Islam
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Down-town Houston on Main St.
The Gospel for Muslims
Dear Muslim,
Assalamu alaikum
The Gospel of Jesus is Good News. That is what "gospel" means in Greek, the original language
of the New Testament. It is the good news because Jesus has fulfilled the requirements of
keeping the Law so that through Jesus, we can receive the complete forgiveness of our sins. By
Jesus keeping the Law of God the Father perfectly, and by him dying and rising from the dead as
proof that his good life was acceptable to God, Jesus has made it possible for people to receive
the free and complete gift of salvation by faith.
Our father Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). It was
his faith in God that made Abraham righteous before God, not keeping the law, not keeping the
commandments. He couldn't do it perfectly.
The Law of God is perfect because God is perfect. The Law is a reflection of the character of
God. It is wrong to lie because lying is against God's character. It is wrong to steal because
stealing is against God's character. That is why the Law tells us what is wrong. The Law is a
based on God's holy character. This is why God's law is not arbitrary. It is there for a reason.
Though the Law is good and perfect, no man can keep it perfectly.
Jesus taught us that to even look on a woman with lust in your heart is to commit adultery with
her (Matt. 5:27-28). You see, the Law of God is not simply to govern actions. It is for our hearts
and attitudes. Purity of heart is what God wants from us, purity of heart down to the deepest part
of our being. Why? Because God's heart is the Purest and Most Holy of all. And since the Law
was spoken by Him and came from Him, the Law is Perfect and Holy. That is the level of
perfection you must have when trying to keep the Law. You must be perfect and without sin in
order to stand before an infinite and holy God.
However, we are not able to keep the Law. We sin. We fail. The Law says do not lie, but shows
us where we lie -- in our very hearts. It says do not commit adultery, but shows us where we
commit adultery -- in our hearts. The Law of God is perfect. We are not. God is perfect and Holy.
We are not. We are not able to keep the Law of God because we are finite, limited, and affected
by sin. So we have to ask how can anyone ever hope to please God through keeping the Law?
How can anyone ever hope to please God and attain heaven by doing good deeds? It is not
ourselves that we must please, but a Holy and Pure God.
The Good News
The Good News is that you do not have to try and keep the Law of God in order to please Him
and go to heaven. You do not have to try and raise yourself to the level of God's Perfection by
trying to keep His Holy and Perfect Law. You cannot do that. If you thought you could, then your
heart is full of pride and sin since you would be thinking you are as perfect and good as God's
holy character. You cannot keep God's law perfectly. This is impossible, but what is impossible
with us, is possible with Jesus. He kept all the Law perfectly and never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22).
Jesus said that "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay his life down for his friend," (John
15:13). Jesus laid his life down for his friends. Jesus performed the greatest act of love. He died
for our sins. He paid the penalty of breaking the Law, which is death. Remember, sin brings
damnation. But, Jesus took our sins and took death opon himself. In other words, he took our
place and in doing this, he also bore our sins in his body on the cross as it says in 1 Pet. 2:24.
This great act of love is unsurpassed in all the world. It is unsurpassed in Islam because in the
Koran, the greatest act of love, dying for another, is not performed by God. But in the Bible, it is.
Jesus is God in flesh, second person of the Trinity, who became one of us, suffered at the hands
of sinful men, died on the cross and rose from the dead. Therefore, the promise of God is that all
who trust in Jesus will, like Abraham, be made righteous before God by faith (Gen. 15:6).
In the Quran it says in Surah 23:101-103, "Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more
relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask after another! 102Then those whose
balance (of good deeds) is heavy, they will attain salvation: 103 But those whose balance is light,
will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide."
Are you tired of trying to keep all the Laws in Islam as you strive to do more good deeds than bad
deeds in the hope that on the Day of Judgment your good deeds will outweigh your bad? You
see, because you earn in large part your salvation by your works, you cannot know whether or
not you will be saved. If you are tired of trying to be perfect, of trying to obtain Paradise through
your efforts, and you realize that you are not good enough, then you need Jesus. Jesus said, "If
any of you are heavy laden, come to me, and I will give you rest," (Matt. 11:28).
Jesus forgave sins in Luke 5:20 and 7:48-49. He walked on water (Matt. 14:25). He rose from the
dead (Matt. 28:6). Have you done more than Jesus in keeping the Law or performing miracles?
Has even the Prophet Muhammad done more than Jesus? No he has not.
The Good News is that you, like Abraham, can be made righteous by faith. Do you want the
righteousness that is by faith? Or, do you want to earn Paradise through your deeds? Can you
earn it? Have you done it so far? Have you been doing enough good to be saved?
