Islam

 

a3ath

 

 

Right at the outset, I want to say that this is not a mean-spirited attack on Muslims. This is an examination or comparison of what Islam teaches side by side with what the Bible teaches. I pray it would be helpful to those who desire to share the truth in love with their Islam friends and eye-opening to Muslims who may have not seriously considered these issues previously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Islam is a religious system begun in the seventh century by Muhammad. In the seventh century, Muhammad claimed the angel Gabriel visited him. During these angelic visitations, which continued for about 23 years until Muhammad's death, the angel purportedly revealed to Muhammad the words of Allah (the Arabic word for “God” used by Muslims). These dictated revelations compose the Qur'an, Islam's holy book. Islam means “submission,” deriving from a root word that means “peace.” The word Muslim means “one who submits to Allah.”

 

 

 

 

Islam involves both:

1. Beliefs - The Five Doctrines of Islam
2. Obligations - The Five Pillars of Faith

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

The Five Doctrines of Islam:

"The Koran teaches that “but righteous is the one who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Book and the prophets. (Sura 2:177)

 

1. Monotheism. There is but only one true God and his name is Allah. Allah is absolute unity. He is not part of a Trinity and He does not have a Son. Allah is all-seeing, all-knowing, all-hearing, all-speaking, all-powerful, and all-willing. You might have heard a Muslim state “If Allah wills”, “Praise Allah”, “Glory to Allah” or “Thanks be to Allah.”

2. Angels. Muslims believe that there is a hierarchy of angels with Gabriel, the angel who delivered the revelations to Muhammad chief among them (Sura 2:97). Muslims believe that two angels are “attached” or “follow” every human being and record every good deed and bad deed (Sura 50:17) which will then be brought forth at the judgment.

3. Holy Books. The Koran is the infallible, inerrant scripture revealed to Muhammad from Gabriel. The Torah of Moses, the Psalms and the Gospels are considered inspired but have become corrupt.

 

4. Prophets. There allegedly have been 124,000 prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus but Muhammad was the latest and greatest prophet.

 

5. Judgment. At the Day of Judgment, Allah will weigh a person’s good deeds and their bad deeds and depending on how well they do, they will end up in either paradise or hell.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Five Pillars of Faith:

 

1. The Great Confession. “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah,” otherwise known as the shahada or the great confession and is whispered into a person’s ear at birth and if possible at death. (Sura 2:255; 3:18; 3:81, 3:144; 4:87; 5:83-84; 7:172; 33:40; 48:29; 64:8)

 

2. Prayers. Prayers known as salahs, are done five times a day each time with a physical posture of standing, kneeling, hands and face to the ground, and so on. The call to prayer is sounded by a Muslim crier or muezzin, from a tower called a minaret. (Sura 2:3, 177; 11:114; 17:78; 20:14, 130; 30:17-18)

 

3. Giving Alms. Muslims are required to give 2 ½ percent of their currency as well as giving of possessions for the cause of Islam. (Sura 24:56, 57:18)

 

4. Fasting at Ramadan. The fasting of the month of Ramadan is done to commemorate the first revelations of the Koran given to Muhammad in AD 610. Serious Muslims fast during the day and are allowed to eat at sundown for the entire month. (Sura 2:183-185)

 

5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage to Mecca, Islam’s most holy city, is required at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime if they are physically and financially able. This pilgrimage or hajj to Mecca is considered meritorious and greatly enhances one’s chances for salvation. (Sura 2:196-201; 3:97; 22:26-29)

  

 

 

 

 

  A Jihad, or often translated Holy War can be considered one of the Pillars of Faith. A Jihad can be interpreted as an internal struggle, a struggle within oneself or a spiritual struggle, or it can be considered as an external struggle or defending Islam. Muslims popularly refer to Jihad in four expressions:15

 

 

◦ Jihad of the Tongue: Speaking about their faith
◦ Jihad of the Hand: Expressing their faith in good works
◦ Jihad of the Heart: Making their faith a force of good
◦ Jihad of the Sword: Defending their faith when under attack

 

 

 

 

The “Greater” Jihad is considered to be the internal struggle a Muslim has to be a true believer and follower. (Sura 22:78; 49:15)

 

 

 

While the “Lesser” Jihad is traditionally what is called the “Holy War” and launched against the enemies of Allah and Islam. (Sura 2:244; 47:4; 9:5; 9:29)

 

 

 aISIS-persecution of Christians

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Some of the differences between Muhammad and Jesus:

 

 

◦ The Koran (and the Bible) speak of Jesus as being sinless, there are no such claims for Muhammad but rather the Koran speaks of Muhammad’s need to ask for forgiveness  (Suras 40:55; 48:2).

