Islam

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Islam

• Holy Terror or Holy Peace?

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Introduction

• I am not a scholar on the Islamic faith!
• Nevertheless, I am thankful for the opportunity
  to share what limited knowledge I do have about
  Islam.
• My focus this evening will be to educate you with
  a basic understanding of Islam and then address
  its influence in todays world.

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Religion

• Religion is not a novel concept.
• It is as ancient as creation itself.
• Whether it be the sun, a mountain, the devil, God
  or even oneself, there has always been the
  inherent desire for man to worship something.
• In studying any religion, it is vital to
  understand this important fact Religions come
  and go!

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Religion

• One thing is certain
• Islam has stood the test of time and is
  currently the second largest religion today.

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Religion

• Islams influence in todays society, world
  culture and political arena cannot be disputed.
• With this influence comes a difficult task for
  the one who calls himself a Christian.
• How are we to deal with this Goliath of religions
  that often seems to be a very real threat to our
  Christian way of life?

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Definitions

• Muslim One who surrenders to God or Allah
• Islam Submission to Allah (a) The religious
  faith of Muslims, including belief in Allah as
  the sole deity and in Mohammad as his prophet.
  (b) A civilization erected as Islamic faith
• Allah The supreme being for Muslims
• Koran (Quran) The book composed of writings
  accepted by Muslims as revelations made to
  Muhammad by Allah through the angel Gabriel

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Facts About Islam

• Today, Islam is the 2nd largest and the
  fastest-growing religion in the world.
• Islam claims to have 1.3 billion followers or
  approximately 20 of the worlds population
  (Christianity is 2 billion)
• A United Nations demographic report forecasts
  Muslims will represent at least half of the
  global birthrate after the year 2055.
• Today there are over 3000 mosques in the US with
  new ones being built every week.
• Over 65 nations in the world today are Islamic.

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Muhammad

• The founder of Islam, believed to be the last and
  greatest prophet of God. He was born around
  570A.D. in the city of Mecca.
• Its believed that his father died before he was
  born and his mother died when he was 6. From
  that point he was raised by a grandparent and
  then later an uncle.
• At age 25, he married Khadijah, his 40-year old
  wealthy employer.

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Muhammad

• His calling supposedly occurred when he was 40.
  He reported that the angel Gabriel came to him
  one night from God and ordered him to read from
  an inscribed tablet. When he hesitated, the
  angel choked him with a cloth. This scenario
  happened two more times.
• Disgusted by the rampant idol worship, he became
  compelled to rid Arabia of all idolatry.
• Consequently, the Arabian tribes disliked his
  actions and forced him to leave Mecca where he
  fled to Medina on July 16th, 622 to establish his
  Muslim (monotheistic) community.

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Christian vs. Muslim

• The Quran is Gods Word
• Muslims believe that the Torah of Moses, the
  Psalms of David, and the Gospels of Jesus have
  been corrupted by Christians and Jews to the
  point that they are not fully reliable. The
  Quran is Gods most recent and final work it
  supercedes all others

• The Bible is Gods Word
• We as Christians believe that the Bible, both OT
  NT, is authoritative, inspired Scripture (2 Tim
  316-17 2 Peter 120-21)

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Christian vs. Muslim

• Jesus is the Son of God or Deity
• Christians believe in what Jesus said in John
  1030 Jesus said, I and the Father are one.
• You shall have no other gods before me Exodus
  203
• This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
  pleased Matt. 317

• Jesus is just one of many prophets
• Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet like
  Ezekiel or Daniel, but not as important a prophet
  as Muhammed
• Jesuswas only a messenger of AllahFar is it
  removed from His transcendent majesty that He
  should have a son. Surah 417

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Christian vs. Muslim

• Jesus died on the cross
• The most basic concept of Christian belief is
  that Jesus died on the cross of Calvary and rose
  3 days later to give us the hope of eternal
  salvation (Luke 2344-49 Hebrews 122)

• Jesus did not die on the cross
• Muslims believe that Jesus was condemned to die
  the cross, but was never crucified.
• they did not slay him, neither crucified him,
  only a likeness of that was shown to them
  Surah 4155
• Judas was crucified in Jesus place

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Christian vs. Muslim

• God is Love
• For God so loved the world that he gave his only
  begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him
  should not perish but have everlasting life
  John 316
• But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His
  great love with which He loved us Eph. 24

• Allah is not a God of Love
• Allahs supreme attribute is justice, not love.
• Love is almost never used to describe Allah in
  the Quran

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Christian vs. Muslim

• God is our Father
• In the Lords Prayer (Matt 69-13), Jesus
  invites us to pray to our Father
• The Bible teaches us that we can know God. I
  know whom I have believed 1 Tim 112

• It is blasphemous to call Allah Father
• For Muslims, the underlying issue is that Allah
  is unknowable. You cannot really know him, the
  best you can hope for is to identify his actions
• Allah is not affected by our actions or attitudes

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Other Key Differences

• Although it would be disputed among most Muslims,
  the God of Islam (Allah) is not the same God of
  the Bible.
• Jehovah God is knowable. Allah is unknowable he
  is lofty, far off, and abstract.
• Jehovah God is a Person with intellect, emotion,
  and will. Allah is not a person it would lower
  him to the level of man.
• Jehovah God is Trinity, 3 divine persons but one
  God. The Quran states Allah is not a Father
  Jesus is not the Son of God, and the Holy Ghost
  is not God.

