To Those Who Search For The

‘Straight Way’

Samuel AbuJaber
Advanced Division
May, 1974
Instructor Don Smeeton
 2
Introduction

In the name of Allah

The Compassionate
The Merciful
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the creation,
The Compassionate, The Merciful,
King of Judgement-Day!

You Alone we worship, and you alone

we pray for help.

Guide us to the straight path,

The path of those whom you have favored,
Not of those who have incurred your wrath,
Nor of those who have gone astray.
 The Koran

This is the Muslim’s daily prayer, or in our Christian terminology “The Lord’s Prayer”. The
Religious Muslim prays at least twice a day, and every time he prays ‘Guide us to the straight
path’, lead us to the straight way. This is the desire of his heart and the desire of all the Muslims
around the world. They pray to God to lead them to the way, but, how they will know ‘the way,
the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6)
‘How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in
Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?’ (Romans
10:14)

Some people say that a Muslim can never be really converted and that eventually he will turn
back. Others say that evangelizing the Muslim world is almost impossible, but, is this so? And
why?
Miss Roberta Kells Dorr, who served in Gaza as a Southern Baptist missionary for ten years,
and have recently appointed to Yemen, analyzed her experience in the Muslim world by asking
these questions:
- Why, after 2000 years, Muslims living in around the land where Jesus was born still do not
know him?
- Why are Arab countries among the most difficult fields in the world?
- And why some people feel it is impossible to win Muslims to Christ?

The Encycolpedia Britannica states: “ There are no absolutely reliable figures for the Muslim
population of the world, but the most reasonable figure is between 370,000,000 and
400,000,000.”

Imagine that number of people without Christ! Searching and looking for the ‘way’, and some or
most of the Christians think that evangelizing to Muslims is an impossible task, we can not do it.
So in this thesis I will show that the impossible is really possible with compassion, love, and the
Spirit of the Lord. It is our task as Evangelicals to explain the way to life and lead thos Muslims
to the “Straight Path”.
 Part one - History

I. Christianity before Islam

After the ascension of Christ to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples in the upper-
room in Jerusalem. And with this power they went on preaching the Good News everywhere.
However, before they all died, the apostles warned the church against false teachers, false
teaching and false prophets. Even in the first century of the christian church, those false
teachers spread among the believers everywhere.
In this section, let us have a look at the stage which was prepared before the birth of
Mohammed, and what affected Arabia before the beginning of the Islamic age.

Since it is impossible to give a complete list of christian heresies, some of those that were
prominent in the doctrinally creative epoch stretching from the 1st to the 5th century may be
mentioned.
In the 2nd century, Gnosticism, a strange welter of grecoriental theosophy, threatened to
substitute salvation by esoteric knowledge for the religion of the gospels. Closely allied to it
where Docetism, which treated Christ’s humanity as mere appearances, and Marcionism, which
rejected the Old Testament and distinguished the God of love revealed by Jesus from the
Jewish creator God. The same century saw the emergence of Motanism in Phrygia, an
apocalyptic movement marked by the ascetic traits which looked for the speedy outpouring of
the spirit.
Most heresies, however, were theories about specific aspects of the revelation which the mood
of the church as a whole found and judged inadequate. In Christology, for example, suggestions
that Christ was only an inspired man (Adoptionism), or that the person of the Word was in effect
identical with that of the Father (Sabellianism) or that the word, while infinitely superior to the
other creatures, was nevertheless himself a creature and in no real sense divine (Arianism)
were all repudiated by the church. So was Macedonianism, which denied the full personality and
divinity of the Holy Spirit. The chief heresies about the incarnation were Apogllianarianism which
contended that the God-man lacked a human mind, its place being taken by the Logos;
Nestorianism, which so emphasized the independence of Christ’s two natures as to lose sight of
his personal unity; and Monophysitism (a cruder form of Eutychianism), which refuses to accept
the orthodox definition that he has two complete natures, a human one and a divine one.

Christians in Arabia before Muhammad

Arabia in the widest sense is not only known today as the Arabian Peninsula, but includes most
of the countries of the Middle East. And in this sense we can say that Christianity in Arabia is as
old as Christianity itself. In the first century in Damascus, a group of Christians were living there
and it is the place where St Paul was let down from the wall in a basket.

Also, tradition associates the apostle St Thomas with the founding of the Iraqi church:
“In the sixth century, however before the appearance of Muhammad, the spread of Christianity
seems to have continued. Hire may have had a Christian prince in the third quarter od the
century. It clearly appears that near the end of the century its ruler became a Christian, a
Nestorian, although some Jacobites were included in the population.”

For more details about Christianity in Arabia, Alfred Guillaume shows in his book ‘Islam’:
“Many of the surrounding tribes (of Hijaz) had accepted Christianity either wholeheartedly of as
a matter of form. Apart from scattered Christian communities throughout the Arabian Peninsula
of the three chief centers of influence were Yemen in the South, Syria in the North, and Hira in
the East. In the Hijaz itself there was at least twi Christian tribes, Judham and Udhra. In Mecca
we hear only of individual Christians, though it is to be noted that those belonged to Quraysh.
Tradition mentions a few others. It is credibly recorded that when Muhammad entered Mecca in
triumph in the year 630, paintings of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, among others, were still visible
on the inner walls of the Ka’ba. He ordered all the paintings except that of the Virgin and child to
be expunged; this painting was seen by an eyewitness in 683, when much of the Ka’ba was
destroyed by fire that it had to be rebuilt. An incidental indication of the presence of Christians in
the Hijaz is to be found in the tradition which records that Muhammad wore tunics which had
been given to him by monks in the neighboring desert.”
“According to the fifth century historian of ‘Saracens’ converted to the Christian faith not long
before the beginning of the fifth century through priests who dwelt among them and through
monks in the neighboring desert.”

History shows that before the birth of Muhammad, Christianity spread in many directions in
Arabia. And this was by the monks and priests who carried the Gospel to these areas, and
some of those performed miracles. One of the monks prayed for an Arabic leader that he may
have a son, who was born later, and this leader accepted Christianity as a result of that. Another
monk prayed for a paralyzed Arabic leader who was healed and accepted Christianity.

There was an Arabic Bishop in a council which met at Antioch in the reign of Jovian (363-364).
But what was the situation of Christianity in this area?