 

 

 

 

◦ Muhammad allowed his armies to attack tribes that would not submit to his teachings and rule, killing or subduing them. He would then allow his men to take the goods  as long he was given one-fifth of everything while Jesus sent out the twelve to preach repentance, cast out demons, anoint and heal the sick (Mark 6:12-13).

 

 

 

 

◦ Muhammad taught revenge (Sura 2:194), while Jesus taught us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

 

 

 

 

 

◦ Muhammad was known as the “prophet of the sword” and urged the use of it (Sura 8:65), while Jesus forbade the use of the sword (Matthew 26:52) and taught forgiveness (Matthew 5:38-39).

 

 

 

 

 

◦ Muhammad did not know his eternal destiny (Hadith 5.266), while Jesus was going back to be with the Father and prepare a place for those who are His (John 14:2-3).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Jesus stands out over Muhammad because…

 



  

  

 

 

Jesus is the Savior:

◦ In Isaiah 43:11 God says, “I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.”

 

Luke 2:11 says, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

 

Titus 2:13 says “we should [be]…looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus is the Creator:

◦ God says in Isaiah 44:24, “I, the LORD am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself, and spreading out earth all alone.”

 

• In Colossians 1:12 we read of Jesus, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus Accepted Worship:

The word “worshiped” [Greek: proskuneo] is the same word used in the Gospel accounts that is used when God the Father is “worshiped” and Jesus always accepted such worship as completely appropriate.

 

◦ Jesus accepted worship from Thomas – John 20:28

◦ All the angels are told to worship Jesus – Hebrews 1:6

◦ The wise men worshiped Jesus – Matthew 2:11

◦ A leper worshiped Jesus – Matthew 8:2

◦ A ruler bowed down before Jesus to worship Him – Matthew 9:18

◦ A blind man worshiped Jesus – John 9:38

◦ A woman worshiped Jesus – Matthew 15:25

◦ Mary Magdalene worshiped Jesus – Matthew 28:9

◦ The disciples worshiped Jesus – Matthew 28:17

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Muslims have a high respect for Jesus and will maintain His sinlessness and that He was “the Messiah”, “a good Prophet”, “a spirit from Allah”, “the Word of Allah” and a “miracle worker” but not God incarnate.

 

 

The Bible makes it PERFECTLY clear in John 10:33 that the Jews KNEW Jesus claimed to be GOD!

 

 

◦ “The Jews answered [Jesus], saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, because You, being a man, make Yourself God.’”

 

 

 

 



 
The bottom line is that Muhammad was a man, a man who shed blood for the furtherance of Islam...while Jesus is the “fullness of the Godhead” (Colossians 2:9), who shed His own blood so that those who believe in Him would have eternal life (John 3:16).

 



 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Who they claimed to be:

• Muhammad – The Final Prophet
 Sura 33:40 says, “Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal [the last part] of the prophets.”

 

• Jesus – The Son of God
 Matthew 26:63-64 says, “And the high priest said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said.’”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knows the thoughts of men:

• Muhammad – Did not know the thoughts of men
Sura 11:31 says, “And I say not to you that I have the treasures of Allah; and I know not the unseen”

 

• Jesus – Knows the thoughts of men
 Matthew 9:4 says, “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why do you think evil in your hearts?’”
 Revelation 2:23 says, “and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Advocate with the Father:

• Muhammad – Not our Advocate with the Father
 Sura 9:80 says, “Ask forgiveness for them or ask not for them. Even if you ask forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will not forgive them. This is because they disbelieve in Allah and His Messenger. And Allah guides not the transgressing people.”

 

• Jesus – Our Advocate with the Father
 1 John 2:1-2 says, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only but also for the whole world.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Relationship to God:

• Muhammad – A “Servant” to Allah
 Sura 2:23 says, And if there is anything that perturbs your mind or makes you skeptical about (the truth and authenticity of) what We have revealed to our Servant (Muhammad), then produce a single Sura which is like this”

 

• Jesus – One with the Father
 John 10:30 says “I and My Father are one.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performed Miracles:

• Muhammad – Did not perform miracles
 Sura 29:50-51 says, “And they say: Why are not signs sent down upon him from his Lord? Say: Signs are with Allah only, and I am only a plain warner.”

