The Life of Muhammad: An Inconvenient Truth

[Patriot]

How does the preservation of the Qur’an compare to the preservation of the Bible?​

ANSWER

The Qur’an has no manuscript support because of the way it was compiled into written form. Islam’s primary holy text was not a “text” at all until decades after the death of Muhammad. At that time, oral remembrances and assorted notes were edited and converted into print by one of his successors. All other written records were purposefully destroyed. In contrast, the New Testament was copied and dispersed in written form immediately, without centralized control. By the time authority figures had interest in it, the Bible had been distributed for centuries. By then, it was impossible to edit without making the changes blatantly obvious.

Muhammad was illiterate; this is something Muslims often point to as evidence that his revelations were divine. For more than twenty years, he proclaimed individual statements supposedly given to him by Allah. When Muhammad died in AD 632, there was no written version of the Qur’an. There were random verses recorded on leaves and bones, but the words were primarily kept in oral form by men who had memorized portions of Muhammad’s declarations.

After Muhammad, the Islamic Empire transitioned into a series of new leaders, known as caliphs. It also fell into arguing and infighting. Some disagreements involved Muslims of different cities reciting variant versions of the Qur’an’s verses. Battles resulted in the deaths of many who had memorized portions of those words. Approximately twenty years after Muhammad’s death, Caliph Uthman ordered Muhammad’s associate, Zayd ibn Thabit, to collect whatever information was available and compile an “official” version of the Qur’an. This was recorded in written form.

When this work was complete, Uthman sent five copies to various locations across the Islamic Empire. He ordered every other written record of the Qur’an to be burnt. All other versions and records of the Quranic statements of Muhammad—every scrap, leaf, bone, and fragment—was destroyed. The only version of the Qur’an that remained was the one that Uthman and Zayd ibn Thabit had compiled.

In contrast, the New Testament was written within years of Jesus’ crucifixion and immediately copied and distributed. Even today, we have thousands of copies of those texts. These records not only show that the copying process was faithfully done, but it also makes any scribal errors or other variants obvious. For the first three centuries of the church, faith in Christ was effectively illegal. There was no connection whatsoever between Christian Scripture and government authority. By the time Constantine de-criminalized Christianity, the written text of the Bible was spread far and wide. This made any attempts at editing impossible.

In summary, the Qur’an was entirely oral for decades; it was only compiled into written form when disagreements arose about its contents. The text version was made by the ruling powers of the day, who ordered all of the fragmentary and disparate writings destroyed. All that remained of the Qur’an, from that moment on, was whatever words the authority figures wanted. In stark contrast, the Bible was copied and distributed in written form immediately, without any central oversight or authoritarian decree; further, the Bible quickly spread beyond the reach of any possible editor.

The history of the Qur’an gives us no confidence that it contains the original words of Muhammad. At best, Islam can claim the modern Qur’an to be the same words approved by the third Islamic caliph after a process of controlled editing. In contrast, history says the Bible was preserved explicitly as a result of its uncontrolled copying process, which made the Bible immune to any attempts at editing or redaction.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler.

 

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Shia and Sunni Islam - what are the differences?​

ANSWER

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.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

What is the Nation of Islam?​

ANSWER

The Nation of Islam is a religious organization based in the United States that encourages black nationalism in the name of Islam. Depending on whom you ask, the Nation of Islam is considered a religion, an arm of Islam, a hate group, or a cult. The Nation of Islam holds to a form of Islam, but it is considered heretical by traditional Muslims. It incorporates aspects of Scientology and many beliefs tied to black supremacy.

The Nation of Islam was started in 1930 by Wali Farad Muhammad (born Wallace Fard) in Detroit, Michigan. Like many others, Fard was highly frustrated with the amount of racial discrimination he faced, and he wanted to create change. However, W. Muhammad chose a very different path than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who chose to fight racial injustice through the values inherent to nonviolence and Christianity. W. Muhammad decided that Christianity was the religion of “the white man” and thus an integral part of the oppression he and other African-Americans experienced. So W. Muhammad chose to embrace an altered form of Sunni Islam and added many of his own ideas to the belief system he built for the Nation of Islam.

After W. Muhammad’s disappearance in 1934, Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Poole) took over leadership of the Nation of Islam until his death in 1975. E. Muhammad claimed direct revelation from Allah and instituted the formation of places of worship called temples or mosques. He also called white people “devils,” opposed integration, and preached that Armageddon was when the black man finally conquered the white man. Malcolm X was the Nation of Islam’s most prominent figure during the 1950s, but he split from the group in 1963 and later converted to traditional Sunni Islam. In 1977, after a couple years under the leadership of E. Mohammad’s son, Louis Farrakhan took leadership of the Nation of Islam, and he remains its leader today. In 2010 Farrakhan added aspects of Scientology to the Nation of Islam, specifically Dianetics.

The form of Islam practiced by the Nation of Islam is not generally accepted by the wider Muslim community. In fact, in 1998 the Italian Muslim Association issued a fatwa against the Nation of Islam for its twisting of Islamic doctrine.