“The Monophysites were extraordinarily active in converting Arabs, and shortly before the birth
of Muhammad, large numbers had been baptized. A priest and deacon were appointed to each
tribe. Churches were founded, almsgiving and fasting were regularly practised. Monasteries
were open day and night to travelers, who were given food and drink before they were sent on
their way. Women were veiled when they were outdoors. The Nestorians were equally active.
They established schools in many towns. In their monasteries monks could be heard chanting in
their offices, so that the arabs were accustomed to seeing the monks at payer day and night,
prostrating themselves with their faces to the ground. In prayer, Christians turned to the East.
Such men were a familiar sight on all the caravan routes of Arabia. The monastery of Hira was
established by Nestorians in the fifth century, and from thence Christianity was carried to
Bahrain. While Muhammad was a young man, King Nu’man of Hira was converted to
Christianity. The Church on the east was predominately Nestorian, though a fair number of
Monophysites were to be found there.”

This was one part of the story, Christianity was spreading in the East, in Arabia. But what
Muhammad saw was something different. He saw Christians fighting each other over orthodoxy,
he saw persecution of saints by saints which brought Christianity to the bad ending. But who will
know if the situation was different probably Muhammad was converted to Christianity and
became a great missionary to his people. But how did the political situation bring Christianity in
Arabia to this sad ending?
“From the sixth century onwards the history of the Arab west is one long series of persecutions
in the name of orthodoxy. As Monophysites the Arabs steadily refused to accept the doctrine of
two natures in Christ. The persecutions which these unhappy people suffered were sometimes
worse than their treatment by the Muslims in subsequent years. Bishops were driven from their
seats, monks were expelled from their homes, monasteries, ordinary laymen were expelled from
their homes and fled to Persian territory.”

The famous Arab chief Harith in 563 went to see the Emperor in Constantinople.

“He went to see the Emperor again, carrying a letter which shows plainly how the way was
being prepared for Islam. One sentence reads: ‘The trinity is one Divinity, one nature, one
essence; those who will not accept this doctrine are to be anathematized.’ When two bishops
refused to sign the declaration of faith he brought, Harith replied with the ominous words: Now I
know that you are heretics. We and our armies accept this doctrine, as do the orientals.”

What a miserable religious controversy in the Arab world! One time a strong king who showed
himself as a loyal friend to the bishop and for the cause of politics he was destroying Christianity
elsewhere. And this came to such an end.

“The kingdom of the Arabs was divided among fifteen princes; most of them joined forces with
the Persians, and from this time onwards, the rule of the Christian Arabs came to an end
because of the treachery of the Greeks, and heresy was widespread among the Arabs. By this
time Muhammad was fast approaching manhood.”
 II. Muhammad the Arabic Prophet

The stage was set for Muhammad at the end of the sixth century and the beginning of the
seventh century. Christianity had fallen in idolatry and paganism not just in Arabia, but
everywhere. Christians were fighting Christians, and the false teaching became legal at
churches and schools.

“Paganism with its numberless false gods still covered a large portion of the earth, and even
Christianity alas had become extensively idolatrous in both the Greek and Roman churches. It
was at this moment that Muhammad appeared before the world as a storm and austere
monotheist. He felt himself called to restore the fundamental doctrine of divine unity to its due
prominence in the religious belief of mankind.

“Before the close of the sixth century idolatry was firmly established in the Eastern church, and
during the seventh century it made a gradual and very general progress in the west, where it
had previously gained some footing. It became usual to fall down before images, to pray to
them, to kiss them, to adorn them with gems and precious metals to lay the hand on them in
swearing, and even to employ them as sponsors at baptism.”

Muhammad

He was born in Mecca in the year A.D. 570. He lost his father before he was born, and his
mother shortly after that. So, he was obliged to enter service, and he became a camel driver.
And at that time he started to travel with caravans, and during this time he went on long trips as
far as Syria and probably Egypt. And during these trips he had his contact with Christianity and
the Jews.

“We learn that he was brought up be his uncle Abu Taleb, and from the age of twelve onwards
accompanied him on journeys into Syria, whee he appeared to have heard and even seen much
of both Christians and Jews, though it is unlikely that he knew Christianity in anything but a
rather corrupt guise, probably among some sects who used apocryphal gospels.”
On one occasion, he was in charge of a caravan of a rich widow in Mecca by the name of
Khadyah. She became very interested in him personally that she sought his hand in marriage,
And from this time till the age of Forty he was engaged in trade and business, and conducting
the affairs of his wife. His wife bore him six children, two of them died early, whom after their
death Muhammad became restless and wandering.

“After repeatedly wandering in the barren deserts around Mecca, Muhammad’s ill health
increased, and he began to hear voices, especially one which said: ‘You are the chosen one,
proclaim the Name of the Lord.’ Finally, one night, he had a kind of seizure in a cave, where a
voice called to him, ‘Iqra’, ‘recite’. It is like the verse in Isaiah: ‘The voice said Cry.’. Then came
the vision of Sura I, written in fiery letters on a cloth, spread out. Muhammad, when it vanished,
stepped out into the open, and then believed that he heard the voice of the archangel Gabriel,
and saw his two great eyes. He fled with terror, and seemed incapable of shaking off the visual
hallucination of these eyes.”

“The prophet was afraid that he might be regarded as an ecstatic poet or a man possessed, and
it is said that at one time he thought of suicide.”

His Personality

Tradition, which there is no special reason for doubting, paints him as a man of striking
appearance, with a fine intelligent face, black piercing eyes, and an overflowing beard. He was
taciturn in speech, possessed an unusual insight and fired with a rugged eloquence, at his best
kindly, and a lover of children.

From his mother he inherited a nervous, excitable temperament and a predisposition to

epilepsy, manifested by a fit when he was four years old, again when he was six and later in life
by relapses into the cataleptic state, the latter at that time apparently under control. He was
melancholic in disposition, easily depressed, exceedingly sensitive to disagreeable odors,
superstitious, a believer in Jinn, omens, dreams and charms, vivid in imagination, and with a
taste for the sublime.
He was then often seen in solitude, wandering in mountain paths and seeking opportunities for
contemplation in out-of-the-way places and ravines. He must have been inoculated with certain
effective ideas of Judeo-Christian sources related to God, man, and their interrelationship.
Evidently he had been impressed by the fact that he observed that the few Jews and Christians
with whom he had in come in contact had a ‘book’ and were prosperous and advanced,
whereas his own people, the heathen of Arabia, had no ‘book’ and were backward.

The beginning of his ministry

His mind was shocked by the religious indifference and degeneracy of the Arabs. The Judaism
and Christianity which he has penetrated into these regions were debased in doctrine as well as
enervated in spiritual power. When about forty years of age, Muhammad began, as he believed
to receive from above intimations of his divine mission. At first he ascribed his strange
ecstasies, which may have been in part the result of hysteria and epilepsy, disorders to which
he was subject, to the influence of evil spirits.

He was however, persuaded by his wife that they were in truth revelations from God.

