THE INFERIORITY OF ISLAM (Part 1)

-{Exodus 3}

-This year on Wednesday evenings we are using this time of discipleship to demonstrate the excellence of the Christian faith by taking its truths and setting them in contrast to the falsehoods of other worldviews, whether they be false religions, cults, or humanistic philosophies. This series allows us to build both an apologetic and theological foundation on which to stand for the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

-Tonight I want to dive right into it by taking a look at the inferiority of the Islamic faith. I chose to start with Islam because it is the second largest religion in the world next to Christianity (of course, that includes all flavors of Christianity, including probably some cults that I will later claim not to be Christian). But by its sheer size, Islam deserves a look, a comparison, and a critique.

-There are an estimated 1.9 billion Muslims worldwide. That is approximately 24% of the world’s population. Islam is the majority religion in 49 countries, including those in the Middle East, Northern Africa, and parts of South Asia. It is the fastest-growing religion, with high birth rates being a major factor. By the year 2100 Muslims are expected to outnumber Christians and become the largest religion in the world. So, Islam is definitely something that we Christians need to contend with.

-A second reason that we need to take a serious look at Islam in comparison to Christianity is because of current events. Right now, we personally might not have much interaction with Muslims, but if current immigration crises in the world are any indication, it might not be long before we do. What are we going to do? How are we going to share the gospel with them?

-Just consider what is happening in Europe right now. Unchecked Muslim immigration in Europe is completely transforming the continent. On the news, we have seen Muslims taking to the streets, calling for Sharia law to become the law of the land. We have seen videos of Muslims harassing Europeans on trains or in the streets.

-Now, that is not to say that every Muslim does this, but the faces of the nations are changing. Birmingham, England (not Alabama) is now over 30% Muslim. There are now fights in European governments about what to do with the immigrant crisis. We need to watch carefully, because it is commonly said that whatever happens in Europe, America will become the same in a few decades. Thus, we will deal with Islam in our own backyard sooner than later.

-Another reason we need to contend with Islam is because it claims to be related to Judaism and Christianity. As we will see later, they claim to correct the course where Judaism and Christianity seemingly strayed from the path. I wanted to read some verses from Exodus 3 to set the stage for this showdown. In this passage, God appears to Moses in the burning bush, and God identifies Himself to Moses. First:

Exodus 3:6 LSB

6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

-Notice that God gives the lineage of His chosen people, of which Moses is a part. But notice who God mentions: Abraham, ISAAC, and JACOB. Why this is important is because we will see that Islam claims to descend from Abraham, but does so through Ishmael. Then later, God says:

Exodus 3:14–15 LSB

14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 And God furthermore said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name from generation to generation.

-God claims to be the self-existent, eternal God who chose the people of Israel through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Tonight I want to look at the history of Islam and what it is that they say about God. They too will claim that Allah is self-existent and eternal. However, their Allah and our God (Yahweh) have divergent natures and characteristics. Unlike what so many people claim, I will declare to you tonight that Christians and Muslims do NOT worship the same God.

-So, where did Islam come from and why does it completely diverge from the truth of Christianity?

-We first start in the 6th century in the city of Mecca in what is now Saudi Arabia. The area was majority Arabian, and most in Mecca were part of the Quraish tribe. The area prospered as part of a trade route, so trade caravans came through the area quite often.

-Mecca was also an important religious center for the area. It contained the Ka’aba which is a large cubed building that (at the time) contained 360 images including its probably primary god, the moon god Hubal. Arabs at this time were polytheistic or henotheistic (meaning that they worshipped one god but affirmed that other gods existed). But the religion was good for business, making a profit for many. Think about Paul and the city of Ephesus with its temple to Artemis. The sellers of idols and items were none too happy that Paul and the gospel were taking away business. Religion was their cash cow.

-Around AD 570 Muhammad was born in Mecca. His father died either right before or right after he was born, and then his mother died when he was still very young. He was raised by his grandfather until he passed away, and then his uncle, Abu Talib, took him into his home. Abu was not wealthy but was an influential leader in the Hashemite clan.

-After he grew up, he found steady employment with a rich widow named Khadija. He was initially hired as a simple camel driver, but due to his shrewdness and acumen in business, soon became the leader of her caravans. When Muhammad was 25 years old, he married Khadija who was 15 years his senior.

-Muhammad was very observant of all the religious activity that was going on around him. He would often go to a nearby mountain and meditate. It is said that around AD 610 while he was in a cave on the mountain he fell into a trance and a divine messenger (identifying himself as the angel Gabriel) showed him a book and told him to read it, which he thought he couldn’t do because he was illiterate. But he memorized what was told him and recited it to other people.

