We recently listened to three sessions of Samuel Hakim sharing about the grace and mercy of God. He also shared with us, as Christians, about the religion of Islam and entreated us to share with other Christians about it. Islam constitutes nearly 25% of the world’s religion and most Christians have only a vague notion of what it is. Furthermore, there are only about 3 missionaries per 1 million Muslims and less than 1% of mission funding is in support of reaching Muslims.
Let me say first that talking about Islam can create a lot of anger and fear towards Muslims, but a person who believes in Islam is just as much God’s creation as you or me. Do not let anything besides compassion and love come into your heart for them or you will never know them as your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Samuel began by reviewing the history of Islam and then spoke a little about Islam today and finally shared about how to reach those whose faith is in Islam. I may write a little disjointed, because I am sharing from my notes when he was sharing from his rich experiences.
July 11, 2006
The Qur’an (“kor-anâ€ÂÂ) is the holy book of Islam. It was written by Mohammed and supposedly brought to him from the angel Gabriel. Abraham’s promised son, according to Islam, was Ishmael, not Isaac. Mohammed was born in Mecca where Hagar and Ishmael settled when they were sent away by Abraham. He was born 4 years after his father’s death, which is considered a miracle. He was raised by his grandfather who died and then his uncle.
When Mohammed was 25 years old, he married his boss, who was 40 years old and managed many of her trades. Jews and Christians lived in that area and he was around them often. In 610 AD he came down to his house from a cave he had been in sick, shaking and vomiting. He said that he’d been touched by a demon. His wife said that he was a prophet and that it was a message from god. Over time he continued to receive “messages†and his wife and others said he was receiving messages from god. He wrote these down. Much of the writings (Qur’an) during this time have biblical references, although they are all a little different from the bible and a little skewed.
In 622 AD he migrated to Medina. While there, he built his following and became a political leader. He created an army. Once he had an army to back him, he stopped being friendly to Jews and Christians and his writings changed dramatically from peaceful to deadly. He wrote into law that anybody who does not believe and accept Islam was to be killed. In 630 AD he returned to Mecca and conquered the city. He destroyed all idols there and declared one god, Allah. Mohammed died in 632 AD, supposedly poisoned by a Jewish woman.
A note, since Mohammed is considered the moral example is that he had a 9 year old bride and also had his son divorce his wife so that he could have her. There is also a law developed called “marriage for pleasure†in which a man approaches a woman and asks her how much it would cost for however long (2 hours, 2 days). This is considered a marriage, not prostitution, since prostitution is illegal.
His successors were Abu Baker, then Umer (sp?)… they were both assassinated. The division started not long after. The Shiites, and the minority, believed that the leadership of Islam should stay in blood relationship of Mohammed. The Sunnis disagreed and also allowed close friends. The leadership split and over time differences have stayed. There was much killing and conquering during this period.
A note: Satan is a killer. Jesus brings life.
Some pillars of the Islam faith:
1. Allah – the creator and supreme power
2. Angels – messages were from Gabriel (Gabriel is also the “holy spiritâ€ÂÂ)
3. The books (OT, NT, Qur’an)
4. Prophets (there are 25 in the Qur’an)
5. Day of Judgment (all Jews and Christians must be killed first)
6. Predestination (all people are predestined to hell or heaven)
The 5 pillars of Islam, plus one more:
1. Prayer (Salat) – 5 times a day
2. Pilgrimage (Hajj) – once in their lifetime to Mecca
3. Fasting (Sawm) – On the month of Ramadan, from sunrise to sunset (but they feast at nighttime)
4. Tithe (Zakat) – for expanding Islam
5. Confession (Shahada) – of the faith: to say that Allah is god and Mohammed is his prophet… this makes you a Muslim by law.
6. The extra pillar, which is required by law is to practice Jihad.
Jihad levels (all must be practiced):
One – fight against sin in my life
Two – encourage other people to follow god
Three – use militant means
Jihad means to go to war to kill infidels.
That Jihad only means to “strive against bad things†is a deception.
A note: it is ok to lie and deceive in Islam; especially to advance Islam.
Heaven:
To get into heaven, you must have more good deeds than bad deeds. A scale is used. Even if your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you still have to go to hell for the bad deeds you did. There is NO assurance of heaven. Even Mohammed said that he didn’t know what Allah was going to do with him. There is only one way to be sure: to be a martyr. When you die as a martyr, or a suicide bomber, you go straight to heaven and receive 72 virgins, and other fleshly pleasures. You also can elect for 19 of your family members to go to heaven too. This is why mothers send their children to be suicide bombers.