The message of Muhammad was simply summarized in the belief in one God, who is all-
powerful. He is the creator of everything, the judge of all creatures and who will reward in
Paradise who will carry His commands, and who will punish in hell those who disregard the
commandments.

“Muhammad did not preach this as a new doctrine. He declared that his teaching formed part of
the prophetic tradition. He constantly reminded his listeners of the apostles of monotheism, such
as Abraham, Moses and Jesus, who had been sent in earlier times with the same message.
Their ‘reminders’ and ‘warnings’, as the Koran calls them, were now being repeated, in Arabic,
owing the revelation made to Muhammad.”
His message was rejected in Mecca from the beginning. And little band of believers were
persecuted particularly by the Koreesh tribe. And because of the serious persecution the
prophet was obliged to contact a neighboring city, Taif, so they may accept him in their city as in
immigrant. And in the year 622 the prophet arrived at Taif which became Medina. In Medina,
there was a change in the prophet himself and his message. Shortly before he had left Mecca
he lost his strong wife, Khadyah, who had been a source of encouragement to him. So when he
arrived in Medina he (???) following years he added one wife after another until he had eleven
wives. And there also he was received as a civil ruler and there his message changed to be
proper to his new position.

“The enemies if the prophet; may of whom connect that in the beginning he was sincere in his
utterances, look upon the Medina period of life as one in which his providential gifts were
prostituted to serve his growing imperialistic ambition.”

“Soon after he went to Medina, he met with opposition on the part of the Jews, from whom he
had hoped for support, and thenceforward was fired with fantastic zeal against them. The last
days of his life were filled with preparation for an expedition agains the Greeks. His plan
seemed to have changed. He ceased to be a mere national prophet, and aspired to be leader of
a fierce crusade against the idolatry of the world.”

After his migration to Medina the events in the life of Muhammad continued like this:
624 Battle of Badr, the Quraysh defeated by the Muslims
625 Battle of Uhud, the Muslims defeated
626 The Jewish tribe of al-Nadhir reduced and expelled
627 The war of the Ditch - The Meccans expedition against the Muslums in Medina. Attackers
driven off
627 The Jewish tribe of Qurayza raided by Muhammad; some 800 men beheaded (only one
Jew abjuring his religion to save his life) and all the women and children sold as slaves.
628 The treaty of Hudaybiyya: truce with the Quraysh, who recognize Muhammad’s right to
proselytize without hinder.
629 Muhammad sends letters and messengers to the Kings of Persia, Yemen and Ethiopia and
the Emperor Haraclius inviting them to accept Islam
630 Truce broken by the Quraysh. Mecca taken by Muhammad, the entire population
converted and the Ka’ba established as the religious center of Islam
631 The year of Embassies - Islam accepted by the Araian tribe
632 Muhammad’s farewell pilgrimage to Mecca

“When the prophet died in the year A.D. 632, he was master of the whole Arabia; and his
banners had been carried as far as Syria. He had even sent letters to the emperors of the
Roman and Persian empires asking that they become followers of the Prophet. They laughed in
decision at his pretensions. Yet within less than two hundred years, Muhammad’s followers
were virtually in control of an area larger than the Roman emperors had ever dreamed of
conquering. “

“Muhammad was the only great founder who renounced miracles and miraculous powers as a
matter of principle - the Koran was the great miracle - but subsequent hagiography invested his
life with superlatively miraculous details. Muslim popular religion, particularly under Sufi
influence bounds in miracles, pilgrimages to the tombs of wonderworking saints and the like.”

It is also clear in the Koran that hammed though a prophet was only a man, not a supernatural
being. He disclaimer the ability to do miracles and pointed instead to his own humble origins
and lack of sons.

“Even in Muhammad’s lifetime, legends began to gather about him, the generations immediately
following attributed him a number of miracles and recounted stories of supernatural signs and
wonders that accompanied his birth and career, by medieval times Muslims universally agreed
that Muhammad was sinless, protected from wrongdoing by divine providence in order that no
shadow of doubt be cast on the validity of his perfect example.
Muhammad and the Historical events of his relation with the Christians and the Jews

“It was almost inevitable that as the Roman empire became predominately Christian, it’s faith
would be spread Eastward and Southward by merchants, official embassies, professional
missionaries and the numerous hermits who in the fourth and fifth centuries were seeking
refuge in the deserts of Northern Arabia.”

“From the Jews in his early journeys (for trade) the founder derived his tendency toward a rigid
monotheism is at least possible; and Muhammedianism employs many Jewish theological
terms. Christianity also through two channels affected Islam: (1) through the hermits whose
channels, hits and caves dotted the desert, whole they themselves were respected by the
nomads (2) through the faith of the Abyssinians, whose country was the refuge of Muhammad’s
followers in the stormy times.”
Muhammad was traditionally said to have received his knowledge of Christian doctrines from a
Nestorian monk named Sergius; and the Nestorians claim to have received letters of protection
from the prophet Omar, Ali, and others.

“They (Nestorians) held high posts as governors of cities and district, secretaries of Califs and
Amirs, and physicians in ordinary; while they were distinguished translators into Syriac and
Arabic.”
 Part Two - Doctrines

III The Islamic Practices

Muslims have five practices every real Muslim is obliged to do and practice and those, called
the ‘Five Pillars’ are:
1. Reciting the profession of faith.
2. The daily prayers.
3. Paying of the ‘zakat’ tax.
4. Fasting the month of Ramadan.
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca during lifetime.

The Profession of Faith

The profession of faith (shahadah) which is summed up in formula “there is no God but Allah,
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”. Upon conversion to Islam, the new believer is required
to pronounce the formula once and hence become automatically a member of the faith. There is
no other ceremony involved.

The Daily Prayers

The obligatory worship of God consists of five daily prayers preceded by necessary ablution.
Although the Koran expressly mentions only four, the actual practice of the Prophet was five: All
these prayers are public and collective, although under necessity individual prayer is allowed.

“ Five times a day a good Muslim, wherever he may be, prostrates himself facing toward Mecca
and repeats certain ritual prayers. These prayers, no matter what the language of the worshiper,
are supposed to be repeated in Arabic.”

Before each of the five prayers a Muazin calls the people to the prayer by singing the Azan from
a high tower in the mosque called Manarra.
“The Azan translated says: ‘God is most great. I testify there is no God but God. I testify that
Muhammad is the apostle of God. Come to prayer, come to salvation. God is most great. There
is no God but God.’. The first phrase is proclaimed four times, and the rest twice. The worshiper
makes a set response to each phrase.
The Azan was at first simply: ‘Come to prayer’, but according to tradition Muhammad consulted
his followers with a view of investing the call with dignity. Some advised using the Jewish
trumpet, others the Christian bell, but the matter was finally settled by the dream of a certain
Abdullah, which suggests summoning the faithful by the voices of a crier proclaiming ‘God is
most great’, etc.”

