No God but One: Allah or Jesus?: A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity

by Nabeel Qureshi

According to the basic principles of Islam, Allah will weigh good deeds against bad deeds when he judges us. In broad strokes, Muslims believe that someone who has sinned very little has little to worry about. For this reason they often ask why God would demand justice for even the smallest sin. As the da’ee in Hong Kong pointedly asked me during our debate, “Would it be just for a judge to sentence you to execution for jaywalking?” This was a fair question, and when I was a Muslim asking the same question, I found that Christians often did not give satisfactory answers. Usually, they would point me to Romans 6:23, which teaches that “the wages of sin is death.” My response would always be honest: “That’s another reason not to trust the Bible. It does not make sense. Why give the death penalty for even the smallest of sin?” I was not surprised when the da’ee made the same challenge during our debate. Nor was I surprised when he asked the corollary question: “How can God be just if he is willing to forgive serial killers and genocidal dictators? You’re telling me Hitler could have gone to heaven if he had become a Christian?” It is an emotionally charged question, but one that deserves a thorough answer. To fully understand, we need to remember two things: the nature of sin and the nature of God. Remember that, according to Christian teaching, sin is not just doing something wrong. It is a rebellion against God, the Source of Life. Death is not a punishment for our actions ...