The Beliefs of Islam

Steve Rowe

3/16/02

 

1 John 4:1-3 – [D]o not believe every spirit, but test the spirit to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God…

 

Sura 5:75 – They do blaspheme who say: “God is Christ the son of Mary….Whoever Joins other gods with God—God will forbid him The Garden, and the First Will be his abode.”

 

I.                    Terminology

a.       Allah – God

b.      Muhammad – Prophet of Allah.  Founder of Islam.

c.       Islam – “Submission to Allah” – religion

d.      Muslim – One who submits to Allah

e.       Qur’an – the Islamic scriptures

f.        Hadith – collection of Muhammad’s sayings.

II.                 A brief history of the Islamic religion

a.       Birth and Youth

                                                               i.      Born in Mecca in AD 570 into powerful Quarysh tribe.

                                                             ii.      Mecca was a great city of commerce on the Arabian Peninsula in what is today Saudi Arabia.

                                                            iii.      Father was Abdullah or Abd Allah (Slave of Allah) – died before his birth.

                                                           iv.      Mother, Amina, died when he was 6.

                                                             v.      Went to live with Uncle, Abu Talib.

                                                           vi.      Lived a normal childhood.

                                                          vii.      Was sincere and honest.  Had name Al-Amin (Faithful one).

b.      Marriage and Adult Life

                                                               i.      At age 25 he married a 40-year old widow named Khadija – Happy marriage.  Had 2 sons (both died in infancy) and 4 daughters.

                                                             ii.      Muhammad became disillusioned with paganism and idolatry practiced in Mecca and went off to meditate alone.

                                                            iii.      On one of these trips, he was called by the angel Gabriel (p. 70)

                                                           iv.      Afterward, silence for three years.  Became depressed and suicidal.

                                                             v.      Eventually resumed receiving messages

c.       Ministry in Mecca

                                                               i.       Began by witnessing to friends and family.  Gain several converts but most had low social standing.  Converts include wife, adopted son Zaid, friend Abu Bakr.  His message was belief in one sovereign God, resurrection, last judgment, and charity to the poor.

                                                             ii.      Powerful in Mecca opposed him

1.      Religious grounds – Mecca was polytheistic.

2.      Money came from Ka’aba pilgrimages.

3.      Common man claiming to be a prophet.

4.      Didn’t like condemnations and talk of judgement.

                                                            iii.      He was persecuted but not physically.  His uncle Abu Talib, while not a convert, protected him.

                                                           iv.      In 619, his wife died as did his uncle.

                                                             v.      At one point, he was “taken” by Gabriel to 7 heavens and Jerusalem (or later said to be Jerusalem).

d.      Hijra (flight)

                                                               i.      Muhammad left for Medina (then Yathrib) with his followers and arrived on Sept 24, 622.  This is the starting date for the Islamic calendar.

                                                             ii.      He was accepted and became politically powerful.

                                                            iii.      He made concessions to Jews—celebrating Ashura, praying toward Jerusalem, established midday prayers, etc.

                                                           iv.      Jews rejected him so his pronouncements became strong against them and the policies changed (Facing Mecca, Ramadan, etc.)

                                                             v.      Began forming raiding parties to gain income—talked about God condoning fighting (p. 76).

                                                           vi.      In March of 624, he took 300 men to Badr to raid a caravan from Mecca guarded by 950 men.  He won.  Saw as sign of God.

                                                          vii.      One year later met at Uhud.  Muhammad outnumbered 3:1 but lost.

                                                        viii.      Meccans came to lay siege to Medina but eventually gave up.

                                                           ix.      Muhammad drove out two Jewish tribes and killed and enslaved the third (not all at once).

e.       Return to Mecca

                                                               i.      In March 628, Muhammad formed a peace treaty with Mecca.

                                                             ii.      In January 630, the treaty was broken so Muhammad came against Mecca with an army of 10,000.  Met little resistance.

                                                            iii.      He was generous to those he conquered.

