Looking ahead to a weekend which will involve Eid al-Fitr, the ninth anniversary of 9/11, and a Qur’an burning in Florida that is getting worldwide attention and nearly unanimous denouncement, what are some things that Christians could be doing on a one-to-one basis with American Muslims? Is it a time for prayer? Engagement?
Prayer in Islam is generally not meant to bring one’s self into direct personal contact or communion with Allah. Even when Muslims speak of prayer as communication with Allah they are never thinking that Allah will actually speak back to them. The communication is always one way. In the very small Sufi Muslim minority one can speak of meeting God. However
Spend even a short time around Muslims and you will become aware that they continually use the Arabic phrase "In sha Allah", which means "if God wills". While the Qur'an also lays great emphasis on the free choice and moral conduct of individuals and communities, popular Islamic thinking and practice are often very fatalistic.
While some Muslims know that Jesus is referred to as the Word of God in the Qur’an, the vast majority do not know what it means and even fewer realize that the same title is given to Jesus in the Bible.
The Caliph is the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, the worldwide Islamic community or nation which should ideally be ruled by the religious law, the Shari’ah. The word is derived from the Arabic word which means “successor” or “representative.” The early Caliphs in particular were seen as Mohammed’s successors.
Fatimah was apparently a good influence, but her name is also associated with an occult object that has fairly negative influence in the Muslim world. This so-called “Hand of Fatimah” is used by Muslims in amulets, charms and jewelry to ward off evil spiritual influences.
Most Muslims believe that death by crucifixion was not a worthy death for a good prophet like Jesus. Based on the Qur’anic passage cited above, the majority of Muslims in our day say that Jesus never went to the cross. It is commonly thought that He was taken up into heaven without dying and that someone else died on the cross in His place.
One very real difference between accepted Western and Islamic cultural norms can be found in simple conversation. In many Islamic societies a man is not permitted to inquire about the another man’s wife in direct conversation.
Muslims generally believe that Mohammed is a descendant of Abraham and Ishmael. His grandfather was the guardian of the Kaaba in Mecca (photos above). Mohammed had more than ten wives and concubines after Khadijah’s death (without any other natural offspring). Three other "daughters" lived in Khadijah’s household with Mohammed. Apparently they were from a previous marriage of Khadijah or possibly they were her sister’s children. It is impossible to be certain.
For a former Muslim, becoming a believer in the Messiah is more than simply changing religion. In leaving Islam, the person has left his identity. The consequences of this choice are terrible: new believers are often rejected by other Muslims, and their family, and sometimes they are forced to divorce and they lose their children.
