Arafu al-Haqq fa Taraku al-Batil
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- Maktabat Dar al-Ulum
Arafu al-Haqq fa Taraku al-Batil (They Recognized the Truth and Abandoned Falsehood), also referenced as Ha'ula'i Arafu al-Haqq fa Taraku al-Batil, is a treatise on comparative religion and apologetics by the Egyptian author Shehata Saqr . Designed as a missionary call to non-Muslims, particularly Christians, the work pairs conversion narratives with polemical and textual critique of Christian theology and biblical scripture .
Purpose and Framework
The author introduces the work as a general epistle directed to seekers of religious truth worldwide, emulating the diplomatic letters sent by the Prophet Muhammad to foreign rulers—such as Heraclius of the Byzantine Empire—inviting them to embrace Islam . Saqr frames the treatise using Quranic passages that critique Christian doctrines of the Trinity and divine sonship while praising those among the People of the Book who recognize Islamic teachings as the fulfillment of divine revelation .
Conversion Narratives
A central component of the book consists of biographical accounts of former Christian figures, clergymen, and academics who converted to Islam :
- Ibrahim Khalil Philibus (later Ibrahim Khalil Ahmad): An Egyptian former pastor and professor of theology at the Theological Seminary in Assiut, who resigned and announced his conversion in 1960 after studying biblical and Quranic passages, subsequently lecturing on comparative religion and participating in debates .
- Mary Watson (later Khadijah): An American-born missionary and former theology instructor in the Philippines who embraced Islam after investigating Islamic literature and later engaged in Islamic outreach in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia .
- Dr. Gary Miller: A Canadian mathematics professor and former missionary who embraced Islam in 1977 after scrutinizing the Quran for internal inconsistencies and finding none .
- The Senior Priest of Ghana: The former second-highest ranking church leader in Ghana, who renounced his office and church properties upon reading the Quran directly .
The book further lists several prominent converts, including German diplomat Murad Hofmann, British musician Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), German diplomat Anita-Maria McCluskey, former Chaldean Catholic priest David Benjamin Keldani (Abdul-Ahad Dawud), Egyptian priest Fawzi Subhi Sam'an, American priest Kenneth Jenkins (Abdullah al-Faruq), and Filipino Catholic priest Crisanto Biago .
Theological and Biblical Critiques
Saqr presents extensive polemical arguments against mainstream Christian theology, contrasting Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox formulations of Christology with scriptural passages depicting Jesus's human attributes, such as birth, hunger, fatigue, prayer, and death . He argues that biblical descriptions of Jesus as a prophet, servant, and teacher demonstrate his purely human status rather than divine nature .
The work questions the authenticity and textual preservation of the Old and New Testaments, noting the loss of original manuscripts and the absence of unbroken chains of transmission (isnad) . It compiles numerous perceived narrative, historical, and chronological contradictions within biblical books, as well as passages portraying prophets in ways deemed inconsistent with their moral integrity .
Additionally, Saqr cites biblical passages as prophecies regarding the Prophet Muhammad, such as references to Mount Paran in Deuteronomy 33, the Paraclete (Faraqlit) in the Gospel of John, and the illiterate receiver of divine instruction in Isaiah 29:12 . The discussion concludes with a structured dialogue between a Muslim and a Christian regarding the crucifixion, accompanied by classic polemical verses questioning the theology of the atonement .
Islamic Tenets and Characteristics
The book outlines the orthodox Islamic creed concerning Jesus (Isa), emphasizing his creation without a father, his role as a messenger of God, the rejection of his crucifixion, and the belief in his second coming at the end of time . Saqr concludes by enumerating six distinctive characteristics of Islam:
- Simplicity, rationality, and practical applicability without sacerdotal authority .
- Integration of material and spiritual life rather than ascetic isolation .
- Islam as a comprehensive system regulating private and communal spheres .
- Balance between individual rights and collective social duties .
- Universal applicability transcending racial and national distinctions .
- Absolute historical preservation of its foundational texts and prophetic reports .
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