The Islamic sources could not completely get rid of the concept of sacrifice, ransom, or substitutionary atonement in their texts of the Qur’an nor Hadith collections, because it was so clearly taught in the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures.
Muslims like Paul Williams, Shabir Ally, and Jamal Badawi say, that the Christian idea of substitutionary atonement is wrong and unjust and does not make sense.
“The Christian idea that guilt can be removed from a wrongdoer by someone else being punished instead is morally grotesque.” Paul Williams writes that here, called “The Supreme Maxim of Christianity”. (No longer there. Paul Bilal Williams keeps changing his website/blog and now has a new one that he started in 2015 “bloggingtheology” dot net (that one also later changed) – he claims he is not being as polemic as he was before against Christianity(but even that post is no longer there), but recently his emphasis on Bart Ehrman’s attacks on the Bible seem to suggest that Paul Bilal Williams cannot shake off his obsession with using liberal scholars to seek to cause Christians to doubt the Bible. As a Muslim, he has to spend his time doing this, spending his energy “suppressing the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18), because the Qur’an affirms the Bible, the Torah, the Psalms, the Prophets, and the Injeel (The Gospel), and yet also contradicts the Bible in content on the most important doctrines about Christ and Salvation. )
Then why do these Islamic Hadiths clearly say that Allah will forgive the sins of Muslims and save them from hell by punishing Jews and Christians in their place?
“Abu Musa’ reported that Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from Hell-Fire.” (Hadith, Sahih Muslim, Book 37, no. 6665)
“Abu Burda reported on the authority of his father that Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: No Muslim would die but Allah would admit in his stead a Jew or a Christian in Hell-Fire. ‘Umar b. Abd al-‘Aziz took an oath: By One besides Whom there is no god but He, thrice that his father had narrated that to him from Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him).”
(Hadith, Sahih Muslim, Book 37, no. 6666.)
“Abu Burda reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with as heavy sins as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them and He would place in their stead the Jews and the Christians. (As far as I think), Abu Raub said: I do not know as to who is in doubt. Abu Burda said: I narrated it to ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, whereupon he said: Was it your father who narrated it to you from Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him)? I said: Yes. ” (Hadith, Sahih Muslim, Book 37, no. 6668.)
And Muslims have problems with Jesus as the innocent Messiah, the sinless prophet (for us the eternal Son of God) dying for the sins of others! They say, “it is unjust” !!
These Hadith are worse, because the sins of Muslims are put on other sinners. That is injustice indeed. But it was not unjust for Jesus to die for our sins, because He did it voluntarily, and He is perfect and sinless. He voluntarily died for sinners out of love and compassion. Jesus said, “No one takes My life from Me, I lay it down voluntarily on My own initiative, and I take it up again on My own authority.” John 10:18
And why does the Qur’an also mention the idea of substitutionary sacrifice in Surah Al Saffat 37:107 ?
“We have ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice”
وَفَدَيْنَـهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
“We have ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice.”
Qur’an 37:107
فَدَيْنَـهُ = “we ransomed him”
بِذِبْحٍ = بِ =b = “with” or “by”;
ذِبْحٍ = sacrifice, slaughter, slain victim
(The cognate Hebrew word for sacrifice is similar, ZBH, זֶבַח
عَظِيم = “great”, “mighty”, “tremendous”
which is about the innocent ram being substituted for Abraham’s son, and comes from Genesis 22, and is also taught in the Jewish scriptures and in history in Exodus 12 (Passover) and Leviticus (chapters 1-7, 16-17) and the temple sacrifices (1 Kings 8) and the prophesies of the suffering Servant/ Messiah (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22) ?
Jesus, Al Masih عیسی المسیح was the final perfect sacrifice. Al Masih fullfilled all the OT sacrifices and system.
Yahya یحیی (Prophet John the Baptizer) said, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29
For More, see:
A Muslim distorts the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18.
Apologetics and Agape 
The idea of substitution is there. “deliver to every Muslim” – a Jew or a Christian is delivered in their place; this is their rescue from Hell-Fire. to rescue or save from hell means that there is forgiveness of sins.
‘When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from Hell-Fire.’
‘No Muslim would die but Allah would admit in his stead a Jew or a Christian in Hell-Fire.’
“in his stead” = substitution
“as heavy sins as a mountain”, = metaphor for guilt
‘There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with as heavy sins as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them and He would place in their stead the Jews and the Christians.’
“forgive them and He would place in their stead” = substitutionary payment, or ransom or atonement.
the ideas of salvation (rescue from Hell-fire), guilt, and substitution are there. Allah did not forgive them without a substitution/ransom.
Islam could not completely get rid of the very clear teaching in the OT and the NT, and it is even clearer in the Qur’an with the story of Abraham and his son.
Qur’an Surah Al Saffat 37:107 – “We have ransomed him with a mighty sacrifice.”
Right on the money Ken. I just wrote a reply to one of William’s recent posts concerning the supposed unbounded nature of Allah’s mercy and forgiveness: http://badmanna.wordpress.com/2014/09/04/allahs-unbounded-cruelty-and-injustice-a-post-by-sam-shamoun/
There you will find this narration:
(20) CHAPTER. Disbelievers are sent to Hell as SACRIFICE to the Muslims
1937. Abu Musa narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “When it is the Day of Resurrection, Allah will deliver every Muslim a Jew or Christian and say: ‘THAT IS YOUR SACRIFICE FROM HELL-FIRE.’” (The Translation of the Meanings of Summarized Sahih Muslim (Arabic–English), Compiled by Al-Hafiz Zakiuddin Abdul-Azim Al-Mundhiri [Darussalam Publishers & Distributors, First Edition: February 2000], Volume 2, 62– The Book Of Repentance And Allah’s Great Mercy, pp. 1033-1034; capital emphasis ours)
So you can see that the translator himself rendered the Arabic term as sacrifice, thereby proving your point.
And here are three more articles where I thoroughly address William’s assertions, especially in regards to these hadiths:
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/morally_grotesque.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/human_sacrifice.html
http://answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/williams/false_accusations6.html
Ken,
Texts are interpreted in accordance with all related other texts, not in isolation.
Some other related Hadiths clearly give the meaning and interprete the Hadiths in question just as Paul Williams correctly pointed out above (see here: http://www.letmeturnthetables.com/2012/04/no-substitutionary-atonement-islam.html )
And you have involved Qur’an Surah Al Saffat 37:107 in your personal interpretation obviously just for the translated words “ransomed” and “sacrificed” which here do not mean what you wanted them to mean. There is no transfer of guilt from Ishmael (who was then only a minor) to the ram, and no any idea of the event being for any forgiveness of sin!
On the Hadiths, my point is that some idea of substitution is there, rescue and ransom from hell fire is there. It is obvious that Islam is trying to change things, 600 years later after the NT, but they cannot completely get rid of the OT concepts of substitution and ransom for salvation and forgiveness of sins.
on the Quran passage – Al Saffat 37:107 –
But that is the meaning in the OT (Genesis 22), so it stands, as it is older, established for centuries, and that is the background for Surah Al Saffat 37:107. It is not my interpretation, but the Jewish one in the OT, along with Exodus 12 (Passover), Leviticus chapters 1-7, 16 (Day of Atonement) -17, the temple (1 Kings 8), Isaiah 53, etc. The NT shows Jesus Al Masih as fullfilling all the OT prophesies of these.
Reblogged this on Apologetics and Agape and commented:
Islam could not get rid of the concept of substitutionary atonement, as evidenced in several Hadith passages and a verse in the Qur’an.
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