Islam

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Islam

• I am the light of the world. He who follows me
  shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of
  life. John 812

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Islam Militant Unitarianism

• A unique challenge to missions
• Only major post-Christian religion (founded 610
  AD)
• Borrowed heavily from Judaism and Christianity
• Second to Christianity with over 1 billion
• Aggressively expanding in Africa, Europe and N.
  America with oil-money mosque building and
  immigrations
• The most resistant group to evangelization
• Only religion to have conquered Christian
  regions militarily
• Founded by Prophet Muhammad

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Islam Militant Unitarianism

• Muslim means those who submit
• A militant deistic Unitarianism, which claims to
  be the original and final religion
• Believe the books of the Prophets (Bible) were
  corrupted and the original message was given
  again in Qumran (Koran)
• Mohammad is considered the last and greatest
  prophet
• Recognize Jesus as a prophet, but deny His deity
  and saving death
• Islam is not just a religion, but a whole way of
  life political, social and cultural

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Muhammad, the last prophet

• Born about 570 AD in city of Mecca, Arabia, in
  animistic, idolatrous desert culture
• Came in contact with Jews and Christians who
  were equally corrupt
• At 40 claimed he received a revelation from an
  angel in a cave near Mecca
• He began to preach a religion of one absolute God
  (Allah), Creator, Ruler Judge
• Opposition forced him to migrate to Medina in 622
  (called Hegira)
• Able to gain religious, political and military
  power, in 8 years returned to conquer Mecca
• By 632 he gained both political and religious
  supremacy over all Arabia

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Islam spreads and splits

• Within a 20 years of death Islam conquered
  Jerusalem, Egypt, Iraq, Persia and Asia Minor
• In less than a 100 yrs conquered all of N.
  Africa, Spain and finally stopped at Tours,
  France in 732 AD
• Muhammad did not have a successor. First two
  Caliphs were not disputed, but 3rd was murdered.
  4th Caliph was Muhammads cousin, Ali, who along
  with his son, Hussain, were killed and Islam split

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Islam spreads and splits

• The majority called Sunnites (traditional) (about
  90).
• The minority called Shia (the party, sect) felt
  Ali was divinely appointed. The Shia are
  located in Iran and Iraq, with minority groups in
  other countries
• Another sect, Ahmadiyyas, from the Punjab of
  India/Pakistan are considered heretical by the
  majority very evangelistic in making converts
  in Africa and West Target Christians

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Islamic Faith Deistic Unitarian Legalism

• God is one, absolute sovereign, whose will is
  arbitrary and changeable Allahs transcendence
  makes him unknowable
• His majesty and power are emphasized, but love is
  considered a human emotion unworthy of God
• Doctrine of absolute predestination becomes very
  fatalistic Muslims must submit to an arbitrary
  Sovereign
• Doctrine of the Trinity was abhorrent to
  Muhammad, probably because he understood Mary to
  be part of the trinity
• Salvation is by human merit, somehow harmonized
  with predestination and fulfillment of 5 pillars
  of Muslim practice in an extreme Pharisaic system

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Islamic Faith Deistic Unitarian Legalism

1. The prophets God sent to man include Abraham,
   Moses, David and Jesus (Hazrat Isa), but Muhammad
   supersedes all the prophets and the Quran
   supersedes the Bible
2. Muhammad preached a bodily resurrection and
   judgment based on human merit. Their hope is a
   sensual paradise unbelievers and faithless will
   go to 1 of 7 hells. There is no dualism between
   flesh and spirit, thus everything is viewed
   materialistically

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Five Pillars of Islamic Practice

1. Recitation daily of the creed (Shahada) Allah
   is great. There is no God but Allah. Muhammad is
   the apostle of Allah
2. Ritual Prayers (Salaah) in Arabic while bowing
   toward Mecca. The faithful are called to
   prayer 5 x a day by a Mullah or Imam, etc). On
   Friday prayers in mosque follow a sermon by
   leader
3. Month-long fast (Sawm) during month of Ramadan
   from food, water, smoking and sex in day
4. Amsgiving (Zakaat) 2.5 of assets must be given
   to poor, homeless, debtors and for the spread of
   Islam this practice encourages beggars in
   Muslim lands
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajji) once in a lifetime
   must make trip and perform certain rituals there
   including marching around the Kaaba 7 times.

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The Quran and Traditions

• Situational factors in Quran effectively remove
  moral demands as far as honesty, sexual purity,
  etc.
• Muslim men may have 4 wives, but can have up to
  12. Marriage and divorce is mere repetition 3
  times of I marry you or I divorce you!
• Abstain from pork and alcohol, veiling of women
  and Jihad, holy war against infidels
• Since Mohammad was illiterate, Quran was
  memorized, and not written until after his death!

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The Quran and Traditions

• In the story of Abraham, it was Ishmael (father
  of Arabs), not Isaac, who was offered up!
• Jesus was mentioned 93 times, but someone else
  was crucified in his place, since Allah would not
  allow His holy prophet to be crucified
• Jesus is alive today in heaven and will come to
  establish Islam on earth!
• Many traditions (Hadith) of what Muhammad did or
  said are many held by different sects.

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Least reached religious blocs
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Foreign missionaries working with least reached
religious blocs
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