SERVING IN THE
Donald S. Tingle
Executive
Director, comeNserv
SERVING IN THE
by
Donald S. Tingle
Executive Director,
comeNserv
Published
by comeNserv, 1000
Copyright 2001 by
Donald S. Tingle
Second Printing
This
booklet is designed to answer questions for
If you are a Christian who desires to be a faithful witness by word and action, special attention will be given to your concerns. You will be given simple instructions how to express your faith in a way that can be appreciated by the Muslims among whom you work.
People of other faiths or those with no particular religious conviction may also find this to be a useful reference.
The contents of this booklet are not meant to replace any instructions you may receive from the military.
What is the difference between Muslim and Islam?
Both words come from the Arabic language. Islam refers to the religion. Muslim refers to the person who holds to that religion. Both words also signify submission to God and peace produced by that submission.
Muslims would say that in one sense Islam is the oldest of the major religions. It was the religion of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus, because they all submitted to God’s will rather than their own. In a more particular sense, they would say Islam began with Muhammad in the seventh century A.D. Therefore it is the youngest of the major religions.
Muslims believe Muhammad was only a man. He was not divine. They do not pray to him or consider him to be their savior from sin. They believe he was no more than a messenger sent to warn people to turn from sin. (Qur’an 3:144; 18:110; 7:184)
Muhammad lived in the
Muslims give great honor to Muhammad. They follow the example of his behavior. They study his sayings. They believe he gave guidance for numerous aspects of life, both private and public. Therefore the teachings of Muhammad and the Qur’an become the glue that helps hold Islamic societies together.
If you speak against Muhammad in the presence of a Muslim, you may find yourself in deep trouble. The offended Muslim may agree to drink coffee or tea with you and talk about any number of topics, except religion. At best you will have cut off opportunities to discuss matters of faith. You could be shunned, threatened or even attacked. Some Muslims may think that you are a dangerous infidel who is trying to destroy the values and morals upon which their social structures rest and that you are waging war against Islam. Even non-religious or secular Muslims may become quickly offended when they hear an outsider speaking against their heritage.
Islam is one of the three great monotheistic religions— religions that believe in only one God— along with Judaism and Christianity. The Qur’an tells Muslims not to dispute with Christians or Jews over whether or not they worship the same God, but to say, “Our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we submit.” (Qur’an 29:46)
The Arabic word for God is Allah. It simply means “the God,” but it is also used as a proper name. It is related to a couple of Hebrew words for God in the Old Testament. Arabic speaking Christians also use the term Allah when they refer to God.
Muslims believe that Allah is:
1. Creator of everything
2. Eternal
3. All powerful
4. All knowing
5. Ever present
6. Lord over all
7. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the other patriarchs
8. The One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush
9. The One who caused Jesus to be born of a virgin
10. The One who sent all true prophets
11. The Judge before whom we will stand on the Last Day
They also believe God needs nothing in order to exist, whereas all of creation is dependent upon God for its existence. It is a fundamental human responsibility to worship God. We should not worship for selfish reasons to get what we want. Whether God brings us pleasure or pain in this life, whether God sends us to heaven or hell in the afterlife, we should still worship God simply because God alone is worthy of all praise.
The greatest difference between Muslims and Christians centers on the person of Jesus. Muslims worry that Christians have made Jesus into a second God and that Christians worship three gods. Muslims will stress the indivisible unity of God in speaking with Christians. Later we will return to the subject of how Christians may discuss Jesus Christ, but for now let me suggest that when you begin speaking about your faith with a Muslim you say up front, “I worship only one God, Creator of heaven and earth.” You can only discuss your beliefs about Jesus after it has been established that you are not a polytheist.
The Qur’an is the sacred scripture of Muslims. Muslims handle it with clean hands. They put it on a high shelf. It should not be handled carelessly, put on the floor, sat upon, or stacked under other books. (If Muslims see Christians doing such things to the Bible, they may assume Christians have little respect for their own book.)
