Victor Chen Ministries

 THE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF ISLAM

A Snapshot At Islam

·      Islam is a monotheistic religion that arose in the seventh century A.D. under the leadership of Muhammad

·      Muhammad is alleged to be the greatest of a long line of prophets that includes Jesus and Moses.

·      “Islam” means “submission to the will of Allah.”

·      Allah is the God of Islam.

·      Allah’s revelation to Muhammad occurred over a 23 year period and is recorded in the Quran, Islam’s holy book (“Quran” literally means “that which is to be read.”)

·      Members of Islam are called Muslims (“those who submit”)

·      Islam involves both beliefs (“The Five Doctrines of Islam”) and obligations (“The Five Pillars of Islam”) 

DOCTRINE

Islam teaches                           Bible teaches

MUHAMMAD

THE QURAN

ISLAMIC BELIEFS

ABOUT DEATH & AFTER LIFE

                                                              DEATH

                                                .Every human being dies

                                                            -------------

                                    “Every soul shall have a taste of death…”(Surah 3:185).

                                    At the time of death, “the angels stretch forth their hands,

                                       [and say], ‘Yield up your own souls’” (Surah 6:93).

                        HEAVEN                                                                   HELL

.Heaven is a place of unimaginable delight                           .Hell is a place of unimaginable suffering.      

.Believers receive whatever their hearts desire.                                 .Boiling water melts one’s skin.

.Faithful men are even promised the companionship           .Scorched skins are immediately replaced with   

            of young and beautiful women.                          new ones so they can taste torment of hell anew.

                        -------------                                                                   ---------

The faithful “will enjoy gentle speech, pleasant shade,           “When they are cast, bound together,

And every available fruit, as well as the cool drink                into a constricted place therein,

And meat they desire. They will drink from a                         they will plead for destruction there and 

            Shining stream of delicious wine,                                        then (Surah 25:12-13).

from which they will suffer no intoxicating effects”      There will be “a fierce blast of fire & boiling water,

(Surah 37:45-47).                            And in the shades of black smoke (Surah 56:42-43)

JUDGEMENT                                              RESURRECTION

.Allah will judge people on the scale of                                    . Allah will resurrect all who have died.

   absolute justice.                                                              .He will recreate each individual’s body

.The scale used to balance one’s good deeds                                     and rejoin his or her soul to it.        

against one’s bad deeds.                                                    -------------------------------

.The judgment will be based on the two recording                  “See they not God, who created the heavens  

   angels who keep track of good and bad deeds.                       And the earth… is able to give life to the

                        --------------------------                               dead? Yea, verily He has the power over all 

“Only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your                           things” (Surah 46:33)

full recompense”(Surah 3;185).

“Those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy—they

will attain salvation: but those whose balance is light, 

will have lost their souls; in hell they will abide”

(Surah 23:102-103)

ANSWERING TO MUSLIM OBJECTIONS TO CHRISTIANITY

        ______________________________

(1)         THE BIBLE

Muslims believe the Bible was corrupted by the early Jews and Christians (Surahs 2:75;2:78-79). Accurate statements are allegedly intermingled with pure fiction.

The Bible is accurate and trustworthy. Note the following

Ø  The Quran encourages Christians to obey what is written in the Bible (Surah 5:50,68), and encourages people to believe in the previous Scriptures (Surah 4:136).

Ø  Muhammad was exhorted to test the truthfulness of his own message by the contents of previous divine revelations to Jews and Christians (Surah 10:94)

Ø  Muslims often point to Bible verses that allegedly prophesy the coming of Muhammad.

Ø  This being the case: How can the above points be reconciled with the claim that the Bible was corrupted? This seems inconsistent.

Ø  We can confidently affirm that the NT of Muhammad’s day is essentially identical to the NT today --- since today’s NT is based on manuscripts that go back centuries before Muhammad was even born.

Ø  We possess well over 5,300 partial or complete NT manuscripts that attest to its reliability and accurate transmission.

Ø  There are 86,000 quotations of the New Testament by the early church fathers. Because of this, all but 11 verses could be accurately reconstructed even if we had no manuscript copies.

Ø  As for the Old Testament, in the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumran in 1947 we have OT manuscripts that date about a thousand years earlier (150 B.C.) than the other previous manuscripts in our possession (which dated 980 A.D.). When one compares the two sets of manuscripts, they are practically identical, with very few changes.

