Islam for Christians

The Muslims learn of the large army, and its 600 horses, that are marching toward Medina. This situation looks awful for the Muslims, but an outside convert comes up with a new idea to even up the odds. And Abu Sufyan's army... uninspired as ever... has to deal with a major surprise.

What are they asking one another about?About the momentous news,over which they disagree.But no! They will come to know.Again, no! They will come to know.Have We not smoothed out the earth ˹like a bed˺,and ˹made˺ the mountains as ˹its˺ pegs,and created you in pairs,and made your sleep for rest,and made the night as a cover,and made the day for livelihood,and built above you seven mighty ˹heavens˺,and placed ˹in them˺ a shining lamp,and sent down from rainclouds pouring water,producing by it grain and ˹various˺ plants,and dense orchards?Indeed, the Day of ˹Final˺ Decision is an appointed time—˹it is˺ the Day the Trumpet will be blown, and you will ˹all˺ come forth in crowds.The sky will be ˹split˺ open, becoming ˹many˺ gates,and the mountains will be blown away, becoming ˹like˺ a mirage.Indeed, Hell is lying in ambushas a home for the transgressors,where they will remain for ˹endless˺ ages.There they will not taste any coolness or drink,except boiling water and ˹oozing˺ pus—a fitting reward.For they never expected any reckoning,and totally rejected Our signs.And We have everything recorded precisely.˹So the deniers will be told,˺ “Taste ˹the punishment˺, for all you will get from Us is more torment.”Indeed, the righteous will have salvation—Gardens, vineyards,and full-bosomed maidens of equal age,and full cups ˹of pure wine˺,never to hear any idle talk or lying therein—a ˹fitting˺ reward as a generous gift from your Lord,the Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything in between, the Most Compassionate. No one will dare speak to Himon the Day the ˹holy˺ spirit1 and the angels will stand in ranks. None will talk, except those granted permission by the Most Compassionate and whose words are true.That Day is the ˹ultimate˺ truth. So let whoever wills take the path leading back to their Lord.Indeed, We have warned you of an imminent punishment—the Day every person will see ˹the consequences of˺ what their hands have done, and the disbelievers will cry, “I wish I were dust.”

The Quran clearly paints the apostles as righteous and honest men. What does that mean for the difference between the Christian and the Muslim versions of these men?

Three persons set out on a journey. They were overtaken by rain and they had to find protection in a mountain cave where at its mouth there fell a rock of that mountain and thus blocked them altogether. One of them said to the others: Look to your good deeds that you performed for the sake of Allah and then supplicate Allah, the Exalted, that He might rescue you (from this trouble). One of them said: 0 Allah, I had my parents who were old and my wife and my small children also. I tended the flock and when I came back to them in the evening, I milked them (the sheep, goats, cows, etc.) and first served that milk to my parents. One day I was obliged to go out to a distant place in search of fodder and I could not come back before evening and found them (the parents) asleep. I milked the animals as I used to milk and brought milk to them and stood by their heads avoiding to disturb them from sleep and I did not deem it advisable to serve milk to my children before serving them. My children wept near my feet. I remained there in that very state and my parents too until it was morning. And (0 Allah) if Thou art aware that I did this in order to seek Thine pleasure, grant us riddance from this trouble. (The rock slipped a bit) that they could see the sky. The second one said: 0 Allah, I had a female cousin whom I loved more than the men love the women. I wanted to have sexual intercourse with her; she refused but on the condition of getting one hundred dinirs. It was with very great difficulty that I could collect one hundred dinirs and then paid them to her and when I was going to have a sexual intercourse with her, that she said: Servant of Allah, fear Allah and do not break the seal (of chastity) but by lawful means. I got up. 0 Allah, if Thou art aware that I did this in order to seek Thine pleasure, rid us from this trouble. The situation was somewhat eased for them. The third one said: Allah, I employed a workman for a measure of rice. After he had finished his work I gave him his dues (in the form of) a measure of rice, but he did not accept them. I used these rice as seeds, and that gave a bumper crop and I became rich enough to have cows and flocks (in my possession). He came to me and said: Fear Allah, and commit no crueltv upon me in regard to my dues. I said to him: Takeaway this flock of cows and sheep. He said: Fear Allah and do not make a fun of me. I said: I am not making a fun of you. You take the cows and the flocks. So he took them. 0 Allah, if Thou art aware that I did it for Thine pleasure, case the situation for us. And Allah relieved them from the rest of the trouble.