HOW TO ANSWER MUSLIMS

1. HOW TO ANSWER MUSLIMS

2. Introduction • An Historical Overview of Islam • Islam and Europe • What Muslims Believe • The Five Pillars of Islam • Other Muslim Beliefs • The Koran • Critical Verses from the Koran • Refuting Islam • Islam and the Jews • Islam and Mormonism • The Nature of God • The Trinity • Coercion of Conscience • Jesus’ Crucifixion • Original Sin • The Corruption of the Bible • Jinn or Genies • Miracles • Mary and the Victory over Islam • Our Lady of Guadalupe • Our Lady of Fatima • Rosary Victories in History • Rosary Victories Today • Conclusion OVERVIEW

3. September 11, 2001 Attack on the World Trade Center raised anew questions about Islam. • Muslims seek to impose a creed that claims: • Islam is the final fulfillment of the religious line of prophecy that began with Abraham; • Christianity is a corruption of this prophetic line; • Islam has the sacred duty to stamp out Christianity and impose Islam throughout the world; • Muhammed is the last and greatest of God’s true prophets. • Islam today poses a real challenge to the Church. They are poised to transform Europe into a Muslim stronghold. Introduction Islam means “submission to the will of Allah” and refers to the religion. Muslim means “one who submits to the will of Allah” and refers to believers. Muslims are believers in the religion of Islam.

4. Founded in AD 622 by Muhammad ibn Abdullah (570-632) who was influenced by Arabia’s diverse lifestyles and beliefs. Most Arabians were nomads whose tribal leaders were often their religious authorities. Relentless fighters with extremist tendencies. Muhammad had reputation for tremendous personal honesty, often asked to arbitrate disputes. Charismatic, creative, enterprising…he knew what type of religious system would take root and flourish in Arabia. Influenced by Christian, Jewish, and pagan beliefs around him. Married to a wealthy Christian widow, Khadija. She had a cousin, Waraqa, who was a Christian monk and scholar. An Historical Overview

5. Islamic Expansion

6. Muhammad fiercely rejected the materialism and polytheism of paganism. He embraced certain Christian and Jewish beliefs: monotheism (belief in one God). To these he added his own ideas to form a religion suited to his culture. Some teachings he preserved intact. Others he simplified; others he mutilated to the point of being unrecognizable from the original. Result? A religious package that offers people spiritual zeal without requiring them to alter their lifestyles radically. It gave the Arabian tribes a unity and purpose they had previously lacked. Combined with their fierce warrior traditions, this made them a formidable force. Within one generation, Islam overran the Middle East and virtually supplanted Christianity there. Then it began to subjugate other parts of the globe, vanquishing within a few years large parts of Europe, including most of Spain (which was retaken in 1492 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella). They were not able to conquer Europe as completely as the Middle East. Islam struck gold in Central Asia. The Mongol people shared traits with pre-Islamic Arabians and so converted en masse. Historical Overview cont.

7. Islam came to regard it as its great rival and enemy. Why? • Europe was a Christian continent for centuries after the rise of Islam. • While Islam became deeply rooted in Middle East, Christianity became deeply rooted in Europe and established a Christian culture and civilization—Christendom. The wars between them were more than just religious…they were clashes of great and competing civilizations. • Arabs have always considered themselves more culturally advanced than Europeans (had been established for 3500 years before Germany or France). Impressive advances in science and mathematics. When Europe surged ahead at end of the Middle Ages, Muslims were left bewildered, angry, and envious. • Most people in Christian West focus on recent events in history. Not true of Islamic people…long memories. • Relish victories of Saladin over the Crusaders in late 12th Century • Conquest of Constantinople in 1453 • Humiliating defeat of their best armies by Charles Martel (“the hammer”) at Tours, France, in 732. • Their loss of Spain in 1492 • Their former glories and defeats continue to fuel their desire to impose Islam worldwide. • Muslims see Europe as ripe for harvesting. Europe’s dropping birth rates, loss of faith, loss of will, and lack of commitment to their rich traditions and their future. Islam and Europe

