Jesus demonstrated He is God

 

Jesus id greater than Muhammad because he is alive and Muhammad is dead

 

Jesus is good because He is God

 

ISLAM NEVER EXISTED BEFORE THE BIRTH OF MUHAMMAD

ISHMAEL WAS NEITHER AN ARAB NOR A MUSLIM

 

ISLAM NEVER EXISTED BEFORE THE BIRTH OF MUHAMMAD

 

Jesus is God, Al Haqq according to the Qur’an

 

Where is the Gospel of Jesus Son of Mary that Allah revealed before the Quran and the birth of Muhammad?

 

The Intrinsic Nature of God’s Love

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute

Introduction

The declaration of Scripture, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16), stands not as a description of God’s behavior alone, but as an ontological statement of His very essence. Love is not merely one of God’s many attributes, nor a quality that He assumes in relation to creation, but the intrinsic essence of His being. Just as His holiness and glory are not created nor dependent upon the existence of the world, but eternally existent in and of Himself, so too is love. To deny that love is the essence of God is to misunderstand the fundamental nature of divine reality.

The Ontological Ground of Love

Theologically, love cannot exist independently of God. The modern world often conceives of love as a human construct, an emotional response, or an abstract virtue. Yet such conceptions fail to capture the biblical truth that love exists because God exists. God does not possess love as a quality external to Himself; rather, He is love in His eternal essence. This means that love, like holiness and glory, is not contingent, temporal, or derivative—it is self-existent because God is self-existent (Exod. 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM”).

Within the doctrine of divine simplicity, God is not composed of parts; His essence is identical with His attributes. Thus, His love is not one aspect among many, but the fullness of His being. Just as His holiness is not created but eternally radiant from His nature, and His glory not borrowed but eternally shining from His existence, so His love is uncreated, eternal, and unchanging.

Love in the Trinity

The eternal nature of divine love is most profoundly revealed in the Trinity. Before creation existed, before a single creature could receive love, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit existed in perfect fellowship of love. Augustine writes that within the Trinity, the Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, and the Spirit is the bond of love. This eternal communion demonstrates that love is not dependent on creation; it is ontologically prior to all things. The existence of love in God Himself affirms that love is eternal because God is eternal.

The Manifestation of God’s Love

Although love is intrinsic to God’s essence, it is not static but active. God’s love flows outward in creation and redemption as an expression of His being. Creation itself is an act of love, not because God needed the world, but because His love is so abundant that it freely overflows into existence. Redemption through Christ is the highest manifestation of this love: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Christ’s atonement reveals the eternal reality of divine love breaking into history, not as a new act, but as the eternal love of God manifest in time.

Theological Implications

1. Love as Divine Essence, Not Attribute: To treat love as a mere attribute risks reducing God to a composite being who has love rather than is love. The doctrine of divine simplicity insists that God is identical with His attributes; hence, to know God is to know love in its purest form.

2. Love as Eternal and Self-Existent: Since love is grounded in God’s being, it neither originates from human experience nor evolves through history. Instead, it is eternal, necessary, and unchanging.

3. Love as the Basis of Christian Life: If God’s very essence is love, then Christian existence must flow from this reality. Believers are not called merely to imitate a quality of God but to participate in His divine essence (2 Pet. 1:4). To love, therefore, is to reflect the very being of God who indwells us through His Spirit.

Conclusion

The love of God is not an attribute among many but His very essence—intrinsic, eternal, and uncreated. Just as God’s holiness and glory exist eternally because God Himself is eternal, so His love exists because God is. To confess “God is love” is to confess that the very ground of reality, the eternal “I AM,” is love itself. This love is revealed in the eternal communion of the Trinity and manifested supremely in the redemptive work of Christ. Thus, all love that is true and holy finds its origin not in human emotion but in the eternal God, who is blessed forever. Amen.

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The Purity of Water in Islamic Tradition: A Critical Examination of Hadith and Qur’anic Teachings

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute

Introduction

The concept of ritual purity (ṭahārah) occupies a central role in Islamic jurisprudence, shaping both the spiritual and practical life of Muslims. Among the most frequently cited sources on this matter is a hadith regarding the well of Budāʿah, in which the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have declared that water remains pure regardless of external impurities. This pronouncement, preserved in Sunan Abī Dāwūd (No. 67), has been pivotal in Islamic debates on ritual cleanliness, but it also invites theological and scientific scrutiny when measured against Qur’anic injunctions and broader prophetic traditions.

