A. Simple Definition:

Islam literally means a total submission to God. It is very much the same as Christianity in that both religions believe in the same line of Prophets, including mainly Moses and Jesus, and both use the Bible; however, Muslims feel that over time the Bible was corrupted and misused and so God revealed himself to Muhammad, not the creator or a new religion but one who reestablished the traditional religion of Abraham and the Prophets and completed God's Word. And so the Qur'an was divinely inspired and written by Muhammad to bring the people back to God and to finish the Word of God.

B. History:

When Allah, the Arabic name for God, wished to select a Prophet who would lead the people back to him, he first chose the best tribe, Banu Quraish, that would offer the most honorable person to lead society and he then chose the family of Banu Hashim. ‘Abd al-Muttalib was the grand-father of Muhammad, the last in the line of prophets of God. Muhammad's grandfather died, and Muhammad went to stay with his uncle in Bostra. In Bostra there was a monk named Buhaira. When Muhammad arrived, the monk examined him carefully. Between his shoulders he found what was called the seal of the prophetic office. This is when he became aware of his calling. Muhammad married Khadija, and said about her, "“No, no one is better than Khadija. She believed in me when all others were unbelieving; she took my words to be true when all others treated me as a liar.” From then on, after his revelation, Muhammad was a great political leader who called the people to wholeheartedly submit to God every day.

The first revelation came to him in the month of Ramadan on Mount Hira. There it is said that God revealed to him the Qur'an, which established much of what the original Bible had established, but included more rules and regulations to ensure that the people would not fall away from God again, as God first revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses for the same reason. One of Muhammad's greatest teachings is as follows: "Acquire knowledge, because he who acquires it in the way of the Lord performs an act of piety; who speaks of it, praises the Lord; who seeks it, adores God; who dispenses instruction in it, bestows alms; and who imparts it to its fitting objects, performs an act of devotion to God. Knowledge enables its possessor to distinguish what is forbidden from what is not; it lights the way to Heaven; it is our friend in the desert, […] our companion when bereft of friends; it guides us to happiness; it sustains us in misery; […] it serves as an armor against our enemies. With knowledge, the servant of God rises to the heights of goodness and to a noble position, associates with sovereign in this world, and attains to perfection of happiness in the next," (1).

For Muhammad the Day of Judgment is a certain reality which is threateningly near. He realized that no matter when judgment comes, it will come sooner or later, and therefore the people should be aware and submit to God now, for each person is responsible for his or her salvation through Jesus Christ, who is believed by Muslims, as well, to be the Messiah, the forgiver of sins. Muhammad's legacy has lasted, and this is why almost three million Muslims travel to Mecca every year, the place where Muhammad stood atop the structure shown below and called for the people to come back to God and stop worshipping false idols. It is a sacred place for all Muslims, a reminder that Muhammad lived to bring society to the ways of God.


C. Five Pillars of Islam:

1. Faith - In God and his Prophets.
2. Prayer - Five times daily.
3. Concern for the needy - 2.5% of saved income is contributed to the poor.
4. Self-purification - Upholding God's commandments.
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca - For those who are able.

Mecca and Muslim Places and Prayer
Click Pictures for Full-Size Images
and borrowed source

D. Christ and Muslims:

Since Christianity and Islam make up over eighty percent of the world's religions, an ever-growing concern is how Christians and Muslims can accept and understand each other. The first step in understanding each other is realizing that Allah is the God of the Old Testament, the true God that Christians believe in. Many Christians believe that Allah is in fact a different God that Muhammad created; however, Allah is the same God that Abraham and Moses followed, and who established his line of Prophets on Earth, including Jesus (2). The largest concern for Christians is how Muslims view Christ, in that Christ must be known as the Messiah and Son of God. Some Christians would surprised to know that Muslims view Christ in a very similar way, except they believe that Muhammad was the last Prophet and not Christ. While they believe Christ was born of the Virgin Mary as the Messiah, they see that Christ's mission was not to become involved in developing the correct ethics for the political realm of the world, but his mission was to offer salvation to humankind and preach the message of love. Muhammad's mission, on the other hand, was to be a politically successful leader that would bring the political leaders and the society back to God. This is why Muslims feel that Muhammad had to come after Christ, for if had Christ had been politically successful he could not have been crucified to offer salvation and defeat death (2).

Looking at the Qur'an, it affirms much of what the Bible has stated before, especially concerning Mary and the Virgin Birth: "She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: 'Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it is.' (Quran, 3:42-7). Now we have two sources which clarify that the Virgin Birth is true, along with the remainder of the Bible. Jesus also demonstrates the power of God in the Qur'an as he did in the Bible: "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers and I raise the dead by God's leave. (Quran, 3:49). And concerning Jesus and salvation, Muhammad wrote: "Whoever believes there is no god but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven, (Hadith from Bukhari). So the worlds of Christianity and Islam are not as far apart as many people imagine they are.

E. Holy War:

Like any religion, Islam has not been followed correctly by many throughout time, just as many so-called Christians participated in the crusades. At this point in time, it seems that we are experiencing events that can be somewhat likened to the Crusades. Imagine how people viewed Christianity during the inquisitions and crusades, and that negative view might be similar to how people view Islam today. This misuse of Islam comes from the unofficial sixth pillar of Islam, or Jihad, which states that Muslims have the right to declare war on an opponent if the opponent launches an attack against Islam. This pillar can seem very vague, and this ambiguity is what has caused many acts of terrorism, including the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Certain groups in Arabia feel that America is out to destroy Islam and westernize Arabia as it has with Asia and other areas. Realize that people in Arabia may see only the negative side of America, including much of the pornography business, gang violence, and many other immoralities. While this most certainly does not justify acts of terrorism, these groups, like the Al-Qaeda, justify their hatred for America with this sixth pillar of Islam, which is only meant to be used when there is an actual war waged against the country and the religion of Islam, a true act of suppression or genocide.

Americans and people from other countries should not build hatred for Muslims due to recent acts of terrorism, as only less than 2% of Muslims actually feel that America has waged war against Islam. In fact, notice that many Christians travel to Jerusalem to visit Biblical sites and Muslims are extremely welcoming, as they even call Christians "the People of the Book." In addition, the Qur'an commands that Muslims treat everyone with hospitality and respect, no matter what religion they are from. So you see it is not the religion that is to blame, but it is the small percentage of people misinterpret an idea built around a rational case for self-defense.

E. Conclusion:

As Muslims do not generally enter the field of apologetics, being that the Bible is defended primarily by Christians, I have not presented a defense section here for Islam. Muslims feel that one must have faith in Muhammad as God's messenger and experience the Qur'an for the truth in its principle. For more on understanding Islam, please visit Islamicity, which succinctly describes the traditions of Islam.

While Islam does differ somewhat from Christianity and other religions, the message is still to love God and your neighbor. As Islam has been in existence for nearly 1500 years now, its people have been submitting to God for that same length of time. Since Muhammad came and preached against false idols, gods of stone and wood, and since he went into the temple of the Ark of the Covenant and smashed every false god inside that had been built centuries after Moses, Muslims have devoted their lives to serving God and following his Word, which they believe is complete with the Bible and the Qur'an.

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