8. Keep the following points in mind: Muhammad was a gifted man who sought a solution to the disunity and controversy around him. Islam was meant to be this solution. Muhammad collected doctrines from many sources. (btw, he couldn’t read). His knowledge of Christianity was gathered from Christians like his wife, Khadija, and relative, Waraqa. Much of the Christianity he was exposed to was heretical. He was impressed with Christianity’s ability to unite people from different countries and ethnic groups. Selected those things that would unify the Middle East and left out the rest (sacraments, priesthood, etc.) which didn’t fit will into tribal mentalities not given to complicated theology. Eliminated the complex beliefs (Trinity, Incarnation, Mary’s title as Mother of God) and created a simplified version of Christianity: Islam. Even a quick overview of Islam reveals how much it took from Christianity. But much of this is distorted or truncated. So what is left is a shell of Christianity without its living heart: the redemptive mission of the God-Man, Jesus Christ! What Muslims believe

9. Every Capable Muslim is bound to five central religious duties. They are: 1. Profession of faith (shahada) 2. Prayer (salat) 3. Almsgiving (zakat) 4. Fasting (sawm) 5. Pilgrimage (hajj) The 5 Pillars of Islam

10. To publicly profess, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his Prophet.” “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God.” CCC teaches that the God the Muslisms worship is the same God Christians worship, although Muslims have many misunderstandings about Him. A strong link btw Christianity and Islam. Emphasize this point when talking with Muslims. 1st Pillar is meant to rebuke Christians for believing in the Trinity, which they take to be blasphemy. Where in the world did Muhammad get the false notion that Christians worship Mary as part of the Trinity? Muhammed’s Nestorian relative gave him lots of inaccurate religious counsel. Muhammad is the final and greatest of the true prophets of God. They believe that Jesus was a great prophet who prepared the way for Muhammad but they do NOT believe that Jesus is God. Consider this blasphemy. To become a Muslim, a person recites the 1st Pillar as a profession of faith, much like someone would recite the Nicene Creed when he enters the Catholic Church. Muslims reject all study and speculation on the nature of God. They don’t believe God is our Father, and they don’t believe we are created in His image. They reject as blasphemy the belief that we can become sons of God. Pillar 1. Profession of Faith

11. MECCA

12. Obligated to pray 5 times a day at set hours. Ritual washings accompany these prayers. Prayer themes: praising God, thanking God, and petitioning Him for their needs. Only prayers in Arabic have value. They memorize and recite all their prayers in Arabic, even if they don’t know the language. Christians agree with them on the need for daily prayer. However, because Muslims prohibit reflection and speculation in matters of faith, their prayers tend to be rote and ritualistic. The higher forms of prayer, such as meditation and contemplation, are hard to find in Islam. Pillar 2. Daily prayer

14. Islam teaches the necessity of charity to the poor because it purifies the giver’s heart. Another common point shared with Christians. However, they tend only to aid other Muslims, while Christians generally help anyone in need. Pillar 3. Give Alms

15. They fast for many of the same reasons as Christians do: to discipline the mind and body, to resist temptation, and to carry out the difficult demands of their religion. They also believe it instills compassion for the poor. The Muslim calendar has a holy month called Ramadan, which comes at different times each year. Commemorates the time when Muhammad began to receive his “revelations” and also his historic emigration (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina in 622. During Ramadan, Muslims are obligated to abstain from all food, drink, smoking, and marital relations from sunrise to sunset. The Bible teaches the power of fasting when united to prayer. Unfortunately, many Catholics have de-emphasized fasting in recent times; this is an area where we can learn from our Muslim brothers. Pillar 4. FAST

16. At least once in his lifetime, each Muslim is required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca (both Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia). Muslims are dispensed from this requirement if they have financial or physical impediments. Pillar 5. Go on Pilgrimage

17. Medina, Saudi Arabia

18. Jesus Christ: He was a great prophet who performed the greatest miracles of all the prophets. He was sinless and born of a virgin. Have a great respect for Him, but do not believe Jesus is God. They deny that He died on Calvary. He was miraculously taken into heaven while a look-alike died in His place. They believe He will return to earth in the end times to slay the antichrist, destroy Christianity, and establish Islam throughout the world. He will destroy all crosses, kill all pigs, get married, live 40 years on earth, and then finally die! They consider the Christian belief about Jesus’ redemptive mission to be blasphemous. Other Muslim Beliefs

19. Mary: • They have a high regard for her. They believe she was sinless and the greatest woman in Paradise. • Mary is potentially a great bridge to Islam. • The End Times • Believe in a Day of Judgment when all things will be revealed. Apocalyptic signs (similar to those described in the Bible), including the Second Coming of Christ, will precede the Day of Judgment. Other Muslim Beliefs

