In part 1 we discussed how Muslims answer the 5 big questions about life. In this article, we’ll discuss some important things to know about Islam before moving on to sharing the gospel. Of course this list isn’t exhaustive, but it does feature some critical things to understand if we want to have a deeper, more meaningful conversation with someone whose soul is in desperate need of Christ.
Yemeni Manuscripts
Ancient manuscripts of the Quran were unearthed in the 1970s. After careful study, some interesting discrepancies were discovered. One difference was that the order of many verses was different from the accepted Quran. Another is that many sheets of paper had been previously written on, washed, then written on again. These two issues strongly imply that the Quran has been an evolving document, rather than something written once and preserved through time with only minor copying erros.
Islamic Terrorists
This is the elephant in the room and the primary thing that comes to mind when people think of Muslims. Despite being a religion of good works, it certainly has a history of violence (like many other ancient religions). This isn’t the focus of today’s article, but I do think some points are worth considering so that we can have a fair and balanced understanding.
Muhammad spent the last years of his life as a warrior, fighting back against his exile from Mecca. Thus it’s no surprise that some of what he or his followers taught had a war-like tone to it. Although Islam has spent much of its history at war, it’s only fairly recently that the idea of terrorism has risen in popularity.
Understanding how Muslims view salvation is critical in understanding why terrorist groups have flown the Muslim flag. If you are a true believer in the teachings of Islam, you have no idea how your scale of good vs evil deeds is currently tipped. Has a decade of good deeds outweighed 2 decades of selfishness and indulgence? Is giving to the poor so that you can earn salvation a selfish act on its own, therefore attributing more evil to you?
So when the following verse from the Quran is recited, the offer of eternal salvation can far outweigh whatever dangerous or life-ending task you’re asked to complete.
And if ye are slain, or die, in the way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all they could amass. (Quran)
When coupled with a religious patriotism and a dehumanizing of those outside of Islam, it’s easy to see how such radical views would draw in both those looking to justify violence and someone worried about their eternal security.
It could be argued that the Muslims of the West, who view the Quran’s teachings on war against unbelievers as figurative, are actually against traditional Islamic interpretation. These are the Muslims who openly condemn acts of violence, insisting they are opposed to the desires of Allah and the teachings of Muhammad. Despite what we want to believe, the reality is that most Muslims practice non-violence outside of war as is taught in the Quran.
Regardless of what Islam truly teaches, it’s important to understand how an Muslim interprets the Quran because a literal approach creates a much different world view than a figurative understanding of what’s written.
Christ’s deity
Muslims believe in Christ. However, the Quran teaches that Christ was a prophet before Muhammad, and He certainly wasn’t Allah. They believe Christ was replaced before dying on the cross, explaining His apparent resurrection. Christ was certainly given a message from Allah (namely, the gospel), but any mention of His deity or salvation through His death is a corruption of the text over time.
As we discussed in part 1, the Bible is authoritative only as far as it agrees with the Quran. Thus any mention of Christ’s deity, or the gospel being about Christ dying for sinners, is nothing more than a corruption of the text.
The Christian God
As mentioned earlier, Muslims would argue that Allah is certainly the God of Abraham, but not the God that Christians worship. That’s because they see themselves worshipping the one true God, Allah, while we worship three gods. I’ve briefly discussed the Trinity here, but the concept of “One God existing simultaneously as three distinct persons” is seen as incorrect, if not outright blasphemous, in the Islamic faith.