-Gabriel would supposedly give Muhammad more and more of these revelations for the next 22 years. But the main points of the messages he received were: there is only one god, humans are obligated to submit to his will, and there will be a day of judgment. The name Islam means “submission to the will of god.” In a polytheistic culture this monotheism was revolutionary, and not well received.

-While his family believed him, other converts were slow coming. His message of monotheism did not sit well with the religious merchants—their money came from the idols and pagan gods. But Abu, his uncle, was able to keep Muhammad safe.

-After his uncle Abu died, the leaders of the various Meccan tribes and clans vowed to assassinate him. So, supposedly Gabriel warned him and he fled to what would eventually be renamed Medina. This migration is called the hijra and is the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

-Muhammad would eventually take control of that town and would grow his followers and turn them into an army that would eventually conquer Mecca, and the growth of Islam began throughout the region.

-Muhammad turned the cubed Ka’aba into a shrine of worship for Allah, removing the idols and images. And it is still there to this day. Muhammed claimed that Mecca and the Ka’aba were actually founded by Abraham and Ishmael.

-After Muhammad's death in AD 632 there was a bit of political skirmish on who would take the reins of this new religion. There were some who felt it should be decided by the people, while others thought that it should follow the family line of Muhammad. Those who felt the people should make the decision raised up Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law of one of his many wives, as the next leader. While the others wanted Muhammad’s son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, to be the next leader. These two groups would eventually form into the Sunnis (for the first group) and the Shiites (for the second).

-Islam claims to have followed the true lineage from Abraham on down. While they recognize Jews and Christians as people of the book, they also believed that Jews and Christians have perverted the truth, and their sacred writings have been twisted. Therefore, they do not follow what the Old Testament and New Testament say about important subjects.

-Having looked at Exodus 3, we notice that Muslims to a point would agree with many things that Jews and Christians say about the person and nature of God. We would agree with their monotheism—that there is only one God. However, there are so many differences that it should be obvious that they do not worship the same God that we do.

-The word Allah is the generic word for god in Arabic. It is not a name per se like Yahweh. When they say the phrase that we often hear on TV, Allah akbar, we often translate it “Allah is great” or “god is great”, but it’s much stronger than that, meaning Allah is greater than all others. He is the one and only, and there is none like him.

-Because Allah is greater and is the one and only, to set up anything or anyone on a level near him would be idolatry, which they call shirk. So, that means that they absolutely despise the teaching of the Trinity. Surah 112 in the Quran says:

The Qur’ān The Chapter of Unity (CXII. Place of Origin Doubtful)

IN the name of the merciful and compassionate God.

Say, ‘He is God alone!

God the Eternal!

He begets not and is not begotten!

Nor is there like unto Him any one!’

-The idea of an incarnation is unheard of. But our Bible says:

John 1:1–2 LSB

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

John 1:14 LSB

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

-Islam says that Allah changes how he wills. Meaning, he can change his mind, he can change his character—in a sense you’re not sure what Allah you’re going to get. Whereas our Bible says of God:

James 1:17 LSB

17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

-Islam teaches that Allah is ultimately unknowable. Of course, that begs the question how do you know that he is unknowable. Surah 6:103 says:

The Quran Sura 6

Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth (all) vision. He is the Subtile, the Aware.

-Yet, we Christians know that God is knowable because He has revealed Himself to us. Jesus said:

John 17:3 LSB

3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

-For Islam, Allah is a dominant master and sovereign, and humans are his slaves. There is no such thing as relationship or love between Allah and humans. But we Christians know that God is sovereign, and yet He also is intimate with the people that come to Him through Jesus Christ. When you have relationship with Jesus, you have relationship with God.

John 14:8–9 LSB

8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all so long and have you not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

-Islam claims that mathematically, Allah is one being. In Surah 5:73

The Quran Sura 5

They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of three; when there is no Allah save the One Allah. If they desist not from so saying a painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.

-In this verse they are obviously arguing against the Christian belief of the Trinity, where putting together several verses of the Bible that while God is one in essence, being, and nature, there are three persons within the Godhead: Father, Son, and Spirit.

-We’ll pick up our study of Islam next week, but it is obvious that there are glaring differences between the two religions. Islam serves a false god while Christians know the true God. Next week we will talk about the different beliefs about Jesus and salvation and the like, giving us a sure foundation of our faith, and able to contrast with the beliefs of Islam.

-As we go to a time of prayer, we need to pray that God would release Muslims from their false beliefs and bring them to a knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ...