The Antichrist in Muhammad: The Blessed Virgin Mary

1/5/2013

(Page 2 of 3)

Christians and in which Catholics place such hope for dialogue with Muslims and conversion of Muslims, while superficially similar to some of the Catholic doctrines, have an entirely different meaning in the Qur'an. In the Qur'an, they have no relationship in to the Incarnation and Redemption and Salvation which are at the heart of the Gospel.

Mary's titles in the Qur'an and Islamic tradition are theologically false friends.

If Jesus is not God incarnate, the Redeemer of all mankind, the Savior of all men, and Mary not the Mother of God (Theotokos), the Mother of the Redeemer, and the Mother of the Savior, then to what avail does the Qur'an provide such titles to Mary such as a sinless and noble virgin and mother of a mere human prophet named 'Isa?

While Muslims see Mary as the mother of Jesus, the Mater Iesu (ibn Maryam), and therefore hold her in great regard because of their regard for Jesus as prophet only, they do not see her, and--as long as they are held captive by the Qur'an and the false doctrine of Muhammad--cannot see her properly in the order of grace. That is, they do not know her as the mother of God, the Mater Dei or Theotokos, nor as the mother of the Redeemer, the Redemptoris Mater, nor as the Mother of their Savior, the Mater Salvatoris, nor as the Mother of the Church, the Mater Ecclesiae.

For Mary to have any theological, soteriological, charisological, or ecclesiological significance, the Muslim would have first to accept Jesus as the Son of God, as mankind's Redeemer, and as his Savior, and recognize his need to be baptized into his mystical Body the Church. This requires a direct proclamation of the Gospel message that Jesus is Lord and God, and that he came to redeem and save Muslims from their sins, something neither Muhammad nor his Shari'a can do.

"One cannot think of the reality of the Incarnation without referring to Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word," wrote Blessed John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater. (RM, No. 5) It is clear from the Qur'an that the opposite is not the case. "It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is." (Qur'an 19:35) The Qur'an shows that one can think of the reality of Mary without referring to the reality of the Incarnation. But it is a categorical mistake to think of Mary without giving thought to the Incarnation, which is exactly what Muslims do.

The Muslim's devotion to Mary, as sincere as it may be, is rendered cancerous by Islam's unequivocal theological denial of the divine Sonship of Jesus, the rejection of Jesus as Redeemer of mankind, and its rejection of Jesus as the unique Savior from sin and death. By denying the greater truth of Jesus, Islam mars the subordinate truth of Mary which relies on the superordinate truth that Jesus is Lord, and all that Lordship means.

The Church could not be clearer that our understanding of Mary is directly related to our understanding of Jesus Christ. The Catechism, for example, states:

"The 'splendor of an entirely unique holiness' by which Mary is 'enriched from the first instant of her conception' comes wholly from Christ: she is 'redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.' (LG 53, 56) The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person 'in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places' and chose her 'in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.'" (Eph. 1:3-4) (CCC � 492)

Mary's response to the angel Gabriel in the Qur'an is not Christocentric. It is not, as it is in the Gospel: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." (Luke 1:28-38). As the Catechism explains this verse: "Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace." (CCC � 494)

Quoting St. Augustine, the Catholic Catechism observes something essential about Mary which we ought not to forget. "Mary is more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ." (
- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Muhammad, antichrist, redemption, salvation, Jesus, Mary, Andrew M. Greenwell

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1 - 10 of 14 Comments

judy claar
4 months ago
abey, Yes, all the people of the planet are God's children since He created them. I am very familiar with the Biblical text. Of what book do you get your statements of Medjugorje and who was the author? I am also aware of Eastern Orthodox Catholic Christians who are devoted to Our Blessed Mother. I also understand that Muslims do not envision Mary as Catholics, Christians, or their Orthodox brethren. I do hope I read and understood your post correctly.
In the Sacred Hearts Of Jesus And Mary, Blessings...
abey
4 months ago
But then Our lady at Medjugorje, said to be the last of the Marian appearances did say that Catholics, Orthodox & Muslims are my Children & hence the Mariam stated in the Quran can deemed to be The Mary who is off the Truth signified by her golden belt, the belt of Truth which the people of the Eastern block have great reverence & also known from Genesis as "The Woman" & her enmity is with satan , that which God put between them. On this it would be wise to look up the matter through the truth of Mary who being off Christ.
judy claar
4 months ago
Andrew M. Greenwell, Thank you for your clarity in yet another wonderful article.

@Anita, No one is not being polite and listening to the view of another. In my perspective, Andrew Greenwell's article was "enlightening" us with the differences that are between Islam and Catholicism. OUR Reality of Mary. Our Blessed Mother, is significantly different than Islam because she was and is the Son of God's chosen Virgin Mother. The Second of the Trinity. The Christ is not a mere prophet. We can not have Mary and Jesus as separate.

Islam does. It seems strange to me that Jesus is merely a prophet, while Mary seems to be held in high esteem for being His Mother. This then, is what I conclude since reading this series.

