Islam 101

By Dr. Adam S. Francisco

Most historians agree that, sometime in the early seventh century in what is now called Saudi Arabia, a man named Muhammad (570–632) laid the foundation for the religion of Islam. Despite its rather humble origins though, it quickly spread across Africa and Asia. Following Christianity, it is now the second largest religion in the world.

Muslims believe that Muhammad was more than an ordinary man. He was a messenger through whom God spoke His message to humanity. This message was recorded in a book called the Qur’ān, which Muslims believe is the very word of God.

One of the central themes of the Qur’ān is the reality of eternal life. Over and over again, it promises eternal life to those who believe and obey Allah (an Arabic term for God) and threatens those who do not with eternal damnation.

Beyond this, Muslims believe that there is only one God, whom they term Allah. They do not worship several different gods like other eastern religions. Instead, like Christianity, Islam is a monotheistic religion. However, don’t be misled to think that Muslims and Christians worship the same God.

Actually, it is clear from the Qur’ān itself that Allah is quite different than the God of Christianity. The biggest difference is that Allah does not and cannot have a son. In other words, Jesus is not in any way seen as the eternal Son of God. The Qur’ān considers the biblical teaching of Jesus’ divinity, and the doctrine of the Trinity as a whole, to be an outright abomination.

And yet, the Qur’ān does consider Jesus to be a prophet. It even teaches that He was born of the Virgin Mary. Still, Jesus is no more than a human being. In fact, the Qur’ān claims that at the final judgment, Jesus will return and condemn Christianity for claiming that He was both man and God.

This radical theological difference is equally matched by some of the differences in the narrative of Jesus’ life in the Qur’ān. Indeed, some very interesting stories about Jesus can be found in it. For example, Muslims claim that Jesus spoke to Mary immediately after He was born. Another story claims that He caused a clay replica of a bird to come to life. Most troubling of all, however, is the Qur’ān’s claim that Jesus was not crucified. Instead, and without explaining how, it teaches that someone was crucified in His place.

Despite the theological differences between Islam and Christianity—or Islam and any other religion—many believe that the Qur’ān teaches respect for and tolerance of non-Muslims. Some have gone so far as to suggest that Islam accepts and encourages religious pluralism. This is simply not true. The Qur’ān is quite clear on this issue. In Qur’ān 9:33, Muhammad was called to be a prophet, to spread the message of Islam, and cause it to rule over all other religions. This is still the mission of Islam today.

This should not frighten us. Rather, it should spur us into action. We must be prepared to respond to the challenge of Islam. Most importantly, even though Islam is fundamentally anti-Christian, we must not avoid our Muslim neighbors and friends. They, like all non-Christians, desperately need to hear the timeless yet historical and saving truth, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19).

Adam S. Francisco is Guest Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and can be contacted by e-mail at adam.francisco@ctsfw.edu.