Introduction to Islam: A Brief Overview of the Muslim Faith

 

A.           The term Islam means to submit to the will of God.

B.           The one who submits to Islam is called a Muslim.

C.           Islam is a “new” religion and recognizes both the Jewish and Christian religions.

1.      Judaism:

a.       The Jewish nation began about 1980 BC when God told Abraham and his wife Sarah to leave Abraham’s country and move to a land that God would show them (Gen 12:1). When Abraham got to this new land, God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants (through Isaac) and the land would always be theirs (Gen 15:18-21). This land of promise includes the area now called Israel.

b.      The Jewish Temple form of religion began about 1490 BC when God gave Moses the 10 commandments and told Moses to set up the first Tabernacle.

2.      The Christian religion was established about 30 AD on the first Pentecost after Christ was crucified and arose from the dead three days later. (Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Jewish religion. Jesus came to redirect the people from following the Law of Regulations to following the Law of Love.)

3.      The Islam religion was established in 622 AD when Muhammad and his followers arrived at Medina. (According to Muhammad’s teachings, Islam is to replace all other religions even if force is required. This force they use is called a Jihad.)

D.           Islam is divided into three basic sects. The Sunni, Shi’ite, and Sufis.

1.      Sunni – The is comprised of about 80% of the “mainstream” Muslims. The Sunni sect believes that the first Caliph or successor to Muhammad should be elected.

2.      Shi’ite – The Shi’ite sect believes that the first Caliph or successor to Muhammad should come from the bloodline of Muhammad.

3.      Sufis –Mystical sect. They seek a direct personal experience with Allah and his divine love.

E.            Some of minor Islam sects are:

1.      Wahhabis – They are a strong legalistic group who are the radical wing of the Sunnis. They are primarily in Saudi Arabia.

2.      Druze – This sect is located primarily in Lebanon, Syria, and northern Palestine.

3.      Alawite – This sect is located primarily in Syria.

4.      Ahmadiyas – This sect is a heretical Muslim group from Pakistan. It’s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, claimed to be the promised Messiah. They are the most active Muslim group in the West.

F.            The Key Muslim beliefs are:

1.      The Islamic Creed is “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”.

2.      Allah is the one and only true God.

3.      Allah has no parents or offspring (therefore Jesus is not the Son of God as the Christians believe).

4.      Angels and demons are the instruments of Allah’s will.

5.      The Muslims believe in 5 inspired books. They are the Koran, Torah, Zabur, Injil and the Hadith. (The Muslims are taught to believe in the Torah, Psalms, and the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) BUT they are not referring to the same Old and New Testament books that the Christian believe in. They are taught that the Jews and Paul corrupted the original texts and the Muslims have the only true texts.)

a.       Torah – (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).

b.      Zabur – (Psalms of David)

c.       Injil – (The New Testament Gospels of Jesus as revised in the Koran)

d.      Koran/Qur’an – This word means reading or reciting. Muslims believe that the Koran is the final and absolute word of Allah. If there is any conflict between anything else and the Koran then the Koran is correct.

e.       Hadith – A collection of sayings and examples (the Sunnah) of Mohammad. This book is the highest authority after the Koran. These sayings and examples do not always agree with the Koran; therefore, the Koran rules.

f.        Sunnah – (The Sunnah is part of the Hadith.) The word Sunnah literally means the path and depicts the important actions in the life of Muhammad. It offers examples for ethics and living. This is the basis of the legal code of Islamic jurisprudence and provides them with “the way”.

g.        Shariah – This means “law” and it is a combination of the legal interpretations of Koran and the Sunnah. This lays down the strict and comprehensive guide for the life and conduct of the Muslims.

6.      They believe in all the prophets of Allah of whom Mohammad is the last.

7.      They believe in life after death. Everyone will be judged by his or her deeds and this will determine whether they will go to Paradise of Hell.

G.           Salvation: Their salvation is based upon what they do physically here on earth. They are taught that their going to Paradise is based upon how well they followed the “Five Pillars of Faith” and/or if they were killed in a Jihad.

H.           The “Five Pillars of Faith”

1.      Declaration of their faith – “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

2.      Fasting – To demonstrate one’s devotion to Allah.

3.      Almsgiving - Giving to the poor.

4.      Prayers – Offering prayer to Allah 5 times each day.

5.      Pilgrimage to Mecca – Each Moslem male must make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their life time. This pilgrimage is to take place in the first and third of the 12th month of the Moslem year. While in Mecca they go through a set of ceremonies and rituals and one of them is to wash away their sins in the river.

