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"Witnessing To Muslims, Part 1-3" (articles from the Witnessing
Tips columns of the Christian Research Journal, Spring, Summer and
Fall 1993, page 7) by Don McCurry.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is
Elliot Miller.
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*Part One*
Because of the long history between Christians and Muslims, the
Christian witness is viewed with great animosity by the Muslim. The
roots of this tragedy go back to the Emperor Constantine, who after
allegedly having had a dream of the cross (313), wed the sword to
the cross. One of his successors, the Christian Emperor Heraclius
(reigned 610-641) was a contemporary of Muhammad (reigned 622-632).
"Holy War" (_Jihad_). Following Muhammad's death (632), Muslim
armies swept the Christian Byzantines out of Syria, Palestine, and
Egypt (636). Christians and Muslims have been at war with one
another ever since.
Leaving aside the question of Muslim atrocities against
Christians of both the East and the West, let me review the
grievances of Muslims against the West, perceived as Christian. The
Crusades (around 1050-1291) are painfully and permanently inscribed
in Muslim memories. The Colonial Period (around 1450-1970), during
which Western nations occupied about ninety percent of the Muslim
world, has left the Muslim psyche with a deep sense of shame and
humiliation that needs to be avenged. But above all else, the loss
of Jerusalem to the Jews in 1967, after more than thirteen hundred
years of possession, rankles daily in Muslim minds. This, of
course, is blamed on the "Christian" West because of the creation
of the state of Israel in 1948 -- perceived as the greatest sin
ever committed against humanity.
We need to remember, when seeking to witness to Muslims, that
we are working in an atmosphere poisoned by the memories of these
and more recent (e.g., the U.S.'s two invasions of Lebanon) Muslim
casualties. It is only by the grace of God that we have as much
opportunity as we do to work with Muslims. If we exhibit any form
of cultural superiority, religious triumphalism, or selective
amnesia concerning the sins of the West, perceived as Christian, we
only make matters worse. More to the point, the denigration of
Islam as a religion or slurs against its founder, Muhammad, will
not be tolerated. Working with Muslims calls for an especially
sensitive approach. Thus, although I will address apologetic issues
later in this series, it is first of all important for Christians
to know something about _how_ to approach Muslims.
In orthodox Islam, God has supposedly not spoken to a single
human being since the year Muhammad died (632). For this reason,
giving your own testimony of how you became a Christian -- of how
God revealed Himself _to you_ -- takes Muslims by surprise. This is
a thoroughly biblical approach (1 John 1:3). And there is no
argument against a testimony.
Muslims are usually genuinely seeking to please God (as they
understand him). They can be complimented, for example, on their
practices of confessing God, praying five times daily, giving to
the poor, keeping a month-long fast, perceiving themselves as
pilgrims, and even striving (_jihada_) on the "way of God." Similar
points of contact can be found in their belief system concerning
God, prophets, holy books, angels and demons, the decree of God,
and the day of judgment. Of course, on each subject there are
points of variance between Islamic and Christian doctrine, but the
point is to find a common starting place.
One will find that each subject can always be related to the
teaching of the Lord Jesus and the apostles and other Scriptures.
The Quran bears surprising witness to Jesus. It affirms His virgin
birth, His ability to heal and raise the dead, that He is both a
word from God and a spirit from God, that He is the Messiah, an
all-righteous one (sinless), among those nearest to God, that He is
alive in heaven now and will return to judge the earth (Quran 3:45,
49; 4:158; 82:22). Muslims often are convinced that Christ is
greater than Muhammad from just reading the Quran. These above
points are excellent starting places in leading Muslims to
_biblical_ truth about Jesus.
Indeed, in our effort to bring Muslims to study the Bible, we
have an unexpected ally in Muhammad's book, the Quran. In a careful
reading of Quranic references (3:84; 5:51, 71; 6:34; 10:37, 64, 94;
46:12), we find that Muhammad affirmed his belief in what was
revealed to Moses and Jesus. He taught that God confirms and guards
all previous scripture, that Christians are to stand fast on their
own books of the Law and the Gospel, and that none could change the
Word of God. Finally, the Muslim is told that if he has doubts he
should ask the Jews and Christians, who were reading the Holy Books
before he was.
If and when a Muslim begins to study Scripture, he (or she) is
going to be under suspicion by his family and friends. He will
need strong support and encouragement from a Christian friend. This
support is even more critical at the time of conversion, baptism,
and post-baptismal trauma. One must be ready to die with his or her
disciple (John 15:13).
Even before all of the above begins, the Christian worker would
do well to find a way to minister to human need in the environment
of the disciple. This could take the form of personal help, medical
service, teaching, relief in times of disaster, and development
programs of any kind to improve the quality of life (Matt.
25:31-46).
Finally, we must realize that this work is not simply an
intellectual exercise; it involves the supernatural work of the
Holy Spirit. In utter dependence on Him, we receive the insights
and ideas that grip the mind and heart of our Muslim friend. And
similarly, the Holy Spirit works in our friend to give
understanding, insight, and receptivity to the good news of Jesus
Christ. This trust in the work of the Holy Spirit is something to
be cultivated in prayer and faith by the Christian worker.
