Download This Study: - This study is about JESUS CHRIST

This Study:
- This study is about JESUS CHRIST.
- This study is to relate Jesus Christ to our Muslim friends, neighbors and
colleagues as a stepping stone from Qur’an to Bible
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By 2030 26.4% Muslims will make of the World’s population
Muslim population in America is 2.75 million
63% of them are immigrants.
By 2050 Islam will be the second largest religious group in America
Mosques in America rose from
o 1,209 in 2000 to
o 2,106 in 2010
- According to Texas State Historical Association 2010 listing
o 0.53 of Texas population is LCMS
o 1.68 % of Texas population are Muslims.
o Population of Texas 27.47 million.
o There are 55 listed mosques in DFW
We will begin with:
- Basic understanding about:
o Islam, Muhammad, Quran
- Authenticity of the Bible.
- Adam, Abraham (Ishmael & Isaac)
- Jesus
- Ending with a visit to the mosque.
Following resources also used from:
-
The Generous Qur’an by Usama Dakdok
Healing the Broken Family of Abraham by Don McCurry
Stepping Stones to Eternity by Don McCurry
Jesus and Muhammad by Mark A. Gabriel.
Sharing the Gospel with Muslims by Daniel Scot & Michael Abdul Haq.
Martin Luther & Islam by Adam Francisco
I made some last minute changes for the benefit of those who have no idea about
Islam, Muhammad and the Quran. So Week 1 study has much to do with other
book resources.
ARABIAN PENINSULA BEFORE MUHAMMAD
 Trade through caravan to different cities.
 Interaction between Byzantine and Persians Empires and Ethiopia
 Most were Arab settlers and some were Nomads (the wanderers who had
no fix place called home)
 A desert region with little fertile soil.
 Bedouins are Arab desert tribes centered around families and ruled by
clans.
 Arab did not have a single government
 Arabs spoke Arabic as a common language
 Most of the Arabs were polytheistic (believers of multiple gods)
 570 C.E. Birth of Muhammad. The Arabian Peninsula consisted of many
nomadic warring tribes
ISLAM – CHRISTIAN INFLUENCE
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Muhammad’s first wife was so called a Christian.
Muhammad’s wife’s cousin/uncle was a so called Christian priest.
Muhammad adopted a Christian slave as a gift from his 1st wife as his son.
Muhammad had a Coptic concubine.
Muhammad listened to Torah and Injil.
7th Century:
Pre-Islamic religion in Arabia consisted of indigenous polytheistic
beliefs, Nestorian Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. Nestorian Christianity
was the dominant religion in Eastern Arabia prior to the advent of Islam. In the
latter stages of the pre-Islamic era, Christianity gained converts with some
unorthodox sects, such as the Gnostics, having a presence.
- Nestorian
- Zoroastrianism
- Gnostics
Nestorianism
Nestorianism is a heresy named after Nestorius. It held that there is no
communion of natures in person of Christ. Mary is not God-bearer but is mother
of Christ. And that according to His human nature Christ is in effect the Son of
God only by adoption. Nestorianism spread into Persia, Mesopotamia, Arabia,
China and India.
Nestorius and his teachings were condemned as heretical at the First Council of
Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, leading to the Nestorian
Schism, in which churches supporting Nestorius broke with the rest of the
Christian Church. Following that, many of Nestorius's supporters relocated to the
Sasanian (Persian) Empire, where they affiliated with the local Christian
community, known as the Church of the East (The Church of the East also known
as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church within the Syriac
tradition of Eastern Christianity. It was the Christian church of the Sasanian
(Persian) Empire, and quickly spread widely through Asia. Between the 9th and
14th centuries it was the world's largest Christian church in terms of geographical
extent, with dioceses stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to China and India.
Several modern churches claim continuity with the historical Church of the East).
Over the next decades the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in
doctrine, leading to it becoming known alternately as the Nestorian Church.
ZOROASTRIANISM
Zoroastrianism is one of the world's oldest monotheistic religions of Persia prior
to the Mohammedan conquest. It was founded by Zoroaster in ancient Iran
approximately 3500 years ago.
For 1000 years Zoroastrianism was one of the most powerful religions in the
world. It was the official religion of Persia (Iran) from 600 BCE to 650 CE.
It is now one of the world's smallest religions.
Zoroastrians believe there is one God called Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) and He
created the world.