20. Heaven and Hell • The Koran describes Hell in graphic ways. All non-Muslims will suffer eternal torments. • Heaven is viewed in a completely carnal way: plentiful food, never-ending wine, and continuous sexual indulgence. God will still be remote and unknowable even in heaven. • To Muslims, the Christian concepts of seeing God face-to-face (1 Cor. 13:12) and partaking in His divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4) are sacrilegious. • Original Sin • They deny it. Because they don’t believe in a wounded human nature, they see no need for redemption. They likewise reject God’s gifts of sanctifying grace and supernatural sonship. Other Muslim Beliefs

21. Angels • Muslims and Christians have roughly similar beliefs about angels and demons. • But they also believe in spiritual beings called: jinn or genii. • Jinn have free-will and can appear to men. Part of a popular, pre-Islamic Arab belief. Another example of Muhammad’s borrowing from existing religious. • Resurrection • They firmly believe in the resurrection of the body on the last day (like Christians). But it will simply be a perfect natural body. • Because they don’t believe we are made in the image of God, and because they don’t believe in divine sonship or the beatific vision, they do not believe the resurrected body will be supernaturally glorified. Other Muslim beliefs

22. Muslim Morality • It is more or less Old Testament morality and are generally in accord with Christian morality. • Some exceptions: • Like Jews they forbid the eating of pork and blood. • They allow polygamy (up to 4 wives). • They forbid the drinking of wine. (nowhere does OT forbid moderate drinking). • Forbid gambling (Christians believe that gambling is not evil in itself, but only in certain circumstances.) • Muslims and Women • The Koran teaches that God made men superior to women. (So it is astonishing that European Christian women become Muslims). • Koran commands Muslims to beat their wives if they fear they might become disobedient. • Koran teaches that a woman’s testimony is worth only half of a man’s. She inherits only half as much as a man. • Men may marry unbelievers, but women may not. • The inferiority of women continues into the next life. According to Muslim Tradition, Muhammad declared: “I looked into Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women.” (SahihBukhari, vol 4, bk 54, #464) Other muslim beliefs

23. Muslims and Coercion of Consciences • Catholic Church teaches that it is gravely sinful to use force or the threat of force to compel people in matters of religious belief. (cfr. Vatican II, Declaration on Religious Liberty, section 2) • Islam has always officially approved and even commanded severe penalties (death included) for those people who abandon Islam or refuse to accept it. • Islamic use of violence to coerce(compel or force) consciences should not be confused with Cathoic use of penalties such as excommunication. These penalties are disciplinary and medicinal while always respecting the freedom of conscience. They NEVER threaten violence to make people believe. • Islamic use of force to compel religious belief violates their own Koran: “There shall be no compulsion in religion.” • Abrogation theory: they will respond to inconsistencies by appealing to this theory which claims that earlier verses and traditions can be replaced or nullified by later ones. Other Muslim beliefs

24. It is Islam’s holy book. • Along with Muhammad’s traditions (Hadith) the Koran is the foundation of Islamic law, religion, and political life. Difficult for Catholics to grasp how all-encompassing the Koran is to Muslims. • Need to have a basic understanding of what Muslims believe about the Koran in order to have an effective conversation with them. • It is God’s final and perfect revelation to the human race. (supersedes the Bible which they believe has become corrupted). • It consists of messages given by God to Muhammad thr the angel Gabriel over a twenty-three year period (AD 610-632) • In it God reveals His will or commands; He does not reveal Himself. (Christians believe God reveals both Himself and His will in the Bible) • It does not teach that God loves us. Neither does it teach the need for a savior to atone for sin. If we obey God, we go to heaven. It teaches a master-slave relationship between God and man. We are called to submit to God rather than to love Him. Rejects the idea of divine sonship and the call to love God with our whole hearts. The Koran (Qur’an)

25. Jihad

26. Muslims are extremely sensitive when it comes to criticism of the Koran. In fact, they are unreasonable. They flatly state that the Bible is corrupted, but they become outraged if anyone brings up difficulties or contradictions within the Koran. They believe it was given in Arabic, and must be read in Arabic to be correctly understood. It is about the size of the New Testament. 114 chapters known as “suras”. Suras are not arranged by chronology or topic but according to length—from longest to shortest. Lack of narrative thread makes it a difficult read. Highly repetitive and obscure. To read it entirely takes a boatload of patience. The Koran continued