Ablutions
In Muslim piety it is required that the devout wash their hands, feet, and face, before each of the
five daily prayers. However, in keeping with the Koranic claim that God does not desire
needless suffering from believers, the use of sand is permitted in place of water where desert
conditions make water difficult or impossible to access.

Paying the Zakat tax

The alms-tax (Zakat) was originally a voluntary act but it soon evolved into an obligatory tax on
property. The money thus collected was used for the support of the poor, the building of
mosques and for expenses incurred in the administration of the Muslim empire. With the
disruption of the purely Muslim state, the Zakat became once more a voluntary gift left to the
believer’s conscience.

Fasting the month of Ramadan

The ninth month of the Muslim year. Already sacred to the pre-Islamic Arabs, it became in Islam
the holy month of fasting, selected because it was in this month ‘the Koran was sent down as a
guidance for the people’. The Muslim ordinance prescribes abstention from food, drink, sexual
intercourse from the moment when ‘so much of the dawn appears that a white thread may be
distinguished from a black’ until with nightfall the two become indistinguishable once more, this
abstention to be continued throughout the 29 days of Ramadan.
Ramadan parallels Yom Kappur in its religious function. It, too constitutes a period of
atonement. In the Koran, the development of Ramadan fast may be followed from the injunction
to fast on Asura, the day of Atonement of the Jews.

The Pilgrimage to Mecca

The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca, which it is incumbent on every Muslim to
perform one in a lifetime provided he or she can support himself during the journey and can also
arrange for the provision if his dependents during his absence. The pilgrimage ceremonial
begins every year on the 7th and ends on the 10th of the month of Dhu’l-Hija. When the pilgrim
is about 6 miles from the holy city, he enters upon the state of ihram; he casts off, after prayers,
his ordinary clothes and puts on two seamless garments; he walks almost barefooted and
neither shaves nor cuts his nails. The principal activity consists of a visit to the sacred mosque
(al-Masjid al-Haram); the kissing of the Black Stone; seven circumbulations of the Ka’ba, three
times running and four times slowly; the visit to the sacred stone called Magam Ibrahim; the
ascent of and running between Mt. Safa and Mt. Marwa seven times; the visit of Mt Arafat, the
hearing of a sermon there and spending the night at Muzdalija; the throwing of stones at the
three pillars at Mina and offering sacrifice on the last day of ihram, which is the ‘id of sacrifice.

‘…No more than fifteen Christian-born Europeans have this far succeeded in seeing the two
Holy cities and escaping with their lives…”

The Ka’ba
Ka’ba is the mall shrine located near the centre of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Muslims
everywhere consider it to be the most sacred spot on earth, orient themselves to its meridian
and Cherish the ambition of visiting it on pilgrimage in accordance with the command of God in
the Koran. It is thus the central shrine of Islamic Faith. As the name indicates, the Ka’ba is
cube-shaped, the dimensions being 40 by 35 by 50 ft. It is constructed of grey stone and marble
and oriented so that its corners roughly correspond to the points of the compass. In the north-
west wall about seven feet above the ground is a door that is opened only for special
ceremonies. The interim contains nothing but the three pillars supporting the roof and a number
of suspended silver and fold lamps.
The early history of the Ka’ba is not well known; but it is certain that it was revert as a sacred
sanctuary in the pagan period before the rise of Islam. The Koran (ii,127) says of Abraham and
Ismael that they raised the foundations of the Ka’ba the exact sense is ambiguous but Muslim
legend has interpreted the phase to mean they rebuilt a shrine first erected by Adam of which
only the foundation still existed.

Funeral Rites
At the approach of death a Muslim (or those around him) pronounce the profession of faith,
which may then be recited again, together with Sura 36 of the Koran over the dead body. The
body is laid on a stretcher in the direction of Mecca (Kibla) and reverently and carefully washed
(ghusl) according to very precise regulation. The orifices of the body are stuffed with cotton and
the body spring;ed with camphor and rose water. The eyes are closed and feet tied.

The Islamic Feats

The first of these according to the calendar is the lesser Hairam (Turkish word). In Arabic ‘id al-
fitr (Festival of Breaking Feast), which follows immediately the fasting month of Ramadan,
occupying the first three days o the tenth month, Shawwal.
The second, Sacrifice Hairam. In Arabic ‘id al-adha, falls on the tenth, and three following days,
of the last month of the year.

Jihad or the Holy War

Jihad, popularly known as holy war, is a religious day imposed by Muslim law for the spread of
Islam. Islam distinguished four different ways in which its followers may fulfill their jihad duty: by
the heart, the tongue, the hand, and by the sword. The first is a form of spiritual purification, to
be fulfilled by combating the devil and escaping his persuasion to evil. The second and third are
mainly fulfilled in supporting the ‘right’ and correcting the ‘wrong’. The fourth is the fighting of
unbelievers and the enemies of the faith. Believers were under obligation to wage war against
all unbelievers. But Christians and Jews, who believed in God but not in Mohammad, were not
treated in the same way as unbelievers. They were offered one of three propositions:
1. Acceptance of the Islamic faith.
2. Acceptance of Islamic rule and payment of a pall tax (jizya).
3. Fighting on the same footing as other unbelievers.
 IV The Islamic Doctrines

The creed of faith

The Islamic creed consists of fiver articles of faith:
1. Belief in the oneness of God.
2. Belief in the angels.
3. Belief in the revealed books.
4. Belief in all the prophets (the last is Mohammad)
5. Belief in the day of judgement.