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Zoroastrians do not consider themselves fire-worshippers. They believe that
the elements are pure and that fire represents God's light or wisdom.
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Ahura Mazda (god) revealed the truth through the Prophet, Zoroaster.
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Zoroastrians traditionally pray several times a day.
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Zoroastrians worship communally in a Fire Temple.
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The Zoroastrian book of Holy Scriptures is called The Avesta.
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The Avesta can be roughly split into two main sections:
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The Avesta is the oldest and core part of the scriptures, which contains
the Gathas. The Gathas are seventeen hymns thought to be composed
by Zoroaster himself.
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The Younger Avesta - commentaries to the older Avestan written in later
years. It also contains myths, stories and details of ritual observances.
Zoroastrians are roughly split into two groups:
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The Iranians
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The Parsis
GNOSTICS
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Gnosticism is a religion that sprung up in the first century and really infiltrated
the Christian church in the second century.
Gnosticism is a rejection of all that is material and a desire to ascend above the
physical world and attain a whole other world, a spiritual world through what
they call gnosis. Gnosis is really just a fancy Greek word for special
knowledge. The Gnostics thought they were given this special revelation that
allowed them to leave the evils of material and ascend to the gods.
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Gnosticism was lived out in two ways. One a complete rejection of anything
material. These people would give away all possessions and live in caves
spending all their time praying in an effort to achieve this mystical gnosis.
Though they had to live in this material world, they wanted to transcend it and
forever be engrossed in a spiritual experience. These people lived like paupers
and rejected any of the good gifts the world had to offer.
Islam arose in the 7th century in and around the desert -oasis complex of Mecca
and Medina in the Arabian Peninsula
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Christians down trend
Islam/Ummah/Quran/Hadith
Basic about Muhammad.
Life of Muhammad.
Briefs on Muhammad
Muhammad’s marriage, revelations, beliefs
KHADIJA & MUHAMMAD
- KHADIJA was the wealthiest and the most powerful woman of Mecca. She
owned the largest camel caravans. She was 4 times divorced and had
children.
- MUHAMMAD was Khadija’s business caravan manager.
- KHADIJA impressed by MUHAMMAD proposed him for marriage.
- Muhammad was 25 and Khadija was over 40.
- Khadija was the first one to convert to Islam.
WARAQA BIN NEUFEL
- Some writings say Waraqa Bin Neufel was a distant Uncle of Khadija and
some write that he was Khadija’s 1st cousin.
- Christianity from the West (Syria, Egypt, Ethiopia and Yemen) was present
in Arabia. Many Arabian tribes embraced it as their religion.
- This was a different kind of Christianity. The two biggest branches were the
EBIONITES AND THE NESTORIANS. Both denied the divinity of Jesus.
- "Waraqah bin Nawfal, who was a Christian convert and used to read the
Injeel (Gospel) in Arabic. "Sahih Bukhari #3392.
- A large Ebionite church was founded in Mecca by Othman Bin AlHuweirith. The next pastor of this church was Khadija's cousin, Waraqa bin
Neufel. When Khadija and Muhammad wanted to get married, Waraqa
supported them. He convinced both families to let
- them marry, and he personally performed the ceremony.
- ...So it is possible Muhammad actually had a type of Christian wedding, and
his wife was probably also practicing the faith of the Ebionites as well!
ZAYD IBN HARITHAH
- Hakim ibn Hizam a merchant purchased Zayd and gifted it to Khadijah.
- Zayd was Khadijah’s wedding present to Muhammad.
- Muhammad later freed Hakim of slavery and adopted him as his son and
was renamed Zayd mawia Muhammad.
- Zayd was one of the first converts to Islam.
MARIA AL-QIBTIYYA
- Maria was an Egyptian Coptic slave who was gifted to Muhammad in 628
by Muqawqis the Copt, the Christian ruler of Egypt at the time.
- Maria converted to Islam on the way to Al-Madinah to marry Muhammad.
- Maria was not Muhammad’s wife but his concubine.
After the death of Muhammad’s 1st wife 620 AD
 Muhammad got married to 13 women.
 None of them could bare him a son.
 These women are referred as Mothers of the Believers by the Muslims
derived from Surah 33:6 “The prophet has greater claim on the believers
than even themselves, and his wives are their mothers.”
 2nd wife – Sawda Bint Zam’a: She had children from previous marriage.