 

• Jesus – Performed miracles
Matthew 15:30 says, “great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgiveness or Revenge:

• Muhammad - Taught revenge
 Sura 2:194 says, “The sacred month for the sacred month, and retaliation is allowed in sacred things. Whoever then acts aggressively against you, inflict injury on him according to the injury he has inflicted on you.”

 

• Jesus – Taught forgiveness
 Matthew 5:38-39 says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your cheek, turn the other to him also.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sinless or Sinful:

• Muhammad – A sinful man
Sura 47:19 – “So know that there is no god but Allah and ask protection for thy sin and for the believing men and the believing women.”

 

• Jesus – Was sinless
 1 Peter 2:22 speaking of Christ says, “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Healed the Blind:

• Muhammad – Turned away from the blind
 Sura 80:1-2 says, “He frowned and turned away, because the blind man came to him.”

 

• Jesus – Healed the blind
 Luke 18:35-43 says, “a certain blind man sat by the road begging…Jesus said, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, that I may receive my sight.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight…’ And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taught Monogamy or Polygamy:

• Muhammad – Taught and practiced polygamy
 Sura 4:3 says, “And if you fear that you cannot do justice to orphans, marry such women as seem good to you, two, or three, or four”

 

• Jesus – Taught monogamy
Matthew 19:5-6 says, “[Jesus answered], and said ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (singular)…So then, they are no longer two but one flesh.’”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saves or Destroys Lives:

• Muhammad – Called to destroy peoples lives
 Sura 48:16 "Say to the sedentary Arabs who stay behind, "You will be invited to face powerful people and to fight them, unless they submit. If you obey, GOD will reward you with a generous recompense. But if you turn away again, as you did in the past, He will requite you with a painful retribution."

 

• Jesus – Came to save lives
Luke 9:56 says, “For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forced or Free to Accept Their Message:

• Muhammad – Forced people to accept his message
Sura 9:29 says, “Fight those who believe not in Allah, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, not follow the Religion of Truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgement of superiority and they are in a state of subjection.”

 

• Jesus – People are free to accept Jesus’ message or not
 Luke 10:10-11 says, “But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Followers will Live or Die:

• Muhammad – Died and his followers will die
 Sura 39:30 says, “You (Muhammad) will surely die, just like they will die.”

 

• Jesus – Is the life and His followers will live
 John 11:25 says, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.’”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching Superiority of Men over Women:

• Muhammad – Taught men are superior over women
Sura 4:34 says, “Men are superior to women on account of the qualities with which God hath gifted the one above the other”

 

• Jesus – Taught all are created equal in God’s sight
 Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek…slave nor free…male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Called People to Themselves:

• Muhammad – Was reproved or admonished for sending people away
 Sura 6:52 says, “And do not dismiss those who implore their Lord day and night, devoting themselves to Him alone. You are not responsible for their reckoning, nor are they responsible for your reckoning. If you dismiss them, you will be a transgressor.”

 

• Jesus – Called people to come to Him
 Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 



 

 Allah vs. God of the Bible

 



 

 

 

 

 

Allah is not a personal god:

 As Islam scholar Jamal J. Elias points out, “Human Beings can know God through his attributes (such as mercy, justice, compassion, wrath, and so on), but the ultimate essence of God remains unknowable.” There is no personal fellowship to the Allah of the Quran. The main emphasis in Islam is not personal fellowship with God, but rather service, obedience and allegiance to him. There is no concept of God as father at all.8 In other words, Allah does not personally manifest himself to those he is “close” to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allah does not love sinners:

 “And Allah loves not an ungrateful sinner.” (Sura 2:276)

◦ “Allah surely loves not the disbelievers.” (Sura 3:32)

“Surely Allah loves not such as are proud, boastful.” (Sura 4:36)

◦ “Surely He [Allah] loves not the prodigals.” (Sura 6:141)

The concept that Allah does not love sinners is repeated twenty-four times in the Koran.9

 