The beliefs of the Nation of Islam go far beyond simply encouraging African-Americans to embrace Islam. The Nation of Islam has a number of goals and beliefs that place it in the black supremacist camp. A stated goal of the Nation of Islam is to create an all-black state in which people of African descent can run their own society without people of any other race being involved. In the meantime, the Nation of Islam promotes segregation in the here and now: African-Americans should establish separate schools, places of worship, and businesses. During his time in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X claimed that black people were genetically superior to white people (he later changed his position).

The Nation of Islam is blatantly anti-Semitic, teaching that, originally, humanity was exclusively black, but then “Yakub” (the biblical Jacob) created the white race using eugenics. W. Muhammad taught that this “new” white race were to be considered devils because of how they were created. Farrakhan is on record making many anti-Jewish statements, and he promotes the theory that the Jews control America in order to corrupt society.

How should Christians respond to the Nation of Islam? We must recognize that the Nation of Islam is not in any way biblical. Its association with Islam and, more recently, Scientology makes it a false religion. Beyond that, the Nation of Islam holds to many dangerous ideologies about human value and race relations that are unacceptable to a Christian understanding of humanity. The Bible teaches that all human life is valuable and therefore racism in all forms is deplorable. The civil rights movement in the USA was and is important, but fighting racism with racism is not right. Holding the same beliefs about racial supremacy and segregation as what started the problem (only now with blacks as the preferred race) is not the answer to the problem of racism.

God desires all people to love each other (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 7:12; John 13:34). No matter our race or the race of those we interact with, we are to treat others with respect and Jesus’ love. The answer to the world’s problems is not one race “winning” over another race; it’s all races humbly recognizing their need for salvation in Jesus Christ.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism's Looming Catastrophe by Voddie Baucham Jr.

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What is the Twelfth Imam in Islamic eschatology?​

ANSWER

The Twelfth Imam is not a Christian/biblical idea, but rather a concept in Shia Islam tied to Muslim beliefs about the end times. Shia Islam is the second-largest denomination of Muslims; it gives greater weight to the title Imam than does Sunni Islam. Most Shia believe there have only been twelve “true” Imams, the last of which has been hiding unseen on earth since the ninth century. According to this belief, “the last Imam” will one day return, along with Jesus Christ, to defeat Satan and an antichrist-like figure, Al-Masih ad-Dajjal.

Most Shia subscribe to an approach called Imamiyyah, often referred to in English as “Twelvers.” These Shia believe in only twelve men who can be called an “Imam.” All were born between the seventh and ninth centuries. The last, according to most Shia, was the Twelfth Imam: Muhammad bin al-Hasan (also named Abu al-Qasim Muhammad), more commonly referred to as Muhammad al-Mahdi or simply the Mahdi.

Mahdi is a title meaning “guided one.” He is anticipated as the perfect Muslim who will reappear and unite the world under Islam. According to Shia beliefs, Muhammad bin al-Hasan was born near the end of the ninth century and was no longer seen after the middle of the tenth century. This disappearance was supposedly not the result of death but of a divine cloaking, known as occultation.

The doctrine of occultation contrasts with the belief of Sunni Muslims and a small proportion of Shia Muslims who believe al-Mahdi has not yet been born. Or, at least, that he has not yet publicly appeared on the world stage. Shia belief in the role of the Twelfth Imam is at least partially responsible for Iran’s approach to international politics. Some observers of world events wonder about a possible connection between this figure and the Bible’s depiction of the Antichrist.

The Twelfth Imam is also the title of a fictional novel by Joel Rosenberg.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Basic Bible Prophecy: Essential Facts Every Christian Should Know by Ron Rhodes

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[Patriot]

What is Shia Islam?​

ANSWER

Shia Islam is the second-largest denomination of Islam worldwide; it is also the state religion of Iran. Its followers are referred to as Shiites. Shia Islam is highly concentrated in the Middle East. Outside of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Azerbaijan, Shia is a lopsided minority among Muslims. Even in nations with a relatively large Shia presence, such as Pakistan, India, and Turkey, the denomination is a small proportion of those who adhere to Islam. Overall, Shia is estimated at 10–15 percent of the global Muslim population.

More than 75 percent of the world’s Muslims are Sunni, the sect typically thought of as “orthodox” Islam. This makes it more effective to describe Shia Islam according to its differences with Sunni doctrine. Within Shia there are subdivisions, but nearly nine in ten Shiites are part of an approach known as Imamiyyah, or the “Twelvers.” This name comes from their belief in a dozen Allah-appointed spiritual leaders proceeding after Muhammad. According to most Shiites, the last of these imams has been hidden from the world for many centuries, a concept referred to as occultation.

The main schism between Shia and Sunni Islam is the proper succession of leaders from Muhammad. Sunnis believe the Islamic people should be led by a caliph, a role they bestow according to merit and consensus. By that measure, Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali was the fourth to hold leadership. Shiites, on the other hand, believe authority should be passed through the household of Muhammad. Accordingly, Shia Muslims believe the first proper authority over the Islamic people after Muhammad was Ali. The Arabic phrase Shiatu Ali means “the faction of Ali,” and the term Shi’a is a shorthand term meaning “followers.”

