Download Theistic Religious Context

Islam
I am the light of the world. He
who follows me shall not walk in
darkness, but have the light of life.
John 8:12
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
1
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

865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
2
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
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
3
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
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
4
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 Muhammad’s
cousin, Ali, who along with his son,
Hussain, were killed and Islam split

865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
5
Islam spreads and splits
The majority called Sunnites
(traditional) (about 90%).
 The minority called Shi’a (the party,
sect) felt Ali was divinely appointed.
The Shi’a 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

865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
6
Islamic Faith:
Deistic Unitarian Legalism
1.
•
•
•
2.
God is one, absolute sovereign, whose will is
arbitrary and changeable – Allah’s
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
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
7
Islamic Faith:
Deistic Unitarian Legalism
3.
4.
The prophets God sent to man include
Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus (Hazrat
Isa), but Muhammad supersedes all the
prophets and the Qur’an supersedes the Bible
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
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
8
Five Pillars of Islamic Practice
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.
1. Recitation
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
9
The Qur’an and Traditions
Situational factors in Qur’an 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, Qur’an was
memorized, and not written until after his
death!
865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups

10
The Qur’an 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.

865 million Muslims in 3,330 people groups
11
Least reached
religious blocs
Wester
n
100 M
Tribal Buddhist
243 M
377 M
Chinese
600 M
Hindu
841 M
Muslim
1,272 M
Foreign missionaries
working with least
reached religious blocs
Western
60,000
Tribal
11,200
Muslim
7,000
Hindu
5,000
Chinese
2,000
Buddhist
1,800