Isalm & Christianity

Today more so the ever we are hearing more and more about Islam and the individuals who follow this religion.  Many of us know nothing about the religion or the culture, other than what we see or hear on the news.  In high school I was involved in numerous ministries, including an online Christian community.  It was here that I met and befriended a Muslim.  He was from Lebanon and studied in London.  It wasn't uncommon to meet others from different religions.  None really ever attempted to cause problems or pick a fight.  I learned a lot about Islam through him.  It prompted me to study it more in depth.

Islam makes up around 23% of the world's population according to Wikipedia.  It is the 2nd largest religion in the world, trailing only Christianity.  They are spread primarily over the areas of North Africa, Middle East, South-Central Asia and Indonesia.  Although Islam began in Saudi Arabia, non-Arab Muslims now outnumber Arab Muslims by a ratio of almost three to one.  Most of these countries have a minimal number of Christians in their populations (0-2%).  Moreover their governments have either closed the countries' borders to missionaries or have made evangelism illegal or both.

HISTORY LESSON

In A.D. 570, Muhammad was born into an Arabian tribe called the Quraysh.  The Quraysh were influential because they controlled the city of Mecca.  Mecca was important economically because it served as a convenient resting place for trading caravans.  It was important religiously because the Ka'bah was located there.  (The Ka'bah is a cubical structure that, at the time of Muhammad, contained 360 deity.  Each Arabian tribe had hand-picked its own deity and came to Mecca each year to pay homage to its god.)

It was the custom of those who were spiritually minded to retreat to a place of solitude once a year.  Muhammad observed this practice for several years in a cave in Mount Hira.  In the year 610, at age 40, Muhammad received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel.  This was the beginning of a series of revelations that were eventually compiled in Islam's sacred scripture, The Qur'an, which means "recitations."

Muhammad is said to have doubted initially the origin of these new revelations.  He thought that perhaps he had been possessed by jinn, or demons.  His wife, Khadijah, however, reassured him that his visions were of divine origin, and she encouraged him to teach that which had been revealed to him.

As Muhammad began to preach more publicly, the leaders of his own tribe pressured him to keep quiet about his message of strict monotheism.  They viewed such a teaching as a threat to their poly theistic religion and especially to the source of their livelihood, since they benefited economically from the pilgrimages the tribes made to the Ka'bah.  Muhammad, however, refused to stop preaching, and he began to accrue a significant following.

As he continued to preach against polytheism, persecution increased against the followers of of this new religion.  Eventually around 100 Muslim families were forced to flee to a city named Yathrib (now called Medina), which is around 200 miles north of Mecca.  Muhammad followed these families shortly thereafter, fleeing Mecca in the year 622.  Muslims now look to the year of his flight to Yathrib as the beginning of the Muslim calendar.  This event is known as the Hijrah (or Hegira), which means "a series of migrations."

After several successful sieges and military victories against Mecca, and after making treaties with the Quraysh tribe, Muhammad and his army took control of Mecca in 630 without a struggle.  Upon entering the city, he personally destroyed the idols in the Ka'bah.  Within a year of Mecca's submission to Muhammad, he was able to unify all the tribes of the Arabian peninsula under the religion of Islam.  One June 8, 632, Muhammad died.

There are two major sects of Islam: Sunni and Shi'ite.  When Muhammad died, they were divided originally over a dispute as to who should serve as the first caliph, or successor, to Muhammad, who had failed to appoint one before his death.  The Sunni insisted that Muhammad's successor should be elected.  The Shi'ite believe that someone from Muhammad's bloodline should be his successor.  If that were the case then Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law would have been named the successor.  The Sunnis were the ones who got their way.  They now comprise of about 80% of the Muslim population.

BELIEFS

(1) God - The central doctrine of Islam is that God is one and that no partner is to be associated with Him. To associate a partner with God is to commit the sin of ishrak (or shirk), for which the Qur'an offers no forgiveness (Surah 4:48).  Obviously, as a result of this central doctrine of Islam, the doctrine of the Trinity is offensive to Muslims.

(2) Angels - In the gap between God and the Qur'an and humankind exists a hierarchy of angels.  The archangel Gabriel is of the highest rank, succeeded by the rest of the angels.  Each person has two angels assigned to him or her, one to record the person's good deeds and the other to record the bad deeds.  At the bottom of the hierarchy are the jinn, from which we get the word "genie."  Muslims believe that the host of jinn were created from fire and usually bad, and are able to possess people.

