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(On September 11, 2001 nineteen Muslims hijacked four American planes. Two planes struck the World Trade Towers causing the death of thousands. One plane hit the Pentagon and one crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The common thread of each hijacker was their extremist Muslim faith. Until that time most Americans knew little of this religion including myself. This article is the result of my study and understanding of Mohammad and the religion he fostered. D. T.) A Study of Islam In Genesis 23, Sarah the wife of Abraham, died and was buried in the cave of Mamre. Abraham married Keturah in Genesis 25 and had six children, Verses 2 and 3. Many Arabians claim to be descendants of Abraham. They see Israel as misguided relatives who simply need straightening out. Such does an injustice to the problems that have existed in this part of the world before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. One can read in the Bible of Israel battling those surrounding them. When Israel and Judah were conquered and the people displaced, the surrounding nations came into the land. This created friction when the remnant returned to Canaan. After the death of Jesus the gospel was preached to both Jew and Gentile but it did not end the persecution and hostility between the Jews and their neighbors. In 570 AD Mohammad was born in Mecca, Arabia. At the age of forty he claimed to be a prophet of God. He claimed the angel Gabriel came to him, (610 AD), to reveal to him the final revelation. For the next twenty three years he supposedly received many revelations. His purpose was to complete and perfect Judaism and Christianity. In 622 AD Mohammad and his followers were forced out of Mecca and went to Medina. Several times the Meccans attacked Medina. Despite being outnumbered, Mohammad and his people were able to beat them back. Eventually Mohammad and his people attacked and took control of Mecca. Followers of Mohammad refer to him as, "God’s Final Prophet," "The Prophet," or "The Messenger." While they claim to believe the Bible to be inspired they do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God but as a prophet of God. Mohammad is superior since he is the last prophet of God. After his death, Abu Bekr, took his sayings and compiled the Quran, or Koran. The reason the reason why his sayings were not written down earlier is because Mohammad was illiterate. The oldest copy of the Quran is dated 200 years after the death of Mohammad. Quran means "the recitation." Muslims call the Koran the "Final Testament," "The Book," "The Book of God," and "The Revelation." It consists of 114 surah (chapters) and 6236 ayat (verses). I doubt if we truly comprehend the size of the Muslim religion. Today there are over 1.4 billion followers of Mohammad. The majority are not Arabs (only 20 percent of Muslims originated from Arabian countries). It is the second largest religion in the United Kingdom. Current population trends in Europe say Muslims will be the largest group in the years ahead. They will be the second largest religious group in this country if the trend continues here. Islam is taken from the Arabian word, Salaam, which means peace. Muslim means "one who submits wholeheartedly to God." There are five pillars (some say 6) to their faith: First, there is only one God, Allah. The characteristics of "Allah" are such that one realizes we are not talking about Jehovah but a different god. One worshipping any other god is an infidel. There is no Son of God for this would make two Gods. Second, there are five daily prayers one must recite. Each has a particular name and there are body movements that one must make while reciting the prayer. Third, the giving of alms for the poor is required. A percentage is to be taken to help the less fortunate. Forth, one must fast from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan. The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle. Unlike the Jewish calendar which added in a thirteenth month to keep the seasons the same, the Islamic calendar stays with twelve months. Therefore, the month the Ramadan is not the same time each year. Fifth, every person that can afford to do so is expected to travel to Mecca at least once during their life. Jihad, "holy war" is added by some to be the sixth fundamental principle of Islam. They are to wage a holy war on all infidels. One must be careful when speaking of Muslims since there are different factions just as there are in "Christianity." Some claims the passages in the Koran, teaching all infidels must be killed, should be taken literally while others say figuratively. They like to equate their teaching to the Bible when God had groups of people killed. Unlike the Koran however God did not tell Israel to kill all except Jews. The New Testament tells us to teach our neighbor, not kill him if he refuses to convert. There are obvious contradictions between the Koran and the Bible. For instance, one of Noah’s sons drowned in the flood by refusing to enter the ark but going to a high mountain. The Bible says his sons entered the ark so all his family was saved, Genesis 7. Lot’s wife was supposed to have stayed in Sodom and Gomorrah instead of taken out by the angels, Genesis 19. Potiphar was outside the door when his wife tried to seduce Joseph, catching Joseph without his shirt on. The Bible says Potiphar was not in the house, Genesis 39. The teachings of Mohammad contradicts the Bible. Zacharias was silent for only three days according to the Quran where the Bible says it was for the pregnancy of John, Luke 1. Islam allows multiple wives where the Bible teaches one man for one woman, Genesis 2, Matthew 19. Man will be married the after life where Jesus said in heaven there will be no marriage. The Koran also contradicts itself. In one verse they are told to kill the pagans, in another verse they are told to no use compulsion to convert non-believers. One verse says Christ did not die while another says Christ did die. The Koran is another Gospel. When taken in context it is a violent religion. The supposed extremists are simply doing what they have been taught to do by their cleric. One reason they are resorting to violence is they can not stand the light of truth, the word of God. Paul spoke of his brethren having zeal for God but not according to knowledge. Unfortunately this describes the followers of Mohammad. D.T. |