Jesus said:
* that He gives eternal life, (John 10:28-30).
* that He received all authority in heaven and earth, (Matt. 28:18).
* that He is the Way the Truth and The Life, (John 14:6).
* that He will resurrect people on the Last Day, (John 6:40, 44, 54).
* that the Holy Spirit bears witness of Him, (John 15:26).
Do you want to try and please God through keeping the Law of Allah or by the grace of Christ?
Again, Jesus said that the greatest act of love is to die for another. Is it the greatest act of love to
ask you to earn heaven through good deeds that perhaps, if Allah wills, you might be saved? In
which is the greatest act of love shown to us?
If you want the eternal life that Jesus can give you, then trust what He did on the cross and do
not rely on your own works to please God. Trust Jesus by faith. It is not Muhammad who
forgives sins. Jesus does that (Luke 5:20; 7:48-49). It is not Muhammad who died and rose from
the dead. Jesus did that. It was not Muhammad who said "Come to me and I will give you rest."
Jesus said that. And, Jesus also said, "Believe in God. Believe also in me," (John 14:1).
Like Abraham, be righteous in God's eyes . . . by faith.
Muhammad
By Matt Slick
Few people in all of history ever have an influence so far reaching that the course of nations are
changed. Jesus is one, and Muhammad is another. Muhammad, who lived in the 6th and 7th
centuries in the Middle East, claimed to have received revelations from God and it is from these
revelations that Islam was founded. For Muslims, Muhammad is the final prophet of Allah who
supersedes all other prophets and who alone delivered the final and perfect word of God. Whether
or not you believe this, Muhammad is still an important figure in human history.
Muhammad (full name is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah) was born in 570 in Mecca which is now located
in Saudi Arabia. Mecca was then the cultural and religious center of Arabia. The area had no
central government and was full of semi-warring tribes with numerous, competing, polytheistic
religions. At the heart of Mecca was the Ka'aba (cube in Arabic), a shrine about 60 feet, by 60 feet,
by 60 feet, containing hundreds of idols. The Ka'aba was believed to have been built by Abraham
and his son Ishmael on the same spot as the first shrine to God built by Adam. On the eastern
corner of the Ka'aba is the Black stone called in Arabic, Hajar al Aswad. The Black Stone is
probably a meteorite. Anyway, the Ka'aba was also known as the House of Allah where Allah was
recognized as the supreme deity, but was worshipped along with other deities.
Muhammad is born
Muhammad was born to his mother Amina, into the Quraish, the then ruling tribe of Mecca. Up to
the age of eight, he was raised by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib because Abdallah, his father, died
in Yathrib a few weeks before Muhammad was born. Amina, his mother, died when he was six.
After the death of his grandfather, his uncle Abu Talib then assumed responsibility for raising
Muhammad. Abu Talib was a businessman involved in trade so it is likely that Muhammad went
with him on business trips and encountered both Jews, 280 miles to the north in Madina, and
Christians also to the north and to the south in Nejran. His encounters with Jews and Christians
seem to be reflected in the Qur'an in passages that refer to "The People of the Book" (3:64, 71, 187;
5:59). The term "People of the Book" is a reference to Jews and Christians who had received
God's word through the prophets before Muhammad.
At 25 years old, Muhammad was hired to manage the business of a wealthy widow named Khadija
who was 15 years older than he. He went to Syria and traded there successfully. Apparently this
impressed Khadija. She ended up proposing to Muhammad later and in 595 they were married.
They had two sons and four daughters: Zaynab, Ruqaiyah, Fatima and Umm Kulthum.
Muhammad and Khakija were married for 25 years until Khadija died at the age of 65 during the
month of Ramadan, well after the start of Islam.
Around 35 years of age, Muhammad assumed the habit of going outside of Mecca to Mt. Hira for
meditation and contemplation. There was a cave where he often went for solitude. It was during
one of these times of meditation that Muhammad said an angelic being appeared to him. This
disturbed Muhammad (Qur'an 81:19-29) and he told his wife Khadija that he thought he had been
visited by an evil Jinn. Jinn are supposed to be living beings like people, but not angels, who were
created from fire and are invisible, yet dwell on the earth. A short time later, in the year 610
(believed to be the 26th of Ramadan), while in a cave on Mt. Hirah, Muhammad said that the angel
Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him to recite (96:1-19). This recitation became the
Qur'an. In these encounters with the angel Gabriel, sometimes he would see the angel, other times
he would only hear him, and at others he only heard the sound of a bell through which the words
of the angel came.