(3) The Prophets of God - According to the Qur'an, God has sent a prophet to every nation to preach the message of there being only one God.  About 124,000 prophets have been sent.  Most are unknown, but many include biblical characters such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, John the Baptist and Jesus.  Each prophet was given for a particular age, but Muhammad is the only prophet who is for all time.  He is considered to be the "Seal of the Prophets."

(4) The Holy Books - Four of the highest-ranking prophets were given books of divine revelation.  Those four are Moses, who was given the Torah; David, who was given the Psalms; Jesus, who was given the Gospel; and Muhammad, who was given the Qur'an.  Of those four books, Muslims content that only the Qur'an has been preserved in an uncorrupted state.

(5) The Day of Judgement - The god of the Qur'an has decreed that there will be a day when all will stand before him in judgement.  On that day, each person's deeds will be weighed in the balance.  Those whose good deeds outweigh one's bad deeds will be rewarded with Paradise; and those whose bad deeds outweigh their good will be judged to hell.  Whether one's good deeds outweigh one's bad deeds is a subjective matter, though, known only by God.  As a result, a Muslim has no assurance that he or she will be accepted by God.

OBLIGATIONS

(1) Recite the Shahadah - The word shahadah means "to bear witness."  When reciting the shahadah, one says, "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger."  Saying the shahadah with sincerity is all it takes to become a Muslim.

(2) To Pray - A Muslim is required to say seventeen cycles of prayer each day.  These cycles are usually spread over five times of prayer per day.  These prayer cycles occur at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, dusk, and two hours after sunset.  Muslims may prayer either indivudally or in a group.  They must wash themselves in a prescribed manner before praying.  When they prayer, they must face toward Mecca.  The direction of prayer is marked by the niche (mihrab) in the mosque.  The noon service on Friday is the only time when Muslims are expected to gather together at the mosque.

(3) To Fast - In commemoration of Muhammad's receiving the Qur'an during the ninth lunar month of Ramadhan, Muslims are expected to fast during the daylight hours that month.  During the fast, they must abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual relations.  After sundown, they are allowed to partake of all those things again until sunrise.

(4) To Give Alms - Muslims are commanded to give 2.5% of their income primarily to the poor and needy.

(5) To Make the Pilgrimage (Hajj) - Every Muslim must make the trip to Mecca at least once duringhis or her lifetime, provided he or she is able with respect to health and finances.  Each pilgrim must wear the white garments called ihram, which have the effect of eliminating all class or status distinctions during the Hajj.  The process of visiting several sacred sites usually takes more than a week.  After the pilgrimage, the pilgrim is entitled to be referred to as a Hajj.

ISLAM CONCERNING CHRISTIANITY

(1) The Bible is Corrupted - Muslims have been taught that the early texts of the Bible were corrupted by the Jews and the Christians.  This is known as the doctrine of tahrif, or alteration.  Muslims typically point to passages in the Qua'ran (Surah 2:75, 78-79).  These passages, however, speak of misinterpreting Scripture and of passing something off as scripture that is not scripture.

The Qur'an itself considers the previous revelations contained in "the Book" to be authoritative and authentic revelations from God (Surah 2:136, 4:163).  The Qur'an encourages Jews and Christians to "stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord" (Surah 5:68).  It uses the Torah and the Gospel to authenticate Muhammad as the prophet (Surah 7:157), and it encourages those who doubt Muhammad's teaching to "ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee" (Surah 10:94).  The Qur'an also urges people to believe in the previous scriptures (Surah 4:136).  The Qur'an states in Surah 6:115 that "none can change his words."  Considering such a statement in the Qur'an, Muslims would have to admit that their doctrine of tahrif.  Furthermore, evidence does not support the accusation.  The Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from 100 B.C., confirm in an astounding way the accuracy of the Masoretic manuscripts, which date around 900 A.D.  These dates show that the manuscripts that existed after the Muslim accusation of tahrif are identical to those that existed long before Muhammad even lived.

Biblical scholars have found 3,157 Greek manuscripts that contain either portions or all of the New Testament and that date from the second century on.  Of the variants between the manuscripts, 95% have to do with the trivialities, such as a letter being deleted by mistake.  No Christian doctrine rests solely on, or is even affected by, a debatable text.

(2) The Trinity - Remember, to associate a partner with God is a sin (ishrak).  Muslims believe that Christians worship three gods.  However, the Bible speaks of a compound or complex unity rather than a simple, undivided unity.  The word "one" often means there is a plurality in the oneness (Genesis 2:24, Exodus 24:3; Judges 20:1, 8, 11; Romans 12:5).  It is difficult, if not impossible, to fully understand the nature of God, our Creator.  The difficulty in understanding and explaining the concept of the Trinity is evidence for its divine origin.  It is unlikely that such a concept would be invented by mankind.  

