A Biblical Response to Islam Part 1

  As Christians we believe we have all the answers. We believe that the Bible is inerrant and is 100% sufficient. However what percentage of Christians do you think actually read there Bible? Now, these are self-professed Christians, but still - what percent? As it turns out, twenty percent of Christians read their Bible. Now as to Muslims, however, what percent of Muslims do you think read the Quran? More than Christians? Less? Well, apparently only ten percent of Muslims read the Quran. The reasons for this are many, but one of the reasons is that the Quran is not the complete information, traditions, and practices that Muslims follow. They also follow something known as the Hadith.

   However in Islam there are five pillars, or five practices that basically define someone as being a Muslim:

• The Shahadah; a sincere profession that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger

1. Salat; the ritual prayers that all Muslims must do five times each day. They must face Mecca. 
2. Zakat; the paying of alms or giving of charity to the poor and needy in their community. 
3. Sawm; the necessity of fasting during their month of Ramadan. 
4. Hajj; the once in a lifetime pilgrimage all Muslims in good health must make to Mecca. 

  These are the essence of what Muslims believe, they are the five pillars that the rest of their beliefs stand upon. For Christians, I would say the core pillars are Theology, Bibliology, Soteriology, and conduct. Providentially, these are also things we would divide over, as Christians and you can follow up on these things with this previous post of ours: http://christphileosophy.blogspot.com/2015/03/reasons-for-division-why-we-cannot-have.html

Well, going forward let us recognize that Muslims stand upon those five pillars, just like we stand on the four of ours. We view the Bible as sufficient whereas they view the Quran as perfect but follow the teachings of the Hadith that go along with the Quran. These are essential differences that we will need to better understand Islam.