Living Among Muslims Part Two
The other day one of my students visited me and told me a story about the first time I visited his home. Supposedly a neighbor came over to his house after I left. This neighbor sought to persuade my student and his father to leave the school and have nothing further to do with me. Their reason for this admonition was that I’m in the country to change people’s thinking. Hmmmm. At one point I have to agree, I am here to change people’s thinking, just as much as I’m here for my thinking to change too (i.e. Muslims are not my enemy!).
For example: Not all Christians believe in three gods or worship Jesus as a Son of God. I, along with many others, follow tawheed (unity of God). Not all Westerners are materialistic or atheist or lack morals. I try to live simply wherever I am. I am a believer in God, angels, prophets, Holy Books, and in the Day of Judgment. Lastly, I dress conservatively as does my wife and we don’t drink alcohol or eat food considered haram in our home and we value family.
So, if my presence among Muslims challenges their thinking that all Christians are unbelievers or people who have strayed from the straight path well, I do hope their thinking changes!
But, I think what the neighbor intended to imply was that my mission is to convert my student. But this I can say confidently has no basis in fact. I have no desire to see my student or his family convert but rather for them to come into the fulfilment of all their religious aspirations as Muslims not as Christians. Will some of their “thinking” change as a result of them attaining these aspirations–probably so. But not because I told them so, but may it be because they encounter God, His revelation, and as a result learn to more fully live that out in this world.
What I found so interesting about this story is that this very same student of mine gave me a book the other day. He explained that he had read the book and that it explains the similarities between Islam and Christianity. I, with an open mind, decided to accept his gift and read it. Little did I know what was in store. It was a book under the disguise of a personal testimony of one person’s decision to follow Islam and his reasons for doing so. But as it turned out very quickly, the book’s real purpose was to give an argument on how Islam is better than Christianity, replaces Christianity, and how Christians aren’t true followers of God.
Thoroughly disappointed, I began to write a rebuttal to the book. I realized that the author was only describing some Christians, a minority if you will who do believe in three gods and have erred into various forms of idolatry and immorality. But to cast the entire religion aside as idolatrous because of a minority was a severe overstatement in my opinion.
The basis of his argument was fourfold:
Christians cannot possibly be true people of faith because they reject Muhammad (saw).
Jesus is not the Son of God/part of the Trinity.
Jesus did not die on the cross.
The Bible is corrupt.
So, I responded to the first stating that I personally believe Muhammad (saw) was true prophet of God and that the revelation found in the Qur’an is true in the original Arabic if one understands the true context in which the Qur’an was revealed. Does this mean all Muslims understand the Qur’an correctly? No, just as all Christians don’t understand the Bible correctly either. Often both parties make errors of understanding because they read their own theology and bias back into the Holy Books. This the kind of corruption that the Qur’an is addressing against Christians and this is the kind of corruption that both Christians and Muslims still fall victim to today. Nevertheless, I can affirm Muhammad’s (saw) prophethood, but that does not mean I will change my religion. No, I’m one of the Ehle Kitab (People of the Book), one of those believers whom the Qur’an affirms is a person of true faith (Iman).
I then addressed the second that Jesus is the Son of God, the third person of the Trinity. This title, Son of God, is used in the Bible, but it meant someone who was close to God, one chosen to rule as a king on the earth–not as someone to be worshiped as a god or demi-god. A better translation for this title is actually Messiah (al-Masih) or khalil, or friend of God. There are plenty of Christians who do not believe that the Son of God title means that God had relations with Mary and produced Jesus or that in some way, Jesus is a second god with God in heaven. No, we believe that this title signifies that he was God’s chosen king, destined to rule as did Musa (as), Dawud (as), or Suleiman (as). But unfortunately the Jews of Jesus’s (as) day rejected his kingship and prophethood. Thus leading to my next point.
