MENJ:

Christians often like to contrast Jesus(P) and Muhammad(P) by saying that Jesus(P) was a man of love and peace while Muhammad(P) was a man of war and implemented "violent" laws. But we must realize that Jesus'(P) career was cut short by his departure. Had he succeeded in his first coming to complete his mission there can be no doubt that his career would have involved some use of force. As we have seen, the New Testament says that during his second coming when his mission will be completed he will come with a rod of iron. And there is evidence that even during his first coming, in a lowly and weak position, he was not totally against the use of force. Some gospel traditions suggest that his disciples carried arms which one of them used (Mark 14:47) and he himself initiated the arming of the disciples (Luke 22:35-38), although the gospel writers in various contradictory ways try to minimize the implications of these traditions. He reportedly said that he did not come with peace but with sword (Matthew 10:34-39; Luke 12:51-53, 14:26-27). He turned the tables of traders in the Jerusalem temple (Mark 11:15-19; Matt 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48; John 2:13-22), which is an act of physical force. Some scholars even suggest that Jesus(P) and his disciples were well-armed and they came to Jerusalem to free Palestine from the Romans, but this is highly improbable.

Had Jesus' mission come to some type of completion during his ministry he would have looked very similar to the Prophet Muhammad(P). On the other hand, had the Prophet Muhammad(P) been killed during his migration from Makkah, he would have appeared like Prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. The prophets and messengers of God are all essentially of the same spirit. Any differences among them are due to the scope of their work and the circumstances in which they operate.

"Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 'Put your sword back in its place,' Jesus said to him, 'for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?'" Matthew 26:51-54

"He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ HAVE to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Luke 24:25-27

"He said to them, 'This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.' Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, 'This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.'" Luke 24:44-49

"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. NO ONE TAKES IT FROM ME, BUT I LAY IT DOWN OF MY OWN ACCORD. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." John 10:17-18

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth BY COMPLETING THE WORK YOU GAVE ME TO DO. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." John 17:1-5

"'Do you refuse to speak to me?' Pilate said. "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?' Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.'" John 19:10-11

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'IT IS FINISHED.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30

Even IF thou wert to bring to the People of the Book all the Signs (together), they would not follow thy Qibla; nor art thou going to follow their Qibla; nor indeed will they follow each other's Qibla. If thou after the knowledge hath reached thee, Wert to follow their (vain) desires,- then wert thou Indeed (clearly) in the wrong. S. 2:145

They say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord!" Say: "Allah hath certainly power to send down a Sign: but most of them understand not." S. 6:37

They swear their strongest oaths by Allah, that if a (special) sign came to them, by it they would believe. Say: "Certainly (all) Signs are in the power of Allah: but what will make you (Muslims) realize that (even) if (special) signs came, they will not believe."? S. 6:109

And the Unbelievers say: "Why is not a sign sent down to him from his Lord?" But thou art truly a warner, and to every people a guide. 13:7

The Unbelievers say: "Why is not a Sign sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "Truly Allah leaveth, to stray, whom He will; But He guideth to Himself those who turn to Him in penitence,-" S. 13:27

And We refrain from sending the Signs, only because the men of former generations treated them as false: We sent the She-camel to the Thamüd - a visible Sign-, but they treated her wrongfully: We only send the Signs by way of frightening (and warning from evil). S. 17:59

The late Muslim scholar Muhammad Asad comments on S. 17:59:

"… This highly elliptic sentence has a fundamental bearing on the purport of the Qur'an as a whole. In many places the Qur'an stresses the fact that the Prophet Muhammad, despite his being the last and greatest of God's apostles, was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Qur'an itself- a message perfect in its lucidity and ethical comprehensiveness, destined for all times and all stages of human development, addressed not merely to the feelings but also to the minds of men, open to everyone, whatever his race or social environment, and bound to remain unchanged forever. Since the earlier prophets invariably appealed to their own community and their own time alone, their teachings were, of necessity, circumscribed by the social and intellectual conditions of that particular community and time; and since the people to whom they addressed themselves ha not yet reached the stage of independent thinking, those prophets stood in need of symbolic portents or miracles (see surah 6, note 94) in order to make the people concerned realize the inner truth of their mission. The message of the Qur'an, on the other hand, was revealed at a time when mankind (and, in particular, that pat of it which inhabited the regions marked by the earlier, Judeo-Christian religious development) had reached a degree of maturity which henceforth enabled it to grasp an ideology as such without the aid of those persuasive portents and miraculous demonstrations which in the past, as the above verse points out, only too often gave rise to new, grave misconceptions." (Asad, The Meaning of the Qur'an, Dar Al-Andalus Limited 3 Library Ramp, Gibraltar rpt. 1993], pp. 427-428, n. 71; bold emphasis ours)

