Serious Christianity and Buddhism have similar teachings about moderation and restraint.

[bic_cherry]

Christianity and Buddhism have more in common than differences: (moderation and restraint).

Christianity story of the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil' https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_of_the_knowledge_of_good_and_evil is about not going overboard. E.g. God said can eat from every tree (including tree of life) but cannot know more than one ought to (by God's design of Eden) : then all creation will live in perpetual 'bliss', until time comes when man yielded to temptation and ate from the tree of knowledge (e.g. get knowledge from the tree rather than from God himself).

This symbolises a certain preliminary balance that God wanted to maintain INSIDE the Garden of Eden (man could eat from almost all trees (except one)). Some Jewish Rabbi have postulated that maybe in future, man could eat from the Tree of Knowledge, but they were not mature enough to eat the fruit when they disobeyed God's word and ate from it- thus suffering the consequence of death.


Bhuddism teaches the middle way although there is no concept of God per se in Buddhism, but u can see the same precept as the tree of knowledge being probably too intense knowledge that Adam and Eve were not able to assimilate, to their own detriment/ death. "Avoiding both these extremes, the Tathagata (the Perfect One) has realized the Middle Path; it gives vision, gives knowledge, and leads to calm, to insight, to enlightenment and to Nibbana." https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid...s sutta, the Buddha,forth from the household

Thus, there are strong similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Bhuddism and Singaporeans ought to celebrate these similarities and practice equanimity, rather than go on a blind rampage and be unconsciously hostile towards other religious groups.

 

[zhihau]

sadhu, sadhu...

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Where does the religion of 'peace' fit in?

 

[ChristJohnny]

All religions are similar. It is the people that practice it makes the difference.

The Christian in Africa or South America or our neighbor the Philippines. What do they have in common? Poor and Backwards.
While the Christian in Europe are rich and advance.

The Buddhist at Indo China - Reasonably poor and also less backward.
Buddhist in Japan, Korea, Taiwan are rich and advance

There are no advance Muslim countries - sorry to say that. Rich yes - because of resources like Saudi, Brunei, Qatar etc.

Hindus are a confuse lot - some rich and some dirt poor. Overall they are still poor and not so advance.

You notice the pattern! No matter what your religion is, as long as your Race Average IQ is Low. Your country tends to be :
- Violence
- Poor
- Backwards
- Lawless
- Authoritarian

IQ and Race

 

[syed putra]

All religions are similar. It is the people that practice it makes the difference.

The Christian in Africa or South America or our neighbor the Philippines. What do they have in common? Poor and Backwards.
While the Christian in Europe are rich and advance.

The Buddhist at Indo China - Reasonably poor and also less backward.
Buddhist in Japan, Korea, Taiwan are rich and advance

There are no advance Muslim countries - sorry to say that. Rich yes - because of resources like Saudi, Brunei, Qatar etc.

Hindus are a confuse lot - some rich and some dirt poor. Overall they are still poor and not so advance.

You notice the pattern! No matter what your religion is, as long as your Race Average IQ is Low. Your country tends to be :
- Violence
- Poor
- Backwards

Can you explain how come ang moh countries have lower iq than china as stated on your map?

 

[syed putra]

There is nothing moderate in christianity or any abrahamic faith.
Until today, historians cannot verify the existance of jesus or mohamad, or moses or abraham.
Jesus should be well documented as he was born under roman rule in jerusalem.during the timeline of julius ceasar, mark anthony, cleopatra etc. Ot was a vibrant colourful era. Rome was at its greatest. And yet, nothing was written about jesus except in the holy scriptures.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Can you explain how come ang moh countries have lower iq than china as stated on your map?

Wow Aussies are dumber than yanks. N the reason could be mudslimes migrating to ang mor lands bringing the results down... mudslimes don't migrate to nip n ah tiong lands

 

[Hypocrite-The]

There is nothing moderate in christianity or any abrahamic faith.
Until today, historians cannot verify the existance of jesus or mohamad, or moses or abraham.
Jesus should be well documented as he was born under roman rule in jerusalem.during the timeline of julius ceasar, mark anthony, cleopatra etc. Ot was a vibrant colourful era. Rome was at its greatest. And yet, nothing was written about jesus except in the holy scriptures.

Says who? Jesus existence is proven by non-biblical sources..n Mohd is only proven in mudslime sources...

Historicity of Jesus - Wikipedia
Not to be confused with Historical Jesus.
The historicity of Jesus is the question of whether Jesus of Nazareth can be regarded as a historical figure. Nearly all New Testament scholars and Near East historians, applying the standard criteria of historical-critical investigation, find that the historicity of Jesus is effectively certain,[1][2] although they differ about the beliefs and teachings of Jesus as well as the accuracy of the details of his life that have been described in the gospels.[3][4][5][note 1]
The question of the historicity of Jesus is part of the study of the historical Jesus as undertaken in the quest for the historical Jesus and the scholarly reconstructions of the life of Jesus, based primarily on critical analysis of the gospel texts and applying the standard criteria of critical-historical investigation,[6][7][8] and methodologies for analyzing the reliability of primary sources and other historical evidence.[9]
While scholars have criticized Jesus scholarship for religious bias and lack of methodological soundness,[10][note 2] with very few exceptions such critics generally do support the historicity of Jesus and reject the Christ myth theory that Jesus never existed.[12][13][14][15][note 3]
Historical existence
Most scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed.[16][17][18] Historian Michael Grant asserts that if conventional standards of historical textual criticism are applied to the New Testament, "we can no more reject Jesus' existence than we can reject the existence of a mass of pagan personages whose reality as historical figures is never questioned."[19]
External image

All extant sources that mention Jesus were written after his death.[21] The New Testament represents sources that have become canonical for Christianity, and there are many apocryphal texts that are examples of the wide variety of writings in the first centuries AD that are related to Jesus.[22]
New Testament sources
Synoptic Gospels

An 11th-century Byzantine manuscript containing the opening of the Gospel of Luke
The Synoptic Gospels are the primary sources of historical information about Jesus and of the religious movement he founded.[23][24][25] These religious gospels–the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark, and the Gospel of Luke–recount the life, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of a Jew named Jesus who spoke Aramaic. There are different hypotheses regarding the origin of the texts because the gospels of the New Testament were written in Greek for Greek-speaking communities,[26] and were later translated into Syriac, Latin, and Coptic.[27] The fourth gospel, the Gospel of John, differs greatly from the Synoptic Gospels. Historians often study the historical reliability of the Acts of the Apostles when studying the reliability of the gospels, as the Book of Acts was seemingly written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke.[28]
Pauline epistles
The seven Pauline epistles considered by scholarly consensus to be genuine are dated to between AD 50 and 60 (i.e., approximately twenty to thirty years after the generally accepted time period for the death of Jesus) and are the earliest surviving Christian texts that may include information about Jesus.[29] Although Paul the Apostle provides relatively little biographical information about Jesus[30] and states that he never knew Jesus personally, he does make it clear that he considers Jesus to have been a real person[note 4] and a Jew.[note 5][31][32][33][34] Moreover, he claims to have met with James, the brother of Jesus.[35][note 6]
Non-Christian sources
Josephus and Tacitus
Non-Christian sources used to study and establish the historicity of Jesus include the c. first century Jewish historian Josephus and Roman historian Tacitus. These sources are compared to Christian sources, such as the Pauline letters and synoptic gospels, and are usually independent of each other; that is, the Jewish sources do not draw upon the Roman sources. Similarities and differences between these sources are used in the authentication process.[37][38][39][39][40]
In Books 18 and 20 of Antiquities of the Jews, written around AD 93 to 94, Josephus twice refers to the biblical Jesus. The general scholarly view holds that the longer passage, known as the Testimonium Flavianum, most likely consists of an authentic nucleus that was subjected to later Christian interpolation or forgery.[41][42] On the other hand, Josephus scholar Louis H. Feldman states that "few have doubted the genuineness" of the reference found in Antiquities 20, 9, 1 to "the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James".[43][44][45][46]
Tacitus, in his Annals (written c. AD 115), book 15, chapter 44,[47] describes Nero's scapegoating of the Christians following the Fire of Rome. He writes that founder of the sect was named Christus (the Christian title for Jesus); that he was executed under Pontius Pilate; and that the movement, initially checked, broke out again in Judea and even in Rome itself.[48] Some scholars question the historical value of the passage on various grounds.[49]
Mishnah
The Mishnah (c. 200) may refer to Jesus and reflect the early Jewish traditions of portraying Jesus as a sorcerer or magician.[50][51][52][53] Other references to Jesus and his execution exist in the Talmud, but they aim to discredit his actions, not deny his existence.[50][54]
The historical reliability of the gospels refers to the reliability and historic character of the four New Testament gospels as historical documents. Little in the four canonical gospels is considered to be historically reliable.[55][56][57][58][59]
Historians subject the gospels to critical analysis by differentiating authentic, reliable information from possible inventions, exaggerations, and alterations.[23] Since there are more textual variants in the New Testament (200–400 thousand) than it has letters (c. 140 thousand),[60] scholars use textual criticism to determine which gospel variants could theoretically be taken as 'original'. To answer this question, scholars have to ask who wrote the gospels, when they wrote them, what was their objective in writing them,[61] what sources the authors used, how reliable these sources were, and how far removed in time the sources were from the stories they narrate, or if they were altered later. Scholars may also look into the internal evidence of the documents, to see if, for example, a document has misquoted texts from the Hebrew Tanakh, has made incorrect claims about geography, if the author appears to have hidden information, or if the author has fabricated a prophecy.[62] Finally, scholars turn to external sources, including the testimony of early church leaders, to writers outside the church, primarily Jewish and Greco-Roman historians, who would have been more likely to have criticized the church, and to archaeological evidence.
Since the 18th century, three separate scholarly quests for the historical Jesus have taken place, each with distinct characteristics and based on different research criteria, which were often developed during that phase.[63][64] Various criteria of authenticity are developed and employed to distinguish early oral elements from later literary elements in the Gospel stories, regarding those early elements as original elements of Jesus' teachings and biography.
Currently modern scholarly research on the historical Jesus focuses on what is historically probable, or plausible about Jesus.[65][66] Since the late 2000s, concerns have been growing about the usefulness of these criteria.[67]
Historical Jesus

