World Religions: Part 5, Islam

Sermon Notes

World Religions

Part 5: Islam

1. Introduction: What is Islam?

·      One of three great monotheistic religions

·      Second largest religion in the world

·      Islam means “submission (to God)”; Muslim means “one who submits”

·      Arose in the 7th century AD, six hundred years after Christianity

·      Mohammed knew both Jews and Christians and modeled his religion on theirs

2. History of Islam

      a. Mohammed “the Prophet” (c. 570–632)

      b. After Mohammed: The Succession Dispute (632–750)

      c. Some key events and movements

·      “Islamic Golden Age” (750–1258)

·      The Crusades (1096—1291) 

·      Ottoman Empire (1300–1922)

      d. Modern Islam (18th-21st centuries)

·      Decline & collapse of the Ottoman Empire

·      Rise of fundamentalist Islam

·      The Arab-Israeli conflict

·      Ideological battle between fundamentalists and moderates

3. Beliefs and Practices of Islam

      a. Monotheism: “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet”

      b. Mohammed the prophet 

·      Mohammed is the last and greatest; he supersedes them all

·      Many true prophets have come: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc.

·      Jesus was a great prophet but was falsely deified by the Christians.

      c. The Quran: God’s final revelation

·      The final and perfect revelation, delivered to Mohammed

·      Inspired only in the Arabic original

·      114 chapters, 6236 verses

·      The Jewish Torah (Tawrat) and Christian Gospel (Injil) were originally God’s revelation but have been corrupted both in text and interpretation.

      d. The final judgement and the resurrection of the dead

·      All people will face judgement 

·      They will go to paradise or hell, depending on their deeds

e. Five Pillars of Islam

·      Profession

·      Prayer 

·      Charity

·      Fasting

·      Pilgrimage (Hajj)

      f. Jihad (holy war)

4. Groups within Islam

      a. Sunni (85-90%)

      b. Shia (10-15%)

      c. Sufi (mysticism)

5. Sharing Jesus with Muslims

Study/Discussion Questions:

1. How and when did Islam begin?  What is its relationship to Judaism and Christianity?

2. Who was Mohammed? What do we know about his life?  What is the Quran?

3. What was the “Islamic Golden Age”?

4. What were the Crusades and how do Muslims view them today?

5. What does Islam believe about God?  About Jesus?

6. What do Muslims believe about the Quran?  About the Bible?

7. Can you name the five pillars of Islam?

8. What does “Jihad” mean and what are the two interpretations of it? 

9. What are the origin of Sunnis and Shias?

10. What is important to keep in mind when sharing Jesus with Muslims?

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