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What’s the Difference?
ISLAM
STATS & STUFF
1.
Islam is the world’s SECOND largest religion, with an estimated 1.4 billion followers.
2.
Islam is one of four ABRAHAMIC religions: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Baha’i.
3.
Many Arab tribes trace their ancestry to ISMAEL, the firstborn son of Abraham (Genesis 16).
4.
Islam dominates several countries, including IRAQ and IRAN.
5.
Much of the Western world is dependent on Islamic nations for a major portion of its OIL needs.
6.
Islam’s name for God is ALLAH.
7.
“Islam” is the Arabic term for “SUBMISSION.”
8.
A follower of Islam is called a MUSLIM, which means “one who submits [to the will of Allah]”
9.
Islam’s sacred book is the KORAN (also spelled Quran or Qur’an).
10. There are several different “SCHOOLS” of Islam, including Sunnis and Shi’ites.
A BRIEF HISTORY
1.
Muhammad’s Birth and Beliefs
Muhammad was born around A.D. 570 in the city of Mecca in Arabia. As Muhammad grew, he began to believe in
only one God, Allah. He rejected the idolatrous polytheism around him.
2.
The KORAN
In A.D. 610, he claimed to have received his first of a series of revelations from God through the angel Gabriel.
Gabriel instructed him to “recite” these revelations. The Arabic word for “recite” is Quran (or Koran). Thus, the
Koran is the “reciting” of revelations given to Muhammad.
3.
The HEGIRA
The people of Mecca vowed to kill Muhammad. On July 16, 622, Muhammad was forced to flee to Yathrib. This flight,
called the hegira (“migration”), marks the beginning of Islam. The Muslim calendar starts with this date, and the
years are counted from “A.H.” meaning “the year of the Hegira.” Soon Muhammad controlled the city and renamed it
Medina.
4.
MECCA Conquered
Fighting between the Meccans and Muhammad and his followers ended in 630 with Muhammad’s forces triumphant.
He entered Mecca and destroyed the idols in the Kaaba (“cube”), the main temple. Muhammad then declared the
Kaaba to be the most holy place in Islam. Since that time it has been the spot toward which all devout Muslims direct
their prayers.
5.
Muhammad’s Death and Islam’s Growth
Muhammad died in 632, but his death did not lessen the fervor of his followers. They carried their faith across Asia,
Africa, and even into Europe—and to this day the growth of Islam continues.
ARTICLES OF FAITH
1.
GOD
There is only one God and his name is Allah.
2.
ANGELS
All angels have different purposes, such as Gabriel, who is the messenger of inspiration. Each person also has two
recording angels—one who records good deeds and another who records bad deeds. Shaitan is the devil and most
likely a fallen angel or jinn. Jinn are those creatures between angels and men which can be either good or evil.
3.
SCRIPTURE
There are four inspired books in the Islamic faith. They are the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, and the Koran. Muslims believe the former three books have been corrupted by Jews and Christians.
Also, since the Koran is Allah’s most recent and final word to man, it supersedes all the other works.
4.
PROPHETS
In Islam, God has spoken through many prophets down through the centuries. The six greatest are: Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. Muhammad is the last and greatest of all Allah’s messengers.
5.
LAST DAYS
The last day will be a time of resurrection and judgment. Those who follow and obey Allah and Muhammad will go to
Paradise (heaven), a place of pleasure. Those who oppose them will be tormented in hell.
PILLARS OF FAITH
1.
The CREED
To become a Muslim, a person must publicly repeat the Shahada: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the
prophet of Allah.”
2.
PRAYER
A Muslim must perform five daily prescribed prayers in Arabic. These prayers include genuflection and prostration in
the direction of the holy city, Mecca.
3.
ALMSGIVING
A Muslim must give one-fortieth of his income. This offering goes to widows, orphans, the sick, and others in need.
4.
FASTING
A Muslim must fast during the entire month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset in atonement for his sins over the
previous year. However, after sunset many Muslims enjoy a fast and some get up before sunrise to eat some more
before the sun rises and the fast begins again.
5.
The PILGRIMAGE
A Muslim must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. However, if the pilgrimage is too difficult or
dangerous for him, he can send someone in his place.
6.
Unofficial: JIHAD
“You may fight in the cause of GOD against those who attack you, but do not aggress. GOD does not love the
aggressors. You may kill those who wage war against you, and you may evict them whence they evicted you.
Oppression is worse than murder” (Sura 2:190-191).
BELIEFS
1.
God
a.
God is all-SEEING, all-KNOWING, and all-POWERFUL.
“There is nothing that equals Him. He is the Hearer, the Seer. To Him belongs absolute control of the heavens
and the earth. He is the One who increases the provision for whomever He wills, or reduces it. He is fully aware
of all things” (Sura 42:11-12).
b.
