Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity
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Nabeel Qureshi first began to study the Bible in order to challenge it and, incredibly, came to know Jesus as a result. I am thrilled to see his unique and gripping story in print and know that you will be encouraged and profoundly challenged by it as well. This is truly a must-read book for our times, as diverse worldviews each must face the test of truth.
—Ravi Zacharias, author and speaker
This is an urgently needed book with a gripping story. Nabeel Qureshi masterfully argues for the gospel while painting a beautiful portrait of Muslim families and heritage, avoiding the fearmongering and finger-pointing that are all too pervasive in today’s sensationalist world. I unreservedly recommend this book to all. It will feed your heart and mind, while keeping your fingers turning the page!
—Josh D. McDowell, author and speaker
Nabeel describes the yearning in the hearts of millions of Muslims around the world. This book is a must-read for all seeking to share the hope of Christ with Muslims.
—Fouad Masri, President and CEO, Crescent Project
Fresh, striking, highly illuminating, and sometimes heartbreaking, Qureshi’s story is worth a thousand textbooks. It should be read by Muslims and all who care deeply about our Muslim friends and fellow citizens.
—Os Guinness, author and social critic
Nabeel Qureshi’s story is among the most unique two or three testimonies that I have ever heard. His quest brought together several exceptional features: a very bright mind, extraordinary sincerity, original research, and a willingness to follow the evidence trail wherever it took him. His search led to the cross and to Jesus Christ, who was resurrected from the dead.
—Gary R. Habermas, Distinguished Research Professor, Liberty University
In his personal quest to know the truth, Nabeel Qureshi paves the way for an analytical study of the faiths, dissecting the Christian and Islamic arguments, specifically citing numerous Islamic hadith and early Christian texts, so that the reader can see a logical progression to the analyses. But it is also a deeply personal heartwrenching and tear-evoking saga of the life of a young Muslim growing up in the West, a gripping biography that is impossible to put down.
—James M. Tour, Professor of Chemistry, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science, Rice University
For anyone seeking understanding of their Muslim neighbors or colleagues, this is a book to read. We go on a journey from the inside out. We are introduced to the depth of spirituality, the love and honor of family, and the way a person “sees” and “feels” in a devout Muslim home. This is profound book that skillfully shows the core differences between the gospel and Islamic claims. I highly recommend it.
—Dr. Stuart McAllister, Regional Director The Americas, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries
This book offers the fascinating story of the conversion of a sincere young Ahmadiyya man who tried his best to seek Allah and eventually fell in love with Christ. I trust that this book can be a powerful encouragement for all Christians to pray for many Muslims to find Jesus Christ.
—Mark Gabriel, author and former lecturer, Al-Azhar University in Cairo
ZONDERVAN
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus
Copyright © 2014 by Nabeel A. Qureshi
ePub Edition © January 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-51503-6
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Qureshi, Nabeel.
Seeking Allah, finding Jesus : a devout Muslim encounters Christianity/Nabeel Qureshi.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-310-51502-9 (softcover)—ISBN 978-0-310-51503-6 (ebook)
1. Qureshi, Nabeel. 2. Christian converts from Islam—Biography. I. Title.
BV2626.4.Q74A3 2014
248.2'46092—dc23
[B] 2013035814
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Published in association with the literary agency of Mark Sweeney & Associates, Bonita Springs, Florida 34135
Cover design: Silverander Communications
Cover photography: Thinkstock
Interior design: Matthew Van Zomeren and Ben Fetterley
Printed in the United States of America
13 14 15 16 /DCI/ 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY PARENTS.
Ammi and Abba, your undying love for me even when you feel I have sinned against you is second only to God’s love for His children. I pray you will one day realize His love is truly unconditional, that He has offered forgiveness to us all. On that day, I pray that you would accept His redemption, so we might be a family once again. I love you with all my heart.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Lee Strobel
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Prologue: Seeking Allah
PART ONE: CALLED TO PRAYER
1. Prayers of My Fathers
2. A Mother’s Faith
3. A Community of Four
4. The Perfect Book
5. Stories of the Prophet
6. Righteous through Ritual Prayer
7. Diversity in Islam
8. The Path of Sharia
9. Dreams of the Faithful
10. The Month of Blessing
PART TWO: AN AMBASSADOR FOR ISLAM
11. Third Culture
12. Muslims in the West
13. Swoons and Substitutions
14. The Father Is Greater than Jesus
15. Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames
16. Treasured Traditions
17. Signs in the Sky
18. Honor and Authority
19. The Religion of Peace
PART THREE: TESTING THE NEW TESTAMENT
20. Becoming Brothers
21. Opening My Eyes
22. Textual Evolution
23. Revisiting Reliability
PART FOUR: COMING TO THE CRUX
24. Litmus Tests
25. Crucifying the Swoon Theory
26. A Muslim at Church
27. Debating the Resurrection
PART FIVE: JESUS: MORTAL MESSIAH OR DIVINE SON OF GOD?
