There is not a single
day that passes by without hearing the words like, ISIS, Terrorists, Islam, and
radicalized Muslims. The world at large is shocked and panicked with the recent
up rise of Islamic militancy, barbarically displayed by groups like ISIS. In a recent blog on “Militant Islam”, James
Emery White starts his argument with these words, “This past week, a
high-profile White House meeting with the title “Countering Violent Extremism”
went out of its way to avoid labeling acts of brutal violence by Al Qaeda, ISIS
(the so-called Islamic State), and their allies as “Muslim” terrorism or
describing their ideology as “Islamic” or “Jihadist.”
The concern is
wanting to stay away from any sense that the United States is at war with Islam
itself, much less to lump the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims with vicious
terrorist groups. But a growing number are saying that this is failing to look
at the very real threat of militant Islam. They’re right.” It looks like the US
and the rest of the western world is increasingly becoming “Islamophobic” In order
to understand why that is the case, one must understand a few things about
Islam itself. Therefore I titled my
message for this morning, “Understanding Islam”
A bit of
background of how I became interested in reaching out to Muslims. While I was
in India with YWAM we lived next to a Mosque where I used to wake up disturbed
by the prayers of devoted Muslims, they sounded so sad, pathetic and as if they
were crying out to God for help. I was burdened by that need. So I used to get
up even before they got up and pray for them. I once even fasted 40 days during
a Ramadan season and went to a Mosque and prayed for Muslims. I translated a 40
day prayer guide for Muslims into the local language to raise awareness among
churches to pray for Muslims. I taught in discipleship training school in
Bangladesh for Muslim believers and personally discipled several Muslim
converts.
One of them is now
actively reaching out to Muslims in Hyderabad India and wrote a book titled,
“Muslims are dying, But the Church is drowsing” He sent me a copy to read as I
began to read that book the LORD rekindled my passion to reach out to Muslims
once again. Today I will be sharing a few basics of Islam, its origin, its
meaning, and beliefs hoping that your desire to understand Islam will grow so
let’s get started! How it all began?
I.
THE ORIGIN OF ISLAM: (2100 BC-1450 BC)
It was the time of
the Patriarchs. The first Patriarch Abraham, upon receiving a call from God he
sojourned in the land of Egypt. God had promised him that many nations would
come out of him; his children will be like the stars in the sky and the sand on
the land. But there was one problem
Abraham was 99 years old and his wife Sara was way past the child bearing
stage.
The thought of not
being able to bear children distressed Sarah more than anything else. In spite
of God’s promise and assurance Sarah increasingly grew impatient. Sarah had an
Egyptian maid named Hagar, she took her to Abram and said, “The Lord has kept
me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family
through her. Abram agreed to what Sarai said” (Genesis 16:2).
According the customs of those days, Hagar became a
wife to Abram. In the course of time Hagar becomes pregnant, and began to look
down upon her mistress. Sarah complains to her husband and he advices her to do
whatever she pleased with her slave.
Sarah began to treat Hagar harshly. So she runs
away from her mistress into the wilderness there she had an encounter with an
angel. “The angel of the Lord also said
to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall
name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man; his
hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand
against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” (Genesis 16: 11-13) Vs 15, “So
Hagar bore Abram a son and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore
Ishmael.” What is the meaning of “Ishmael”?
It means, “God will hear” In the Islamic world Ishmael is recognized as
the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and being the forefather of
Muhammad. Muslims also believe that
Muhammad was the descendant of Ishmael that would establish a great
nation.” Where did they get that idea
from?
As the story continued. At some
point Abraham pleads with God that Ishmael will live before God, to that God
answered and said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will
call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting
covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I
will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his
numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a
great nation.” Gen 17:19-20
According to the promise, Sarah
gives birth to Isaac. Now Abraham had two sons the eldest was Ishmael and the youngest
was Isaac. After a while, “Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne
to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman
and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my
son Isaac.” The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.
But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave
woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that
your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the slave into a nation
also, because he is your offspring.”(Genesis 21: 9-13). As a good husband,
Abraham sent Hagar and his son Ishmael away. As they were wandering in the
wilderness; when they ran out of water the boy Ishmael began to cry and the
LORD heard his cry.