*Part Two*
Islam has as many branches and sects as Christianity. The two
major ones are the _Sunnis_ and the _Shias._ They split over the
issue of apostolic succession. When Islam's founder Muhammad died
unexpectedly in A.D. 632, he had left no arrangement for a
successor. His followers divided into two camps. The Sunnis were
those who thought the leader should be elected democratically from
among his closest followers, and the Shias were those who thought
the leaders should be related to Muhammad. Perhaps 85 to 90 percent
of all Muslims would call themselves Sunnis. We will consider
witnessing to Sunnis in this installment, and in Part Three we will
turn our attention to the Shias.
The word Sunni comes from the Arabic _Sunnah,_ which simply
means "the trodden path," or "tradition." In the Islamic context,
it means someone who follows the exemplary pattern of conduct
established by Muhammad, believed to be the model for all
humankind.
Since Muhammad was just one solitary man, confined to a slice
of time in seventh century Arabia, he could not foresee the
problems Islam would face in its rapid expansion into other lands.
His followers -- who were imbued with Muhammad's obsession with law
-- had to devise new laws based on their understanding of what
Muhammad would have done, if he had remained among them. This
process took almost two hundred years and resulted in the formation
of Islamic or _Shariah_ Law.
A Sunni, then, is a person who believes that the true way of
life is to attempt to keep the laws of Islam (_Shariah_) derived
from the Quran and the other collected sayings of Muhammad. For
this person, paradise is the reward of those whose good deeds
outweigh their bad on the day of judgment. With such a Muslim
believer, there are two evangelistic approaches that can be used:
to show the futility of the idea of salvation by law, and to show
the inadequacy of Muhammad's life as a model for all humankind.
Both approaches ultimately lead to the person and work of Jesus
Christ.
Muhammad, in his obsession to discover and execute the will of
God, set in motion a movement that resulted in a wild proliferation
of laws attempting to cover every facet of life. By borrowing from
the Egyptians the idea that God would weigh our good deeds against
our bad deeds in a balance scale on the day of judgment, he
betrayed a lack of understanding of the function of law. The law
does not save; it condemns.
Christians can begin by complimenting the Muslim on his or her
zeal to keep the law of God as he or she understands it, but then
we must go on to show that the law has the ultimate function of
showing us where we failed. As Paul wrote, "the letter [law] kills,
but the Spirit gives life" (1 Cor. 3:6). Our Muslim friends also
need to be disabused of the idea that 51 percent performance is
good enough to obtain salvation. Show them what James wrote: "For
whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is
guilty of breaking all of it" (James 2:10). To this could be added
Paul's words in Romans 3:20, "Therefore no one will be declared
righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law
we become conscious of sin," and in Galatians 3:24, "The law was
put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by
faith" (Gal. 3:24). This then leads on to a discussion about
Christ. And this discussion can be based on materials from both the
Quran and the Scriptures.
In Quran 7:158, Muhammad asked people to follow him. Elsewhere
in the Quran, Muhammad testified that Jesus was among those nearest
to God, held in honor in this world and the hereafter (Quran 3:45).
Muslims understand this to mean that Jesus was sinless and
all-righteous, something that the early Muslims never claimed for
Muhammad. In fact, in several Quranic passages (16:61; 40:55; 42:5,
30; 47:19; 48:1-2) we read that Muhammad was exhorted to seek
forgiveness for his faults, that not a single living creature would
be left on earth if God punished everyone for their wrongdoing, and
that one of Muhammad's military victories served as an assurance of
forgiveness of his sins, past and future. It is pointless for
Muslims to argue for Muhammad's sinlessness or to compare him to
Jesus, whom Muslims consider to be both sinless and alive in
heaven, near to God right now. The contrast could be more sharply
drawn by pointing out that Muhammad's grave is in Medina today,
whereas Christ is alive in heaven with God.
In the Quran (2:253; 3:45-49; 4:158, 171; 5:49; 19:33; 89:22)
it is noted that Jesus was called the Messiah; He was born of a
virgin; He was among the righteous ones -- those nearest to God; He
received strength from the Holy Spirit; He could give sight to the
blind, cure lepers, and raise the dead; He prophesied His own death
and resurrection; He was called a Word from God and a Spirit from
God; and finally, He is coming back with thousands of angels to
judge the world. All these characterizations add up to a powerful
picture of a Christ who was more than a prophet, and -- on Quranic
terms alone -- superior to Muhammad.
From this point on, it is up to the Christian witness to lead
the Muslim friend into a study of biblical material on the person
and nature of Christ. One suggestion would be to start with John
1:1-14, where Jesus is set forth as the eternal Word of God, an
idea Muslims implicitly accept. Then go on to show the purpose of
God for Him in becoming a man: to carry out the will of God in
accomplishing the salvation of lost humankind, who would not be
saved by the law, either Islamic or Mosaic.
