# No God but One  ## Metadata - Author: [[Nabeel Qureshi]] - Full Title: No God but One - Category: #books ## Highlights - According to Islam, the way to paradise is sharia, a code of laws to follow that will please Allah and earn his favor. Sharia is literally translated “the way.” According to the Christian message, the gospel, the way to eternal life is Jesus. He said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). In Islam, sharia is the way, and in Christianity, Jesus is the way. ([Location 324](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=324)) - Islam teaches that the fundamental problem of mankind is ignorance, that man needs to be guided in order to live good lives. Once people learn what to believe, aqeeda, and how to live, sharia, they will earn the pleasure of Allah. ([Location 354](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=354)) - Allah is not a Father, and Allah is not a Son (Quran 112). He is an absolute unity, a monad. The other basic components of aqeeda have already been mentioned above: belief in the prophets, belief in divinely inspired books, belief in angels and the unseen, belief in the day of judgment, and belief in Allah’s predestining sovereignty. Together, these are called the Six Articles of Faith. ([Location 357](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=357)) - proclaiming the Islamic motto, the shahada: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Messenger”; praying the five daily prayers; fasting during the month of Ramadan; giving alms; and undertaking a pilgrimage to Mecca. Together, these are called the Five Pillars of Islam. ([Location 363](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=363)) - according to Christian teaching, sin is not just doing something wrong. It is a rebellion against God, the Source of Life. Death is not a punishment for our actions as much as it is a consequence. God does not execute us for jaywalking; we get run over by a truck while jaywalking. ([Location 464](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=464)) - Herein lies the genius and infinitude of the love of God: He does not draw the line. He offers mercy to everyone who has ever sinned while also demanding justice for every sin ever committed. He does this by offering to bear the consequence of our sins himself. The consequence of our sins is death, and God is willing to die on behalf of all his children. ([Location 482](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=482)) - Christian obedience, devoid of threat and rooted in love, is what God truly wants. ([Location 510](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=510)) - Islam diagnoses the world with ignorance and offers the remedy of sharia, a law to follow. Christianity diagnoses the world with brokenness and offers the remedy of God himself, a relationship with him that leads to heart transformation. ([Location 533](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=533)) - The problem of mankind is deeper than what we do; it is embedded in who we are. ([Location 538](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=538)) - Because of tawhid, Allah depends on mankind in order to be Allah. Because of his triune nature, Yahweh is truly independent and self-sufficient. ([Location 858](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=858)) - Christian martyrdom did not mean dying with sword in hand, but laying down one’s life instead of one’s faith. ([Location 960](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=960)) - unlike the teachings of Jesus that focus on principles and heart transformation, the guidance in Islam comes in the form of particulars. Sharia reaches the Muslim people in the form of thousands of decisions made by jurists and scholars who are familiar with the traditions of Muhammad’s life. It all comes back to the exemplary life of the prophet. ([Location 1154](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=1154)) - This is the violence we see in the Old Testament: judgment directed toward specific peoples on account of specific sins, and deferred for as long as possible. ([Location 1985](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=1985)) - The violence taught by Muhammad, on the other hand, extends to all non-Muslims in Islamic lands unless they fulfill certain conditions. ([Location 1987](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01863JQXO&location=1987))