Muhammad married her because she converted to Islam and faced
hardships. She was 55 and 5 years senior to Muhammad.
 3rd wife – Aisha Bint Abi Bakr: She was daughter of Muhammad’s close
friend Abu Bakr. At age 6 or 7 she was betrothed to Muhammad. At age 9
the marriage was consummated. Muhammad was 53.
 4th wife – Hafsa bint Umar (625-632): A widow, her husband died in the
Battle of Badr. She was the daughter of Umar bin Al-Khattab.
 5th wife – Zaynab bint Khuzayma (626-627): A widow, her husband too
died in the Battle of Badr.
 6th wife – Hind bint Abi Umayya (627-632): A widow, her husband died as
results of wounds from the Battle of Uhud.
 7th wife – Zaynab bint Jash (628-632): Zaynab was Muhammad’s cousin.
She was married to Zayd (Muhammad adopted son). Muhammad took a
liking to Zaynab and Zayd divorced Zaynab so she could be married to
Muhammad.
 8th wife - Juwayriyya bint al-Harith (628-632): She was the daughter of a
tribe’s chief. Her husband was killed in the battle. She was one of the
booty of Muhammad’s war. Her father requested and also offered ransom
for her release but Muhammad refused. Muhammad married her and she,
by virtue of her position got nearly 100 captives of her tribe released.
(CLICK – 19)
 9th wife - Safiyya bint Huyayy (628-632): She was the daughter of the chief
of the Jewish tribe Banu Nadir. Her father was killed at the Battle of
Trench. Her 1st husband a poet divorced her. Her 2nd husband was
executed after the loss at the Battle of Khaybar. She was taken as a
prisoner. Muhammad freed her from her captor and married her.
 10th wife - Ramla bint Aby Sufyan (629-632): She had converted to Islam
but her husband had converted to Christianity. After Muhammad learned
of her husband’s death he sent proposal for marriage and were married.
 11th: Maymunah bint al-Harith (629-632): She proposed marriage to
Muhammad and Muhammad accepted.
 12th: Maria al-Qibtiyya: She was an Egyptian Coptic Christian slave, sent as
a gift to Muhammad from Muqawqis, a Byzantine official. She was
Muhammad’s concubine.
 Rayhana bint Zayd: She was a Jewish woman enslaved along with others
after the defeat of the Banu Qurayza tribe. She was Muhammad’s
concubine.
 24 years with the 1st wife. She dies in 619 AD
 620 AD (1 year after) – 2 marriages.
 625 AD (4 year later) – 1 more marriage
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626 AD (1 year later) – 1 more marriage
627 AD (1 year later) – 2 more marriages
628 AD (1 year later) – 2 more marriages
629 AD (1 year later) – 2 more marriages
Plus 2 Concubines.
MUHAMMAD – 619 AD
 Right the year when Muhammad’s 1st wife died, Muhammad faces power
struggle with the Quraysh leaders.
 This struggle intensified over the next 3 years.
 Mecca was a shrine center for all of Arabia and trade associated with all the
pagan shrine. The tribe of Quraysh were keepers of the shrine.
 Quraysh’s powerful ruling elders opposed Muhammad’s teachings.
 622 AD Muhammad warned by friends escaped to Medina
 624 AD Muhammad returns to Medina and defeats the Meccan’s at the
battle of Badr.
 630 AD Mohammad return with 10,000 men and takes over Mecca without
a fight and removes all the idols from Kaba – the pagan shrine.
 632 AD Mohammad dies of a prolonged illness, makes no provision of his
successor.
SPREAD OF ISLAM
Islam arose in the 7th century in and around the desert – oasis complex of Mecca
and Medina in the Arabian Peninsula.
Islam began among the nomadic peoples of the plains, the agriculturalists and
merchants and traders.
Mecca and Medina were characterized by patrilineal tribal alliances, by animistic
and agricultural orientations and by social control by blood revenge.
The Arabian Peninsula was bordered on the east by the Sassanian Persian Empire
and on the West by the Byzantine Empire
Persians were official ZOROASTRIANS
Byzantines were Eastern Orthodox Christians.
Byzantine Christians had:
- Territorial conflicts with the Persians
- Theological controversy and divisions with the Roman Catholic papacy in
Rome.
- Heresies were declared
- Leaders were excommunicated
- Divisions in the church.