Whereas Sunni Islam defines Ali as the fourth caliph, Shiites consider him the first Imam. The term imam holds far greater significance in Shia Islam than it does to Sunnis. Imams, as defined by Shia Islam, are descendants of Muhammad endowed with a form of divine infallibility. The term is primarily applied to twelve specific men, although Shia Muslims may disagree on the identity of those twelve; in fact, this is the main source of sub-denominations within Shiism. Since there are only twelve true Imams in Shia Islam, their primary, day-to-day leadership comes from clerics. The most authoritative clerics are referred to using the title Ayatollah.

Shia Islam holds core doctrines identical to those of Sunni Islam concerning the Qur’an, the nature of Allah, and the role of Muhammad. Shia differs in a few notable points. These are underwritten by the choice of an entirely different set of hadith: the oral traditions used by Muslims to properly interpret the meaning of the Qur’an. The collection of traditions accepted by Shia Islam is almost entirely different from the traditions of the Sunnis.

In contrast to Sunnis, who pray five times each day, Shia requires only three prayers a day. Their formulation of the shahada—the Islamic declaration of faith—is slightly longer, since it includes an explicit reference to Ali. Their concept of Imams and Islamic succession also means that Shiites subscribe to a unique concept of the end times. Shia “Twelvers” also formulate the Five Pillars of Islam differently from Sunnis, and they add ten supplemental guidelines.

Compared to other Muslims, Shias more readily embrace two practices that are controversial even within the Islamic world. One of these is mut’ah, or temporary marriage. Under this concept, a man and woman can agree to briefly be considered “married,” allowing a social exemption for sex and other interactions, after which time they are no longer bound. The other concept is taqiyah, which is the permission to deliberately lie about one’s faith in order to avoid harassment. Technically, some type of taqiyah is allowed under all Islamic interpretations; however, it is given much greater latitude in Shiism, probably since Shias are often persecuted by Sunnis.

Shia Islam’s origins, its conflict with Sunni Islam, and its perspective on leadership are reflected in a greater degree of militancy. As compared to Sunni Islam, Shiism lends itself more easily to belligerent politics and heavy-handed government rule. Notorious quasi-political organizations such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are Shiite groups. In contrast, typical “pure terrorism” groups within Islam, such as Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, and ISIS, are part of a narrow subsect, Salafi, within Sunni Islam.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

Should Christians be concerned about the idea of Sharia Law?​

ANSWER

First, we should define Sharia Law. Sharia is, as expressed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah, divine law. The Sunnah is a record of the life and example of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Sunnah is primarily contained in the Hadith or reports of Muhammad’s sayings, his actions, his tacit approval of actions, and his demeanor. Where it has official status, sharia is interpreted by Islamic judges who may be influenced by the religious leaders, or imams.

In secular Muslim states (such as Mali, Kazakhstan and Turkey), sharia is limited to personal and family matters. Countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan and Morocco are strongly influenced by sharia, but ultimate authority lies with their constitutions and the rule of law. Saudi Arabia and some Gulf States enforce classical sharia. Iran has a parliament that legislates in a manner consistent with sharia.

“Traditionally, the Islamic umma [community or nation] is divided into three regions: the territory of Islam (dar al-Islam) the territory of peace (dar al-sulh), and the territory of war (dar al-harb).… In regions such as Pakistan, Iran, and Libya, Islamic law is assumed to form the basis of government. The second territory represents regions such as India and Africa where Muslims are in the minority but are permitted for the most part to live in peace and to practise their religion freely. The rest of the world comprises the third territory, which is viewed more as an ideological battleground contested by groups with conflicting values than as a literal theatre of war. Within this territory holy war (jihad) is waged against all non-Muslims or infidels (kafir) in perpetuity until they too are absorbed into the world of Islam. … No systematic exposition of Muslim beliefs appears in either the Qur’an or the Hadith [traditions]. Instead, such exposition is found in the compilation of Islamic canon law (shar’ia), which is considered to be divinely established and enjoins on all adherents strict obedience in all aspects of life. The principal sources for Islamic law are: the Qur’an, Tradition, Consensus (ijma’), and Reason (qiyas). The Shi’ites reject the ‘consensus’ and substitute what is for them the divinely appointed, infallible spiritual guide (Imam)” (from Islam: The Way of Submission by Solomon Nigossian, Crucible, 1987).

Aspects of Sharia Law that concern Christians:

Jihad: Jihad is holy war against the infidels of the world. All Muslims are obliged to kill the infidel. An infidel (or kafir) is a non-Muslim. Many Muslims think that killing an infidel guarantees going straight to paradise.

Apostasy: All apostates are to be killed. An apostate is any person who renounces Islam and changes his religion. Christians are not allowed to convert Muslims to Christianity. Conversion is perceived as blasphemy and carries the death penalty. Distributing Christian literature can result in a five-year prison sentence under Sharia Law.

