Talking to Muslims about God: what are the = issues

Talking to Muslims about God: What are = the=20 Issues?[1]

Warren F. Larson, =
Director,=20 Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies, Columbia International = University

Published under = =93Featured Article=94=20 at http://www.globalmissiology.org= /,=20 October 2007

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A=20 Dutch Catholic bishop=92s recent admonition that everyone refer to God = as Allah=20 produced a storm of protest. The incident illustrates widespread=20 polarization on who should use the term =93Allah=94 and is indicative of = the=20 pervasive confusion as to who God really is. A Muslim spokesman = for CAIR=20 (Council of American-Islamic Relations) quickly endorsed the comment, a = view=20 that seems to be in line with the Qur=92an: =93We believe in the = revelation which=20 has come down to us=85our God and your God is one=94 (29:46).[2] =20 According to this theory, all Muslims, Christians and Jews believe in, = and=20 worship the same God.[3] =20 At the other end of the spectrum is Robert Morey, who for many years has = popularized the theory that Allah was originally the moon god, worshiped = in=20 Arabia long before Muhammad.[4] =20 This paper will attempt to show that both positions are simplistic and = fail to=20 address the most important issues in our discussion with Muslims about = God.

It=20 is true that a moon god was worshiped in Arabia during the time of = Muhammad, but=20 Morey=92s theory fails to explain why Allah can be traced back to = 4^th=20 and 5^th-century New Testament translations.[5] =20 Neither does it account for the fact that Christians and Jews called God = =93Allah=94=20 long before the time of Muhammad and that most Arabic-speaking = Christians still=20 pray to him.[6]=20 Moreover, it overlooks an entire chapter in the Qur=92an that = forbids=20 worshiping the moon and other celestial bodies.[7] =20 Most significantly, =93Allah=94 = is=20 etymologically linked to "El‑Bethel" and "El‑Elohim" in = Hebrew ("Elah" in=20 Aramaic) and Allah/Allahu/Alah is found in at least 89 Old Testament = verses.[8]=20 All this seems to suggest that the problem is not with the term=20 itself.

What=20 needs to be clearly spelled out is God=92s nature in Christianity = vis-=E0-vis=20 God=92s nature in Islam. Though Muslims and Christians are = discussing the=20 same God as subject, in reference to his attributes and actions, there = are=20 qualitative differences. In Christianity, God=92s acts are always = consistent=20 with his unchangeable character. In Islam, God does whatever he = decides to=20 do (good or bad) as an act of his irrefutable will. He is wholly = other and=20 essentially unknowable. Christians, on the other hand, believe God = desires=20 to be known, loved and understood: =93Let him who boasts boast about = this that he=20 understands and knows me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, = justice=20 and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight=94 (Jeremiah 9:1-24). = One=20 hundred years ago, Samuel Zwemer made a similar observation: =93The word = Allah is=20 used for God not only by all Moslems, but by all Arabic-speaking Jews = and=20 Christians in the Orient. But this does not necessarily mean that = the idea=20 expressed by the word is the same in each case.=94[9]=20

There=20 are, of course, numerous misunderstandings to be addressed in Christian=20 witness. According to the Qur=92an Muslims think Christians = worship three=20 gods: =93Say not Trinity=94 (4:171), so Christians need skill in = responding to=20 Muslim assertions that Jesus did not die. They need grace and = wisdom in=20 responding to the perverse charge that =93Son of God=94 suggests that = God took a=20 wife (Mary) and sired a son.[10]=20 Yet, there is a divine = attribute,=20 that when fully grasped is more precious to Muslims than any = misconception that=20 has been resolved. It is not about God=92s power and sovereign = rule but=20 about his unconditional love: "God is love" (I John 4:8); =93God = commends his love=20 toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"(Romans = 5:8);=20 "When we were still without strength, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:6); = and=20 "While we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the = death of his=20 Son (Romans 5:10).

This unconditional love of God for = unworthy and=20 unlovable sinners is evident throughout Scripture: =93I have loved you = with an=20 everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3), but perhaps best illustrated by the = story of=20 the Prodigal Son (Luke 15). Jesus tells the story to show that God = is like=20 a father. The father does not disown him or send an army to force = his=20 return. He grieves and suffers with the boy until reconciliation = takes=20 place at the happy homecoming. In desperate straits, the prodigal = repents,=20 leaves his old lifestyle and returns home but he does so only = because of=20 the character and action of his father who wants to heal the rift, and = restore=20 the relationship. Muslims, by God=92s grace, are responding to = this good=20 news.[11]=20 One, a Pakistani Muslim who was working on his doctoral dissertation, = came to=20 the conclusion that the only way God could be both merciful and just was = through=20 the cross.[12]=20