The Oneness of God

This, of course, is the central doctrine in all Mohammad’s teachings. It was the point upon which
Mohammad laid greatest stress. It is emphasized every time the creed of Islam is repeated,
“There is no God but Allah.” Mohammad charged the Christians with being polytheists because
of their belief in the Trinity and their veneration of Mary. In Islam there is but one God, and he is
Allah.
Later, Muslim theologians have not been much concerned with the Nature of Allah in Himself,
for they consider the divine nature to be an ineffable mystery. Allah has expressed His
perfection in the 99 most Beautiful Names He has given Himself such as Living, the Powerful,
the Real. Two problems above all have preoccupied the theologians: the nature of Allah’s
attributed and their relation to His essence, and man’s moral responsibility in the light of Allah’s
omnipotence and absolute sovereignty.
The will and the sovereignty of Allah is over everything. No body can resist His will, even the
prophet Mohammad could not resist God’s will. When he married the wife of his adopted son
Zid after he (Zid) divorced her by a special revelation given to the prophet.
The phrases recur with almost monotonous frequency. ‘It shall be as Allah pleases’, ‘If Allah
pleases’. The will of Alla is entirely arbitrary, and can be changed at His pleasure in a contrary
diretion. There is thus no fixed moral standard at all. If a Muslim is asked: “Did not the prophet
sin in the matter of Zainab(the wife of Zid)?” he will reply “he did not sin, because Allah
commanded it.”.
The Prophets
Not one prophet, but all the prophets, generously including in their list the major figures of the
Hebrew religion, particularly Adam, Abraham, and Moses. The Muslims accept Jesus as the
sinless prophet, but the prophetic line culminates with Muhammad.
The old habit of calling Muslims Mohammedans or Makometans is objectionable to these
people, for they do not worship Muhammad. He was a prophet, the greatest of all to them, but a
man. The religion he brought was Islam, the religion of those who surrender to God in his way,
and not Mohammedanism.

The Revealed books

They have great respect for the Jewish Christian Bible, but the one final authoritative book of
God is the Koran. By the orthodox Muslim, it is believed that it was written before the foundation
of the world. It was completed ages before Muhammad was born. It was given to him little by
little, usually through the angel Gabriel. No more inflexible doctrine of inspiration is found in any
religion. The Koran is unique among the world’s bibles in being attributed to a single human
author.

The Angels or Houris

There are numerous references to the hur in the Koran, which describes them as ‘purified wives’
(ex, II, 25’ III,15). On entering paradise the believer is presented with a large number of houris
which each of whom he may cohabit once for each day he has fasted in Ramadan and once for
each good work he has performed. It has also been suggested that Mohammad misunderstood
pictures he saw of the Christian Paradise and that the Angels are the originals of the houris.

The Day of Judgement

The Koran lays great emphasis on the inevitability and imminence of the Hour (the day of
Judgement) when the Sovereign Lord and King will mete out punishment to those who have
been ‘ungrateful’ for his benefactions. The Koran also asserts repeatedly the mercy and
forgiveness of Allah. For those who entrust themselves to Him in gratitude for His mercy He is a
Refuge, a Guide, and a Protector.
Hell
In Islam which is related historically to Judaism and Christianity the term used to describe this
state is Juhannam. No clear conception of Johanna is given in the Koran. At one point
Muhammad says that it has seven gates (XV,43-44). In Sura LXXXIX, 22-23 he describes hell
as if it were something animate and portable: “Bring hell, God shall say on the last Judgement
the angels will then form their ranks and hell shall be bright nigh”. In this conception hell seems
to be described in the symbolism of a large grotesque monster that stands ready to devour the
damned.
Punishment in hell is not of uniform duration in Muslim tradition. In the Koran, one passage
reads: “They for whom the balance shall be light are those who have destroyed themselves in
hell and shall dwell there forever” (XXIII, 103). According to another passage, however, “The
damned shall be cast into fire. They shall dwell there so long as the heaven and the earth shall
last, unless God wills otherwise” (XI, 106-107); and according to a traditional saying of the
prophet “he shall make men come out of hell after they have been burned and reduced to
cinders”. The omnipotence and arbitrariness of God in Islam prevents the tradition from making
a final statement on this point. Hell is also described in Muslim tradition as a hierarchy of
concentric circles in the shape of a crater, above which is a bridge as narrow as the edge of a
sword. All souls must cross this bridge to enter paradise, and those who fall are received by the
craters of hell below.
 V Revelation

The prophethood of Muhammad is one of the fundamental Islamic religious beliefs, and the
prophet plays an important role in Muslim religious life. The koran presents Muhammad as the
seal of the prophets. In his mercy, God bestowed prophecy upon the first man, Adam, so that he
and his descendants might have guidance for the proper way to live. Sadly this guidance was
first ignored and then corrupted and lost by successive generations. So God found it necessary
to send other prophets to renew it. The revelations to Muhammad were a renewal of the
message of the prophets before him and, like theirs came in divine book. Muhammad was the
last of this prophetic tradition but also its confirmation, climax, and proof.

And here is some scripture from the Koran which confirms what came to Muhammad as
revelation is like what came to the prophets before him:
“I am not an innovator among the apostles, I am only following what has been revealed to me
and I give sincere warnings” (Koran XIVI, 9)
“God has ordained for you the religion he commended unto Noah and which we have revealed
to thee and we commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus” ( Koran XIII,13)
And he said to the Jews and Christians: 

“We have faith in that which has been revealed to us and in that which has been revealed unto
you. Our God and your God are one and unto him we are resigned” (Koran XXIX, 46)

If somebody asks a Muslim today to believe what is in the Bible because the Koran commands
that, he will still refuse to do so because there is contradiction between the two; and this claim to
be true. Bt if he is asked which one is right, he will stand for the Koran. And to the question why
the Koran command the Muslims to believe the Bible, he will say that it is true that the Koran
command to believe it, but the Bible which the Koran refers to is not the one Christians have
today. The Bible which Christians use today is a falsified one.
The answers to these objections are as follows:
1. The Bible itself denies this false charge, and gives great warning to anyone who added or
took out even a letter. Deuteronomy 4:2, Revelation 22:18-20
2. The Koran accepts the claim of the Bible to be the “word of God” So then if the Bible is so as
it claims to be, will not God be able to protect His word from any one who wants to falsify it.
3. There are many Bible manuscripts and old Scrolls whose dates are older than those of the
Koran and the Islam.
4. The Archeology today proves the Biblical events or at least many of them.
5. The Koran testifies to the reality of the Bible.

Our question to those who believe in the falsification of the Bible is: did this happen before
Christ? (The old testament)

This charge cannot be maintained for the following reasons:

1. Christ referred to the prophesies of the Old Testament which spoke of Him so often. (Isaiah
61:1-3, Luke 5:39)
2. He asked the Jews to search the scriptures.
3. He convicted the Sadducees because they did not know the scriptures and the power of
God. (Mark 12:24)
4. He answered the Devil when he tempted Him with the Scriptures. (Deuteronomy 8:5, 6:16,
6:13)

The disciples followed their master’s example in using the scriptures and by quoting them. So
did Christ and His disciples, whom the Koran testifies too for their honesty, inspiration, and
commitment to God, quote for their teachings false scriptures? Or could anybody say that they
did not know the falsification of the scriptures and they used it?

If this is the case, it is meant that we are charging the disciples, the prophets in their inspiration
and revelation, and God as unable to protect ‘His word’.