Ø  The fact that there two sets of OT manuscripts – some dating long before Muslim claim of biblical corruption (150 B.C.) and some dating long after (980 A.D.) – and the fact that these two sets of manuscript are practically identical proves the incredible accuracy of the Old Testament’s manuscript transmission

(2)THE TRINITY

Muslims teach that Allah can have no son and no partner (Surah 19:34-35). Besides, Muslims say, the doctrine of the Trinity is contradictory (nothing can be three and one), and the doctrine amounts to worshipping three gods.

 It is important to understand what the doctrine is and what it is not

Ø  It is not the worship of three gods (tritheism)

Ø  It is not “three gods in one god” or “three persons in one person”

Ø  Rather, there is one God, and within the unity of the one God there are three co-equal and co-eternal persons – the Father, Son & Holy Spirit.

Ø  The doctrine of the trinity is based on three lines of evidence: evidence that there is only one true God (Isaiah 44:6; 46:9; John 5;4; Romans 3:29-30; 16:27; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 4;6; 1 Timothy 2:5; James 2:19); evidence that there are three persons who are called God – the Father (1 Peter 1:2); Jesus (Hebrews 1:8), and the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4); and evidences of three-in-oneness within the Godhead (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Ø  Moreover, each of the three persons on different occasions is seen to possess the attributes of deity. For example, all three are said to be omnipresent(everywhere-present): the Father (Jeremiah 32:17); the Son (John 16:30), and the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10). All three are omnipotent(all-powerful): the Father (Jeremiah 32:17); the Son (Matthew 28:18); and the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:19).  Furthermore, holiness is ascribed to each person: the Father (Revelation 15:14); the Son (Acts 3:14); and the Holy Spirit (John 16: 7-14). And each of the three is individually described as the truth: the Father (John 7:28), the Son (Revelation 3:7), and the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:17).

Ø  Jesus is God’s Son not only in the sense that the Father procreated Jesus, but rather in the sense that Jesus Himself is eternally God by nature, just like the Father is. Ancient Semitics used the phrase “Son of…” to indicate likeness or sameness of nature and equality of being. That is why when Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, His Jewish contemporaries understood. He was making a claim to be God (John 19:7; see also 5:18). 

Ø  Note that to fully understand God’s nature – including His triune nature – would require the mind of God Himself.  Finite minds cannot fully understand an infinite God.

·      About 20 percent of the world’s population is composed of Muslims.

·      Islam is the world’s second largest religion, behind Christianity

·      In the last 50 years Islam has grown 500 percent.

·      Over 65 nations in the world are Islamic.

Muhammad was born in Mecca in A.D.570. When he was 25, he married a wealthy widow named Khadijah. This made possible for him to engage in long periods of seclusion and meditation without having to worry about earning a living.

When he was 40, Muhammad had a series of disturbing visions. The angel Gabriel is claimed to have appeared to him in a cave near Mecca and allegedly gave him revelations to recite. At first Muhammad thought he might be possessed by an evil spirit. But his wife reassured him that the source of the revelations was divine, and encouraged him to be obedient. 

Key among the revelations he received was that Allah is the one true God, and that Muhammad had been appointed by Allah to be his messenger. Muhammad denounced local gods in Mecca as false and worship as idolatrous. Opposition to his message arose immediately. (The main source of income in the city was the many pilgrims who came from all over the world to worship the 360 idols in the Ka’bah [religious black stone shrine].). 

The nearby city of Yathrib, 100 miles north of Mecca, welcomed some of Muhammad’s followers. After a plot was organized against Muhammad’s life, he too fled to Yathrib on July 16, 622. This flight --- called Hijira by Muslims (literally, “emigration”) --- marks the beginning of Islam as a religion. (Muslim dates are calculated from the day of this flight). Yathrib was renamed Medina (“City of Prophets”). Intermittent war continued between the Meccans and Muhammad. Then, in A.D.630, Muhammad marched on Mecca with a force of 10,000 men and was victorious. The Muslims were now back in Mecca to stay. 

The ancient shrine in Mecca – the Ka’bah – was then made a center for religious pilgrimage after Muhammad destroyed all the idols within its wall. From henceforth, Allah alone would be  worshipped. Muhammad died in A.D.632, leaving behind his teachings in the Quran.

The Quran is composed of 114 Surahs (chapters), arranged in order according to length – the longer chapters first and the shorter ones last. Many of the Surahs were written during Muhammad’s life-time. The remaining ones were written from memory by followers after his death. Muslims believe the Quran is an exact copy of the original in heaven. Hence, it is believed that no translation of the Quran can subtitute for the original Arabic. Though the Quran constitutes Allah’s final revelation to Muhammad, Muslims also believe that many of the prophet’s teachings were preserved by the Muslim community, and were eventually compiled and codified in the Hadith (“tradition”).

