Religions of NAME

Islam

Muslim Praying

In 610 AD Muhammad, regarded today as the chief prophet of Islam, first proclaimed the religion of Islam in the city of Mecca in Arabia. Since that time, Islam has spread to become one of the world's largest religions. But what does the Muslim religion teach?

Muslims believe that their salvation depends upon their own efforts. An individual's salvation depends on how the weight of their sins compares to the weight of their good deeds at the day of resurrection. Muslims live and die without any assurance that they will be saved, and they are driven to perform good deeds in hopes of outweighing their sins. They believe God, whom they call Allah (al-LAH), is far off and uninterested in their personal well being.

Muslims know very little of forgiveness. Perhaps Romans 10:2-3a aptly describes them:

"For I bear them record that they have a zeal from God, but not according to knowledge. For they are ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted."

The Five Pillars of Islam

In order to be considered a faithful Muslim one must adhere to the five pillars of Islam. These pillars operate in very much the same way as the seven sacraments of Catholicism. These five pillars are as follows:

  1. Shahada (shah-HAD-duh): this is the profession of faith, Islam's basic tenet: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah (Allahu akbar, Ashhadu an la Ilah ila Allah, Ashhadu an Mohammed rasul Allah...)". It is a phrase commonly heard, as part of the call to prayer and at many other events, such as births and deaths. The first part has virtually become an exclamation good for any time of life or situation. People can often be heard muttering it to themselves, as if seeking a little strength to get through the trials of the day.
  2. Sala (sah-LAH): sometimes written 'salat (sah-LAHT)', this is the obligation of prayer, ideally five times a day, when muezzins call the faithful to pray. Although Muslims can pray anywhere, it is considered more laudable to do so together in a mosque, known as a masjid (MAS-jihd) or jami (JA-mee). The important midday prayers on Friday (the loose equivalent of Sunday Mass for Catholics) are usually held in the jami', which is the main district mosque.
  3. Zakat (zah-KAT): the giving of alms to the poor was from the start an essential part of the social teaching of Islam. It was later developed in some parts of the Muslim world into various forms of tax to redistribute funds to the needy. The moral obligation towards one's poorer neighbors continues to be emphasized at a personal level, and there are often exhortations to give posted outside mosques.
  4. Sawm (sawm): Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, commemorates the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. In a demonstration of the Muslims' renewal of faith, they are asked not to let anything pass their lips from dawn to dusk and to refrain from sex every day of the month.
  5. Hajj (hahj): the pinnacle of a devout Muslim's life is the pilgrimage to the holy sites in and around Mecca. Ideally, the pilgrim should go to Mecca in the last month of the year, Duul Hijja (dhul HIJ-jah), to join Muslims from all over the world in the pilgrimage and the subsequent feast. The returned pilgrim can be addressed as 'hajji'. In simpler villages it is still quite common to see the word 'al-hajj' and simple scenes painted on the walls of houses showing that their inhabitants have made the pilgrimage.

Objections to Christianity

Muslims in today's world are often vulnerable to the same type of propaganda about Christianity that we receive about Islam. In most mosques, the Muslim priests, or imams (ee-MAHMS), often teach Muslims how to counter Christianity's claims. As a result you will hear the same indoctrinated teachings from most Muslims. The following are a few of the basic misconceptions that you might encounter.

  • Christians worship more than one God. They experience confusion when they witness Christians worshiping God separate from Jesus. This leads them to think Christians worship three gods and that we believe the Trinity is God the Father, His Son Jesus, and Jesus' mother, Mary.
  • God substituted someone else for Jesus on the cross. Muslims respect Jesus as a prophet of God, and find it incomprehensible that God would allow one of His own prophets to experience such a shameful and painful death.
  • Jesus is a prophet. If a Muslim is even aware of whom Jesus is, the only capacity would be in his/her knowledge of the Quran. Their scriptures state that Jesus was a great prophet, and never refer to Him as the Son of God.
  • Christians live an unholy life-style. There is no doubt that the unholy life-style of some that claim to be Christians has caused much confusion – in the same way that Islam is battling to separate itself from the radical militants of today. This view is also influenced by American film and television programs (Baywatch, Desperate Housewives, Wife Swap) as well as news reports of famous people identifying themselves as Christian while caught in moral scandals. You will still hear references made to the Crusades and Colonialism as examples of Christian's hypocrisy. Remember that many people in America call themselves Christians simply because they have grown up in a Christian culture.
  • The Bible is full of mistakes. Historically Muslims have been very meticulous in their transcribing of the Quran. They believe that it is impossible that there would be any mistakes in their scriptures. This is why they are quick to point out that the Bible is wide open for mistakes because of its multiple authors and manuscripts and translation into multiple languages.

Sharing the Truth

The more one digs into the religious teachings of Islam, the more evident it becomes how subtly deceiving it is. So what can be done to counteract the deception that Satan has sown in the hearts of Muslims? Find out how to share the truth of God's love.

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