ever-present support, Jesse Hillman for strategic
perspectives, Brian Phipps for his longsuffering patience, and Stan Gundry for
his vision in making this book a reality. Thanks is also due to Mark Sweeney for
his insight, wisdom, and loyal friendship.
I would also like to thank the many people who had a hand in making this
book better: Richard Zetter, Richard Shumack, Matthew Thomas, John Njoroge,
Shawn Hart, and Betsy Duncan. I must thank my darling bride, Michelle, for her
loving encouragement despite the many days I had to spend away from her to
write. I would also like to thank my beautiful daughter, Ayah, for being born in
the middle of this project, filling my life with color and joy.
Last, and certainly not least, I would like to thank the Lord God for giving
me the impetus and means to pour myself into this effort. I pray it would all be
for his glory and his people. Amen.
PREFACE
D
ear Reader,
I truly thank you for taking the time to read this book. For me, and for
millions of others like me, the subject matter of these pages is far more than
information. It is the full engagement of heart and mind in search for the true
God and true Life. What I share is a summary of fifteen years of research that
wrenched my heart and transformed my life.
You might have already read the account of my journey from Islam to
Christianity, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. That book is the heart of my story,
detailing the relationships, emotions, and spiritual struggles in my search for
God. No God but One: Allah or Jesus? is the mind of my story, examining the
religions and their claims. In the course of this book, I hope to elucidate two
overarching matters in particular: that the differences between Islam and
Christianity have great implications, and that the evidence of history strongly
supports the Christian claims.