Through Force or Faith? — Page 255
Chapter 7 — Novelty in the Teachings of Muhammad 255 bear them now. However when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth ( John 16:12, 13). In fact, the Spirit of truth came–(who is Prophet Muhammad s as according to the Muslims)–and made a powerful claim that his teachings were complete and perfect ( S u rah al-Mā’idah, 5:4). It openly challenged every opponent to present something at least equal to it if they could not bring anything better, and claimed that they would most certainly fail in their efforts ( S u rah al-Baqa- rah, 2:24). Thus, by this comparison our objective is only to pres- ent the new and perfect aspects of the teachings of Islam. We have selected three areas for this comparison: First: Beliefs Second: Values Third: Spirituality. By comparing Islamic teachings with other religions under these three categories, we can find out what is new in the teachings of Islam, and what their special characteristics are. Religious Doctrines In religious beliefs, we have selected three subjects for illustration that are basic and fundamental for each religion, namely, the con- cept of God, the status of man, and the fate of man. We compare these three subjects in Islam and other religions to elicit the new teachings the Holy Prophet s as brought.