28. Genetics and Jesus
29. Jesus Creates Carpenters
30. The Divine Son of Man
31. Paulemics and the Earliest Jesus
PART SIX: THE CASE FOR THE GOSPEL
32. Tension and the Trinity
33. Resonating with the Trinity
34. Salvation in the Balance
35. Assessing the Gospel
PART SEVEN: THE TRUTH ABOUT MUHAMMAD
36. Muhammad Revisited
37. The Picture-Perfect Prophet
38. Veiling the Violence
PART EIGHT: THE HOLINESS OF THE QURAN
40. The Case for the Quran
41. The Quran, Science, and Bucailleism
42. Hadith and the History of the Quran
43. Those Whom Their Right Hands Possess
PART NINE: FAITH IN DOUBT
44. Rationality and Revelation
45. The Cost of Embracing the Cross
46. I Am Near, Seek and You Shall Find
47. A Field of Crosses
PART TEN: GUIDED BY THE HAND OF GOD
48. Deciphering Dreams
49. The Narrow Door
50. A Stairway out of the Mosque
51. Time to Mourn
52. The Word Speaks
53. Finding Jesus
Epilogue
Notes
Glossary
FOREWORD
WHEN MY MINISTRY ASSOCIATE, Mark Mittelberg, and I decided to host a national simulcast called Unpacking Islam to educate Christians about what Muslims believe and why, the first expert we thought to invite was our friend Nabeel Qureshi.
We knew that this young Muslim-turned-Christian, with degrees in medicine, religion, and apologetics, would be knowledgeable and articulate. And he certainly delivered during the simulcast, helping to provide a succinct overview of Islam and telling the compelling story of his journey from Islam to faith in Christ.
But what happened after our event impressed me even more. Nabeel and the other participants went into the church’s atrium to take questions from people in attendance. A woman stepped to the microphone and asked, “As a Muslim, what are things I should know about Muhammad?” She seemed to be conflicted about what she had heard during the simulcast.
Instantly, I saw Nabeel kick into another gear. He began to discuss Islam with a depth that only another devout Muslim could fully appreciate, drawing from a seemingly bottomless reservoir of background and experience. And when he and the other experts began earnestly praying with the woman afterward, I was moved by his heartfelt compassion toward her — prompted, no doubt, by memories of his own epic struggles when he first started questioning Islam.
That evening only deepened my already profound respect and admiration for Nabeel, whom I had met through mutual friends several years earlier. I’m thrilled you’ll now be able to meet him in the following pages as he describes how his sincere desire for truth took him on a circuitous — and even supernatural — quest for answers.
You’ll experience what it’s like for someone immersed in Islamic culture to risk everything in order to determine the true identity of God. This is a very personal story of family, friends, and faith, intertwined with insights into Islam that will help you understand the Muslim world in new ways.
If you’re a Christian, you’ll emerge with a fresh appreciation of how better to love and reach out to Muslims.
If you’re a Muslim, be forewarned: you will find your core beliefs challenged through incisive historical reasoning and unflinching analysis. But if you read with an open mind, I’m confident you’ll quickly come to see Nabeel as a friend who cares enough to share what he has learned and to coax you forward in your spiritual journey.
I’m convinced that God took Nabeel on his quest not for some abstract reason but because of His great love for Nabeel and those who will be exposed to his story. It’s a saga that needs to be read, far and wide, by all people who value truth and ache to know God personally.
Read on and see how God uses Nabeel’s story to shape your own.
— Lee Strobel, author, The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I AM HUMBLED by the staggering personalities whom God has brought into this project for guidance and assistance. I would like to begin by thanking my dear friends and family who read and commented on segments of this book. Their encouragement and advice was invaluable. I especially would like to thank Carson Weitnauer and my dear sister, Baji, for their extensive feedback when I needed it most.
Thanks also go to Mark Sweeney and Madison Trammel for their friendship and professional expertise as they diligently worked to make this book into a reality.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest blessings of this book is the input from many amazing minds. I am indebted to Lee Strobel, Dan Wallace, Ed Komoszewski, Rob Bowman, Keith Small, Gary Habermas, and Josh McDowell for their heartfelt and insightful contributions. I am blessed beyond belief to even know them, let alone to consider all of them dear friends.