But (now), when the Truth has come to them from Ourselves, they say, "Why are not (Signs) sent to him, like those which were sent to Moses?" Do they not then reject (the Signs) which were formerly sent to Moses? They say: "Two kinds of sorcery, each assisting the other!" And they say: "For us, we reject all (such things)!" S. 28:48

Nay, here are Signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: and none but the unjust reject Our Signs. Ye they say: "Why are not Signs sent down to him from his Lord?" Say: "The signs are indeed with Allah: and I am indeed a clear Warner." And is it not enough for them that we have sent down to thee the Book which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in it is Mercy and a Reminder to those who believe. S. 29:49-51

"The pagans' persistent challenge embarrassed the Prophet who, reciting the Qur'an, always laid emphasis on the miracles bestowed by Allah not only on Moses and Jesus but also lesser figures such as Salih and Solomon. If, asked the pagans, Allah empowered Moses to dry the sea, and Jesus to bring the dead back to life, why did He not send down a miraculous sign to confirm Muhammad such as by enabling him to cause a spring to gush forth from a rock, by giving him a well-watered orchard, or a house adorned with gold, or a treasure, by sending angels to accompany him on earth, by exempting him from the necessity of eating and walking in the market, by permitting him to mount to heaven and bring back a written confirmation of his mission, or by causing a piece of the sky to fall upon the unbelievers and crush them? (XVII. 92-95, XX.133)

"To all this the Prophet's answer was: I am only a man and a warner; signs are in Allah's hands, and those which were revealed to the former generations did not make them less intransigent… "Accordingly Muhammad declared that his unquestionable miracle was the revelation of the Qur'an. Nevertheless the pagans' questions troubled his mind, and his bewilderment brought reproaches from Allah: 'In case you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to you,' says the Qur'an in X.94, 'perhaps you feel inclined to suppress a part of what has been revealed to you, being distressed at heart lest they say why has not a treasure been sent down to him or why an angel has not come with him; but you are only a warner''(XI.14). 'If you find their aversion hard to bear, seek if you can a tunnel in the earth or a ladder to the sky by which you may bring them a sign' (VI.35). (Sherif, A Guide to the Contents of the Qur'an [Garnet Publishing Limited; UK 1995], pp. 62, 63; bold emphasis ours)

In an age charged with supernaturalism, when miracles were accepted as the stock-in-trade of the most ordinary saint, Muhammed refused to traffic with human weakness and credulity. To miracle-hungry idolaters seeking signs and portents he cut the issue clean: 'God has not sent me to work wonders; He has sent me to preach to you. My Lord be praised! Am I more than a man sent as an apostle? From the first to the last he resisted every impulse to glamorize his own person… 'I am only a preacher of God's words, the bringer of God's message to mankind.' If signs be sought, let them not be of Muhammed's greatness but of God's, and for these one need only open one's eyes… Only one miracle is claimed, that of the Koran itself. That he by his own devices could have produced such truth-this was the one naturalistic hypothesis he could not accept. (Meherally, Understanding the Bible through Koranic messages [A.M. Trust P.O. Box 82584, Burnaby, B.C. Canada, 1989], p. 99)

"Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father." John 10:37-38

"Jesus answered: 'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves." John 14:9-11

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'" John 15:18-25

The context clearly demonstrates that Jesus was telling his disciples to provide for themselves, since he would be taken away from them in order to fulfill prophecy. The command of purchasing a sword refers to a dagger that would be placed in a person's pouch while on a journey. People often carried such daggers in order to protect from highway bandits who would often kill their victims after plundering them.

Interestingly, it is Muhammad and his followers that often raided caravans for plunder. Hence, Jesus was warning his followers to protect themselves from people that had the same mentality as Osama's prophet!

Second, Osama lies when he says that Jesus claimed that we are to love our enemies as ourselves. Here is what Jesus did in fact say:

Yet loving one's enemy doesn't mean that we are to allow violence and injustice to go unpunished. In fact, to guarantee peace it becomes necessary at times to punish those who would oppose it.

Therefore, part of Jesus' mission as the Prince of Peace entails the eradication of any and all obstacles that would seek to hinder peace:

This is called justice, not violence. Osama also lies when he says that Jesus killed people. In his link, he appeals to several passages to prove his case. Let us quote these passages in context:

It is clear from the context that Jesus is referring to his return as King of kings and Lord of lords to repay all men for all that they have done. Since those who rejected Jesus as King deserved their punishment, we really fail to see how this proves Osama's point, especially since he himself believes in a day of judgment where all who reject Allah and his prophet will be condemned to eternal hell fire.