I do believe Jesus (as) died on the cross, that he was dead for three days, then was raised up by God to be near Him in heaven until the day Jesus (as) returns to earth to rule as king. It says in the Qur’an that Jesus is near=stationed to God in this world and the next. The Arabic word here is wajiha. Although Jesus (as) did encounter a terrible end to his earthly life, it’s not the end of the story. No, God had the last word when He raised Jesus (as) up, thus honoring Jesus (as) against the accusation of the Jews that they killed him or that he was a false prophet. Jesus’ death is one of many sacrifices that occur in the history of faith. Muslims remember Ibrahim’s (as) sacrifice of a ram that replaced his son. This holiday is Eid ul-Fitr. God also replaced me as the one deserving of punishment for the wrongs I’ve done. His replacement was Jesus (as) who died for my sins too. This leads me to a life on this earth where I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God approves of me–not because of what I’ve done, but because of what Jesus (as) has done. This may mean I’m not a Muslim by some Muslims’ standards, but this does not mean I’m a nonbeliever–nonbelievers lift up themselves–I lift up Jesus’ (as) sacrifice that saves me.
Lastly, the charge that the Bible is corrupt, this really is a statement that Allah (swt) cannot protect His Word. But this is not true. Allah (swt) has and still is protecting His Word. It’s not the Books which have been corrupted but how people interpret these books. I can read the Bible in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek and I’m currently learning Aramaic so I can read Isa (as)’s Injeel in his own language. These scriptures are still available today and they are still existence today and pre-date Islam by many hundreds of years. So, if the Bible is corrupt, it’s corrupt in how people have translated it, interpreted it, or applied it, but it could never be corrupt in its original languages which we have today.
What is so interesting about this book my friend gave me is that he said it talked about the similarities between Islam and Christianity, but in reality it sought to destroy Christianity and replace it with Islam. I would never give this student of mine a book that sought to destroy Islam and replace it with Christianity, but you can see that I am not on an even playing field. It’s okay. Muslims in America are also not on an even playing field. But I think it’s time we all realize that humanity in general struggles with accepting others who are different than ourselves, recognizing true faith from fiction, avoiding rumors and back talking, and coming together for understanding and guidance from God, not from each other.
All for now.
Salaammaker
Living Among Muslims Part One
I’ve been living among Muslims the past year. It’s been an interesting endeavor. I’ve learned much about how Muslims possibly feel living as a minority in the United States. It has not been easy to say the least.
From the beginning I’ve encountered much suspicion and gossip behind my back. Most have been too afraid to confront me directly about my intentions for living in their midst. But I have heard that the local mosque will often make announcements about my intentions living here–that I’m here to convert people, that I’m here to wrest the youth away from Islam, etc.
Thankfully, there are some living here in this community who support me. There is one religious man who belongs to one of the most strict sects of Islam that is practiced here. Actually, you could say he is a Muslim missionary. He has given me his protection and often vouches for me in public. He has had the courage to tell me what others are saying about me and to ask me point blank if I’m either working for the government of the US or if I’m a missionary. I’m thankful that I can honestly say no to both of those, but still, he may understand why I’m here, but the community at large does not.
I’m still uncertain what it is about my presence here that has raised such a ruckus. I have never given invitations for people to change their religion. Actually, I have received many from those around me. Isn’t this an unfair expectation? I can receive invitations to convert to Islam, but even though I’ve never given an invitation to convert to Christianity, people continue to say that that is my intention behind my back. This quandry that I find myself in has not been easy. So why am I here? What did I expect to accomplish? What did I expect to find?
Interestingly, I have found that Muslims in this city are very similar to a city I grew up in the United States. It’s a very small city, most people are hard working, religious, protective of their family, and yes, suspicious of foreigners. My father was a religious teacher in such an environment and I learned at an early age to be religious like the community around me. But I also saw the hypocrisy that lay underneath this veneer–not too different from where I live today sadly.
So, why am I here? What are my intentions for living here? Basically, after September 11, I told myself that I would not live in fear of Muslims. I would obey sayidna Isa (as)’s teaching to love my enemies. This journey has led me to study Islam, to learn about how Muslims view Christians and the West, and to consider how my presence here in their midst might stir up my own soul-searching as well as their own. I have no desire to see Muslims change their religion, theirs is just as capable as mine in finding the way to pleasing God and living in true righteousness. The finding is what is important not which religious clothes one hails from.
And so my journey continues and I will try and post from time to time on what I discover, what lessons God teaches me in the midst of this Muslim community.
Asalaam aleikum,
Salaammaker
Here’s an idea for Muslims and Christians interested in building peace between the two faiths:
How about Christians reading the Qur’an and Muslims reading the Bible?
Any takers?
