A FLAWED BASIC CONCEPT
A comparison of Jehovah’s Witnesses beliefs and Islam.
Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW’s) are a Christian denomination with many beliefs that stand out from mainstream Christianity. They are known for their potent evangelism, their preoccupation with the end of days and their unique translation of the Bible called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. In this conclusion to our study of the little understood religion known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses we will take a look at some beliefs that seem to be the same as Islam.
JESUS (peace and blessings of God be upon him)
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is not God. This is a statement that infuriates most Christians and has led many to declare the Jehovah’s witnesses to be pseudo Christians. Muslims, as we know declare categorically that Jesus is not God, therefore just reading this one little statement may lead a Muslim to say, “Oh this is just the same as us”. But is it? Let us dig a little further into their belief about the role of Jesus.
JW’s condemn the Trinity as pagan idolatry and accordingly deny Jesus’ divinity. However they believe that although Jesus is God’s begotten son he is inferior to God. Thus the similarity to Islam ends abruptly. God says in one of the greatest verses of Quran that He begets not!
Say (O Muhammad): “He is God, (the) One. The Self-Sufficient Master. He begets not, nor was He begotten. And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him.” (Quran 112)
Why do they call Jesus God's son?
Their answer is in the Bible, as they say:
{God does not have a literal wife with whom he fathered children. But he is the Creator of all life. (Revelation 4:11) Therefore, the first human that God created, Adam, is called a “son of God.” (Luke 3:38) Similarly, the Bible teaches that Jesus was created by God. So Jesus is also called a “Son of God.”—John 1:49.
God created Jesus before he created Adam. Regarding Jesus, the apostle Paul wrote: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) Jesus’ life began long before he was born in a stable in Bethlehem. In fact, the Bible says that his “origin is from early times, from the days of time indefinite.” (Micah 5:2) As God’s firstborn Son, Jesus was a spirit creature in heaven before he was born as a human on earth. Jesus himself said: “I have come down from heaven.”—John 6:38; 8:23.}
The above is just an exaggeration of Jesus's virgin birth. The mere saying that 'God weeps', 'God walks on the earth', 'son of God', 'daughter of God', 'mother of God' are blasphemies all right but most people do not understand. God Himself says of these people:
"The Jews call 'Ezra a son of God, and the Christians call Christ the son of God. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. God's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!" [Quran 9:30]
God also told Prophet Muhammad:
"God, the Mighty and Sublime, says: 'The son of Adam denied Me and he had no right to do so. And the son of Adam reviled Me and he had no right to do so. As for his denying Me, It is his saying that I will not resurrect him as I created him in the beginning, but resurrecting him is not more difficult for Me than creating him in the first place. And as for his reviling Me, it is his saying that God has taken a son, but I am God, the One, the Self-Sufficient Master, I beget not nor was I begotten, and there is none co-equal or comparable unto Me."'
Jesus was regarded by his disciples and other contemporaries as a prophet. They do not acclaim him as an incarnation of God or the Son of God.
One who has a pure and deep faith in God and in His Oneness does not do or even think of anything that would insult the Almighty. It is simply out of the question because He sees all and knows each of your thoughts and you do not want to fail to stand up to His standards by rejecting the truth conveyed to us by His messengers.
In addition to this flawed basic understanding of the nature of God, the JW’s also believe in other false claims:
1. They claim Jesus’ life, or what the JW’s call his sacrifice, became the “ransom” price to redeem mankind from sin and death.
The idea that Jesus was the ransom to save our souls or forgive our sins is a concept completely at loggerheads with Islamic belief.
"Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to God. Whether you divulge what is in yourselves or keep it hidden, God will still call you to account for it. He forgives whoever He wills and He punishes whoever He wills. God has power over all things." (Quran 2:284)
"It is He Who accepts repentence from His servants and pardons evil acts and knows what they do." (Quran 42:25)
"The Jews and Christians say, ‘We are God's children and His loved ones.’ Say: ‘Why, then, does He punish you for your wrong actions? No, you are merely human beings among those He has created. He forgives whoever He wills and He punishes whoever He wills. The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything between them belongs to God. He is our final destination.’" (Quran 5:18)
"God has promised those who believe and do right actions forgiveness and an immense reward." (Quran 5:9)
God is the Lord of Forgiveness and Retribution. His door to forgiveness is always open. He does not have to let someone be killed in order to forgive other people's faults. Those who submit their whole selves to God, develop personal relationships with Him, and communicate with Him freely day and night will not believe in such fallacies. A Muslim is answerable directly to God for everything he/she does.