Part of the ancient Madaba Map showing two possible baptism locations

Bronzino's depiction of the Crucifixion with three nails, no ropes, and a hypopodium standing support, c. 1545
There is widespread disagreement among scholars on the historicity of specific episodes described in the biblical accounts of Jesus,[68] the details of the life of Jesus mentioned in the gospel narratives, and on the meaning of his teachings.[5] Many scholars have questioned the authenticity and reliability of these sources, and few events mentioned in the gospels are universally accepted.[68]
Baptism and crucifixion
The only two events subject to "almost universal assent" are that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and was crucified by order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.[4][5][3][69][note 1]
According to New Testament scholar James Dunn, nearly all modern scholars consider the baptism of Jesus and his crucifixion to be historically certain.[3] He states that these "two facts in the life of Jesus command almost universal assent" and "rank so high on the 'almost impossible to doubt or deny' scale of historical 'facts' they are obvious starting points for an attempt to clarify the what and why of Jesus' mission."[3] John P. Meier views the crucifixion of Jesus as historical fact and states that based on the criterion of embarrassment Christians would not have invented the painful death of their leader.[71] The criterion of embarrassment is also used to argue in favor of the historicity of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist as it is a story which the early Christian Church would have never wanted to invent.[72][73][74] Based on this criterion, given that John baptised for the remission of sins, and Jesus was viewed as without sin, the invention of this story would have served no purpose, and would have been an embarrassment given that it positioned John above Jesus.[72][74][75]
Amy-Jill Levine has summarized the situation by stating that "there is a consensus of sorts on the basic outline of Jesus' life" in that most scholars agree that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and over a period of one to three years debated Jewish authorities on the subject of God, gathered followers, and was crucified by Roman prefect Pontius Pilate who officiated 26–36 AD.[76]
Other episodes
There is much in dispute as to his previous life, childhood, family and place of residence, of which the canonical gospels are almost completely silent.[77][78][79]
Scholars attribute varying levels of certainty to other episodes. Some assume that there are eight elements about Jesus and his followers that can be viewed as historical facts, namely:[4][80]

• Jesus was a Galilean Jew.
• His activities were confined to Galilee and Judea.
• He was baptized by John the Baptist.
• He called disciples.
• He had a controversy at the Temple.
• Jesus was crucified by the Romans near Jerusalem.[4][80]
• After his death his disciples continued.
• Some of his disciples were persecuted.[4][80]

Scholarly agreement on this extended list is not universal.[4][80][81] Elements whose historical authenticity are disputed include the two accounts of the nativity of Jesus, the miraculous events including turning water into wine, walking on water and the resurrection, and certain details about the crucifixion.[82][83][84][85][86][87]
The portraits of Jesus constructed in the quests have often differed from each other, and from the image portrayed in the gospel accounts.[88][16][89] There are overlapping attributes among the portraits, and while pairs of scholars may agree on some attributes, those same scholars may differ on other attributes, and there is no single portrait of the historical Jesus that satisfies most scholars.[90][91][92] The mainstream profiles in the third quest may be grouped together based on their primary theme as apocalyptic prophet; charismatic healer; Cynic philosopher; Jewish Messiah; and prophet of social change;[90][93][93] but there is little scholarly agreement on a single portrait, or the methods needed to construct it.[88][89][94][95] There are, however, overlapping attributes among the portraits, and scholars who differ on some attributes may agree on others.[90][93][91]

The Christ myth theory is the view that "the story of Jesus is a piece of mythology," possessing no "substantial claims to historical fact."[96] Alternatively, in terms given by Bart Ehrman paraphrasing Earl Doherty, "the historical Jesus did not exist. Or if he did, he had virtually nothing to do with the founding of Christianity."[97]
Most biblical scholars and classical historians see the theories of his non-existence as effectively refuted,[16][18][98] and in modern scholarship, the Christ myth theory is a fringe theory and finds virtually no support from scholars.[99][2][100][101][note 3]
Several authors, including Thomas L. Thompson, have taken a more moderate, "agnostic stance," arguing that while there are a number of plausible Jesuses that could have existed, there can be no certainty as to which Jesus was the biblical Jesus, and that there should also be more scholarly research and debate on this topic.[108][109]
Notes