27. Muslim Distribution

28. Islam seems formidable because of the sheer number and zeal of its believers and rapid growth. Remember, however, that many man-made religions have had numbers, zeal, and growth. Theses characteristics alone do not guarantee truth. Much less formidable in its doctrines…actually similar to Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons in a lot of ways. Americans are ideally suited to deal with Muslims, since we’ve already been dealing with JW’s and Mormons for 150 years. What do they all have in common? Turn the page to find out!!! Refuting Islam

29. Islam and JWs: • Each claims to be following the gospel of Jesus but each rejects the most important teaching of Jesus: the Trinity. (Muslims not only reject it but are hostile toward it.) • Each considers it idolatry to worship Jesus, and each condemns this emphatically. • Each distorts Calvary. Muslims say it was an impostor, not Jesus, who died on the cross. JWs deny that Jesus was crucified, claiming instead that He was nailed to a stake. • Each has extreme hostility to the idea of an ordained ministry. • Each denies the idea of divine sonship. (JWs 144000) both have master-slave view of God’s relationship with us. • Each believes in a heaven on earth: a natural paradise like Garden of Eden. Each believes we cannot hope to spend eternity with God. • Each uses cruel, coercive tactics on people who in conscience can no longer accept its teachings. • Each brazenly distorts Sacred Scripture while insisting it is following the true Gospel. • Each discourages research and critical thinking in religious matters. • Each has rapid growth in our time because of fanatical zeal of its members. • Each hates Western culture, which it considers Satanic. • Each is difficult to convert for several reasons. They virtually define their religions by rejecting the Trinity. Refuting Islam:

31. Islam and Mormonism • Both began with a self-proclaimed “prophet”. Their followers quickly became fanatically loyal to each “prophet”. Nothing either man said or did could shake his followers’ attachment to himself. • Each “prophet” had multiple wives and taught polygamy • Each claimed to receive “revelations” from God thr an angel…that these revelations were inspired scriptures: Book of Mormon and Koran…that they correct the corrupted teachings of Christianity. • Each offer the same emotional, subjective reasons as “proof” that their book is inspired: beauty of its language, profoundness of its teachings, its influence on the hearts of believers. • Both the Koran and the Book of Mormon borrow extensively from biblical and non-biblical sources without acknowledging it. • Each religion has a highly regimented, works-oriented approach to salvation while denying or ignoring the biblical teachings on Christian perfection. Refuting Islam

32. The Nature of God • Muslims (like Christians) believe that God is the infinitely perfect being Who created all things. However, they have serious misunderstandings about the nature of God. • They believe in God’s absolute Unity. They reject the Trinity: God’s revelation of Himself as a union of three divine persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in one divine nature. • They believe that God allows the coercion of consciences to spread Islam. • They believe we cannot know God’s nature. • They believe that God can change His mind and even contradict Himself. Refuting Islam

33. So, is God Utterly Unknowable? Muslims believe that God is unique, utterly transcendent (beyond all comprehension), and thus totally beyond human understanding. He is also beyond all restriction. Nothing obliges Him to reveal His truth to us. Nothing obliges Him to reveal Himself to us. Ergo, all we can really know about God is His willthr His commands; but we can know nothing about His divine, transcendent nature. But surely we can know something about God. We are His creatures; we have intelligence by which we can understand His creation. Just as we can learn something about an artist by studying his handiwork, we can learn something about the Creator by studying His creation. By observing the reason, goodness, truth, beauty, and power of created things, we can infer something of the reason, goodness, truth, beauty and power of God. Cfr. Rom 1:19-20, Wisdom 13:1-5 Refuting Islam

34. Is God Changeable? For Muslims, God is utterly unbound. Nothing can restrict Him, not reason, not His own word, not even His own nature. If He wanted to, God could ask Muslims to practice idolatry (or even to become Catholics). For Christians, God’s actions proceed from, and reflect, His perfect nature. Because His nature is reasonable, good, and true, He cannot do anything unreasonable, evil, or false. Such things would be contrary to His perfect nature. For Muslims, God can do all things, without limitation. He is not bound to do things that are reasonable, good, and true. He could just as well do what is unreasonable, evil, or false. He can change His mind as He pleases. He can alter or contradict His former revelations at will. (manifested in the Muslim doctrine of abrogation or nullification). For Christians, God can do all things that are consistent with His nature. He cannot make Himself un-exist, or sin, or lie because these things would contradict His perfect nature (IpsumEsseSubsistens). Nor can God change. Refuting Islam