I.              Jihad – A Jihad is a Holy War where they may be killed in order to help spread Islam or defend the Islam faith against infidels. An infidel is anyone who is not of that person’s Islamic sect and this includes other Islamic believing people who just are not of that particular sect. Any religious leader can call their followers to a Jihad. If they die in a called Jihad, they are guaranteed eternal life in Paradise. Some of Islam’s religious leaders teach “the purest joy in Islam is to kill and be killed of Allah”. Muhammad stated “The sword is the key of heaven and hell; a drop of blood shed in the cause of Allah, a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of fasting or prayer; whosoever falls in battle, his sins are forgiven, and at the day of judgment his limbs shall be supplied by the wings of angels and cherubim”.

J.             Things about Islam’s founder Muhammad:

1.      His early Life: Muhammad’s father, Abdullah, died before Muhammad was born. Muhammad was born in 570 AD in the city of Mecca. His mother, Amina, died when he was 6. He was sent to live with his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, who died when Muhammad was 9. When his grandfather died he was sent to live with his uncle, Abu Talib, who was a caravan trader. Muhammad traveled with his uncle and during his travels with the caravan he was introduced to the Jewish and Christian religions.

2.      His marriages:

a.       Wife #1 - When Muhammad was 25 he married Khadija who was 40 when they married in 595 AD. Khadija had a background in Christianity. Before the marriage Khadija was his employer and a rich widow. She bore him 6 children. 2 sons and 4 daughters. The 2 sons died in infancy and 2 of the 4 daughters married future spiritual and political leaders of Islam. Khadija died in 620 AD.

b.      Wife #2 – Sawda was thought to be 30 when they were married in 620 AD.

c.       Wife #3 - Muhammad consummated his marriage to Ayesha/Aesah/Aishah (his third wife) when she was 9 years old and he was 53 when they married in 623 AD.

d.      Wife # 4 – Hafsah was about 18 when they married in 625 AD.

e.       Wife #5 – Um Salama was about 29 when they married in 626 AD.

f.        Wife # 6 – Zaynab was about 38 when they married in 626 AD.

g.       Wife # 7 – Juweiriyeh was about 20 when they married in 627 AD.

h.       Wife # 8 – Zaynab bin Jarsh/ Zainab was about 38 when they married in 627 AD. This was Muhammad daughter-in-law. His adopted son Zaid divorced her to enable Muhammad to marry her.

i.         Wife # 9 – Rayhana had a Jewish background. Muhammad took her as his concubine in 627 AD.

j.        Wife # 10 – Maryam had a Christian background. Muhammad took her as his concubine in 628 AD.

k.      Wife # 11 – Um Habeeba was 38 when they married in 628 AD.

l.         Wife # 12 – Sufia was 17 and had a Jewish background when they married in 628 AD.

m.     Wife # 13 – Maimoona was 27 when they were married in 629 AD.

n.       Muhammad had many children from his wives and his unknown number of slave concubines before he died at the age of 63.

3.      While married to Khadija, Muhammad received his first revelation in 610 AD when he was 40.

4.      In 622 AD, Muhammad and his followers were forced to flee his home town of Mecca because most of the people of Mecca rejected his teachings. While in Mecca, Muhammad claimed to have been translated into the realm of heaven, where he passed through the land around Jerusalem. While in heaven he claimed to have met with all the major prophets of the Bible including Moses and Jesus.

5.      Muhammad and his followers arrived at the town of Medina on 24 Sep 622. The first Islamic mosque was build there and the Islam religion was formally founded. During his stay in Medina, Muhammad supplemented his income by raiding passing caravans. His justification for raiding them was that they were non-believers of his religion. This is also how he got his slave concubines.

6.      By the time Muhammad died all the people of that area had either accepted his teachings, had been killed or had been driven out of that region.

7.      Muhammad died in Medina on the 8 June 635. He was buried near the great mosque at Medina.

K.          Things about the Islam religion:

1.      Islam’s primary religious symbol is the Crescent Moon. It is seen above each mosque. The crescent moon is also the emblem of the occult “moon god” Al-llah. Al-llah the moon god is the controller of the night. Al-llah or Allah in Arabic means “the god”. It should be noted that Arabic Christians also call their God Allah.