1. ^ a b Certain facts of Jesus life:
   • James Dunn states of "baptism and crucifixion", these "two facts in the life of Jesus command almost universal assent".[3]
   • Crossan: "That he was crucified is as sure as anything historical can ever be, since both Josephus and Tacitus ... agree with the Christian accounts on at least that basic fact."[70]
2. ^ Akenson: "...The point I shall argue below is that, the agreed evidentiary practices of the historians of Yeshua, despite their best efforts, have not been those of sound historical practice".[11]
3. ^ a b The Christ myth theory is rejected by mainstream scholarship:
   • Robert E. Van Voorst, referring to G.A. Wells: "The nonhistoricity thesis has always been controversial, and it has consistently failed to convince scholars of many disciplines and religious creeds... Biblical scholars and classical historians now regard it as effectively refuted".[12]
   • While discussing the "striking" fact that "we don't have any Roman records, of any kind, that attest to the existence of Jesus," Ehrman dismisses claims that this means Jesus never existed, saying, "He certainly existed, as virtually every competent scholar of antiquity, Christian or non-Christian, agrees, based on clear and certain evidence."[102]
   • Robert M. Price, a former fundamentalist apologist who is now a Christian atheist, says the existence of Jesus cannot be ruled out, but is less probable than non-existence, agrees that his perspective runs against the views of the majority of scholars.[103]
   • Michael Grant, a classicist, states: "In recent years, 'no serious scholar has ventured to postulate the non historicity of Jesus,' or at any rate very few, and they have not succeeded in disposing of the much stronger, indeed very abundant, evidence to the contrary."[104]
   • "There are those who argue that Jesus is a figment of the Church’s imagination, that there never was a Jesus at all. I have to say that I do not know any respectable critical scholar who says that any more."[105]
   • Maurice Casey, an irreligious Emeritus Professor of New Testament Languages and Literature at the University of Nottingham, concludes in his book Jesus: Evidence and Argument or Mythicist Myths? that "the whole idea that Jesus of Nazareth did not exist as a historical figure is verifiably false. Moreover, it has not been produced by anyone or anything with any reasonable relationship to critical scholarship. It belongs to the fantasy lives of people who used to be fundamentalist Christians. They did not believe in critical scholarship then, and they do not do so now. I cannot find any evidence that any of them have adequate professional qualifications."[106]
   • Bockmuel: "[F]arfetched theories that Jesus' existence was a Christian invention are highly implausible."[107]
4. ^ In Galatians 4:4, Paul states that Jesus was "born of a woman."
5. ^ In Romans 1:3, Paul states that Jesus was "born under the law."
6. ^ That Jesus had a brother named James is corroborated by Josephus.[36]
7. ^ Amy-Jill Levine; Dale C. Allison Jr.; John Dominic Crossan (2006). The Historical Jesus in Context. Princeton University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 0-691-00992-9.
8. ^ Bart D. Ehrman (1999). Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium. Oxford University Press. pp. ix–xi. ISBN 978-0-19-512473-6.
9. ^ Dunn 2003, p. 125–127.
10. ^ E. Meyers & J. Strange (1992). Archaeology, the Rabbis, & Early Christianity. Nashville: Abingdon, 1981; Article "Nazareth" in the Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday.
11. ^ Carrier, Richard (2012). Proving History: Bayes's Theorem and the Quest for the Historical Jesus. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. p. ch. 1. ISBN 978-1-61614-560-6....attempts to ascertain the 'real' historical Jesus have ended in confusion and failure. The latest attempt to cobble together a method for teasing out the truth involved developing a set of critera. But it has since been demonstrated that all those criteria, as well as the whole method of their employment, are fatally flawed. Every expert who has seriously examined the issue has already come to this conclusion.
12. ^ a b c In a 2011 review of the state of modern scholarship, Bart Ehrman (a secular agnostic) wrote: "He certainly existed, as virtually every competent scholar of antiquity, Christian or non-Christian, agrees" B. Ehrman, 2011 Forged : writing in the name of God ISBN 978-0-06-207863-6. p. 285
13. ^ Robert M. Price (a Christian atheist) who denies the existence of Jesus agrees that this perspective runs against the views of the majority of scholars: Robert M. Price "Jesus at the Vanishing Point" in The Historical Jesus: Five Views edited by James K. Beilby & Paul Rhodes Eddy, 2009 InterVarsity, ISBN 0830838686 p. 61
14. ^ a b Jesus Now and Then by Richard A. Burridge and Graham Gould (April 1, 2004) ISBN 0802809774 p. 34
15. ^ Michael Grant (1977), Jesus: An Historian's Review of the Gospels
16. ^ Theissen, Gerd; Merz, Annette (1996). The Historical Jesus. Minneapolis MN: Fortress Press. pp. 17–62. ISBN 978-0-8006-3122-2.
17. ^ a b Sanders, E. P. The historical figure of Jesus. Penguin, 1993.
18. ^ "Jesus Christ". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 27 November 2010.The Synoptic Gospels, then, are the primary sources for knowledge of the historical Jesus
19. ^ Vermes, Geza. The authentic gospel of Jesus. London, Penguin Books. 2004.
20. ^ Mark Allan Powell (editor), The New Testament Today, p. 50 (Westminster John Knox Press, 1999). ISBN 0-664-25824-7
21. ^ Stanley E. Porter (editor), Handbook to Exegesis of the New Testament, p. 68 (Leiden, 1997). ISBN 90-04-09921-2
22. ^ Green, Joel B. (2013). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (2nd ed.). IVP Academic. p. 541. ISBN 978-0830824564.
23. ^ Edward Adams in The Cambridge Companion to Jesus by Markus N. A. Bockmuehl 2001 ISBN 0521796784 pp. 94–96.
24. ^ Tuckett, Christopher M. (2001). Markus N. A. Bockmuehl (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Jesus. pp. 122–126. ISBN 0521796784.
25. ^ Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making by James D. G. Dunn (2003) ISBN 0802839312 p. 143
26. ^ Jesus Christ in History and Scripture by Edgar V. McKnight 1999 ISBN 0865546770 p. 38
27. ^ Jesus according to Paul by Victor Paul Furnish 1994 ISBN 0521458242 pp. 19–20
28. ^ The Cambridge Companion to Jesus by Markus N. A. Bockmuehl 2001 ISBN 0521796784 pp. 121–125
29. ^ a b Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey by Craig L. Blomberg 2009 ISBN 0-8054-4482-3 pp. 431–436
30. ^ Schreckenberg, Heinz; Kurt Schubert (1992). Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature. ISBN 90-232-2653-4.
31. ^ Kostenberger, Andreas J.; L. Scott Kellum; Charles L. Quarles (2009). The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. ISBN 0-8054-4365-7.
32. ^ The new complete works of Josephus by Flavius Josephus, William Whiston, Paul L. Maier ISBN 0-8254-2924-2 pp. 662–663
33. ^ Josephus XX by Louis H. Feldman 1965, ISBN 0674995023 p. 496
34. ^ Van Voorst, Robert E. (2000). Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence ISBN 0-8028-4368-9. p. 83
35. ^ Flavius Josephus; Maier, Paul L. (December 1995). Josephus, the Essential Works: A Condensation of Jewish Antiquities and The Jewish war ISBN 978-0-8254-3260-6 pp. 284–285
