New Podcast Let Us Reason - A Christian/Muslim Dialogue

Al Fadi and Dr Jay compare the time between Mohammad's death and the time the sources of Islam (the Sira, Hadith etc.) were written is over two hundred years and 200-300 miles north from the place that was thought.  While the time it took the Christian to write their sources is about 60 years and it was written in the same place where Christ lived and died while eyewitnesses lived.  They say if we compare it to the history of the United states, the biography of George Washington and the constitution would of not been written until the 21 century.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al Fadi and Dr. Jay continue to discuss the problem with the sources(Sira, hadith,...). They are questioning the Standard Islamic Narrative(S.I.N.).  They ask the question how do we know that it is true? Going back to the time when the people who wrote the sources lived and died ; they find a gap in the timeline. For example, there is a 200 year gap between the death of Mohammad and the death of Ibn Hisham; who wrote the Sira(Biography) of Mohammad; therefore he was not an eyewitness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al Fadi and Dr. Jay Smith continue  their discussion by talking about the man (Mohammad), the book ( the Quran) and the place(Mecca), because these are the foundations of Islam if you take one out the rest will fall. 1. Mecca; did it exist in the 7th century?  2. Mohammad; was there a man who was born in Mecca in 570 AD and lived there until 622AD, who then moved to Medina?  3. The Quran; do we have a complete copy from the 7th century that matches today's copy.  These are questions Dr. Jay and Al Fadi are trying to answer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al Fadi and Dr Jay Smith discuss what is The Standard Islamic Narrative or S.I.N.  Muslims believe that they have the final revelation; the Quran which was revealed to Mohammad, who was born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia and that Mecca was the direction of the Kiblah.  There are four points of the S.I.N./ the traditions: 1. The Cira (The biography of Mohammad) . 2. The Hadith (the sayings of Mohammad)  3. Al Tafsir (the commentaries) to unpack the Quran, 4. The Tarikh(the history).  Muslims can not question the traditions even if does not make sense.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sister Ray grew up in South Africa to an Iranian Sunni family. Her mother was a Catholic that converted to Islam.  She went to an all girls Catholic school, and was also raised in the traditional Islamic belief.  She did start questioning her Islamic belief when she went to university and started reading Islamic books in English.  She was upset about the way women are treated in Islam, unlike what she has been taught that Islam raised the value of women.  She met a born again Christian in college and he invited her to go to church.  The sermon was about Moses.  She was asked by her Muslim people not to watch the Disney movie "The Prince of Egypt". Ray's journey continues next time.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lloyd explains that Islam is a deen, which does not mean a religion but a totalitarian political system, which provides perspective on existence, life, society and sociopolitical system. There is 4 meanings of deen: 1. Subjugation and dominance.  2. Obedience and bondage. 3. Rules and regulations. 4. Rewards and repayment.  There are two sources of the law(Sharia). A. The Quran . B. The Sunna.  Lloyd goes into details to explain all of the above.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Muslim believe that Islam is the final religion and Christianity has been replaced.  No other religion is accepted but Islam.  Therefore there is enmity between Muslims and Christians and Jews.  Those who die in Jihad and those who hide their true feelings towards non Muslims will die as martyrs.  Two purposes of Islam: 1. Seek to correct the Bible( Jesus was not crucified, sura 4:157).  2. Political purpose; commanding the right and forbidding the wrong; enforcing sharia on everybody.  Islam is a religion of law; what are its laws ?and where are they written?  There are volumes of books concerning every aspect of life to explain for example what to do if a man marry a minor and injure her physically.  It is detailed and disturbing because Islam allows having sexual intercourse with minors and children before the age of puppetry even with infants.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al Fadi and Lloyd discuss what sharia law really is; a law or a secret.  Sharia is both religious and political . Muslims are not suppose to teach it to non- Muslims because non- muslins will be learning it in bad faith, therefore it is  secret with a purpose.  It is the final interpretation of the Quran and Sunna.  It copied and changed the Babylonian Talmud.  The end goal of Islam is the will of Allah by persuasion or force. Lloyd refers to lots of sources one of them is :"The Islamic Talmud" by Judith Wagner.  He adds that the Quran is not complete by itself ; it needs the Sunna and the law.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al and Mel continue to discuss the critique of The Dome of the Rock.  They say that there is multiple accounts of who and when the dome was built, which indicate that the building underwent multiple stages of rebuilding due to the fact of multiple earthquakes (ie1015, 1033AD) happened during its lifetime .  To assume that the building was damaged but not the inscription is unreal.  Also the number of columns changed from 8 inner and 24 outer to 12 inner and 16 outer columns.  These are some of the reasons for a later date of the building and inscription according to AJ Duse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al and Mel discuss the time of the inside inscription on the building of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.  Their discussion is built on the article; "The Jewish Serpent King in the Dome of the Rock" by AJ Deus.  AJ says that the inscription on the inside of that building is not 7th century inscription but rather sixteenth century.  They point out that the crusaders were in control of Jerusalem for two centuries (11th and 12th), and that they held Christian services inside the Dome. It is very unlikely that the pope will leave a memorial for Mohammad there. All this is a strong case for a later date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.