Answering Islam - A Christian-Muslim dialog

The Problems with the Islamic Doctrine of Atonement

Or

More Proof That Zawadi and Co. Are Truth Impaired Pt. 4

Sam Shamoun

We now come to the final part of our rebuttal.


We even have a few contradictions!

The problems are still far from over for Zawadi and his partner in taqiyya. Recall that Williams quoted the following verse to prove that Allah simply forgives all sins without requiring atonement or a payment in order to do so:

Say, "O My servants who transgressed against themselves, do not despair of God 's mercy. For God forgives ALL sins. He is the Forgiver, the Compassionate." S. 39:53 Quran: A Reformist Translation (QRT)

However, this is contradicted by the following passage which emphatically testifies that Allah doesn’t pardon every transgression:

God DOES NOT FORGIVE that partners be set up with Him, and He forgives what is beside that for whom He wills. Whoever sets up partners with God has indeed invented a great sin. S. 4:48 QRT – cf. Q. 4:116; 2:22

The Quran is emphatic that those who set up partners with Allah will have all their good works nullified and their destination will be hellfire:

Ingrates indeed are those who have said, "God is the Messiah son of Mary!" Although the Messiah had said, "O Children of Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever sets up partners with God, then God will forbid paradise for him, and his destiny will be the fire; and the wicked will have no supporters." S. 5:72 QRT

Such is the guidance of God, He guides with it whom He pleases of His servants. If they set up partners, then ALL THAT THEY HAD WORKED would fall away from them. S. 6:88 QRT

He has inspired to you and to those before you, that if you set up partners, He will nullify ALL YOUR WORK and you will be of the losers. S. 39:65 QRT

The other problem that these dawagandists face is that Muhammad’s assertion that Allah will torture Jews and Christians as a ransom for all the wickedness committed by Muslims clearly conflicts with the following verses:

And leave alone those who take their religion as play and amusement, and are deceived by the life of this world. But remind (them) with it (the Qur'an) lest a person be given up to destruction for that which he has earned, when he will find for himself no protector or intercessor besides Allah, and even if he offers every ransom, it will not be accepted from him. Such are they who are given up to destruction because of that which they have earned. For them will be a drink of boiling water and a painful torment because they used to disbelieve. S. 6:70 Hilali-Khan

And here is how Y. Ali renders it:

“… It will find for itself no protector or intercessor except God: if it offered every ransom, (or reparation), none will be accepted: such is (the end of) those who deliver themselves to ruin by their own acts…” Y. Ali

The foregoing verse makes it quite clear that Allah will recompense a person for what s/he has earned, which negates the idea of vicarious atonement, just as the late A. Yusuf Ali stated in his translation and commentary of the Quran:

C894. We must never forget our own personal responsibility for all we do, or deceive ourselves by the illusion of vicarious atonement.

Ali wasn’t alone in making this assertion, since this is what the late Muhammad Asad wrote in respect to this passage:

61 Lit., "though he might [try to] ransom himself with all ransom" - i.e., though he might proffer, after resurrection, any atonement whatever for his past sins.

The hadiths further contradict these other texts:

Say: "Shall I seek a lord other than Allah, while He is the Lord of all things? No person earns any (sin) except against himself (only), and no bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then unto your Lord is your return, so He will tell you that wherein you have been differing." S. 6:164 Hilali-Khan

And if every person who had wronged (by disbelieving in Allah and by worshipping others besides Allah), possessed all that is on earth, and sought to ransom himself therewith (it will not be accepted), and they would feel in their hearts regret when they see the torment, and they will be judged with justice, and no wrong will be done unto them. S. 10:54 Hilali-Khan

And We shall set up balances of justice on the Day of Resurrection, then none will be dealt with unjustly in anything. And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners. S. 21:47 Hilali-Khan

Since no person will bear the sins of another, and since Allah will supposedly never act unjustly towards anyone on the Day of Judgment, but perfectly recompense individuals for what they themselves have earned, how then could Muhammad claim that his deity would eternally torment Jews and Christians for the very burdens, in fact for all the evil, committed by others?

We will leave it to these taqiyyists to try to clear up the mess created by the teachings of their false prophet.


Related Articles

Zawadi recently published an article where he shamefully links to articles and so-called “rebuttals” which he erroneously thinks refute the notion that Islam affirms doctrines such as original sin and substitutionary atonement.

The reason I say shamefully is because Zawadi is well aware of the thorough refutations to his “responses,” rebuttals which document his gross errors and blatant inconsistencies. Here they are:

And here are some articles and replies which, although not addressing Zawadi directly, still address his objections and claims nonetheless:

Christian apologist Stephen Hayes also takes Zawadi to task for his criticisms of PST in the following rebuttals:

Despite the fact that Zawadi is well aware that his feeble attempts of defending his inconsistent and irrational beliefs have been thoroughly refuted, he still clings to them and tries to deceptively get others to believe them as well.

Now if Zawadi really was a man of integrity and an honest seeker of truth then he would either stop raising objections against Christianity which can be, and have been, used more forcefully to expose and discredit Islam, or he would cease being a Muslim.

The fact that he chooses to remain a Muslim, and continues to find ways to justify believing in doctrines which are similar, if not identical, to the very ones that he objects to when it comes to Christianity, only proves that he has no shame and could care less about the truth.

And this is the gentleman whom Muslims tout as being one of their best apologists!

This is an indication of the rather tragic and sad state of the Islamic faith, since if one of Islam’s best is forced to be inconsistent and dishonest in order to defend his beliefs then what does this say about such a religion and the state of Islamic apologetics?