Some object to non-Muslims touching a Qur’an, out of concern that it will be mishandled. But usually Muslims would be happy to help you obtain a copy— if you are really interested. There are several English translations available. Perhaps the most widely used would be Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s The Meaning of the Holy Qur’an. The translator utilizes an outdated style of English, and the translation reflects his personal perspective rather than that of a team of translators, but it is still useful. That translation is used in this handbook.
Remember an important distinction— translations are not exactly the Qur’an itself. The Qur’an is the Arabic text of 1,400 years ago. Muslims work to memorize the Qur’an in the original Arabic language so they can recite it in their prayers and religious discussions. Some, including children, have memorized the entire Qur’an even when Arabic is not their first language. It would be equivalent in difficulty to a Christian memorizing the entire Greek New Testament.
The Qur’an is divided into surahs. These are not chapters any more than psalms in the Old Testament are chapters. Each surah has a name and a number. For your convenience this booklet will only refer to the number. A surah is divided into verses. There are two verse-numbering systems. (If you try to look up a verse mentioned in this booklet but have difficulty finding it, simply look at surrounding verses. You may have a Qur’an that uses the second numbering system.)
Muslims believe the Qur’an was
given by inspiration to Muhammad from 610 to 632 A.D. Surahs are not
arranged chronologically. In a general
sort of way they are arranged according to size after the first surah. The second surah is the longest.
Number 112 is the shortest.
Muslim scholars have attempted to determine which surahs
were revealed in
Muslims distinguish between the words of the Qur’an and the words of Muhammad. They believe the Qur’an to be the word of God. If you speak to Muslims about something found in the Qur’an, do not say, “Muhammad says in the Qur’an….” This will offend them. It is better to speak in a way that will neither offend your convictions nor theirs, such as using the phrase, “The Qur’an says….”
There are five fundamental beliefs for Muslims. Some would make the list larger, but for simplicity we will limit it to these five:
1. Faith in Allah. They believe there is only one God who must be worshipped and served. Shirk is the greatest of all sins. It is an Arabic term which means to associate partners with God, to worship God plus something else. Muslims are to avoid shirk at all costs and place their faith in Allah alone.
2. The angels of Allah. Angels serve God constantly. The angel Jibril (Gabriel) announced the birth of Jesus to Mary. Jibril has also brought messages to prophets. Angels are sometimes sent to protect us. Muslims believe one angel records your good deeds and another your bad deeds. In contrast to the good spirit creatures who serve God, Muslims also recognize that Shaitan (Satan) and other evil spirit creatures try to harm us and lead us astray from God’s path. The jinn (genies) are spirit creatures who can be good, bad or mischievous.
3. The books of Allah. Muslims believe God has revealed the Taurat (Torah) to Moses, the Zabur (Psalms) to David, the Injil (Gospel) to Jesus and many other books found in the Bible. It is a commonly held belief among Muslims, however, that the Bible has either been corrupted beyond reliability or the Qur’an has replaced it. We will come back to this subject later. But for now remember that in theory they must believe in all the books of Allah. Naturally they would say the Qur’an is the final book God has revealed.
4. The messengers of Allah. God has sent numerous prophets with essentially the same message: turn from sin to obey and worship God alone before judgment comes. Most of the prophets mentioned in the Qur’an are also mentioned in the Bible. Some gave books to their people; others just spoke God’s message.
5.
The Day of Judgment. We will all stand before God on that last Day
to give an account of what we have done, both good and bad. Our deeds will be weighed in the scales. If our evil deeds are heavier we are sent to
the Fire. If our good deeds are heavier
we are sent to
The “pillars of Islam” are the rituals all Muslims are expected to observe. There are five.
1. Shahadah (to bear testimony). It is the confession of faith, “I bear testimony there is no deity except Allah and Muhammad is His messenger,” recited in the Arabic language. If a person desires to become a Muslim, the only thing that person has to do is recite the shahadah to another Muslim. But this is not a one-time action. Muslims recite this on numerous occasions each day in their ritual worship.