1.     God. There is only one true God, whose name is Allah. The term “Allah” is probably derived from al illah , which means the “god”. Allah is said to have seven primary characteristics: He has absolute unity (God can have no son or partner), and is all-seeing, all-hearing, all-speaking, all-knowing, all-willing, and all-powerful.

2.     Angels. There is a hierarchy between Allah and mankind. Each human being is said to have two recording angels who list all his or her deeds, good or bad. These recorded deeds will be brought forth at the coming judgment.

3.     Holy Books. There are four inspired books: The Torah of Moses, the psalms of David, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Quran (containing the teachings of Muhammad). The quran contains Allah’s final message to mankind, and supersedes all previous revelation. The Quran abrogates any conflicting truth claims. Only the Quran has been preserved in an uncorrupted state.

4.     Prophets. There are allegedly over 100,000 prophets who have been sent to human beings throughout history. The most important ones number less than 30 – the greatest of whom is Muhammad. Other prominent prophets include Adam, Noah Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. Each prophet brought truth for his particular age, but Muhammad is a prophet for all time.

5.     A future judgment. There will be a day of judgment and resurrection. Allah will be the judge. Depending on how one fares as his or her deeds are weighed, one will end up either in heaven or in hell. Muslims have no assurance of salvation since it is based on a works system and on complete surrender to Allah.

In addition to the five doctrines of Islam, Muslims also adhere to a set of obligations called “The Five Pillars of Islam”. These are duties every Muslim is expected to perform.:

Creedal recitation. Muslims are expected to publicly recite the Shahadah (literally, to ‘bear witness”). “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah”. This recitation, with conviction, makes one a believer.

Prayers. Muslims are expected to perform salat, or offer prayers five times a day: at dawn, noon, afternoon, evening and night. These prayers involve a series of postures ( standing, kneeling, hands and face to the ground, and so forth) while facing mecca the holy city. 

Give alms. Muslims are expected to give alms (zakat) to the Muslim community that amount to one-fortieth (or 2.5%) of one’s income. This offering benefits the widows, orphans and the sick, or it can be used towards furthering Islam.

Fast. Muslims are expected to fast during the month of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim lunar year). During this month Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sexual relations during daylight hours. At sundown they are allowed to partake of these things again until sunrise the next morning.

Pilgrimage. Health and finances providing, every Muslim is expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) at least once in his or her lifetime. If one is unable to go, one is permitted to have another person to make the hajj for him as proxy.

There are 2 main sects:

THE SUNNIS

The Sunnis make up 80 percent of all Muslims and predominate in such countries as Malaysia, Eygpt, Pakistan & Saudi Arabia.

Their name is derived from Sunnah, which refers to “the trodden path” or “tradition”. The Sunnis follow the tradition of Islam.  

They seek to live their lives according to the exemplary pattern set by Muhammad.

THE SHI’ITES

The Shi’ites predominate in countries like Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and parts of Africa.

They broke off from the main body of Muslims in the first century over a dispute over the succession of leadership following Muhammad’s death.

The Shi’ites believe the successor should come through Muhammad’s bloodline. The Sunnis, by contrast, should elect him.The Sunnis got their way.

BE FRIENDS WITH MUSLIMS

v Be a friend

v Be prayerful

v Be patient

v Don’t create unnecessary barriers by saying disdainful things about Muhammad and the Quran. Focus instead on the good things about Jesus, what He did on the cross, and the Bible.

v Don’t hesitate to quote the Bible. If they argue that the Bible is corrupted, be ready to demonstrate why you trust the Bible’s accuracy.

v Mention the Quran which urges all Muslims to honour and believe in all the prophets of God.

v Emphasize SUBMISSION. Islam means submission. Jesus submitted to the will of the Father and died on the cross for our sins.

v Emphasize Jesus. Respect & mention the Quran’s affirmation that Jesus was sinless and righteous (Surah 3: 45, 49; 4:158; 82:22). Muhammad on the other hand was exhorted in the Quran to seek forgiveness for his faults (Surah 16:61; 40:55; 42;4,30; 47:19; 48:1-2). Use that as a launch pad to share how Jesus was our sinless substitute  and make us righteous before God(2 Corinthians 5:19-21)  

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