The Antichrist in Muhammad: The Blessed Virgin Mary

1/5/2013

(Page 3 of 3)

href="http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/506.htm">CCC � 506) It is the entire first half of St. Augustine's sentence that Muhammad rejects.

Mary's faith informs our faith, is in fact a model for it: As Blessed John Paul II explains in his encyclical on Mary: "Another essential element of Mary's maternal task is found in her words to the servants: "Do whatever he tells you." [John 2:5] The Mother of Christ presents herself as the spokeswoman of her Son's will, pointing out those things which must be done so that the salvific power of the Messiah may be manifested." (RM, 21) This is absent in the Qur'an. In the Qur'an, Mary has no faith in Christ as the Son of God, as her Redeemer, as her Savior, and the Mary of the Qur'an does not tell us to do whatever Christ tells us.

The Mary in the Qur'an is not the Mater Fidei and Mater Fidelium, the Mother of Faith and of the Christian Faithful. The Mary of the Qur'an is a Muslimah, a Muslim, not a Christian. "O Mary! worship thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.'" (Quran 3:42-43). She prays to Allah, not to the Holy Trinity.

The Catholic devotional rule ad Iesum per Mariam, as promoted by St. Louis de Montfort among others saints and spiritual guides, works marvelously well, as those who are devoted to Mary (including this author) know. But it is a rule for Christians, not for non-Christians.

The crucial key to the efficacy of the formula ad Iesum per Mariam is that the Marian devotion has to be authentic. In other words, it already presumes a deep attachment and faith in Jesus as God, as Redeemer, and as Savior.

As Blessed John Paul II, a Christian with impeccable Marian credentials, wrote in his Letter to the Montfort Religious Family, "[a]uthentic Marian devotion is Christocentric." (Monfort Letter, No. 2) The Catechism's presentation is crisp and succinct: "What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ." (CCC � 487)

What Islam believes about Mary is based upon what it believes about Jesus, and what it teaches about Mary illumines its belief about Jesus. So it turns out that we are dealing with two completely different Marys, one true and one false, just like we are dealing with two completely different Christs, one true and one false. To the extent that Islam's view of Jesus is motivated by the spirit of antichrist--a position amply proved by prior articles in this series--Islam's view of Mary is motivated by a like spirit.

As Blessed John Paul II pointed out in his Marian encyclical Redemptoris Mater, "If it is true, as the Council itself proclaims, that "only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light," then this principle must be applied in a very particular way to that exceptional "daughter of the human race," that extraordinary "woman" who became the Mother of Christ. Only in the mystery of Christ is her mystery fully made clear." (No. 4)

The Catechism wonderfully expounds on the "mystery of Christ" in sections 512-70. Yet it is the very "mystery of the Incarnate Word" that Muhammad rejected, and the Mary of the Qur'an has no attachment--none at all--with the mystery of the Incarnate Word.

The rejection of the "mystery of the Incarnate Word" has more than Mariological ramifications. It also has Trinitarian effects. This relationship of of Mary to Christ the Incarnate Word is essential in devotion to her as it is Trinitarian only with this link. "Mary's total relativity to Christ and through him," leads us "to the Blessed Trinity." (Montfort Letter, No. 3) Authentic devotion to Mary is inextricably tied to devotion to Jesus as the Incarnate Word and through the Incarnate Word to the Blessed Trinity.

The Muslim devotion to Mary, while sincerely held, is not authentic because it has no tie--none at all--to Jesus as the Incarnate Word, the Redeemer of the world, and the Savior of all mankind. It has therefore no Trinitarian tie-in which would make it authentic "St Louis Marie expresses the Trinitarian dimension of his relationship with God: "Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father! Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son! Hail Mary, faithful Spouse of the Holy Spirit!" (The Secret of Mary, p. 71). (quoted in Montfort Letter, No. 3) To a Muslim, each one of these utterances is blasphemous, infected by the worst of sins, one that is taught will send you to hell: shirk. That's how far apart the Muslim Mary is from the Christian Mary.

