Search The Scriptures: November 4, 2001
RELIGION OF ISLAM – 3
INTRODUCTION:
A. Good morning and welcome to the bible study program - Search the Scriptures. My name is
J.R. Bronger, and on behalf of the Danville church of Christ I am delighted that you have
joined us for this broadcast. Search the Scriptures is just one of several ways we are attempting
to make Christ known in this community. Another way the Danville church of Christ seeks to
inform the world of the gospel is by offering a bible correspondence course that can be taken at
home. This course is absolutely free of charge. Also, we would also count it a privilege to come
into your home and have a person bible study with you. Also, check out our web site if you have
Internet access. That address is www.danvillechurchofchrist.org.
B. My friends, this morning’s study marks the third and final in a series examining the religion
of Islam. Since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11,
there has been a lot of interest shown throughout America about the Muslim faith. Without
apologies, I state clearly that the religion of Islam is a religion that is from A to Z false and
illegitimate. Contrary to the propaganda blitz of liberal so-called Christian denominational
clergy and the blatant dishonesty of Muslim Clerics in this country - the religion of Islam is
completely opposed to Christianity. These Clerics who write in newspapers, lecture in schools
and in places of business are misrepresenting the truth when they say that Islam is very similar to
Christianity and that it is tolerant of other religious viewpoints. Ladies and gentlemen, the
history of this religion is written in blood. Muslims claim that Islam is a religion of peace and
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love. And they even cite the Koran, their holy book, in an effort to prove they are peaceful and
tolerant. One such passage they cite is Surah 2:256, which says “There is no compulsion in
religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error; therefore, whoever
disbelieves in the Shaitan and believes in Allah he indeed has laid hold on the firmest handle,
which shall not break off, and Allah is Hearing, Knowing.” However, claims and reality often
clash and that is the case with the claims that Islam is a peaceful and tolerant religion. Just last
Sunday in Pakistan, a group of Muslims opened fire in a denominational church service killing
several worshipers. Have you heard one Muslim cleric in Indiana demand that Muslim countries
be tolerant of other faiths? Some years ago I sent six weeks preaching in Nigeria, West Africa, a
country whose government is controlled by Muslim fundamentalists. And, my friends, the
Muslims are doing all they can to keep Christians from evangelizing in the country. In 1998,
thirteen Christians were arrested at the New Benin Market, in Benin, Nigeria for allegedly
disturbing other traders with their public prayers. This incident was just a continuation of the
problems Christians have encountered for years in Nigeria. When Muslims become strong
enough in any country, whether Pakistan, Nigeria or America, they will demand the
implementation of “Shariah.” Shariah is Islamic law that is based upon the Koran and Ahadith.
This is the law that makes women virtual prisoners in a man’s house, causes them to wear the
veil, and makes them second class citizens. It’s the law that demands the execution of those who
blaspheme Muhammad, Islam or the Koran. This is the law that will not allow Christians to
attempt to convert a Muslim and will imprison or execute a Muslim convert unless he recants.
This is the law that required United States soldiers in Desert Storm to hide their bibles. This is
the law that Muslims want to see replace the constitution of the United States. Islam has
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historically developed in four stages. Those stages are, one, evangelism. Evangelism continues
until persecution arises or Muslims have developed a large power base. This stage is
characterized by great tolerance of others and their beliefs. This is what’s happening in this
country now. But, don’t be fooled by the tolerant face of Muslims you might see in America.