(This is quite different from the God of the Bible. Over and over again, we read of God’s personal message of love, salvation and grace to mankind.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Christian God is personal and knowable:

 

 John 17:3 says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

 

◦ In Eph. 1:5, we are also adopted into the family of God, “having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself”

  

Romans 8:15 says, “but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” 

(Abba is an informal Aramaic term for Father, connoting intimacy, tenderness, dependence… Modern English equivalents would be Daddy, or Papa)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God sent Jesus to die for All the World:

 

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

 

 

1 John 4:19 says, “We love Him because He first loved us.

 

 

This of course means that God loved us before we even came to Him, while we were still sinners.
The God of the Bible offers mankind a loving and personal relationship where we are adopted into the family of God and can call Him “Abba, Father or Daddy.”
Islam is not about a personal relationship and fellowship with God but service, submission and allegiance to Allah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

  

 

 

 

 Koran vs. Bible

 

(Here are a few of many differences between the Koran and the Bible)

 

 

 

The Koran teaches that Jesus was no more than a messenger (Sura 5:75) but the Bible teaches that Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:1-3).

 

 

 

 

 

The Koran teaches that salvation is attained through good works (Sura 18:107, 110; 23:102-103) but the Bible teaches that it’s by faith alone through grace alone ( Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) with no works in sight.

 

 

 

 

 

The Koran teaches that Jesus was not crucified or even killed (Sura 4:157) while the Bible teaches that Jesus was crucified (Matthew 27:35) and rose on the third day.

 

 

 

 

 

The previous examples, as well as others, show the differences between the Bible and the Koran. How can these differences be since God never changes and does not lie so He could not have given us both the Bible and the Koran:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 Here is a question for my Muslim friends to consider.

 

 Who was Jesus?

 

If Jesus was only a good man and a prophet how could He teach that He was the only way to God (John 14:6), He was equal with God (John 5:18), that He takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and salvation is found in no other (Acts 4:12)?

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 Resurrection of Jesus

 

Islam teaches that Jesus was not crucified, but was taken into heaven by Allah and thus He could not have been resurrected from the dead on the third day as the Bible teaches.

 

 

 

The Koran confirms this teaching that Jesus did not die by crucifixion:

 

 

 

And for their saying [in boast]: We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah, and they killed him not, nor did they cause his death on the cross, but he was made to appear to them as such. And certainly those who differ therein are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge about it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for certain.” (Sura 4:157)

 

 

 

So, who was crucified on the cross if it wasn’t Jesus? Muslims offer a variety of different views on who was crucified.

 

 

 

◦ One view is that the Roman soldiers seized the wrong Jesus. They argue that the man that was seized was Barabbas (tradition says that his name was also Jesus) – and they actually crucified him.

 

 

 

◦ Another popular theory is that it was Judas who was crucified on the cross. In this theory Judas was crucified after he betrayed Jesus. Allah supposedly turned Judas into a Jesus look alike and then Judas was nailed to the cross.

 

 

 

• Abdul-Haqq says, “The shape of Jesus was put on Judas who had pointed him out, and they crucified him instead, supposing that he was Jesus. After three hours God took Jesus to Himself and raised him up to Heaven.”16

 

 

• There are about three different versions of the Judas theories in all.

 

 

 

• Yet another theory is the “swoon” theory. This theory states that it was Jesus on the cross but that he didn’t actually die, he merely “swooned” or passed out and was mistaken for dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

  

 

 

Jesus was crucified:

 

 

There are many predictions and prophecies in the Old Testament that Jesus Christ would die (Isaiah 53:5-10; Psalm 22:16; Daniel 9:26; Zechariah 12:10).

 

 

 

◦ There are also many predictions and prophecies that Jesus would be resurrected and of course Jesus had to have died in order for Him to be resurrected (Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; John 2:19-21; Matthew 12:40; 17:22-23).

 

 

 

Jesus spoke often of the fact that he had to die for the sins of the world (John 2:19-21; 10:10-11; Matthew 12:40; Mark 8:31). 

 

 

 

Jesus’ mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and the “disciple whom He loved” were witnesses to his crucifixion (John 19:25-27).

 

 

 

 Jesus was scourged, which was enough to kill a man, beaten and a thorn of crowns twisted onto his head. He was then nailed to a cross. The wounds would have been gaping; bleeding holes that would have produced huge amounts of blood loss. He was then stabbed in the side with a spear that produced “blood and water” (John 19:34). This form of torture yields a 100% non-survival rate.