*Part Three*
In previous installments of this series, we noted that Islam is
divided into many sects, the two major ones being the Sunnis and
the Shias. The original split between the latter two was over the
question of who should succeed Muhammad as leader of the community.
The Shias felt the leader should come from Muhammad's family; the
Sunnis thought he should be someone of noted piety elected by and
from Muhammad's closest companions. The Sunnis won with the first
three successors; then the Shias, or party of Ali, assumed the
leadership. But Ali was martyred, as were his only two sons (more
on this shortly).
Down through the centuries, the Shias usually lost out in these
power struggles. This led to their taking on the nature of a
protest movement against the corrupt Sunni leaders. Inevitably, to
justify their separate minority identity, they developed
theological doctrines that radically differed from those of the
Sunnis on at least two major points: the idea of martyrdom and the
idea of divine light indwelling their leaders. Both these beliefs
open up Shias to Christian witness in a way not possible among the
Sunnis.
Martyrdom for the cause of the people is memorialized in the
Shia calendar year during their lunar month of Muharram. Of the
three martyrs mentioned above -- Ali (Muhammad's cousin and
son-in-law) and Ali's two sons, Hasan and Husayn (Muhammad's
grandsons) -- that of Husayn is celebrated annually. The first ten
days of the month of Muharram are dedicated to "passion plays" that
retell the story of Husayn's betrayal and courageous stand, facing
overwhelming odds, against the ruling house of Mecca (the
Umayyids). On the tenth day, it is common for parades of
self-flagellating men to beat themselves until the blood flows,
lamenting the failure of the people to come to the defense of their
beloved leader.
This brings us to the key point: Shias believe that the shed
blood of their slain leader atones for their sins. They accept the
concept of atonement -- an idea totally unacceptable to the Sunnis.
Of all the approaches I've seen Christians use in witnessing to the
Shias, the most effective is through films depicting the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. (By the way, unlike Sunnis, Shias
accept art forms depicting human beings, and practice drama.) I
have seen them weep profusely while viewing such films. Afterwards,
it is easy to speak to them of the deep spiritual meaning of the
suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
Anyway, with or without the use of a film, asking a Shia to
talk to you about the martyrdom of Husayn naturally opens the door
for the Christian to then bring into the conversation the atoning
death of Jesus on the cross. The points to emphasize are the
overwhelming odds against Jesus during His arrest and trial, the
significance of the shed blood of Christ in atoning for the sins of
the people, Christ's victory over death, and His promise of eternal
life to those who believe in Him.
The second major point of contact has to do with the idea of
"divine light" indwelling Muhammad, Ali, Husayn, the early "Imams,"
and currently, the present leading Ayatullah, whoever that may be.
Before proceeding, let me explain the two technical words above. In
Sunni Islam, an Imam is a leader of the prayers at the mosque. It
could be anyone. In Shia Islam, the Imam is a big word. It refers
to the succession of the spiritual leaders of the community.
Depending on which branch of Shia Islam one is talking about, that
line of succession terminated with the disappearance of either the
fifth, the seventh, or the twelfth Imam. These lines came to an end
centuries ago. Each was supposedly indwelt by divine light. This
light was then passed on to a lesser order of clerics called
"Ayatullahs." This word means "Sign or Miracle of God." The late
Ayatullah Khomeini was the most famous such Ayatullah of our day.
His successor at the moment is named Khameini.
For the Christian witness, this idea of divine light is the
bridging point with Shias. It was Jesus who first said, "I am the
light of the world" (John 8:12). Behind this is the idea of pure
light coming through a sinless servant of God. The problem for
Shias is that they are forced by their own set of assumptions to
attribute sinlessness to their present-day Ayatullahs. But not even
Muhammad claimed this attribute for himself.
The Quran exhorts Muhammad (and others, too) to seek
forgiveness of his sins (Q. 40:55; 42:5; 47:19). The universality
of sin is mentioned in Quran 16:61. The Quran also says that
whatever misfortune happens to a Muslim happens because of his sin
(Q. 42:30). It further says that even when victory comes it occurs
so that God may forgive one's sins (Q. 48:1, 2). From these verses,
one can demonstrate that no one is sinless or capable of being the
"Light of the World." The big exception, of course, is Jesus. Even
in the Quran, we read that he is "among the righteous ones," that
is, sinless (Q. 3:46).
Moving from these Quranic passages, the Christian witness
should then be able to show to the Muslim that Jesus is "the holy
Son of God" (Matt. 1:20, 21; Luke 1:32); that He was indeed sinless
(2 Cor. 5:21); that in Jesus is true spiritual life and this life
is the true light of men (John 1:4); and, finally, that Jesus
Himself claimed to be the Light of the world (John 8:12) and it is
in His light that we see light (John 1:9).
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*Don McCurry* is a consultant to many Christian organizations on
the subject of Muslim evangelism. He is president of Ministries to
Muslims (4352 Austin Bluff Pky. #357, Colorado Springs, CO 80918,
or P.O. Box 6400, Altadena, CA 91003).
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End of document, CRJ0123A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"Witnessing to Muslims, Parts 1-3"
release A, June 30, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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