Muslims frequently claim that they love Jesus more than Christians do because they pray exactly as Jesus did. To support this claim, they quote Matthew 26:39, saying that this verse describes the kneeling that Muslims do whenever they bow to Muhammad's Allah. In short, kneeling with their forehead to the ground as the Muslim in this picture is doing:
But this is what we find in the Gospel of Matthew:
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37 Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
38 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow —to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.”
39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26
Here is the same event as Mark the evangelist recorded it in his Gospel:
35 Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.
36 And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Mark 15
In the Bible, falling facedown or falling to the ground in prayer is called "prostration," and looks more like this:
On the other hand, Gospel writer Luke tells us that the Lord Jesus also knelt as He prayed to the Father:
41 Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray,
42 “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44 Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Luke 22
For instance, where does the Quran teach that Muslims should pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Where does the Quran teach that Muslims should be sorrowful and deeply distressed in all of their prayers, to the extent that their sweat becomes like drops of blood falling to the ground?
Where does the Quran teach that Muslims should fall facedown to the ground prostrate, which is laying flat and not kneeling, in prayer?
Where does the Quran teach that Muslims should kneel and pray to the Father as the Lord Jesus did, saying "Abba, Father, not my will but yours be done?"
At this point, we would remind Muslims that they cannot simply take a snippet from a Bible verse while ignoring the rest of it. That would be dishonest and wrong. We would also remind them that Muhammad says very clearly in his Qur'an that Allah is a father to no one:
Surah 5, M. M. Pickthall
18 The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating...
Surah 19, M. M. Pickthall
88 And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.
89 Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing
90 Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins,
91 That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son,
92 When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.
93 There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave.
Surah 21, Muhammad Asad
26 And [yet,] some say, “The Most Gracious has taken unto Himself a son”! Limitless is He in His glory! Nay, [those whom they regard as God’s “offspring” are but His] honoured servants:
Christians who are familiar with the teachings of Muhammad already know the answers to the questions listed above. The real issue is for how much longer Muslims will continue to make claims such as this one that have no basis in actual fact.
See also:
Do Muslims Pray Like Jesus?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2013/12/did-jesus-pray-same-way-muslims-do.html
Do Muslims Pray As Jesus Commanded?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2017/04/do-muslims-pray-as-jesus-commanded.html
YHWH God, A Father?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/05/yhwh-god-father.html
Does Jesus Ever Say in the Bible, Pray to Me?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2013/12/does-jesus-ever-say-in-bible-pray-to-me.html
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and He told the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37 Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
38 Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow —to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.”
39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 26
Here is the same event as Mark the evangelist recorded it in his Gospel:
35 Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.
36 And He said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”
Mark 15
In the Bible, falling facedown or falling to the ground in prayer is called "prostration," and looks more like this:
41 Then He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to pray,
42 “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
44 Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
Luke 22
(photo from "the Passion of the Christ" (2004))
Can any Muslims show us where in the Quran Muhammad instructs them to do as the Lord Jesus did in these three passages?For instance, where does the Quran teach that Muslims should pray in the Garden of Gethsemane?
Where does the Quran teach that Muslims should be sorrowful and deeply distressed in all of their prayers, to the extent that their sweat becomes like drops of blood falling to the ground?
Where does the Quran teach that Muslims should fall facedown to the ground prostrate, which is laying flat and not kneeling, in prayer?
Where does the Quran teach that Muslims should kneel and pray to the Father as the Lord Jesus did, saying "Abba, Father, not my will but yours be done?"
At this point, we would remind Muslims that they cannot simply take a snippet from a Bible verse while ignoring the rest of it. That would be dishonest and wrong. We would also remind them that Muhammad says very clearly in his Qur'an that Allah is a father to no one:
Surah 5, M. M. Pickthall
18 The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating...
Surah 19, M. M. Pickthall
88 And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son.
89 Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing
90 Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins,
91 That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son,
92 When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son.
93 There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave.
Surah 21, Muhammad Asad
26 And [yet,] some say, “The Most Gracious has taken unto Himself a son”! Limitless is He in His glory! Nay, [those whom they regard as God’s “offspring” are but His] honoured servants:
Christians who are familiar with the teachings of Muhammad already know the answers to the questions listed above. The real issue is for how much longer Muslims will continue to make claims such as this one that have no basis in actual fact.
Jesus is LORD!
See also:
Do Muslims Pray Like Jesus?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2013/12/did-jesus-pray-same-way-muslims-do.html
Do Muslims Pray As Jesus Commanded?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2017/04/do-muslims-pray-as-jesus-commanded.html
YHWH God, A Father?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/05/yhwh-god-father.html
Does Jesus Ever Say in the Bible, Pray to Me?
https://apologika.blogspot.com/2013/12/does-jesus-ever-say-in-bible-pray-to-me.html
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