2. Salat (ritual worship or prayers). Five times every day Muslims are expected to pray. These are structured times of worship with procedures for how to wash before prayer, the movement of the body during prayer, and the words which are spoken. These prayers may be done alone or with others, but on Fridays at noontime all are encouraged to attend the congregational prayer. At any other time a person may pray spontaneously, using his or her own words, but salat follows a definite form. In some countries you will hear the call to prayer from a mosque. The call in Arabic means, “Allah is greater (than anything). I bear testimony there is no deity except Allah. I bear testimony Muhammad is His messenger. Come quickly to prayer. Come quickly to success. Allah is greater. There is no deity except Allah.” The five times for prayer are listed below. They are encouraged to perform these prayers early in each time period.
a. From the beginning of dawn until sunrise
b. From when the sun is at its high point until it is halfway down
c. From the time it is halfway down until sunset
d. From sunset until dark
e. From dark until before dawn
3. Zakat (almsgiving). Muslims are expected to give to those who are in need and to help promote the cause of Islam. This is 2.5% of their total assets after certain deductions are made. Zakat contains the idea of purification. When we give to God what God expects of us, it helps purify for our use the remaining wealth. Zakat is based on total assets rather than income. So a person could have a net loss in business within a particular year, but if that person still has assets greater than debts at the end of the year, zakat may be due.
4.
Sawm
(fasting during the month of Ramadan).
Muslims are required to fast from the beginning of dawn until the moment
of sunset for the entire month. (For
more information on Ramadan, see the question “How is the Islamic calendar
different from the Western calendar?”)
During these hours Muslims are not permitted to eat, drink, or smoke,
nor are husbands and wives permitted to have sexual intercourse. They fast for several reasons: because it is
an act of worship, because it helps them remember the poor who face deprivation
all year, because it teaches self-discipline, and because it reminds them to be
thankful to God for all the good things which we too often take for
granted. In the evening they will gather
with family and friends to enjoy food and fellowship together. Stores will often stay open late. Nights are times of great celebration,
similar to Christmas or Thanksgiving in
5.
Hajj (pilgrimage). If a Muslim has the physical and financial
resources to do so, he or she should make the pilgrimage to
Jihad literally means “to strive” in the cause of Allah. The greater jihad is to fight against evil in one’s heart. The lesser jihad is to physically resist evil. The term is sometimes mistranslated “holy war.” Terrorists and extremists do not represent the Muslim world any more than the Crusades represented Christianity. We must be careful not to compare the ideal best of Christianity with the historical worst of Islam; to do so is to bear false witness. According to many Muslim jurists the following conditions must be met in order for the lesser jihad to be a valid form of warfare:
1. Jihad cannot be called by anyone. A ruler who legitimately represents the Muslim community should be the only one to declare it.
2. It must be fought for just purposes such as self-defense, defense of the faith, or defense of people who are expelled forcibly from their homes.
3. It must be fought by just means. The lives of women, children and non-combative civilians must be protected to the fullest extent possible. Crops, trees and livestock must not be destroyed.
4. Suicide attacks are condemned. Muhammad is reported to have said, “Whoever commits suicide with something, will be punished with the same thing in the (Hell) fire.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 8:126)
5. One cannot “transgress limits.” The response to evil must never be excessive. (See Qur’an 2:190-193.)
6. If the enemy seeks peace, respond with peace. (See Qur’an 8:61.)
The word mosque is derived from masjid, “a place for bowing down.” It is a house of worship for Muslims. Some mosques may attract tourists because of their architectural or historical significance. Others may be simple structures that hold no special interest to the non-Muslim. Check with local residents to find out which mosques welcome tourists and which do not. It is a good idea to have someone associated with the mosque show you around and answer your questions. Dress appropriately when you enter a mosque. Women should have long sleeves, loose fitting clothing and headscarves. Neither men nor women should wear short pants. Women should not wear a dress above the ankles. Leave your shoes at the door. Ask permission before taking pictures. Speak softly. Never interrupt a time of congregational prayer. In regions of the world where anti-American sentiments run high, it is best to avoid the vicinity of the mosque on Fridays.