The Muslim view of Mary is no closer to Catholicism than the Muslim view of Jesus, which means theologically they are worlds apart. In my view, Muhammad's concessions to Jesus and to Mary in the Qur'an are nothing less an exploitation and perversion of the Gospel calculated to persuade or finagle simple Christians into his greater theological system. When that failed, Muhammad turned to violence.

Succinctly put, the antichrist Mary in the Qur'an is a Trojan Horse. With respect to the Mary of Islam, we might paraphrase Virgil:

Timeo Mahometanos et dona ferentes.

Beware of Mohammedans bearing gifts.

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Andrew M. Greenwell is an attorney licensed to practice law in Texas and practicing in Corpus Christi, Texas. He is married with three children. He maintains a blog entirely devoted to the natural law called Lex Christianorum. You can contact Andrew at agreenwell@harris-greenwell.com.
- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Muhammad, antichrist, redemption, salvation, Jesus, Mary, Andrew M. Greenwell

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1 - 10 of 14 Comments

judy claar
5 months ago
abey, Yes, all the people of the planet are God's children since He created them. I am very familiar with the Biblical text. Of what book do you get your statements of Medjugorje and who was the author? I am also aware of Eastern Orthodox Catholic Christians who are devoted to Our Blessed Mother. I also understand that Muslims do not envision Mary as Catholics, Christians, or their Orthodox brethren. I do hope I read and understood your post correctly.
In the Sacred Hearts Of Jesus And Mary, Blessings...
abey
5 months ago
But then Our lady at Medjugorje, said to be the last of the Marian appearances did say that Catholics, Orthodox & Muslims are my Children & hence the Mariam stated in the Quran can deemed to be The Mary who is off the Truth signified by her golden belt, the belt of Truth which the people of the Eastern block have great reverence & also known from Genesis as "The Woman" & her enmity is with satan , that which God put between them. On this it would be wise to look up the matter through the truth of Mary who being off Christ.
judy claar
5 months ago
Andrew M. Greenwell, Thank you for your clarity in yet another wonderful article.

@Anita, No one is not being polite and listening to the view of another. In my perspective, Andrew Greenwell's article was "enlightening" us with the differences that are between Islam and Catholicism. OUR Reality of Mary. Our Blessed Mother, is significantly different than Islam because she was and is the Son of God's chosen Virgin Mother. The Second of the Trinity. The Christ is not a mere prophet. We can not have Mary and Jesus as separate.

Islam does. It seems strange to me that Jesus is merely a prophet, while Mary seems to be held in high esteem for being His Mother. This then, is what I conclude since reading this series.

Muhammad was a man of Ego. Making his religion, he was sure to keep as much of the Gospel in Islam that pleased him as well as his converts. And It does make perfect sense why his Ego would replace Jesus.

It also must have been widely circulated history that Mary was a Virgin and held in high esteem as Jesus' Mother. Therefore, He dedicated a whole chapter to her...even though some of it is false, because Muhammad does not declare her as the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God, which is the whole point. How can one compare the Mother of God with the mothers of other prophets?