Criticism of Islam: The death penalty applies to Muslims who criticize Muhammad, the Qur’an or Sharia Law. Severe penalties also apply to Christians who speak out against Islam.

Freedom of Worship: Although Islam pays lip service to “people of the book” (other Abrahamic religions), and the Qur’an says to respect and honor all people irrespective of their religion, the reality is that some Islamic countries are persecuting Christians, targeting their places of worship, and killing and imprisoning believers. Persecution is intense in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Maldives, and other countries with a strong Islamic influence.

Female victims of rape: Sharia Law protects rapists. A woman making an accusation of rape has to provide four male witnesses. If she is unable to do so, she will be charged with zina, for which the prescribed punishment is flogging or stoning. Thousands of women are imprisoned as a result of unsuccessful charges of rape. Some are even stoned to death. On October 27, 2008, Aisha, a 13-year-old girl in Kisayu, Somalia, was stoned to death for adultery; later, her aunt told the British Broadcasting Corporation that Aisha had been raped by three armed men. Rapists are seldom brought to trial, let alone punished.

Miscellaneous crimes: Fornication and adultery: Unmarried fornicators are to be whipped, and adulterers are to be stoned to death. Homosexuality: Homosexuals must be executed. Theft: Any person found stealing is to have a hand cut off. Battery and assault: An injured plaintiff can extract legal revenge; lex talionis (“an eye for an eye”) is in effect.

Should Christians be concerned? Many people in Europe, North America and Australia are unaware of the influence of Sharia Law in Islamic countries and have never considered the possibility of Sharia Law being introduced in their country. In November 2011 the MacDonald-Laurier Institute poll of Canadian Muslims found that 75 percent of respondents want Sharia Law. In December 2012 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the imam at Australia’s largest mosque had issued a fatwa (legal ruling) against Christmas. In July 2011 Islamic extremists called upon British Muslims to establish three independent states within the U.K. There are also Muslim groups in the United States calling for the implementation of Sharia Law in America.

Christianity and Islam have opposing beliefs. Jesus (Isa) is mentioned 25 times in the Qur’an, but the Jesus of the Qur’an bears no resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible. The Qur’an says Jesus was only a human prophet and was not killed; rather, Allah took him up to heaven (Surah 4:157-158). When Jesus returns, he will be a follower of Muhammad and will kill the Antichrist, break the cross and slay the pigs. Everyone who does not accept Islam will be slain (Hadith 656). After ruling on earth for about 40 years, Jesus will die.

The Bible says Jesus is the eternal Word who was with God and who is God. The Word dwelt with man (John 1). The Bible says Jesus was crucified then resurrected and ascended into heaven – in front of eyewitnesses. When He returns, it will be to judge the world in true righteousness.

Allah tells Muslims to kill anyone who rejects Islam, converts to Christianity, or becomes an atheist. Jesus tells Christians to love Muslims because He wants Muslims to join Christians in heaven. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44). Christians bless those who curse them and do good to those who hate them. This is not the way of Islam.

Christians should be very concerned about the spread of Islam in general and the impact of Sharia Law in particular. And we should always be alert to opportunities to witness to Muslims about the love of God through Christ Jesus.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

 

[Patriot]

What is the difference between Christianity and Islam?​

ANSWER

While some similarities exist between Islam and Christianity (they are both monotheistic religions, for example), their differences are clear-cut, significant, and irreconcilable. For this article, we will survey four key areas: the founders of the two religions, the contrasting views of God, the sacred literature, and the means of salvation. We will see that Islam differs from Christianity in each of those four areas.

Islam and Christianity: Founders of the Religions

Islam was founded by an Arab merchant named Muhammed about AD 622. Muhammed claimed to have received a revelation from an angel of God, and, although he initially feared his revelation had come from Satan, Muhammed later claimed to be the last and greatest of all of God’s prophets. Muhammed had fifteen wives (although he limited other men to four wives apiece) and sanctioned the beating of wives (Sura 4:34). Muhammed was well known for spreading his new religion by force. He commanded, “Fight and slay the Pagans wherever you find them” (Sura 9:5), and he specified the proper way to execute an unbeliever was to cut his throat (Sura 47:4). Muhammed led raids against caravans to plunder their goods, broke oaths, ordered the murder of those who mocked him, and wiped out the last Jewish tribe in Medina—he killed all the men and enslaved the women and children. Interestingly, Muhammed acknowledged his own need to seek God’s forgiveness on occasion (Sura 40:55).

In stark contrast to the moral depravity of Muhammed, Jesus Christ was above reproach in every way (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus never married, He defended and honored women (John 8:1–11), and His law was “love one another” (John 13:34). Accordingly, Jesus never assassinated anyone, never beat a woman, never enslaved a child, never broke a promise, and never plundered a caravan. On the cross, when Jesus was mocked by those nearby, His response was, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34).

