Written by Rick Rood
It's not every day that religion appears as a front page story in
today's newspapers, particularly on a regular basis. But over the past
20 years one religion has made the front page perhaps more than any
other . . . the religion of Islam. Islam claims up to one billion
followers worldwide. It is not only the fastest growing religion in the
world, but its influence touches virtually every area of life--not only
the spiritual, but the political and economic as well. What is more, its
influence is being felt closer and closer to home. There are now up to 5
million Muslims in the U.S., and over 1,100 mosques or Islamic centers.
What does Islam teach? How are the teachings of Islam similar to
those of Christianity? How are they different? What should our attitude
be toward Islam, and toward those who follow this powerful religion?
These are some of the questions we want to address in this essay.
The History of Islam
First, we want to take a look back at the history of Islam. Islam was
founded in the early seventh century by Muhammed. When he was 40 years
of age, in A.D. 610, Muhammed claimed to be receiving messages from God.
These messages were later compiled and recorded in the Koran--Islam's
holy book.
About this same time, Muhammed began preaching against the greed,
economic oppression, and idolatry that plagued the Arab peoples. He
called on the many factions of the Arab peoples to unite under the
worship of Allah, the chief god of the Arab pantheon of deities. Though
his message was initially rejected, by the year 630 he had succeeded in
gaining control of Mecca, the economic and religious center of the
Arabian peninsula.
Though Muhammed died two years later, the religious/political
movement he founded rapidly spread throughout the Arab world, and far
beyond. By A.D. 750, the Muslim empire spanned from Spain in the west to
India in the east. In the centuries that followed, Islam penetrated
deeper into Africa and Asia, extending as far as the Philippines. During
its "golden era" Islam claimed some of the world's finest philosophers
and mathematicians. It was during this time also that Islam and
Christianity clashed as a result of the Crusades to reclaim the Holy
Land from the Muslims.
Beginning around 1500, and accelerating after the industrial
revolution of the 1700-1800s, Islam felt the increasing influence of the
European powers. Eventually, large portions of the Muslim world were
colonized by European countries. This political and economic domination
by Europe continued until the end of WWII, after which Muslim countries
began to attain political independence. With the discovery and
development of the vast oil reserves in many Muslim lands, economic
independence suddenly came within reach also. At last, Islam had in its
grasp both the opportunity and the resources to reassert itself as a
powerful force in the world. After being on the defensive for many
centuries, Islam was now on the offensive!
The Current Status of Islam
At this point we should discuss the current status of Islam. In doing
so, it's important to realize that Islam is not a monolithic system.
Though all Muslims draw their inspiration from Muhammed and the Koran,
there are many identifiable groups and movements within Islam.
The most obvious division is that between Sunni and Shia Islam. The
Sunnis (who compose about 90% of all Muslims) draw their name from the
fact that they look both to the Koran and to the "sunna" in establishing
proper Muslim conduct. The "sunna" is the behavior or example of
Muhammed and of the early Muslim community. Of course, there are many
sub-divisions among the Sunnis, but they all identify themselves as
Sunni.
The other major group of Muslims are the Shi'ites (who compose about
10% of all Muslims and reside mainly in Iraq and Iran). The word Shi'ite
means "partisan," and refers to the fact that Shi'ites are "partisans
of Ali." Ali was the son-in-law and cousin of Muhammed and one of the
early Caliphs or successors to Muhammed as leader of the Muslim people.
Shi'ites believe that the leader of Islam should be among the
descendants of Ali, whom they believe possess a special divine anointing
for this task. The last of these divinely appointed leaders, or "imams"
most Shi'ites believe to be in "hiding" in another realm of existence.
The Ayatollah Khomeini was believed to have been a spokesman for this
"hidden imam."
A third group that should be mentioned are the Sufis--those Muslims
(among both Sunni and Shia) who seek a mystical experience of God,
rather than a merely intellectual knowledge of Him, and who also are
given to a number of superstitious practices.
