Christ and Other Gods Part 5: Is Allah the Same God?

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And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Matthew 17:1-8

Last summer, I read the book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity written by Nabeel Qureshi , which is his personal testimony of conversion from Islam to Christianity. It only took me two days to read it because I simply could not put it down as Nabeel walked me through his life and faith, explaining how Christianity had contrasted with his beliefs, what it was like to live like in a Muslim home, and even general apologetics about the reliability of the bible and evidence for the resurrection of Christ. It not only gave me a greater interest in apologetics, but it also gave me more compassion for Muslims as I saw that they are just as lost as the rest of the world and need to be told the truth and grace found in Christ alone. However, not many people know about the beliefs of Islam other than what the media tells them, which as we all (hopefully) know, is not the best resource for understanding reality.

Many people do not see why it matters if someone is Jewish, Christian, or Muslim because they believe that we all worship the same God, at least, that we all claim to believe in the God who is in the old testament. Yet the true God is the same God in the new testament, and He is not the same as what the world considers to be the “universal God”. But how does the Muslim understanding of “Allah” and how they should live differ from God and His calling for those who trust Christ? That is what we will be exploring today as we finish the series "Christ and Other Gods".

Core Beliefs of Islam

According to the most recent statistics from Pew Research Center in 2017, “Muslims are the fastest-growing religious group in the world,” making up 1.8 billion people (24%) of the global population.¹ This number is only expected to increase. It seems that we often view Islam as a very distant religion - that we will only encounter Muslims if we go to certain places in the world. While the majority of Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region, Muslims can be found all over the world, so it is very important that we understand what Muslims believe because it is highly likely that we will encounter one in our day-to-day lives.

The word “Islam” literally means “surrender” in Arabic, aligning with the Muslim’s belief that their purpose is to submit to the will of Allah (literally “the God” in Arabic), who they believe created the universe and has determined all things that come to pass. The core beliefs of Islam are because of the revelations of their prophets. Islam affirms the prophets of the old testament (Abraham, Moses, and Noah are considered to be the major prophets) while stating that Jesus Himself was also a prophet. These prophets were messengers used by Allah to call people back to him, but the Islamic prophet named “Muhammad” is considered to be the last of the great prophets.² Muhammed worked as a merchant in Saudi Arabia, and he witnessed the injustice that happened in the world around him, like worshipping other gods and rampant crime. One day he received a revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel so that He could share how to worship and live for Allah.³

As Muhammed went on a mission of sharing what Allah taught him in the Middle East for 23 years, the most important revelation that he received was written down as a text known as the “Quran”.³ Muslims believe that the texts of the gospels in the new testament (the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), and the Psalms of David in the old testament, were once legitimate but have been corrupted because they are no longer in their original form of translation. Most Muslims believe that the Bible as a whole has been twisted too much from translations and copying. However, they believe that the Quran remains true to the original teachings, though it is important to note that the Quran is far from the only Islamic text used for instruction.⁴ The teachings of the Quran include that there is only one God, and they reject the teaching of the trinity, believing that it is equivalent to three gods. They understand the nature of humanity as sinners against their creator, Allah, as Satan works to separate them from Allah. Humanity fell in the garden of Eden, though the Quran teaches that Allah forgave Adam for his disobedience and that there is no “original sin” as taught by Christianity (the idea that all humans have inherited sinful hearts because of Adam and Eve’s sin). The Quran has many other teachings on morality, including that anything considered harmful to the body, mind, or soul (such as sex before marriage, murder, lying, and sorcery) be prohibited. This also applies to their diet. Islam teaches that “Muslims will eat only permitted food (halal) and will not eat or drink anything that is considered forbidden (haram)”.⁵ Alcohol, pork, anything with blood, or carrion, are haram. Meats that are halal (such as lamb or beef) must have been slaughtered and butchered with a specific ritual of prayer in order to be considered halal. As for rules of modesty, to protect men from any temptation, Muslim women must wear a hijab (head covering), and it depends on the culture for requirements of the length and looseness of clothing.⁵

Muslims believe that their choices will be judged by Allah on judgement day. A trumpet will sound, and the dead bodies will be resurrected so that all people can be gathered on a plain to be judged. Each person will have a “book of deeds” written for them, and they will read the deeds aloud for all to hear. Then a scale will be used to weigh the good deeds and the bad deeds. If there are too many bad deeds, the person will be condemned to hell by Allah, but if their good deeds outweigh the bad, they will be allowed into paradise.⁶

In order for a person to remove their major sins, they must repent their sins, which are categorized in Islam as “major” or “minor,” and believe in the teachings of Allah.² To remove minor sins, one must not only repent but keep the Islamic rituals, including the “Five Pillars of Islam”:

1. The Shahada: Muslims must profess their faith, which is simply that “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is His messenger.” Many associate this profession with Islamic terrorists, but this is not an accurate representation as it is recited by all Muslims and is originally intended for faith, not violence.

2. Salah (prayer): Muslims perform a ritual prayer five times a day in the direction of Mecca, wherever they are. Most of the time, the prayer is performed on a mat or rug.