July 18, 2006
In response to some questions: Islam is corrupt and immoral. And Islam is taught in some U.S. schools. There is even an Islam stamp. Christians certainly have none of this.
A summary of Basic Beliefs: God, Angels, Satan, Holy Books, Prophets, Sin, Day of Judgment, Heaven, Predestination
God – the creator, punisher, a mean judge. He is out to get you. Some days it takes 10 good deeds to make up for a bad deed. Sometimes it takes 1000. You never know.
Some of the most holy names of Allah:
The Proud, The Harmful, The One that Brings Death, The Oppressive, The One Who Commands Man to Do Wickedness, The Deceiver.
Who does that sound like?
Holy Books – The old and new testaments were true, but they were corrupt. The Qur’an was sent to correct the bible. Also, the new Qur’an, the part Mohammed wrote later, supercedes the old Qur’an. Mohammed wasn’t sure about the source of the Qur’an. Sometimes he writes that he thought it was a demon or Satan. There is a book written called “The Satanic Verses†that expose some of this.
Prophets – Old testament prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an. Jesus is written of too, as a prophet. Jesus never was crucified or raised from the dead according to the Qur’an, although he lived. All prophets are Muslims. Mohammed cancelled the message of all other prophets. He says: Jews should be annihilated, Jesus in not God, Jesus was sinless, Jesus was not crucified or raised from the dead.
A comparison of Jesus and Mohammed
Jesus:Forbade violenceForgiveness is a mustWas without sinBible never changesRebuked demonsFulfilled the law1 man, 1 womanSalvation of the worldFreedom of religionTeaches giving Mohammed:Ordered JihadVengeance is rightSinnerQur’an (abrogated)Was afraid of demonsBroke al 10 commandments4 wives plus slave womenDestruction of the worldIslam or elseTaught theft
A characteristic of Islam is destruction. It is easy to deceive someone to Islam who is not learned of God and his love.
The Day of Judgment – Your good and bad deeds are weighed on a balance. You still have to be purified in fire unless you’re a martyr. You have two angels with you writing down your good and bad deeds all your life.
Heaven – Feeds the desires of the flesh. For example, although sex and alcohol are forbidden on earth (although consumed greatly) there will be virgins, boys, wine, milk, rivers, trees and honey in heaven. There is no talk of God or heaven while in heaven. What a contrast to our desire to be in God’s presence worshipping forever!
I asked why there is not Jihad practiced in the U.S. since they must practice Jihad. It’s because they don’t have enough strength… after all, the first half of Islam is peaceful…
Islam is a spiritual warfare – not a political one. Our responsibilities are to expose Islam to the church. It is also to evangelize. Support your missionaries, including homeland missionaries. The 12 million U.S. Muslims is about as many as 6 middle-east countries. Be respectful of Muslim culture; realize it is a modest culture and immodesty and drinking will offend them. Don’t attack them… but don’t beat around the bush.
Suggested books: Unveiling Islam, Building Bridges
July 24, 2006
Jesus kept all the law. Mohammed broke all the commandments, every one.
Within 100 years of Mohammed, Islam covered North Africa, Turkey, Iraq…
The 10-40 window, as described by missionaries as the most populated and unreached people in the world consists primarily of Muslims.
Muslims are doing outreach also. There are 12 million Muslims in North America. Muslims are allowed to worship openly in the navy and in school. Is this true of Christians? Some Islam is being taught in schools, such as primary schools teaching the children Islamic washing and dressing, “the whole nine yards.â€ÂÂ
It is a capital crime in Islam to draw Mohammed. Remember the recent events on the news sparked by a cartoonist drawing Mohammed? One Muslim held a sign that said, “Freedom go to hell.â€ÂÂ
Sound the trumpet! Tell people about Islam. Pray and reach out to Muslims.
They train children to be suicide bombers from a young age. He showed us some pictures of women dressing their little children in bomber outfits. We were also shown pictures of children with knifes cutting themselves and mothers drawing their own infants blood to prepare them for war. They are trained to use guns and to kill hostages. There is even a summer camp for kids in the USA on how to kill and murder. The officials wouldn’t step in because there wasn’t any crime being committed.
Mark 16:15 – Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
That isn’t a suggestion, it is a command.
One of the signs of the end of the times, besides wars and famines… is that the Gospel will be preached to the end of the earth.
The Spirit of Islam
Do not think of Muslims as terrorist groups (The majority of Muslims are not terrorists – but they are blinded – they have not seen the light). Islam is demonic and Satanic. Muslims are created in God’s image and loved by God. We are not after them to defeat them… but to win them. There is a difference! We are no better than they are, we have simply received the salvation of the Lord. Preach the good news!
Think of Islam as a spirit to expose and fight.
