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Islam: Basic Beliefs
and Practices
Copyright by Norman Geisler 2008
Outline
I. Background of Islam
II. Basic Beliefs of Islam
III. Basic Practices of Islam
Outline
I. Background of Islam
A. Meaning of Islam
Islam means “submission”
Muslim means “submitted one”
Outline
I. Background of Islam
A. Meaning of Islam
Islam means “submission”
Muslim means “submitted one”
B. History of Islam
B. A Brief History of Islam
1. He was born in Mecca (Arabia): A.D. 570
2. He received his first revelation: A.D. 610
3. He preached in Mecca with little results.
4. He fled (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina: A.D. 622
5. He returned and took Mecca by force: A.D. 630
6. He received many more revelations
organized into the 114 Suras (chapters)
of the Qur’an.
7. Muhammad Died: A.D. 632
8. Islam spread as far as France by 732
where Charles Martel defeated the
Islamic armies at Tours.
The Statistics of Islam Today
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1.2 billion Muslims in the world
1/5 of the world’s population
Second only to Christianity (1.8 billion)
The fastest growing religion in the world
3.3 million Muslims in the USA
More Muslims than Methodists in America
Biggest growth is among African Americans
Outline
I. Background of Islam
II. Basic Beliefs of Islam
II. Basic Beliefs of Muslims
1. One God (Allah)
2. Prophets (Muhammad is the last)
3. Angels (good and bad)
4. The Qur’an is the Word of God
5. Final day of judgment (heaven & hell)
Outline
I. Background of Islam
II. Basic Beliefs of Islam
III. Basic Practices of Islam
Basic Practices of Muslims
1. Shahadah: To recite the creed: “There is
no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his
messenger.”
2. Salat: To pray five times a day toward
Mecca
3. Sawm: To fast one month a year—ninth
lunar month of the year, Ramadan
4. Sakat: To give 1/40 of their income
5. Hajj: To make the pilgrimage once in their
lifetime to Mecca (in Saudi Arabia)
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca
Jihad (Holy War):
The Final Duty
Jihad: The 2nd Best Deed
Al Bukhari Vol. 1, Bk. 2, 25 (Hadith) Allah's
Apostle was asked, “What is the best
deed?” He replied, “To believe in Allah and
His Apostle (Muhammed). The questioner
then asked, “What is the next (in
goodness)?” He replied, “To participate in
Jihad in Allah's Cause.”
Jihad Against America:
September 11, 2001
The Tactic of Terrorism
Sura 8:60: “Against them make ready
your strength to the utmost of your
power, including steeds of war, to
strike terror into the hearts of the
enemies of Allah.”
The Islamic Jihad Against America
“I assure you, dear
brothers, that we are
firm on the road of
jihad for the sake of
God inspired by His
Prophet....”
(Bin Laden, 9/23/01)
Bin Laden: Hostility is a Religious Duty
“Hostility toward
America is a religious
duty, and we hope to be
rewarded for it by God.
I am confident that
Muslims will be able to
end the legend of the socalled superpower that
is America.”
Khomeini: Qur’an says “Kill”
“Islam says: Kill all unbelievers…kill
them and put them to the sword and
scatter their armies.... Islam says
whatever good there is exists thanks
to the sword and the shadow of the
sword….There are hundreds of
Qur’anic Psalms and sayings of the
prophet Muhammad urging Muslims
to value war and to fight.”
Qur’an: Non-Muslims are our Enemy
“Non-Muslims are our enemy
according to the Qur’an, so
Americans are our enemy. We hate
America. I believe in jihad. I will do
whatever I can do. If I am provided
the opportunity to get weapons, I
will use them.”
Shafia Salaam, 16, Afghan refugee
living in Pakistan (NYT, Oct 21, 2001)
Franklin Graham:
Qur’an encourages Violence
“The persecution or elimination of nonMuslims has been a cornerstone of
Islamic conquests and rule for
centuries. The Qur’an provides ample
evidence that Islam encourages
violence in order to win converts and to
reach the ultimate goal of an Islamic
world. Conversions from Islam to any
other faith are often punishable by
death.” (Franklin Graham, Dec. 3, 2001)
Ex-Muslims are being Killed
“The religion of "submission" continues
to advance, as a rule by force, in Africa in
part of Nigeria and Sudan, and in Asia,
notably in Indonesia, where non-Moslems
are given the choice of conversion or
death. And in all countries where Islamic
law is applied, converts, whether
compulsory or not, who revert to their
earlier faith, are punished by death.”
