The Religion of Islam

From a Christian

Perspective

Phil Sanders

The Religion of Islam

2 Peter 2:1-3

I. Introduction

"Islam" means "submission". A follower of the religion of Islam is called a "Muslim" which means "one who is in submission to the divine will". Islam is the youngest of the 5 major religions of the world. According to the best estimates, there are 800,000,000 to 1 billion Muslims worldwide. Currently, there are 48 nations where adherents of Islam are in the majority. The greatest threat to world peace and stability is the result of the religion of Islam. Almost every controversy in the Middle East can be traced to this religion, either through intra-party squabbles, or Islam verses non- Islam.

II. Historical Background

The religion was founded by Muhammad who was born in 570 A.D. in a small village (Mecca) along a caravan route in what is today known as Saudi Arabia.

The young Muhammad, an orphan at an early age, had an inquiring mind and an intense interest in religion. The prevailing religion at this time in Arabia was one of polytheism and animism (the belief that natural objects, natural phenomena, and the universe itself possess souls). The people of Mecca at this time were involved in a religion called Ka'aba meaning "black stone," in which they literally worshipped a black stone. Those following this religion believed that many objects, other than the black stone, possessed spirits and power. He inquired of both Judaism and Christianity. The Christianity that he came into contact was of a very heretical sort. Christianity at this time was losing its vitality and was about to enter the Dark Ages.

At about 25 years of age Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior. Due to the ensuing economic security, Muhammad turned even more to religious contemplation often retiring to caves in the wilderness for long periods of time. He practiced fasting and was prone to dreams. He had a profound dissatisfaction with the polytheism and superstition of his day. He received his first of many "revelations" at 40 years of age. He thought at first that he was possessed of a demon. Later he claimed the angel Gabriel who informed him to warn the people visited him. This marked the beginning of his prophetic office. Muhammad's revelations were written shortly after his death and they are now called the Qur'an.

The response in Mecca to his claims was small and limited mainly to family members. Soon he and his followers (around 200) were forced to flee Meeca in 622. The people called him a sorcerer and false prophet and claimed that he was possessed. This flight to Medina is known as "The Hegira". In Medina, Muhammad became a leader and theocratic head of the town. Muslims reckon time from the Hegira. 622 A.D. = the year 1 A.H. After eight years, Muhammad captured Mecca and became the ruler. He implemented the divine orders he believed he was called to carry out and retained the pilgrimage to Mecca as part of his religious restoration.

In less than a 100 years Islam spread from the Atlantic Ocean across central Asia deep into India. This empire lasted over a 1000 years. Only a handful of countries have ever reversed themselves after becoming an Islamic nation in 14 centuries of history!

III. The Belief System of Islam

Islam is a religion of rigid monotheism and an all-encompassing law. It is a belief system, i.e., a world and life view. Everything is seen from an Islamic perspective.

Islam's five fundamental articles of faith:

1. There is no God but God. "Allah" is the Arabic word for "God". This god is the sovereign Lord of the universe. Everything that occurs is according to his will. He is also the source of both good and evil. The Koran assigns 99 names to Allah. The 100th name is secret and is known only to the camel!

2. God gave prophets (the Koran mentions 28) to every age from Adam to Muhammad. Muhammad, the last and greatest prophet, was sinless as were all the other prophets. Jesus was the prophet of the previous age. They affirm that Jesus was born of a virgin and performed many miracles, but they vehemently deny that he was God, was crucified, or rose from the dead.

3. Islam believes that each age was given a book through its prophet, but all have been lost except portions of the Old Testament and the Gospel of Jesus which was corrupted by Christians. The Koran ("Quran") was given to Muhammad and supercedes all other revelations. The Koran is divided into 114 Suras (chapters) and was given directly to Muhammad. To the Muslim, every word of the Koran is the Word of God and is of an eternal nature. In other words, it existed in heaven prior to being dictated by the angel Gabriel. The Koran governs every area of the life of a Muslim, from how to prevent crime to the proper use of a toothpick! It is often the only constitution of some Muslim countries.

4. There are good and bad angels. The chief good angel is Gabriel. The chief fallen angel is Shaitan (Satan).

5. There will be a Day of Judgment in which all the dead will be resurrected. Allah will be the judge and each person will be sent either to heaven, a place of sensual pleasure, or hell, a place of torment. Hell is for those who opposed Allah and his prophet, Muhammad. Salvation is attained by the quality of a person's obedience to the law as determined by Allah. Muhammad is seen as a mediator who helps a person attain salvation. The bridge to paradise is likened to a razor-sharp sword; Muhammad waits to assist in crossing.

Each Muslim has six obligatory duties:

1. Reciting the creed. "There is no God but Allah". The word "quran" in Arabic means "to recite.”

2. Pray five times a day facing Mecca.

3. Give to the poor and for the furtherance of Islam. It varies from 2 to 10 per cent. (Usually 2.5%)

4. Fast for one month each year during the 9th month, the lunar month of Ramadan. This month of fasting is during the day only. Feasting takes place after sundown.

5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca a least once during a lifetime. A male who makes a pilgrimage to Mecca is called a "Haji" a title of honor similar to the English "Sir".

6. The concept of "Jihad" ("holy war") is sometimes referred to as a 6th pillar. Jihad is also a religious duty of all adult males who must commit to any summons of war against infidels. Any who die in such a war are assured paradise. Today there is controversy as to who in the Arab world can legally declare a Jihad. In the past, this has been a most successful form of "evangelism." Polytheistic cultures have been given the option of submission or death. Historically, Jews and Christians, since they were considered "people of the Book" were given a choice of submission or paying tribute (taxes).