The Spirit of Islam:
The Spirit of Murder
The Spirit of Fear (most Muslims live in fear of their lives, their families and Allah)
The Spirit of Depression and Despair (because they have no hope)
The Spirit of Division (fighting among themselves)
There are 1.2-1.4 billion Muslims in the world, which is almost 25%!!!
Evangelism
Talk of the Bible – when was it corrupted? Who corrupted it? Was it corrupted before Islam? What part was corrupted? What evidence is there of corruption?
The Trinity – they think we believe the trinity is God married to Mary who produced Jesus… which is wrong, because God cannot reproduce, nor needs to.
The diety of Christ – He is more than a prophet
The “balance†(sin) – born good. Tell them about how we inherited our father Abraham’s sin.
God’s love as a Father – this is powerful… Allah is not close and personal
Mercy (not giving me what I deserve)
Grace (giving me what I don’t deserve)
Eternal Security (knowing that you will go to heaven – John 3:16)
Culture respect – respect their culture! We enjoy freedom, thank God, but do not sacrifice modesty, etc. and respect their thoughts, because these things are offensive.
Facts:
Islam is the biggest opposition against the Gospel
Islam’s ultimate goal is to have an Islamic society ruled by the Shariah (?) and they have plans to Islamize the west especially in North America. They are gowing under the table til they are strong enough and have an army.
Only 1% of missions resources (finances) is geared towards Muslims
We have about 3 missionareis for each one million Muslims
55% of the population in the Middle East is under 15 years old
Muslims are not Islam, they are created by God, redeemed by Christ, can be saved throught the work of the Holy Spirit
Live and pseak the truth of the gospel with love to win others, not to defeat them
12 million American Muslims = about 6 middle east countries
Opportunities:
Raise awareness & Reach out to Muslims
Americans converting to Islam are primarily Asians and African Americans. People in our prisons are also converting more rapidly to Islam.
Pray for missionaries. Pray that people would be encouraged to go to the mission field. Pray that the church will provide finances.
Samuel’s contact info:
Samuel@lfan.com
uslfan@comcast.net
503-533-5133
Introducing “Mohammed†from Saudi Arabia:
When I was 14 I began attending the more extreme mosques. By age 17 I had memorized 2/3 of the Qur’an. I came to the US and stayed with an American Family. Muslims believe in Islam with a blind faith… a zeal. They think they’re doing service to God.
I was 6 years old when I came to America for the first time. The neighbor baked zucchini bread for my mother and grandmother. Our slaves met her at the door. We visited with them a little over the years. When I graduated from high school, I was sent to the U.S. to finish education and to be prevented from going to Afghanistan to fight. His mother sent him with a Qur’an translated into English to give to the mother in the family he was staying with (the same lady as earlier).
This family asked him tough questions about jihad and the qur’an – he found this offensive. He told them they were wrong, infidels! Finally, he moved to campus (PSU)… but there he was plagued by Campus Crusade people. He told them to “go away, you are infidels, I hate you, you are enemies of Islam.†He was the leader of prayer for a group of Muslims.
He eventually went to Campus Crusades bible studies, because they were bothering him and with the thought that he could learn Christianity so that he could better fight it. He began to see that they really believed in God. They didn’t drink or party and they really believed in God.
He became an atheist/agnostic – he told everybody with a religion that “you’re wasting your time, you’re ignorant.†Things went morally downhill and it felt like there was no purpose to his life. He would often pray with his head to the floor, “Show me yourself God, whoever you are, Buddha, Christ, whomever.†One day he was praying and he looked up and there was a figure in white with his arms out. He believes it was Jesus Christ.
For a long time, even though he had converted to Christianity, if somebody attacked Islam, he would defend it. It insults his family, his culture, his old religion to talk badly about it. Back when he was a Muslim, he had an answer to all of the arguments we have described in the class.
How do you evangelize a Muslim? – First of all, doing it anonymously is often a good idea.
Talk about Christ and what He’s done. Go ahead and get annoying… it works!
Live a Christian life – don’t drink and party. They will respect that.
Media – tapes/tv/email/etc.
Online dialogues (talking to people anonymously is a safer, better idea)
Free online books
Share with people, give them information – many Muslims are nominal and will welcome the good news. DO NOT talk to two Muslims about Christ at once – “They will defend Islam to the death when they are together and when you are through talking, they will have conspired to kill you!â€ÂÂ
Don’t ask a man about a woman or a woman about a man – culturally, this is inappropriate.
The United States and Israel are Islam’s greatest enemies. There is a placement system for Muslim transfer students coming to PSU. They need a place to live for 6mo.-2 yrs.