2. God, the JW's say, created all in Heaven and on Earth through Christ, the “master worker,” God's servant. In their own literature the JW’s refer to Jesus as “His (God’s) first spirit creation, the master craftsman, the prehuman Jesus”. They go on to say that after Jesus’ resurrection by God, he was “exalted” to a level higher than an angel. The refutation of this is found in God’s own words in the Quran:
"Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle; many were the apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how God does make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!" [Quran 5:75]
"They say: "(God) has begotten a son" :Glory be to Him.-Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decrees a matter, He says to it: "Be," and it is." [Quran 2:116-117]
"The similitude of Jesus before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was.The Truth (comes) from God alone; so be not of those who doubt." [Quran 3:59-60]
THE CHILDLIKE SPIRIT
The belief that original sin caused humans to inherit death is far from the teachings of Islam. Islam is the religion of the genuine childlike spirit and it teaches us that human beings are born without sin and are naturally inclined to worship God alone (without any intermediaries). To retain this state of sinlessness humankind needs to follow God’s commandments and strive to live a righteous life. If one falls into sin, all that is required is sincere repentance. When a person repents, God wipes out the sin as if it was never committed.
THE IMMORTAL SOUL
The Jehovah’s witnesses do not believe that the soul is immortal. They believe a soul is the entire living being and when separated from the life force originally given by God, the soul dies. Thus, no soul remains after death and that Jesus will return to resurrect the dead, restoring both soul and body. Those judged righteous will be given everlasting life on earth (which will become a paradise). Those judged unrighteous will not be tormented, but will die and cease to exist. What exactly does Islam say about this?
According to Islam, the soul is an immortal creation of God and life continues in the grave after the body is buried. The soul of a faithful person, is easily removed from the body, clothed in a heavenly and sweet smelling garment and taken through the seven heavens.The soul is ultimately returned to the grave, and a gate to Paradise is opened for the person, and its breezes come to him, and he smells its fragrance. He is given the glad tidings of Paradise and he longs for the Hour to begin. The soul of the unbelieving person, on the other hand, is removed from its body with a great deal of struggle but ultimately also returns to the body. The person is tormented in the grave until the Hour begins.
"Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception." [Quran 3:]
In the English language, the word 'soul' has many meanings. It can refer to the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, regarded as immortal. It can also refer to an individual person. No wonder the JW's took the language of the Bible as their religion rather than the message of Jesus.
To their credit the JW’s avoid behaviours that God dislikes, including celebration of birthdays and holidays originating from false religions. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate their own birthdays, because it is considered a glorification of the individual rather than the Creator. These statements certainly resonate with Islamic belief. However because the JW basic concept of the Oneness of God is flawed their moral behaviour and values mean very little. God tells us clearly about the greatest losers on the Day of Judgement.
“Shall We tell you the greatest losers in respect of (their) deeds? (They are) those whose efforts have been wasted in this life while they thought that they were acquiring good by their deeds. They are those who deny the proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc. of their Lord and the Meeting with Him (in the Hereafter). So their works are in vain, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall assign no weight for them.” (Quran 18: 103-105)
Thus we find that even if at first glance the Jehovah’s Witnesses seem to have a belief system that resonates with Islamic beliefs, this is far from the truth. Careful consideration reveals defects and mistakes in their basic theories. It appears that the Jehovah’s witnesses have very little in common with either Islam or even early Christianity. Their theories of Heaven and Hell, the Oneness of God, and creation of the Universe are not acceptable to Muslims nor to the early followers of Christ. The JW, after all, is just another man-made religion.
May God guide these people to the truth and justice.
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