2.      Muslims are taught that God’s blessing to Abraham passed through Ishmael not Isaac as the Jews and Christians believe.

3.      Muslims believe in angels because they believe that Allah revealed himself to Muhammad through angles.

a.       There are 4 archangels. Gabriel (the angel of revelation), Michael (the angel of providence), Israfil (the angel of doom), and Izra’il (the angel of death).

b.      Angels are to minister.

c.       There are fallen angels – Iblis/Shaytan is their leader

d.      There is a group of spirits which are midway between men and angels. Some of these spirits are good some are bad.

4.      The only unpardonable sin is to associate with or join other gods to their one and only god Allah.

H.     Things about the Koran/Qur’an (coor-on).

1.      The Koran is the Muslims Holy Scripture and it is divided into chapters called sarah or saras. The spelling depends upon the reference book used.

2.      Muhammad received his revelations from the archangel Gabriel over 23 years. The word Koran means recitation. Muslims believe that the Koran is the finial and absolute word of Allah (God).

3.      Muhammad did not write down any of the words that in the Koran. Muhammad gave all of his revelations orally and then the sayings were memorized or recorded by his followers as they saw fit. A great number of those who could recite the Koran by memory were killed in the battle of Yamamah (633 AD). Because so many men that could recite the sayings of Mohammad were killed, it was decided to “write down” those sayings so they would not be lost. Muhammad sayings were recorded in different ways like the “palm-leaves and tablets of white stone and the breasts of men”.

4.      During the reign of Uthman, the third Muslim Caliph, it was discovered that there were several different collections of these sayings and they did not all agree. Uthman gave Zayd the authority to determine  which copies were true and destroyed the other collections. Some of these writings have been found and has caused a controversy among some of the Muslims.

5.      The Koran is divided into 114 Surahs (rows or chapters). It is arranged into 30 sections called Juz or Sipara. These 30 sections enable a Muslim to recite the Koran during the 30 days of the Feast of Ramadan. The Koran contains about 6,200 verses and about 80,000 words.

6.      The Koran was first printed into Arabic at Rome in 1530 AD and translated into English about 1657 AD.

I.       What the Koran teaches:

1.      The prophets of the Old Testament were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Ishmael, Joseph, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, and Zachariah.

2.      The prophets of the New Testament were John the Baptist and Jesus.

3.      The prophetic predecessors to Muhammad are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus with Muhammad being the last and the greatest.

4.      The virgin birth of Jesus is taught.

5.      The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus did not happen.

6.      Allah is a stern, harsh and unpredictable god.

7.      There will be a judgment day which none can escape. Everyone will either go to Paradise or hell. Their paradise is a place that satisfies your every physical need.

 

 

Black Muslims

 

A.           The Black Muslim movement has its origin in America. It was started in 1913 by Timothy Drew. Timothy Drew changed his name to Noble Drew Ali. This movement is an adaptation of the original Islam religion.

B.           Some of its leaders are Wallace Fard Mohammed, Malcolm X, Farrakhan.

C.           Some other names for this movement are Black Muslims, American Muslim Mission, and the Nation of Islam.

D.           Farrakhan taught his followers to be anti-Caucasian. Others of the The Black Muslim movement classified this teaching to be “un-Islamic”.

E.            Timothy Drew (the founder of the Black Muslims) taught:

1.      Blacks were originally from Morocco, not Ethiopia as many scholars believe.

2.      Blacks were enslaved by the “Caucasian Devil”.

3.      Blacks are to overthrow the tyranny of the white culture.

 

 

Muslim’s problem with Christianity

 

A.           Muslims are taught:

1.      Paul and his followers altered the pure Christian gospel and the Koran corrects those mistakes. (Because Christian’s are following a false teaching they are classified as infidels and the enemy of Islam religion. Remember what Muhammad said.)

2.      The Muslims are unified because of their faith statement and their “Five Pillars of Faith”. (This implies that all followers of Islam believe the same thing but there are many different sects within the Islamic faith.)

3.      Christians are blind and unreasonable:

a.       Christians are divided and weak because there are so many different denominations and very few so called Christians live their chosen religion.

b.      Christians malign the Koran and the true Islam faith.

c.       Christians do not realize that Paul and his followers altered the bible they follow.

d.      Christians are confused because they cannot defend their faith about Jesus as the Son of God, salvation, the Trinity, heaven, hell, final judgment, contradictions in the Bible, etc.