- Major controversy on Christology: Human and divine natures of Christ.
- Tribes of the Arabian Peninsula were exposed to both Persians and
Byzantines.
- Jewish and Christian population in the Peninsula were sparse.
6 FACTORS TO EMERGENCE OF ISLAM
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Social unrest between Mecca and Medina
Emerging movement toward monotheism.
Reaction against Hellenism in Syria and Egypt.
Decline of the Persian and Byzantine Empires.
Opportunities for Arabic nomads to plunder neighboring lands.
Muhammad: the prophet, reformer, administrator and political
strategist.
CALIPH: A Caliph is the deputy of the messenger of Allah.
1st four Caliphs:
1. Abu Bakr (632-634):
- He was a close friend of Muhammad.
- He was a Pagan and one of the first to accept Islam.
- 1st Caliph by consensus of the community.
- It was his daughter Aisha who was betrothed to Muhammad at the
age of 6 or 7 and the marriage was consummated at the age of 9.
- The Quran was standardized in the time of Abu-Bakar.
- He dealt with *Rebellious tribes, *Defended law (Shari’a), *Organized
Jihad.
- He appointed Umar as his successor. This created dissension and
conflict within the Islamic community, including questions of
successorship and the Sunni-Shi’ite division.
2. Umar (634 – 644):
- One of the most powerful and influential Muslim caliphs in history.
- Early Umar opposed Muhammad and persecuted Muslims.
- His conversion to Islam came when he was on his way to kill
Muhammad and found his own sister and brother in law reciting the
verses from the Qur’an.
- His daughter, a widow was married to Muhammad.
- By 638 AD expanded Islam into Syria and Iraq.
- By 640 AD Taken over Jerusalem and Egypt
- By 642 AD Parts of Persia taken over.
- 644 AD he was murdered by a Persian slave.
- He had already appointed 6 elders to name his successor.
3. Uthman (644 – 656):
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He was chosen by a counsel of 6 elders.
He was born in a wealthy Umayyad clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca.
He converted to Islam by Abu Bakr.
He was the Son-in-Law of Muhammad.
647 AD Islam pushed across North Africa as far as Tunisia.
651 AD Persia became a province of the Caliphate.
651 Qur’an was codified.
He learned the Qur’an by heart.
He burned all editions and copies of the previous Qur’an other than his
own authorized version.
- No original of Uthman’s edition is left; the earliest copies available
were written 150 years after Muhammad’s death.
- 656 AD he was killed. His kins later established the Umayyad
Caliphate.
4. Ali (656-661):
- He succeeded Uthaman.
- Ali is the Son of Abu Talib, Muhammad’s uncle.
- Mu’awiya, the nephew of Uthman challenged the legitimacy of Ali’s
caliphate.
- Battle ensued between both forces.
- Ali was killed when performing prayers.
- Ali had designated his son Hasan to succeed him.
UMAYYAD CALIPHATE (661-750) - SUNNI
(Next 14 Caliph)
 MU’AWIYAH: 1st Umayyad Caliph.
 Period of external conquest.
 664 AD Islam expanded from Khorasan to the Indus Valley to Lahore (now
in Pakistan)
 680 AD Yazid I. son of Mu’awiyah succeeded him.
 715 AD extended to Chinese Turkestan, to the Maghrib through Morocco
and to the Berbers in Spain.
SUNNIS & SHI’A – SPLIT AMONG THE MUSLIMS
661 AD
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HASAN: Mu’awiyah forced Hasan out of the Caliphate
Hasan was not strong either in morals or in leadership qualities.
He retired with his 60 wives to Medina and was later poisned.
Tradition say that Mu’awiya poisoned Hasan.
HUSEIN: 680 AD killed battle by the militia of the Ummayyeds.
SHI’ITES:
o 1st Imam = Ali
o 2nd Imam = Hasan
o 3rd Imam = Husein
VOTING FOR LEADERS
 Sunni’s believe that leaders are voted in by the members of the Islamic
community.
 Shi’ites believe that their leader should be from the direct descendants of
Muhammad.
MAHDI – the rightfully guided One
 Sunni’s believe that the Mahdi is yet to come.
 Shi’ite believe that the Mahdi is here but not yet appeared.
