"So what is it that Muslims believe?" Christians always want to know this about other religions: what is their doctrine? The interesting thing is that if you ask Christians the same question, they can have the hardest time answering it. The simpler Christians would answer "Jesus" or "being born again" or "the Bible as God's Word". A mainline Protestant might respond with "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ....and in the Holy Spirit", which is the 2nd Century statement called the Apostles Creed. A Roman Catholic might point to the Catholic Catechism, a very helpful summary of Christian belief published 20 years ago by then-Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict). A theology student might point to the Incarnation, the Trinity, Soteriology, the Sacraments, etc. My nephew-in-law, a pre-modern Calvinist, would probably recite the Westminster Confession from memory.
So what does Islam believe? It has been recognized that there is a doctrinal simplicity about Islam, that is well stated in the Koran, 2:177: “The righteous man is he who believes in God and the Last Day, in the angels and the Book and the prophets; who, though he loves it dearly, gives away his wealth to kinsfolk, to orphans, to the destitute, to the traveler in need and to beggars, and for the redemption of captives; who attends to his prayers and renders the alms levy; who is true to his promises and steadfast in trial and adversity and in times of war. Such are the true believers; such are the God-fearing.”One scholar summarized Muslim belief as follows:
1. Belief in God (Allah), the one and only one worthy of all worship (tawhid).
2. Belief in all the Prophets (nabi) and Messengers (rusul) sent by God, including the final Prophet Muhammed.
3. Belief in the Books (kutub) sent by God (including the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur'an).
4. Belief in the Angels (mala'ika).
5. Belief in the Day of Judgement (qiyama) and in the Resurrection (life after death).
6. Belief in Destiny (Fate) (qadar).
Furthermore, the human being’s fundamental duty in life is moral struggle (jihad), doing what is right according to God’s will. This includes not only strictly religious duties, such as worship and prayer, but also one’s social obligation to the suffering and needy. The desire to spread God’s community to the whole world entails ‘jihad,’ the active struggle to gain political control over the collective affairs of society to run them by the principles of Islam. (After the establishment of the Muslim empire, this was reinterpreted in a more defensive rather than expansive direction.)
Jesus and the prophets of Israel are explicitly included in number 2 above. Where Islam would disagree with Christianity is in the latter's assertion of the divinity of Jesus and the subsequent doctrine of the Trinity (as well as the Atonement). This Christian doctrine is unequivocally rejected in the Koran, 5:72: “Unbelievers are those that say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’ For the Messiah himself said, ‘Children of Israel, serve God, my Lord and your Lord.’ He that worships other deities besides God, God will deny him Paradise, and the Faith shall be his home.”
Of course, since the divinity of Jesus and the Trinitarian doctrine of God has been central to orthodox Christianity for a very long time, this has always provided a huge obstacle to friendly relations between Christianity and Islam (and Judaism as well). The odd thing is that the biblical content of the Old and New Testaments otherwise permeates the Koran and Islam, giving Islam a core kinship with the older Western religions.
Islamic theology can get very complicated as well, when you get down to the fine details, as well as the differences between the various Islamic sects. But at the same time, there is a relative simplicity about Islamic belief (and practice too) that makes it appealing to many adherents of different races, nationalities, and cultures (now 1.5 billion people and counting).
Shalom/Salam/Eirene/Pax/Peace. (To be continued)
No comments:
Post a Comment