Download The Religion Next Door: Islam Genesis 21:9

The Religion Next Door: Islam
Genesis 21:9-20
June 19, 2011
Through faith Muslims seek after the Same God, but they come to a very
Different Understanding.
We can learn a lot about a Spirit Filled Life from the Five Pillars of Islam.
Belief, Prayer, Fasting, Charity, Pilgrimage
Muslims see the Koran as Correcting Corruptions in the Gospels and the
Torah, but we believe Jesus is the Definitive Revelation of God.
Muslims have a stumbling block in calling Jesus the “Son of God”, but they
want to know how Christ can be God in the Flesh.
To speak in faith with Muslims, Do It with Love.
Sermon Based Small Group Lesson
The Religion Next Door: Islam
June 19, 2011
What God-sightings have you had this week?
Individual Preparation (to be done before group in preparation)
Religion: Islam (means “to submit”); Follower: Muslim (meaning “a submitter”)
Basic Tenets of Islam:
1. There is only one God, Allah.
2. Muhammad was the last and greatest of the prophets.
3. The Qur’an is the sacred book – the last after the Torah and the Gospels.
4. Life on earth is a preparation for the eternal life.
5. The faithful are expected to adore Allah, praise Muhammad, follow the Qur’an and
perform good deeds.
Pillars of Islam
1. Shahadah – Profession of Faith: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His
Prophet.”
2. Salat – Prayer: the prescribed prayers must be said five times a day facing Mecca. The
chief prayer is the Shahadah. Special prayers are said on Fridays at noon in the mosque
by men. (Women are encouraged to pray at home.) This is called “The Assembly.” The
Call to Prayer (Adhan) heard from minarets (towers) or on TV and radio, is always in
Arabic.
3. Zakat – Almsgiving: Middle and upper class persons are expected to give 2 ½%, not of
what they earn, but of the value of all they possess. (After Islam became a state religion
in some countries, this became a tax.)
4. Sawm – Fasting: During the month of Ramadan (9th month of the lunar year) no food or
drink may be consumed between sunrise and sunset. (This can be very difficult in arid
countries.)
5. Hajj – Pilgrimage: If possible, each of the faithful should try to visit Mecca at least once
in his or her life during the month of dhul-Hijah , the anniversary of Mohammad’s escape
from Mecca.
FYI: Muslims flock to Mecca from all over the world. They are required to cut their hair
and nails, wear a simple robe and sandals, and stay in tents outside of the city before
the actual pilgrimage. This insures that class cannot be determined (rich or poor). The
fasting rules of Ramadan are enforced; the last few miles must be walked. Because
many Muslims save for a lifetime to make this trek, they may be old and feeble by the
time they arrive, thus many may die during the pilgrimage. If a pilgrim makes the trip
successfully, he or she may attach hajj to their name.
(Different spellings of names and titles appear because translating from Arabic symbols to letters
is very difficult.)
Explore these Scripture, making notes for group time:
• Exodus 20:1-17
• Exodus 21:1-12, 19
• Deuteronomy 6:4
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Isaiah 58:3-7
Matthew 5:3-12
Matthew 15:3
Matthew 22:38-40
Mark 7:7-8
Mark 12:29-31
1 Corinthians 13:2-8
(FYI, Ladies – Mohammed named female infanticide murder.)
Look for the two Muslim groups referred to in news articles: Sunnis and Shi’ites. Bring the gist of
the articles to group.
Group Time
Discuss how the Tenets and Pillars are the same and different from Christianity.
Islam unites people of many cultures and nationalities. How should Christians explain their many
denominations to Muslims?
Muslims are strict monotheists. (Islam was founded at a time when Christians were fighting
amongst themselves about the meaning of a Triune God and the nature of Jesus – fully human
or fully God.) Because Islam believes in one God, those who believe in a Triune God are
blasphemers and must be punished. Which of the Bible verses below would be most helpful
when discussing and even defending the doctrine or the Trinity? (To save time, have each
person in the group take a scripture to read aloud to the group.)
Genesis 18:1-3
Luke 1:5
John 14:26
1 John 5:7
Matthew 29:19
Luke 12:12
John 19:6
Mark 13:11
John 1:1-5
1 Corinthians 13:14
Consider this quote. How can this concept be used to your advantage when sharing your faith
with all sorts of seekers?
“Christianity is the only religion in which God reaches to man, instead of man
reaching to God.”
When Muhammad died, he had no sons to succeed him, and he did not designate a leader for
Islam. The two major groups that now comprise Islam disagree about the lineage of its leaders:
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Sunna or traditionalists, 80 to 85% of Muslims, believe that the correct lineage of
successors to the prophet comes through abu-Bakr, the person chosen by the people to
succeed Mohammed. Sunnis believe in a more liberal understanding of the Qur’an.
(Many of the punishments in the Qur’an seemed too harsh, and they do not follow the
recommended. There are many subdivisions of this group.
Shi’ites, 15-20% of Muslims, receive more attention today. They trace lineage of Islam
through the prophet’s son-in-law, Ali. Most Shi’ites live in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, India,
Yemen, and some parts of Africa. They believe that God has continued to reveal himself
through other leaders, or imans, and there are more imans waiting to come to earth to
enlighten. A messianic figure called mahdi, the guided one, is waiting to come to earth
and lead it into an era of justice and peace. Shi’ites respect martyrdom since their great
hero Al Husain was executed at Karbala. Martyrs go directly to paradise. They accept
the Qur’an more literally and tend to distrust this modern world. They also take seriously
the mandate to obliterate other religions in a “Holy War”.
Knowing this, how can we balance a need to be cautious, and our mandate to effectively
communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
“Christians have the notion of original sin…We don’t have a sin to be saved from. We are born
with a clean slate in Islamic theology. So we don’t have to be saved, we have to be successful.”
(Dr. Amina Wadud) Muslims are working for their paradise, while Christian are working because
they have already been given the gift of salvation. Why is it so important to understand this
distinction?
Personal Weekly Challenge: Identify any fear you have of Muslims. How can you effectively
have a faith conversation with the ones whom you will come in contact?
Praise and Prayer:
*Sermon-based Lessons stop for the summer now. An Apologetics Class is being held
on Wednesday evenings through June and July @Colonial Park which will correspond
with the same series and reach beyond.
This summer, a study of the Holidays and the Book of Jonah will be done. Using your
Serendipity Bible for Small Group Leaders will be perfect for small group lessons.
♫ See you in September! ☺