ISLAM

Factfile:

Origin:

~ AD 610

Muhammad, born into an Arabian tribe, at age 40, went for a spiritual retreat in a cave. He reportedly received revelations from the angel Gabriel, which were eventually compiled into the Quran (meaning ‘recitations’).

Followers:

Total: >960 million (18% of world’s population), 2nd largest religion in the world, after Christianity

Arab < non-Arab Muslims (1:3)

Indonesia > Pakistan > Bangladesh > India

Core Beliefs:

GOD – God is one and no partner is to be associated with him. God is far and distant from his creation.

ANGELS – A hierarchy on angels exist in the gap between Allah and humans

PROPHETS – God has sent a prophet to every nation to preach the message of the one God. 124,000 prophets in all, including biblical people (e.g. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, Jesus). Each prophet was given for a particular age, but Muhammad is the only prophet who is for all time.

HOLY BOOKS – 4 of the high-ranking prophets were given books of divine revelation: Moses (Torah), David (Psalms), Jesus (Gospel), Muhammad (Quran). Only the Quran has been preserved in an uncorrupted state.

JUDGEMENT – On the day of judgement, each person’s deeds will be weighed in the balance. Those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds will be damned, but those whose good deeds outweigh the bad will be rewarded with Paradise. Whether one’s good deeds outweigh one’s bad deeds is subjective and hence, there is no assurance that one will be accepted by God.

Core Practices (5 Pillars of Islam):

Recite the Shahadah – “I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger”

Pray 5 times a day

Fast during Ramadan – to commemorate Muhammad receiving the Quran

Give alms (2.5% of income)

Pilgrimage to Mecca

Approach to Witnessing:

A relaxed atmosphere of conversation and a spirit of mutual inter-communication is vital if we are to effectively convey the Gospel to Muslims. We need to be open to discussion and allow the Muslim complete freedom to join in so that he can state his needs, fears, beliefs and misgivings. He must feel completely free to express himself and not feel threatened in any way. If we show Muslims that we care for them as people and that our witness is intended purely to benefit them and that it comes without obligation or strings attached, we are far more likely to win their confidence and gain willing ears. Be extremely patient with Muslims – it is only rarely that Muslims come to Jesus Christ without much time, heart-searching, learning and reflection first taking place.

Take every opportunity of being friendly with Muslim neighbours, shopkeepers and others. Show them that you love them in practical ways. Do not try to preach at them. Be a good listener. This is where we are failing today in every land. We must listen to the other man sympathetically and patiently. Then we shall understand his point of view, his difficulties, and where he has misunderstood Christianity. (Marsh, Share Your Faith with a Muslim, p. 61).

We must be balanced in our witness. Be bold, but at the same time be gracious. Develop a spirit of gentle aggressiveness, to "show perfect courtesy toward all men" (Titus 3.2), and yet to speak with such boldness and confidence that those who dispute with us will not be able to "withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke" (Acts 6.10). When the occasion arises where you are obliged to expose some of the weaknesses of Islam, never be directly critical or judgmental but speak sensitively and purposefully.

The Muslim has a keen perceptive mind and quickly detects any attempt to mask the truth or to compromise... you can say anything to a Muslim provided you say it in love and with a smile. They respect the man who, alone in the midst of a crowd of Muslim opponents, has the courage of his convictions and does not hesitate to speak the whole truth. (Marsh, Share Your Faith with a Muslim, p. 11).

We should avoid trying to prove that Islam is false and that Christianity is true. It is far better to show that Christianity is superior to Islam and that the absolute perfection of its founder and the standards set by him are far higher than the character of Muhammad and the laws he sanctioned. Above all, Muhammad should never be stigmatized by the Christian as a false prophet. We give credit to Muhammad where this is due, but an integral part of Christian witness to Muslims is to expose the defects and shortcomings of the whole of Islam when compared with the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is set forth in the Bible. The important thing is to be objective and charitable and to avoid giving unnecessary offence wherever we can. Similarly, one needs to respect the Quran as a historical expression of the experience and faith of Muhammad and his followers without treating it as the final authority.