36. ^ P.E. Easterling, E. J. Kenney (general editors), The Cambridge History of Latin Literature, p. 892 (Cambridge University Press, 1982, reprinted 1996) ISBN 0-521-21043-7
37. ^ Eddy 2007, pp. 179-180.
38. ^ F.F. Bruce,Jesus and Christian Origins Outside the New Testament, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974) p. 23
39. ^ a b Jesus and the Politics of his Day by E. Bammel and C. F. D. Moule (1985) ISBN 0521313449 p. 393
40. ^ In Jesus: The Complete Guide edited by J. L. Houlden (8 Feb 2006) ISBN 082648011X pp. 693–694
41. ^ Jesus in the Talmud by Peter Schäfer (24 Aug 2009) ISBN 0691143188 pp. 9, 141
42. ^ Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey by Craig L. Blomberg (1 Aug 2009) ISBN 0805444823 p. 280
43. ^ Kostenberger, Andreas J.; Kellum, L. Scott; Quarles, Charles L. (2009). The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament ISBN 0-8054-4365-7. pp. 107–109
44. ^ Craig Evans, "Life-of-Jesus Research and the Eclipse of Mythology," Theological Studies 54 (1993) p. 5
45. ^ Charles H. Talbert, What Is a Gospel? The Genre of Canonical Gospels pg 42 (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1977).
46. ^ “The Historical Figure of Jesus," Sanders, E.P., Penguin Books: London, 1995, p. 3.
47. ^ Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Vol. II): Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew – Dr Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, Introduction
48. ^ Paul Rhodes Eddy & Gregory A. Boyd, The Jesus Legend: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition. (2008, Baker Academic). 309-262.
49. ^ The Gospel of Matthew claims, the title Nazarene for Jesus was derived from the prophecy "He will be called a Nazorean" (Matthew 2:22–23), despite the lack of any Old Testament source.
50. ^ Ben Witherington, The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth (May 8, 1997) ISBN 0830815449 pp. 9–13
51. ^ Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee by Mark Allan Powell (1 Jan 1999) ISBN 0664257038 pp. 19–23
52. ^ John, Jesus, and History Volume 1 by Paul N. Anderson, Felix Just and Tom Thatcher (14 Nov 2007) ISBN 1589832930 p. 131
53. ^ John P. Meier "Criteria: How do we decide what comes from Jesus?" in The Historical Jesus in Recent Research by James D. G. Dunn and Scot McKnight (15 Jul 2006) ISBN 1575061007 p. 124 "Since in the quest for the historical Jesus almost anything is possible, the function of the criteria is to pass from the merely possible to the really probable, to inspect various probabilities, and to decide which candidate is most probable. Ordinarily the criteria can not hope to do more."
54. ^ Keith, Chris; Le Donne, Anthony, eds. (2012), Jesus, Criteria, and the Demise of Authenticity, A&C Black
55. ^ Crossan 1994, p. 145.
56. ^ Crossan 1994, p. 45.
57. ^ John P. Meier "How do we decide what comes from Jesus" in The Historical Jesus in Recent Research by James D. G. Dunn and Scot McKnight 2006 ISBN 1-57506-100-7 pp. 126–128
58. ^ a b Jesus as a figure in history: how modern historians view the man from Galilee by Mark Allan Powell 1998 ISBN 0-664-25703-8 p. 47
59. ^ Who Is Jesus? by John Dominic Crossan, Richard G. Watts 1999 ISBN 0664258425 pp. 31–32
60. ^ a b Jesus of Nazareth: An Independent Historian's Account of His Life and Teaching by Maurice Casey 2010 ISBN 0-567-64517-7 p. 35
61. ^ The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide by Gerd Theissen, Annette Merz 1998 ISBN 0-8006-3122-6 p. 207
62. ^ Amy-Jill Levine; Dale C. Allison Jr.; John Dominic Crossan (2006). The Historical Jesus in Context. Princeton University Press. p. 4. ISBN 0-691-00992-9.
63. ^ Eisenmann, Robert, (2001), "James the Brother of Jesus: The Key to Unlocking the Secrets of Early Christianity and the Dead Sea Scrolls"
64. ^ Butz, Jeffrey (2005), "The Brother of Jesus and the Lost Traditions of Christianity" (Inner Traditions)
65. ^ Tabor, James (2012), "Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity" (Simon & Schuster)
66. ^ a b c d Authenticating the Activities of Jesus by Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans 2002 ISBN 0391041649 pp. 3–7
67. ^ Jesus as a Figure in History: How Modern Historians View the Man from Galilee by Mark Allan Powell (1 Nov 1998) ISBN 0664257038 p. 117
68. ^ Who is Jesus? Answers to your questions about the historical Jesus, by John Dominic Crossan, Richard G. Watts (Westminster John Knox Press 1999), p. 108
69. ^ James G. D. Dunn, Jesus Remembered, (Eerdmans, 2003) pp. 779–781.
70. ^ Rev. John Edmunds, 1855 The Seven Sayings of Christ on the Cross. Thomas Hatchford Publishers, London, p. 26
71. ^ Stagg, Evelyn and Frank. Woman in the World of Jesus. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1978 ISBN 0-664-24195-6
72. ^ Funk, Robert W. and the Jesus Seminar. The acts of Jesus: the search for the authentic deeds of Jesus. HarperSanFrancisco. 1998. "Empty Tomb, Appearances & Ascension" pp. 449–495.
73. ^ Bruce M. Metzger's Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament: Luke 24:51 is missing in some important early witnesses, Acts 1 varies between the Alexandrian and Western versions.
74. ^ a b c The Quest for the Plausible Jesus: The Question of Criteria by Gerd Theissen and Dagmar Winter (Aug 30, 2002) ISBN 0664225373 p. 5
75. ^ a b c Jesus Research: An International Perspective (Princeton-Prague Symposia Series on the Historical Jesus) by James H. Charlesworth and Petr Pokorny (Sep 15, 2009) ISBN 0802863531 pp. 1–2
76. ^ a b c The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum 2009 ISBN 978-0-8054-4365-3 pp. 124–125
77. ^ a b Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth by Michael James McClymond (Mar 22, 2004) ISBN 0802826806 pp. 16–22
78. ^ Amy-Jill Levine in The Historical Jesus in Context edited by Amy-Jill Levine et al. 2006 Princeton University Press ISBN 978-0-691-00992-6 p. 1: "no single picture of Jesus has convinced all, or even most scholars"
79. ^ a b c The Cambridge History of Christianity, Volume 1 by Margaret M. Mitchell and Frances M. Young (Feb 20, 2006) ISBN 0521812399 p. 23
80. ^ Images of Christ (Academic Paperback) by Stanley E. Porter, Michael A. Hayes and David Tombs (Dec 19, 2004) ISBN 0567044602 T&T Clark p. 74
81. ^ The Jesus Quest: The Third Search for the Jew of Nazareth by Ben Witherington (May 8, 1997) ISBN 0830815449 p. 197
82. ^ Bromiley 1982, p. 1034.
83. ^ Ehrman 2012, p. 12, 347, n. 1.
84. ^ James D. G. Dunn (1974) Paul's understanding of the death of Jesus in Reconciliation and Hope. New Testament Essays on Atonement and Eschatology Presented to L.L. Morris on his 60th Birthday. Robert Banks, ed., Carlisle: The Paternoster Press, pp. 125–141, Citing G.A. Wells (The Jesus of the Early Christians (1971)): "Perhaps we should also mention that at the other end of the spectrum Paul’s apparent lack of knowledge of the historical Jesus has been made the major plank in an attempt to revive the nevertheless thoroughly dead thesis that the Jesus of the Gospels was a mythical figure." An almost identical quotation is included in Dunn, James DG (1998) The Christ and the Spirit: Collected Essays of James D.G. Dunn, Volume 1, Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., p. 191, and Sykes, S. (1991) Sacrifice and redemption: Durham essays in theology. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. pp. 35–36.
85. ^ Van Voorst (2003), pp. 658, 660.