Islam and Christianity: Views of God

Islam teaches that Allah, or God, is the sovereign Creator and Ruler of all that is. Muslims emphasize God’s absolute unity, which will admit of no division, and God’s will. In fact, the will of God is more basic to who He is than His love or mercy. God could choose not to be merciful, and He can choose not to love; thus, Allah’s mercy and love are not intrinsic to His nature but are choices He makes. More important than loving God—or even knowing Him—is submitting to His will. The word Islam means “submission.” According to Islam, God cannot be considered a “father” and He has no son. Allah does not love sinners (Surah 3:140).

Similar to Islam, Christianity teaches that God is the sovereign Creator and Ruler of all that is—but that is about where the similarity ends. Christians believe in one God who exists in three eternal, co-equal Persons (Father, Son, and Spirit) who share the same indivisible essence. According to Christianity, God loves because His very nature is love (1 John 4:8)—not just because He happens to choose to love. God’s essence includes the attribute of mercy, so divine displays of mercy are more than choices God makes; they are extensions of His character. God is knowable and desires a relationship with us based on love (Mark 12:30). Obeying God is important, but obedience without a relationship based on love is worthless (1 Corinthians 13:3). According to Christianity, God the Father has an eternal relationship with God the Son. God does love sinners (Romans 5:8).

Islam and Christianity: Sacred Literature

Islam holds that the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), the Psalms, and the Gospels were given by God—with this caveat: Jews and Christians have corrupted God’s Word and therefore Bibles cannot be fully trusted. Muslims believe that God’s final Word, the Qur’an, was miraculously given to Muhammed over a period of twenty-three years. The Qur’an, which is perfect and holy, is divided into 114 chapters called suras. In addition to the Qur’an, the Muslims have the Hadith, a collection of Muhammed’s sayings, opinions, and actions as reported by those close to him.

Biblical Christianity holds that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are God’s inspired Word and the only authoritative rule of faith and practice. The Bible warns against adding to God’s Word (Revelation 22:18); Christians reject the Qur’an as an attempted addition to God’s Word and as a document that contradicts the Bible in many ways.

Islam and Christianity: Means of Salvation

Islam teaches a works-based salvation and in this way is similar to other man-made religions. A Muslim must keep the five pillars of Islam: he must confess the shahadah (“there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet”); he must kneel in prayer toward Mecca five times a day; he must fast during the daylight hours one month of the year (Ramadan); he must give money to the poor; and he must make a pilgrimage to Mecca sometime in his lifetime. Islam teaches that the day of judgment will involve a person’s good and bad deeds being weighed in a balance—so the standard for judgment is one’s own actions (Surah 7:8-9; 21:47). The Qur’an forbids anyone from bearing another’s burden of sin (Surah 17:15; 35:18) and pointedly denies the death of Jesus (or Isa) on the cross (Surah 3:55; 4:157–158). If you will be saved, you must save yourself.

Christianity teaches a grace-based salvation. A person is saved by the grace (the undeserved blessing) of God, through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 10:9–10). The standard for judgment is absolute perfection—the righteousness of Christ. No one can measure up to perfection (Romans 3:23), but God in His grace and mercy has given His Son as the substitute for our sin: “When you were dead in your sins . . . God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 1:13–14). We cannot save ourselves, so we turn to Christ, our sinless Savior and the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Islam and Christianity, having different beliefs on essential doctrines such as God, Jesus, Scripture, and salvation, are irreconcilable. Both religions cannot be true. We believe that Jesus Christ, as presented in the Bible, is the true Son of God and Savior of mankind. “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler

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Who was Muhammad?

 

[Patriot]

What is the Baha'i faith?​

ANSWER

The Baha'i faith is one of the newer world religions stemming originally from Shi'ite Islam in Persia (modern-day Iran). However, it has come to achieve a unique status of its own. The Baha'i faith has distinguished itself as a unique world religion because of its size (5 million members), its global scale (236 countries), its practical autonomy from its parent religion of Islam (there is little blurriness between the two), and for its doctrinal uniqueness, being monotheistic yet inclusive.

The Baha'i faith’s earliest forerunner was Sayid Ali Muhammad who on May 23, 1844, declared himself the Bab ("Gate"), the eighth manifestation of God and first since Muhammad. Implicit to that statement was the denial of Muhammad as the last and greatest prophet and a denial together of the unique authority of the Koran. Islam did not take kindly to such thoughts. The Bab and his followers, called Babis, saw heavy persecution and were part of great bloodshed before the Bab was executed as a political prisoner just six years later in Tabríz, Ádhirbáyján, July 9, 1850. But before he died, the Bab spoke of a coming prophet, referred to as "He whom God will Manifest." On April 22, 1863, Mirza Husayn Ali, one of his followers, declared himself the fulfillment of that prophecy and the latest manifestation of God. He donned the title Baha'u'llah ("glory of God"). The Bab was therefore viewed as a "John the Baptist"-type of forerunner leading up to Baha'u'llah who is the more significant manifestation for this age. His followers are called Baha’is. The uniqueness of this budding Baha'i faith, as it has come to be called, becomes clear in the Baha'u'llah’s declarations. Not only did he claim to be the latest prophet foreseen in Shi'ite Islam, and not only did he claim to be a manifestation of God, but he claimed to be the second coming of Christ, the promised Holy Spirit, the Day of God, the Maiytrea (from Buddhism), and the Krishna (from Hinduism). A kind of inclusivism is apparent from the early stages of the Baha'i faith.