IV. Other Muslim beliefs

The unforgivable sin to a Muslim is to attribute deity to anything other than God himself. To claim that Jesus is God or the Son of God is blasphemy to a Muslim. They believe that God is unbegotten and begets not.

Most Muslims believe Jesus predicted the coming of Muhammad when He said that He would send “another Comforter” in John 14:26. Muslims even refer to Muhammad as the "Holy Spirit."

Muslims are very anti-Trinitarian. The Koran teaches that Christians believe in a Trinity of God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and Mary the Mother!

Most Muslims believe Judas died on the cross, not Jesus. God caused Jesus to be ascended into heaven.

Most Muslims do not separate church and state, i.e. politics and religion. There is no such thing as secular and sacred. This is a cause of some of their intra-mural conflicts. Occasionally a ruler attempts to secularize the state.

The Koran allows a man to have up to four wives if he believes he can treat them equally!

The Koran teaches that if a Muslim soldier kills another muslim soldier in an unjust war he will go to hell! In the recent war, many Iraqi soldiers did not believe it was just war, hence they deserted in large numbers (and probably for other reasons as well!).

Muslim soldiers can declare a victory in battle even though they were stomped by the enemy, because to a Muslim, win or lose, it is the will of Allah. So if you lose, you win, because it is the will of Allah.

The Koran teaches that Muslims should take up arms against infidels. The following quote from the Koran should give insight into our current situation:

"When ye encounter unbelievers, strike off their heads until ye have made a great slaughter among them, and bind them in bonds; and either give them free demission afterwards or exact a ransom... Verily if God please he could take vengeance on them, without your assistance, but he commandeth you to fight his battles... And to those who fight in defense of God's true religion, God... will lead them into paradise..."

The Koran is the final revelation of the will of Almighty God's to all of mankind, which was conveyed through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic, to the Prophet Muhammad in its sounds, words and meanings. It is alleged that the Qur’an was revealed to Mohammed verbatim by the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years (but compiled after his death). One passage asserts: “Praise be to God, Who hath sent to His Servant [Mohammed] The Book [the Qur’an], and hath allowed Therein no Crookedness” (18:1).

Some Contradictions

1. And it just doesn't add up: Sura 4:11-12 and 4:176 state the Qur'anic inheritance law. When a man dies, and is leaving behind three daughters, his two parents and his wife, they will receive the respective shares of 2/3 for the 3 daughters together, 1/3 for the parents together [both according to verse 4:11] and 1/8 for the wife [4:12] which adds up to more than the available estate. A second example: A man leaves only his mother, his wife and two sisters, then they receive 1/3 [mother, 4:11], 1/4 [wife, 4:12] and 2/3 [the two sisters, 4:176], which again adds up to 15/12 of the available property.

2. Six or eight days of creation? Sura 7:54, 10:3, 11:7, and 25:59 clearly state that God created "the heavens and the earth" in six days. But in 41:9-12 the detailed description of the creation procedure adds up to eight days.

3. What was man created from? A blood clot [96:1-2], water [21:30, 24:45, 25:54], "sounding" (i.e. burned) clay [15:26], dust [3:59, 30:20, 35:11], nothing [19:67] and this is then denied in 52:35, earth [11:61], a drop of thickened fluid [16:4, 75:37]

4. Does Allah forgive shirk? Shirk is considered the worst of all sins, but the author of the Qur'an seems seems unable to decide if Allah will ever forgive it or not. No [4:48, 116], Yes [4:153, 25:68-71]. Abraham committed this sin of polytheism as he takes moon, sun, stars to be his Lord [6:76-78], yet Muslims believe that all prophets are without any sin.

Some Contradictions of the Bible and the Koran

1. Noah escaped the flood, but his son drowned (Sura 11:42-46) according to the Quran narrative, but he (Noah) escaped with his wife, three sons and their wives (Genesis 6:7,18) in the Bible.

2. That Moses was adopted by Pharaoh's wife (Sura 28:9) is contradicted by Exodus 2:10, where he was adopted by Pharaoh's daughter (otherwise he would also have been adopted by Pharaoh himself).

3. Moses' wife - we understand from the context (in Sura 28:22-28), that this must be Zipporah the daughter of Jethro - was given to Moses in exchange for 8-10 years' service. The Bible does not account for this (Exodus 2:16-22).

4. Muslims believe in the Absolute Oneness of God, Who is a Supreme Being free of human limitations and wants. He has no partners in His Divinity. He is the Creator of everything and is completely separate from His creation.

Allah says in the Quran regarding Trinity:

"Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity).’ But there is no god but One God. And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them (Quran 5:73).

Also:

"People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of Allah, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and in His Messengers, and do not say: ‘Allah is a Trinity.’ Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. Allah is indeed just one God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. Allah is sufficient for a guardian" (Quran 4:171).

Do Muslims believe that Jesus was the son of God? NO

As mentioned above, Muslims believe that God is One and free of all partners and associates. He is above all that others associate with Him. All power and control are with Him. It is above His Majesty and Glory to take a son, partner or associate. He is independent of everyone and everything, while on the other hand, everyone and everything is dependent on Him.

"Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!" (Quran 112:1-4).

The Quran also states:

"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of Allah, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be’ and it is" (Quran 19:34-35).

Do Muslims believe Jesus was killed on the cross then resurrected? NO

"And because of their saying, ‘We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. The have no knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely they killed him not (Jesus, son of Mary). But Allah raised him (Jesus) up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allah is ever All-Powerful, All-Wise" (Quran 4:157-158).

Conclusion:

There have been and there will always be false prophets who deceive the unsuspecting (2 Pet. 2:1-3). We must be careful that we don’t fall into this error. I am thankful to be a Christian!