The Islamic calendar begins in 622
A.D. when the Muslim community moved from
Muslims are found throughout the world, and they speak the languages of their resident countries. The vast majority of Muslims are not Arabs, and Arabic is not their first language. But because the Qur’an is in Arabic, this becomes the dominant language for Muslims in worship and in religious studies. However, other major languages are important such as Turkish, Farsi (Persian) and Urdu. In this handbook I have given only the Arabic names for certain words, but in the country where you are stationed other terms may be substituted because of a difference in language, such as the term namaz rather than salat (prayer), or words may be pronounced differently such as Ramazan rather than Ramadan.
There is a widespread belief that someone may cause great harm by looking with envy at a person or possession. Do not think this is limited to Muslims alone. In some places those who claim to be Christian may believe it just as strongly. To ward off the evil eye a person may wear protective verses in a small pouch, or wear a blue stone or jewelry shaped like an eye, or place such an object on the house, or hang a doll from a house under construction. If you visit a home and say that some object is very beautiful, the host may offer to give it to you. Muslims show great hospitality to their guests, but such an offer may be motivated more as a protection against the evil eye. If you spoil the object with the eye of envy, what good is it to the host? He may as well give it away. Or if you refuse to take the object, it may show no envy was intended. Parents have been known to dress especially beautiful children in dirty, ragged clothes so no one will look upon them with the eye of envy. If you say to your host, “What a lovely house you have,” or “What beautiful children you have,” purify the compliment by also saying “Thank God” or “Praise God” or some other locally approved phrase. Remember that customs concerning the “eye” are not universal. Learn local traditions on this point, if there are any.
Each country, region and ethnic group has its own distinctive culinary delights. If you like to try new foods, you are sure to find something that will become a favorite. Muslims have only two basic dietary restrictions. No food should contain pork by-products. They are also restricted from alcoholic consumption. You may find yourself among people where these restrictions are not applied very strictly. Some may drink alcohol and encourage you to do so. Others may serve sausage with pork in it. Although Islamic law permits Christians to eat pork and drink alcohol in moderation, these things are still prohibited for Muslims. If you take a gift of food to a Muslim home, or if you invite Muslims to join you for a meal, assure them there is no pork or alcohol in the food that you offer them.
Sometimes women wear the veil because it is required by an Islamic state. Every now and then husbands demand that their wives wear the veil. A number of women, however, choose to wear the veil even if it is discourage by a government or family members. They see it as an expression of religious conviction and a way to dress modestly. On occasion it functions as a protest against the invasion of culture and values from the West. In many places women don’t usually wear the veil unless they are entering a mosque. There are numerous types of veils. Some are sheer. Others are opaque. Some are simple scarves. Others are lengthy pieces of cloth. Some leave the face uncovered. Others leave the eyes uncovered. And a few will cover the entire face. However, a woman on the Hajj cannot wear this last kind; on the Hajj her face must remain unveiled.
Once again, the rules vary from society to society. But there are some basic things to avoid until you know the customs of the region where you are stationed. Until you are shown otherwise, do not shake hands with or hug a member of the opposite sex, even if that is your customary way of greeting a person back home. Men may hug and kiss men and walk arm in arm as a gesture of friendship, and these actions have nothing to do with homosexuality. But caution should be shown when displaying friendship with a person of the opposite sex. In some cultures, women may stay in a separate room from men when guests are present, and men and women may eat separately. Female service personnel should especially be cautious that local residents of the opposite sex do not misunderstand their direct eye contact and friendly manners.
There are
two main groups. Sunni Muslims
make up 90% of the world’s Muslim population.
Shi‘a Muslims make up the other
10%.
If this seems confusing, it is not nearly as confusing as trying to explain the various historical divisions within Christianity. Religious tensions and conflict have marred relations between Sunni and Shi‘a Muslims at different times but they may still pray side-by-side in the same mosque and join each other on the Hajj.