No other manifestation is said to have come since Baha'u'llah, but his leadership was passed on by appointment. He designated a successor in his son Abbas Effendi (later, Abdu'l-Baha "slave of Baha"). While the successors could not speak inspired scripture from God, they could interpret scripture infallibly and were viewed as the maintenance of God’s true word on earth. Abdu'l-Baha would appoint his grandson Shoghi Effendi as successor. Shoghi Effendi, however, died before appointing a successor. The gap was filled by an ingeniously organized governing institution called the Universal House of Justice which remains in power today as the governing body for the Baha'i World Faith. Today, the Baha'i faith exists as a world religion with yearly international conferences convening at the Universal House of Justice in Haifa, Israel.

The core doctrines of the Baha'i faith can be attractive in their simplicity:

1) Adoration of one God and the reconciliation of all major religions.
2) Appreciation of the diversity and morality of the human family and the elimination of all prejudice.
3) The establishment of world peace, equality of women and men, and universal education.
4) Cooperation between Science and Religion in the individual’s search for truth.
To these may be added certain implicit beliefs and practices:
5) A Universal Auxillary Language.
6) Universal Weights and Measures.
7) God who is himself unknowable nevertheless reveals himself through manifestations.
8) These manifestations are a kind of progressive revelation.
9) No proselytizing (aggressive witnessing).
10) The study of different Scriptures besides simply Baha'i books.
11) Prayer and worship is obligatory and much of that according to specific instructions.

The Baha'i faith is quite sophisticated, and many of its followers today are educated, eloquent, eclectic, politically liberal, yet socially conservative (i.e., anti-abortion, pro-traditional family, etc.). Moreover, Baha’is are not only expected to understand their own uniquely Baha'i scriptures, but are also expected to study the scriptures of other world religions. Therefore, it is quite possible to encounter a Baha'i who is more educated on Christianity than is the average Christian. Furthermore, the Baha'i faith has a strong emphasis on education combined with certain liberal values such as gender egalitarianism, universal education, and harmony between science and religion.

Nonetheless, the Baha'i faith has many theological gaps and doctrinal inconsistencies. Compared to Christianity, its core teachings are only superficial in their commonality. The differences are deep and fundamental. The Baha'i faith is ornate, and a full critique would be encyclopedic. So, only a few observations are made below.

The Baha'i faith teaches that God is unknowable in His essence. Baha’is have the difficulty of explaining how they can have an elaborate theology about God yet assert that God is "unknowable." And it does not help to say that prophets and manifestations inform mankind about God because, if God is "unknowable," then humanity has no reference point whereby to tell which teacher is telling the truth. Christianity rightly teaches that God can be known, as is naturally known even by non-believers, though they may not have a relational knowledge of God. Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…" God is knowable, not only through the creation, but through His Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides us and bears witness that we are His children (Romans 8:14-16). Not only can we know Him, but we can know Him intimately as our "Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). True, God may not fit His infinity into our finite minds, but man can still have partial knowledge of God which is entirely true and relationally meaningful.

About Jesus, the Baha'i faith teaches that He was a manifestation of God but not an incarnation. The difference sounds slight but is actually enormous. Baha’is believe God is unknowable; therefore, God cannot incarnate Himself to be present among men. If Jesus is God in the most literal sense, and Jesus is knowable, then God is knowable, and that Baha'i doctrine is exploded. So, Baha’is teach that Jesus was a reflection of God. Just as a person can look at a reflection of the sun in a mirror and say, "There is the sun," so one can look at Jesus and say, "There is God," meaning "There is a reflection of God." Here again the problem of teaching that God is "unknowable" surfaces since there would be no way to distinguish between true and false manifestations or prophets. The Christian, however, can argue that Christ has set Himself apart from all other manifestations and has confirmed His self-attested divinity by physically rising from the dead (1 Corinthians 15), a point which Baha’is also deny. While the resurrection would be a miracle, it is nonetheless a historically defensible fact, given the body of evidence. Dr. Gary Habermas, Dr. William Lane Craig, and N.T. Wright have done well in defending the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Baha'i faith also denies the sole sufficiency of Christ and of Scripture. Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah were all manifestations of God, and the latest of these would have the highest authority since he’d have the most complete revelation of God, according to the idea of progressive revelation. Here, Christian apologetics can be employed to demonstrate the uniqueness of Christianity’s claims and its doctrinal and practical truthfulness exclusive of contrary religious systems. The Baha'i, however, is concerned for showing that all the world’s major religions are ultimately reconcilable. Any differences would be explained away as:

1) Social Laws—Instead of supra-cultural Spiritual Laws.
2) Early revelation—As opposed to the more "complete" later revelation.
3) Corrupted Teaching or Misinterpretation.

