Lust is a real issue.
We lust in many different ways, but lust or the strong desiring of something is evasive. It’s been that way from the beginning when Eve was tempted:
“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…” — Genesis 3:6.
John summarizes it this way: “the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). Every sin can fall into one of these three categories. How are we to understand lust? Just accept it? Repent from it? Embrace it?
The Teachings of Jesus
What Jesus taught was radical. He did not make it easier, he made it even more confrontive.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Mt 5:27-30).
The level of self-control he demanded was insane. If you even entertain adulteress thoughts in your heart, you have committed adultery. Therefore, deal with the sin in your heart radically.
He used dramatic hyperbole here. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your eye causes you to lust, gouge it out. He wasn’t saying to do this literally. If that was the case, no one would see or have hands. But he did say not to treat it lightly, but rather with the severity of which is sin. Jesus described sin as,
“what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone” (Mt 15:18-20).
No one is to blame but ourselves. It is our responsibility to life self-controlled, Godly lives.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12).
We can’t blame anyone but ourselves. Maturity is growing in self-control and uprightness.
Now let’s compare this to the Islamic teachings.
The Teachings of Islam
What we see in Islam is quite a bit different.
1) Allah, created man for sin.
“Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) having said: By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them (Sahih Muslim 2749).
If we weren’t sinners, Allah would destroy us. So sin, we must.
2) Adultery is a necessity for man to commit.
“Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) as saying: Verily Allah has fixed the very portion of adultery which a man will indulge in, and which he of necessity must commit. The adultery of the eye is the lustful look, and the adultery of the tongue is the licentious speech, the heart desires and yearns, which the parts may or may not put into effect” (Sahih Muslim 2657b).
Whether it’s adultery in the flesh, or adultery in the heart, a man cannot help himself. He must commit it. With Jesus, even adultery of the heart was wrong. With Muhammad, a man by necessity must commit some form of adultery.
3) Grand Sexual liberties were granted
- A female prison of war in Islam, when captured, it annuls her marriage and he can take her sexually (Sahih Muslim 1456d),
- Muta, temporary marriage for a couple of hours/days/months was allowed (Quran 4:24)
- When Muhammad saw his daughter-in-law scantily clad, Allah put it in his heart to marry her, and he did (Quran 33:37).
- Allah put it in Muhammad’s heart to marry the 6 year old of his friend, and so he did, consummating the marriage at 9 ((Sahih al-Bukhari 7012).
- When caught in his wife’s bed with their slave girl, the Messenger of Allah received a special revelation that it was not to be forbidden for him as he was the prophet (Quran 66:1-2)
- The prophet of Islam was given unlimited sexual librerties to be with any woman he wanted, and this was for him and not for anyone else (Quran 33:50)
- If a man calls a woman to have relations with him in bed, she should immediately even if she at the oven (Al-Tirmidhi 1160), or riding a camel (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1160).
- If a woman does not give in to the demands of her husband’s desires sexually, the angels will curse her until morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 5193).
- If a woman is not properly veiled, she can be molested and the fault is hers (Quran 33:59)
- If a woman is raped, it takes the equivalent of 2 witnesses, and a woman’s witness is only half that of a man, so she would need 4 female witnesses, or 2 male witnesses (Quran 2:282).
The Differences
Jesus teaches self-control.
Islamic teaching promote self-indulgence.
Jesus teaches all are responsible.
Islamic teachings say that the woman is responsible.
Jesus teaches sin comes from the heart.
Islamic teaches sin is external from a woman’s lack of modesty.
Jesus lived a life of holiness and purity in whom there was no sin.
Islam’s prophet received revelations that gave him unlimited permission to sin.
Based on this, who would you rather follow? Who is the better person to put your trust into? Is it Jesus? Or the Islam’s Messenger?
It’s your choice.