 

[AhMeng]

Can you explain how come ang moh countries have lower iq than china as stated on your map?

So simple. Ang Moh Ranjiao DUAKI lor. chey!

 

[whoami]

Yes. Churches said they can take non halal food.

There is nothing moderate in christianity or any abrahamic faith.
Until today, historians cannot verify the existance of jesus or mohamad, or moses or abraham.
Jesus should be well documented as he was born under roman rule in jerusalem.during the timeline of julius ceasar, mark anthony, cleopatra etc. Ot was a vibrant colourful era. Rome was at its greatest. And yet, nothing was written about jesus except in the holy scriptures.

Hes Prophet Muhammad, pbuh...

In 2008, interesting news was making headlines in Germany. A prominent professor who was once a Muslim, Mr Kalisch from the University of Münster had openly doubted the very existence of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. His assertion that there were no scientific or historical proofs of the existence of the Holy Prophetsa led him to renounce Islam, to which he had converted as a teenager (https://en.qantara.de/content/criti...kalisch-doubt-about-muhammads-existence-poses).
Muslim organisations promptly called for his immediate dismissal from his post as a professor of Islamic theology as he had denied the very foundation of Islam. The controversy lasted for many months, resulting in the ultimate decision by the university to withdraw Professor Kalisch from the faculty of Islamic theology.
However, Mr Kalisch received a lot of support for his “scientific” stance against “conservative Muslim organisations”. Nevertheless, this objection was not novel. Three persons affiliated with the University of Saarbrücken had said the same many times before that (ibid.). This skeptical approach towards Muslim history and Muslim historical sources goes back a century to the time of famous orientalists like Goldziher, Sprenger and Schacht, who had stated then that there were no authentic sources on early Islam at all. (http://inarah.de/sammelbaende-und-a...igen-situation-der-islamwissenschaften/#_edn1)
All Muslim sources, according to them, on the seerah (biography of the Prophetsa), Hadith and other historical accounts about the first century were a mere reflection of the debates and theological mindset of the second Islamic century, the time these accounts were written down.
Advancing this same theory, the so-called “revisionist school” in Islamic studies, with prominent scholars like John Wansbrough, Michael Cook and Patricia Crone, state that there are no reliable historical sources from the first Islamic century at all and the first Islamic century remained a mystery (Ohlig Puin: The Hidden Origins of Islam, [2010]). Consequently book titles like The Quest for the Historical Muhammad or Die dunkeln Anfänge (The Dark Beginnings of Islam) were at times very popular, particularly among Islam’s critics.
So, we ask ourselves, aside from the commonly referred to sources, are there any scientific and archaeological proofs for the existence of the Holy Prophetsa?
Before going into the details of the topic, it has to be said here that there is undoubtedly still much research needed on the early history of Islam. The last years have seen many projects focusing on archaeological surveys of the Arabian Peninsula, where Islam originated and first spread, but much damage has also been done to historical sites in the past.
The occupation of the Hijaz by Wahabi forces in the early 20th century led to a vast destruction of sites associated with the Holy Prophetsa and early Muslims. Moreover, the mass construction works in Mecca and Medina have also contributed to the loss of many historical sites, without them being documented properly. This has given an edge to the critics of Islam, providing them the opportunity to not only present wild theories about the beginnings of Islam but also to doubt the very authenticity of Islamic history.
The historical and archaeological research and surveys on the early history of Islam should have been a priority of Muslims themselves, but unfortunately much awareness is still needed. If this had been done earlier, we would have more archaeological evidence on the beginnings of Islam.
So, again, what scientific and archaeological evidence of the existence of the Holy Prophetsa do we have? The first historic document in this regard is the Quran itself. We know that codices and manuscripts of the Quran from the first century and probably from the time of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen still exist, as recent carbon dating on Quranic manuscripts in Birmingham or Tübingen (Germany) have shown. (www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/07/quran-manuscript-22-07-15.aspx; www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications/press-releases/press-releases/article/raritaet-entdeckt-koranhandschrift-stammt-aus-der-fruehzeit-des-islam.html & www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications/press-releases/press-releases/article/raritaet-entdeckt-koranhandschrift-stammt-aus-der-fruehzeit-des-islam.html)
The Quran gives us, besides mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa, a considerable amount of biographical information on his life and mission, for example, he was the Messenger of Allah (Surah al-Fath, Ch.48: V.30), a mercy for all peoples (Surah al-Anbiya, Ch.21: V.108), a prophet like Mosesas (Surah al-Muzzammil, Ch.73: V.16), he taught the oneness of God (Surah al-Ikhlas, Ch.112), he criticised the ills of society (Surah al-Ma‘un, Ch.107), he had a family (Surah al-Duha, Ch.93: V.9), he was an orphan (V.7), he discoursed with his religious opponents (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.112), he had a following (Surah al-Fath, Ch.48: V.30), he was persecuted (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.40-41), he migrated with a companion and sought refuge in a cave (Surah al-Taubah, Ch.9: V.40), he was among the people of Yathrib (Medina) (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.14), he had to defend himself against attackers (V.10-46), he had a victory in Badr and Hunayn (Surah Al-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.124 & Surah al-Taubah, Ch.9: V.25) and his followers swore allegiance to him under a tree near Mecca at one occasion (Surah al-Fath, Ch.48: V.19). These are only a few examples of the biographical information that the Holy Quran contains on the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, making it one of the most important historical sources on the life of the Holy Prophetsa.
The second oldest evidence found, thus far, on the existence of the Holy Prophetsa is interestingly a non-Muslim source. It is a note in a manuscript containing the gospels of Mark and Mathew. The manuscript is kept at the British Library under the shelf mark “BL ADD MSS 14461”. The author writes:
“… and in January, they took the word for their lives [the sons of] Emesa, and many villages were ruined with killing by [the Arabs of] Muhammad [MÙÎmd] and a great number of people were killed and captives [were taken] from Galilee as far as Bēth […] and those Arabs pitched camp beside [Damascus] […] and we saw everywhere […] and olive oil which they brought and them. And on the t[wenty six]th of May went Sacellarius … cattle […] from the vicinity of Emesa and the Romans chased them […] and on the tenth [of August] the Romans fled from the vicinity of Damascus […] many [people] some 10,000. And at the turn of the year the Romans came; and on the twentieth of August in the year n[ine hundred and forty-]seven there gathered in Gabitha […] the Romans and great many people were killed of [the R]omans, some fifty thousand”. (Hoyland, Seeing Islam as others saw it, p.117)
The year 947 AG (Alexandrian Era) in which the battle of Gabitha took place corresponds to the year 636 AD. The battle of Gabitha is known in Muslim sources as the Battle of Yarmuk (Andrew Palmer, The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles, Liverpool [1993] p. 4), in which Khalidra bin Walid was commanding the Muslim troops (Tabari, Tarikh ar-Rusul wal-Muluk). With this decisive victory, a path was paved for further advancing in the Levant and eventually Egypt, which were very quickly conquered. The author seems to have lived in that period and may have witnessed the events. He wrote this note apparently knowing the historical significance of these unfolding events. This is one of the oldest dated historical sources mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa and was written only four years after his demise.
Another dated Syriac manuscript was written by Thomas, the Presbyter, a Christian priest from the Levant. He writes:
“AG 945, indiction VII: On Friday, 4 February, [i.e., 634 CE] at the ninth hour, there was a battle between the Romans and the Arabs of Muhammad [Syr. tayyaye d-Mhmt] in Palestine twelve miles east of Gaza.” (Hoyland, Seeing Islam as others saw it, p.120)
Here, again, events taking place in Palestine and Syria are described by the author. The Arabs here are mentioned as the Arabs of Muhammad [tayyaye d-Mhmt] identifying them clearly as the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. The year 945 corresponds to the year 634 or 12 Hijra, which suggests that merely two years after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa, his name was known to this non-Muslim author.
Around the year 660, the Armenian bishop and historian, Sebeos, writes more biographical details on the Holy Prophetsa. Sebeos’ historical accounts were most probably written between 656 and 661 because he mentions in them the first civil war, the so-called first fitna, during the time of Muawiyyara. This means that these accounts were written around 30 years after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa at a time when many of the Companionsra were still alive. Sebeos writes:

