An examination of. The. Religion. Islam. by John M. Brown

Transcription

1 An examination of The Religion Of Islam by John M. Brown

2 INTRODUCTION: More than 1 billion people living today are Muslim, followers of the prophet Mohammed, practicing the religion called ISLAM. The religion is predominately middle-eastern and very culturally connected, yet because of economic concerns (oil!), during the last few decades it has exercised greatly expanding influence on the entire world. Not only energy concerns, but also international politics, terrorism, and the nightly news have increasingly brought the people of Islam to our daily attention. There is a battle of ideologies - of beliefs and allegiances and convictions - that is ongoing. The word Islam means submission to God (God is called ALLAH), and the followers of the religion are called MUSLIMS (a word meaning one who submits ). The holy book is called the KORAN (or QUR AN, meaning recite ), and consists of a collection of Mohammed s sayings. Muslims trace their religious lineage back to Abraham and the book of Genesis; however, not through Abraham s son Isaac, but through his son Ishmael. WHO WAS MOHAMMED? Mohammed, the man Muslims believe to be God s final prophet, was born in Mecca (present-day Saudi Arabia) in 570 AD. Orphaned at the age of 6 and reared by a grandfather and an uncle, Mohammed traveled with his uncle on caravan journeys where he came in contact with the religions of Judaism and Christianity, from whom he was influenced to believe in only one God (contrary to his fellow Arabian tribesmen, who worshipped pagan idols and believed in many gods). Mohammed never had access to education, and remained all his life illiterate. At age 25, Mohammed married a wealthy widow named Khadija (who was 40 years old at the time), with whom he had two sons and four daughters (only one daughter, Fatima, would survive to adulthood). At age 40, Mohammed began receiving revelations from God through the angel Gabriel, during which revelations he would fall down, jerk in convulsions, hear sounds, and feel as if he was being strangled. At first, Mohammed doubted the reality of these revelations as coming from God, believing instead they were evidences of personal demon possession. He was determined to commit suicide, but his wife and friends finally convinced him the revelations were from God, and he began to preach them to his family. Though many initially ridiculed him as demon possessed or insane, some believed the message of Mohammed, including certain wealthy and influential men. Because of opposition, Mohammed had to flee Mecca for the nearby city of Medina in 622 AD (this emigration is called the Hegira). The people of Medina welcomed Mohammed, and he became a religious and political leader in the city, and his religious law became civil law. Mohammed became both prophet and priest of Medina, and organized a large military force. Hostility between the people of Mecca and Medina eventually led to war. Mohammed and his followers ultimately prevailed, triumphantly entering Mecca in 630 AD. Victorious, Mohammed sought to unite Arabian tribes into a vast force to conquer the 1

3 world for Allah, having gotten even richer himself through taking spoils of war and engaging in slave trading. After Mohammed s wife died in 619 AD, he took many other wives and concubines, as many as 29 totally. He used his wives, slaves, and concubines to satisfy his sexual appetites (one girl was only 8 or 9 years old when he consummated the marriage). What can we say of a religious leader whose actions reveal traits of incest, warmongering, hatred, bloodshed, covetousness, murderer, fornication, adultery, and pedophilia? Mohammed died in 632 AD after a sudden illness (some think he was poisoned), and was buried in the Prophet s Mosque in Medina. By the time of his death, most of Arabia had accepted his teachings, and within 20 years his religion had spread to Syria, Egypt, Libya, and most of the former Persian Empire. By the 8 th century, it had spread into North Africa and Spain. Today its influence is rapidly spreading. Though Muslims believe God has had many prophets (including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus), Mohammed is believed to be the final and greatest prophet of God. AUTHORITY There are several authorities in the religion of Islam, first and foremost being the holy book, the Koran (or Qur an). The word means recital and it is believed to be a collection of sayings from the prophet Mohammed which were compiled after his death. Other authorities include the SUNNA (a collection of traditional sayings or teachings of Mohammed not part of the Koran), and the ULEMA (a body of pious Muslim men - a kind of governing or counseling body who gather to solve problems not dealt with directly in the Koran or Sunna). The Koran, a confusing book very difficult to read and understand, is characterized by inaccuracies and contradictions. Interestingly, Muslim apologists will allow the Bible to be critiqued, examined, and criticized, but not the Koran. Any critical examination or reasonable questioning of the Koran and its teachings in certain Muslim countries can bring immediate consequences, including punishment by violent death. Christians welcome an examination of the Bible, believing that such will lead to reasoned faith in God as its Author, and the accuracy of its contents in setting forth truth and producing faith. THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM There are five cardinal doctrines, teachings, and practices upon which Islam is based: 1. PROFESSION OF FAITH: called the SHAHADA, each Muslim must profess There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet. 2. DAILY PRAYER: called SALAH; there are prescribed prayers which each Muslim is to recite five times daily in Arabic, bowing toward Mecca. 3. ALMSGIVING: called ZAKA, each Muslim is expected to give (and in many Islamic nations this comes 2

