United We Stand, Divided We Fall

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The Importance of Understanding the Idea of the Paraclete

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Today we live in a world where hate and oppression are rampant and the forces behind it all are increasing their efforts to ensure that this state remains.  There are agencies and organizations whose goal is similar to that of Satan, in that they attempt to incite an epic clash between members of all of the different religions with the emphasis being on Christianity  and Islam.

Surprisingly, they have a lot of support from people who actually claim to be Muslim, but whose agenda is to spread hate and terror across the world.  Instrumental to their efforts is the idea that we are different in every way, making it easier to create a divide amongst us.   It is the sincere task of the Muslims of the Americas to obliterate this notion of difference so for this purpose, the United Muslim Christian Forum (UMCF)was created.   Perhaps the most central concept to maintaining this division between us is the notion that The Holy Last Messenger Muhammad,peace and blessing be upon him,is solely for Muslims, and Jesus, peace be upon him,is exclusively for Christians.  The Holy Quran clearly speaks of both messengers, and in fact, belief in the Divinely-commissioned messengerhood of Jesus, son of chaste Mary (peace be upon them both)is required of all Muslims and integral to Islamic tenets. Therefore, those supposed Muslims who support this division are not in keeping with the Islamic philosophy.

Along those same lines, most of the interpreters of the Bible will say that the Holy Last Messenger,peace and blessings be upon him, is not included in their text.  This gross error can be rectified with the correct interpretation of passages from the bible that particularly refer to the idea of the ‘Paraclete’.     

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia we learn that,in general, the word Paraclete is from the Greek word parakletos and signifies: (1) a legal advocate, or counsel for defense, (2) an intercessor, (3) a helper, generally.  This word occurs 5 times in the New Testament, all in the writings of John mostly in the Gospel, but also once in Epistles.  In 3 particular instances in the Gospels of John, Paraclete is referred to as the helper’:

John 14:16 -“and I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.

John 14:26 -“but the helper, the holy spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 15:26 -“but when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of me.

Contemporary analysts of scripture believe that the Paraclete refers to either Jesus (peace be upon him) himself,or — like in the above passages — to the Holy Spirit’, which is considered a part of the so-called ‘Trinity’, as delineated by some Christians.  In the bible, the latter belief is most prevalent and the Paraclete is,thus, the Holy Spirit’ or ‘Spirit of the Truth’. It is then believed that Jesus, himself, is an advocate and that Almighty God sent another advocate after Jesus who will act on behalf of humanity.  He will, as the scripture says, “teach us all things and bring us to remember all that Jesus said”.  This Spirit of the Truth will teach and guide all believers to the Truth.  The teaching of the Spirit will be that of Jesus, but will be more explicit. He will help them understand suffering and its importance.  The Spirit will lead us to the Kingdom of God as Jesus did, and will act as an intercessor between us and Almighty God and be a witness that all Jesus said is true.  

Initially, I was researching for another literary work in progress when I just so happened to come across the word Paraclete.  As I read the scriptures, it became increasingly apparent that not only is the depiction of the Paraclete synonymous with the Holy Last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), but the narratives of the scriptures parallel Islamic teachings almost exactly; so much so that one of the many reverent names given to the Holy Last Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is Ru-Hul Haqq or Spirit of the Truth.  

The very fact that there is ambiguity as to what or who exactly the Paraclete or Holy Spirit is exactly, means that there is room for entertaining other possibilities as to who he may be.  

Consider this.  In Islam, the coming of the Holy Last Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, was foretold by Jesus,peace be upon him.  This ‘Holy Spirit’ would be a helper, advocate, and mercy for all humanity or Rahma-tulil Alameen(Arabic) or mercy for the worlds.  His teachings are the culmination of the instructions of all previous holy messengers (peace be upon them all), and make matters explicit and clear, so as to be applicable to all who came before and all who were to come after.  He suffered more than any other human being and through his example, we are taught the importance of bearing such suffering with patience, while persisting in our love for Almighty God.  If you follow his example, then by the mercy of Almighty God, you will no doubt  be permitted entrance to His Kingdom.  

If you are a logical person, you will see that these accounts are more than similar.   This means that the only real difference in the idea of the Paraclete and the Holy Last Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) lies in ur individual perspectives applied to this universal ideology. Our views are being constructed by forces of hate, and the only real way to return to this universal perspective is to present a united christian-Muslim front. This can only be accomplished by coming together and being with each other, so that we can see that there is no real difference in who we are.  Then, and only then, can the objectives of our beloveds Jesus (peace be upon him) and the Holy Last Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) be attained, enabling mankind to truly become the Family of God.   And as always – only by God, The Almighty and All Glorious, can we be healed.

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