That Togolese footballer, Emmanuel Adebayor converted to Islam is no longer news. The news had gone viral and the
Aston Villa bound striker had also confirmed it.
Adebayor has now come out to fully address the issue by giving reasons why he converted to Islam. He justified his new found faith by saying Muslims are like Jesus and also described them as” truer followers of Christ”.
Read below (Source: The Herald):
1. Jesus (pbuh) taught that there is only One God and Only God should be worshipped as taught in Deut 6:4, Mark 12:29. Muslims also believe this as taught in the Qur’an verse 4:171.
2. Jesus (pbuh) didn’t eat pork as taught in Leviticus 11:7 , and neither do Muslims as taught in the Qur’an verse 6:145.
3. Jesus (pbuh) greeted with the words “as salaamu alaikum” (Peace be with you) in John 20:21. Muslims also greet each other this way.
4. Jesus (pbuh) always said “God Willing” (inshallah), Muslims say this too before doing anything as taught in the Qur’an verses 18:23-24.
5. Jesus (pbuh) washed his face, hands, and feet before praying. The Muslims do the same.
6. Jesus (pbuh) and other prophets of the Bible prayed with their head to the ground (see Matthew26:39). Muslims do too as taught in the Qur’an verse 3:43.
7. Jesus (pbuh) had a beard and wore a throbe. It is Sunnah for Muslim men to do the same.
8. Jesus (pbuh) followed the law and believed in all the prophets, (see Matthew 5:17). Muslims do too as taught in the Qur’an verses 3:84, and 2:285.
9. Jesus’ mother Maryam (pbut) dressed modestly by fully covering her body and wearing a headscarf (hijab) as found in 1 Timothy 2:9, Genesis 24:64-65, and Corinthians 11:6. Muslim women modestly dress the same as taught in the Qur’an verse 33:59.
10. Jesus (pbuh) and other prophets of the Bible fasted up to 40 days (see Exodus 34:28, Daniel 10:2-6. 1Kings 19:8, and Matthew 4:1-Muslims do so also during the month of Ramadan. Muslims are required to fast the full obligatory 30 days (see Qur’an 2:183), and others take it a step further by fasting an additional 6 days to increase their rewards.
11. Jesus (pbuh) taught to say “Peace to this house” when entering it (see Luke 10:5), and to also greet the people in the house with “peace be unto you”. Muslims do exactly what Jesus did and taught. When we enter our homes and the homes of others we say “Bismillah” and also greet with “as salaamu alaikum” (peace be upon you) as taught in the Qur’an verse 24:61.
12. Jesus (pbuh) was circumcised. Circumcision is 1 of the 5 fitrah in Islam, so Muslim men are required to be circumcised. According to the Bible in Luke 2:21, Jesus was eight days old when he was circumcised. In the Torah, Allah/God stated to the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) that it is an “Everlasting covenant” (see Genesis 17:13). In the Qur’an verse 16:123 Muslims are required to follow the religion of Abraham. The Prophet Muhammad (saws) said, “The Prophet Abraham circumcised himself when he was eighty years old.” (see Sahih hadith Bukhari, Muslim, and Ahmad).
13. Jesus (pbuh) spoke aramaic and called God”Elah”, which is pronounced the same as “Allah”. Aramaic is an ancient, Biblical language. It is one of the Semitic languages that also include Hebrew, Arabic, Ethiopic and the ancient Assyrian and Babylonian language of Akkadian.
The Aramaic”Elah” and the Arabic “Allah” are the same.