 

 

 

According to Luke 23:46-49, at this point Jesus gave up His spirit, in other words, He died.

 

 

 

Pilate sent a Roman centurion to ensure Jesus was dead (Mark 15:44-45). This man would have been fully acquainted with death and what it looked like.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The resurrection of Jesus Christ.

 

 

After three days in the tomb, Jesus Christ was resurrected according to Scripture (Matthew 28:6; Acts 17:18; Romans 6:5) as well as His own predictions in John 11:25 “I am the resurrection and the life”

 

 

 

John 20:1 tells us that it was Mary Magdalene who Jesus first appeared to, which is highly significant as Ron Rhodes explains: “If the resurrection story was a fabrication by the disciples, no one in the first-century Jewish culture would have invented it this way. The fact is that in Jewish law a woman’s testimony was unacceptable in any court of law except in a very few circumstances. A fabricator would have been much more likely to place Peter or one of the other male disciples at the resurrection tomb.”19

 

 

 

The risen Jesus then appeared that evening to the disciples gathered in a locked room (John 20:19). He showed them the wounds in His feet and side for the purpose that it was His same body (John 20:20).

 

 

 

 

• As the days passed, Jesus showed Himself proving that He did indeed rise from the dead. Acts 1:3 says, “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during the forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

 

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 15:6-8 confirms even more sightings of the risen Lord, “After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep [died]. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.”

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

It’s well documented that the disciples went on to change the world and most were martyred for their faith all for the sake of an elaborate lie as Islam would have us believe. While it’s true that people will die for a lie, it’s inconceivable that people will die for what they know is a lie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Here’s just a few of the deaths of the apostles for preaching Jesus.

 

 

 Peter was crucified after being forced to watch the crucifixion of his wife.

 

 Andrew was crucified on an X shaped cross.

 

 James is the only apostle whose death is actually recorded for us in Scripture (Acts 12:1-3).

 

 Phillip was stoned to death by most accounts in Asia Minor.

 

Thomas is said to be buried in India after being killed by a spear for spreading the gospel.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions for my Muslim friend:

 

If you were a disciple of Christ and had known that He really didn’t die, would you have suffered terrible persecution and been martyred for a lie? Would you allow your wife to die for that lie?  If Paul had lied in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that over five hundred people saw the resurrected Jesus, why didn’t any step up to say he was lying?

  

 

 

 

 How could Jesus, with the scourging and beatings, spikes in the hands and feet, pierced with a spear, placed in a tomb, shed the encased gummy spices covering that weighed “about a hundred pounds” – John 19:39, roll away a stone that was undoubtedly quite a few hundred plus pounds, over power elite Roman guards and walk away on feet that had spikes driven through them just three days earlier? Luke 24:46-47 reads, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin and Salvation in Islam

 

According to Islam, Adam did sin in the garden and was expelled but he did not suddenly gain a “sin nature.” Adam repented of the minor “slip-up” and it was quickly forgotten. The matter affected no one but Adam. Because of this belief, Muslims deny the Christian doctrine of original sin that was caused by the fall of Adam as indicated by the following quotes.

 

 

 “There is no single act which has warped the human will.”21

 

 

 

◦ “People are born innocent and remain so until each makes him or herself guilty by a guilty deed. Islam does not believe in ‘original sin’ and its Scripture interprets Adam’s disobedience as his own personal misdeed – a misdeed for which he repented and which God forgave.”23

 

 

 

 

This Muslim concept that humans are “born pure or born innocent” is called fitrah. Islam does believe in sin, but they believe that people commit sins because they are weak (Sura 4:28), not because of a fallen sin nature. Since human sinfulness is caused by human weaknesses, Muslims believe that through their own strength, they can free themselves by choosing to follow Allah thus a provision for sin and spiritual death becomes absolutely unnecessary. Thus, Islam is a religion of works. Salvation is achieved through surrendering completely to Allah. The Koran says:

 

 

 

 In the day of judgment, they whose balances shall be heavy with good works, shall be happy; but they, whose balances shall be light, are those who shall lose their souls, and shall remain in hell forever. (Sura 12:102,103) As seen in the previous quotes, salvation is based on one’s own merit and then hoping that the scale tips just enough in your favor to merit Allah’s mercy.