Two early Islamic inscriptions photographed by the author near Mecca in 2016. It reads:
صلوت اللہ والملکۃوالناس اجمعین علی عبد الرحمان بن کعب ابدا
تاب اللہ علی عبد الرحمان ابن کعب توبۃ نصوحا
According to the biographical compendium Tahdhib at Tahdhib, Abdur Rahman bin Kaab was the son of Kaab bin Malik al-Ansari as-Salami, a renowned companion of the Holy Prophetsa. It may be that this inscription is from his son Abdur Rahman, which, if true, would be a very interesting new find. God knows best.


“In that period a certain one of them, a man of the sons of Ishmael named Mahmed, became prominent. A sermon about the Way of Truth, supposedly at God’s command, was revealed to them, and Mahmed taught them to recognise the God of Abraham, especially since he was informed and knowledgeable about Mosaic history. Because the command had come from on High, he ordered them all to assemble together and to unite in faith. Abandoning the reverence of vain things, they turned toward the living God, who had appeared to their father Abraham. Mahmed legislated that they were not to eat carrion, not to drink wine, not to speak falsehoods, and not to commit adultery. He said: God promised that country to Abraham and to his son after him, for eternity. And what had been promised was fulfilled during that time when God loved Israel. Now, however, you are the sons of Abraham, and God shall fulfill the promise made to Abraham and his son on you. Only love the God of Abraham, and go and take the country which God gave to your father Abraham. No one can successfully resist you in war, since God is with you.” (ibid.)
Sebeos gives us, although still very sketchy, more information about the events taking place in Arabia and the new religion, showing very clearly that people outside of Arabia were familiar with the new religion and the new prophet who had appeared among the Arabs. They even knew some basic information about his teachings.
The next interesting evidence mentions the Holy Prophetsa indirectly. It is a papyrus letter sent by a Muslim administrator in Egypt to one of his subordinate officials, admonishing him to be mindful of his duties, saying:
“In the name [of God] the Merciful, the Compassionate. From [Bayyan ibn] Qays to Yazid ibn al-Aswad and ‘Ubayd All[ah] ibn […]. Pea[ce] upo[n you. I praise God beside Whom] there is no other god. God does not like wrongdoing or corruption and as regards you, I did not appoint you to a job for you to act sinfully and behave unjustly in it […]. That which you will be sorry for and will suffer for is […to you]. […] and [… ] taking possession. Indeed, your way of thinking is despicable, (namely) that […] and you take the (financial) worth of it, even though I have […], for as regards Yazid ibn Fa‘id there is not due to him […] due to him payment, and the people of Nessana have the protection of God and the protection of His mess[eng]er. So do not reckon that we acquiesce to your corruption and injustice in respect of it.” (R Hoyland, The Earliest Attestation Of The Dhimma Of God And His Messenger And The Rediscovery Of P Nessana 77 (60s AH / 680 CE) in: B Sadeghi, AQ Ahmed, A Silverstein, R Hoyland, Islamic Cultures, Islamic Contexts – Essays In Honor Of Professor Patricia Crone, Brill [2015])
The phrase “protection of God and the protection of His messenger” (dhimmat Allah wa-dhimmat rasulihi) is a very common phrase that we also find in other Islamic sources. It is reported to have been used in many of the letters the Holy Prophetsa sent to different tribes and kings (Bayhaqi, Sunan al Kabir lil Bayhaqi, Bab hukm al-jizya). Also it is reported in a very famous Hadith of Bukhari:
“Whoever prays like us and faces our qibla and eats our slaughtered animals is a Muslim and is under Allah’s and His Prophet’s protection [dhimmatu Allahi wa-dhimmatu rasulihi]. So do not betray Allah by betraying those who are in His protection.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Bab fadhl istiqba al-qibla)
This letter from Egypt interestingly also shows that much emphasis was laid on good governance during the early Islamic period. Was someone found ignoring or disregarding their duties, they were very harshly admonished and threatened with severe punishment. This piece of papyrus is dated to 60 AH, just 30 years after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa and is one of the oldest existing Islamic sources of the world.
Till present, the oldest discovered coin mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa is from 66 AH. It is a dirham by Abdul-Malik ibn Abdullah, the Governor of Persia, during the short reign of Hazrat Abdullahra bin Zubair. The Arabic inscription on the side of the coin reads, “bismillah Muhammad Rasul Allah”, translating as, “In the name of Allah, Muhammad is the prophet of Allah” (H Gaube: Arabosasanidische Numismatik [1973] Handbücher Der Mittelasiatischen Numismatik, Vol. 2, Klinkhardt & Biermann: Braunschweig, p. 62).
From 71 AH Egypt, we come across an Umayyad period tombstone from Aswan. It reads:
“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. The greatest calamity of the people of Islam [ahl al-Islam] is that which has [be]fallen them on the death of Muhammad the Prophet; may God grant him peace. This is the tomb of ‘Abassa daughter of Juraij […], son of […]. May clemency forgiveness and satisfaction of God be on her. She died on Monday fourteen days having elapsed from Dhul-Qa‘dah of the year one and seventy, confessing that there is no god but God alone without partner and that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle, may God grant him peace.” (JL Bacharach, S Anwar, Early Versions Of the Shahada, A Tombstone From Aswan Of 71 AH, The Dome Of The Rock, And Contemporary Coinage, in: Islam [2012] Vol. 89, pp. 60-69)
From the same period, we also have two very interesting Arab-Sassanian coins mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa in a foreign language. In Middle-Persian, the inscription of the 70 AH Coin reads:
“MHMT PGTAMI Y DAT” (AS Eshragh: An Interesting Arab-Sasanian Dirhem in: ONS Newsletter [2004] Vol. 178, pp. 45-46)
“Muhammad is the prophet of God.”
The second coin is a 72 AH dirham with the inscriptions:
DWHPT‘T – Seventy-two
YZDT‘-I BR’ ‘LH – One God, but He
‘HRN YZDT‘ L‘YT‘ – another god does not exist
MHMT‘ PTGMBI Y YZDT‘ – Muhammad is the Messenger of God
(MI Mochiri, The Pahlavi Forerunner Of The Umayyad Reformed Coinage in: Journal Of The Royal Asiatic Society Of Great Britain And Ireland [1981] No. 2, pp. 168-172)
The Dome of the Rock inscriptions are another important source mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa from the first century. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem was built by the Umayyad ruler Abdul-Malik in 72 AH and is one of the earliest testimonies of Islamic art and architecture. It contains many inscriptions referring to the Holy Prophetsa, for example, an inscription says:
“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. Unto Him belongeth sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise. He quickeneth and He giveth death; and He has Power over all things. Muhammad is the servant of God and His Messenger. Lo! God and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. The blessing of God be on him and peace be on him, and may God have mercy.” (For more details see: Andreas Kaplony, The Haram of Jerusalem, 324-1099: Temple, Friday Mosque, Area of Spiritual Power)
Another interesting document mentioning the Holy Prophetsa is an Arabic-Greek bilingual papyrus document from the year 90 or 91 AH, the time of the Umayyad Caliph Walid I. It mentions the name of the Holy Prophetsa in Greek as follows:
“maamet apostolos theou …”
[Muhammad is the prophet/apostle of God.] (Grohmann, Arabic Papyri, in: The Egyptian Library, Vol. I, Egyptian Library Press: Cairo [1934] No. 13, pp. 23-25)
This is probably the first Greek translation of the phrase Muhammad Rasul-Allah.
Here I also wish to mention some inscriptions which prove the correctness of some very important events from early Islam reported to us by Muslim historians of the second century. The first is what has become known as the “Zuhayr” inscription which reads:
بسم اللّٰه انا زهير كتبت زمن توفى عمر سنة اربع وعشرين
[I, Zuhayr, wrote, at the time Umar died, the year 24.] (Ali Ghabban, R Hoyland, The inscription of Zuhayr, the oldest Islamic inscription (24 AH/AD 644–645), the rise of the Arabic script and the nature of the early Islamic state [2008])
This inscription was found in 1999 by Ali ibn Ibrahim Ghabban and his wife during a field research in the area of Ula in northern Saudi Arabia. The content of this inscription is of great importance. Firstly, this dated inscription was written during the era of the Rashidun Khulafa and more precisely, just after the election of the third Caliph Hazrat Usmanra.
The Zuhayr inscription has more historical significance. It clearly states that in the year 24, Umarra, the second Caliph, died and thus confirms the accounts given to us by the later Muslim historians, thus showing that Muslim historical accounts are reliable and do represent an important source when reconstructing early Islamic history.
Secondly the inscription shows also that diacritical marks on consonants were written even at that early age in the Arabic script, counter to the popular belief that punctuation to differentiate consonants were only very lately introduced to the Arabic script.
There also exist two papyrus documents from the time of Hazrat Umarra, one is a bilingual dated letter from the 22 AH Egypt containing a receipt of provisions given to the Muslim army (A Grohmann, I Arabische Chronologie, II Arabische Papyruskunde, Handbuch Der Orientalistik, EJ Brill). The other is a recently discovered letter by Prof Donner, which is interestingly addressed to three people, one of them being Hazrat Umarra (https://news.stanford.edu/2015/03/03/early-days-islam-030315/). The letter is still under research and is a very promising new find.
Another similar inscription mentioning the death of the third Caliph Usmanra was found in the Tayma Region of Saudi Arabia some years ago. It says:
انا قیس الکاتب ابو کتیر لعن اللّٰہ من قتل عثمان ابن عفان و من احت قتلہ تقتیلا
“I am Qays, the scribe of Abu Kutayr. Curse of God on [those] who murdered Usman ibn Affan and [those who] have led to the killing without mercy.” (F Imbert, Califes, Princes et Poètes Dans Les Graffiti du Début de l’Islam in: Romano-Arabica [2015] Vol. 15, pp. 65-66 and p. 75)
This inscription, although not dated, is most probably from the time of Hazrat Alira around the year 655. It is the first inscription confirming the events leading to the death of Hazrat Usmanra in Medina. The writer of this inscription, Qays, was much disturbed by the tragic events and therefore sent God’s wrath on those who were responsible for the Caliph’s death.
Lastly, there is another interesting inscription found some years ago near the famous city of Taif in Saudi Arabia. It reads:
“Al-Rayyan bin Abdullah testifies that there is no god but God and he testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Then [he] reiterates to those to come to testify to that, God have mercy on al-Rayyan. May He forgive him and cause him to be guided to the path of Paradise and I ask him for marytrdom in his path. Amin. This was written in the year the Masjid al-Haram was built in the seventy-eighth year.” (Nasir b Ali Al-Harithi, Naqsh Kitabi Nadar Yu‘arrikhu Imarah Al-Khalifah Al-Umawi Abd Al-Malik B. Marwan lil-Masjid Al-Haram ‘Am 78 AH, Alam Al-Makhtutat Wa Al-Nawadir [2007] Vol. 12, pp. 533-543)
Masjid al-Haram was indeed rebuilt in 78 AH after the military expedition led by the Ummayad governor Hajjaj bin Yusuf against Abdullahra ibn Zubair in Mecca. During the siege, Hajjaj had used catapults which inflicted damage to the Haram area, so much so that it had to be rebuilt or renovated (See Tabari: Tarikh ar-Rusul wal-muluk). This inscription confirms these events as mentioned by Muslim historians of the second century.
These are only few of the many archeological pieces of evidence we have to support the existence of the Holy Prophetsa and the accuracy of later Muslim historical accounts.
Beginning just shortly after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa till the late first century, the Holy Prophetsa is mentioned in many Muslim and non-Muslim sources, making him one of the best documented prophets in history.
Nevertheless there is more research needed to shed light on the early Islamic history.