In addition to these divisions within Islam, mention must also be
made of attitudes among Muslims toward their contact with the Western
world in modern times. Though the situation is much more complex than we
are capable of dealing with in this pamphlet, two broad trends have
been evident within Islam.
One trend is toward some degree of accommodation and adjustment to
the West and to modern ways of life. This has manifested itself most
obviously in countries like Turkey, which have instituted largely
secular forms of government and Western ways of life, while maintaining
Islamic religious practices.
The opposite trend is toward a return to a more traditional approach
to Islamic life and a rejection of Western and modern ways. The most
extreme expression of this trend is manifest in the various forms of
Islamic fundamentalism, which insist on the implementation of Muslim law
(called the Sharia) in every area of life. Fundamentalists have been
most successful in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and Sudan; but they are
active in virtually every Muslim country, at times resorting to
violence and terrorism in attempting to implement their agenda.
In understanding this potent religious and political movement, it is
important to understand the various divisions and attitudes within Islam
and the basic beliefs at Islam's core.
The Basic Beliefs of Islam
Though the beliefs of Muslims worldwide are about as diverse as those
among Christians, there are six basic articles of faith common to
nearly all Muslims.
The first of these is that there is no God but Allah. The pre-
Islamic Arabs were polytheists. But Muhammed succeeded in leading them
to devote themselves solely to the chief God of the pantheon whom they
called Allah (which simply means God). To worship or attribute deity to
any other being is considered shirk or blasphemy. The Koran
mentions numerous names of Allah, and these names are found frequently
on the lips of devout Muslims who believe them to have a nearly magical
power.
The second article of faith is belief in angels and jinn. Jinn are
spirit beings capable of both good and evil actions and of possessing
human beings. Above the jinn in rank are the angels of God. Two of them
are believed to accompany every Muslim, one on the right to record his
good deeds, and one on the left to record his evil deeds.
The third article is belief in God's holy books, 104 of which are
referred to in the Koran. Chief among these are the Law given to Moses,
the Psalms given to David, the Gospel (or Injil) given to Jesus, and the
Koran given to Muhammed. Each of these is conceived to have
communicated the same basic message of God's will to man. Obvious
discrepancies between the Jewish and Christian Scriptures and the Koran
(particularly with reference to Jesus and Muhammed) were accounted for
by Muhammed in his suggestion that the Bible had been tampered with by
Jews and Christians.
The fourth article of faith is belief in God's prophets, through whom
Allah appealed to man to follow His will as revealed in His holy books.
There is no agreement as to how many prophets there have been--some say
hundreds of thousands. Among them were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus. But all agree that Muhammed was God's final and supreme
prophet--the "seal" of the prophets. Though Muhammed himself said that
he was a sinner, nonetheless there are many Muslims throughout the world
who appear to come close to worshiping him.
The fifth article of faith is belief in the absolute predestinating
will of Allah. Though some Muslims have modified this doctrine somewhat,
the Koran seems to support the idea that all things (both good and
evil) are the direct result of God's will. Those who conclude that Islam
is a fatalistic religion have good reason for doing so.
The sixth and final article of faith is belief in the resurrection
and final judgment. At the end of history, God will judge the works of
all men. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will enter into
paradise (pictured in rather sensual terms). The rest will be consigned
to hell. The paramount feature of Islamic belief, aside from its strong
monotheism, is that it is a religion of human works. One's position
with regard to Allah is determined by his success in keeping His laws.
The Basic Practices of Islam
Now we want to focus on the most important of those works. These are
summarized in what are usually called the "Five Pillars of Islam."
The first pillar is recitation of the creed: "There is no God but
Allah, and Muhammed is his prophet." It is commonly held that to recite
this creed in the presence of two witnesses is to constitute oneself a
Muslim--one in submission to God. Of course, the word Islam simply means
"submission."
The second pillar is the regular practice of prayers. Sunni Muslims
are required to recite specific prayers accompanied by prescribed
motions five times daily. (Shi'ites do so only three times a day.) All
male Muslims are also enjoined to meet for community prayer (and sermon)
each Friday at noon.
