Islam is a poor copy of Judaism and Christianity.
There is not much difference between Islam and Judaism, except for the fact that if you discuss about Islam in public, some Muslim may slit your throat.
Source of most of things in Abrahamic religions is old Hebrew Bible from which Christian adopted most of the content and later Mohammed also seems to have done so. Monotheism was a Judaistic practice. Jews believed in only one God, and their temple had no idols, no symbol for God. Elsewhere the world then worshipped many deities.
Jerusalem is holiest site of Jews. For Jews it is the place where most of divine things were done. God created humanity from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which Jews think was in Jerusalem. Jewish king Solomon, son of the King David, built first temple in Jerusalem in 957 BCE on the hill area called Temple Mount, destroyed by Babylonian (Syria-Iraq) rulers. Second temple was built in 516 BCE, destroyed by Romans in 70 BCE. Orthodox Jewish tradition maintains it is here that the third and final Temple will also be built when the Messiah comes.
Above: Artistic view of temple at Jerusalem.
Muslims in the beginning prayed towards Jerusalem. Mohammed considered himself to be Messiah. In the life of Mohammed Muslims prayed toward Jerusalem for almost two decades, just like Jews. Only later Mohammed got another revelation from angel Gabriel to change direction of prayer to the Kaba, when he was rejected by Jews. Kaba was the Arab pagan holy site.
Mohammed never lived in Jerusalem, unlike Jesus Christ and Jews. Still in order to claim Jerusalem, the holiest religious site of Abrahamic faith, on his death Muslims claim Mohammed overnight flew from Mecca to Jerusalem on the winged baby horse Buraq and ascended to heaven from the same site in Jerusalem, sort of claiming him being Messiah. Muslims later conquered Jerusalem in war and Umayyad built Al-Aqsa mosque and Dome of the Rock here. Jews are still waiting for the Messiah.
Temple Mount (Haram Al Sharif) also has the site, where one stone is there at which Abraham tried to sacrifice his son. Dome of Rock is was previously a church built by Romans. Octagonal shape and many pillars of dome of rock indicate Christian architecture. Muslims destroyed the Church and claimed it for themselves. Jews consider it to be part of the land of Temple Mount.
Quran 17:1
Glory to Him who made His servant travel by night from the sacred place of worship (in Mecca) to the furthest place of worship (Jerusalem Mosque), whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him some of Our signs. He alone is the All Hearing, the All Seeing.
Mohammed flying to heaven
Before Islam, Arabs prayed to many Gods and Goddesses. Kaba was a holy site for the various Arabic tribes. Once a month in every lunar year, the tribes would make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Setting aside any tribal feuds, they would worship their gods in the Kaaba and trade with each other. During this sacred month, all violence was forbidden, and it was possible to participate in pilgrimages and fairs without danger.
Jews were everywhere in trading towns in Arabia. They were better in status and education, authority on religious and philosophical matters and most of trade was dominated by Jews. English word Judge and has Jewish origin, comes from 7th book of Hebrew Bible.
Mohammed was ambitious person. One can see this throughout his journey of life. He got into trade at age of 25 by his marriage to 40 year old widowed business lady Khadizah in Mecca. Mohammed traveled from Mecca to Syria etc. on his trade route and he experienced and learned things from Jews and Christians. I would guess that Mohammed used this experience and learned things to the ends he wanted. Mohammed mixed little bit of Arabic things in it and wanted to be accepted as Messiah by Jews and Pagan Arabs in Mecca. Most of the things Mohammed talked are connected to Hebrew Bible or Old Testament. In Jewish thing, they are waiting for Messiah and Mohammed wanted to claim that he is the one. So initially he copied them and later he hated them and killed them for not accepting him as the Messiah. Same way Quran was filled with texts hateful about Jews. That is the story.
