Islam

Muslims believe that Muhammad was the final prophet sent by Allah (God). They believe that the Qur’an (Koran) was revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. Islam teaches that Jesus was one of the most respected prophets. They believe that he performed many miracles, was sinless and born of a virgin but they deny that he was crucified or that he is God.

Muslims believe that the balance of good and evil in your life determines whether you will go to hell or paradise (heaven).

The religion of Islam currently has around 1 billion followers globally, although it is still known primarily as a religion of the middle-east. It was founded in 622 AD by the prophet Muhammad. It had it’s origins in Makkah when the Angel Jibril read the first revelation to Muhammad.  This revelation became the basis for the Qur’an (or Koran in English,) which is a book known to the Muslims as the divine teachings of god (Allah) as dictated to the prophet Muhammad.

In addition to the Koran, there are other revealed texts that are consulted, however Muslims do not believe that these are divinely inspired unlike the Koran and they are therefore not considered error-proof. These include the Tawrat (first 5 books of the Old Testament), Zabur (Hebrew Psalms) and the Injil (the 4 canonical gospels of the new New Testament.)

What do Muslims believe?

The core belief system of the Islamic faith is listed below:

  1. One single, invisible God Allah.
  2. The angels
  3. The Qur’an
  4. Messengers of God (these include some of the Old Testament figures like Adam, Noah, David)
  5. People will be judged on the basis of their deeds on earth and will be cast into either heaven (paradise) or hell. There is no atonement for sin through Jesus or anyone else. Jesus is considered to have only been another prophet, not the son of God.
  6. Jesus was not crucified; rather he escaped and was taken up into paradise.
  7. Muslims who sincerely repent and submit to God return to a state of sinlessness.

The practical aspects of the faith are based around a framework known as the “5 Pillars of Islam” as listed below:

  1. The testimony of faith (there is no true god but God or Allah.)
  2. Prayer (they must pray 5 times every day facing Makkah.)
  3. Giving zakat (giving alms to the poor and needy.)
  4. Fasting in the month of Ramadan (abstaining from food, sex and drink from sunrise until sunset.)
  5. Pilgrimage to Makkah (must be done at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime.)
 

The religion of Islam currently has around 1 billion followers globally, although it is still known primarily as a religion of the middle-east. It was founded in 622 AD by the prophet Muhammad. It had it’s origins in Makkah when the Angel Jibril read the first revelation to Muhammad.  This revelation became the basis for the Qur’an (or Koran in English,) which is a book known to the Muslims as the divine teachings of god (Allah) as dictated to the prophet Muhammad.

In addition to the Koran, there are other revealed texts that are consulted, however Muslims do not believe that these are divinely inspired unlike the Koran and they are therefore not considered error-proof. These include the Tawrat (first 5 books of the Old Testament), Zabur (Hebrew Psalms) and the Injil (the 4 canonical gospels of the new New Testament.)

Islam teaches that your good and bad deeds on earth are weighed up, and if your good deeds outweigh your bad ones then you will go to paradise. This directly contradicts the words of Jesus Christ who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” Jesus also stated, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he will not see the kingdom of heaven.”  The Bible teaches us that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Each of us are born sinners because of the sin nature we inherited from our original parents Adam and Eve, when they brought sin into the world while in the garden of Eden. Jesus claimed many times that He was indeed God humbled in the flesh, and that He had come to die in our place and bear the punishment for our sin that we rightfully deserve.
 
There is no way that we will ever be good enough to earn our way into heaven. Our sin will not be overlooked on the day of judgment because God’s judgment will be thorough and morally perfect in thought, word and deed. The only way is through the righteousness of Jesus Christ who was crucified for us to atone for our sin so that we might receive His righteousness and not be judged on our own merits which the Bible says are like “filthy rags” in the sight of a holy God. There is nothing one can do to earn enough goodness to be worthy of heaven; it is only accessible by receiving the gift of God by grace alone through genuine repentance and faith alone in the work of Christ on the cross.
 

See resources on Islam >>

www.answering-islam.org

www.islamexplained.com

Spiritual Quote

‘In the midst of Gurudom there stands a figure. He is active all around the world and commands a following far greater than all the other gurus put together. His devotees claim that he is always present with them personally. He guides, protects and comforts them like a friend and rules over them like a king (Maharaj). They claim that they can communicate with him whenever they wish, wherever they may be. Though living in an invisible transcendental dimension he is literally drawing thousands of devotees each day to himself. At times he meets ‘visibly’ with his devotees, though generally he meets with them spiritually. Yet whenever a person has an encounter with him, he or she is transformed into a new creation.’ -Vishal Mangalwadi
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