Isla
Notes on
The
Five Pillars of
Islam The Duty of Reciting the Creed
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The Duty of Worship and Prayer
The Duty of Almsgiving
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 8
The Duty of Abstinence during Ramadan
The Duty of a Pilgrimage to Mecca
O
ur country is experiencing a new revival of interest in religious things. This new spiritual society will not be friendly toward Christianity. Islam is not friendly toward Christianity. That is because it knows nothing of the Gospel—it has no atonement by a savior, no forgiveness of sins. But our society is becoming friendly with Islam— September 11 notwithstanding. Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 A. D. In 610 he supposedly saw the angel Gabriel and was given a prophetic revelation.The holiest place was the Kaaba, a very ancient building which they say was built by Abraham and Ishmael. Muhammad’s prophetic utterances were later written in the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam.The word Qur’an means “recite”. Many Muslims can recite the entire Qur’an. Islam is monotheistic. Muslims will say, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Muslims believe that there were many prophets, such as Abraham and Moses and Jesus. They teach that Jesus did not die on the cross to take away our sins. He never rose from the dead. He was a prophet, but not the Son of God. Whenever a man claims to have received a new word from God, only one thing results—more law. Yet legalism is one thing about Islam which gives it an advantage over the Christian faith. It is doable. You pray toward Mecca five times a day. You go to the mosque once a week. You recite the Qur’an. The word Islam means “submission” and a Muslim is “one who submits” to the rule of Allah in obedience to his laws. Islam has spread widely. Today, it is the
second largest world religion with over a billion adherents. Muhammad went into his native city and began to preach. He met with persecution. Finally Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina. This escape, known as the Hejira, was to mark the turning point in the fortunes of Islam. The Muslim calendar marks its beginning from this event in 622 A.D. Within a short period of time, Muhammad gained many new converts. Essential to the teachings of Muhammad—and key to the spread of Islam—was the concept of jihad. Usually translated “holy war”, the term actually means “exertion” .The higher jihad is spiritual, the striving of the individual against sin.The lesser jihad is military action for the spread of Islam. Islam promises great reward and immediate entrance into paradise for men killed in battle for the faith. For example, here is a passage from the Qur’an,“This is the recompense of those who fight against God and His Messenger… they shall be slaughtered, or crucified, or their hands and feet shall alternately be struck off” (V.35). Compare that with the words of Jesus,“Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 7:44). Muhammad returned to Mecca with 10,000 followers in 630. He destroyed the idols in the temple, but himself worshiped Allah at the Kaaba. Then, in 632, Muhammad died unexpectedly. He left no successor, creating a power vacuum that has divided Islam to this day.The largest sect of Islam is the Sunni, a moderate faction.They believe that religious leaders should come from the descendants of Muhammad or his tribe.The second-largest group, the Shiites,