As for the Qur=92an, the message is = that God is=20 loving (al-wadud), but unable to fully love the = sinner: "Allah loves=20 those who act aright=94 (3:76) and =93=85 [does] not one given to = perfidy and crime=20 (4:107). His love is the mercy of a king, not the compassion of a = father,=20 and for this reason most Muslims cannot say: "God is love." Even = though=20 every surah (chapter) in the Qur'an (except the 9^th), = begins=20 with =93Bis milla ur‑Rahman ur Rahim=94 (=93In the Name of = God, the Merciful,=20 the Compassionate"), his mercy is subordinate to his sovereign = power. He=20 is all‑powerful and distant, not personally involved with = people. The=20 supreme will of God is inevitably the decisive factor that determines = the=20 destination of every soul. Able to pardon whomever he will and = condemn=20 whomever he will, his judgment is: =93Some to heaven, some to hell and I = care=20 not.=94 Heaven then is a divine fiat, an arbitrary decision by = Almighty=20 God, who has the power, but not the will to save lost = sinners. God=20 in Islam is not delighted by = obedience,=20 nor displeased by sins, nor merciful to the believer, nor disgusted with = the=20 forgetful, nor hostile to the arrogant. He is above all = associations and=20 above all emotions.[13]

One new convert to Islam poured out = her=20 desperation and frustration to fellow‑Muslims in a computer = bulletin board=20 message. She said,

I've been a Muslim for about four = years. =20 Islam is a difficult road for me to walk, but I believe with all my = heart that=20 I'm doing the right thing. ... I want be a Muslim forever, but I = feel=20 there is so much to do in Islam ... sometimes I think I'm going crazy = trying to=20 remember all this...I want to be a good servant to Allah but learning = all this=20 is too much for me. I've talked to my husband and he thinks I have = a=20 jinn (evil spirit) ... I am desperately looking for answers that = will=20 help me to be successful.

Another (Muslim) became very fearful = when he=20 read in the Qur=92an: "Not one of you there is, but shall go down = to it=20 [hell]; that for thy Lord is a thing decreed, determined" (19:71). = Then=20 came another blow:

Had thy Lord willed, He would have = made mankind=20 one nation; but they continue in their differences excepting those on = whom thy=20 Lord has mercy. To that end He created them, and perfectly is = fulfilled=20 the word of thy Lord: 'I shall assuredly fill hell with = jinn (evil=20 spirits) and men all together' (11:119).

He concluded there was no hope of = salvation and=20 his despair deepened when he read the tradition, written by Ibn Masud, = these=20 words by the Arabian Prophet:

Every one shall enter hell. = Afterwards=20 they will come out of it, sooner or later, according to their = works. Those=20 who will come out first will do then like a horse at full speed, = afterwards like=20 a swift rider, then like a man springing, and finally, like the walk of = a=20 man. Tirmizi and Darimi have handed down this Tradition.[14] =20

The Christian response is that = according to the=20 Bible God cares for people and even cries with them. His judgments = are=20 holy, just and good, not arbitrary, whimsical or capricious. He = can always=20 be trusted. Discovering this precious truth about God has brought = peace to=20 many a troubled Muslim heart. One, a wealthy Muslim woman in = Pakistan, was=20 encouraged by a Christian woman to pray to God as a friend and = father. She=20 said:

I got on my knees and tried but it = seemed=20 ridiculous and I could not bring myself to do it. I thought, = =91Isn't it sin=20 to try to bring the 'Great One' to our level?=92 I fell asleep = more confused=20 than ever and awoke to remember it was my birthday. I said, = 'Suppose I do=20 call Him father.' Shaking with excitement, I fell to my knees, = looked up=20 and said, 'My father.' I was not prepared for what happened! = I spoke=20 His name aloud and something broke through and I found myself knowing he = had=20 heard me. The room was no longer empty for I sensed his = presence.[15]

God does forgive in Islam but the = trouble is=20 how he forgives--arbitrarily, whimsically=97even irresponsibly, = as if it=20 does not matter. A forgiveness that is more like an amnesty leaves = the=20 Muslim heart fearful, anxious and uncertain. Such was the response of = South=20 Asian Muslim students who realized the utter hopelessness of their=20 situation. Upon reading in the hadith (Traditions) = that=20 Muhammad could not guarantee the salvation of his own daughter, they = said, "If=20 the Prophet said he could not even save his own daughter Fatimah, how do = we know=20 he can save us?=94[16]=20 Others (Muslims) were troubled by the call to prayer that echoes five = times a=20 day from mosques equipped with loud speakers: "Come to success, come to=20 salvation," when they themselves had no assurance of salvation and = peace. =20 In Christian understanding, forgiveness is=20 costly in that it involves sacrifice and suffering as the =93Lamb of = God=94 dies for=20 the sins of the world. It is also victorious in that the Savior = rises from=20 the dead and defeats the last enemy, death. God cleanses the = sinner from=20 shame and guilt so thoroughly that =93there is now no condemnation=94 = (Romans=20 8:1).