http://www.alhakam.org/historicity-of-the-holy-prophet-s-a/

 

[Insider Player]

The world would be better and more peaceful place without religion. Most of all Islam

 

[whoami]

Like it or not u are surrounded by Muslim countries. If feel insecure then crawl back to ur Cheenaland. Should be peaceful tere.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Yes. Churches said they can take non halal food.


Hes Prophet Muhammad, pbuh...

In 2008, interesting news was making headlines in Germany. A prominent professor who was once a Muslim, Mr Kalisch from the University of Münster had openly doubted the very existence of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. His assertion that there were no scientific or historical proofs of the existence of the Holy Prophetsa led him to renounce Islam, to which he had converted as a teenager (https://en.qantara.de/content/criti...kalisch-doubt-about-muhammads-existence-poses).
Muslim organisations promptly called for his immediate dismissal from his post as a professor of Islamic theology as he had denied the very foundation of Islam. The controversy lasted for many months, resulting in the ultimate decision by the university to withdraw Professor Kalisch from the faculty of Islamic theology.
However, Mr Kalisch received a lot of support for his “scientific” stance against “conservative Muslim organisations”. Nevertheless, this objection was not novel. Three persons affiliated with the University of Saarbrücken had said the same many times before that (ibid.). This skeptical approach towards Muslim history and Muslim historical sources goes back a century to the time of famous orientalists like Goldziher, Sprenger and Schacht, who had stated then that there were no authentic sources on early Islam at all. (http://inarah.de/sammelbaende-und-a...igen-situation-der-islamwissenschaften/#_edn1)
All Muslim sources, according to them, on the seerah (biography of the Prophetsa), Hadith and other historical accounts about the first century were a mere reflection of the debates and theological mindset of the second Islamic century, the time these accounts were written down.
Advancing this same theory, the so-called “revisionist school” in Islamic studies, with prominent scholars like John Wansbrough, Michael Cook and Patricia Crone, state that there are no reliable historical sources from the first Islamic century at all and the first Islamic century remained a mystery (Ohlig Puin: The Hidden Origins of Islam, [2010]). Consequently book titles like The Quest for the Historical Muhammad or Die dunkeln Anfänge (The Dark Beginnings of Islam) were at times very popular, particularly among Islam’s critics.
So, we ask ourselves, aside from the commonly referred to sources, are there any scientific and archaeological proofs for the existence of the Holy Prophetsa?
Before going into the details of the topic, it has to be said here that there is undoubtedly still much research needed on the early history of Islam. The last years have seen many projects focusing on archaeological surveys of the Arabian Peninsula, where Islam originated and first spread, but much damage has also been done to historical sites in the past.
The occupation of the Hijaz by Wahabi forces in the early 20th century led to a vast destruction of sites associated with the Holy Prophetsa and early Muslims. Moreover, the mass construction works in Mecca and Medina have also contributed to the loss of many historical sites, without them being documented properly. This has given an edge to the critics of Islam, providing them the opportunity to not only present wild theories about the beginnings of Islam but also to doubt the very authenticity of Islamic history.
The historical and archaeological research and surveys on the early history of Islam should have been a priority of Muslims themselves, but unfortunately much awareness is still needed. If this had been done earlier, we would have more archaeological evidence on the beginnings of Islam.
So, again, what scientific and archaeological evidence of the existence of the Holy Prophetsa do we have? The first historic document in this regard is the Quran itself. We know that codices and manuscripts of the Quran from the first century and probably from the time of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen still exist, as recent carbon dating on Quranic manuscripts in Birmingham or Tübingen (Germany) have shown. (www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/latest/2015/07/quran-manuscript-22-07-15.aspx; www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications/press-releases/press-releases/article/raritaet-entdeckt-koranhandschrift-stammt-aus-der-fruehzeit-des-islam.html & www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/university/news-and-publications/press-releases/press-releases/article/raritaet-entdeckt-koranhandschrift-stammt-aus-der-fruehzeit-des-islam.html)
The Quran gives us, besides mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa, a considerable amount of biographical information on his life and mission, for example, he was the Messenger of Allah (Surah al-Fath, Ch.48: V.30), a mercy for all peoples (Surah al-Anbiya, Ch.21: V.108), a prophet like Mosesas (Surah al-Muzzammil, Ch.73: V.16), he taught the oneness of God (Surah al-Ikhlas, Ch.112), he criticised the ills of society (Surah al-Ma‘un, Ch.107), he had a family (Surah al-Duha, Ch.93: V.9), he was an orphan (V.7), he discoursed with his religious opponents (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.112), he had a following (Surah al-Fath, Ch.48: V.30), he was persecuted (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.40-41), he migrated with a companion and sought refuge in a cave (Surah al-Taubah, Ch.9: V.40), he was among the people of Yathrib (Medina) (Surah al-Ahzab, Ch.33: V.14), he had to defend himself against attackers (V.10-46), he had a victory in Badr and Hunayn (Surah Al-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.124 & Surah al-Taubah, Ch.9: V.25) and his followers swore allegiance to him under a tree near Mecca at one occasion (Surah al-Fath, Ch.48: V.19). These are only a few examples of the biographical information that the Holy Quran contains on the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, making it one of the most important historical sources on the life of the Holy Prophetsa.
The second oldest evidence found, thus far, on the existence of the Holy Prophetsa is interestingly a non-Muslim source. It is a note in a manuscript containing the gospels of Mark and Mathew. The manuscript is kept at the British Library under the shelf mark “BL ADD MSS 14461”. The author writes:
“… and in January, they took the word for their lives [the sons of] Emesa, and many villages were ruined with killing by [the Arabs of] Muhammad [MÙÎmd] and a great number of people were killed and captives [were taken] from Galilee as far as Bēth […] and those Arabs pitched camp beside [Damascus] […] and we saw everywhere […] and olive oil which they brought and them. And on the t[wenty six]th of May went Sacellarius … cattle […] from the vicinity of Emesa and the Romans chased them […] and on the tenth [of August] the Romans fled from the vicinity of Damascus […] many [people] some 10,000. And at the turn of the year the Romans came; and on the twentieth of August in the year n[ine hundred and forty-]seven there gathered in Gabitha […] the Romans and great many people were killed of [the R]omans, some fifty thousand”. (Hoyland, Seeing Islam as others saw it, p.117)
The year 947 AG (Alexandrian Era) in which the battle of Gabitha took place corresponds to the year 636 AD. The battle of Gabitha is known in Muslim sources as the Battle of Yarmuk (Andrew Palmer, The Seventh Century in the West-Syrian Chronicles, Liverpool [1993] p. 4), in which Khalidra bin Walid was commanding the Muslim troops (Tabari, Tarikh ar-Rusul wal-Muluk). With this decisive victory, a path was paved for further advancing in the Levant and eventually Egypt, which were very quickly conquered. The author seems to have lived in that period and may have witnessed the events. He wrote this note apparently knowing the historical significance of these unfolding events. This is one of the oldest dated historical sources mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa and was written only four years after his demise.
Another dated Syriac manuscript was written by Thomas, the Presbyter, a Christian priest from the Levant. He writes:
“AG 945, indiction VII: On Friday, 4 February, [i.e., 634 CE] at the ninth hour, there was a battle between the Romans and the Arabs of Muhammad [Syr. tayyaye d-Mhmt] in Palestine twelve miles east of Gaza.” (Hoyland, Seeing Islam as others saw it, p.120)
Here, again, events taking place in Palestine and Syria are described by the author. The Arabs here are mentioned as the Arabs of Muhammad [tayyaye d-Mhmt] identifying them clearly as the followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. The year 945 corresponds to the year 634 or 12 Hijra, which suggests that merely two years after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa, his name was known to this non-Muslim author.
Around the year 660, the Armenian bishop and historian, Sebeos, writes more biographical details on the Holy Prophetsa. Sebeos’ historical accounts were most probably written between 656 and 661 because he mentions in them the first civil war, the so-called first fitna, during the time of Muawiyyara. This means that these accounts were written around 30 years after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa at a time when many of the Companionsra were still alive. Sebeos writes:

View attachment 66070

Two early Islamic inscriptions photographed by the author near Mecca in 2016. It reads:
صلوت اللہ والملکۃوالناس اجمعین علی عبد الرحمان بن کعب ابدا
تاب اللہ علی عبد الرحمان ابن کعب توبۃ نصوحا
According to the biographical compendium Tahdhib at Tahdhib, Abdur Rahman bin Kaab was the son of Kaab bin Malik al-Ansari as-Salami, a renowned companion of the Holy Prophetsa. It may be that this inscription is from his son Abdur Rahman, which, if true, would be a very interesting new find. God knows best.