Did the Jews falsify the scriptures after Christ? This is the impossible for the scriptures were in
the hand of the Christians and the Jews in the same time and in the same language. So if the
Jews dared to do that, the Christians would have charged them with this crime, and vice versa.

Comparing what the Jews have today with what the Christians have of the Scriptures of the Old
Testament, it is found that they are the same.
Let’s say that the Jews and the Christians agree together, which is impossible, to try to change
the scriptures. Would not the Jews take off all the scriptures referring to Christ, His virgin birth,
death, etc? But these prophecies concerning Christ are still in the old testament as a proof for
the falsify of this charge.

Did the falsification happen after the Koran the true Muslims were in charge of keeping the
scriptures because they have to believe them as well as the Koran. So why didn’t they keep one
copy at least without any falsification?

Recently some of the Muslim scholars in India investigated this matter and studied the
scriptures and they found that the Jews on the time of Muhammad changed the interpretation of
his teachings and not the scriptures themselves.

So the Muslims are obliged to study and believe the Bible and what it says in all the matters.
There is some contradiction between the Bible and the Koran, as mentioned before, and this
refers to the sources from which Muhammad got his information, but by discussion this
disagreement could be solved.

The Islamic Revelation

Muslims consider the Koran to be the very words of God Himself. The messages given to
Muhammad by the angel were taken from a Heavenly Book, called the Mother of the Book.
Books of previous prophets; such as the Gospel of Jesus or the Torah of Moses, were also
taken from this source. The Koran is but another, yet the highest and final instances, of God’s
offering guidance to straying men through scriptures brought by His chosen messengers.
Followers of precious prophets, like Christians and Jews had corrupted their messages, there
by necessitating the sending down of the Koran to restore the purity of divine guidance.
Scholars who are not Muslims, that is, who do not believe the Koran to have originated directly
with God, look for its origin on earth, and find it in the mind and personality of Muhammad and
the environment into which he came.
Muhammad’s relationship with the Jews is important. No doubt he learnt from them, and many
stories from the Bible are found in the Koran. Muhammad respected both the Law (Torah) and
the Gospel as true revelation, the word of God to Jews and Christians. He believed himself to
be bringing the same divine word to the Arabs.

Muhammad started his revelation with one thing in mind that the Church is corrupted and they
need a new revelation. He is a prophet after all the other prophets, but he is the last and the
seal of all. And some Muslims today believe that Christ prophecies about him when He
promised the Holy Spirit or the Paraclete. And all these things we can find in Monetarism which
began at the end of the second century and spread in many countries in the Middle East and
lasted for several centuries.

“Montanism asserted that the promise of the “counselor” given in the last discourses of Jesus in
St John had been fulfilled in the life and teaching of the prophet Montanus.”

Maximilla one of Montanus prophetess said: “After me there shall be no other prophetess but
the end.” And the same words are quoted by Muhammad who said that he is the seal and the
end of all the prophets.

Muhammad and his Revelation

Revelation thereafter were not always in the interest of the faith, they pandered often to
Muhammad’s desires. When he wished another wife, a revelation was forthcoming to sanction
it. If former utterances stood in the path of present wish, the doctrine of abrogation permitted
removal of the obstacle. When he desire the wife of his adopted son Zaid - among Arabs a
scandalous thing. Surrah XXXIII, sanctioned the divorce by Zaid of his wife that she might be
free to marry the prophet. Four was the legal limit of wives for a believer, but the same Surrah
gave the prophet all license.
Al-Hadiths or the Islamic Tradition
Hadiths are sayings attributed to prophet Muhammad, but many were formulated after
Muhammad’s death to express the religious, moral, and legal views of later generation of
Muslims. Hadith were of immense importance in the formation of Muslim law, theology, and
religious feeling of the Muslim faith.
After the Koran, it is perhaps the most venerated Muslim holy book.

Al-Tafasir or the Commentaries

There is probably no other book in history, including the Bible, that has been so studied or
commented upon (more than the Koran). A commentary on the Koran is known as a tafsir, or
explanation. The best-known and most used tafsir is that of al-Tabari (died 923) which fills 30
volumes with a phrase by phrase consideration of the Koran.
Other commentators are: al-Zamakhshari (1075-1144), al-Razi (1149-1209), Baydawi (1300),
and these are less important than the others: Al-Bukhari, Ibn al-Hajjaj, and Muslim.
 VI The Trinity and the Deity of Christ

“Say, He is God alone, God the Eternal. He begets not and is not begotten” (Koran 112:1-3)

This verse summarizes the Muslims belief in the oneness of God as one alone in Himself. He
begot no one, so Christ as they believe is not the son of God.

“To the Muslim the one unforgivable sin is that of Shirk, or associating anyone or anything with
the Almighty. The very idea of an incarnation of the deity is therefore anothema, or simple
blasphemy.

Allah: is an Arabic word meaning ‘God’ or more properly, ‘The God’.

The characteristics of Allah in His relationships to men are made clear in the Koran.
Fundamental is the affirmation that Allah is the sole divinity one without partner unique in His
deity. In addition, Allah is He who created all things by His command and who exercises
absolute sovereignty over them, the one from whom nothing escapes. As the creator of
everything good, He is the great Benefactor of men but also their Just Judge.

The trinity and the deity of Christ are the most difficult subjects to explain to the Muslims. The
Christians are monotheists and now what the Muslims charge them with being, polytheists.
Christians believe in three persons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but one God.

The three persons in the trinity are not one before other in time, nor in greatness nor in any
other thing likewise. But the Christians believe in the one God who revealed Himself in these
three persons with these three names to show the order in their work of redemption. Jesus
Christ is divine and He is God the Son because the Bible says that,
I. The Father declared His sonship to the son.
1. In His Birth. “He shall be called the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1:31, Isaiah 7:14,
Matthew 1:23)
2. His Baptism. “This is my beloved son” (Matthew 2:16-17)
3. His Transfiguration. “This is my beloved son” (Matthew 17:3-8)
II. The son declared Himself as the son of God .
1. The Father is His Father. (Jn 15:1, Jn 10:27-30)
 2. In His farewell address to His disciples. (Jn 14:13)
3. His father was the one who gave bread in the wilderness. (Jn 6:32)
4. The Son has life in Himself as well as His Father. (Jn 5:26)
5. The Father - Son relationship. (Jn 5:19-23)
6. The effective voice of the Son of God. (Jn 5:25)
7. The Son give the freedom. (Jn 8:34-36)
8. Th Father gave the Power and the Authority to the Son. (Matthew 28:27-28)

Looking at these references showing that the normal person, or a prophet, messenger, angel,
chief of angels, could not understand the mysterious personality of Christ. He himself declared
that He has unlimited nature that no one could comprehend or understand, but, the Father. If
Christ was Just a man it was impossible to make just a statement.

