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REL 3308
Islam
With over a billion
and a half adherents worldwide, Islam is the world’s second
largest religion.
Image from the U.S. Center for World Mission
Mission Frontiers.org
.
R
eprinted with permission
While the world’s Muslim population remains concentrated in the Middle East,
North Africa, South and Southeast Asia, there are also significant Muslim
minorities in other parts of the world, as the following map illustrates.
Although it is commonly viewed as the youngest of the world’s major religions,
Islam does not see itself as such.
Islam sees itself as the continuation and
culmination of the one religion that God revealed through all of His prophets.
According to the Qur’an, Muhammad was the “seal” of a long line of prophets.
The
names of many of the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an
will be familiar from
Christianity and Judaism.
[Qur’an 33:40] Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but the
messenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets….
[Qur’an 4:163] We have inspired you, as we inspired Noah and the prophets
after him. We inspired Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Patriarchs, Jesus,
Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and we gave David the Psalms.
The Qur’an also acknowledges the previous scriptures God sent with earlier
prophets.
Muhammad and the Qur’an
in the line of major prophets and
revelation
Moses
(Torah)
Abraham
[
5:44] We have sent down the Torah, containing
guidance and light. Ruling in accordance with it
were the Jewish prophets as well as the rabbis
[Qur’an
87:19] The Books of Abraham and
Moses.
Muhammad
(Qur'an)
Jesus
(Gospel)
David
(Psalms)
were the Jewish prophets, as well as the rabbis
and legal scholars, as dictated to them in God’s
Book, and as witnessed by them….
[Qur’an
5:46] In their footsteps, we sent Jesus, the son of
Mary, confirming what was in their hands of the Torah. We
gave him the Gospel, containing guidance and light, and
confirming what was in their hands of the Torah, and as
guidance and admonition for the cautious .
[Qur’an 5:48] Then we sent down the Book to you in
truth, confirming what is in their hands of the Book,
and superseding it….
The concept of God in Islam
The God worshipped by Muslims is the same God worshipped by Christians and Jews.
The Arabic word for God is “Allah,” literally, “the God.”
As in Christianity and
Judaism, God is seen as
the almighty creator of the universe.
[Qur’an 2.133] Or were you present when death came to Jacob, when he said unto
his sons: What will you worship after me? They said: We shall worship your god,
his sons: What will you worship after me? They said: We shall worship your god,
the god of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, One God, and to Him
we have surrendered.
[Qur’an 6.102] That is God, your Lord, there is no god but He; the Creator of all
things, therefore serve Him, and He has charge of all things.