The Hadith of the Well of Budāʿah

Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī narrated:

“It was said, O Messenger of Allah, shall we perform ablution from the well of Budāʿah, which dead dogs, menstrual rags, and putrid things are thrown into? The Messenger of Allah replied: ‘Water is pure and nothing makes it impure.’” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 67; also transmitted in al-Tirmidhī and al-Nasā’ī).

This hadith has been used to establish the principle that large bodies of water cannot be rendered impure, even when polluted by external contaminants. However, it raises significant theological, legal, and ethical questions when juxtaposed with Qur’anic verses that emphasize both physical and spiritual cleanliness.

Qur’anic Injunctions on Purity

The Qur’an repeatedly underscores the necessity of purity and warns against contamination, both literal and figurative:

• Qur’an 2:222: “Indeed, Allah loves those who are constantly repentant and loves those who purify themselves.”

• Qur’an 5:6: “O you who believe! When you rise to pray, wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows, wipe over your heads, and wash your feet up to the ankles…”

• Qur’an 74:4: “And your clothing purify.”

• Qur’an 9:108: “…within it are men who love to purify themselves, and Allah loves those who purify themselves.”

These verses suggest that both ritual and physical cleanliness are not only encouraged but commanded. It is therefore problematic to reconcile the notion that water filled with carcasses and waste could still be considered “pure” in a hygienic or ritual sense.

Comparative Hadith Literature

Additional hadith illustrate a similar tension. For example:

1. Prohibition of Urinating in Standing Water
   Abū Hurayrah reported:

“The Messenger of Allah said: ‘None of you should urinate in standing water and then wash in it.’” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 239; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 282).

This tradition contradicts the Budāʿah hadith by acknowledging that human waste does indeed render water unsuitable for ritual purification.

2. Avoidance of Impurity
   The Prophet is also reported to have said:

“Beware of the three acts that cause you to be cursed: relieving yourselves in shaded places, in pathways, and in watering places.” (Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 26).

This indicates that Muhammad recognized the dangers of contaminating communal resources and discouraged practices that spread impurity.

3. Cleanliness as Half of Faith
   Abū Mālik al-Ashʿarī narrated:

“The Messenger of Allah said: ‘Purification is half of faith.’” (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 223).

Here, cleanliness is elevated to a fundamental principle of Islamic piety, suggesting that hygiene cannot be divorced from spiritual devotion.

Scholarly and Theological Analysis

From an academic perspective, the hadith of the well of Budāʿah introduces a theological inconsistency when held against other Islamic sources. On one hand, Muhammad proclaimed water to be impervious to impurity, even when visibly defiled by dead animals and waste. On the other hand, he prohibited urination in stagnant water, condemned unhygienic practices, and emphasized purification as integral to faith.

Moreover, when examined through the lens of modern hygiene and water science, the Budāʿah hadith raises significant concerns. The presence of decomposing carcasses and menstrual cloths would undeniably render water unfit for consumption or ritual use by any rational standard of sanitation. Thus, this hadith not only contradicts other prophetic reports but also undermines the Qur’anic principle that God loves those who keep themselves pure.

Conclusion

The Islamic tradition contains both affirmations of absolute water purity, as seen in the hadith of Budāʿah, and explicit prohibitions against polluting water. This tension reveals an inconsistency within the hadith corpus that challenges both theological coherence and practical application. When measured against the Qur’an’s repeated call for purity—both ritual and physical—the Budāʿah hadith appears out of harmony with broader Islamic values. Such critical examination is essential for understanding how Islamic jurisprudence developed and how it continues to face challenges of textual reliability, theological integrity, and scientific validity.

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📚 References

• The Qur’an, Surahs 2:222, 5:6, 9:108, 74:4.

• Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Hadith Nos. 239.

• Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Hadith Nos. 223, 282.

• Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith Nos. 26, 67.

• Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī; al-Nasā’ī, parallel reports.

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