Muhammad could neither read nor write so he was instructed to memorize the words given to him
by Gabriel. This complete recitation which Muhammad received over a 23 year period, ending in
632, the year of his death, is known as the Qur'an. Initially, Muhammad doubted that he was being
called by Allah to be a prophet. Others, including his wife and a cousin, counseled him by saying
that Allah would only be truthful to him and would not allow him to be deceived. Muhammad
became convinced and even wrote in the Qur'an, "Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he
brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah's will, a confirmation of what went before, and
guidance and glad tidings for those who believe," (2:97).
Islam takes root
It became the mission of Muhammad to proclaim the truth of Islam, given to him by Allah, through
the angel Gabriel. Muhammad called the people of his area to repent from their idol worship, to do
good, and to serve the one and true God, Allah. He taught that man is God's slave and it is his duty
to submit to God and obey him. He said that the Day of Judgment was coming and that a man's
works will be weighed on that day. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad may, by Allah's
grace, be saved and enter Paradise which is full of sensual pleasures. The unsaved go to hell.
His first converts were his wife, Khadija, his cousin Ali, and his adopted son Zaid ibn Haritha. Soon
afterwards, Abu Bakr also believed. In his first three years of proclaiming Islam, he had 40 converts.
Though his continued preaching brought only a few converts, it did bring much opposition. The
ruling tribe, the Quraish, tried to get Muhammad to stop his preaching by appealing to his uncle,
Abu Talib. But, Muhammad adamantly refused to stop proclaiming the message he had received.
Because Abu Talib was very influential in the Quraish, Muhammad's life was protected and he was
able to continue his preaching -- which angered many people. The Quraish began to persecute the
Muslims by beating them and boycotting their businesses. Often times, during public prayers,
Muhammad was accosted and mocked. His followers were likewise treated poorly. But,
Muhammad remained steadfast.
Because of the persecution, the Muslims moved to Abyssinia, Ethiopia today, and were protected
by the Christian ruler there. After a time, he returned to Madina and continued his preaching. More
converts joined his ranks and more idolaters sought to defeat him. This is because the message of
Islam was socio-political. Islam covers belief, society, behavior, ethics, etc. This monotheistic
belief system threatened the lucrative business that grew around the pilgrimages to the Ka'aba that
so many Arabs enjoyed. The ruling tribe, the Quraish, soon found that within their reign a small
band of believers, a small "country" unto themselves, was rising up. The ruling party became more
and more concerned and feeling threatened by the Muslims, they became more hostile towards
Muhammad.
In the year 620 Muhammad lost his beloved uncle Abu Talib (who never became a Muslim) and his
wife Khadija. "After a few months Muhammad sought comfort by marrying the widow of one of the
believers named Sawdah. He also later married Ayisha, the seven-year old daughter of his friend
Abu Bakr, who he took into his home three years later."1 Also, According to Muslim historians,
Muhammad had 12 wives when he died.
Hegira
622 is a significant date for Muslims. It is known as the year of the Hijra, or Migration from Mecca to
Yathrib (which later became Medina) where they established their first real Islamic community. The
Muslim calendar begins its history from July 16, 622 the first day of the lunar year in which the
Hegira took place..
In Medina, he preached about Allah and monotheism and urged all people to return to the true faith
of Abraham. At that time in Medina, he would pray facing Jerusalem, as did the Jews who were
very populous in that city. He preached about repentance, one God, and forgiveness of sins. His
first sermon in Medina was on a Friday. Therefore, Islamic congregational worship occurs on
Fridays.
Gradually, however, the Jews began to disapprove of him and his movement. He confronted them
and told them they had misread the Scriptures. This estranged the Jews in the region and finally
one day while praying, he suddenly changed direction and faced Mecca. He said the Ka'aba, in
Mecca, was the true place of worship since it was built by Abraham. To this day, all Muslims are
supposed to face Mecca when praying.
After two years in Medina, the Muslims were not fairing too well financially and that, combined with
mild persecution, prompted a revelation to come to Muhammad permitting him to raid passing
caravans. This he did and the Muslim financial problems were solved. Soon afterward, there was
then a significant battle at Badr where Muhammad, with 350 men, defeated an army of 1,000 men.
This boost gave confidence to the Muslims, encouraged more converts, and made the Quraish
even more uneasy.
In the fifth year of the Hegira, the Quraish tried to destroy the Muslims but failed. By now the
Muslims were too strong so the Quraish never again tried to defeat them. Muhammad then set his
sights on Mecca. At one point in 628, Muhammad took 10,000 men and entered Mecca
unchallenged. The leader of the Quraish converted to Islam.