We must become Muslims to the Muslims if we would gain them for Christ. We must do this in the Pauline sense, without compromise, but with self-sacrificing sympathy and unselfish love. The Christian missionary must first of all know the religion of the people among whom he labors; ignorance of the Koran, the traditions, the life of Muhammad, the Muslim concepts of Christ, the social beliefs....ignorance of these is the chief difficulty in work among Muslims. (Samuel Zwemer, pioneer missionary of the Reformed Church in America and mentor to many mission witnesses to Muslims

DO’S

DON’TS

Love and respect them Pray with them and for them Consult the Bible to explain and support what you believe. This will expose your Muslim friend to the Bible’s authority and authenticity. Meet with them individually.Witnessing to Muslims is best done one-to-one. When you meet with Muslims in a group, they tend to be defensive of their religion and will not open up Point to Jesus as often as you can without being offensive. It is vital for the Muslim to see Christianity as not a religion but as a living, new relationship with God. Use Jesus’ parables and stories about Him. Muslims are more influenced by stories and parables than they are by logical arguments. Give personal testimonies of experiences of God’s power and presence Read at least a few portions, if not all, of the Quran so that you will become familiar with the Muslim concept of God. Be patient and persistent. Handle the Bible respectfully. The custom in Islamic countries is to not lower the Quran below the waist. Remember their “halaal” law Use names and titles with care

Be critical of Islam, the Quran or Muhammad. Instead, accentuate the Good News of the Gospel. Take your Muslim friend to church until you know he/ she is ready for it. Most Muslims would find a typical church service dishonouring to God. If you do bring a Muslim to church, discuss with him/ her what to expect. It is best to begin by taking your Muslim friend to an informal bible study Argue with your Muslim friend. Try to sensitively provoke your friend’s thinking instead.

Comparison Between Islam And Christianity:

	Islam	Christianity
God	Both believe that God is One is a transcendent Creator of the universe is sovereign and omnipotent has spoken to humanity through messengers or prophets, angels, and the written word knows in intimate detail the thoughts and deeds of man will judge the wicked
	A singular unity Impersonal. Broke into history through a word that is written (i.e. Quran)   Not a father and has no sons (Surahs 19:90-92) “Allah loves not the wrongdoers” (Surah 3:139) or the “prodigals” (Surahs 7:31) “Allah desires to afflict them for some of their sins” (Surah 5:49; 9:2; 40:10; 7:179)	A compound unity - 1 in essence, 3 in person Personal. Broke into history through the Word who is a Person (John 1:1,14; Col 1:15-20) God is a trinity who has eternally existed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19) God hates the sin but loves the sinner (Rom 5:8; Luke 15:11-24) God does not “take any pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezek 18:23) and is “not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9).
Humanity	Good by nature. Created weak but not sinful.	Sinful by nature.
Sin	Sin = Rejecting right guidance. Can be forgiven through repentance. No atonement is necessary	Sin = moral rebellion against God, which causes us to be alienated from Him. An atonement is necessary.
Salvation	The standard for salvation is having one’s good deeds outweigh the bad. Therefore, it is based on human effort.	The standard for salvation is the absolute holiness of God (Matt 5:48). Therefore, it can only be offered as a gift through the grace of God and received through faith.
Jesus	One of the major prophets. He was born of a virgin, was sinless and performed miracles. However, to call Jesus the Son of God is blasphemy. Jesus did not die on the cross. He went to heaven and Judas died in his place on the cross. Muslims believe that it is disrespectful to believe that God would allow one of his prophets to be crucified.	The one and only Son of God (1 John 2:22) Jesus died a physical death as a substitute for our sins but 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 (Matt 20:28; John 3:16; Rom 8:3; 2 Cor 5:21). Jesus voluntarily gave His life for us (John 6:51). The end was not that of dishonour but that of the highest exaltation (Acts 2:29-33; Phil 2:8-11).
Bible	Corrupted. Nullified by the Quran.	Authentic. Divinely inspired (2 Tim 3:16). The final authority in all matters of faith and truth.

