Reformation?

 If you do not read the Old Testament of the Jewish Christians, you will not be able to understand the entire Quran, which is the continuation of the Book of Moses and the Quran. At the time of the Prophet Muhammad, they all knew and followed the entire Old Testament. The cousin of the Prophet Muhammad's first wife was a Christian saint. They used to trade in Syria, following the Syriac Church. The Prophet Muhammad gained knowledge from him.

The Quran has nothing to do with the Old Testament of the Jewish Christians. All the problems with Christianity or the Bible begin with the New Testament of the Bible, which was written by his disciples and followers about 30-70 years after the death of Jesus Christ, where Jesus is declared the son of God. Which we call the New Testament. The New Testament is not a heavenly book. It is a collection of the life and words of Jesus. Jesus Christ was a Jew, not a Christian.

The Old Testament and the New Testament are much like the Quran and Hadith. For example, for murder, the Old Testament says “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13), but the New Testament expands and dilutes it, such as “If you feel anger towards someone, you are guilty” (Matthew 5:22). For adultery, the Old Testament says “You shall not commit adultery”, but the New Testament says “If you lust after someone with your eyes, it is adultery”. This shows that Jesus was emphasizing the observance of the “spirit” of the law, not the “form”.

Later, when Rome became a Christian state, the Roman Catholic Church made that spirit the law. Militarism came to religion. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one can come to God except through me.” Which is the basic principle of Protestants regarding salvation. This is what the Hadith followers follow. In the New Testament, Paul says (Romans 3:28) "Faith is enough; not keeping the law (Old Testament)."

The mullahs who are based on the Hadith have made that faith into law, just like the Catholic Church. The point is, let's say that fornication is a sin, so Jesus (or Muhammad) said that it is not right to look at another's wife with lust. The purpose of this statement is to practice self-control in the beginning rather than committing sin in the end. But the Catholic Church (or the Hadith followers) made looking at another's wife with lust a punishable crime. The same is true with clothing. The purpose of modest clothing is so that you don't end up inviting sin. They have made not following the dress code a sin, but a punishable crime.

Protestants are those Christians who separated from the Catholic Church through the "Protestant Reformation" movement that began in the 16th century and established a new branch of Christianity. The main purpose of this movement was to To protest against some of the doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church and to establish a simple, straightforward religious lifestyle based on the Bible. Such a reformation must be carried out if Islam is to be saved.

Sirajul Hossain