From there, Muhammad's movement gained further momentum. In 631 two tribes joined
Muhammad. They were the Hijaz and Najd. From this time on, many battles ensured. In 625 there
was the Battle of Uhud. In 627, the Battle of the Trench. In 628 Muhammad signed a treaty with the
Quraish tribe. In 630 Muhammad had conquered Mecca and he destroyed all the idols in Mecca.
In 632, Muhammad delivers his last sermon, later falls ill, and dies in the presence of his favorite
wife, Aisha, and her father, Abu-Bakr. He was buried in Medina in his own house. His father in law,
Abu-Bakr, then became Caliph, the religious leader of Islam.
By Matt Slick
Few people in all of history ever have an influence so far reaching that the course of nations are
changed. Jesus is one, and Muhammad is another. Muhammad, who lived in the 6th and 7th
centuries in the Middle East, claimed to have received revelations from God and it is from these
revelations that Islam was founded. For Muslims, Muhammad is the final prophet of Allah who
supersedes all other prophets and who alone delivered the final and perfect word of God. Whether
or not you believe this, Muhammad is still an important figure in human history.
Muhammad (full name is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah) was born in 570 in Mecca which is now located
in Saudi Arabia. Mecca was then the cultural and religious center of Arabia. The area had no
central government and was full of semi-warring tribes with numerous, competing, polytheistic
religions. At the heart of Mecca was the Ka'aba (cube in Arabic), a shrine about 60 feet, by 60 feet,
by 60 feet, containing hundreds of idols. The Ka'aba was believed to have been built by Abraham
and his son Ishmael on the same spot as the first shrine to God built by Adam. On the eastern
corner of the Ka'aba is the Black stone called in Arabic, Hajar al Aswad. The Black Stone is
probably a meteorite. Anyway, the Ka'aba was also known as the House of Allah where Allah was
recognized as the supreme deity, but was worshipped along with other deities.
Muhammad is born
Muhammad was born to his mother Amina, into the Quraish, the then ruling tribe of Mecca. Up to
the age of eight, he was raised by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib because Abdallah, his father, died
in Yathrib a few weeks before Muhammad was born. Amina, his mother, died when he was six.
After the death of his grandfather, his uncle Abu Talib then assumed responsibility for raising
Muhammad. Abu Talib was a businessman involved in trade so it is likely that Muhammad went
with him on business trips and encountered both Jews, 280 miles to the north in Madina, and
Christians also to the north and to the south in Nejran. His encounters with Jews and Christians
seem to be reflected in the Qur'an in passages that refer to "The People of the Book" (3:64, 71, 187;
5:59). The term "People of the Book" is a reference to Jews and Christians who had received
God's word through the prophets before Muhammad.
At 25 years old, Muhammad was hired to manage the business of a wealthy widow named Khadija
who was 15 years older than he. He went to Syria and traded there successfully. Apparently this
impressed Khadija. She ended up proposing to Muhammad later and in 595 they were married.
They had two sons and four daughters: Zaynab, Ruqaiyah, Fatima and Umm Kulthum.
Muhammad and Khakija were married for 25 years until Khadija died at the age of 65 during the
month of Ramadan, well after the start of Islam.
Around 35 years of age, Muhammad assumed the habit of going outside of Mecca to Mt. Hira for
meditation and contemplation. There was a cave where he often went for solitude. It was during
one of these times of meditation that Muhammad said an angelic being appeared to him. This
disturbed Muhammad (Qur'an 81:19-29) and he told his wife Khadija that he thought he had been
visited by an evil Jinn. Jinn are supposed to be living beings like people, but not angels, who were
created from fire and are invisible, yet dwell on the earth. A short time later, in the year 610
(believed to be the 26th of Ramadan), while in a cave on Mt. Hirah, Muhammad said that the angel
Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him to recite (96:1-19). This recitation became the
Qur'an. In these encounters with the angel Gabriel, sometimes he would see the angel, other times
he would only hear him, and at others he only heard the sound of a bell through which the words
of the angel came.
Muhammad could neither read nor write so he was instructed to memorize the words given to him
by Gabriel. This complete recitation which Muhammad received over a 23 year period, ending in
632, the year of his death, is known as the Qur'an. Initially, Muhammad doubted that he was being
called by Allah to be a prophet. Others, including his wife and a cousin, counseled him by saying
that Allah would only be truthful to him and would not allow him to be deceived. Muhammad
became convinced and even wrote in the Qur'an, "Say: Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel-for he
brings down the (revelation) to thy heart by Allah's will, a confirmation of what went before, and
guidance and glad tidings for those who believe," (2:97).
