A Questioning Faith:

Islam and Christianity

Original Questions

“Islam and Christianity: Their challenges to the faithful”

“Is Islam a religion or a cult?”

Definition of cult

“a system of religious beliefs”

“a religion regarded as unorthodox”

Why Do We Need to Know About Islam?

• Islam is the world’s second largest religion

• We share much in common in our theology

Why Do We Need to Know About Islam?

• Muslims are and will increasingly be our neighbors, colleagues at work, and fellow citizens

Strong misperceptions

“Although Islam is similar in many ways to Judaism and Christianity, most Americans and Europeans think of Muslims as strange, foreign, and frightening, inevitably linked to headline terrorist events.”

John Esposito

Where do Muslims live?

“Muslims represent the majority population in fifty-six countries worldwide, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Iraq, and Nigeria.

Where do Muslims live?

In addition, significant Muslim populations can be found in India, China, the Central Asian Republics, and Russia as well as Europe and America.

Contrary to popular assumption, the majority of Muslims are not Arab. In fact only 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 billion Muslims originate from Arab countries. The largest Muslim communities are to be found in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.”

John Esposito

Is There Diversity among Muslims?

Sunni (85%) Shia (15%)

Difference between Sunni and Shia

Centered on disagreements as to who should be the successor to the Prophet Muhammad.

Who was Muhammad?

• Born about 570 AD in Mecca

• Lost both parents early

• Raised by his uncle

Who was Muhammad?

• Married • Had four daughters• At age 40 was

overwhelmed by visions and even more voices– Quran (recitation)

Sunni and Shia

• Sunni- (literally, tradition)

• Believe that Muhammad did not designate a successor, the best or most qualified person should either be selected or elected as leader (caliph)

Sunni and Shia

• Caliph serves as the protector of the faith, but he does not enjoy any special religious status or inspiration

Sunni and Shia

• Shia- (literally, the party of Ali)

• Believe that the succession to the leadership of the Muslim community should be hereditary, passed down to Muhammad’s male descendants (descended from Muhammad’s daughter Fatima and her husband Ali)

Sunni and Shia

• This leader is known as an Imam- he is religiously inspired, sinless, and the interpreter of God’s will, but not a prophet

What do Muslims believe?

…recognizes the One God as both Creator and Judge, feels responsible to Him

What do Muslims believe?

“The word ‘Islam’ means this complete surrender to the Divine will; and the one who practices such surrender is a Muslim.”Annemarie Schimmel

He believes in-His books (the

Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Koran)

“The Quran is the eternal, literal word of God, preserved in the Arabic language…”

John Esposito

• Revealed over a period of 23 years

• 114 Chapters (surahs) (4/5 the size of NT)

• Longest chapter to shortest

“Recitation of the Quran is central to a Muslim’s life…Recitation reinforces what Muslims see as the miracle of hearing the actual word of God expressed by the human voice.”

John Esposito

-He believes in His prophets from Adam through the patriarchs, Moses, and Jesus up to Muhammad, the last law giving messenger

“In Islam the concept of prophecy is broader than in Judaism and Christianity…While all messengers are prophets, not all prophets are messengers.”

John Esposito

-He believes in the Last Judgment

“On the Day of Judgment, a great cataclysmic cosmic event that will occur at a moment known only to God, all will be raised from the dead. God will judge each person by the standards brought by the

person’s community’s prophets and scripture, using the record of each person’s actions throughout his or her life that are recorded in the Book of Deeds.”

John Esposito

He tries to lead his life according to the revealed law

• Quran- holy scripture • Hadith- teachings of

Muhammad

Sharia- believers duties toward God and fellow human beings

Practices the Five Pillars of Islam

Pillar #1- Declaration of Faith

“There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

Pillar #2- Prayer (salat)

• Pray five times a day- daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening.

Pillar #2- Prayer (salat)

• Prayers consist of recitations from the Quran in Arabic and glorification of God.

Pillar #2- Prayer (salat)

• Accompanied by a sequence of movements: standing, kneeling, touching the ground with one’s forehead, and sitting.

Pillar #3- Giving to the Poor (Zakat)

• In Islam, the true owner of things is not humanity, but God

Pillar #3- Giving to the Poor (Zakat)

• Zakat is not charity; it is an obligation for those who have received their wealth from God to respond to the needs of less fortunate members of the community

Pillar #4- Fast of Ramadan

• Occurs once each year during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar

Pillar #4- Fast of Ramadan

• Abstain from food, drink and sexual activity from dawn to sunset

“Ramadan is intended to stimulate reflection on human frailty and depend-ence on God, focus on spiritual goals and values and identification with and response to the less fortunate.”

• At dusk the fast is broken with a light meal

• End of the month celebrates the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast (Eid al-Fitr)

Pillar #5- The Pilgrimage (Hajj)

“Every adult Muslim who is physically and financially able is required to make the sacrifice of time, possessions, status, and normal comforts necessary to make this pilgrimage.”

John Esposito

Pillar #5- The Pilgrimage (Hajj)

• Over 2 million believers each year

Conclusion

-He believes that God’s presence is experienced in every place and every time, and that there is no really profane sphere in life

“Many Muslims describe Islam as a ‘total way of life.’ They believe that religion cannot be separated from the social and

political life, since religion informs every

action that a person takes.”

John Esposito

Possible Christian Responses

• Cognitive-Propositional:

• Argue over who has the truth

Possible Christian Responses

• Experiential-expressivist:

• inner experience of the divine: Common ground

Possible Christian Responses

• Cultural-Linguistic: Practice your faith and immerse yourself in the language of your faith