 

 

 

 

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There is no assurance of salvation since Muslims can never really be sure that they have done enough. Many Muslims will “recite extra prayers, observe extra feasts, make more gifts to charity, repeat the 99 most beautiful names of Allah, go on pilgrimages not just to Mecca but to other Muslim places as well, and perform other good works – all in order to gain merit before Allah.”24 There is one exception to the “no assurance of salvation” rule and that is if one dies in service to Allah, whether this person is good or bad, he is automatically guaranteed a place in paradise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 What the Bible says about sin and salvation

 

While the Muslim view is that Adam’s sin only affected himself, the Bible makes it clear that the fall in the Garden of Eden had universal implications of spiritual death to all mankind. While the Bible talks about Physical death as the soul being separated from the body, it also talks about a Spiritual death and it means a “separation from God.” When Adam and Eve took of the fruit of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in Genesis 2:13; 3:6, they died spiritually. In other words, they had broken from God in a spiritual sense.

 

 

 

 

 

We see this when God called for Adam, “Where are you?” in Genesis 3:9 From that moment of separation on, we were “dead in our trespasses and sin” according to Ephesians 2:1 The Bible teaches that not just Adam suffered from this “minor slip-up” but the whole of mankind.  In Romans 5:12, the apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”  And again in Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s [Jesus] obedience many will be made righteous.” Paul again reiterates in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, “For since by man came death…in Adam all die”  In Psalm 51:5, David echoed this truth, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Even the LORD God in Genesis 8:21 said about man that, “every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin is universal, ramped and everywhere. Just look at the news. Man is not getting better, he’s getting worse. Even though Muslims deny the doctrine of original sin, even the Koran speaks of man’s sin problem.

 

◦“surely (man’s) self is wont to command evil” (Sura 12:53)

◦ “Surely man is very unjust, very ungrateful.” (Sura 14:34)

◦ “And if Allah were to destroy men for their iniquity, He would not leave therein a single creature.” (Sura 16:61)

◦ “Man doth transgress all bounds.” (Sura 96:6)

Since we’ve shown that the Bible and the Koran teach that man is sinful what can we do about it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

In John 6:29, the people asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you trust in Him whom He sent.’” The need for a perfect sacrifice or ransom for our sins is important. We can never pay the price for our sins no matter how hard we try. We will continually “fall short” or “miss the target” when we try to please God with our works.  Ecclesiastes 7:20 says, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” Isaiah 64:6 declares, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus Christ’s work  on the cross makes it possible for the forgiveness of sins for all who trust in Him for salvation as seen in the following verses. ◦ Hebrews 10:17-18 says, “‘Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.  Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Micah 7:19 says, “He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Psalm 103:11-12 says, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

While there is no certainty, no assurance for a Muslim’s salvation, there is for the Christian, and that is wonderful news!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life1 John 5:11-13  My hope is that confronted with these truths…it will lead you to the real Jesus of the Bible, to his provision for your condition, and to His Amazing Grace!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Resources used for this teaching and recommended reading material:

1. Reasoning from the Scriptures with Muslims, Ron Rhodes, Harvest House Publishers, ISBN 0736910107

2. Fast Facts on Islam, John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Harvest House Publishers, ISBN 0736910115

3. Correcting the Cults, Norman L. Geisler and Ron Rhodes, Baker Books, ISBN 080106550X

4. Islam, DVD Video with accompanying text by Charlie H. Campbell

5. What You Need to Know About Islam & Muslims, George W. Braswell Jr., BroadMan & Holman Publishers, ISBN 0805418296

6. Differences – The Bible and the Koran, by Ben J. Smith, Cumberland House Publishing, ISBN 1581823495

7. Answering Islam, Norman L. Geisler and Abdul Saleeb, Baker Book House, ISBN 0801064309

8. Jesus and Muhammad, Mark A. Gabriel, PhD., Charisma House, ISBN 1591852919

9. The School of Biblical Evangelism, by Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort, Bridge-Logos Publishers, ISBN 0882709682

10. The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English, Alfred Marshall, Zondervan Publishing House, ISBN 0310950708

11. From Jihad to Jesus: An Ex-Militant’s Journey of Faith, by Jerry Rassamni, AMG Publishers, ISBN 0899570917