Similar with Christians. Jesus was a Jew. He tried magic etc, he sort of claimed to be Messiah. Jews didn't accept him as one, complaining to Roman authority, who crucified Jesus. After a while some of his disciples started a branch separate from Jews, called Christianity. A small insignificant sect until Roman king Constantine sees some opportunity and becomes Christian and promotes it for his own interests.
Jews were a nation state, people of the kingdom of Judah (areas around Jerusalem) called themselves Jew. they developed the culture called Judaism, just like people across the Sindhu river were called Hindu and developed the culture called Hinduism. Jerusalem is Hebrew word, Yireh meaning foundation (name given to the place where Abraham planned to sacrifice his son), and Shalem meaning peace.
Unlike Judaism, Christianity and Islam started from Jesus Christ and Mohammed, without any land or people. They didn't have community, they had to create the community. So we see that Jews don't proselytize, while proselytizing is major part of Islam and Christianity. Christianity comes from Christ (Jesus Christ) plus -ity (referring to the state, property, or quality of Christ here). Islam means submission, surrender. Muslim means to be 'whole or intact'. To be a Muslim you must completely submit to the will of Allah as who sent Mohammed as his his messenger. Any other relation to anything, anyone is secondary. Allah is related to word Elah is the Aramaic word for God, found in the Hebrew Bible in the books of Ezra, Jeremiah.
Jews have three pillars of religion, charity, prayer and faith. Muslim have two extra, making it five. One Hajj, two fasting. Both of these came from Pagan culture in Arab. Even the words are same for these things. In Hebrew Charity is Tzedakah, in Islam it is Zakah or Zakat. I guess Mohammed added these two later when Jews rejected him as their Messiah. His hurt ego sought refuge in Arabic symbols.
Jewish prayer and Muslim prayer are structurally similar. Jews pray three times a day, Muslims pray five times a day. Three prayer clock times (in morning, afternoon and evening) of Muslims and Jews are same in Jerusalem. Main prayer day is Friday for both, Friday is vacation in only Islamic countries and Israel. Day of Saturday is called Sabat in both Jews and Muslim and is rest day for both. If you see an orthodox Jew praying you will confuse him being a Muslim.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aHWASyMjwg&t=455s
Same way Jews give call to prayer (Shema Yisrael) like azan. Except Muslim make azan bit melodic, and Jew produce straight loud sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUSdHB1R-W4
------------------------------- ------------Jewish Prayer----------------------------------------------------------------
"Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad...."
"Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One. Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever. And you shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, all your might......"
--------------------------------------Muslim Prayer-------------------------------------------------------------------
"Allah is greater. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Hasten to the prayer, Hasten to the salvation. ........."
------------------------------------- Dua of Sunni-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dua has to be repeated silently after the call of Muezzin
“I bear witness that there is no god but God alone with no partner and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, and the Lord God's chosen messenger is Muhammad and Islam is his religion.”
“O Allah, sanctify Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad, as you have sanctified Ibrahim and the Progeny of Ibrahim. Truly, You are Praised and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the Progeny of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and the Progeny of Ibrahim. Truly, You are Glorious.”
“O Allah! Lord of this perfect call and of the established prayer, give Muhammad the right of intercession and illustriousness, and resurrect him to the best and the praised position that You have covenanted him.”
Muhammad said: "Repeat the words of the muezzin and when you finish, ask God what you want and you will get it"
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Think about the aims of the person, behind prayer. Think what effect this has on people who repeat it five times a day.
Supernatural beings, called angels (malakhim) appear first in Hebrew Bible. Seven archangels are the first angels to exist, the earliest reference to a system of seven archangels as a group, appears to be in Enoch I in Hebrew Bible.
Mohammed claimed to get everything through conversations with angel Gabriel.
Look very carefully at this detailed painting of Gabriel, painted by Italian painter Pinturicchio in 15th century. She is the medium through which Quran came. Source of all the law and morality on the earth, which seals fate of a human, or animal or plants or stones in the Islamic world.
Let us continue.