An extra dose of gratitude is due to Abdu Murray, not only for his contribution but also for his regular fellowship and spiritual support from afar. Having fought the battle from Islam to Christianity a few years before me, his insights have been invaluable. I acknowledge him as the older brother I never had.
Similarly, Mike Licona’s mentorship over the years has helped me to grow in both my thinking and my scholastic efforts. Much of my ministry would not have happened without him, let alone this book.
Another whose impact extends far beyond his contribution is David Wood. I am eternally indebted to him for his faithful fulfillment of the call to reach out to a young, zealous Muslim despite all the odds. May it be that our friendship and ministry together is only beginning.
If there is one person without whom this book would not have been written, it is Mark Mittelberg. From the very first stage of suggesting the book, to finding an agent, to choosing a publisher, to helping me write the book, to contributing to the book, to marketing the book . . . I am left wondering how much of the book is actually mine! Mark, your consummate mentorship and friendship is inspiring and compels me to be the best I can be. I will never be able to thank you enough.
Finally, I would like to thank my bride, Michelle. For bearing weeks of separation so that I could write this book, for diligently reading it late into the night, for having an unfaltering love for a fallen man, and for not once complaining in the least, I will never be able to pay you back. It’s a good thing we have our entire lives together for me to try!
To all my friends and family who took part in the shaping and support of this book, your help is inexpressibly appreciated. I pray the Lord will repay you all in kind.
INTRODUCTION
GREETINGS, dear friend!
The pages that follow contain my personal thoughts and most powerful memories, my very heart poured out on ink and paper. By reading this book, you will enter into the circle of my family and friends, take part in the bliss of my Islamic youth, and struggle with me through the culture clash of being an American born Muslim. By looking over my shoulder, you will be privy to the offensiveness of Christianity to Muslim eyes, begin struggling with the historical facts of the gospel, and feel the ground that shook beneath me as I slowly learned the hidden truths about Islam. By reading my personal journal entries, you will see how our Father finally called me to Jesus through visions and dreams, and the ensuing metamorphosis of my very self, induced by the Holy Spirit.
By reading this testimony, you will travel with me through life and know me intimately, becoming a dear friend indeed.
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK
But this book is more than just my testimony. It is designed with three purposes in mind:
1. To tear down walls by giving non-Muslim readers an insider’s perspective into a Muslim’s heart and mind. The mystical beauty of Islam that enchants billions cannot be grasped by merely sharing facts. But it is my prayer that by entering my world, you will come to understand your Muslim neighbor, so you can love him as yourself. The first two sections of the book are especially designed for this purpose, and if they seem pro-Islamic, they are serving their purpose of conveying a past love for my former faith.
2. To equip you with facts and knowledge, showing the strength of the case for the gospel in contrast with the case for Islam. History powerfully testifies to the foundational pillars of the gospel: Jesus’ death on the cross, His resurrection from the dead, and His claim to be God. By doing so, hi
story challenged my Islamic theology, which was grounded in the foundational pillars of Islam: the divine origin of the Quran and the prophethood of Muhammad. As I studied Islam more carefully, what I learned shook my world: there is no good reason to believe that either Muhammad or the Quran teaches the truth about God. Although this book is far too short to share all the facts and arguments I learned over the years, parts three through eight provide the contours of what I came to grasp and how they led me away from Islam toward Jesus.
3. To portray the immense inner struggle of Muslims grappling with the gospel, including sacrifices and doubts. As you will see in parts nine and ten, it is in the midst of this struggle that God is known to reach people directly through visions and dreams.
HOW TO READ THIS BOOK
Prologue. Be sure to read this before starting!
Glossary. There are many Islamic terms that you will come to know as you read through the book. I have defined them for you upon their first instance in the text, and you will find all these terms defined once again in the glossary.
Expert Contributions. These are truly the hidden treasure of this book. After each section, there is a link to an expert contribution. Ranging from prolific evangelists to a distinguished Quran scholar, learned men who are compassionate toward Muslims and passionate for the gospel have graciously added their voices to this work, lending their academic credibility and experienced insights. In fact, three of these scholars played personal roles in my journey to Jesus. I recommend that you read each contribution immediately after its related section. Here is the list of contributors:
• Abdu Murray, a lawyer, apologist, and former Shia Muslim
• Mark Mittelberg, a bestselling author, and world-renowned evangelist
• Dr. Daniel B. Wallace, a foremost professor of New Testament studies
• Dr. Michael Licona, an associate professor of theology and historian
• J. Ed Komoszewski, a professor of biblical and theological studies
• Robert M. Bowman Jr., a researcher and an author