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How to Reply to a Jehovah’s Witness?

22 October, 2016
Q Salam alaykum, I was approached by a Jehovah witness and I find it very difficult to try to talk to them about Islam because he carries their Bible with him and every time he speaks he points to it and says "here you see it says..." and when I tell him something about Islam and the Quran he says where it says this, show me. So he actually gave me a list of questions to find him answers and he wants quotes from the Quran. If you can help me that would be great and Jazak Allah khair. Here are the questions: 1. What is the truth about God? 2. Which books are from God? 3. How does God define good and bad? 4. Who are God's prophets and what is the proof of it? What are their miracles? 5. What is God's will and who did it and didn't do it? 6. Who is Satan and how is he misleading people? I was only able to give him a few examples from the Quran but he was not satisfied. He wanted more. Could you please help me? I find it very difficult to try to explain things to him. Can you tell me how I could explain to him that the so called Jehovah witness is not a religion but rather a cult, which belongs to a corrupt Christianity? He always says to me Jesus was the first being and I can't seem to be able to explain to him that he is wrong. Please help me with Quran proof. Thank you and Salam alykum.

Answer

Salam Dear Yousef,

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

I will try to answer it, but the answer will be of use to you only, because Jehovah’s Witnesses will not be persuaded by the arguments or the beliefs of others. To do so would put them outside the fold of their organization.

Disavowed by the majority of the world’s nearly two thousand million Christians as a cult, the world’s seven million Jehovah’s Witnesses hold ideas which are different from mainstream Christianity.

They believe, for example, that Jesus was created by Jehovah (whereas Christians hold that he was “begotten not made” by the Father) and that he did not die on a Cross, but on a stake.

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Nor do they believe in Hell. They believe that at the end of time, Jesus will destroy all non-believers (who will then just cease to exist) and that Jehovah’s Witnesses alone will reign on earth for one thousand years. They believe that 144,000 of them will be co-rulers with Christ in Heaven.

As for when the end of time will be, they believe that we are living in the last times. They first predicted that the end of the world would be in 1925, then when that failed to happen they said it would be in 1975. That didn’t happen either.

Discussion or debate with Jehovah’s Witnesses is futile, since they are required to believe the teachings of their organization’s leaders and are not allowed, as a matter of faith, to accept alternative ideas.

Providing quotations from the Quran in answer to their questions is to no avail, then, since they are not allowed to accept interpretations other than their own doctrine.

In addition, Jehovah’s Witnesses discourage any kind of inter-religious dialogue, since they believe all other religions to be wrong.

Their style of door-to-door preaching, required of all members, involves using extensive, prepared quotations from their own 1961 translation of the Bible.

Questioning or arguing with these quotations, or those who deliver them, will not work, since they will repeat them to you again and again.

So how, then, brother, do we speak with these people? As a Muslim you have a clear desire to tell others about Islam. Indeed, this is required of you, “with wise words and beautiful preaching.”

My own approach here would be to take the longer view. You will not under any circumstances persuade the Jehovah’s Witnesses who come knocking at your door that their belief is wrong, or that Islam is the final message of Almighty God to humanity.

Through time, though, and through good manners and good example, your words might touch some chord deep within. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses leave their organization and it could be that at some time in the future they will remember their encounter with good, kind, patient, and tolerant Muslims. Perhaps that encounter might then be used by Allah Almighty to draw them to Islam.

As for answering their points one by one, it is typical of their preaching style that they want answers to immense questions with one-line quotations. Islam is not for unthinking people. The questions about life’s meaning cannot be summed up in a sentence. However, just we might give a few examples that point people in the right direction.

All of Muslim belief comes from the Quran and from the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him). Since neither of these is accepted by Jehovah’s Witnesses, I can’t see why they would want quotations from them. Maybe one day, though, they might.

The truth about God, as revealed in the Quran, is that He is One, without partner or equal. This is the central belief of Muslims, and it is what all Prophets throughout the centuries have called mankind to. This belief is so simple:

{Proclaim, “He is the One and only GOD. “The Absolute GOD. Never did He beget. Nor was He begotten. None equals Him.} (Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)

As for His message, revealed over time, Muslims believe that Allah has spoken to all people and sent them Messengers for their age and their situation. These books no longer exist in the form in which they were revealed, since they were not intended to last.

The Quran, however, revealed to Prophet Muhammad is Allah’s final message, and meant for all people and for all time. The Quran we have today is exactly the same one revealed to Prophet Muhammad fourteen centuries ago.

In the Quran we find listed the books of Allah:

{He sent down to you this scripture, truthfully, confirming all previous scriptures, and He sent down the Torah and the Gospel.} (Aal `Imran 3:3)

{We have inspired you, as we inspired Noah and the prophets after him. And we inspired Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Patriarchs, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon. And we gave David the Psalms.} (An-Nissa’ 4:163)

{This is recorded in the earlier teachings. The teachings of Abraham and Moses.} (Al-A`la 87:18-19)

It is too simplistic to try and sum up the whole of Islamic teachings about good and evil in a few quotations, no matter how appealing that may seem. Allah has called men and women to submit to Him as Muslims, observing the five pillars of Islam and avoiding bad deeds. To list them would require an article in itself.

As for the Prophets of Allah they, too, are listed in different places in the Quran, starting with Prophet Noah and ending with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all), the final Messenger and the Seal of the Prophets:

{And we granted him Isaac and Jacob, and we guided both of them. Similarly, we guided Noah before that, and from his descendants (we guided) David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron. We thus reward the righteous.} (Al-An`am 6:84)

The miracles performed by Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) are mentioned here:

{God will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessings upon you and your mother. I supported you with the Holy Spirit, to enable you to speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult. I taught you the scripture, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel. Recall that you created from clay the shape of a bird by My leave, then blew into it, and it became a live bird by My leave.  You healed the blind and the leprous by My leave, and revived the dead by My leave. Recall that I protected you from the Children of Israel who wanted to hurt you, despite the profound miracles you had shown them. The disbelievers among them said, `This is obviously magic.’} (Al-Ma’idah 5:110)

God’s Will is, again, made clear throughout the Quran. It is His Will that all creatures should worship Him. Those who did and do this are to be considered of the righteous:

{I did not create the jinns and the humans except to worship Me alone.} (Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)

Finally, Satan, is described in the Quran as having been created by Allah from fire and how he misleads mankind. Satan is described in the following verses:

{He said, “Since You have willed that I go astray, I will skulk for them on Your straight path.” I will come to them from before them, and from behind them, and from their right, and from their left, and You will find that most of them are unappreciative.”} (Al-A`raf 7:16-17)

Such then, brother, is as simple an answer as I can give to such a question. Asking for one line quotations from the Quran to describe the whole teachings of Islam is like asking to sum up the theory of nuclear fusion in a sentence.

But that, unfortunately, is the level of discussion you will be able to expect from these people who come knocking at your door.

I hope this answers your questions.

Salam.

About Idris Tawfiq
Idris Tawfiq was a British writer, public speaker and consultant.He became a Muslim around 15 years ago.For many years, he was head of religious education in different schools in the United Kingdom.Before embracing Islam, he was a Roman Catholic priest.He passed away in peace in the UK in February 2016 after a period of illness.May Allah (SWT) have mercy on him, and accept his good deeds. Ameen.