Speaking the Truth in Love to Muslims
Works, Not Faith
Every one of the Koran's suras begin with the phrase Bismillah, "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful." Yet Islam is not so much a religion of mercy as it is a religion of works. This characteristic is shown in "The Opening of Scripture," Sura 1
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Owner of the Day of Judgment, Thee alone we worship; Thee alone we ask for help.
Show us the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast favoured; not the path of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.
Contrast this to the God's revelation of his Name to Moses.
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34.5-7
Discuss the immediate, surface differences that strike you.
Islam preaches Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are not taken from the Koran, but they come from the Hadith, the traditional recollections of Mohammed by his Companions. Every Muslim is to follow these Five Pillars, five basic religious practices.
I. The Five Pillars
A. Shahada (The Creed)
The Shahada is the Creed of Islam.
There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.
Every devout Muslim is to say this at least once in his or her lifetime. Most say it several times a day.
With the confession of the shahada also comes submission to the words of Allah and the teaching of his prophet. Coupled with this submission is the promise that the faithful will strive with their wealth and their lives for the cause of Allah.
B. Salat (Prayer)
Salat are prayers and the rituals surrounding those prayers.
Every Muslim is to offer these ritual prayers five times, at sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night.
Before the prayer every Muslim is to make himself ceremonially clean by washing hands and feet.
Prayer begins and ends with the confession Allahu akbar, "God is great!"
Bodily position and direction is important in prayer.
Recite "The Opening of Scripture" and also recite one of the suras from the last part of the Koran.
Pay attention to what you are praying and repeat it from the beginning if your concentration is broken.
The faithful are called to prayer wherever they are in their daily life by the muezzin, a man who calls out the invitation to prayer from the minaret, the steeple, of the mosque. In larger cities loudspeakers have replaced the muezzin.
Fridays
Friday is the Muslim holy day. They gather at the mosque to worship and pray.
Every mosque has an outer courtyard with a fountain for ceremonial washing.
Inside the mosque is the prayer hall, a floor covered with carpets or mats for the worshippers to kneel and bow upon.
Prayers are to be recited facing Mecca, so every mosque has an ornate niche, the mihrab, which is in the direction of Mecca.
Because of Islam's prohibition on depictive art, there are no statues or paintings on or in a mosque. Instead, calligraphy and intricate geometric figures are used for decoration.
Beside the mihrab is a pulpit from which the imam or leader delivers the Friday sermon. While Islam has no clergy as such, learned men in Muslim doctrine and practice guide the Muslim community in worship and life.
C. Zakat (Almsgiving)
Zakat are the act of giving to the poor that purifies the giver. Muslims are to give 1/40th of their possessions--2.5% wherever they are needed most.
This almsgiving is demanded of every Muslim. If they refuse to pay it and deny that they must pay it, they may be put to death. If they refuse to pay because they are greedy, it is taken from them by a judge.
In some Muslim countries the zakat is a tax taken by the state from Muslims.
D. Sawm (Fasting)
Dietary Laws
No Muslim is permitted to eat pork or drink alcohol.
Voluntary Fasts
Islam encourages days of voluntary fasting, going without food from sunrise to sunset. Some of the fasting is to repay vows to Allah. Others are ways of doing penance.
Ramadan Fast
Islam demands from all able-bodied Muslims a month-long fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Not only are they to refrain from food and drink, but also music, entertainment and other pleasures during the daytime hours. Special reading of the Koran is encouraged during the 30 days of Ramadan. In doing this they will practice self-purification.
E. Hajj (The Pilgrimage)
While there are many holy places in Islam, such as the Dome of Omar in Jerusalem, where the prophet ascended into heaven in a night vision, or, to the Shiites, the shrines at Karbala and Najaf to commemorate the martyrdoms of Ali and Husain, every Muslim, if he is physically and financially able, is required to make the hajj to Mecca once during his lifetime, during the Month of the Hajj.
The height of the hajj comes during ten days in the Month of the Hajj. Annually over two million Muslims descend upon Mecca. The Saudi Arabian government takes responsibility for the upkeep up the holy places of Mecca and the environs, as well as the safety and physical needs of the pilgrims, no small feat.
Pilgrims wear white robes and live simply in tents or dormitories without personal possessions.