But even granting these qualifications, the world’s religions are too varied and too fundamentally different to be reconciled. Given that the world’s religions obviously teach and practice contrary things, the burden is on the Baha'i to salvage the world’s major religions while dismantling almost everything foundational to those religions. Ironically, the religions which are most inclusive—Buddhism and Hinduism—are classically atheistic and pantheistic (respectively), and neither atheism nor pantheism is allowed within the strictly monotheistic Baha'i faith. Meanwhile, the religions that are least theologically inclusive of the Baha'i faith—Islam, Christianity, Orthodox Judaism—are monotheistic, as Baha'i is.

Also, the Baha'i faith teaches a sort of works-based salvation. The Baha'i faith is not much different from Islam in its core teachings about how to be saved except that, for the Baha'i, little is said about the afterlife. This earthly life is to be filled with good works counterbalancing one’s evil deeds and showing one’s self deserving of ultimate deliverance. Sin is not paid for or dissolved; rather, it is excused by a presumably benevolent God. Man does not have a significant relationship with God. In fact, Baha’is teach that there is no personality in God’s essence, but only in His manifestations. Thus, God does not submit easily to a relationship with man. Accordingly, the Christian doctrine of grace is reinterpreted so that "grace" means "God’s kind allowance for man to have the opportunity to earn deliverance." Built into this doctrine is a denial of Christ’s sacrificial atonement and a minimization of sin.

The Christian view of salvation is very different. Sin is understood as being of eternal and infinite consequence since it is a universal crime against an infinitely perfect God (Romans 3:10, 23). Likewise, sin is so great that it deserves a life (blood) sacrifice and incurs eternal punishment in the afterlife. But Christ pays the price that all owe, dying as an innocent sacrifice for a guilty humanity. Because man cannot do anything to unblemish himself or to deserve eternal reward, he either must die for his own sins or believe that Christ graciously died in his place (Isaiah 53; Romans 5:8). Thus, salvation is either by God’s grace through man’s faith or there is no eternal salvation.

It is no surprise then that Baha'i faith proclaims Baha'u'llah to be the second coming of Christ. Jesus Himself warned us in the Gospel of Matthew concerning the end times: "Then if any one says to you, 'Lo, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect" (Matthew 24:23-24). Interestingly, Baha’is typically deny or minimize any miracles of Baha'u'llah. His unique spiritual claims are based on self-attested authority, uncanny and uneducated wisdom, prolific writing, pure living, majority consensus, and other subjective tests. The more objective tests such as prophetic fulfillment employ heavily allegorical interpretations of Scripture (see Thief in the Night by William Sears). The belief in Baha'u'llah largely reduces to a point of faith—is one willing to accept him as the manifestation of God, in the absence of objective evidence? Of course, Christianity also calls for faith, but the Christian has strong and demonstrable evidence along with that faith.

The Baha'i faith therefore does not accord with classical Christianity, and it has much to answer for in its own right. How an unknowable God could elicit such an elaborate theology and justify a new world religion is a mystery. The Baha’i faith is weak in addressing sin, treating it as if it were not a big problem and is surmountable by human effort. Christ’s divinity is denied, as is the evidential value and literal nature of Christ’s resurrection. And for the Baha'i faith, one of its biggest problems is its pluralism. That is, how can one reconcile such divergent religious without leaving them theologically gutted? It is easy to argue that the world’s religions have commonalities in their ethical teachings and have some concept of ultimate reality. But it is another beast entirely to try to argue unity in their fundamental teachings about what the ultimate reality is and about how those ethics are grounded.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Encountering World Religions by Irving Hexham

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[Patriot]

Are there two different versions of Islam?​

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Every time there is an instance of Islamic terrorism, we hear debates about what Islam teaches. Many Muslims say that Islam is a peaceful religion and that anyone who commits violence in the name of Islam is following a perversion of Islam. On the other hand, radical Muslims declare that any Muslims who will not employ violence to further the cause of Islam are following a perversion of Islam. So, which side is correct?

A brief Islamic history lesson will help to properly understand the dichotomy. Note: the following is a condensed and likely over-simplified description of the events.

Muhammad, the founder of Islam, initially began preaching his message in the city of Mecca. In the beginning, Muhammad's message was one of peace. He wanted to convert Jews, Christians, and polytheists to his version of monotheism. His new revelations were not accepted, for the most part, by the populace. Muhammad gained a small following, but was eventually forced to flee from Mecca.

Muhammad fled to Medina, where again, his message was not well received. But, Muhammad steadily grew a devoted following. Once this following of first generation Muslims grew powerful, it turned to violence in order to achieve its goals. The previous message of peace was virtually discarded, and convert or die became the modus operandi. Muhammad and his followers took control of Medina, and then returned and conquered Mecca.

The Qur’an contains record of the revelations, primarily peaceful, that Muhammad received when he was in Mecca. The Qur’an also contains record of the revelations, often violent, that Muhammad received when he was in Medina. Some Islamic scholars argue that the violent verses must be interpreted in the context of the seventh century Middle Eastern culture and/or that they only advocate violence for defense or in response to severe persecution. Other Muslim scholars claim that the newer revelations from Medina supersede the older revelations from Mecca and that therefore the violent version of Islam is the true version.