This is a deceptive mask. The second stage is consolidation. This is when they become
established. After they have become established, a power base is now organized and tolerance
diminishes and greater demands are placed upon adherents. Revolution is stage three. That is,
all opposition, no matter what kind it is, is challenged and either eradicated or subdued. And,
finally there is the Islamic State, such as Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran. In an Islamic
state, the Koran becomes the “law of the land,” or constitution under which all must live. When
this happens, religions other than Islam are forbidden to exist. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell
you, if the Muslims can overcome by peaceful means, then that is the avenue that they will take,
but if they cannot win by peaceful means, “jihad,” or holy war is the next step. Most American
and European Muslims advocate coexistence and will quote the passage from the Koran we
mentioned earlier. This is because they are in stage one. I wish to revisit something we
mentioned from our first study of Islam. Ahmed Deedat of South Africa, one of today’s
foremost Islamic apologists, wrote “In the battle for the hearts and minds of mankind, ‘cruci-
FICTION’ is the only card the Christian holds. Free him from his infatuation and you will have
freed the Muslim world from missionary aggression and harassment.” This quotation is lifted
from his booklet entitled Crucifixion or Crucifiction. In the view of Islam, simply trying to
teach a Muslim the bible is “aggression.” And, my friends, the Muslim response to aggression is
the jihad. The Koran actually says, “Those who believe, and suffer exile and strive with might
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and main, in God’s cause, with their goods and their persons, have the highest rank in the sight
of God: They are the people who will achieve (salvation).” It also says, “Fight in the cause of
God, those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors. And
slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out: For
tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; But fight them not at the sacred Mosque unless
they first fight you there; But if they fight you, Slay them. Such is the reward of those who
suppress faith.” Now, remember they consider praying and evangelizing to be aggressive. To
Muslims, fighting Islam does not mean you must take up arms, all you have to do is take up a
bible and you are to be killed. Are the Muslims in this country peaceful? So far! This, as I stated,
is because they are in stage one. Commenting on the peaceful nature of Muslims in the US and
Europe, Dr. Siddique, writes this insightful comment. He says: “The intensity of oppression,
tyranny, and hostility faced by the new Muslims in America and the rest of the West is not as
severe as was faced by the early Muslims or faced by the Muslims involved in revolutionary
struggles like those in Iran, Afghanistan, and Syria. The reason is simple: that Islamic struggle
in its revolutionary form has not yet started in the West and Muslims have not yet threatened the
very system of the West.” Now, do not conclude that I am saying that every Muslim wants to
engage in a holy war. Many do not! However, the design of Islam is much different from the
attitude of some Muslims. The religion of Islam has a violent history and if it is able to achieve
its designs the future will be equally violent. Cal Thomas, a syndicated columnist recently had
an article in the Indianapolis Star in which he points out the violence associated with Islam. I
want to read some of what Thomas wrote. He said, “One sees many . . . members of Congress
and others on television today vouching for the ‘peaceful’ nature and intent of Islam. Oprah
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Winfrey has done a show on ‘modern Muslim women’ – none of whom would be allowed to
dress in contemporary clothing, be educated, or even appear on television if they lived in radical
Muslim states.” Thomas also writes that he asked a denominational clergyman who lives in
Sudan “what he believes about the nature and intent of contemporary Islam. ‘It is a militant
religion,’ he tells me and laughs at those who serve as its character witnesses. Further, Thomas
quotes this man as saying “In Sudan . . . many Christian church buildings have been either
bulldozed or bombed from the air. Non-Muslims suffer persecution in employment, and all
women, whether Muslim or not, are forced to wear the black chador and veil. The government
army has been renamed ‘Jundy Allah’ (the Army of Allah) and they fight jihad (holy war)
against those in Southern Sudan and non-militant Moslems. Slavery continues to be practiced by
the murahaleen, members of government-backed militias who regularly conduct raids against
Christians in Southern Sudan. The murahaleen have killed thousands, enslaved children and
young women, stolen cattle, plundered and burned food stores and crops and are reported by
various human rights organizations to have raped both men and women. Over 2 million
Sudanese civilians are estimated to have died since 1983 as a result of the continuing warfare . .
. Many millions more have been forced to flee their homes.” Now, you might be thinking that is
in backward countries, this is not the thinking of American Muslim Clerics. But, my friends,
think again. Recently a reporter for the Washington Post visited a Muslim School in Potomac,
Maryland, which is a suburb of Washington. And what he reports should cause each of us to
wake up. An eighth grader told the reporter, “If I had to choose sides, I’d stay with being
Muslim. Being an American means nothing to me. I’m not even proud of telling my cousins in
Pakistan that I’m American.” Further, the school principal said: “Allegiance to national
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authority is one thing, but the one who gives us life is more entitled to that authority. This is the
story of religion through all time. When national laws and values go counter to what the Creator
believes, we are 100 percent against it.” My friends, make no mistake about it, militant Islam
seeks to dominate the nation in which it grows and if it ever gains control, the right to disagree
with Islam will be put down with a gun. Now, if you think I overstate the case consider this. Is
there a country controlled by Islamic militants that guarantees equal rights for all? The answer is
NO!
C. Last week, we concluded our study by showing you how Islam believes that Jesus was not
crucified as the bible says. Islam tells us that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all wrote lies when
they recorded the death of Christ on the cross. Surah 4, Verses 157 & 158 says, “And their
saying: we killed christ Jesus, son of Mary, The messenger of Allah - but they killed him not, nor
crucified him, but it was made to appear to them so; and those who disagree concerning it are
full of doubts; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; For surely they
killed him not; but Allah took him up unto Himself; and Allah is ever mighty, wise.’” Does this
sound like something similar to Christianity? Islam and Christianity have absolutely nothing in
common. Islam denies the God of the bible. Islam denies the deity of Christ. Islam denies that
Jesus was crucified. And, besides denying that Jesus was crucified, Islam claims it was Judas
Iscariot who was crucified. My friends, the Koran is filled with lies. The bible and not the Koran
contains the truth of God. To deny Jesus Christ’s crucifixion is to deny his resurrection. Muslims
will tell you they believe in a resurrection, but not the resurrection of the crucified Lord Jesus.