Various ceremonial acts reenact events of Muslim history (Hagar looking for water, the spot of Mohammed's last sermon). One highly popular ceremony is to throw stones at three pillars, which represent the Devil who tried to tempt Ishmael to disobey father Abraham. This represents the Muslim resisting temptation.
The greatest ceremony, however, is the visit to the Ka'abah, the black stone, which is housed in the great mosque of Mecca. Pilgrims are to kiss the rock or touch it. This Ka'abah originally was in a shrine surrounded by the 360 gods of pre-Islamic Arabia. Some have surmised the black stone is a meteorite, revered by pre-Islamic peoples from antiquity and converted by Mohammed into an object of reverence directed to Allah.
The last day of the hajj is the feast Id al-Adha, which celebrates Abraham's sacrifice of Ishmael, which, according to the Koran, Ishmael was saved by Allah when Allah provided a goat caught by its horns in the bushes for Abraham to sacrifice instead.
Those who have completed the hajj experience a sense of deep accomplishment, spirituality and respect from the Muslim community.
Non-Muslims cannot visit the Ka'abah or its surroundings.
II. Forgiveness
Islam sets forth a merciful God, Bismillah. He is portrayed as forgiving. The Koran explains this forgiveness.
For the saved the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens with rivers flowing underneath, an eternal dwelling: how excellent a recompense for those who work and strive! Ali Sura 3.136
Why does Allah forgive?
What must a Muslim do to be forgiven?
Is this forgiveness earned or given?
How would you feel if, at your job, your boss gave you your paycheck as though it were a gift?
How would your boss feel if, at your job, you acted like you didn't have to do anything to earn your paycheck?
Does the Muslim approach to getting into heaven make sense?
Does Islam really teach about a forgiving God?
III. Low Standards
Islam is often presented as a demanding religion. But is it?
Review each of the Five Pillars and list what is required.
1. The Creed
2. Prayer
3. Almsgiving
4. Fasting
5. Pilgrimage
How good do you have to be to earn Muslim Paradise?
What is required of a person who is trying to earn their way to heaven according to the Bible?
What is required of a Christian to get into heaven?
On the surface, which "way" seems the most lax?
Prove that Christianity challenges its believers with the highest standards for entrance into Paradise.
IV. A Poor Reflection
We have seen that Mohammed lived among Jews and heretical Christians. It would not be surprising that his view of religion might approximate some of the outward ceremonies of these religions. But, in all honesty, the sinful human nature will always take something good done for God and try to imitate it, making it something that it does for its own glory. Which religion (J for Judaism, C for Christianity) encourages the following? If possible, mention the Christian denomination which is most known for this type of thing.
___ Fasting
___ Pilgrimage
___ Ritual prayers at set hours during the day
___ Ritual washings to purify the soul
___ Ritual proclamation of Creeds
___ The tithe
___ Almsgiving
What is right with all of the above in Christianity?
What could be wrong with all of the above in Christianity?
V. A Just God
What does the word justice mean to you? Consider these terms before you proceed with your answer!
Evil-doer
Innocent
Punishment
Protection
What is adequate payment for sin according to the Christian? According to the Muslim?
Is it really fair for Allah to receive that as the payment for sin? Explain.
Why is it fair for God to receive that as a payment for sin? Explain.
Why can't Islam have any higher form of payment for sin than what it prescribes for Muslims?
What kind of God must Christians have for God to be both just and forgiving at the same time?
Did that opening Exodus passage bother you? Let's look at it one more time.
The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34.5-7
How many people can you get in four generations (assuming 3 kids born per generation?)
1st Generation
2nd
3rd
4th
Is this number greater or lesser than 1000?
Which would God rather do, punish or forgive sin?
Exodus doesn't mean that the innocent children get punished for their great-grandfather's misdeeds.
Consider this situation before you explain the last part of Exodus 34.5-7
Great-grandfather Hagarbert was a confirmed pagan--even went to classes for two years to become a confirmed pagan. He trained his son, my Grandfather, Ethelrod, to be a confirmed pagan and he rejoiced to follow in Hagar's footsteps, being careful to train my father, Dagobert, to be a pagan. Dagobert went the farthest with his paganism, becoming the Second Druid of Skilltboeren. What has been in my family for three generations was passed down to me and that is why I am a pagan.
Whose sin is that paganism?
How did each generation incur God's judgment for Hagarbert's paganism?