Jews greet each other saying Shalom Aleichem, Muslim say Assalam Walekum. They both write right to left. Wrote learning and speaking aloud religious text that is also a Jewish thing.
Jewish have Star symbol, Muslim have star and crescent. Crescent is related to Arabs. They put cap on head same way, having same meaning for both of them. They circumcise the penis same way. Circumcision was introduced by Prophet Moses of the Jews, and Muslims in Indonesia still call it Jahudi-Sasi. Halal and Kosher is almost the same ritual. Both of them don't eat pork and both slit the throat of animal and let it bleed. Marriage contract Ketubah in Jews is signed by Rabbai is quite similar to Nikah, similar rituals. Concepts regarding burial, after death justice, day of judgement, heaven. hell, hellfire are same in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Burka is not a new concept. Orthodox Jewish women are supposed to cover hair and other things. And burka is an extreme adoption of that. Judaism prohibits shaving with a razor, similar in Muslims shaving beard is considered haram. Rituals of ablutions before prayer are similar in Jews and Muslims. And even toilet etiquette are similar.
This pic (source National Photo Collection of Israel) shows Jewish Yemenite women and children in a refugee camp near Aden, Yemen in 1949.
All the prophets before Jesus are common between Jews and Christians. In Islam Jesus and last Mohammed is added. Muslim sacrifice animal to recall Abraham sacrifice his son Ishmael to God. Well Abraham is in Jewish texts and he attempted to sacrifice his son at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem where king Solomon built the Jewish temple.
Adam became Aadam, Abraham became Ibrahim, Solomon became Suleman, Isaac became Ishaq, Moses became Musa, David became Dawood and so on. Qurban is a Jewish word, Jew used to offer sacrifice of animals to the God at Temple Mount, until temple was destroyed. Jews believe they can offer sacrifice again only after the Messiah has came and built the temple at the location. For Muslim Messiah already came and he was Mohammed.
Islam then got divided between Shia and Sunni further over successors of Mohammed in political sense. Remember Mohammed was not just religious head of Muslims he was also their sole political leader. Sunni Islam maintains Abu Bakr to be the first leader after Muhammad on the basis of election. Shia Islam holds that Ali ibn Abi Talib was the appointed successor to the Muhammad as head of the community. Ahmedia sect believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is another Messiah, that's why they are hunted by Muslims. Islam has relegated all the prophets before Mohamed to secondary level, where they are useful only to the extent that they support prophet-hood of Mohammed and explanations about past. Christian did same with all the prophets before Jesus. Their obsession with only one true version of everything coming out through Mohammed and Jesus respectively is source of all religious conflict, they don't tolerate anything else on the earth. Christians in the medieval Europe hated Jews, Muslim hate Jews to the extent that they won't rest till they have finished them politically and individually. And Christian and Muslim hate each other.
There is eternal dispute over Temple Mount, over Tomb of Abraham in Hebron. If Muslims don't get along with Jew and Christian (who are people of the book, with whom they share so much, but on one major point about Mohammed), then they will never bend themselves to go along with eastern view of life which is extremely different.
My mother talked about stories of ghosts etc, her ideas didn't jump magically. She told the similar stories most of other Hindu moms would tell. Most of people have similarly borrowed ideas. If I live in India, I will have dreams in which a Hindu God will appear giving me some prasadam If I was born in Netherlands, I might be dreaming being served Cheese and Meatball by Jesus Christ speaking Dutch language. I can intentionally create dream stories or because of credulity or mental issues, or I can believe my dreams. If I was born in Arabia in 7th century, I wont have dreams which a Shinto Japanese will have or someone in Maya civilization will have, or talk about things which exists in New York today.
If an ordinary intelligence officer and a psychiatrist were to descend to 7th and 1st century, Islam or Christianity could be analyzed like a normal case without any difficulty.
I think Voltaire already did it.
