Going back to Muhammad, the two basic doctrines of Christian faith that Muslims attack most sharply are the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ. These doctrines are the core of Christian faith, and every non-Christian religion or philosophy seeks to overthrow them. Islam seems to pride itself on being a simple religion without the mysteries of the Christian faith.
The Five Basic Beliefs of Islam
The Qur’an states, “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets . . .” (Sura 2:177).
Belief in Allah
For Muslims Allah is the one true God. Along with Judaism and Christianity, Islam is considered one of the three great monotheistic religions. Because of this and their common Middle Eastern origins, it is frequently assumed that all three worship the same God. In fact, that is not the case, for the God of the Qur’an is not the God of the Bible.
In the Qur’an, Allah speaks in different voices, sometimes in the first person singular (I), elsewhere in the first person plural (We), and at times in the third person (He). Muslims speak of the many “We” references as a majestic form of communication and not as any indication of a plurality within the Godhead. Islam strongly condemns the doctrine of any plurality within God and so completely rejects the Trinity. In uniting human nature with God, Christians are guilty of the greatest sin, shirk, the cardinal sin of associating something with God in worship: “Certainly they disbelieve who say: Surely Allah, He is the Messiah, son of Marium; and the Messiah said: O children of Israel! Serve Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Surely whoever associates (others) with Allah, then Allah has forbidden to him the garden, and his abode is the fire” (Sura 5:72)
According to Muslim tradition, there are ninety-nine names for God. Known as the “best” or “most beautiful” names (Sura 7:180), some of these names describe his essence and some his qualities. Among other things, he is referred to as: the Eternal (Sura 112:2), the Gracious (Sura 42:19), the King (Sura 59:23), the Slayer (15:23), the First and the Last (Sura 57:3). Some of the titles are reminiscent of names the Bible ascribes to God, but one biblical name is conspicuous by its absence: “God is love” (1 John 4:16).
An important attribute of Allah is his will. He is completely free to do as he pleases. The meaning of Islam is submission to Allah’s will. One of the most common expressions on the streets of Arabic-speaking communities is enshaalah, if Allah wills.
Belief in the Last Day
The Qur’an says much about the judgment and about heaven and hell. The Qur’an’s poetic-prose seems to be at its most expressive when describing the day of judgment: “When the Trumpet is blown with a single blast, and the earth and mountains are lifted and crushed with a single blow. On that Day shall befall what shall come to pass, and the sky shall be split, for on that day it shall be frail” (Sura 69:13).
People will receive a book recounting their good and bad deeds. Those whose book has more good will enter heaven: “Then he who is given a book in his right hand shall say, ‘Here read my book; surely I believed and I would encounter my reckoning.’ So shall they be in pleasant life in a sublime garden, its clustered fruits nigh. ‘Now eat and drink with pleasure, for what you did in days gone by’” (Sura 69:19-24). Among the many delights of paradise are the houris, the female companions of the saved: “They will recline (with ease) on thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes” (Sura 52:20).
As for the unbelievers, their fate is expressed in the harshest terms: “But he who is given his book in the left hand shall say, ‘Would I was not given my book, and never knew my account! Would death had been the end; my wealth avails me naught, my power is perished.’ Take him and fetter him, then roast him in Hell! Then in chain of seventy cubits’ length insert him!” (Sura 69:25-32) According to this, unbelievers are chained to one another at intervals of about 100 feet.
Both the Bible and the Qur’an teach the reality of judgment, heaven, and hell. But the similarity ends there. The Qur’an does not agree with the biblical teaching that we are conceived and born in sin (Psalm 51:5). It also has a different concept of forgiveness. In Islam, forgiveness is not God’s undeserved gift through Jesus Christ, but it is something to be earned. Forgiveness is not a gift but a reward: “For [the saved] the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens with rivers flowing underneath, an eternal dwelling: how excellent a recompense for those who work (and strive)!” (Sura 3:136)
Belief in Angels
As in the Bible, the angels of Islam are spiritual, non-corporeal beings. They were created from light and serve and praise God, often as his messengers. Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. In mentioning Michael along with Gabriel, the Qur’an names the same two angels that the Bible names. In addition, the Qur’an names other angels not mentioned in the Bible.
The Qur’an also speaks of the fallen angel, the devil or Satan (Iblis). In the Qur’anic account, however, he did not fall because of direct disobedience to God. Rather, when God created the first man, the angels were commanded to bow down and worship the man: “. . . And when I have fashioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down before him prostrate, the angels fell down prostrate, every one. Saving Iblis; he was scornful and became one of the disbelievers” (Sura 38:73-75).