So, here, we see that Islam denies the fundamental essential message of the bible, which is the
crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And, in doing so, Islam has taken away the Savior
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and has rejected God’s saving grace. Islam says it has a high regard for Jesus as a prophet of
Allah, but no amount of oral respect for Jesus as a prophet can be acceptable to God when the
person and the work of Jesus Christ are unmitigatedly denied. The bible teaches that Jesus Christ
was indeed God manifest in the flesh. Paul writes in 1 Tim. 3:16, and without controversy great
is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by
angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.
Muhammad and his followers come along hundreds of years later and deny this wonderful truth.
But, their denial does not diminish this truth. To the contrary, their denial strengthens this truth.
Note the very next verse, which is 1 Tim. 4:1, now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times
some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. My
good friends, the Koran and its doctrine are false. Its devotees are deceived. The plain truth was
expressed by Jesus in Jn. 8:24 when he said, if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in
your sins. The Koran and the religion of Islam deny what the bible tells us about Jesus. The bible
says in Jn. 1:1 in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. Then in verse 14 John continues, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. There
is not a Muslim in the world who believes this. There is not a Muslim in the world who believes
that Jesus was crucified for the sins of humankind and that he was raised from the tomb the third
day. My friends, nearly one-third of the words of the first four books in the New Testament are
given to eyewitness accounts of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet, Muslims
deny this. The basic essential message of the bible is the gospel of Jesus Christ, his death on the
Cross for sinners, his burial, and his grand resurrection from the dead. Yet, Islam denies this.
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Jesus said in Jn. 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me. There is not a Muslim in the world who believes this. Ladies and gentlemen, the
death of Christ is the only means of salvation. It is the only means of reconciliation to God.
Without the crucifixion, the bible makes it clear there can be no forgiveness of sin and no eternal
life. If Jesus Christ did not die on the Cross and rise from the dead, there is no salvation from sin.
Yet, no Muslim anywhere believes this. Islam brazenly rejects these basic truths which embody
the gospel. And while many people try to argue that Christians and Muslims worship the same
God, 2 Jn. 7-9 says otherwise. There we read, for many deceivers have gone out into the world
who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a
full reward. Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have
God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. I want to
remind you again, my friends, that Christians do not worship the same God worshiped by
Muslims. The Koran denies the truth of God, the Koran denies the biblical Godhead, the Koran
denies the deity of Jesus. Therefore, it is my conclusion that the Koran holds no redeeming
virtues at all. Denying the doctrine of Christ reveals Islam as a deception and an anti-Christian
religion. The Koran has substituted false doctrines which present another gospel. No matter how
intellectual, civilized, or scientific Islam is made to appear, it is still a religion which embraces
and proclaims a false gospel, and a false god, and the bible contends that it and those who
believe it are to be accursed. Paul wrote in Gal. 1:6-8 I marvel that you are turning away so
soon from him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not
another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But
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even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have
preached to you, let him be accursed.
II. The religion of Islam teaches a false and perverted concept of salvation. For a true Muslim,
the Koran is the word of Allah, and it is to be believed and practiced literally. Apart from being a
Muslim, there is no hope for a person according to the Koran. The Koran says in Surah 3:85
“And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the
hereafter he shall be one of the losers” (or among the lost). The Koran also says in Surah 3:19
“Surely the (true) religion with Allah is Islam.” Ladies and gentlemen, these two quotes show
clearly that there can be no compromise, concession, or agreement between Christianity and
Islam. The religion of Islam teaches that a Muslim cannot be assured of attaining Paradise (the
Koran’s concept of heaven) unless he dies in a “jihad” (or a holy war). If a Muslim dies in a holy
war then he goes immediately to paradise, which explains why Muslims are willing to die in
terrorist acts. The Koran says in Surah 47:4-6 “So when you meet in battle those who disbelieve,
then smite the necks until when you have overcome them, then make (them) prisoners, and
afterwards either set them free as a favor or let them ransom (themselves) until the war
terminates. That (shall be so); and if Allah had pleased He would certainly have exacted what is
due from them, but that He may try some of you by means of others; and (as for) those who are
slain in the way of Allah, He will by no means allow their deeds to perish. He will guide them
and improve their condition. And cause them to enter the garden which He has made known to
them.” You see, ladies and gentlemen, every Muslim who hopes to escape the judgment of
Allah, must fulfill his religious duties which are the works of the so-called Five Pillars of Islam,
or the “Five Pillars of the Faith.” These five pillars are based upon two sets of writings. The
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Koran, which is the book of guidance for Muslims as revealed to the prophet Muhammad. It is
the main source of guidance for Muslims. The word Koran [“the recitation” ], to the Muslim,
means “that which should be read.” It was revealed in Arabic and has been translated into many
languages, including English. However, it is still read in Arabic so as to retain its true meaning.