4 in the form of a governmental tax); these funds can be used for the poor but also for travelers, recent converts, and even holy war (jihad). 4. FASTING: called SAWN, an important part of the Muslim religion, particularly during the month of RAMADAN (a sacred month in Islam; the ninth month of the Islamic year, in which the angel Gabriel was said to have spoken to Mohammed; fasting lasts each day, from daybreak to sunset). 5. PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA: called HAJJ, each Muslim is expected, if able, to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime; only Muslims are allowed to enter Mecca, specific rules govern this sojourn, and some 2 million make this trip annually. THE SIX ARTICLES OF ISLAM: 1. FAITH IN ALLAH 2. THE HOLY BOOKS (including the Torah, Psalms, Gospels, and the Koran). 3. THE PROPHETS (many, including the six principles prophets: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed). 4. ANGELS (many angels, including Gabriel). 5. JUDGMENT: there will be a day of judgment in which good and evil deeds will be evaluated. 6. PREDESTINATION: that everything that happens is the decree of Allah. OTHER MUSLIM DOCTRINES & PRACTICES: MARRIAGE: marriage exists between males and females, and often involves polygamy (having multiple wives at the same time). MORALITY: Muslims teach a strict moral standard which forbids lying, stealing, and other vices (under general circumstances), and denounces usury, gambling, alcohol, eating pork; the law of retaliation is advocated (an eye for an eye... ). 3

5 HEAVEN & HELL: Heaven, called Paradise, is a place where one partakes of all the sensual pleasures denied him in this world -drinking, gambling, women - and is a physical appeal to the flesh, where men will lounge on couches in a beautiful garden and be given dark-eyed virgins (called houris) for their pleasure. Hell is a place of great torture and torment. MOSQUE: A Muslim place of worship where prayers are said. UM SHALA: the will of God - according to Muslim teaching, all things happen according to God s pre-arranged will ( kismet, fate, predestination). IMAM & MUZZEEV: Muslim leaders: the Imam is the chief officer in the Mosque, while the Muzzein summons worshippers to prayer. JIHAD: this has become a familiar term, and literally means struggle ; the word has come to represent holy war, mortal physical conflict in which righteousness engages unrighteousness, or any war to defend Islam or Islamic governments; the practice was advanced by Mohammed himself and is vigorously defended by many today. One dying as a martyr in such a holy war is assured of Paradise, according to the Koran and Muslim teaching. PUNISHMENT: Islamic nations are characterized by severe punishments for sins and crimes, punishments including public whipping, amputation, and stoning. DIVISIONS: Islam has experienced serious divisions, resulting in war and bloodshed, and history records how it has been spread by the sword. After Mohammed s death, his oldest companion and early follower, Abu Baker, was chosen CALIPH (the representative of Mohammed). The next two caliph s, Umar and Uthman, were also chosen from outside Mohammed s family, but when a third caliph was murdered, a split developed: one group held that only a direct descendant of Mohammed (through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Ali) could be caliph, the other group believing that any responsible person could be caliph. Ali, Mohammed s son-in-law, became the fourth caliph in 656 AD, but was murdered, as were his sons who succeeded him, Hassan and Husain. Today, the Shiite Muslims look to these descendants of Mohammed, remembering their deaths and revering their tombs as shrines. SUNNI: this group, the majority of Islam today, believes any responsible person can be caliph. SHIITE: this group believes only Mohammed s direct descendants can be caliph; it is a more radical, fanatical faction of the Islamic groups (the one dominating Iran, for example). SUFFI: a group of Islamic mystics. 4