“In that period a certain one of them, a man of the sons of Ishmael named Mahmed, became prominent. A sermon about the Way of Truth, supposedly at God’s command, was revealed to them, and Mahmed taught them to recognise the God of Abraham, especially since he was informed and knowledgeable about Mosaic history. Because the command had come from on High, he ordered them all to assemble together and to unite in faith. Abandoning the reverence of vain things, they turned toward the living God, who had appeared to their father Abraham. Mahmed legislated that they were not to eat carrion, not to drink wine, not to speak falsehoods, and not to commit adultery. He said: God promised that country to Abraham and to his son after him, for eternity. And what had been promised was fulfilled during that time when God loved Israel. Now, however, you are the sons of Abraham, and God shall fulfill the promise made to Abraham and his son on you. Only love the God of Abraham, and go and take the country which God gave to your father Abraham. No one can successfully resist you in war, since God is with you.” (ibid.)
Sebeos gives us, although still very sketchy, more information about the events taking place in Arabia and the new religion, showing very clearly that people outside of Arabia were familiar with the new religion and the new prophet who had appeared among the Arabs. They even knew some basic information about his teachings.
The next interesting evidence mentions the Holy Prophetsa indirectly. It is a papyrus letter sent by a Muslim administrator in Egypt to one of his subordinate officials, admonishing him to be mindful of his duties, saying:
“In the name [of God] the Merciful, the Compassionate. From [Bayyan ibn] Qays to Yazid ibn al-Aswad and ‘Ubayd All[ah] ibn […]. Pea[ce] upo[n you. I praise God beside Whom] there is no other god. God does not like wrongdoing or corruption and as regards you, I did not appoint you to a job for you to act sinfully and behave unjustly in it […]. That which you will be sorry for and will suffer for is […to you]. […] and [… ] taking possession. Indeed, your way of thinking is despicable, (namely) that […] and you take the (financial) worth of it, even though I have […], for as regards Yazid ibn Fa‘id there is not due to him […] due to him payment, and the people of Nessana have the protection of God and the protection of His mess[eng]er. So do not reckon that we acquiesce to your corruption and injustice in respect of it.” (R Hoyland, The Earliest Attestation Of The Dhimma Of God And His Messenger And The Rediscovery Of P Nessana 77 (60s AH / 680 CE) in: B Sadeghi, AQ Ahmed, A Silverstein, R Hoyland, Islamic Cultures, Islamic Contexts – Essays In Honor Of Professor Patricia Crone, Brill [2015])
The phrase “protection of God and the protection of His messenger” (dhimmat Allah wa-dhimmat rasulihi) is a very common phrase that we also find in other Islamic sources. It is reported to have been used in many of the letters the Holy Prophetsa sent to different tribes and kings (Bayhaqi, Sunan al Kabir lil Bayhaqi, Bab hukm al-jizya). Also it is reported in a very famous Hadith of Bukhari:
“Whoever prays like us and faces our qibla and eats our slaughtered animals is a Muslim and is under Allah’s and His Prophet’s protection [dhimmatu Allahi wa-dhimmatu rasulihi]. So do not betray Allah by betraying those who are in His protection.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Bab fadhl istiqba al-qibla)
This letter from Egypt interestingly also shows that much emphasis was laid on good governance during the early Islamic period. Was someone found ignoring or disregarding their duties, they were very harshly admonished and threatened with severe punishment. This piece of papyrus is dated to 60 AH, just 30 years after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa and is one of the oldest existing Islamic sources of the world.
Till present, the oldest discovered coin mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa is from 66 AH. It is a dirham by Abdul-Malik ibn Abdullah, the Governor of Persia, during the short reign of Hazrat Abdullahra bin Zubair. The Arabic inscription on the side of the coin reads, “bismillah Muhammad Rasul Allah”, translating as, “In the name of Allah, Muhammad is the prophet of Allah” (H Gaube: Arabosasanidische Numismatik [1973] Handbücher Der Mittelasiatischen Numismatik, Vol. 2, Klinkhardt & Biermann: Braunschweig, p. 62).
From 71 AH Egypt, we come across an Umayyad period tombstone from Aswan. It reads:
“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. The greatest calamity of the people of Islam [ahl al-Islam] is that which has [be]fallen them on the death of Muhammad the Prophet; may God grant him peace. This is the tomb of ‘Abassa daughter of Juraij […], son of […]. May clemency forgiveness and satisfaction of God be on her. She died on Monday fourteen days having elapsed from Dhul-Qa‘dah of the year one and seventy, confessing that there is no god but God alone without partner and that Muhammad is His servant and His apostle, may God grant him peace.” (JL Bacharach, S Anwar, Early Versions Of the Shahada, A Tombstone From Aswan Of 71 AH, The Dome Of The Rock, And Contemporary Coinage, in: Islam [2012] Vol. 89, pp. 60-69)
From the same period, we also have two very interesting Arab-Sassanian coins mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa in a foreign language. In Middle-Persian, the inscription of the 70 AH Coin reads:
“MHMT PGTAMI Y DAT” (AS Eshragh: An Interesting Arab-Sasanian Dirhem in: ONS Newsletter [2004] Vol. 178, pp. 45-46)
“Muhammad is the prophet of God.”
The second coin is a 72 AH dirham with the inscriptions:
DWHPT‘T – Seventy-two
YZDT‘-I BR’ ‘LH – One God, but He
‘HRN YZDT‘ L‘YT‘ – another god does not exist
MHMT‘ PTGMBI Y YZDT‘ – Muhammad is the Messenger of God
(MI Mochiri, The Pahlavi Forerunner Of The Umayyad Reformed Coinage in: Journal Of The Royal Asiatic Society Of Great Britain And Ireland [1981] No. 2, pp. 168-172)
The Dome of the Rock inscriptions are another important source mentioning the name of the Holy Prophetsa from the first century. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem was built by the Umayyad ruler Abdul-Malik in 72 AH and is one of the earliest testimonies of Islamic art and architecture. It contains many inscriptions referring to the Holy Prophetsa, for example, an inscription says:
“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. There is no god but God. He is One. He has no associate. Unto Him belongeth sovereignty and unto Him belongeth praise. He quickeneth and He giveth death; and He has Power over all things. Muhammad is the servant of God and His Messenger. Lo! God and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation. The blessing of God be on him and peace be on him, and may God have mercy.” (For more details see: Andreas Kaplony, The Haram of Jerusalem, 324-1099: Temple, Friday Mosque, Area of Spiritual Power)
Another interesting document mentioning the Holy Prophetsa is an Arabic-Greek bilingual papyrus document from the year 90 or 91 AH, the time of the Umayyad Caliph Walid I. It mentions the name of the Holy Prophetsa in Greek as follows:
“maamet apostolos theou …”
[Muhammad is the prophet/apostle of God.] (Grohmann, Arabic Papyri, in: The Egyptian Library, Vol. I, Egyptian Library Press: Cairo [1934] No. 13, pp. 23-25)
This is probably the first Greek translation of the phrase Muhammad Rasul-Allah.
Here I also wish to mention some inscriptions which prove the correctness of some very important events from early Islam reported to us by Muslim historians of the second century. The first is what has become known as the “Zuhayr” inscription which reads:
بسم اللّٰه انا زهير كتبت زمن توفى عمر سنة اربع وعشرين
[I, Zuhayr, wrote, at the time Umar died, the year 24.] (Ali Ghabban, R Hoyland, The inscription of Zuhayr, the oldest Islamic inscription (24 AH/AD 644–645), the rise of the Arabic script and the nature of the early Islamic state [2008])
This inscription was found in 1999 by Ali ibn Ibrahim Ghabban and his wife during a field research in the area of Ula in northern Saudi Arabia. The content of this inscription is of great importance. Firstly, this dated inscription was written during the era of the Rashidun Khulafa and more precisely, just after the election of the third Caliph Hazrat Usmanra.
The Zuhayr inscription has more historical significance. It clearly states that in the year 24, Umarra, the second Caliph, died and thus confirms the accounts given to us by the later Muslim historians, thus showing that Muslim historical accounts are reliable and do represent an important source when reconstructing early Islamic history.
Secondly the inscription shows also that diacritical marks on consonants were written even at that early age in the Arabic script, counter to the popular belief that punctuation to differentiate consonants were only very lately introduced to the Arabic script.
There also exist two papyrus documents from the time of Hazrat Umarra, one is a bilingual dated letter from the 22 AH Egypt containing a receipt of provisions given to the Muslim army (A Grohmann, I Arabische Chronologie, II Arabische Papyruskunde, Handbuch Der Orientalistik, EJ Brill). The other is a recently discovered letter by Prof Donner, which is interestingly addressed to three people, one of them being Hazrat Umarra (https://news.stanford.edu/2015/03/03/early-days-islam-030315/). The letter is still under research and is a very promising new find.
Another similar inscription mentioning the death of the third Caliph Usmanra was found in the Tayma Region of Saudi Arabia some years ago. It says:
انا قیس الکاتب ابو کتیر لعن اللّٰہ من قتل عثمان ابن عفان و من احت قتلہ تقتیلا
“I am Qays, the scribe of Abu Kutayr. Curse of God on [those] who murdered Usman ibn Affan and [those who] have led to the killing without mercy.” (F Imbert, Califes, Princes et Poètes Dans Les Graffiti du Début de l’Islam in: Romano-Arabica [2015] Vol. 15, pp. 65-66 and p. 75)
This inscription, although not dated, is most probably from the time of Hazrat Alira around the year 655. It is the first inscription confirming the events leading to the death of Hazrat Usmanra in Medina. The writer of this inscription, Qays, was much disturbed by the tragic events and therefore sent God’s wrath on those who were responsible for the Caliph’s death.
Lastly, there is another interesting inscription found some years ago near the famous city of Taif in Saudi Arabia. It reads:
“Al-Rayyan bin Abdullah testifies that there is no god but God and he testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Then [he] reiterates to those to come to testify to that, God have mercy on al-Rayyan. May He forgive him and cause him to be guided to the path of Paradise and I ask him for marytrdom in his path. Amin. This was written in the year the Masjid al-Haram was built in the seventy-eighth year.” (Nasir b Ali Al-Harithi, Naqsh Kitabi Nadar Yu‘arrikhu Imarah Al-Khalifah Al-Umawi Abd Al-Malik B. Marwan lil-Masjid Al-Haram ‘Am 78 AH, Alam Al-Makhtutat Wa Al-Nawadir [2007] Vol. 12, pp. 533-543)
Masjid al-Haram was indeed rebuilt in 78 AH after the military expedition led by the Ummayad governor Hajjaj bin Yusuf against Abdullahra ibn Zubair in Mecca. During the siege, Hajjaj had used catapults which inflicted damage to the Haram area, so much so that it had to be rebuilt or renovated (See Tabari: Tarikh ar-Rusul wal-muluk). This inscription confirms these events as mentioned by Muslim historians of the second century.
These are only few of the many archeological pieces of evidence we have to support the existence of the Holy Prophetsa and the accuracy of later Muslim historical accounts.
Beginning just shortly after the demise of the Holy Prophetsa till the late first century, the Holy Prophetsa is mentioned in many Muslim and non-Muslim sources, making him one of the best documented prophets in history.
Nevertheless there is more research needed to shed light on the early Islamic history.

http://www.alhakam.org/historicity-of-the-holy-prophet-s-a/

 

[Tony Tan]

All kindness and restrains are wrong!

Anything that promotes peace, and attempt to advert Carnage and ELIMINATION of human population leads to LOST OF BALANCE, overpopulation, overconsumption, and TOTAL EXHAUSTION PLUS TOTAL DESTRUCTION of ENVIRONMENT ==TOTAL EXTINCTION.

 

[JohnTan]

Thus, there are strong similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Bhuddism and Singaporeans ought to celebrate these similarities and practice equanimity, rather than go on a blind rampage and be unconsciously hostile towards other religious groups.

Moslems eradicated Buddhism from Afghanistan and India. Today, moslems view Buddhism as a violent religion because of the Burmese expulsion of the rohingya. They never once viewed themselves as violent when they wiped out Buddhism from its homelands of central asia and india.

 

[ChristJohnny]

Can you explain how come ang moh countries have lower iq than china as stated on your map?

It is NOT my Map.
This Map is easily available and googlable. It is not a secret or hearsay. It is FACT based on Scientific research.

To your question why Ang Moh IQ is lower that the East - so be it since it is the truth. Low means low ... you can denial the studies and give excuses on why your IQ is low. But the fact speaks for itself.

And why the West is superior is very obvious - because of their High IQ
However, the East had shown all the signs for catching up. Firstly it was the Japs followed by the 4 tigers. To add, the 4 Tigers population are majority East Asian - Coincidence? I don't think so.

The only country that show sign of potential is China. There are no other countries show any potential to be able to progress. NONE. I am afraid the world be lead by the WEST and the EAST. The rest ... just follow what the master says.

On a side note - India belongs to the low IQ categories. India will still be as chaotic in the foreseeable future. India is much complicated as it is. There are segment of its population who are really smart, but also many of its people as dumb as an Arab. So I have reservation for India unless someone can prove me wrong based on facts and science.

IQ and Race

 

[syed putra]

So maybe the map was drawn up by a chinese guy no?

 

[zeebjii]

What a fucking joke! I rate christianity a more violent religion than islam. And you compare this violent religion to buddhism?

Just one example of MANY.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says... ‘Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:3)