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Other Key Differences

• The Quran is an uninspired, human book.
• Allah is not speaking Muhammad is the speaker
• 127 verses have been lost
• Shiites claim Uthmans text left out 25 for
  political reasons.
• Creation took 8 days
• One of Noahs sons drowned in the flood
• Abraham built the Kabah (holy place) in Mecca
• Written in cycles of history, not in linear time
  or chronologically

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The Five Pillars of Islam

• Faith Kalima
• Prayer Salat
• Almsgiving Zakat
• Fasting Ramadan
• The Pilgrimage - Hajj

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1. Faith (Kalima)

• There is no god worthy of worship except God and
  Muhammad is His messenger.
• This declaration of faith is called the Shahada,
  a simple formula which all the faithful pronounce.

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2. Prayer (Salat)

• Salat is the name given for the obligatory
  prayers which are performed 5 times a day.
• Prayers are led by a learned person who knows the
  Quran.
• Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,
  sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the
  rhythm of the entire day

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3. Almsgiving (Zakat)

• The word zakat means both purification and
  growth.
• Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat
  individually. For most purposes this involves the
  payment each year of 2 ½ of ones capital.

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4. Fasting (Ramadan)

• Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims
  fast from first light until sundown, abstaining
  from food, drink, and sexual relations.
• Although the fast is most beneficial to the
  health, it is regarded principally as a method of
  self-purification.
• By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts,
  even for a short time, a fasting person gains
  true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as
  growth in ones spiritual life.

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5. The Pilgrimage (Hajj)

• The annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) the
  hajj is an obligation only for those who are
  physically and financially able to perform it.
• About 2 million people go to Mecca each year from
  every corner of the globe.

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5. The Pilgrimage (Hajj)
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5. The Pilgrimage (Hajj)
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My Personal Interview

• On August 15, 2006 I met with Mr. Abukar Arman, a
  Muslim leader with the Islamic Society of Greater
  Columbus.

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My Personal Interview

• On August 15, 2006 I met with Mr. Abukar Arman, a
  Muslim leader with the Islamic Society of Greater
  Columbus.
• Mr. Arman was a very kind gentleman who provided
  me with poignant, concise answers to the wide
  variety of questions that I asked.
• I must admit that my personal attitude and bias
  toward Islam was different after I left this
  interview.
• The interview was recorded audibly by both Mr.
  Arman and myself.

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My Personal Interview

• Q How would you describe Islam in one word?
• A Peace slam is peace in Arabic
• Q Why are you Muslim?
• A Born into Islam. In retrospect it has become
  my own decision. I studied and researched
  Christianity, Buddhism and many other major world
  religions. To maintain the status of a Muslim is
  a gift from God.

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My Personal Interview

• Q From your perspective compare and contrast
  the similarities and differences between
  Christianity and Islam.
• A Similarities belief in God, creation, Adam
  Eve, angels, prophets, do good and avoid
  evil worship who created you
• Differences message from God not the same
  bible is corrupt and not complete Islam is the
  middle ground of religion.

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My Personal Interview

• Q What do you think is the most misunderstood
  aspect of Islam by the Christian community?
• A We do worship the same God. Allah is the
  same God as the creator in Christianity.
• Q Do you accept translations of the Quran?
• A No it is kept in Arabic to avoid corruption.

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My Personal Interview

• Q In Christianity there are various
  denominations. Are there such in Islam?
• A No but yes (Mr. Arman went on to explain this
  answer but still today remains quite confusing to
  me D.D)
• Q Explain the challenges of being a Muslim in a
  Western culture.
• A Misunderstood as Muslimsthe media provides
  poor and subjective coverage.

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My Personal Interview

• Q How would you feel if someone in your family
  (child) converted to Christianity?
• A Troubled. Would encourage the same path that
  I took in examining all things and eventually
  they would see that Islam is true.
• Q What is the conversion process in Islam?
• A Simple process statement that There is no
  God but one God Allah

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My Personal Interview

• Q What is Islams method(s) of evangelism?
• A Islam is on auto pilot (direct quote)
• Q What would you like a Christian audience to
  know about Islam?
• A When we are in pursuit of truth, we need to
  ask questions and engage in healthy dialogue

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A Christians Attitude

• The Christians attitude toward Muslims should be
  the same that Jesus instructed His followers to
  have toward everyone.
• Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
  good to all, especially to those who are of the
  household of faith. Galatians 610
• And may the Lord make you increase and abound in
  love to one another and to all, just as we do to
  you.. 1 Thessalonians 312

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A Christians Attitude

• But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those
  who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and
  pray for those who spitefully use you and
  persecute you Matthew 544
• Do not judge according to appearance, but judge
  with righteous judgment. John 724
• Go therefore and make disciples of all the
  nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
  and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Matthew
  2818-20

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A Christians Attitude

• Jesus died for Muslims just as he died for you.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have everlasting life John 316