God has no LIKENESS.
c.
God is all-LOVING.
“The Quran is clear that Allah is compassionate and merciful, but aside from [two passages] where God is called
the ‘All-loving,’ there is not a single passage in the Quran that indicates that God loves any portion of mankind,
nor is there a single verse that indicates that people can know God on a personal, relational level (although
Muslims believe God to be a person)” (The Kingdom of the Cults, p. 619).
d.
God is not TRIUNE.
“You shall not say, ‘Trinity.” You shall refrain from this for your own good.
glorified; He is much too glorious to have a son” (Sura 4:171).
GOD is only one god.
Be He
2.
Jesus Christ
a.
He was the MESSIAH.
“The angels said, ‘O Mary, GOD gives you good news: a Word from Him who name is “The Messiah, Jesus the son
of Mary. He will be prominent in this life and in the Hereafter, and one of those closest to Me”’” (Sura 3:45).
b.
He was not the SON OF GOD.
“Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is the Messiah, the son of Mary” (Sura 5:17).
“God will say, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, “Make me and my mother idols beside GOD?” He
will say, ‘Be You glorified. I could not utter what was not right. Had I said it, You already would have known it.
You know my thoughts, and I do not know Your thoughts. You know all the secrets” (Sura 5:116). (Footnote:
“It is noteworthy that the Quran consistently calls Jesus “son of Mary” and the Bible calls him “son of man.” God
knew that some will blaspheme and call him “son of God”!)
“It does not befit GOD that He begets a son, be He glorified. To have anything done, He simply says to it, ‘Be,’
and it is” (Sura 19:35).
c.
He was merely one of the PROPHETS.
“The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was a messenger of GOD…” (Sura 4:171).
“The Messiah, son of Mary, is no more than a messenger like the messengers before him…” (Sura 5:75).
d.
He is superseded by MUHAMMAD.
e.
He was nothing more than a SERVANT of God.
“He was no more than a servant whom we blessed, and we sent him as an example for the Children of Israel”
(Sura 43:59).
f.
He was born of a VIRGIN.
“She [Mary] said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a son, when no man has touched me?’ He said, ‘GOD thus creates
whatever He wills. To have anything done, He simply says to it, “Be,” and it is’” (Sura 3:47).
g.
He was RIGHTEOUS.
“He [Jesus] will speak to the people from the crib, as well as an adult; he will be one of the righteous” (Sura
3:46).
h.
He performed MIRACLES.
“You [Jesus] healed the blind and the leprous by My [GOD’s] leave, and revived the dead by My leave.
Remember that I protected you from the Children of Israel who wanted to hurt you, despite the profound
miracles you had shown them. The disbelievers among them said, ‘Thi sis obviously magic’” (Sura 5:110; cf.
Sura 3:49).
Muhammad did not perform miracles: “They said, ‘If only miracles could come down to him from his Lord!’ Say,
‘All miracles come only from GOD; I am no more than a manifest warner’” (Sura 29:50).
i.
He did not DIE on the cross.
“As for claiming that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of GOD. In fact, they never
killed him, they never crucified him—they were made to think that they did. All factions who are disputing in this
matter are full of doubt concerning this issue. They possess no knowledge; they only conjecture. For certain,
they never killed him” (Sura 4:157).
It is believed that either Judas Iscariot was miraculously substituted for Jesus on the cross, or that God
miraculously delivered Him from the hands of the Romans and Jews before He could be crucified.
3.
Sin and Salvation
a.
ALL have sinned.
“If GOD punished the people for their transgressions, He would have annihilated every creature on earth” (Sura
16:61).
b.
MUHAMMAD even sinned.
“You [Muhammad] shall know that: ‘There is no other god beside GOD,’ and ask forgiveness of your sins and the
sins of all believing men and women” (Sura 47:19).
“We have bestowed upon you (O Messenger) a great victory. Whereby GOD forgives your past sins, as well as
future sins, and perfects His blessings upon you, and guides you in a straight path” (Sura 48:1-2).
c.
Every Muslim who hopes to escape the judgment of God must fulfill the works of the FIVE
PILLARS OF THE FAITH.
What would you say is the biggest difference between Islam and Christianity?
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SHARING THE GOSPEL WITH A MUSLIM
1.
Start with what Christians and Muslims have in COMMON.
What beliefs to Christians and Muslims share?
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2.
Refer an interested Muslim to the many good books available showing the INERRANCY and
INSPIRATION of the Bible.
3.
Tell the Muslim that salvation does not depend on his own insufficient EFFORTS, but on the GRACE of
God displayed through the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross.
4.
Show LOVE to the Muslim.