So, which version of Islam is correct, Mecca Islam or Medina Islam? Who is correct about how to properly interpret the Qur’an, the peaceful Muslims or the violent Muslims? I don't know. I am not a Qur’anic scholar, nor will I ever be. I have tried to read the Qur’an, but got extremely frustrated with how it is organized. The Surahs (chapters) in the Qur’an are not organized chronologically, but by the longest Surah to the shortest Surah. It is very difficult to understand without knowing the context and background of each Surah. If Muslims ever produce a "study Qur’an" and/or a "chronological Qur’an," I might give it another try.

But, my inability to, or, more accurately, my lack of desire to understand the Qur’an is not the point. There are millions of Muslims who believe the Mecca/peaceful approach to be true Islam, and there are millions of Muslims who believe the Medina/violent approach to be true Islam. Apparently, both are plausible interpretations of the Qur’an, and therefore, valid versions of Islam. If significant numbers of Muslims either publicly or privately endorse the Medina version of Islam, it is not a perversion of Islam. Rather, it is a part of Islam. It is a result of Muhammad quickly abandoning his message of peace once he met some resistance.

I completely recognize that the majority of Muslims are peaceful, with no desire for violence and/or acts of terrorism. I also understand that there is far more about peace and submission to Allah in the Qur’an than there is about violence. But, the Qur’an does indeed teach violence. The Qur’an does contain verses that can, fairly easily, be employed to support terrorism.

I suppose if Christians only read the book of Judges, it could lead them to believe that violence was God’s way of accomplishing His will. Yes, the Old Testament contains a lot of violence. Yes, God commanded the Israelites to commit acts of warfare and violence in the Old Testament. But, the vast majority of Christians (aside from the ever present Judaizers) understand that the Old Testament is descriptive, in that we are to learn from it (1 Corinthians 10:6-11), but not prescriptive, in that it is not a message that Christians are to follow (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23-25; Ephesians 2:15). The New Testament nowhere instructs Christians to resort to violence. The kingdom of Christ is about salvation and spiritual transformation (Romans 12:1-2). His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36; Luke 17:21).

The Qur’an is the opposite. It began as a message of peace, but quickly turned violent. Muhammad initially attempted to reason people into his peaceful version of monotheism. When that didn't work, he resorted to violence. Historically speaking, violence has always been a core aspect of Islam. It has virtually always been invading and oppressing. Islamic terrorism is simply Islam's violent tendencies applied to the modern easy availability of guns and explosives.

Which version of Islam is the perversion? Both. It does not matter which version of Islam is the true version of Islam. Both are perversions...of the truth. Islam is ultimately a false message about a false god taught by a false prophet.

While I would greatly prefer that all Muslims be of the Mecca/peaceful variety, in terms of eternity, it does not matter which version of Islam a Muslim follows. Islam is a false religion. I would much prefer all Muslims come to know Jesus.

Jesus declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

S. Michael Houdmann

 

[Patriot]

What is al-Qadr in Islam?​

ANSWER

The Islamic term al-Qadr is most often associated with Laylat al-Qadr, believed to be the evening Muhammad first received a revelation from Allah. Alternatively, the terms qadr and qadar refer to the Islamic version of predestination.

Laylat al-Qadr: Night of the Decree

According to Islamic belief, Muhammad began to receive the words of the Qur’an sometime in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan in AD 610. Muslims believe the recording of the Qur’an came through revelations brought from Allah by the angel Jibril (Gabriel). Within the Islamic community, there is no explicitly agreed-upon date for this event. The first revelations marked the beginning of a 23-year period of recitation by Muhammad, inspiring Muslims to set aside as holy the month of Ramadan.

The evening Allah sent the first decree to Muhammad is called Laylat al-Qadr, meaning “Night of Power” or “Night of the Decree.” The Qur’an’s 97th chapter is given the title al-Qadr in reference to this content and the use of the phrase in the chapter’s first verse.

Islamic tradition teaches that prayers are especially potent on Laylat al-Qadr. Since it is the “Night of the Decree,” it is believed this is when Allah issues orders for all of creation for the following year. These commands are carried by angels throughout the world. According to the Qur’an, Laylat al-Qadr is “better than a thousand months”; that is, acts of worship done on Laylat al-Qadr are rewarded as much as 1,000 times more than the same acts done on other dates.

Islamic Predestination

The same root word found in references to Laylat al-Qadr forms the Islamic term for their version of predestination: qadar. As is the case in Christianity, Muslim views on predestination cover a spectrum from hard determinism to open theism. To the confusion of non-Arabic speakers, Muslims may differentiate between qadr, specifically meaning what Allah has willed via his power, and qadar in the more general sense of human destiny.

In principle, most sects of Islam view qadr/qadar/predestination as simple foreknowledge: Allah knows all that will occur, without interfering with free will. In practice, however, Islamic theology heavily implies that Allah used something akin to double predestination. Also, in practice, Muslims lean toward a belief that the broad strokes of a person’s life are purposefully arranged by the deliberate decisions of Allah.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross by Norm Geisler

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