Paul Johnson, National Review 10/15/01
Other Practices:
Treatment of Women
Polygamy: A man may have four wives
Sura 4:3: “If you fear that you cannot act
equitably towards orphans, then marry such
women as seem good to you, two and three
and four....”
Muhammad Could Have More Wives:
(He Had Up to Fifteen Wives)
• Sura 33:50: “O Prophet! We have
made lawful to thee thy wives to whom
thou hast paid their dowers; and those
whom thy right hand possesses out of
the prisoners of war whom Allah has
assigned to thee…and any believing
woman who dedicates her soul to the
Prophet if the Prophet wishes to wed
her-- this only for thee, and not for the
Believers (at large).”
It’s OK to Marry Adopted
Son’s Divorced Wife:
Sura 33:37: “Then when Zaid
[Muhammad’s adopted son] had
dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the
necessary (formality), We joined her in
marriage to thee: in order that (in future)
there may be no difficulty to the
Believers in (the matter of) marriage with
the wives of their adopted sons.... And
Allah's command must be fulfilled.”
Wife Beating is Approved
Sura 4:34: “Men are in charge of
woman because Allah hath made the
one to excel the other…. As for those
from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish
them and banish them to beds apart,
and scourge them.”
The Majority in Hell are Women
Al Bukhari, Vol. 1, Bk. 6, 301 (Hadith) : "Then
he (Muhammad) passed by the women and
said, "O women, give alms as I have seen
that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire
were you (women)." They asked, "Why is it
so O Allah's messenger?" He replied, "You
curse frequently and are ungrateful to your
husbands.…”
Women are Deficient in Intelligence
Al Bukhari, Vol. 1, Bk. 6, 301 (Hadith): “I have
not seen anyone more deficient in intelligence
and religion than you....” The women asked,
“O Allah's messenger, what is deficient in our
intelligence and religion?” He said, “Is not the
evidence of two women equal to the witness
of one man?” They replied in the affirmative.
He said, “This is the deficiency in her
intelligence….”
Jihad:
Kill Those Who Leave Islam
Sura 4:89:0 “They desire that you
should disbelieve as they have
disbelieved, so that you might be (all)
alike; therefore take not from among
them friends until they fly (their homes)
in Allah's way; but if they turn back,
then seize them and kill them wherever
you find them, and take not from among
them a friend or a helper.”
Kill Unbelievers
Sura 8:12: “When your Lord spoke to
the angels, “I will be with you:
therefore establish the faithful. I will
cast a dread into the hearts of infidels.”
Strike off their heads then, and strike
off from them every finger-tip.”
The Execution of Islamic Law:
Shiria
A photographer records a public execution in Jeddah
from behind the bars of a window
http://www.kamaz.demon.co.uk/amnesty/briefing/8.html
Make War against Unbelievers
Sura 9:29: “Fight those who do not
believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor
do they prohibit what Allah and His
Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the
religion of truth….”
Fight until all are Muslims
Sura 8:40: “And fight with them
until there is no more persecution
and religion should be only for
Allah; but if they desist, then
surely Allah sees what they do.”
Slay the Idolaters
Sura 9:5: “Then, when the sacred
months have passed, slay the idolaters
wherever ye find them, and take them
(captive), and besiege them, and prepare
for them each ambush. But if they repent
and establish worship and pay the poordue, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah
is Forgiving, Merciful.”
May Allah Destroy Christians & Jews
Sura 9:30: “And the Jews say: Ezra is
the son of Allah; and the Christians
say: The Messiah is the son of Allah;
these are the words of their mouths;
they imitate the saying of those who
disbelieved before; may Allah destroy
them; how they are turned away!”
Disbelievers Fight for Satan
Sura 4:76: “Those who believe fight
in the cause of Allah, and those who
reject Faith Fight in the cause of
Evil: So fight ye against the friends
of Satan: feeble indeed is the
cunning of Satan.”
Don’t Befriend Christians and Jews
Sura 5:51: “O you who believe! do not
take the Jews and the Christians for
friends; they are friends of each other;
and whoever amongst you takes them
for a friend, then surely he is one of
them; surely Allah does not guide the
unjust people.”
Reward for Jihad
• Sura 8:60: “Whatever you
spend in the cause of Allah
shall be repaid to you and
you shall not be treated
unjustly.”
Reward for Jihad
Al Bukhari Vol. 1, Bk. 2, 35 (Hadith) The
Prophet said, “The person who
participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's
cause and nothing compels him to do so
except belief in Allah and His Apostles,
will be recompensed by Allah either with
a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will
be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in
the battle as a martyr).”