SOME IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT CHAPTER (SURA) 9 (NOTE: facts taken from
“The Generous Qur’an” by Usama Dakdok)
Surah 9:1 (pg. 116): It is the final portion of a revelation Mohammed claimed to
receive from his angel, Gabriel. It does not include the statement “In the name of
Allah, the merciful the merciful. It begins with the word “innocent” concerning
the killing of the idolaters, the Christians and the Jews.
Surah 9:5 (Pg. 116) Muslims are commanded to kill all idolaters who do not accept
Islam. According to Muslim scholars, this verse abrogates 124 other verses
throughout entire Qur’an which indicate compassion for Christians and Jews.
Surah 9:12-14 (Pg. 117) Muslims are commanded to engage in war with those
who insult Islam.
Surah 9:18-19 (Pg. 117) Muslims are not allowed to let anyone into the mosques
who do not believe and pay the religious tax. Those who only take the pilgrimage
are not on the same high level as those who perform jihad.
Surah 9:20 (Pg. 118) Muslims who perform jihad with their money and with their
lives for the sake of Allah are of greater worth.
Surah 9:28 (Pg. 118) Muslims are commanded not to allow anyone who worships
other gods near the forbidden mosque. This include Christians since Muslim
believe they worship Jesus and God.
Surah 9:29 (Pg. 118) Muslims are commanded to kill Jews and Christians who do
not believe in Islam.
Surah 9:30-32 (Pg. 119) Infidels accept rabbis and monks as lord rather than God
and Christ.
Surah 9:36 (Pg. 119) All will give Muslims victory over all other religions.
Surah 9:38-39 (Pg. 120) This is a warning to those who will not give up this world
to go to war for Allah.
Surah 9:41-42 (Pg. 120) Give money and life to engage in war for Allah is best for
Muslims. Those who really believe in Allah do not ask to be exempt from wars.
Surah 9:49 (Pg. 120) All Muslims who do not go to war will go to hell.
Surah 9:57-59 (Pg. 121) Those who swear they are Muslims and hide in caves,
rather than engaging in war, are not with Muhammad.
Surah 9:60 (Pg. 121) Alms, can be used to bribe people to believe in Islam.
Surah 9:73 (Pg. 122) Muhammad was committed to engage in war and to be
harsh against all infidels.
Surah 9:80 (Pg. 123) Mohammad has no power to help hypocrites receive
forgiveness of their sins.
Surah 9:81-85 (Pg. 123) Muslims who do not go to war do not get a second
chance to escape hell.
Surah 9:86-89 (Pg. 123) Muslim who go to war for Allah will go to the gardens.
Surah 9:90-91 (Pg. 124) Only the weak and sick are exempt from going to war.
Surah 9:93-96 (Pg. 125) Muslims who do not go to war are sealed for hell.
Surah 9:102 -106 (Pg. 125) A Muslim could receive purification and sanctification
from sin by paying money.
Surah 9:111-112 (Pg. 126) Dying and paying money are two conditions for
Muslims to go to the gardens.
Surah 9:123 (Pg. 127) Muslims are commanded to wage war against their
neighbors who do not believe in Allah.
MARTIN LUTHER AND ISLAM by Dr. Adam Francisco, professor of History at
Concordia University Irvine California.
It was the work of a German traveller and Dean of the Cathedral at Mainz named
Bernhard von Breydenbach (1440–1497) entitled Peregrinationes in Terram
Sanctam. Based on his travels to the Holy Land, from which he returned around
1483, he published, in 1486, a detailed account of everything he saw on his
journey east, including several fascinating sketches of the various cities and their
inhabitants through which he travelled. Towards the end of his narrative he also
included a fairly extensive section on the peculiarities of Islam. Brief synopses of
Muhammad’s life, the early Muslim community, and the contents of the Qur’an
were all provided, but rather than merely describing Muslim beliefs, Bernhard
tried to convey that Mu.hammad, the pseudo-prophet and first born of Satan
(pseudopropheta mahumet primogenitus Sathane), was nothing more than a
conniving heretic, who, with the help of other heretics, composed the Qur’an in
an effort to lead the world astray (Pg. 24)
Overall, Islam was viewed as a product of a conniving false prophet and son of
Satan named Muhammad. In fact, he was considered—at least metaphorically—
to be the first born son of Satan, for he and his minions were all instrumental
figures in the soon approaching apocalypse whereby God would in the end crush
the Devil and his work and bring about an end to all of his enemies—Islam being
one of the greatest. (Pg. 29)