Muhammad was a man of Ego. Making his religion, he was sure to keep as much of the Gospel in Islam that pleased him as well as his converts. And It does make perfect sense why his Ego would replace Jesus.

It also must have been widely circulated history that Mary was a Virgin and held in high esteem as Jesus' Mother. Therefore, He dedicated a whole chapter to her...even though some of it is false, because Muhammad does not declare her as the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, which is the whole point. How can one compare the Mother of God with the mothers of other prophets?

Andrew does well when he answers Dave of 1 Day ago. Catholics always keep the door open and an open mind. We do not wish to alienate anyone. Prayerful Blessings to all...
Anita
4 months ago
Let us not close the door on communication by resuming the demonzation of Islam. Christ asks us repeatedly to take the high road and love our neighbor so that they may find God's truth. It is so much easier to dislike people, dislike their values, than it is to love them and recognize that their frailties are ours as well but for when we do the will of the Father. Next, the author worries about "simple Christians" being finagled, as though the author is more ascended than the "simple" Christian. I suppose I am going to continue to be a Catholic willing to listen to others. I am not looking for a "proof" - I have faith.
Larry
4 months ago
What's the point of a veneration of Mary by Muslims if Jesus was just the latest prophet from God. What about the mother of John the Baptist or mothers of any other profits for that matter. Mary means a lot to Christians because of who Jesus the Christ is for us - the center of our faith. One more thing about the religion from Mohamad that makes little sense.
Andrew M. Greenwell
4 months ago
@Dave: Thanks for your comments. The Church has said that it "respects" Islam. This is written from a human standpoint. It is hard to see how one cannot respect, that is human esteem or deference, to a religion that claims to be universal and that has about one billion adherence. One cannot "respect" the military might of the United States without necessarily consent to the way it was used, or one can "respect" the genius of, say Voltaire, without at all consenting to his false statements and irreligious views. I think this is the way "respect" is used. The Church is realistic, i.e., accepts reality, and it is a reality we confront the resurgence of Islam (or the various Islams, for there is less unity that generally believed in Islam) and distinguish between its more pathological forms and its more reasonable forms.

Dialogue is not opposed to evangelization or catechesis or any part of the Church's salvific mission. This concept is found in the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue's recent document, Dialogue and Proclamation: Reflection And Orientations On Interreligious Dialogue And The Proclamation Of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ,

(You can access the document through this address: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_19051991_dialogue-and-proclamatio_en.html)

"[T]he evangelizing mission of the Church is a 'single but complex and articulated reality.' It indicates the principal elements of this mission: presence and witness; commitment to social development and human liberation; liturgical life, prayer and contemplation; interreligious dialogue; and finally, proclamation and catechesis. Proclamation and dialogue are thus both viewed, each in its own place, as component elements and authentic forms of the one evangelizing mission of the Church. They are both oriented towards the communication of salvific truth."

As a consequence, the National Catholic-Muslim Plenary that was held on Oct 3-5, 2012 in Chicago that was titled "Living our faiths together," does not contradict the efforts to proclaim the Gospel and to catechize Catholics as to the truths of Islam so that they may be better prepared to: (i) appreciate their own faith; (ii) appreciate the differences between their faith and Islam; (iii) to recognize the deep antichristian animus present in Islam (which Muslims, especially those who know their faith, recognize); (iv) to aid them in spreading the Gospel; and (v) to help them know the beliefs of Muslims, understood within their own context, so that they might dialogue with them and live in peace with them.

It's not an either/or, but a both/and. To raise dialogue above proclamation is wrong, as it is wrong to raise proclamation above dialogue. In a sense, dialogue is included in proclamation, and proclamation is included in dialogue.

Hope that helps,
Andrew
Dave Lyons
4 months ago
Please help me understand why the Catholic Church acknowledges and accepts Islam as one of the world's major religions? Why is the Catholic hierarchy engaged in talks with leaders of this false religion, such as the National Catholic-Muslim Plenary that was held on Oct 3-5, 2012 in Chicago that was titled "Living our faiths together"? Why does the Catholic Church give this satanic belief system any credence at all?
vance
4 months ago
Thank you for another informative article about islam. Islam is repulsive. It is so inhuman. It's foundation is hate and murder which is the complete opposite of Jesus Christ. I've been long convinced that islam is of satan, by satan, for satan.
andrew
4 months ago
@Lilian
War could spread the religion of Muhammad over Arabia alone. It was however the various hadiths-the 'devil' inside it [such as officiating polygamous sexual relationships-including pedophilia and nikah mut'ah-pleasure marriages, 'taqiyya'-art of lying, 'zakat' versus 'jizya'- kafir tax-read dhimmi, among others] that that enticed conversions and continue to do so even today. A Frenchman preferring Russian citizenship rather than becoming a party to a draconian tax proposal is a situation similar to a dhimma without a choice.
Andrew M. Greenwell
4 months ago
Erratum: "While Muslims see Mary as the mother of Jesus, the Mater Iesu (ibn Maryam)" should read "Umm 'Isa)." Ibn Maryam is "son of Mary," not mother of Jesus. I missed the error in my final edit. Sorry for my oversight.

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