Reward for Jihad
Sura 4:74: “Therefore let those fight in the
way of Allah, who sell this world's life for
the hereafter; and whoever fights in the
way of Allah, then be he slain or be he
victorious, We shall grant him a mighty
reward.”
Various Views on Jihad
• I. It is Purely a Spiritual Struggle.
• II. It is Literal but only Defensive.
• III. It is Literal and not Merely Defensive.
Evidence from:
– A. The Context in the Qur’an
– B. The Example of Muhammad
– C. The History of Islam
A. The Context in the Qur’an
• 1. The context is literal (killing, cutting,
beating, etc.).
• 2. Other events are taken literally (e.g., war
in self-defense and idolatry).
• 3. It was practiced literally and aggressively
by Muhammad.
• 4. It was practiced literally and aggressively
by early Islam.
B. The Example of Muhammad
Muhammad Condoned killing of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
--Unbelievers in general .
--A Jew who wrote poetry against him.
--Any Jew who fell into their hands.
--600 to 900 Jews were killed.
--A man who refused to help find treasure.
--Meccans who satirized or insulted him.
--A one-eyed shepherd who said he
would never become a Muslim.
8. --A woman who wrote a poem against him. She
was killed as she nursed her baby.
(From Sirat Rasul Allah, earliest Life of Muhammad)
C. Evidence from the History
of Islam
D. Evidence from the Early
Spread of Islam
E. Evidence From the Later
Spread of Islam
3. Evidence from Recent Terrorism
1972: Munich Olympics
1979: U.S. Embassy in Iran Seized
1980s: Kidnappings in Lebanon
1983: Marine Barracks in Beruit Bombed
1985: Achille Lauro Hijacked
1985: TWA Flight Hijacked
1986: German Nightclub Bombed
1988: TWA Flight Bombed
1993: WTC Bombed
1996: Khobar Towers Bombed
1998: US Embassies Bombed
2000: USS Cole Bombed
2001: World Trade Center, Pentagon Attacked
2002: Bali Nightclub Bombed, Moscow Theatre
2003: Philippine Airport Bombed
2004: Madrid Train Bombed, Americans Beheaded
2005: London Transit
2006-2008: Hundreds of Attacks in Iraq
8,814 Attacks Since 9/11
Note: This does not count the hundreds of attacks against Israel
What About the Tolerance
Verses?
Sura 2:256 “There is no
compulsion in religion.”
Jihad Abrogates Peace
All Jihad verses cited are from
later, Medinan verses and thus
abrogate the earlier, more
peaceful Meccan verses.
Note: Muhammad became more
belligerent after A.D. 622 as he
gained power in Medina.
Abrogation of Earlier
“Revelations”
Sura 2:106: “Whatever
communications We abrogate or
cause to be forgotten, We bring one
better than it or like it. Do you not
know that Allah has power over all
things?”
Earlier “Revelations”
Can be Changed
Sura 16:101: “When We substitute
one revelation for another, and Allah
knows best what He reveals (in
stages), they say, ‘Thou art but a
forger’: but most of them understand
not.”
Muslim Tolerance:
Convert or Submit
“If it is a true religion, it must take up
the sword and advance. To what point
should it advance? To the point that
they either submit and say, "We are
Muslims," in which case they become
your brothers, or they say, "We will
retain our own religion and will carry
on our own way of worship; but we will
follow the public [Sharia] law of Islam."
http://www.al-islam.org/beliefs/philosophy/jihadandshahadat.html
Comparing Religious Wars
JIHAD
CRUSADES
Consistent with Teachings
of the Qur’an (Sura 9:5)
Contrary to Teachings of the
New Testament (Mt. 26:52)
Consistent with Example
of Muhammad
Contrary to Example of Jesus
Christ
Logical Outworking of
Islam
Illogical Outworking of
Christianity
Islam grew by use of
the sword on others
Christianity grew by use of
the sword on it
Percent of Muslims Supporting Terrorism
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CNN (8/23/07)—26% of Muslim youth
Pew Foundation (2007):
Palestinians-----70%
Nigeria----------42%
Lebanon---------34%
Malaysia--------26%
Jordan-----------23%
America---------22%
Muslim Expert (Sam Solomon)---up to 40%
22% of 3 million is an army of 660,000 Muslim terrorist or
supporters in the US!
Commands to Kill
The God who gives life can take it
QUR’AN
OLD TESTAMENT
On Innocent
On Morally Guilty
For Religious Reasons
For Moral Reasons
As a First Resort
As a Last Resort
On all Unbelievers
On some Unbelievers
At any Time
At a Specific Time in OT
For Redeeming No One
For Redeeming Everyone
An act of Man
An act of God
Not Confirmed by God
Confirmed by God