STUDIES

IN
ISLAM
 ISLAMIC Symbols

Crescent moon & star

The symbol above pre-dates Islam by several

thousand years and the origins of the symbol is
unknown. Many Muslims reject using the crescent
moon as a symbol of Islam because some feel it is
essentially an ancient pagan icon.
Prayer Stance
Mosques
 Islam’s Expanding
Influence

INCREASING INTENSITY

• Islam is growing and

expanding
 Islam’s Expanding
Influence

INCREASING INTENSITY

• Islam is growing and expanding

• Population Growth
 Islam’s Expanding
Influence
INCREASING INTENSITY
• Islam is growing and
expanding
• Population Growth

1980 - about 18% of World Population

2000 - over 20% of World Population
(predicted growth)

2025 - over 30% of World Population

(Source: Samuel Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order)
 Islam’s
Expanding
Influence
INCREASING INTENSITY
• Islam is growing and
expanding
• Population Growth

INCREASING PROXIMITY
(closeness)
• Global Expansion
 Islam’s
Expanding
Influence
INCREASING INTENSITY
• Islam is growing and expanding
• Population Growth

INCREASING PROXIMITY
• Global Expansion
• Local Presence in the West
Five Beliefs
•God

•Angels

•Holy Books

•Prophets

•Day of Judgment
 The Five Pillars

1. Confession of Faith (Testimony)

• There is but one god

• Mohammed is greatest prophet
• Qu’ran is the only writings
Children are taught at young ages to sit
for hours and memorize Qu’ran
 The Five Pillars

1. Confession of Faith

3. Prayer

• 5 times per day; facing Mecca

SAUDI ARABIA
Why Mecca is so special to the
religion of Islam?

• Mecca is:

– Islam's holiest city

– The birthplace of the prophet

Muhammad, the founder of the
Islamic faith.
 The Great Mosque in
Mecca
• The Great Mosque which houses the
Kaaba and Zamzam Well is located
in the city.

• The Zamzam Well is believed to have

been the source of water for Hagar and
Ishmael when they were abandoned
in the desert by Abraham.
The Great Mosque
 The Five Pillars

1. Confession of Faith

3. Prayer

5. Tithe

• Give money generously to charity

 The Five Pillars
• Confession of Faith
• Prayer
• Tithe

• Fast
• Especially during the month of
Ramadan

• Ramadan is the ninth month of the

Islamic calendar.
 The Five Pillars
1. Confession of Faith
2. Prayer
3. Tithe
4. Fast

6. Pilgrimage

• The Holy Koran dictates that all Muslims

in good health with adequate finances
must make a pilgrimage (called the Hajj)
to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes.
 The Kaaba
During the pilgrimage to Mecca, which all
Muslims are required to make, the faithful
perform the tawaf, circling the Kaaba
seven times. Tradition says that when
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) arrived in
Mecca his enemies spread a rumor that
the Muslims were weakened by fever. The
Prophet therefore told his supporters to run
around the Kaaba for the first three times,
to show how strong they were, and the
custom is a part of the pilgrimage to this
day. At the end of their pilgrimage, the
faithful then perform another farewell tawaf
of the Kaaba. The Qur'an states; "It is the
duty of all men towards God to come to the
House a pilgrim, if he is able to make his
way there." (sura 3,97) The Kaaba is a
gray stone building 11 metres in height, is
the main shrine of Islam. Only Muslims are
permitted to enter it. The term Kaaba
(Arabic: 'cube') describes the shape of the
building. It is covered with a black veil of
silk and cotton, which is replaced by
draperies of white fabric during the
pilgrimage season. The Kaaba contains
the sacred Black Stone which, according
to tradition, was brought down to earth by
the Angel Gabriel. Even in pre-lslamic
times, the Kaaba in Mecca was an
important shrine.
The Zamzam Well
 About two million Muslims (from some 100
countries) make this religious journey each year.
 What Muslims Say
About Holy Books

•Qu’ran – preserved by Muslims

• Old Testament – corrupted

• New Testament – corrupted

 What Christians Say
About Holy Books

• Qu’ran – not scripture

• Old Testament – preserved by God

• New Testament – preserved by God

What Muslims Say
About Jesus

•Virgin birth
• Performed miracles
• Is a prophet of Islam
• Did not die
• Will return in the end times
• Is not God
 What Christians Say
About Jesus

•Virgin birth
• Performed miracles
• Is a prophet
• Died on a cross & was resurrected
• Will return in the end times
• Is God
• Is the second member of the Trinity
 John 1:1, 14
“In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God…And the
Word became flesh and dwelt
among us.”
 Philippians 2:6-
8
“Although Jesus existed in the form
of God, he did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped , but
emptied Himself, taking the form of
a bond-servant, and being made in
the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a
cross.”
 What Muslims Say
About Salvation
•People save themselves

• Exercise their will to do good

• Others may help through teaching

• Allah may help?

• Allah will judge good vs. bad deeds

 What Christians Say
About Salvation
• In Adam, we all became tainted by sin

• All have sinned and fallen short

• People cannot save themselves

• The Holy Spirit is our helper

• God is just and demands a payment for sin

• Christ died to pay the penalty for our sins

• We are saved by grace through faith alone

 Romans 3:10-12

“There is none righteous, not even

one; There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks for God;
All have turned aside, together
they have become useless. There is
none who does good; there is not even
one.”
 Titus 3:5

“He saved us, not on the basis of

deeds which we have done in
righteousness,
but according to His mercy.”
 1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one mediator
between God and Man, the man

Christ Jesus, who gave himself

as a ransom for all…”
 What Muslims Say
About Heaven and
Hell
• No one knows where they will go

• Select groups of special people go to

heaven

• God will judge good and bad deeds to

decide who gets into paradise

• No real need for divine justice

 What Christians Say
About Heaven and Hell
• Because of sin, no one deserves to go to
heaven

• God requires just payment for sin

• Those who trust in Jesus Christ’s

atonement for their sins will go to heaven
– He paid the ultimate price
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us therefore draw near
with confidence the throne of
grace that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in
time of need.”
 Isaiah 53:4-6
“Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our

transgressions, he was crushed for our
iniquities; The chastening for our well-being
fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we were healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray, each

of us has turned to his own way; But the
Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall
upon Him.”
 1 John 5:11-
12
“God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son. He who
has the Son has the life; he who
does not have the Son of God,
does not have the life.”
 How Should We
Respond to People
Who are Islamic?
1. Focus on similarities to build common
ground and understanding
3. Don’t argue; Instead engage in
respectful conversation about differences
5. Don’t attack Islam or be judgmental/self-
righteous, but humbly speak of the good
news of Jesus Christ.
4. Love them as God loves them
5. Pray for God’s truth to be revealed
 Romans 2: God's Righteous
Judgment
• You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass
judgment on someone else, for at whatever
point you judge the other, you are condemning
yourself, because you who pass judgment do
the same things.
• Now we know that God's judgment against
those who do such things is based on truth. So
when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them
and yet do the same things, do you think you
will escape God's judgment?
• Or do you show contempt for the riches of his
kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing
that God's kindness leads you toward
repentance?