Answering Common Objections to Christianity:

1.“The Bible has been corrupted”

The Quran speaks of those who “used to hear the word of Allah, then altered it after they had understood it” and some who are “illiterate; they know not the Book but only (from) hearsay, and they do but conjecture. Woe! Then to those who write the Book with their hands and then say, This is from Allah” (Surah 2:75, 78-79)

These passages do not speak of the alteration of the actual biblical manuscripts themselves, but instead speaks of the misinterpretation of Scripture (Parrinder, pg 147).

The Quran considers the previous revelations contained in “the Book” to be authoritative and authentic revelations from God (Surah 2:136). It uses the Torah and the Gospel to authenticate Muhammad as the prophet (Surah 7:157)

Biblical scholars have found 3,157 Greek manuscripts that contain either portions or all of the New Testament (Geisler & Nix, pg 466). Of the textual differences, 95% has to do with trivialities such as a letter being deleted by mistake.

2. “Christians worship 3 Gods”, “The doctrine of the Trinity contradicts itself”

Affirm your agreement with your Muslim friend that there is only one God. Look with him/ her at relevant biblical passages (Deut 6:4; Mark 12:29-32; 1 Cor 8:4)

Point out that the Bible speaks of times of a compound unity rather than a simple, undivided unity (Gen 2:24; Exodus 24:3; Judges 20:1,8,11; Rom 12:5)

Explain that it is not surprising that we, as God’s creatures, would not be able to fully understand the nature of our Creator.

Clarify the make-up of the Trinity. Some Muslims believe that the Trinity consists of God, Jesus & Mary (Surah 5:116).

Consider together the biblical evidence for the triunity of God. In the Bible, the Father is referred to as God (Matt 11:25), Jesus is recognized as God (John 1:1), and he Holy Spirit is identified as God (Acts 5:3-4). Even though each is referred to as God, the Bible does not speak of 3 gods but of the 3 persons as being 1 in essence (Matt 28:19: John 1:1). The 3 persons of the Trinity are all identified as having attributes unique to God (e.g. all existed before anything was created, and each was active in the creation of all things).

3. “God has no Sons”

In the Arabic language, there are two words for expressing “son of”: walad and ibn. Walad denoted becoming a son through the union of a male with a female. Ibn can be used in a metaphorical sense. It is in that wider sense that Jesus is the (spiritual) Son of God.

4. “Jesus was not crucified”

“And for their saying: We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah, and they killed him not, nor did they cause his death on the cross, but he was made to appear to them as such. And certainly those who differ therein are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge about it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for certain. Nay, Allah exalted him in his presence. And Allah is every mighty, wise” Surah 4:157-158

The preceding passages seem to indicate that "We" refers to the Jews because Mt Sinai is mentioned in those passages. A careful reading of the above passage shows that it does not deny that Jesus was crucified, but it instead denies that the Jews caused Jesus to be crucified (which is consistent with the Bible – it was the Romans who crucified Jesus).

Even the Quran alludes to the fact that God was the ultimate cause for Jesus being crucified: “When Allah said: O Jesus, I will cause thee to die and exalt thee in my presence and clear thee of those who disbelieve and make those who follow thee above those who disbelieve to the day of the Resurrection” (Surah 3:54). Read Isaiah 53:4-11 to help your Muslim friend see why God caused Jesus to die.

Point out verses in the Bible which Jesus predicted his death (Matt 12:39-40; Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22; John 10:11).

Ultimately, the argument concerning the significance of the Cross of Christ must not be a theological one, but a personal one – what Jesus’ death means to you. The Muslim must be shown the difference between the uncertainty of salvation by attempting to live up to the law versus the certainty of salvation by receiving God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Resources:
http://www.christiananswers.net/evangelism/beliefs/ Questions & Answers and a biblical perspective to various religions.

http://www.ijfm.org/PDFs_IJFM/13_3_PDFs/01_VanderWerff.pdf Christian Witness to our Muslim Friends by Lyle VanderWerff. International Journal of Frontier Missions.

Halverson, D. (1992). Islam Religion Profile. International Students, Inc.

www.answering-islam.org – Excellent website for finding out more about the Muslim faith and how it is linked with Christianity.