From these declarations it will be clear to know that Jesus is the Son is the “word” of God
(Logos). And as the Father understands the nature of Christ and declares his Fatherhood to
Christ, in the same manner John the disciple of Christ announced by the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit that “No man hath seen God at any time’ the only begotten son, which is in the bosom of
the Father he hath declared Him”. (Jn 1:18)

Note here that the doctrine of the Logos can be easily traces in the Koran III: 4 and IV: 169. In
his Christology Muhammad accepted the doctrine of the virgin-birth, the miracles of healing the
sick, raising of the dead and the ascension. He rejected the idea of Jesus being the son of God
or that he ever made such a claim for himself.

When the disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father, He just said that He is in the Father
and the Father in Him, which shows the unity between the Father and the Son. This means that
They are of the same substance, glory, position, power, and have the same will. And this shows
falsity of Sabellianism which believes that the divinity is one person, and the falsity of Arianism
which believes that the Son (or Christ) is less than the Father. Both had influence on the Islamic
Faith.
From 318 to 325 Arius, an Alexandrian presbyter was cited by a synod held at Alexandria (318)
for teaching that the Logos was of a different nature (ousia) from the Father, was a creature and
therefore not coeternal with the Father, but was the first and greatest of creatures, being crated
ex nihila; thus his Trinity consisted of three hypostases of graduated rank.

He kindled the fires of doubt b propounding the bald doctrine that Verist is a created being - the
first of creatures, to be sure, and the being by whom all other creaturely beings are made. He
was not created in time, since time began with creation.

The Christians in their belief of the Son and the Father do not mean at all a relation between
God the Father and a woman (Mary) who begot a son who is the Son of God. This is what the
Muslims thought, under the influence if the Nosterians in Arabia at the time of Muhammad. And
here is how the belief of the divinity of Mary came to existence in the Church.

As early as the Middle of the Second Century, she appears as the antitype of Eve, bringing life
into the world as Eve brought death. A father impulse was given to the devotion of Mary by the
exaggerated reverence for the ascetic life for celibacy, as spread by monasticism from the fourth
century. She became the type and ideal of Virginity.

In the Apochraphical Gospels, there are many legends about the birth of Mary, her study in the
Temple, her marriage, her family, and the death of her father caused by Herod and so on, all
these are found in the Koran. But the Koran refuses devotion to Mary as it was in the Church at
the time.

The devotion became increasingly fervent throughout the whole church with each succeeding
century, The veneration of martyrs had already spread to such an extent that it was simple
completion to place Mary at their head as queen of heavenly hosts. Prayer to her became a
universal custom. Churches and altars were erected in her honor, and her picture was exposed
for veneration. When is spite of the dogma of Chalcedon, the humanity of Christ had been, in
the popular mind, swallowed up in the divinity the need was felt of further human mediation
thorough which the divine Majesty might be approached and the severity of the awful judge
mitigated. From the lowly recipient of grace she became a source and giver of grace.
The Nestorians influenced the belief of the Muslims by telling Muhammad what the Church
believed in Mary at that time and by adding, perhaps that the other Christians added Mary as a
part of the Trinity. So Muhammad in his reciting the Koran said asking Jesus:
Then Allah will say: ‘Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind : “Worship me and my
mother as god beside Allah?”
“Glory to you”, He will answer, “How could I say that to which I have no right? If I had ever said
so, you would have surely known it. You know what is in my mind, but I cannot tell what is in
Yours. You alone know what is hidden. I stole to them of nothing except what You bade
me.’” (Koran V: 115)

The Bible shows the Son as the Word of God, His Image, The lighting of the glory of God, and
the express image of God’s substance, Emmanuel, which means God with us. All these titles
show the meaning of the word “Son”. As the word expresses the thoughts of the mind and
shows what the mind has in the same manner, the incarnated Word of God expresses and
shows the mind of God to mankind. And as well as the image expresses what the person is
looking like, the same Christ represents the image of God. As the light of the sun shows its glory
and is from the same essence, the same Christ is the lighting image of the glory of God who
shows the glorious essence of God, but in flesh so that we can bear His glory.

The Son is the person of the Trinity who expresses it. He is the way which God used to reveal
Himself to humanity in a tangible way. The Holy Spirit is the way (person) who reveals God to
the consciousness of man. No one can understand the outward revelation without the inward
work of the Holy Spirit, who guides us and satisfies our requirements of God and His divine
revelation. No one can say that Jesus Christ is Lord without the Holy Spirit. (I corinthians 12:3)

Why Christians believe in the Deity of Christ

1. He is from the beginning. (Jn 1:1)
2. He is eternal. (Rev 1:11)
3. He has created everything. (Col 1:16)
4. He is the forgiver of sins and no one can forgive sins but God. ( Lk 5:17-26)
5. He is Holy. (Heb 7:26)
The Koran shows that Christ has no sin, and he is the only one. And it admits the sins of
Muhammad.
6. He knows the secret things. (Mk 11:1-6; Lk 22:10-12; Jn 1:47-49; Jn 4:18)
7. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. (Jn 3:13; Math 18:20; 28:20)
8. He has authority over nature. (Lk 8:22-25)
9. He has resurrected the dead. (Jn 11:43-44)
Muslims believe this.
10. He accepts worship from men. (Jn 9:35-38; Lk 24:50-52)
11. He claims that He is divine. (Jn 10:30; 14:11; *:58)
12. His disciples claim His divinity in their writings. (Jn 5:20; Jn 20:26-28; 1 Tim 3:16)
13. Because of what the prophets said about Him. They prophecy on every part of His life. ( Is
9:6; Micha 5:2)
14. He fulfilled His promise in sending the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father, to His disciples.
(Acts 2:1-4)

The advocate or the Paraclete which Jesus promised is not a prophet coming after Him. (The
Muslims believe that). But, the person of the Holy Spirit who changes the disciples after His
descent on them, from fear to great courage. He changes Peter from a coward in front of a
maiden before the crucifixion of Christ to a hero standing in front of the Jews telling them that
they crucified Christ, but God has resurrected Him. (Acts 2:22-24)

The signs of the descent and the coming of the Holy Spirit is clear in the Bible (Acts 2:1-4). One
of these signs was the speaking in tongues by the disciples of Christ. They spoke in tongues
they didn't know before. The Muslims and the Koran admit this, but they say that the reason was
for proclaiming the Gospel to the nations which the disciples did proclaim. And that way, by the
power of God.
 VII The Cross of Jesus Christ

For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified,
unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are
called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because of the
foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor 1:
22-25).