God tells Hagar, Vs 18-21 “Lift
the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she
went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert (modern
day Jordan and Saudi Arabia) and became an archer... and his mother got a wife
for him from Egypt.” And the rest is History!!
It is a fascinating story of the true origin
of Islam. What can we learn from it?
Firstly no single individual has created Islam but it was birthed out of
Sarah’s impatience and unbelief. Secondly, Abraham was distressed with the
thought of sending his eldest son away. Thirdly unlike the much talked about
siblings rivalry between brothers, we see when Abraham died both Ishmael and
Isaac together bury him along with his wife Sarah (Gen 25:9). Fourthly, Ishmael
lived in the East away from his brothers, fathered twelve sons out of them came
twelve princes. Fifthly at a very ripe age of 137 Ishmael dies and was gathered
to his people. That was not the end but just the origin and the spread of the
descendants of Abraham’s eldest son Ishmael.
But not until, after the death of
Christ, a man named Muhammad was born in 570 A.D whom Muslims believe was the
last prophet of God with the latest message for the world. Muslims believe that
the prophet Muhammad received special revelation from God. These recitations
were collected and codified as the Quaran. After the death of Muhammad in 632
AD, his succors popularized the teachings of Quaran, and that was the beginning
of an organized religion called Islam. What are the core beliefs of Muslims? To
some extent, every Muslim in the world practices what are called the five
pillars of Islam.
II. THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM:
1. The reciting of the "Shahadah," which is when
you say "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad
is his prophet." 2. To offer seventeen cycles of prayer each day, usually spread
out over five periods of time. 3. To fast during the daylight hours of the
ninth lunar month of Ramadan. 4. To give at least 2.5% of their income in
offering. 5. To make the pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca.
If one strictly
follows these five beliefs there is no place for violence right? But where is
this violent streak we are seeing in recent times in Islam coming from? Some
Muslims add a sixth practice - The Jihad. This is an idea that is often
misunderstood even by Muslims. In essence, the Jihad is a personal war you wage
against yourself in terms of submission. It has to do with mental or spiritual
striving.
But it can also
include actual war for the sake of the Islamic faith against others, either to
defend or extend the interests of Islam. Then it is called Jihad of the Sword,
or a holy war. It’s based on certain passages within the Quran that urge people
to fight for the cause of Allah, and to kill pagans wherever they are found. For
example, in the second chapter of the Quran there is a passage that teaches
that “whenever believers meet unbelievers, Muslims are encouraged to smite
their neck” (Quran 2:244; 47:4; 9:5; 9:29).
According to the
47th chapter of the Quran, if you die in the course of this kind of Jihad, as a
martyr, you go straight to paradise (Quran 47:4-5). In fact, Muhammad is quoted
as saying: “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.”[1]
What are they up
in arms for? They are fighting for one place, Jerusalem. Why Jerusalem? It is
considered as a sacred place because Muhammad selected Jerusalem as the first
direction of prayer. Secondly, Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven from
the stone that is now enclosed by the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple
Mount. Thirdly The Mosque there is considered the third holiest Mosque in the
Muslim world.
But is everyone
involved in this fight? Not necessarily so, only a small percentage of
radicalized Muslims. Many Muslims that I know are peace loving people. They
want to live in peace, they educate their children, and they contribute to the
welfare of the society just like the rest of us. I personally know several
Muslims, who are doctors, educationalists, business people who neither support
nor participate in this evil agenda of Jihad.
In closing, this
is only a small attempt, and there is much more to know about Islam. I don’t
know what your understanding of Islam has been.
If you are only forming your opinions by what is coming through the
media then I am afraid your understanding is limited and often not accurate.
But if you want to have a fuller understanding about Islam, please talk to me afterwards
I have some resources.
A couple of take
away points: Just like the Jews and Christians, Muslims too claim Abraham their
father where does that put them in relationship with us? Brothers and sisters
right? When God loves all Muslims, then are we to do any different? Let’s pray
for the salvation of 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. Amen
