Islam and Christianity

1. God
• Muslims are strict monotheists who worship one supreme God named Allah
• Islam means submission to Allah and a Muslim is one who submits fully to God’s will
• Muslims believe Christians are polytheists since they see the Trinity as three separate gods

2. Quran
• The word Quran means “recitation” and refers to the oral verses in Arabic, but broadly refers to the written record also
• It is the literal word of God recorded by the prophet Mohammed through the angel Gabriel between 610 and 632 AD
• It is divided into 114 chapters, which combined, contain 6,236 verses.

3. Angels
• Angels, or messengers (malak), are crucial to Islam
• Angels do not have free will and must worship and obey God perfectly
• Angels' duties include communicating revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death

4. Mohammed
• Mohammed (570-632) was a religious, political and military leader who received revelations from God which were recorded in the Quran
• Muslims view him not as the creator of a new religion but the restorer of the original, uncorrupted monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham and others
• Mohammed preached in Mecca for 13 years calling the people to leave polytheism, only to be expelled and settled in Medina in 622. After a series of battles he captured Mecca in 629 and controlled the whole Arabian peninsula in 632

5. Resurrection, Judgment and Predestination
• All men will be resurrected to face judgment to be either rewarded or punished for their deeds done in life on this earth
• Some sins, such as unbelief, usury and dishonesty, will automatically condemn a man to hell
• Paradise is an eternal dwelling place of the righteous filled with physical pleasures and joy in God’s presence
• God has complete foreknowledge and absolute control over all events: “Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector”

6. The Five Pillars of Islam
• The shahadah: “There is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is his messenger”
• Salah: ritual prayer performed five times a day
• Zakat: almsgiving is the practice of giving based on accumulated wealth, and is obligatory for all Muslims
• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan
• The Hajj: the pilgrimage during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca.

7. Law, Diet and Jihad
• Sharia is Muslim based on traditional Islamic scholarship and covers every aspect of life
• Like Jews, Muslims cannot eat pork, shellfish, and alcohol
• Jihad is “exerting one's utmost power, efforts, endeavors, or ability in contending with an object of disapprobation”

8. Major Branches of Islam
• Sunni (85%) believe that the caliph must be elected
• Shia (15%) believe that the caliph must come from the line of Mohammed through his son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib
• Sufism is not a denomination but a mystical-ascetic form of Islam which strives to obtain direct experience of God

9. Islam and Christianity
• It is very difficult for a Muslim to convert to Christianity because of severe social pressure
• Muslims believe the Old Testament is true and the Jesus was a prophet like Mohammed
• Allah tends to be viewed as very distant and unknowable, so focus on having a personal relationship with Jesus
• Islam is very legalistic and harsh, so win them through love and compassion and Christ’s forgiveness