Tag: Trinity

Why Islam? I’ll answer this!

On By Mona SabahIn Islam, Islamophobia, Uncategorized

Yesterday, as I was driving home on the Broadway Extension in Oklahoma City, I had to slow down to get a photo of this billboard. As a former Muslim, these are the things I used to believe. Now, I know better.

This billboard is the handiwork of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) which is a militant organization under investigation by the FBI according to terrorism expert Steven Emerson, and according to Discover the Networks, is linked to radial Islamic movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the pro-Sharia organization (like Hamas and al-Qaeda).

Emerson is quoted as saying “The ICNA’s hatred of the Jews is so fierce that it taunted them with a repetition of what Hitler did to them… The ICNA openly supports militant Islamic fundamentalist organizations, praises terror attacks, issues incendiary attacks on western values and policies, and supports the imposition of Sharia.” They hold extreme views on women, slavery and gays as well.

My aim in this blog is to save you the trouble of going to their website and answering the frequently asked questions about Islam:

  • What does “Islam” mean?

Islam means “submission” to the will of Allah (as defined in the Quran). It absolutely does not mean “peace.” Many will tell you that the root word comes from the Aramaic/Hebrew “shalom” for peace, but it does not. It comes from the word “silm” (seen-lam-meem) which means “submission” or “surrender.” The Quran says:

[2:136] Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have surrendered. [Arabic “Muslimoon”]

  • What is the One Message of Islam?

The singular message of Islam is the Shahadah. The Shahadah is the Muslim declaration of belief in the oneness of God and on Muhammad as his final Prophet. It is required that the Shahadah is recited daily. It is the first of the five pillars of Islam and is also the first of the five beliefs.

  • Isn’t Islam the same as Christianity?

No, not at all. While there are similar people mentioned in the Quran as in the Bible, both teach different things. The Gulf Times (a Muslim periodical) says that “Allah clearly explains that our Deen [religion or divine law] has been perfected, and that it does not require any addition or deletion. That is why Allah sealed the office of Messengership with the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). The fact that He has chosen Islam as our Deen, means that he does not accept other than Islam from anyone:

“And Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted or him, and on the Last Day he will be one of the losers. (Qur’an 3: 85)”

Clearly, one cannot go to Paradise if they are not Muslim and don’t believe in Islam. It is exclusive. The article goes on to say that the One Message of Islam includes “The Rights of Allah on His Bondsmen: To worship Allah alone, and associate none with Him in worship. The rights of man on His Creator: To permit people to Paradise if they worship Him properly.” Islam is based upon works. Christianity relies on the grace of Jesus Christ as Savior – faith alone, Christ alone.

  • Are we One Family? Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad?

Both Abraham and Moses certainly appear in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. That is where the similarities end. While there is an entire Surah dedicated to Isa (Jesus the Messiah) in the Quran, Islam denies the deity of Christ and denies the Trinity – God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit. Christianity is based upon the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Quran unequivocally denies both and says it is not true. That’s a huge difference! We Christians worship One God in Three Persons. The Quran says that’s blasphemy.

  • How do we share the Gospel with Muslims?

In the book of Genesis, the Bible teaches us that all human beings are created in the image of God. We need to remember that when interacting with Muslims. We cannot take for granted that the Muslim person in front of us knows what is taught in the Quran or that they espouse any of the militant extremism of Islam. Many of my Muslim friends are so very dear to me. They welcome me into their homes with love and I try to return their hospitality in the same way.

Muslims are not a “pet project.”

The Gospel Coalition gives this sound instruction “Muslims come to faith by a supernatural work of God, by which the Holy Spirit opens their hearts (Acts 16:14) and grants them the gift of repentance (2 Tim. 2:25). We believe that a Muslim coming to faith is not intrinsically connected to our form of contextualization, but rests solely on God’s divine intervention (Dan. 4:35; Ps. 115:3; John 6:64-65) and our humble obedience to proclaim the gospel (Acts 1:8; Matt. 9:38, 28:19-20). God is not concerned with glorifying a method; he is concerned with glorifying his Son. Strategies are useful and necessary, but none of them offers the “key” to Muslim evangelism.”

The words of the Gospel message bring good news to those who are perishing. We need to share the actual words that Jesus Christ came to the earth as God in the flesh. He was crucified for the remission of our sins, He was dead and buried in a tomb. After three days, He rose again from the dead and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come back once again to judge the quick and the dead.