I have already read the Qur’an once but would be interested in reading it again. It would be interesting to hear people’s thoughts as they explore this as well.
If you’d like to commit to this, feel free to respond to this post. It will be interesting to see who signs up.
Peace and salaam.
Allah’s (swt) Presence
As I have grown in my faith in God, I have found during times of fasting and prayer, that sometimes I feel a heaviness come over me. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
At first I thought something was wrong with me and I prayed and asked Allah (swt) to remove this feeling. But, I have noticed during these times of devotion and worship that this heaviness often comes. After a while I began to wonder if God was not involved in this in some manner.
In the Torat there is a word for God’s glory that is commonly used. It is kaved, which literally means heaviness. Could the heaviness I was feeling during times of devotion be related to a manifestation of God’s glory on earth? I would like to know what Islam teaches about God’s glory.
Secondly, I felt a strong brightness in the room as I was in prayer. It seemed to me that God’s glory not only has a heaviness to it, but it also is very bright and piercing.
I wonder if Christians and Muslims have gotten so much into talk of theology that we have forsaken in sharing our common experiences of God’s presence in our lives. Does experiencing God’s presence, His voice, or visions and dreams from Him change the way we live and think? I think it does. The more we experience God and His love for us, the more we are able to live out of His presence in our lives and receive His power to love others, change environments and situations that are adverse to His reign on earth, etc.
How do Muslims and Christians experience God? I would love to share one such experience.
During a time of devotion and prayer I got a picture from God that I was about to start wading into a river. I felt God calling me into the center of that river where the current and waves were powerful. But I, out of fear, held onto the side of the riverbank while letting me feet and legs be carried away into the river’s current. However, I was not where He wanted me to be since I was still at the side of the river instead of in its center.
Two years later, I was in a time of prayer and devotion with some other people around me. As I was praying that vision that God gave me came to mind. I felt Him once again beckoning me to let go of the riverbank and enter the current. As this was happening someone else in the room came up next to me and put his hands on my shoulder and said to me, “God is telling me to tell you to let go. He wants you to enter the river. He won’t let you drown, He’s good, He loves you, and He wants you to trust Him.”
When I heard these words I knew it was from God. How could this person have known that was the image in my head that God had given me? Impossible! But not for God. I realized God really was speaking to me and that this image was not from my imagination, but was an invitation to go deeper in my trust in God. SubhaanAllah!
I welcome others to share from their own experiences.
Salaam.
Rejecting God’s Signs
In this post we’ll look at God’s Signs (Ayat, Click here for the Wikipedia definition) and what the Qur’an has to say about them in general (See Qur’an and Miracles for more). For a general definition of a sign (click here for Wikipedia’s definition).
In Surah al-Araf 7:8-9 it says,
007.008 وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ فَمَنْ ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
007.008 The balance that day will be true (to nicety): those whose scale (of good) will be heavy, will prosper:007.009 وَمَنْ خَفَّتْ مَوَازِينُهُ فَأُولَئِكَ الَّذِينَ خَسِرُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا يَظْلِمُونَ
007.009 Those whose scale will be light, will be their souls in perdition, for that they wrongfully treated Our signs.
It seems that wrongfully treating God’s Signs leads to perdition.
Further in the same Surah in verses 36 and 40, more is said regarding God’s Signs:
007.036 وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْهَا أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
007.036 But those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance,- they are companions of the Fire, to dwell therein (for ever).007.040 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَاسْتَكْبَرُوا عَنْهَا لا تُفَتَّحُ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ وَلا يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ حَتَّى يَلِجَ الْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ الْخِيَاطِ وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُجْرِمِينَ
007.040 To those who reject Our signs and treat them with arrogance, no opening will there be of the gates of heaven, nor will they enter the garden, until the camel can pass through the eye of the needle: Such is Our reward for those in sin.
I think it’s important to know what are the Ayat that the Qur’an is referring to. Is this only referring to the verses of the Qur’an which are called ayat? Or is the reference to Signs something more? From what I can tell, the Qur’an refers to Ayat in a number of ways, some of which are referring to the verses God sent down from heaven, but other times Ayat is referring to miracles or wonders that God performs to save His people from harm, shame, or punishment. We’ll look at the story of Prophet Adam and his wife Hawa and the Sign that God gives to them next time.
-Salaammaker