3. Zakat: Muslims donate a portion of their wealth to Islamic causes and charities.

4. Sawm (fasting): On the ninth month of the Calendar is an Islamic event known as “Ramadan”. Muslims must fast during this time from eating, drinking, sex, and smoking during the day time, and after the sunset they are allowed to break the fast with a meal.

5. Hajj: Muslims must take a pilgrimage to Mecca (the place where Muhammed was born) at some point in their life if they are physically or financially able.

Not all Muslims adhere to these rules strictly, in fact, most do not. It depends on the Islamic sect they are a part of to determine if they are more strict or lenient, but the five pillars are considered guidelines by all.⁷

Do Muslims Believe in Jesus?

As mentioned earlier, Muslims believe that Jesus was one of the great messengers (prophets) like Moses and Noah, but he was not God in the flesh or a member of the trinity (a concept rejected by Muslims). The story of Jesus’ birth from Mary, a virgin, is found in the Quran, and is compared to the “birth” of Adam: “The case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam. He created him from dust, and then He said to him, ‘Be!’ and he came into being (Quran, 3:59).”⁸ So there understanding of Christ is that He was a created human like Adam. Muslims also confirm that Jesus worked many miracles and signs of healing, but they deny that he was crucified, especially as an atonement for our sins, believing that Allah rescued Jesus from the crucifixion and that a different man (who looked like Jesus) was put on the cross in his place: “They said, ‘We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.’ They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)” (Quran, 4:157).⁸ Since they do not trust the gospels in the new testament, their understanding of Jesus is from the Quran.

Is Allah the Same God?

No, the Allah of Islam is not the same God revealed in the Torah, the gospels, or any part of the Holy bible. First, they believe in a God who condemns and saves based on a scale that weighs their works. However, the bible says that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23; John 8:34). Any sin, no matter how seemingly “small” according to our own understanding, is a crime against our holy God, and He is a perfectly just God who judges all crimes as deserving of punishment in eternal hell. There is no scale used to compare our good deeds to the bad, only seeing if our hearts are pure. No one will make it to heaven based on good works because one sin is deserving of death, so how much more worthy are we of death when we all have committed many sins (Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8)? Also, how can we be certain that we know enough about all the bad things we have done to be confident that our seemingly good deeds will win? This is why it is so important that we trust that our sins were taken by Jesus upon the cross because there is no hope found in ourselves with our sinful hearts. Christ, being the perfect sacrifice, knowing no sin, “bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds, you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). By rejecting that Christ died on the cross, Muslims reject any hope of salvation, which they believe to be found in their works. By denying that Jesus came as God in the flesh, claiming instead that He was simply a messenger of God, means that they are denying God Himself: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). While Christians do affirm that there is only one God, the Christian doctrine of the trinity confirms that God is only one being, displayed in three separate persons (so not switching from one person to the next, as if taking off a mask to put on a different one). Jesus Himself was not a created human like Adam but the Word who has always existed and who “became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son” (John 1:14), and this Son of God was “the Word [who] was with God, and the Word [who] was God” (John 1:1, emphasis added).

Instead, Muslims believe that Muhammed pronounced the way of salvation. While they believe that he was not God, they act as though he was, placing his words from his teachings in the Quran above the bible. It can be safely said that Muhammed, with destructive teaching that rejects Christ and twists the depth and enslavement of sin, was a false prophet. We are warned about false prophets from Peter, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1). Indeed, Muhammed did deny that Christ is the Master of all prophets and Master of every soul. Christ created our souls and bodies: “all things were made through [the Word], and without [the Word] was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3), offered up His blood as payment for our sins, and purchased all those who would believe in Him with His blood so that they would be set free from slavery to sin and death (Romans 8:1-9). To have a confession of faith that says, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammed is his messenger,” puts Muhammed above Christ, who is not mentioned in the confession and is not considered to be as great of a prophet as Muhammed. When Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to the mountain, they saw Moses and Elijah appear next to Him, so Peter suggested “I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:4). What was God’s response to Peter putting Jesus on the same level as two other influential and godly prophets? Peter was still speaking when God interrupted Peter to say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5). This caused the disciples to fall on their faces with fear and trembling, but Jesus told them to not be afraid, and when they looked up, “they saw no one but Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8). This is an incredible picture of how Christ is separate from any other character or prophet in the bible because He is God! We are meant to listen to Jesus Christ and should not heed the false teaching of those who proclaim a different way of salvation or anything that makes Christ lesser than He is, for He is the founder of our faith. Yes, there is only one God, and Christ is the way we are able to be with God as adopted sons and daughters, for “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Of course, it might be difficult to talk about the true person of Christ when our understanding of Jesus is primarily from the new testament (though the old testament certainly points to the coming and fulfillment of Christ), and Islam does not view the Bible as reliable due to being translated and handed down through time. This is really a question of whether God can protect His word or not, and if Islam claims the same sovereign and all-powerful God, then they would agree that God will guard His word, though we must have discernment with the translations and interpretations of others that they do not contradict scripture and erase parts of the text. However, perhaps a more apologetics-based answer would be that the Bible is actually considered to be the most historically reliable source of religious writing. Archeology has confirmed the existence of many old testament characters, thousands of ancient manuscripts of the new testament have been discovered and can be compared to current translations, the teaching of science and creation in the bible line up with scientific findings about the earth and humans today despite the promotion of macroevolution in secular education, and the very structure and content of the Bible does not contradict itself.⁹᠈¹⁰᠈ﱣ¹¹ The prophecies in the old testament become fulfilled in Christ in the new testament. As time goes on, scholars continue to discover evidence that supports the original writing and influence of the Bible. Evidence that it was inspired by God is also found (though it would certainly take longer than an article to go into this) despite the fact that many believe that the Bible was written simply by the influence of men. Ultimately, even with the most reliable and sound evidence, it comes down to a matter of faith and the working of the Holy Spirit for someone to believe that the Bible is really God’s word. We do not need to fear the challenge that the bible is flawed because history and science support our claim that it is true, and we know that the teaching of the bible is true. When we put on the lens of the world that the Bible gives us, we see that it lines up with reality, our understanding of humanity, creation, suffering, joy, etc. However, the Quran is full of contradictions, including that we can make it to heaven in our own merit of good outweighing the bad and that we don’t really need Jesus. The Quran provides us a lens made by a man, but God’s hand of reality and truth is not evident in the Islamic text.