Although the following list is incomplete and terribly simplistic, perhaps it will help you understand some additional differences within the Islamic community:
1. Secular Muslims make religion more of a private matter. The state would protect the right to practice religion, but religion would not dominate affairs of state. Those who stress nationalism above pan-Islamic unity are often secularists.
2. Nominal Muslims claim Islam as their ethnic or national heritage, but they know little about it and do not observe most of the religious duties.
3. Traditionalists focus on the way things have been taught in their particular legal school for the past thousand years. Change is viewed with suspicion.
4. Modernists choose to look at the old faith from new perspectives (without abandoning the basic principles of the faith), because today’s Muslims face questions and challenges that were not addressed in the beginning of Islam.
5. Revivalists attempt to restore the original, pure form of Islam as taught by Muhammad and his companions. They want to remove the centuries of layers of Islamic thought and practice preserved by the traditionalists and recover the vitality of Islam as it was experienced in the beginning.
6. Mystics move beyond the literal meaning of passages in the Qur’an and choose to find deeper spiritual meanings in the text. They seek union with the Divine. Sufis are mystics, though not all mystics are Sufis.
How do I as a Christian best represent my faith while I am stationed among Muslims?
You actions will be noticed before your speech. By word and behavior try to convey the following impressions:
1. You believe in only one God, and you pray to God regularly. Because Christians have no required times to pray, and because Christians follow no universal forms for prayer, Muslims may not realize you are a person of prayer. As opportunities arise, speak to your Muslim friends about prayer. For example, “I want you to know I have been praying for your sick child. Tell me what the doctors say.”
2. You are a person of honor. Try to live by the same high standard whether you are alone or with a group, whether things are going well or badly. They will especially watch to see your responses under difficult circumstances.
3.
You believe people should treat each other justly. Discuss with them your views on justice, and
listen to their comments. They will have
definite ideas about world politics and places where Muslims face an uncertain
future. At times they will agree with
Muslims hold a variety of opinions about the Bible. Some believe God originally gave the books of the Bible to us in a pure form, but the Bible has long since been corrupted beyond reliability. Often they claim that all the key ideas of the Bible are found in the Qur’an, and therefore we don’t need the Bible anymore. Similar to the last position, a number of Muslims say the Bible was abrogated and replaced when God sent the Qur’an; therefore there is no need to read the Bible, except as an intellectual exercise. They may even assert that Jesus took the Gospel to heaven and the four gospels we have today are inaccurate representations of the original Gospel.
What can you do to show that you trust the Bible as a reliable book from God? First, if you believe the Bible, live its precepts. Muslims will appreciate the fact that you try to live a righteous life before God.
Next, don’t try to prove the authority of the Bible by speaking against the Qur’an. That proves nothing about the reliability of the Bible, and it will probably start an argument that leads nowhere. Muslims may respond by lecturing you on how they think your current Bible has been corrupted. Here are some of their arguments. They say you have many translations that disagree with one another. Some Bibles contain the Apocrypha whereas others do not. And there are too many textual variations when scholars examine ancient manuscripts of the Bible. They may ask you if Christians have a copy of the Gospel that can be dated to within 25 years of when Jesus returned to heaven. Naturally your answer would be no. Then they would claim they have at least two copies of the Qur’an they believe can be dated to less than 25 years from the death of Muhammad. And they would claim there is no textual variation like that found in the Bible. Unless you know a great deal about the text of the Qur’an, you will be left with nothing to say.
I would suggest that you take a different approach in speaking about the Bible. You can tell Muslims you are very pleased to have heard that the Qur’an speaks so highly of the Bible. Here are some things the Qur’an says on the subject:
1. The People of the Gospel (Christians) must judge everything by the Gospel. If they fail to obey this command, they are rebellious against God. (Qur’an 5:47)
2. The Qur’an never claims to replace the Bible. It claims only to confirm the Bible. (Qur’an 5:48)
3. Muhammad was told if he had doubts about the Qur’an, he should ask those who had been reading the book before him. The “book” refers to the scriptures given to Jews and Christians. (Qur’an 10:94).