Growing up I was given the following example to explain the Trinity.  I am one person.  But I am considered a daughter, a friend, and a wife.  Each name involves a different role.  However, I am still just one person.  

The Trinity consists of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  All are referred to as God in the Bible.  Even though each is referred to as God, the Bible does not speak of three gods but of the tree was being one: "baptizing them in the name (singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19)  Because of the verse in the Qur'an, Surah 5:116), some Muslims believe that the Trinity consists of God, Jesus and Mary.

The Son of God - When Muslims hear the phrase "Son of God," they understand it to imply that God had physical relations with a woman in order to have son.  The Qur'an says in Surah 19:34-36 that "Such Jesus the son of Mary: a statement of truth, about which they dispute.  It is not befitting to Allah that He should beget a son."

The Arabic language contains two words that mean "son of" - walad and ibn.  Walad is to produce a son through the union of a man and woman.  Ibn is a metaphorical sense.  Many Arabs will call themselves "ibnu'ssabil" (traveler) which translated means "son of the road."  Jesus often referred to God as Father.  He was not talking about His physical birth, but rather a special relationship with God.  Jesus is the spiritual Son of God.  To believe that Jesus is not and cannot be the Son of God, is limiting God.

(3) The Crucifixion - Muslims believe that the god of the Qur'an would not dishonor his chosen prophet by allowing him to be crucified.  They, therefore, deny that Jesus was crucified.  They belief instead that He was caught up into heaven and that someone (some belief Judas) took His place on the cross.  However the passage that they use to support their claim (Surah 4:157-158), actually does not deny that Jesus was crucified.  The verse actually denies that the Jews caused Jesus to be crucified.  Jews di not crucify Jesus.  The Romans did.  (John 18:31).

God was ultimately responsible for Jesus' being crucified (Romans 8:3-4, 1 Peter 1:18-20).  Even the Qur'an alludes to that in verse Surah 3:54.  The story of Abraham is recorded in Surah 37:101-107.  If salvation is only a matter of rewarding those who do good, and if God's purpose was only to test Abraham's obedience, why then was there a need for "a momentous sacrifice'?  Was it not sufficient that Abraham went as far as he did?  Who provided the momentous sacrifice?  Is a goat enough to ransom humanity for our sins?

"The Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).  Jesus is the great sacrifice, and God is the One who sent Him (John 3:16).  Jesus predicted His death time and time again.  The crucifixion does not dishonor Christ. Islam means "obedience."  It is obedience to God that Jesus demonstrated all the way to the cross.

Following the Muslim's belief that someone replaced Jesus on the cross, who is more disrespectful?  Those who belief God would deceive by replacing Jesus with someone who looks like Him?  Or those believe God would raise His Prophet from the dead, conquering sin for all humanity?

Islam & Christianity Contrasted

GOD	A singular unity. No partner is to be associated with God.	A compound unity - one in essence, three in person.
HUMANITY	Good by nature.	Sinful by nature.
SIN	Sin is thought of in terms of rejecting right guidance. It can be forgiven through repentance. No atonement is necessary.	Sin is serious in that it is spoken of as causing spiritual death. It is serious because it reflects an attitude of moral rebellion against the holy God, which causes humanity to be alienated from Him. An atonement is necessary before our relationship with God can be restored.
SALVATION	The standard for salvation is having one's good deeds outweigh one's bad deeds. Therefore, it is based on human effort.	The standard for salvation is the absolute holiness of God. Therefore, it can only be offered as a gift by God, based on His grace and Jesus' atoning work, and it can be received through faith. Salvation cannot be earned.
JESUS	One of the major prophets. To associate Jesus with God is blasphemy (i.e. Son of God). Muslims affirm the virgin birth of Jesus and the miracles that He performed.	The one and only Son of God. John wrote, "Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist - he denies the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22).
JESUS'S DEATH	Jesus did not die on the cross. Instead, He ascended to heave, and Judas died in His place. It is disrespectful to believe God would allow one of His prophets to be crucified.	Jesus died a painful, physical death. He gave His life as the substitutionary atonement for our sins. He rose from the dead in a physical but immortal body and appeared to hundreds of witnesses (1 Cor 15). God's specific purpose for sending Jesus into the world was for Him to be crucified and to die for our sins. Jesus voluntarily gave His life for us. The end was not that of dishonor but that of the highest exaltation.
THE BIBLE	Corrupted. Abrogated by the Qur'an.	Authentic. Divinely inspired. The final authority in all matters of faith and truth.