Christ died for those He called. He does not need our “good works,” for the only work that will get us to Heaven is the work done on the cross by our Lord and Savior.

May that be the Good News that goes out to the nations!

Do Muslims & Christians Pray to the Same God?

On By Mona SabahIn Bible, Diversity, Islam, Jesus Christ, Muslim, Prayer, Uncategorized4 Comments

katarina-church-and-stockholm-mosque-1024x575
Katarina Church & Stockholm Mosque in Sweden

One of the frequent questions I get is “Do Muslims pray to the same God as us (Christians)?” If you would have asked me when I first became a Christian, my answer would have been unequivocally “YES!” Having been taught that Allah is the same God of Abraham (whom both Jews and Christians worship) for 35 years was the reasoning behind that answer at that time. I didn’t understand fully who God Almighty was and more specifically, who He was as revealed by Jesus Christ.

This year, I was mortified to learn that churches right here in Oklahoma City were allowing Muslims to come and pray with them. When I asked how prayers were being conducted, the two people I spoke to said that their Imam was leading the Muslim prayer with everyone there… in the church. Did I mention that this was IN THE CHURCH???

What’s wrong with that?

In my Muslim brain, I would not have seen any issues with that. Same God = Same God. No problem.

As a more mature Christian, my understanding of who we worship is very different! We, Christians worship ONE God in THREE persons: God the Father Almighty, Jesus Christ his only begotten son and the Holy Spirit. All three separate persons who have existed together since the beginning of time (for there is no time for them – they are infinite!). They are three, but ONE.

This is not only completely different than what Muslims believe, it is also considered to be “Shirk.” Shirk is the ultimate sin of blasphemy that puts another equal to God. In Islam, the belief in Allah is called Tawhid. Tawhid comes from the Arabic root word for ONE “Wahid.” One means only one – not a father, no son and no Holy Spirit. In fact, in the Quran, the Trinity is called out by Isa (Jesus) in verse 5:116 (Yusuf Ali):

And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah‘?” He will say: “Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.

Yes… that’s right. The Quran points out that Christians believe the Trinity is Allah, Jesus and Mary. The next few lines say that is blasphemy and guess what… CHRISTIANS AGREE!  In fact, the Bible attests to this fact numerous times in both the Old & the New Testament:

Deuteronomy 6:4 (the Shema) ~ “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [NOTE: Jesus repeats this in Mark 12:29]

8:1 Corinthians 6 ~ yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

In Islam, the five daily prayers (Salat) attest to the Muslim belief that Allah is only ONE and that there are no others equal to him. In fact, there is a beautiful prayer I used to recite each time  I prayed and that is called “Surah Fatiha (the beginning prayer).” The Fatiha is prayed at least 16 times a day and can also be prayed upwards of 48 times a day.  I would pray this prayer as often as I could as a Muslim.

It is important to note that just in one prayer (there are multiple prayers recited in Arabic during each of the 5 times of Salat), there is a denunciation of the Triune Christian God and also it says that Jews and Christians are going into the path of destruction. Again, I urge you to not just take my word for it, but to look it up for yourself (www.muslimconverts.com). Here’s a screenshot of the prayer with translation in English. Many Muslims have no clue what they are reciting because they have to pray in Arabic and don’t even speak the language.

fatihah
Repeated 16-48 times by every Muslim during the day

In the name of inclusion and diversity, people are willing to consider Islam as the same as Christianity.  It is not the same – that’s the beauty of real diversity in the United States – that we can worship how we want. I am 100% on board for people wanting to open their hearts to Muslims – we should not only open our hearts, but also our homes. The only caution I give is to not compromise when it comes to belief and worship. Worship of the LORD our God YHWH is sacred and should be kept that way. Christians cannot stand in our place of worship with someone next to them who is denying the Triune God and His Christ with his every word.

Instead of asking do Muslims worship the same God, I think we need to be clear that Christians DO NOT worship the same God. 

This is what I believe, along with the thousands before me (The Apostle’s Creed):

Amen and Amen…

*NOTE: “The holy catholic church” does not mean the Roman Catholic church. It is a term that means the Church Universal (the big “C” Church!)! 🙂