Osama claims that Revelation 2:23 shows Jesus killing the kids of his enemies. Let us quote the context and see if he is correct:

It is clear from the context that children here refer to Jezebel's followers, not to literal kids. The term children is often used to describe a person's followers as the following passages demonstrate:

Again, peace does not entail that Jesus should overlook sins. Rather, true peace entails the complete eradication of all obstacles that seek to hinder it.

Here is the final reference that Osama quotes to prove that Jesus used a sword and therefore contradicted himself:

The sword that Jesus was obviously referring to is the sword of division, as both the context and the Lukan parallel demonstrate:

Jesus is simply stating that trusting in him may result in the loss of family, friends and loved ones. Jesus is telling his followers beforehand that to be true disciples they must be willing to forsake all for Christ. The result of doing so will be eternal life:

Hence, Osama's red herrings do not prove his point nor do they refute the fact that his prophet made false predictions. (http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/holy_ones3.htm)

Jesus defends Gentiles' worship. That the selling occurred in the outer court, beyond which Gentiles could not travel, may have been significant (compare Jos. Ant. 12.145; 15.417). Later reports claim that the front court of the temple was normally to be kept clear as a sacred area (compare m. Berakot 9.5), but the many temporary shops for selling animals inside would have violated this custom even if they took up but a small part of the temple area.

Matthew claims that Jesus quoted two texts, Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. In Isaiah 56 God promises to accept foreigners and eunuchs (previously banned-Deut 23:1) as members of his people, declaring that his temple will welcome all peoples; indeed, its purpose had been universalistic from the start (1 Kings 8:41-43). But by Jesus' day (in contrast to the Old Testament temple) a partition with warning signs segregated Gentiles from the Israelite section of the outer court (Jos. War 5.194; 6.124-26; Ant. 15.417), probably for purity reasons (women were similarly considered less pure than men; compare also 11QTemple 3-48). Concern for the sanctity of this outer court, hence for the worship of the Gentiles, may have been part of Jesus' objection to the current temple order (pace E. Sanders 1985:67-68). But that Matthew deletes the words "for all nations" from Mark's quotation may suggest that he wishes to lay the emphasis elsewhere-perhaps especially on the next quotation (Jer 7:11). (Source; bold emphasis ours)

MENJ:

Proper use of force can usually take place within a system of law which is enforced by a legitimate authority. Wars and violence are often the result of a lack of existence of such a system of law and a legitimate authority to enforce it. This was the case in the Arabian peninsula where different tribes lived without any well-defined system of law and without any recognized authority to enforce it. The world as a whole has also been in a similar situation so far. There are often wars because there is no well-established system of law and no legitimate authority to enforce it. After the World War II such a system is slowly evolving. But this process will not succeed without the principles of faith in God and the hereafter and of the brotherhood/sisterhood of all human beings. It is one of the missions of Islam to establish these principles in the world and to thereby lead it to peace and stability. That is, what the Prophet(P) achieved during his life in Arabia in terms of reconciling the hearts of the various Arab tribes, Islam wants to achieve in the world as a whole by reconciling different nations and groups and to bring them under a single brotherhood/sisterhood serving the one true transcendent God.

MENJ:

As it is well known, the Prophet Muhammad(P) engaged in warfare, most of the time defensive. This use of force proceeds from love. Before the Prophet(P), Arabia was inhabited by tribes who were not under any system of law enforced by a legitimate authority. There was no mechanism to settle disputes which often led to feuds that continued for many generations. The Prophet Muhammad(P) united these tribes into a single brotherhood so that there may not be any violence.

The Qur'ân itself refers to this:

This unification, however, could not have taken place without resistance which made some warfare necessary.

MENJ:

During all the battles that the Prophet(P) fought, only a few hundred people were killed. And after victory all those who for years fought the Prophet(P) were forgiven. There was nothing like the treatment of the subjugated people that we see in the Bible. When the city of Makkah was conquered, the Qur'ân did not tell the Prophet(P) to kill everything that breathes but rather said the following:

When Uthman had left he [Muhammad] said to his companions who were sitting around him, ‘I kept silent so that one of you might get up and strike off his head!’ One of the Ansar said, "Then why didn't you give me a sign, O apostle of God?’ He answered that a prophet does not kill by pointing." (Guillaume, Life of Muhammad, p. 550; bold emphasis ours)