Page 142 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

Islam’s Major Beliefs

Muslims believe that there is one God (monotheism) who is the creator of everything that exists. They
say this God is sovereign, but in no place in the Quran is Allah identified with love, nor does it command
its followers to love God. They believe that God has given a special revelation to humanity through the
Prophet Muhammad, as written in the Quran. They believe that Jesus Christ was the Messenger,
prophet, servant, Word, and Spirit of God. They believe He was born of a virgin. But they deny that He
is the “Son of God.” They deny that He died on the cross. In Islam, there is no need for something like
Christ’s atoning death, for each person is responsible for his or her own actions, period! Sin isn’t a
matter of the total depravity of human nature, but is more a weakness, defect, or flaw in human
character.

Most Muslims don’t know a lot about what they believe. They, for the most part, have no idea who
Jesus Christ is and what He has done for them to save them from their sin. They live under the scrutiny
of Allah, their god, who may or may not accept them as he is not a god of compassion or love. Islam is a
religion of performance. If you perform to Allah’s satisfaction, you MAY BE acceptable, yet that is not
guaranteed. Allah does not love; rather, he observes and judges. No Muslim has any eternal security,
nor do they experience love from Allah.

The Christian faith is as opposite as you can get. While we both believe in one God, the God of the
Christians is loving and merciful. He demonstrated His love by paying the penalty for our sins on the
cross of Calvary. We can come to Him in faith and KNOW that we are forgiven and have a place in
Heaven someday. Muslims are taught in their mosques how they can appease Allah.

The most authoritative source and most sacred scriptures for Islam are the Qur'an. Muslims believe that the
Qur'an consists of the literal words of Allah (the Muslim deity, otherwise known as God). The Qur'an was
revealed in the early 7th century AD to Muhammad, an Arab from Saudi Arabia.

Muhammad is considered by Muslims to be the greatest prophet in Islam, the last in a continuing chain of
prophets that is believed to have begun with Adam, the first man. Muslims revere Muhammad and strive to
follow his religious teaching, practice, and behavioral example, otherwise known as the Sunnah.

The term "Sunnah" means "custom" or "path" in the Arabic language. It is a term that refers to a precedent set by
people of the past, and in Islam takes particular importance when it applies to Muhammad and the Qur'an's
injunction to pattern oneself after him.

Second only to the Qur'an in authority, the Sunnah provides guidance that is critical for understanding and
clarifying the Qur'an. The Sunnah consists of recorded biographies called Sirah, as well as oral traditions
known as Hadith.

Muslims do not consider Islam to be a new religion. It is believed to be the original path of monotheism as
established by God, which developed into Judaism and Christianity. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam traces
its ancestry to the patriarch Abraham, but through his son Ishmael, not Isaac. The Qur'an records that Abraham
and Ishmael built the Ka'aba, a holy sanctuary in Mecca, Arabia, and instituted it as a place of worship and
pilgrimage.

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