                                                           iv.      Cleaned out the Ka’aba

                                                             v.      Began policy of forced conversion.  Pagans had to profess Islam, Jews and Christians had to pay tributes and taxes.

f.        Muhammad died in June 632 at age 63 of sudden, but natural, causes.  He never established a successor (Caliph).

                                                               i.      Sunni thought his successor should be elected.  Today Sunni comprise 80% of Muslims.

                                                             ii.      Shi’ites insisted the Caliph come from Muhammad’s bloodline.  Shi’ites are known for their violence, after Husayn, Muhammad’s grandson who died a martyr in battle.

g.       Modern-day statistics

                                                               i.      1 in 5 humans is a Muslim

                                                             ii.      In the U.S., they outnumber Assemblies of God 3:1.

                                                            iii.      In the U.K., Allah has more followers than Methodists and Baptists combined.

                                                           iv.      In 1945 there was 1 mosque in England.  In 1989, there were 1,000

                                                             v.      In France, it is the 2nd-largest religion and has more members than all Protestant denominations put together.

III.               Islamic Beliefs

a.       Monotheism and Allah

                                                               i.      “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle.”

                                                             ii.      Al Lah means “The Divinity” in Arabic.  This is God.  Arab Christians use this same term for God.

                                                            iii.      Allah was the name of the chief (sun) God in the Arabic pantheon before Muhammad.  The Ka’aba had 360 idols.

                                                           iv.      The Qur’an gives many arguments for God’s existence:  Nature, origin of man, and the course of history.

                                                             v.      In Islam, there is only one God.  Ahad is used which means the negation of any other number.

                                                           vi.      Shirk is the unforgivable sin of joining other gods with God.

                                                          vii.      13 attributes:  Existence, Eternity, Perpetuity, Dissimilarity, Self-Sustenance, Unity, Might, Will, Knowledge, Life, Hearing, Sign, and Speech.

                                                        viii.      Allah’s character is not described, merely his actions.  What gives unity to his actions is that he wills them.

                                                           ix.      Allah created everything and has compassion on all.

                                                             x.      Allah is totally sovereign.  Everything is done because of his will.  He wills even the unbelief of the unbelievers.  He is the only One who does anything.

                                                           xi.      People serve God; they do not have an intimate relationship with him.

b.      Creation and View of Man

                                                               i.      Everything created to declare his Oneness and Glory.

                                                             ii.      Everything created in 6 days.

                                                            iii.      Angels are created to do God’s will.  They have no free will.

                                                           iv.      4 Archangels: 

1.      Gabriel (revelation, Holy Spirit)

2.      Michael (guardian of the Jews)

3.      Izra’il (angel of death)

4.      Israfil (summoner to resurrection)

                                                             v.      Jinn – created from scorching wind; have free will; more prone to evil and stupidity than men.

                                                           vi.      Satan – Jinn or Angel who refused to bow to Adam.  Deceiver of man.

                                                          vii.      Man

1.      Adam was the first, created from clay.

2.      Eve is the first woman.  Creation not described.

3.      Not “in the image of God”

4.      Began in garden, ate fruit, sent to earth.  Forgiven for this.

5.      There is no original sin

6.      Man is naturally good but weak and imperfect.

7.      Purpose of man is not to know God and become conformed to his character but rather to understand his will and become obedient to his commands.

c.       Prophets

                                                               i.      Every community had a messenger.  Number not stated but guessed at 124,000.

                                                             ii.      All came to proclaim the same message.

                                                            iii.      Must be human – thus Jesus must be human

                                                           iv.      Cannot sin or at least are free from major sins

                                                             v.      5 major prophets:  Muhammad, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.  Some include Adam on this list (thus eat fruit wasn’t real sin).

                                                           vi.      Not really accepting of other religions (p. 56).  Claim tahrif (tampering) with previous scriptures.

                                                          vii.       Jesus

1.      Mentioned in 93 verses.  Mostly briefly.

2.      Was an Apostle but merely a man.

3.      Acknowledge virgin birth and miracles.

4.      Ministry wasn’t to all, only to the Jews.

5.      Didn’t die (p. 64).

6.      Will come back in the end to kill Antichrist.

d.      Muhammad

                                                               i.      He was the final prophet and only prophet to all the world.