Along with the angels, the Qur’an and Muslim tradition say much about the jinn, more invisible creatures, who, like Satan, were created from flames, and who are able to assume various forms. Some of the jinn are evil and some good; the good ones will go to heaven. Belief in the jinn was already widespread among the Arabs before the time of Muhammad. There are many stories about the jinn, or, as we call them, the genies.
Belief in the Holy Books
Muslims believe in four holy books. These include the Qur’an and three portions of the Bible: the Pentateuch or Law (Tawrat) of Moses, the Psalms (Zabur) of David, and the Gospel (Injil) of Jesus: “O believers, believe in God and His Messenger and the Book He has sent down on His Messenger and the Book which He sent down before” (Sura 4:135). Here Muhammad clearly refers to the Bible and calls on people to believe.
As “people of the book,” Jews and Christians are repeatedly called upon to pay attention to their scriptures: “But had the People of the Book believed and been godfearing, We would have acquitted them of their evil deeds, and admitted them to Gardens of Bliss. Had they performed the Torah and the gospel, and what was sent down to them from their Lord, they would have eaten both what was above them, and what was beneath their feet” (Sura 5:70ff). In other words, if the people of the book would have listened to the Scriptures, they would have been blessed.
Yet the Qur’an consistently contradicts the Bible. In spite of numerous allusions to the Bible, the Qur’an does not quote it directly; and although the Bible is considered a holy book, Muslims spend a great deal of time attacking it. This is in marked contrast to how the New Testament treats the Old. The New Testament contains hundreds of references and direct quotations from the Old, always with a deep sense of reverence. For Jesus and the early Christians, the Old Testament was reliable and authoritative.
Islam resolves this discrepancy by asserting that the present form of the biblical books is corrupted (tahrif), either in the written manuscripts or in the interpretation (people today might call it “spin”) that Jews and Christians apply to them. Only the Qur’an is perfect, and where the previous revelations differ from it, they are in error.
Belief in Prophets
According to the Qur’an, Allah reveals his will through the prophets. Islam recognizes between 25 and 29 prophets. Many of these people are from the Bible, such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, and Solomon. Concerning Jesus, the Qur’an says: “Christ the son of Mary was no other than a Messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him” (Sura 5:75).
Of the prophets, five or six are considered the most important: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad; at times, Adam is included in the list. The purpose of the prophets is to convey Allah’s will to the people. For Muslims, Muhammad is the final prophet. As the last prophet, he bears the title the Seal of the Prophets.
The Hadith (traditions)
Second to the Qur’an as the source of Muslim belief and practice are the Hadith. The Arabic word means speech, report, or tradition. The hadith are the records of the sayings and deeds of the prophet and his companions. While all Muslims accept the authority of the Qur’an, there is much dispute about the hadith. The controversy arises over which of the many thousands of hadith are truly authentic. Nevertheless, for many Muslims, the hadith traditions have taken on an authority that challenges the Qur’an itself.
qiyas (analogy)
In addition to the Qur’an and hadith, many Muslims look to two other sources of authority. One is qiyas, which means “analogy”; it is the principle by which Muslim laws are applied to situations not explicitly covered by these two sources.
ijma’ (consensus)
The second is ijma’, which means “consensus,” usually understood as that of the legal scholars concerning a point of law; it can also mean the consensus of the community. Two doctrines established by popular consensus are the sinlessness of the prophets and the veneration of saints, neither of which is found in the Qur’an or hadith.
ra’y (reasoning)
Finally, when all other sources have been exhausted, there is ra’y, human reasoning used as a source of law; this comes down to the opinion of the individual Muslim jurist. Fundamentalist sects reject these sources and insist that the Qur’an alone is the source of authority.
In reviewing Muslim beliefs, it is clear that rather than complementing the Bible, Islam contradicts it. Luther summed it up:
- Mohammed highly exalts and praises himself and boasts that he has talked with God and the angels, and that since Christ’s office is now complete, he has been commanded to bring the world to his faith, and if the world is not willing, to compel it or punish it with the sword . . . the Turks think that their Muhammad is much higher and greater than Christ, for the office of Christ has come to an end and Mohammed’s office is still in force . . . instead of Christ only Mohammed with his doctrine of works and especially the sword is left. That is the chief doctrine of the Turkish faith in which all abominations, all errors, all devils are piled in one heap.
Even an introductory look at basic Muslim beliefs evidences the vast gulf between them and Christian doctrine.
______
Further reading: Speaking The Truth In Love To Muslims (pages 71-86)
(discussion questions: pages 179-191)
Comment and Discuss
Vote and Rate
Track Changes
Advanced Search