How Do We Show Love to Our Muslim Neighbor?

Due to events and concerns in the 21st century such as the 9/11 attacks and terrorist groups such as ISIS, there are many misconceptions today about Muslims. A man who had converted from Islam to Christianity explained that while he was Muslim, he realized that many believed all Muslims to be terrorists, especially devout Muslims. However, the core of Islam is to submit to Allah, not commit violence. The Muslim extremist does not represent all Muslims, just as a Christian extremist does not represent all Christians, contrary to secular claims.¹² From personal experience on a mission trip in Louisville, Kentucky, which has a high population of international refugees, the Ethiopian Muslims I met were even more warm and friendly than the people in my small town, and they had escaped Ethiopia to flee from the violence rather than contribute to it. Could it be that our fear and hostility towards Muslims is preventing us from showing love and hospitality to them? Jesus Himself at many times was in the fellowship of people he knew would hurt Him, such as Judas and the Pharisees, but that did not stop Him from eating and talking with them. Muslims are not a group of blood-thirsty beasts or demon-possessed people, and very very few of the millions of Muslims are terrorists. They are lost people, just like your next door neighbor who is an atheist or Jehovah’s Witness, and like everyone on the earth (including Christians), they need Jesus. If we are avoiding them or rejecting them so that we are comfortable, we are also avoiding and rejecting an opportunity to share the gospel and show the love of Christ. But the love of Christ is greater than all fears and anxieties of what man can do to us (Psalm 56:11). This is not written to point fingers and create a division. In fact, I am trying to promote the very opposite.

Conclusion

The Islamic god is far from the true God. Allah provides no possibility for salvation because it all depends on our goodness. Yet we are all sinful, and we all fall short of the glory of God. The true and only God has provided a way of hope, a way to be with Him as His adopted sons and daughters. What wonderful news this is, that we can embrace Christ, trusting that He has already paid for our sin and shame out of His love for us and glory for God! Let us be bold to share this news and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)!

References

1. Lipka, Michael. “Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U.S. and around the world.” Pew Research Center, 9 Aug. 2017, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/09/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/.

2. Mahdi, Muhsin S. , Rahman, Fazlur and Schimmel, Annemarie. "Islam". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Aug. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam. Accessed 1 November 2021.

3. “Islam: Basic Beliefs”. United Religions Initiative, https://www.uri.org/kids/world-religions/muslim-beliefs.

4. “Six Major Beliefs in Islam”. The Basics to Islam, https://sites.udel.edu/msadelaware/six-major-beliefs-in-islam/#:~:text=Belief%20in%20the%20Books%20of,Scrolls%20(given%20to%20Abraham).

5. “Islam”. Western Area Health NHS Trust, http://www.waht.nhs.uk/en-GB/NHS-Mobile/Our-Services/?depth=8&srcid=2004.

6. “Key Beliefs in Islam.” BBC, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zdxdqhv/revision/6

7. Knott, Kim. “What are the Five Pillars of Islam?”. 9 June 2016, https://crestresearch.ac.uk/comment/islam-five-pillars/.

8. “What Do Muslims Believe About Jesus?”. Islam Guide, https://www.islam-guide.com/ch3-10.htm.

9. Mykytiuk, Lawrence. “53 People in the Bible Confirmed Archaeologically." 14 Sept. 2021, https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/50-people-in-the-bible-confirmed-archaeologically/.

10. “New Testament Manuscripts and Why They’re Important.” Logos, https://www.logos.com/how-to/study-nt-mss

11. Bowman Jr., Robert. “The Reliability of the Bible.” Institute for Religious Research, 27 Aug. 2013, https://bib.irr.org/reliability-of-bible.

12. Ziafat, Afshin. “I Was a Misunderstood Muslim: Common Misconceptions About Islam”. 10 Nov. 2019, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/i-was-a-misunderstood-muslim