                                                             ii.      Merely a man.  Performed no miracles.

                                                            iii.      Many treat him like a god.  Some higher than Allah.

                                                           iv.      Following his actions is sure way to do right thing so people follow everything.  Sit putting on trousers, stand winding a turban.  Right shoe on first.  Watermelon.  (see p. 82).

                                                             v.      Shari’a is the Islamic law and is based on his life.  All try to follow 7th century traditions.

                                                           vi.      He will intervene for people at judgement.

e.       Qur’an

                                                               i.      Slightly shorter than new testament.  Divided into 114 chapters called suras of varying lengths.  86 suras during time in Mecca.  28 in Medina.  Each chapter divided into verses (ayat).  Not ordered chronologically or by subject but rather by size.

                                                             ii.      The very words of God.  Not inspired, exact.  Supposed to be an exact copy on plates in Heaven.  God knew the words from the beginning.

                                                            iii.      Muhammad did not write them, he spoke them.  His followers wrote them down on leaves, rocks, bones, leather, etc. or memorized them.

                                                           iv.      Wasn’t compiled until after his death.  Hafiz (those who have Qur’an memorized) began dying in battle.  Zayd was tasked with compiling it by 2nd Caliph.

                                                             v.      The 3rd Caliph saw that there were different versions in use and ordered one version made and distributed.  All others were burned.  This is nearly exactly what Muslims use today.

                                                           vi.      Original is in Arabic and cannot be fully understood in any other language (supposedly).

                                                          vii.      Poetic in nature.

                                                        viii.      Abrogation (naskh) – Later revelations can and do change or cancel out earlier ones.  (!!)

                                                           ix.      Not created.  Has always existed.  Some declare death the penalty for saying otherwise.

                                                             x.      Contains commands and rules, not a description of the person of
God.

                                                           xi.      Arguments for miraculous nature:

1.      Unique literary style

2.      Perfect preservation

3.      Prophecies (Roman victory over Persians)

4.      Unity – doesn’t contradict

5.      Scientific accuracy

6.      Mathematical structure - #19

7.      Changed lives

f.        Salvation

                                                               i.      Not really salvation – aren’t sinners—just entrance to paradise and avoidance of punishment.

                                                             ii.      Not assured

                                                            iii.      Gain it by works – Good balanced against Bad.

                                                           iv.      Need to have right beliefs:  Oneness of God, prophecy of Mohammad, life after death. (esp. 1st two).

                                                             v.      Iman – beliefs:

1.      God and his attributes

2.      prophets and their virtues

3.      angels

4.      sacred books

5.      day of resurrection

6.      Quadar (God does everything that happens)

                                                           vi.      Amal – actions

1.      reciting the confession

2.      prayer

3.      fasting

4.      almsgiving

5.      pilgrimage to Mecca

6.      (Jihad – Holy War)

                                                          vii.      Obligatory and supererogatory – Must do all of first set, second set can make up for past mistakes.

                                                        viii.      Cannot be saved from shirk

g.       End Times

                                                               i.      Individual dies, goes to heaven, then comes back to body to wait for end times.  During this time, everyone is punished.

                                                             ii.      On last day, trumpet blows, all die.  Then all are resurrected and await judgment.

                                                            iii.      1,000-50,000 years later, God judges.  Uses scales to weigh good vs bad. 

                                                           iv.      Seerat is a bridge over hell.  Some will make it, others will fall off.

                                                             v.      Hell is fire and torment

                                                           vi.      Heaven is heart’s desire (and virgins)

                                                          vii.      Hell may not last forever.  God may choose to show mercy on individuals.

 

References:

Answering Islam by Norman Geisler and Abdul Saleeb (page numbers are from here)

Inside Islam by Reza Safa

 

Come back next week for the exciting conclusion:  Analyzing Islam in Light of Christianity.