The Bold Statement

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

Allaah تعالى says:

﴿ادْعُ إِلِى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَـدِلْهُم بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِيلِهِ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ ﴾

{Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them with that which is best. Truly, your Lord best knows who has strayed from His path, and He best knows those who are guided} [Surah al-Nahl (16): 125]

It has become a common practice in the field of Comparative Religion that every Muhammad, Bakr or Zaid who enters into it, starts challenging the non-Muslims. Putting up challenges in itself is not wrong. There are many instances in the Qur’aan where Allaah تعالى challenged those who do not believe in Him, His Books or His Messengers.

But challenging someone by putting your religion on the line is not the way it should done. You here them challenging that if they are proved wrong they’ll convert to such-and-such religion.

One such example is, challenging by saying: “Nowhere in the Bible did Jesus Christ say: ‘I am god’ or ‘worship me’.  If someone proves me wrong, I’ll become a Christian.” – or something similar to it.

Here are some of the challenges mentioned in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah:

Challenge Of Allaah:

Some of the challenges of Allaah, in the Qur’aan, are as follows:

﴿أَمْ يَقُولُونَ افْتَرَاهُ قُلْ فَأْتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُواْ مَنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ﴾

{Or do they say, “He forged it”? Say, “Bring then a Surah like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you can, besides Allaah, if you speak the truth!”} [Surah Yunus (10): 38]

﴿وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُواْ شُهَدَآءَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـدِقِينَ - فَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلُواْ وَلَن تَفْعَلُواْ فَاتَّقُواْ النَّارَ الَّتِى وَقُودُهَا النَّاسُ وَالْحِجَارَةُ أُعِدَّتْ لِلْكَـفِرِينَ ﴾

{And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to our servant, then produce a Surah like unto it; and call upon your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allaah, if your (doubts) are true. But if you cannot - and of a surety you cannot (produce a Surah) - then fear the fire whose fuel is Men and stones - which is prepared for the disbelievers} [Surah Al-Baqarah (2): 23 – 24]

﴿أَفَلاَ يَتَدَبَّرُونَ الْقُرْءَانَ وَلَوْ كَانَ مِنْ عِندِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ لَوَجَدُواْ فِيهِ اخْتِلَـفاً كَثِيراً ﴾

{Do they not consider the Qur’aan (with care)? Had it been from anyone other than Allaah, they would surely have found therein many contradictions (discrepancies)} [Surah Al-Nisaa’ (4): 82]

So one see that Allaah تعالى challenged them, but did not put any conditional clause to it.

Challenge Of Ibraaheem عليه السلام:

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ فِى رِبِّهِ أَنْ آتَـهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِى يُحْىِ وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْىِ وَأُمِيتُ قَالَ إِبْرَهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِى بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِى كَفَرَ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ﴾

{Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibraaheem (Abraham) about his Lord (Allaah), because Allaah had given him the kingdom? When Ibraaheem (Abraham) said (to him): "My Lord (Allaah) is He Who gives life and causes death." He said, "I give life and cause death." Ibraaheem (Abraham) said, "Verily, Allaah brings the sun from the east; then bring it you from the west." So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allaah guides not the people, who are Dhaalimoon (wrong doers).} [Surah al-Baqarah (2): 258]

The Sunnah:

The following is an excerpt from al-Raheeq al-Makhtoom:

“The pagans of Makkah therefore decided to approach Abu Taalib for the second time and insisted that he put a stop to his nephew's activities, which if allowed unchecked, they said, would involve him into severe hostility. Abu Taalib was deeply distressed at this open threat and the breach with his people and their enmity, but he could not afford to desert the Messenger too. He sent for his nephew and told him what the people had said, “Spare me and yourself and put not burden on me that I can't bear.” Upon this the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم thought that his uncle would let him down and would no longer support him, so he replied:

“O my uncle! By Allaah! If they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this course, until Allaah has made me victorious, or I perish therein, I would not abandon it.”

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم got up, and as he turned away, his uncle called him and said: “Come back, my nephew,” and when he came back, he said: “Go and preach what you please, for by Allaah I will never forsake you.”

He then recited two lines of verse pregnant with meanings of full support to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and absolute gratification by the course that his nephew had chalked out in Arabia.”

--end of quote.

This was reported by Ibn Is-haaq in “al-Maghaazee”, and by Ibn Hishaam (1/284-285) from Ya`qoob bin `Utbah bin al-Mugheerah bin al-Akhnas that he said: [and the narration is as above], but Shaikh al-Albaanee graded it in “al-Dha`eefah” (909) as “Dha`eef Mu`dhal” (weak because of omission of two or more consecutive narrators from the chain of narration).

Shaikh al-Albaanee mentioned in “al-Saheehah” (92), that Abu Ja`far al-Bukhtaree reported, as well as Ibn `Asaakir narrated from the route of Abu Yu`laa and others, all narrated from Yunus bin Bukair that Talhah bin Yahya informed us on the authority of Moosaa bin Talhah that `Aqeel bin Abu Taalib said:

“The Quraish came to Abu Taalib and said: ‘Did you see Ahmad (the other name for the Prophet)? He harms us in our gatherings and in our place of worship. Stop him before we harm him.’ (Abu Taalib) said: ‘O `Aqeel, bring Muhammad to me.’ So I went and came back with him. He (Abu Taalib) said: ‘O son of my brother! The children of your uncles claim that you harm them in their gatherings and their place of worship, so stop doing that.’ (`Aqeel) said: The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم looked up at the sky and said: “I will under no circumstances stop (preaching the truth) for your sake, even if they were to bring to me a torch (flame) from it (i.e. the sun).” Abu Taalib (addressing the Quraish) said: ‘My nephew did not speak a lie, so go back (all of you).’” [Shaikh al-Albaanee said: “The chain of this narration is “Hasan” (good)]

So from what has been mentioned above from the Book of Allaah تعالى and the Sunnah of His Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is that even though the Prophets and Messengers were the ones who were the most certain about the truth they were sent with; yet they never challenged anyone with a conditional clause by putting their religion on the line.  Rather, from the Sunnah we learn that even if the non-Muslims, the Kuffaars and the Mushriks were to do something extraordinary, we should not let go of our religion.

For some, this topic might not be that appealing, but when the ignorant ones speak, they cause more confusion in the Ummah than the rectification they were aiming for.

The Companion, `Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood laments, "How will it be when the trials overcome you, in which the young grow old and the old grow senile. And the people take the bid`ah as the Sunnah, and when it changes they say: the Sunnah has changed.” It was said: “when will this be O Abu Abdul-Rahmaan?” He replied: “When your speakers are many and your scholars are few, and the wealthy ones are plenty and the trustworthy ones are few." [ad-Daarimee (186), Shaykh al-Albaanee graded one of the chain as Saheeh and the other as Hasan in his books “Salaat al-Taraaweeh” and “Qiyaam Ramadhaan” and Saheeh al Targheeb (111)]