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye
have received, and wherein ye stand; for I delivered not you first of all that which I also received
unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures; And he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures
(1 Cor 15:1-4).

This is the Gospel which the disciples preached and the Christian Church preached from the
beginning. And after five hundred years of spreading this Gospel all around the world some one
dared to say this is wrong, or in a way he is saying that Christians are wrong in their religion.

And perhaps this idea is from the Jews who believed that Christ will live for ever. “We have
heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be
lifted up?” (Jn 12:34)

The historians tell us that at the time of Muhammad there was a heresy in Arabia which said that
Jesus Christ, who was able to change Himself from position to another, when his enemies came
to catch Him. He put His likeness on another man who was crucified instead of Him. But Christ
was taken up to Him, who sent Him, mocking His enemies.

The Koran came with the same version of this story, where it is written: “They declared: (The
Jews) ‘we have put to death the Messiah Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of Allah.’ They did
not kill Him, nor did they crucify Him, but they thought they did. Those that disagreed about Him
were in doubt concerning his death, for what they knew about it was sheer conjecture; they
were not sure that they had slain him. Allah lifted him up to His presence; He is might and wise.”
(Koran 4:157, 158)
The Muslim denial of Jesus physical death reflects the feeling that God could not have allowed
one of his prophets to have suffered in this way. God’s favor must be manifest. But Christians
see something profoundly important in Christ’s suffering Religion cannot just be a success story
it is shot through with tragedy and humility as well as with joy and confidence.

In the Apocryphal Gospel of John there is a strange story which shows also why the Muslims
rejected the cross of Jesus Christ.

The lighted cross you see is not a wooden cross which you will see when you come back to
earth. On that cross I was not the one which you hear now and you cannot see. They thought
me to be what I was not, for I was not in that time the one who was among the people before.

This is the reasons why the Muslims refuse to believe that Christ was crucified, and they explain
the matter of the cross in a different way most of them say that the one who was crucified was
not Christ but someone else, like his betrayer, the guard who was guarding Him in the house, or
one Jesus asked him to die in His place; and so Christ will give him to be in the paradise after.

But an authority on the Koran, Al Rayi, explains the matter by saying this:
1. If we could say that God will put the likeness of a man on another this will open the door for
sophistry. Opening this door, the beginning of it is sophistry and the end is doubting all the
prophets.
2. God who anointed Christ with His Spirit, was He unable to strengthen Him at the time of the
cross so He could escape? Was He (Jesus) who resurrected the dead, unable to protect
himself?
3. If God wanted to save Him by taking Him up to heaven, what was the benefit of putting His
likeness on someone else? Why did God want one to die instead of Christ for no meaning?
4. Putting the likeness of Christ on some one else is just to make confusion, and this is not the
wisdom of God.
5. The Christians in the East and the West, with all their love and loyalty to Christ they saw Him
dead. And if we deny that, we are doubting the tradition and that brings up to doubt the
prophecy of Jesus, Muhammad and all the prophets.
6. And if the one who was taken as he as Jesus, protests that he is not, the Christians will say
that, but because they did not, that shows the falsity of the story.

Why the Cross?

The cross of Christ is not for making a tragedy for the ending of a hero’s story. The Muslims
know that the Christian accept Christ as the Son of God, and even God the Son. So why do
Christians say that? Is it something to be proud of? The cross was a curse in the time of Christ
So; either the Christians are foolish, ridiculous, or they are saying the truth.

Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sin of the world, to save who so ever believes in Him. All
the Muslims know the story of the sacrifice of Abraham instead of his son. God gave the lame to
Abraham, so the lamb will die instead of his son (the Muslims say Ishmael). And when Jesus
came John the Baptist shouted and said ‘behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of
the world.” (Jn 1:29). This is the Lamb which God prepared for the redemption of the world, He
is the way the truth and the life.
 Conclusion
How to understand the Muslim

If you want to be a good witness to the Muslims you should simple assume that we as
Christians should seek to understand, what the Muslims believe and practice. And we have to
respect this person as seeker after God, and to have in mind that everyone in this world needs
to know Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why should we love the Muslims?

1. They are our neighbors directly or they are neighbors of many Christians in many countries
of the world, and Christ commanded us to love our neighbors (Mk 12:31)
2. God loves all mankind, including Muslims.
3. God sent his son Jesus to all the World including Muslims.

How should we behave with the Muslims when we witness to them?

A. Avoid the attitudes which cause quarrels. Do not aim at a debate which we are trying to
‘defeat’ the Muslim. Do not argue to prove yourself right and the Muslim wrong. Instead, you
should aim at a friendly discussion in which Christian and Muslim show a sincere interest in
each other. Then in this kindly way you will seek to bear witness to what God has done for
the world in Christ.
B. Avoid the subjects which cause useless quarrels. Some Christians thought they could
‘preach the Gospel’ by attacking Muhammad, criticizing the Koran and condemning the
morals of Muslim society. This is quite the wrong approach. It hardens Muslims against your
message and provokes them to reply with criticisms of the Bible and of Christian society.
C. Avoid the places where quarreling is likely. It is risky to start a religious discussion in a noisy
public place. It is often much better to have a quiet chat with a few people in private. Here
are some principles of good teaching:
i. Understand people. Study Islam to understand the Muslims. Ask sincere questions and
listen to the answers.
 ii. Go from the known to the unknown. Start with the things Muslims already know about
then lead on from there. Do not normally start by speaking the things Muslims find offensive
(like the Trinity). When you do speak of these, show that you understand and sympathize with
the Muslim objections. Say that you want to put their minds at rest. Assure them that we do not
believe in three Gods, more in God physically begetting a son.
iii. Go step by step. Keep to one point at a time. If a Muslim mixes many subjects
together in his questions, choose the most useful subject; politely ask him to keep the
discussion on this one, and come to the others later or on another day.
iv. If you do not know, say so! The Christian witness need not pretend to be a know all. If
you are asked a question you cannot answer, say you will try to find out.

The above are some suggestions by experienced people in witnessing to Muslims. And I do not
think that every one could be a witness to the Muslims, but I think it is a special call of God to
some people, but even here, if you are not called to such a mistily you may show the Christian
life by living it and this is a very good testimony to Muslims because they what you cannot say
with your tongue you may show with your action and love.

Not all the Muslims are open to the Gospel, especially those who do not know what is Islam.
They young people, today are more open than ever before, and the young educated Muslims
are open today to speak and discuss with you if you can be open to them and listen to and
answer their questions. The young Muslims discover the emptiness of their religion and they are
looking for the real one. And who else, but Christ, can answer their need?