"ISLAM"
Notes
Transcript
1. Origin of Islam -
1. Origin of Islam -
Born in A. D. 570 in Mecca to Quraish tribe
Father died young, Mother tormented by demons, died when six, grandfather took him in but he too died
Raised by wealthy uncle
At 25 married 40 year old wealthy Khadijah with whom he had many children
Among the numerous wives was a six year old girl (whose abuse turned her into a very bitter woman, punishing many upon the death of her father).
In the seventh century, Muhammad claimed the angel Gabriel visited him. During these angelic visitations, which continued for about 23 years until Muhammad’s death, the angel purportedly revealed to Muhammad the words of Allah (the Arabic word for “God” used by Muslims).
These dictated revelations compose the Qur'an, Islam’s holy book. Islam means “submission,” deriving from a root word that means “peace.” The word Muslim means “one who submits to Allah.”
2. Early Spiritual Experiences -
2. Early Spiritual Experiences -
Mohammed used to experience severe episodes of severe shaking and jerking with profuse sweating, hearing voices.
Mohammed would go to the cave at Mt. Nur for seclusion.
Claims that during Ramadan Gabriel appeared to him (Quran 96:1-5).
After a suicide attempt with fear of demon possession, his wife convinced him that God was speaking to him.
3. Spread of Islam -
3. Spread of Islam -
Began spreading Islam (only Allah) in Mecca, but was driven out (many fled to Abyssinia-Ethiopia)
In 621 Mohammed began gathering a following in Mecca so that by 622 a group of 70 followers vowed to defend Mohammed and spread his message, commanding followers in Mecca to migrate to Medina.
The forceful subjection returned to Mecca in 630.
Mohammed died in Medina in 632.
4. Islamic Succession -
4. Islamic Succession -
Control went to 1st Caliph, his father in law Abu Bakr (632-634) who conquered all Arabia.
The 2nd Caliph (Umar) ruled from 634-644, conquering Syria, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Persia, spreading all the way into Europe, Africa and Asia.
In 13th century, the Caliphate eventually came to exist in Turkey as the Ottoman Empire (until its defeat in 1918 after they had sided with Germany and the Axis powers).
Divisions in Islam: Shiites and Sunnis
Around 660 a large conflict over succession created two major groups, the Shiites and the Sunnis.
Shiites look back to the fourth Caliph and claim that succession must be tied to the Imam who went into hiding (a descendant of Mohammed).
Sunnis follow a different line of authority.
Shiites today dominate in Iran and Syria and have a significant presence in Iraq.
Shiite eschatology believes in instigating a global conflict that will usher in a return of the hidden (12th) Imam and usher in the age of Islamic dominion over all the earth.
The main difference between Sunnis and Shias lies in their interpretation of the rightful succession of leadership after the death of the prophet Muhammad. The declaration of faith to which all Muslims assent is this: There is no God but Allah, whose prophet is Muhammad.
However, the Shiites add an extra phrase at the end: and Ali is the friend of God. Because the Shiites passionately attest to Ali being the successor to Muhammad, much feuding and division have been caused in the world of Islam, not unlike the feuding between Protestants and Roman Catholics in Europe during the Reformation.
However, the schism that sets up the major sects of Islam is not due to doctrinal issues, as between Protestants and Catholics, but is grounded in the identity of the “true successor” to Muhammad.
Among the close disciples of Muhammad was Ali, his son-in-law, who was most familiar with his teachings. However, when Muhammad died in A.D. 632, the followers bypassed Ali, whom the Shiites claim as the rightful successor to Muhammad.
Instead, a cousin of Muhammad’s third successor, Uthman (A.D. 644-656), called Mu’awiya Umayyad, declared himself caliph. When he died in A.D. 680, his son Yazid usurped the caliphate instead of Ali’s youngest son, Hussein.
The feud between rightful successors or caliphs was fought at the battle of Karbala. Hussein was slain, but his sole son, Ali, survived and continued the line of succession. Yazid, however, gave rise to the Ummayad line of succession, from which modern-day Sunnism arose.
As for their beliefs, both Sunni and Shia Muslims agree on the five pillars of Islam. While the Sunnites honor Ali, they do not venerate their imams as having the gift of divine intercession.