35. Is God Changeable? Cont. • A God who can change is not perfect. Perfection means lacking nothing, having no deficiency. If God can change His mind, there are only 2 possibilities: • 1. His 2nd thought is better than His first, in which case, the first thought lacked something • 2. His 2nd thought is worse than His first, in which case the second one lacks something. Either way, God’s thought lacked something, and was therefore imperfect. • Example of a man planning to meet friends at a restaurant. • Movement always implies a lack: either one is moving toward a destination he lacks or away from a destination he has achieved. Refuting Islam

36. Is God Changeable? Cont. Like motion, change always implies imperfection. Change is either into something more perfect, or into something less perfect. Perfection itself does not change. But God is infinitely perfect, lacking nothing. Ergo, His thoughts cannot change; His words cannot change. This is not a limitation in God. It is an expression of His infinite perfection. Refuting Islam

37. Questions to respectfully ask Muslims 1. Using our reason, can’t we learn many things about a craftsman by examining his handiwork? Can’t we also learn many things about the Creator by examining His creation? 2. One of the 99 names of God is “Al-Baqi”, The Ever Enduring and Immutable. How can God’s word be mutable (changeable) when His very name is Immutable (unchangeable)? 3. Sura 48:23 says: “you shall find no change in the ways of God.” Sura 6:115 says: “Perfected are the words of your Lord in truth and justice. None can change His words.” How can you claim that God’s ways and God’s words can change when the Koran clearly says God’s ways and God’s words are unchangeable? 4. If God can do absolutely anything, without any limitation, what would prevent Him from commanding Muslims to worship the Trinity? What could prevent Him from declaring Muhammad to be a false prophet? What could prevent Him from causing Himself not to exist? Why couldn’t God do all these? Can He do absolutely everything? Muslims can’t say these things are absurd or contradictory or illogical, for their God is not bound by reason, consistency, or logic. 5. Do you believe God is infinitely perfect? What could He possibly improve; what would He possibly change? Change of any kind implies imperfection. What could He possibly lack to change into? And if He lacks nothing, wouldn’t any change be a move away from perfection? Refuting Islam

38. The Trinity • The Koran rejects the Trinity. (God’s central revelation about Himself). • Sura 5:114-117 Koran teaches that Christians worship Mary as part of the Trinity. (whaaa?) • Christians have never worshipped Mary. • Questions to respectfully ask Muslims: • 1. Instead of telling Christians that they worship Mary and consider her part of the Trinity, wouldn’t it be more honest to ask them if that’s what they believe? Have you ever read what Christians themselves say they believe about Mary and Trinity? Can you produce a single Christian document that makes this claim? Refuting Islam

39. 2. Is there any independent evidence (apart from the Koran) that Christians worshipped Mary or considered her part of the Trinity? Are there any Church Fathers who held this? Any Church Councils? And doctors of the Church? Any popes? Anyone considered remotely authoritative? 3. Is there any record of the Church’s enemies ever claiming that orthodox Christians worship Mary as part of the Trinity? Surely the Jews, or Romans or the many other heretical sects of Christianity over 2000 yrs would have noticed. Why are Muslims the only ones to accuse us of this? 4. If there is no shred of independent evidence that Christians worshipped Mary or considered her part of the Trinity, is this not a glaring example of the Koran making a mistake in characterizing Christian beliefs? 5. If the Koran is capable of making such a flagrant error, how can you trust it to be the true Word of God? Refuting Islam (Questions on Trinity)

40. Icon of the Trinity

41. Coercion of Conscience God has given human beings the great gift of free will. (the power for self-determination towards the good) He made us free so that we could freely choose to love Him. (Free will is the precondition for love). Love cannot be forcibly taken. It can only be freely given. Imagine a man forcing a woman to marry him against her will. That’s not love; that’s coercion. God respects our freedom; He doesn’t force us to love Him. He never coerces our will; He only invites. To force love is to destroy it. God always respects our free will, even if we choose to reject Him. In order to love God freely, we must have the freedom to believe and worship Him according to the dictates of our conscience. Refuting Islam

42. Even secular organizations like the United Nations recognize the importance of freedom of conscience! Pope Benedict XVI’s address at the University of Regensburg (Sept. 12, 2006). He pointed out that using violence to promote religion is unreasonable and thus contrary to the nature of God Who is Reason. Coercion of Conscience cont.