Muslim Response: Allah is the Best of Deceivers in Surah 3:54

Introduction

1. Majority if not all Muslims have their printed Qur’an in Arabic at home, while majority of Christians have their printed Bible not in its original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Aramaic or Greek (New Testament) but rather in its translation form (for Filipinos who know English and English speaking countries they go for KJV, NKJV, NIV, ESV, etc.).
2. All Muslims are required to recite verses from the Qur’an in its Arabic form at least 5-times a day when they pray. Majority of Christians pray in Church in their own language so those who don’t speak Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, will not recite the Bible in those languages.

Both points above can easily be verified by just attending a Church service or search Church worship on youtube. Do the same for how Muslims do it and you’ll find that no Muslim pray using a translation, so it is pointless to hide a meaning under a translation. However, this can work for Christians since they are encouraged to pray in their language for ease of understanding but there is a risk of not reading the actual meaning because they use translations --- meaning hiding an original meaning has high probability of not getting detected.

Open Question #1: Was Ibn Kathir concerned about translation?

Ibn Kathir was an Arab writing commentaries in Arabic. To be concerned about a translation would mean that he was commenting about a non-Arabic texts of the Qur’an, was he? Where is the source of him suggesting that it should be ‘planner’? What translation did he want to correct? Why would he be using a translation when he can understand the Arabic texts and can make commentaries in Arabic?

Here is Ibn Kathir’s tafsir of Surah 3:54, translated into English. He focused on explaining the event that happened—God saving Jesus and it even says Allah have deceived the evil plotters, so I thought Ibn Kathir was trying to hide the word ‘deceiving’ why would the English translator use ‘deceiving’ if this was supposed to be hidden into ‘planner’?

Ibn Kathir never argued about the proper translation of m-k-r, and respectfully, I do not understand why he would have been concerned about it.

Was it because Ibn Kathir wanted to hide m-k-r? How could he hide it when Muslims recite the Qur’an in Arabic during their prayers, meaning the translations can never surpass the usage of Arabic language so it pointless to hide meaning in translation.

Open Question #2: Should we think of you as bad for saving your mother and sister?

If your mother was kidnapped by a bad guy and planned a deception to trick your sisters to be kidnapped as well, but you also made a planned into deceiving them into your plot. Both of you made a plan involving deception, but you won and saved your mother and sister, that would make you the Best of Planners or Best of Deceivers in limited sense, because you did deception in good faith of saving your mother and sister. No reasonable police or person would go after you and think of you as bad for deceiving the kidnappers to save your mother and sister.

Open Question #3: Should we think of God as bad for saving Jesus?

If you assume the Qur’an is true and your problem is that God in the Qur’an is the Best of Deceivers, then from the explanation in Open Question 2, it is not.

Whether the Christians believed or not in God saving Jesus, but to think of bad of someone for saving Jesus or saving anyone against a bad person has problematic reasoning or is inhumane.

Open Question #4: If God cannot outmaneuver Satan because Satan should be the Best of Deceivers, then would that mean God in Christianity is deceived by Satan?

We have no problem with God outmaneuvering or deceiving the disbelievers in order to save Jesus, because we do not consider God bad for showing mercy to Jesus. We believe God is all-powerful and can defeat easily the Best of Deceivers, but we never think of God in bad light as in Best of Best of Deceivers after defeating Satan if we follow the reasoning posted by the Christian, rather we think of him as Best of Best of Planners. Otherwise, if God cannot beat Satan because we don’t want God to be the Best of Best of Deceivers, then that would suggest that God can be deceived by Satan?

Open Question #5: If God is all-knowing, then He knew the angel He created would become the Best of Deceivers. Would that make God the God/Creator of the Best of Deceivers in Christianity?

In Islam, we believe that God created Satan and sent him down to earth as a test for humanity, and we do not consider God bad for doing so. Through this test, God distinguishes among His creation those who choose good and deserve Heaven from those who choose evil and deserve Hell. For us, that is fair.

It is similar to attorneys, teachers, engineers, and doctors having to take board examinations. The government does not require these examinations with bad intentions, but to determine who deserves to practise these professions. This benefits citizens by ensuring that they receive qualified practitioners.

Open Question #6: God deceived people in the Bible, should we think of God in the bible as bad?

May the God of Jesus (peace be with him) guide us all.

Take care.