6 WAHHABISM: a militant Muslim movement whose goal is the establishment of a totalitarian theocracy in all Muslim lands; it regards many fellow Muslims as infidels, and is today the official religion of Saudi Arabia (this group is embraced by many terrorists); Osama bin Laden and his followers are Wahhabi s, and some 80% of the mosques in the United States are thought to be under Wahhabi control. BLACK MUSLIM (Nation of Islam): a black American Islamic group begun in the 1920 s as an expression of the African pride movement founded by W. D. Fard; it has advocated black racism (renouncing white devils, the United States, and advocating a separate Nation of Islam for black people), and often violence; well-known adherents include Elijah Muhammad (Elijah Poole), Malcom X (Malcolm Little), Muhammed AH, and Louis Farakhan. SHARIA: Islamic law composed of the Koran, the HADITH (traditions), the IJMA (consensus of Muslim leaders), and the QIYAS (religious reasoning), containing moral, religious, and civil laws which govern divorce, contracts, crime and punishment, the role of women (which often involves subordination, veiling, and segregation), and other often very specifically detailed aspects of life and living. UM SHALLA: this is an often used phrase in Islam meaning the will of Allah, signifying that whatever happens is simply God s will, and involves a great degree of predestination (which is called kismet, referring to fate - whatever will be, will be ). SALVATION: there is no concept of salvation as Christianity offers it (that is, salvation from sin). In Islam there is no substitutionary death, atonement, or redemption from sin. At judgment, deeds will be measured and weighed, and whether the good or the bad (as defined by Islam) prevails will determine one s eternal destiny. SACRED PLACES: The most sacred place to Islam is MECCA (the birthplace of Mohammed); second is MEDINA (where Mohammed is buried); third is the DOME OF THE ROCK in JERUSALEM (where Mohammed was said to have ascended to heaven). WOMEN: there is a great contrast between the role of women in western culture and Islamic culture, Islamic nations are a man s world, with women occupying a decidedly inferior, subservient role; the Koran has more to say on the issue of women in society than on any other social issue, and many rights we take for granted are denied in many Islamic cultures where women are counted as property and can be used (and abused) according to man s whim; according to the Hadith, most women will go to hell. THE CONTRAST WITH CHRISTIANITY Christianity and Islam are not the same; they are not equal or identical, they do not teach the same things or advance the same concepts, and they do not serve the same God. Numerous doctrinal differences, such as the concept of God, angels, predestination, heaven & hell, Scripture, authority, marriage & family, the role of women, war, violence, 5