Shiites do venerate their imams, believing they are endowed with infallibility in their interpretation of the Qur’an. In many ways, this mirrors the way the Pope is venerated in Rome. Sunnites conduct community prayers and believe they can have a direct relationship with God. Both Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims are involved in terrorism.
Shiite groups include Hizbollah in Lebanon and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps/Quds Force. Sunni groups include al-Qaeda, ISIS/ISIL, the Taliban in Afghanistan, and Boko-Haram.
In terms of actual practice, the Sunni Muslims pray five times a day: the fajr, the zohr, the asar, the maghrib and finally the isha (“darkness”). Shia Muslims only pray three times—morning, lunchtime and sunset.
Another important difference between the two sects is that Shia Muslims permit fixed-term temporary marriage, known as muttah. Muttah was originally permitted at the time of the Prophet and is now being promoted in Iran by an unlikely alliance of conservative clerics and feminists,
the latter group seeking to downplay the obsession with female virginity which is prevalent in both forms of Islam, pointing out that only one of the Prophet’s thirteen wives was a virgin when he married her.
Iran is overwhelmingly Shia - 89 percent. Shia Muslims also form a majority of the population of Yemen, Azerbaijan, Bahrain and 60 percent of the population of Iraq. There are also sizeable Shia communities along the east coast of Saudi Arabia and in Lebanon.
The well-known guerrilla organization Hezbollah, which forced the Israelis out of southern Lebanon in 2000, is Shia. Worldwide, Shias constitute 10 to 15 percent of the overall Muslim population, but they make up the majority of the radical, violent element of Islam.
Within the Shiite branch of Islam, there have been twelve imams, or spiritual leaders appointed by Allah. These began with Imam Ali, cousin to Muhammad, who claimed prophetic succession after Muhammad’s death.
Around AD 868, the Twelfth Imam, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad (or Muhammad al Mahdi), was born to the Eleventh Imam. Because his father was under intense persecution, the Mahdi was sent into hiding.
About the age of 6, when his father was killed, he briefly came out of hiding but then disappeared again. It is said that the Mahdi has been hiding in caves ever since and will supernaturally return just before the day of judgment to eradicate all tyranny and oppression, bringing harmony and peace to the earth.
He is the savior of the world in Shiite theology. According to one writer, Imam Mahdi will combine the dignity of Moses, the grace of Jesus, and the patience of Job in one perfect person.
5. Some Basic Facts About Islam -
5. Some Basic Facts About Islam -
1. Within 200 years of Mohammed’s death in 632, Islam had brought a violent conquer to Arabia, Persia, Iraq, Syria, Armenia, Egypt, most of North Africa, Cyprus, Crete, southern Italy, as well as parts of China, India, Spain, and Portugal.
2. All of this subjugation was with violent invasion and brute force.
3. From 2001 to 2011 there was over 17,000 terrorist attacks carried out by Muslims (<thereligionofpeace.com>).
4. Terrorism and violence against non-Muslims is to be consistent with the teachings of the Quran. Note these samples from the Quran:
Surah 2:191: “Kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from wherever they drove you out.”
Surah 2:193: “Kill them until there is no persecution and the religion is God’s.”
Surah 3:85: “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, never will it be accepted.”
Surah 9:5: “Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them.”
Surah 9:29: “Fight those who do not believe in Allah, and on the last day . . . fight people of the Book, who do not accept the religion of truth until they pay tribute by hand, being inferior.”
5. The point: Violence and terrorism, as seen so regularly, is to practice a consistent form of Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam -
I. Faith (confession of faith)—Shahadah: “There is no god but Allah. Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
The testimony of faith (shahada): “la ilaha illa allah. Muhammad rasul Allah.” This means, “There is no deity but Allah. Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” A person can convert to Islam by stating this creed. The shahada shows that a Muslim believes in Allah alone as deity and believes that Muhammad reveals Allah.
The Bible -
The Triune God is the only God, with Jesus as incarnation of the 2nd person of the Trinity, the One who died for sin and rose again.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
6 Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
II. Prayer—Salat: 5 times a day(early morning, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening).
The Bible -
Acceptable prayer and worship is ONLY through salvation in Christ.