Islam takes root
It became the mission of Muhammad to proclaim the truth of Islam, given to him by Allah, through
the angel Gabriel. Muhammad called the people of his area to repent from their idol worship, to do
good, and to serve the one and true God, Allah. He taught that man is God's slave and it is his duty
to submit to God and obey him. He said that the Day of Judgment was coming and that a man's
works will be weighed on that day. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad may, by Allah's
grace, be saved and enter Paradise which is full of sensual pleasures. The unsaved go to hell.
His first converts were his wife, Khadija, his cousin Ali, and his adopted son Zaid ibn Haritha. Soon
afterwards, Abu Bakr also believed. In his first three years of proclaiming Islam, he had 40 converts.
Though his continued preaching brought only a few converts, it did bring much opposition. The
ruling tribe, the Quraish, tried to get Muhammad to stop his preaching by appealing to his uncle,
Abu Talib. But, Muhammad adamantly refused to stop proclaiming the message he had received.
Because Abu Talib was very influential in the Quraish, Muhammad's life was protected and he was
able to continue his preaching -- which angered many people. The Quraish began to persecute the
Muslims by beating them and boycotting their businesses. Often times, during public prayers,
Muhammad was accosted and mocked. His followers were likewise treated poorly. But,
Muhammad remained steadfast.
Because of the persecution, the Muslims moved to Abyssinia, Ethiopia today, and were protected
by the Christian ruler there. After a time, he returned to Madina and continued his preaching. More
converts joined his ranks and more idolaters sought to defeat him. This is because the message of
Islam was socio-political. Islam covers belief, society, behavior, ethics, etc. This monotheistic
belief system threatened the lucrative business that grew around the pilgrimages to the Ka'aba that
so many Arabs enjoyed. The ruling tribe, the Quraish, soon found that within their reign a small
band of believers, a small "country" unto themselves, was rising up. The ruling party became more
and more concerned and feeling threatened by the Muslims, they became more hostile towards
Muhammad.
In the year 620 Muhammad lost his beloved uncle Abu Talib (who never became a Muslim) and his
wife Khadija. "After a few months Muhammad sought comfort by marrying the widow of one of the
believers named Sawdah. He also later married Ayisha, the seven-year old daughter of his friend
Abu Bakr, who he took into his home three years later."1 Also, According to Muslim historians,
Muhammad had 12 wives when he died.
Hegira
622 is a significant date for Muslims. It is known as the year of the Hijra, or Migration from Mecca to
Yathrib (which later became Medina) where they established their first real Islamic community. The
Muslim calendar begins its history from July 16, 622 the first day of the lunar year in which the
Hegira took place..
In Medina, he preached about Allah and monotheism and urged all people to return to the true faith
of Abraham. At that time in Medina, he would pray facing Jerusalem, as did the Jews who were
very populous in that city. He preached about repentance, one God, and forgiveness of sins. His
first sermon in Medina was on a Friday. Therefore, Islamic congregational worship occurs on
Fridays.
Gradually, however, the Jews began to disapprove of him and his movement. He confronted them
and told them they had misread the Scriptures. This estranged the Jews in the region and finally
one day while praying, he suddenly changed direction and faced Mecca. He said the Ka'aba, in
Mecca, was the true place of worship since it was built by Abraham. To this day, all Muslims are
supposed to face Mecca when praying.
After two years in Medina, the Muslims were not fairing too well financially and that, combined with
mild persecution, prompted a revelation to come to Muhammad permitting him to raid passing
caravans. This he did and the Muslim financial problems were solved. Soon afterward, there was
then a significant battle at Badr where Muhammad, with 350 men, defeated an army of 1,000 men.
This boost gave confidence to the Muslims, encouraged more converts, and made the Quraish
even more uneasy.
In the fifth year of the Hegira, the Quraish tried to destroy the Muslims but failed. By now the
Muslims were too strong so the Quraish never again tried to defeat them. Muhammad then set his
sights on Mecca. At one point in 628, Muhammad took 10,000 men and entered Mecca
unchallenged. The leader of the Quraish converted to Islam.
From there, Muhammad's movement gained further momentum. In 631 two tribes joined
Muhammad. They were the Hijaz and Najd. From this time on, many battles ensured. In 625 there
was the Battle of Uhud. In 627, the Battle of the Trench. In 628 Muhammad signed a treaty with the
Quraish tribe. In 630 Muhammad had conquered Mecca and he destroyed all the idols in Mecca.
In 632, Muhammad delivers his last sermon, later falls ill, and dies in the presence of his favorite
wife, Aisha, and her father, Abu-Bakr. He was buried in Medina in his own house. His father in law,
Abu-Bakr, then became Caliph, the religious leader of Islam.