7 clearly illustrate this. The concept of God is not the same at all! In Christianity, God is a loving, benevolent, beneficent Father who sacrificially gave His Son for the benefit of man. In Islam, Allah is not a loving God, he is not a father, and he does not have a son. Though Muslims believe in one god, their god is not the God of the Bible in any way. Just believing in one god does not equate with believing in The God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. But another essential difference is this: JESUS vs. MOHAMMED! Christianity proclaims something concerning Jesus of Nazareth that Muslims reject about Jesus, and do not even believe about their own prophet Mohammed: Christians believe Jesus is the only begotten Son of God! Muslims do not believe that about either Jesus or Mohammed. The teachings of Islam and of the Koran about Jesus contradict the teachings of the Bible. 1. THE KORAN DENIES JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD. The term Son of God in Scripture indicates Jesus DEITY. The Bible clearly teaches Jesus is God s Son (Matthew 17:5; John 3:16; 20:30-31; Acts 8:37) and is Deity, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:21; John 8:58; 10:30; John 1:1-5; 20:28; Philippians 2:5-8; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:8; Revelation 1:8, 11; 22:13, 16). The very concept is blasphemous to Islam, but essential to Christianity. Jesus taught He is the only way to God (John 14:6). 2. THE KORAN TEACHES JESUS DIDN T REALLY DIE ON THE CROSS. Rather, Allah took Jesus to heaven before the crucifixion, and it was Judas in disguise who died on the cross, fooling even Mary and the disciples. But the Bible teaches Judas betrayed Jesus (Mark 14:10-11, 43-45) and in desperation for the deed hanged himself (Matthew 27:5). Judas died not on the cross but at the end of a rope. 3. THE KORAN TEACHES JESUS DID NOT RISE FROM THE DEAD. Islam looks to a dead prophet while Christianity worships a risen, living Lord. The Bible teaches the literal, bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matthew 28:1ff; 1 Corinthians 15; Romans 1:4). He is the assurance that we, too, through Him, can conquer death 4. THE KORAN TEACHES ONE MUST TAKE CARE OFHIS OWN SIN. A Muslim must earn his salvation by following the Five Pillars, and other principles of Islam. But Christianity teaches Jesus died for our sins, and this is the good news of the Gospel (Isaiah 53; Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 1 Peter 2:21-25). Jesus is something Mohammed is not, and cannot be: SAVIOR! Yes, it s Mohammed vs. Jesus! What a difference between a religious leader who called for the bloody death of his enemies, and One who prayed for their forgiveness; between one who was a warrior, and One who was a Savior; between one who practiced force and coercion, and One who called for faith and conversion; between one who was a prophet of war and One who is the Prince of Peace; between one who took like, and One who offers life; between one whose tomb is occupied, and One whose tomb is empty. 6

8 INFLUENCE OF ISLAM Today more than a billion Muslims dominate some 40 countries and 3 continents. In the United States there are more Muslims (some 5 million) than members of churches of Christ. It is not that they re coming - they re here! Muslim missionaries influence our universities, prisons, inner cities, businesses, and politics. Islam is rapidly increasing its influence in the West, where in many places churches are closing and mosques are expanding. In 145 there was 1 mosque in England; by 1990 there were over 1,000. In 1990 there were 3 mosques in Germany; by 2002 there were more than 2,200. Within two years of the fall of the southern republics of the former USSR, more than 5,000 mosques were built. In the last 50 years, Islam has grown some 500% in the United States. In less than 20 years, the number of mosques in America has grown from about 30 to some 3,000. While the West has been very generous in granting religious liberties and freedoms to members of the religion of Islam (and all others as well), there are numerous Muslim countries which are legally (and practically) closed to Christian missionaries. Islam has historically been very averse to any difference of opinion, and often violently so. The threat is real; the danger is imminent; it is not too much for a Christian to conclude that the souls of our children and grandchildren are indeed at stake. Never misunderstand Islam s agenda for world domination and the subjection, even if by force, of all peoples to Islamic servitude. Those who proclaim that Islam is only a religion of peace that has been hijacked by a few extremists (terrorists) do not understand the history or teaching this religion. It is dangerous: doctrinally, spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically. Vehement, aggressive hostility is the Muslim response to both Judaism and Christianity. History has demonstrated that Islam hasn t been enlarged and increased through reason and persuasion, but through force and compulsion. We must be ready to defend the Gospel (Philippians 1:17) and contend for the faith (Jude 3) while confessing the truth about Jesus Christ (Matthew 10:32-33). He deserves no less; we must do no other. 7

9 the Flatwoods church of Christ invites you to attend our services: Sundays: Wednesday: 9:45 a.m. Bible Study 10:46 a.m. Worship Service 6:00 p.m. Worship Service 7:00 p.m. Bible Study 2100 Argillite Rd. P.O. Box 871 Flatwoods, KY Phone: Website: flatwoodschurchofchrist.org *FREE BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSES OFFERED IN-HOME BIBLE STUDY AVAILABLE 8