Andrew does well when he answers Dave of 1 Day ago. Catholics always keep the door open and an open mind. We do not wish to alienate anyone. Prayerful Blessings to all...
Anita
5 months ago
Let us not close the door on communication by resuming the demonzation of Islam. Christ asks us repeatedly to take the high road and love our neighbor so that they may find God's truth. It is so much easier to dislike people, dislike their values, than it is to love them and recognize that their frailties are ours as well but for when we do the will of the Father. Next, the author worries about "simple Christians" being finagled, as though the author is more ascended than the "simple" Christian. I suppose I am going to continue to be a Catholic willing to listen to others. I am not looking for a "proof" - I have faith.
Larry
5 months ago
What's the point of a veneration of Mary by Muslims if Jesus was just the latest prophet from God. What about the mother of John the Baptist or mothers of any other profits for that matter. Mary means a lot to Christians because of who Jesus the Christ is for us - the center of our faith. One more thing about the religion from Mohamad that makes little sense.
Andrew M. Greenwell
5 months ago
@Dave: Thanks for your comments. The Church has said that it "respects" Islam. This is written from a human standpoint. It is hard to see how one cannot respect, that is human esteem or deference, to a religion that claims to be universal and that has about one billion adherence. One cannot "respect" the military might of the United States without necessarily consent to the way it was used, or one can "respect" the genius of, say Voltaire, without at all consenting to his false statements and irreligious views. I think this is the way "respect" is used. The Church is realistic, i.e., accepts reality, and it is a reality we confront the resurgence of Islam (or the various Islams, for there is less unity that generally believed in Islam) and distinguish between its more pathological forms and its more reasonable forms.

Dialogue is not opposed to evangelization or catechesis or any part of the Church's salvific mission. This concept is found in the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue's recent document, Dialogue and Proclamation: Reflection And Orientations On Interreligious Dialogue And The Proclamation Of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ,

(You can access the document through this address: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_19051991_dialogue-and-proclamatio_en.html)

"[T]he evangelizing mission of the Church is a 'single but complex and articulated reality.' It indicates the principal elements of this mission: presence and witness; commitment to social development and human liberation; liturgical life, prayer and contemplation; interreligious dialogue; and finally, proclamation and catechesis. Proclamation and dialogue are thus both viewed, each in its own place, as component elements and authentic forms of the one evangelizing mission of the Church. They are both oriented towards the communication of salvific truth."

As a consequence, the National Catholic-Muslim Plenary that was held on Oct 3-5, 2012 in Chicago that was titled "Living our faiths together," does not contradict the efforts to proclaim the Gospel and to catechize Catholics as to the truths of Islam so that they may be better prepared to: (i) appreciate their own faith; (ii) appreciate the differences between their faith and Islam; (iii) to recognize the deep antichristian animus present in Islam (which Muslims, especially those who know their faith, recognize); (iv) to aid them in spreading the Gospel; and (v) to help them know the beliefs of Muslims, understood within their own context, so that they might dialogue with them and live in peace with them.

It's not an either/or, but a both/and. To raise dialogue above proclamation is wrong, as it is wrong to raise proclamation above dialogue. In a sense, dialogue is included in proclamation, and proclamation is included in dialogue.

Hope that helps,
Andrew
Dave Lyons
5 months ago
Please help me understand why the Catholic Church acknowledges and accepts Islam as one of the world's major religions? Why is the Catholic hierarchy engaged in talks with leaders of this false religion, such as the National Catholic-Muslim Plenary that was held on Oct 3-5, 2012 in Chicago that was titled "Living our faiths together"? Why does the Catholic Church give this satanic belief system any credence at all?
vance
5 months ago
Thank you for another informative article about islam. Islam is repulsive. It is so inhuman. It's foundation is hate and murder which is the complete opposite of Jesus Christ. I've been long convinced that islam is of satan, by satan, for satan.
andrew
5 months ago
@Lilian
War could spread the religion of Muhammad over Arabia alone. It was however the various hadiths-the 'devil' inside it [such as officiating polygamous sexual relationships-including pedophilia and nikah mut'ah-pleasure marriages, 'taqiyya'-art of lying, 'zakat' versus 'jizya'- kafir tax-read dhimmi, among others] that that enticed conversions and continue to do so even today. A Frenchman preferring Russian citizenship rather than becoming a party to a draconian tax proposal is a situation similar to a dhimma without a choice.
Andrew M. Greenwell
5 months ago
Erratum: "While Muslims see Mary as the mother of Jesus, the Mater Iesu (ibn Maryam)" should read "Umm 'Isa)." Ibn Maryam is "son of Mary," not mother of Jesus. I missed the error in my final edit. Sorry for my oversight.

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