Never underestimate the respect Muslims have for Jesus. They affirm many of the same things Christians acknowledge about Jesus. They believe
1. Jesus was born of a virgin.
2. He was the Messiah.
3. He performed many miracles, including healing the sick and raising the dead.
4. He was a prophet.
5. He was completely sinless throughout his entire earthly existence.
6. God raised Jesus to heaven.
7. He will come back to earth before the Day of Judgment.
8. He is the “Word of God.”
Muslims may sometimes interpret some of these points differently from Christians, but they provide a good start for discussing the faith each has in Jesus.
Muslims, however, do not believe Jesus is the “Son of God.” God is Spirit— He has no physical body for procreating. God has no wife. Mary was a virgin. Muslims would remind us that pagans believed in gods who had wives and children, but this cannot be said of the true God. Every time the Qur’an denies Jesus is the “Son of God,” it is denying that Jesus is God’s offspring in the sense that humans have offspring. If you discuss this subject, you need to be clear in your own mind what the Bible means when it says Jesus is the “Son of God” and how the Qur’an and the Bible are speaking of two entirely different subjects. If you say Jesus was born of a virgin, therefore he must be the “Son of God,” then Muslims will respond that Adam must be doubly the “Son of God” because he had no earthly father or mother. “Son of God” is often used synonymously with the term “Messiah” in the Gospel. That may be a good starting point for discussing the biblical meaning of the term since the Qur’an says on eleven occasions that Jesus is the Messiah.
Most Muslims also believe Jesus never died on the cross. They base this on an interpretation of Qur’an 4:157,
That they said (in boast) "We killed Christ Jesus
the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah"; but they
killed him not nor crucified him but so it was
made to appear to them and those who differ
therein are full of doubts with no (certain)
knowledge but only conjecture to follow for of a
surety they killed him not.
Two main interpretations exist for this verse centering on the phrase “so it was made to appear to them.” The first says that Jesus didn’t die on the cross. The Jews thought they killed Jesus, but God fooled them. They say someone else was changed to look like Jesus, and that person died on the cross. Some say it was a faithful disciple who sacrificed his life; others say God changed an evil person to look like Jesus (someone such as Judas). The second interpretation says the Jewish leaders boasted that they killed Christ, but they were not really in charge of what happened. It only appeared to them that they were in charge. This second interpretation fits better with the next verse (158) that speaks of the power of God. Perhaps this verse is saying no more than what Jesus says in John 10:17-18:
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father. (New Revised Standard Version)
I have tried to show an approach you might take to discuss your faith while being respectful of the Muslim. How would you want a Muslim to speak with you if one was sent to your hometown for military service? Treat the person the way you would want to be treated. That is an approach that fits with the command of Jesus, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)
When we examine world history, we find that the Qur’an is one of the earliest documents to guarantee freedom of religion. It says, “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” (Qur’an 2:256) However, Muslims are similar to Christians in that they do not always follow their book. In strict Islamic societies it is prohibited to convert from Islam to any other religion. The punishment can vary from imprisonment to death. Even when laws of countries promise freedom of religion and conscience, social groups may inflict severe punishments.
Remember
that you are an American service person under the protection of the
Muslims will be happy to discuss matters of faith with you if you are a person of integrity and you show good sense. They are usually happy to meet Christians who take their faith seriously as servants of God. They will give you their respect and they will expect the same from you. Some may accept part or all of what you teach. If they come to believe the Gospel as you do, you should try to help them do it in a way that fits within the framework of Islamic law.
Contact us.
If you have questions or comments, you may email me at don@comenserv.org. comeNserv (formerly known as Muslim Hope) exists to minister to the spiritual and humanitarian needs of refugees, displaced people and others in need in the Muslim world. We create opportunities for Christians and Muslims to work side by side to help those who are hurting. This helps people from both groups to move beyond destructive stereotypes of the other. It also creates opportunities for them to begin discussing their deeply held convictions with one another.
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