In addition to the Koran, Muslims are guided by the Hadith, which are the collections of the
prophet Muhammad’s sayings. The word Hadith means “saying.” The prophet Muhammad was
the living example of Islam, so what he said is very important for Muslims. So, guided by these
writings Muslims must fulfill the Five Pillars of Islam, which are. One, Shahadah, which is the
recitation of the Muslim creed that confesses “There is no god except Allah and Muhammad is
the messenger of Allah.” To say the creed with conviction and sincerity makes one a Muslim.
Two, Salah, or prayer worship of Allah. Muslims must perform Salah five times a day facing
the holy city of Mecca. Before Salah, Muslims must prepare themselves by performing Ablution
which involves cleaning the hands, face, arms, head and feet. The first prayer is between the first
light of dawn and sunrise. The second prayer is offered after midday. The third, in midafternoon.
The fourth prayer is given at sunset and the fifth and final prayer is offered from one
to one and one half hours after sunset. The third pillar of Islam is Sawm, which is fasting from
sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. According to Islam, the Koran was revealed
during this month. This month begins during the middle of November according to our calendar.
Any days of fasting missed, because of health or anything beyond a Muslim’s control should be
made up after Ramadan. Muslims can fast during other days in the year, if they want to, but
those are optional. The fast is invalidated by deliberate eating or drinking or by anything
entering through the nose or mouth and by having any conjugal relations. Actually this period of
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fasting is not what you might at first think. This is because during the month of Ramadan,
Muslims are supposed to abstain for 28 days from all food and drink from sunrise to sunset in
atonement for their own sins over the previous year. In actuality, what this involves is sleeping
all day and eating all night. [A pretty neat fast, if you ask me]. The fourth pillar of Islam is
Zakah, which is making payment of 2.5% welfare tax on one’s wealth. The fifth pillar is Hajj,
which is going, at least once in a lifetime, on the pilgrimage to Mecca, if money and health
permit. For those unable to physically go, they can hire a substitute to go in their place. Also,
there are many rules and restrictions placed upon Muslims during Hajj, which we will not get
into this morning. But one is that Muslims cannot carry arms (weapons) during this time. Too
bad they don’t practice this year round, if they did then the world would be more at peace.
CONCLUSION:
A. My friends, according to the bible, Allah is not God, Muhammad is not his prophet, and the
Koran is not the Word of God. Islam is a false religion and utterly without power to save one
soul from sin. Islam does not recognize Jesus Christ as Savior. No person, no matter how
religious or how sincere he may be, can possess truth or salvation apart from the Lord Jesus
Christ. The person and work of Christ is the crucial divider between Christianity and Islam.
Christ’s atoning death is the perfect and only sacrifice which God will accept on behalf of
sinners.
B. If this sounds unkind or harsh, I do not mean for it to be. My message to Muslims is that they,
like all men, are hopelessly lost in and because of sin. Paul said in Rom. 3:23 all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God. And, my friends, God did all that was divinely possible to
reconcile men to himself. He did not do this by sending Muhammad into the world. No, God did
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it by sending his only begotten Son, Christ Jesus. Paul continues in Rom. 3:24-25 being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a
propitiation by his blood, through faith. There is not one man or woman on the face of the earth
who can be saved without believing in and coming to Christ. This is true of everyone caught up
in the false religion of Islam. There is no doubt that Muslims have a definite zeal for their god.
They desire to follow Allah and express their worship of Allah through their lives. But the fact
remains, Muslims need Christ and his saving Gospel which is still the power of God unto
salvation to everyone who believes. Islam offers this world two choices: the Koran (conversion)
or the sword (death). Bible-believing Christians have only one choice to offer the world: the
Cross and empty tomb of Jesus Christ.
C. And with this, I must close for today. Be sure to tune in next Sunday morning at 7 as we once
again Search the Scriptures. Now stay tuned for some important closing announcements. Until
next time, for the Danville church of Christ, this is J.R. Bronger saying goodbye for now.