Nabeel Qureshi, as it turned out, is a much more prolific writer than I had anticipated when originally planning this interview. With his new book Answering Jihad coming out shortly and another, No God but Jesus, coming out in August, there was clearly enough material for an article much longer than this. But alas, through forced restraint, here is my limited account of a fascinating conversation.
As any writer, he focuses on his own expertise – his is comparing Islam and Christianity. His conversion at the age of 22, after years of living a very devoted and strict Islamic faith (he was originally from the Ahmadiyya sect) provides a valuable perspective on the position of the two faiths in our society and how they should be understood. Seeking Allah, finding Jesus is his personal account. His aim was to help Westerners understand Muslims, particularly because of the fear which often defines relations today. He attempts to do this by describing his own childhood, providing a point of connection for those who view the Muslim faith as something ‘alien’. The book also attempts to explain Christianity to Muslims, and Islam to Christians, in the hope that they may understand one another. The third aim of the book is to help people understand the difficulties faced by converts, moving from one religious background to another. Indeed, in contrast to the individualism of the West, in many areas of the world people view their identity as part of a collective, where the decisions you make impact your family, your tribe and your nation. In consequence, there are tremendous ramifications for converts, as certain decisions can mean they are viewed as traitors.
He penned Answering Jihad because of the very polarised response to Muslims coming westward. He explains, “It addresses how to treat Islam as a religion versus how to treat Muslims as people, so that we understand accurately the religion and its systems, but we treat the people with compassion, because as a Christian I believe they are all image-bearers of God, whether or not we agree with them.”
No God but One he wrote as an explanation of the intellectual side of his conversion. It also presents the differences between Islam and Christianity. As he puts it, “There are analogous notions in both faiths, such as God, prophets etc, but those notions being analogous, does not mean they are the same.” In the second half of the book, he investigates the case for Islam and Christianity and asks whether either is worth sacrificing everything for.
We discuss the biggest misconceptions of Christianity, both from a Muslim and a ‘Western’ perspective. He highlights the particular postmodern relativist view of the world that the West appears to have chosen and claims that Muslims and Christians actually have much more in common by comparison. He claims, “A westerner would ask questions, such as why would God send people to hell? Who are Christians to say what is immoral?”
A Muslim issue with Christianity is much more specific, such as, “How can you believe in the Trinity”, or, “How can you expect an orderly world without a specific law such as Sharia?” He does, however, highlight that the arrival of many Muslims in the West has meant that many of these boundaries have become blurred.
But what actually is a Christian? As ever in these conversations, it is important to define your terms. He explains, “When I am talking about a Christian personally, I mean someone that intentionally follows Jesus, who worships only the God of the Hebrew Bible and Jesus as the risen Lord.” Sounds simple enough. He makes a point of excluding people who have been brought up in a Christian home, but who do not personally choose this way for themselves.
We briefly discuss the hypocrisy of a potential Christian superiority complex. He argues, “To be a Christian you have to admit that you are sinful, that you need God’s salvation unlike other perspectives where you can to some degree earn your way, work your way, enlighten your way into heaven or the equivalent. This perspective requires you to be completely humble and just receive”. He also highlights the benefits of the historical evidence surrounding the beginnings of the Christian faith and the fact that it is a faith grounded in love, through the eternal selfless relationship within the Trinity. From a personal angle, he claims, “If Christianity were just another message, I would never have accepted it.”
His favourite verse of the Bible is Mark 12: 30-31 because it reinforces the revolutionary notion that when considering love, the self should be third in line, if not further down the list. He claims, “If we all lived like that, this world would be a much better place.” We briefly discuss parts of the Bible that are often pointed to for their apparent discrepancy, notably the abrupt end to Mark’s gospel. Nabeel argues that the apparent cliff hanger is there to offer scope for first-hand witnesses to finish the story from their own experience. This turns out to be his intended doctoral thesis. I move away carefully.
Finally, I ask for one piece of advice for the average Oxford student. He replies, “Stop going through the motions of school, university, job, marriage, mortgage, retirement, death. Your life is powerful, you are a unique individual in a unique circumstance with a unique personality and skill set… If God exists, you can aff ord to die helping others because you live eternally and your life can be used for a great purpose. Even if not, see yourself as an individual of great potential.” His story in five words: “God rescued me from me”