In a 1740 letter to Frederick II of Prussia, Voltaire ascribes to Muhammad a brutality that "is assuredly nothing any man can excuse" and suggests that his following stemmed from superstition; Voltaire continued, "But that a camel-merchant should stir up insurrection in his village; that in league with some miserable followers he persuades them that he talks with the angel Gabriel; that he boasts of having been carried to heaven, where he received in part this unintelligible book, each page of which makes common sense shudder; that, to pay homage to this book, he delivers his country to iron and flame; that he cuts the throats of fathers and kidnaps daughters; that he gives to the defeated the choice of his religion or death: this is assuredly nothing any man can excuse, at least if he was not born a Turk, or if superstition has not extinguished all natural light in him."
Book: Fanaticism, or Mahomet the Prophet
https://www.amazon.com/Fanaticism-Mahomet-Prophet-Voltaire/dp/1936117819
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The Town of Hebron has grave of Abraham, his wife Sara, Isaac, Jacob and other biblical ancestors, which Muslims captured in 12th Century, is second holiest place for Jews. Because Abraham was a Jew.
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Debate and Islam
Muslim can win debate only in two situation, one when anchor is on their side, second when other side is stupid or docile.
In any other situation when a Muslim is loosing debate, he will just show anger, aggression, abuse or play victim card or start straight lies, to hide his fear for truth, Muslims do it every day everywhere in the world. A single truth and their complete faith shakes.
If still they loose then they compensate it with backstabbing and violent means afterwards.
Many times they just don't care for debate or other opinion, it is just a bluff or show. They are clear in mind, if other side is not of same view, must be killed, let the fool debate, I will teach him a lesson with bullet, until then use the camouflage of debate.
Not to say, Muslims have no regard for any value, knowledge, which contradicts Koran and which is not in their favor. Muslim doesn't come to debate, he comes to connive you to believe that dominion of Islam is above everything, every human right.
Islam is a cult which shakes on a single question, which starts from the believe that apostasy is punishable by death, they say Islam spread by persuasion, and you object to it, they bring violence.
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What binds Islam?
It is physical threat, which binds Islam, unlike Christianity where threat only exists in after life, in Islam it lays clear political and inter human road-map. As slowly people learn science, Christianity is falling apart. Islam will fall once physical fear is eliminated.
Islam cant stand test of logic, so moment u wish to question it, Quran hits you back with threat of violence in this life and heaven in afterlife of believer, power in this life of believer.
It is just like AMWAY product cant stand in open Indian market so it uses multi-level marketing technique in India. Islam survives by army of believers Muslims which once born in one country they perpetuate it to satisfy their political, financial and emotional needs. So Islam technique of threat coupled with practical reward it brings in this life to Muslims who perpetuate this threat works elegantly.
The ideologies which cant stand test of logic for a minute, survive on physical threat, material greed, narcissism, they thrive on vulnerability of human condition and promise to give a sense of security and claim supernatural merit which is so easy in such conditions. They bank on desire for self pride (and off course willingness of mastery over others) when faced with hard realities. It progresses like multi-layer market (like some products which cant stand open market). Each new agent wants to bring many new under its fold, in order to justify his belief. Technique of threat coupled with reward and shelter it brings to these mentally bankrupt (in many cases weak and ignorant) agents who perpetuate ideology are very practical, it keeps flock glued and surging. Such ideologies are burden on humanity but thanks to hypocrisy we will let it grow until and slowly we all submit conveniently to become beneficiaries and it remains for our great great grand grand children to realize after enormous loss, may be after 10,000 years later that it is farce. So much for our passion for truth, bravery and wisdom.
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Osho on Islam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpA05rYBALM
Muslims and Mohammed burned all the books, religious texts of Arabia from before. Quran also has a lot of things stolen from books of Zoroastrians.
Many of Islamic stories are copies of Jewish folk tales. It comes from Talmud, Jewish commentary on traditions, so Quran doesn't have divine origin.