The third pillar is almsgiving. Born an orphan himself, Muhammed was
deeply concerned for the needy. The Koran requires that 2.5% of one's
income be given to the poor or to the spread of Islam.
The fourth pillar of Islam is the fast during the month of Ramadan
(the ninth lunar month of the Muslim calendar, during which Muhammed is
said to have received the first of his revelations from God, and during
which he and his followers made their historic trek from Mecca to
Medina). During this month, Muslims in good health are required to
forego all food and liquid during daylight hours. This fast promotes the
Muslim's self-discipline, dependence on Allah, and compassion for the
needy.
The fifth pillar is the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. If possible,
every Muslim is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once during his life. It
can be made properly only on a few days during the last month of the
Muslim year. The Hajj promotes the ideas of worldwide unity and equality
among Muslims. But it also contains many elements of prescribed
activity that are of pagan origin.
A sixth pillar, that of jihad, is often added. (The term means
"exertion" or "struggle" in behalf of God.) Jihad is the means by which
those who are outside the household of Islam are brought into its fold.
Jihad may be by persuasion, or it may be by force or "holy war." The
fact that any Muslim who dies in a holy war is assured his place in
paradise provides strong incentive for participation!
Muslims around the world look to these pillars for guidance in
shaping their religious practice. But in addition to these pillars,
there are numerous laws and traditions contained in the Hadith--
literature that was compiled after the completion of the Koran, that
reportedly contains the example and statements of Muhammed on many
topics. Because the laws of the Hadith and Koran cover virtually every
area of life, Islam has well been referred to as an all-encompassing way
of life, as well as a religion.
A Christian Perspective on Islam
At this point it is appropriate to offer a brief evaluation of Islam from a Christian perspective.
At the outset, it must be stated that there is much in Islam that the
Christian can affirm. Among the most significant Islamic doctrines that
can be genuinely affirmed by the Christian are its belief in one God,
its recognition of Jesus as the virgin born, sinless prophet and messiah
of God, and its expectation of a future resurrection and judgment.
There are, however, some very significant areas of difference. We
will mention just a few. First, the Muslim perception of God is by no
means the same as that revealed in the Bible. Islam portrays God as
ultimately unknowable. In fact, in the Koran, Allah reveals His will,
but He never reveals Himself. Neither is He ever portrayed as a Father
to His people, as He is in the Bible.
Second, though Jesus is presented as a miracle working prophet and
messiah, and even without sin, Islam denies that He is the Son of God or
Savior of the world. Indeed, it is denied that Jesus ever died at all,
least of all for the sins of the world.
Third, though mankind is depicted as weak and prone to error, Islam
denies that man is a sinner by nature and in need of a Savior, as the
Bible so clearly teaches. People are capable of submitting to God's laws
and meriting his ultimate approval. According to Islam, man's spiritual
need is not for a savior but for guidance.
This leads to the fact that since in Islam, acceptance by God is
something we must earn by our works, it cannot possibly provide the
sense of security that can be found in the grace of God as taught in the
Bible.
Many of us will find opportunities to befriend Muslim neighbors,
co-workers, or friends. As we do, we should be aware of some of the
barriers that exist between Muslims and Christians, due to past and
current animosities.
The attitude of many Muslims toward Christianity and toward the West
is colored by the history of conflict that has found expression in the
Crusades of Medieval times, European domination and colonialism, as well
as Western support for Zionism in most recent times. We must allow the
love of God to overcome our own fear and defensiveness and to penetrate
these barriers.
In the past several years many Muslims have been deeply impressed by
the compassion shown by Westerners (and particularly the United States)
toward Muslim countries that have endured severe hardship. This kind of
compassion can be shown on an individual level as well. As we do, we can
then invite our Muslim friends to join us in a study of the New
Testament, which reveals the only source of acceptance before God in His
love and grace, expressed through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ
and His gift of the Holy Spirit.