In conclusion, the Bishop=92s = statement was=20 not unorthodox, but it was irrelevant.[17]=20 What Muslims need to hear and understand is that the Christ of the = Qur=92an is God=20 incarnate who can save completely and be trusted implicitly. = Christians=20 can share with their Muslim friends the invitation of Jesus: "Come to me = all you=20 who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest=94 (Matthew=20 11:28).

Warren Larson directs the Zwemer Center for = Muslim=20 Studies at Columbia International University. He served as a = missionary in=20 Pakistan for 23 year and has written extensively on Islam, including: = Islamic=20 Ideology and Fundamentalism in Pakistan: Climate for Conversion to=20 Christianity?

[1]=20 It is also very important that Christians talk to God about = Muslims. One=20 who did pray for Muslims is the late J. Christy Wilson, Jr., who = launched Urbana=20 in 1946 and served in Afghanistan for 22 years. His book, More = to be=20 Desired than Gold (Grand Rapids: Color House Graphics, 1998 = 4^th=20 edition) contains 100 of his favorite stories of individuals who came to = Christ.

[2]=20 See Imad N. Shehadeh=92s excellent, 4-part series, =93Do Muslims and = Christians=20 Believe in the Same God? Bibliotheca Sacra 161, = January-December,=20 2004.

[3]=20 Ibrahim Hooper, ltm@ltm.penpal4u.net, August 16,=20 2007. CAIR is a Washington-based civil liberties and advocacy = group. =20 He made these comments during a FOX News interview.

[4]=20 Robert Morey, Islamic Invasion (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, = 1992). =20 Morey is the Executive Director of the Research and Education Foundation = that=20 concentrates on issues that affect Western culture and values. = Author of=20 at least 20 books, he is a hard-hitting Christian apologist who would = say that=20 Christians should never speak of God as =93Allah.=94 =

[5]=20 Muhammad was born in AD 570. Kenneth Bailey, =93The Arabic = Translations of=20 the Bible: Some Thoughts on Its History and Importance=94 (Unpublished = manuscript,=20 1979).

[6]=20 Arabic Bible translations call God =93Allah.=94 In the beginning = it was=20 Allah who created the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1) and = Allah=20 who loved the world and gave his one and only Son (John 3:16). =

[7]=20 Surah 6. Chapters in the Qur=92an are called = surahs.

[8]=20 Members-COMMA, May 10, 2004.

[9]=20 Samuel Marinus Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God (New York: = American=20 Tract Society, 1905), 18.

[10]=20 Interestingly, several Qur=92anic references seem to suggest he did in = fact die=20 (5:117; 19:19; 3:55). It is also helpful for Christians to realize = that in=20 the Qur=92an Jesus is sinless (Qur=92an 19:19) whereas Muhammad is not = (36:27;=20 40:55; 47:19; 48:2).

[11]=20 In =93A Global Perspective on Muslims Coming to Faith in Christ=94 in = From the=20 Straight Path to the Narrow Way, ed. David H. Greenlee (Waynesboro, = GA:=20 Authentic Press, 2005), 12-13. J. Dudley Woodberry says the hand = of God,=20 at work through the glove of human circumstances, is using five = different=20 circumstances to draw Muslims to himself: political, catastrophes, = migrations,=20 need for power/blessing and ethnic/cultural resurgence. Muslims = are coming=20 to Jesus in unprecedented numbers.

[12] Doud Rahbar, God of Justice: A Study in the = Ethical=20 Doctrines of the Qur=92an (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1960). After = becoming a=20 Christian he=20 taught in the United States.

[13]=20 Conversely, the Bible says God even loves his enemies=94 (Romans 5:10) = and is =93not=20 willing that any should perish=94 (II Peter 2:15).

[14]=20 The Moslem World, 18, no. 2 = April,=20 1928.

[15] Bilquis Sheikh, I Dared to Call Him = Father=20 (Lincoln, VA: Word of Life Publications, 1980).

[16]Al- Bukhari,=20 vol. 6, p. 277. Sahih=20 Al-Bukhari (Vol. 1-9. = Beirut: Dar=20 Al Arabia), 1981. This is most famous and reliable source for the = sayings=20 of Muhammad.

[17]=20 Timothy George, Is the Father of Jesus the God of Muhammad? = (Grand=20 Rapids , MI: Zondervan, 2002). George basically says =93yes=94 and = =93no,=94 but perhaps=20 the =93no=94 should be capitalized and emboldened for emphasis. The = topic is far too=20 important to leave any room for ambiguity. But in any event, the = title=20 underscores that the issue is Jesus. =