Download What is the Relationship between Christianity and Islam?

A Questioning Faith:
Islam and Christianity
Original Questions
“Islam and Christianity: Their challenges to
the faithful”
“Is Islam a religion or a cult?”
Definition of cult
“a system of religious beliefs”
“a religion regarded as unorthodox”
Why Do We Need to Know About
Islam?
• Islam is the world’s
second largest
religion
• We share much in
common in our
theology
Why Do We Need to Know About
Islam?
• Muslims are and will
increasingly be our
neighbors, colleagues
at work, and fellow
citizens
Strong misperceptions
“Although Islam is
similar in many ways
to Judaism and
Christianity, most
Americans and
Europeans think of
Muslims as strange,
foreign, and
frightening, inevitably
linked to headline
terrorist events.”
John Esposito
Where do Muslims live?
“Muslims represent the
majority population in fiftysix countries worldwide,
including Indonesia,
Bangladesh, Pakistan,
Egypt, Iraq, and Nigeria.
Where do Muslims live?
In addition, significant
Muslim populations
can be found in India,
China, the Central
Asian Republics, and
Russia as well as
Europe and America.
Contrary to popular assumption, the
majority of Muslims are not Arab. In fact
only 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 billion
Muslims originate from Arab countries.
The largest Muslim communities are to be
found in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh
and India.”
John Esposito
Is There Diversity among Muslims?
Sunni (85%)
Shia (15%)
Difference between Sunni and Shia
Centered on disagreements as to who
should be the successor to the Prophet
Muhammad.
Who was Muhammad?
• Born about 570 AD in
Mecca
• Lost both parents
early
• Raised by his uncle
Who was Muhammad?
• Married
• Had four daughters
• At age 40 was
overwhelmed by
visions and even
more voices– Quran
(recitation)
Sunni and Shia
• Sunni- (literally, tradition)
• Believe that Muhammad did not designate
a successor, the best or most qualified
person should either be selected or
elected as leader (caliph)
Sunni and Shia
• Caliph serves as the
protector of the faith,
but he does not enjoy
any special religious
status or inspiration
Sunni and Shia
• Shia- (literally, the party of Ali)
• Believe that the succession to the
leadership of the Muslim community
should be hereditary, passed down to
Muhammad’s male descendants
(descended from Muhammad’s daughter
Fatima and her husband Ali)
Sunni and Shia
• This leader is known
as an Imam- he is
religiously inspired,
sinless, and the
interpreter of God’s
will, but not a prophet
What do Muslims believe?
…recognizes the One God as both
Creator and Judge, feels responsible to
Him
What do Muslims believe?
“The word ‘Islam’
means this complete
surrender to the
Divine will; and the
one who practices
such surrender is a
Muslim.”
Annemarie Schimmel
He believes in
-His books (the
Torah, the Psalms,
the Gospels, and the
Koran)
“The Quran is the
eternal, literal word of
God, preserved in the
Arabic language…”
John Esposito
• Revealed over a
period of 23 years
• 114 Chapters
(surahs) (4/5 the size
of NT)
• Longest chapter to
shortest
“Recitation of the
Quran is central to a
Muslim’s
life…Recitation
reinforces what
Muslims see as the
miracle of hearing the
actual word of God
expressed by the
human voice.”
John Esposito
-He believes in His prophets from Adam
through the patriarchs, Moses, and
Jesus up to Muhammad, the last law
giving messenger
“In Islam the concept of prophecy is
broader than in Judaism and
Christianity…While all messengers are
prophets, not all prophets are
messengers.”
John Esposito
-He believes in the Last Judgment
“On the Day of Judgment, a great
cataclysmic cosmic event that will occur at
a moment known only to God, all will be
raised from the dead. God will judge each
person by the standards brought by the
person’s community’s
prophets and
scripture, using the
record of each
person’s actions
throughout his or her
life that are recorded
in the Book of
Deeds.”
John Esposito
He tries to lead his
life according to the
revealed law
• Quran- holy scripture
• Hadith- teachings of
Muhammad
Sharia- believers
duties toward God
and fellow human
beings
Practices the Five
Pillars of Islam
Pillar #1- Declaration of Faith
“There is no god but
Allah and Muhammad
is the messenger of
God.”
Pillar #2- Prayer (salat)
• Pray five times a daydaybreak, noon, midafternoon, sunset and
evening.
Pillar #2- Prayer (salat)
• Prayers consist of
recitations from the
Quran in Arabic and
glorification of God.
Pillar #2- Prayer (salat)
• Accompanied by a
sequence of
movements: standing,
kneeling, touching the
ground with one’s
forehead, and sitting.
Pillar #3- Giving to the Poor (Zakat)
• In Islam, the true
owner of things is not
humanity, but God
Pillar #3- Giving to the Poor (Zakat)
• Zakat is not charity; it
is an obligation for
those who have
received their wealth
from God to respond
to the needs of less
fortunate members of
the community
Pillar #4- Fast of Ramadan
• Occurs once each
year during the month
of Ramadan, the ninth
month in the Islamic
calendar
Pillar #4- Fast of Ramadan
• Abstain from food,
drink and sexual
activity from dawn to
sunset
“Ramadan is intended to stimulate
reflection on human frailty and dependence on God, focus on spiritual goals and
values and identification with and
response to the less fortunate.”
• At dusk the fast is
broken with a light
meal
• End of the month
celebrates the Feast
of the Breaking of the
Fast (Eid al-Fitr)
Pillar #5- The Pilgrimage (Hajj)
“Every adult Muslim
who is physically and
financially able is
required to make the
sacrifice of time,
possessions, status,
and normal comforts
necessary to make
this pilgrimage.”
John Esposito
Pillar #5- The Pilgrimage (Hajj)
• Over 2 million believers each year
Conclusion
-He believes that
God’s presence is
experienced in
every place and
every time, and that
there is no really
profane sphere in
life
“Many Muslims
describe Islam as a
‘total way of life.’ They
believe that religion
cannot be separated
from the social and
political life, since
religion informs every
action that a person
takes.”
John Esposito
Possible Christian Responses
• CognitivePropositional:
• Argue over who has
the truth
Possible Christian Responses
• Experientialexpressivist:
• inner experience of
the divine: Common
ground
Possible Christian Responses
• Cultural-Linguistic:
Practice your faith
and immerse yourself
in the language of
your faith