24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
9 He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
III. Alms-giving—Zakat: not to be confused with charity. Due once annually and is a percentage of one’s wealth. Owed by all 16 years and older. Some Muslim governments collect this “tax” even though they might allow the Muslim to designate it.
The Bible -
Alms-giving as good works contribute nothing to salvation.
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
IV. Fasting in Ramadan—Sawm: during the 9th lunar month.
Fasting (sawm): Muslims fast during Ramadan in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. They must not eat or drink from dawn until sunset.
The Bible -
Fasting as good works contributes nothing to salvation.
9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
V. Pilgrimage—Hajj:once in each Muslim adult’s lifetime. In the last lunar month (8th-12th days).
Pilgrimage (hajj): If physically and financially possible, a Muslim must make the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia at least once. The hajj is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar.
The Bible -
Salvation has nothing to do with a “place.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
6. The Doctrine of Islam -
6. The Doctrine of Islam -
Muslims summarize their doctrine in six articles of faith:
1. Belief in one Allah: Muslims believe Allah is one, eternal, creator, and sovereign.
2. Belief in the angels
3. Belief in the prophets: The prophets include the biblical prophets but end with Muhammad as Allah’s final prophet.
4. Belief in the revelations of Allah: Muslims accept certain portions of the Bible, such as the Torah and the Gospels. They believe the Qur'an is the preexistent, perfect word of Allah.
5. Belief in the last day of judgment and the hereafter: Everyone will be resurrected for judgment into either paradise or hell.
6. Belief in predestination: Muslims believe Allah has decreed everything that will happen. Muslims testify to Allah’s sovereignty with their frequent phrase, inshallah, meaning, “if God wills.”
A Muslim’s entrance into paradise hinges on obedience to these Five Pillars. Still, Allah may reject them. Even Muhammad was not sure whether Allah would admit him to paradise (Surah 46:9; Hadith 5.266
7. An Honest Evaluation of Islam -
7. An Honest Evaluation of Islam -
Compared to Christianity, Islam has some similarities but significant differences as well. Like Christianity, Islam is monotheistic. However, Muslims reject the Trinity—that God has revealed Himself as one in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Muslims claim that Jesus was one of the most important prophets—not God’s Son. Islam asserts that Jesus, though born of a virgin, was created like Adam. Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross.
They do not understand why Allah would allow His prophet Isa (the Islamic word for "Jesus") to die a torturous death. Yet the Bible shows how the death of the perfect Son of God was essential to pay for the sins of the world (Isaiah 53:5-6; John 3:16; 14:6; 1 Peter 2:24).
Islam teaches that the Qur'an is the final authority and the last revelation of Allah. The Bible, however, was completed in the first century with the book of Revelation.
The Bible warns against anyone adding to or subtracting from God’s Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6; Galatians 1:6-12; Revelation 22:18). The Qur’an, as a claimed addition to God’s Word, directly disobeys God’s command.
Muslims believe that paradise can be earned through keeping the Five Pillars. The Bible, in contrast, reveals that sinful man can never measure up to the holy God (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Only by God’s grace may sinners be saved through repentant faith in Jesus (Acts 20:21; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Because of these essential differences and contradictions, Islam and Christianity cannot both be true. The Bible and Qur’an cannot both be God’s Word. The truth has eternal consequences.
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
Key Points When Sharing with Them -
Key Points When Sharing with Them -
1. Islam teaches the idea of a holy and just God, but very inadequately (Is. 6:1ff.; 1 John 1:5).
2. Real holiness and real justice means damnation for even the “smallest” of all sins—sins of which all men are guilty (Gen. 6:5; Is. 59:2; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 3:10ff.; Eph. 2:1-3; Rev. 20:11-15).
3. Emphasize that the good works of any unsaved man is filth in the eyes of a holy God (Is. ch. 1; 64:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:4-5).
4. Emphasize the promise of salvation through the Only Savior (Is. 9:6-7; 52:13-53:12; Dan. 9:24-26; Mic. 5:2; Zech. 12:10).
5. Emphasize the victory of Jesus over the curse of sin and death and salvation through faith in Him (John 11:25-26; 14:6; 20:1ff.).
SO WHAT?
praise the Lord for adopting you into His family
Love, cherish, and cling to the Scriptures
Romans 8:31–39 (NASB95)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.