Answers (3)
*** Islām—The Way to God by Submission ***
The name Islām is significant to a Muslim, for it means “submission,” “surrender,” or “commitment” to Allāh, and according to one historian, “it expresses the innermost attitude of those who have hearkened to the preaching of Mohammed.” “Muslim” means ‘one who makes or does Islām.’
Muslims believe that their faith is the culmination of the revelations given to the faithful Hebrews and Christians of old. However, their teachings diverge from the Bible on some points, even though they cite both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures in the Qurʼān. To understand the Muslim faith better, we need to know how, where, and when this religion started.
** Muḥammad’s Calling
Muḥammad was born in Mecca (Arabic, Makkah), Saudi Arabia, about 570 C.E. His father, ʽAbd Allāh, died before Muḥammad’s birth. His mother, Āminah, died when he was about six years old. At that time the Arabs practiced a form of worship of Allāh that was centered in the Mecca valley, at the sacred site of the Kaʽbah, a simple cubelike building where a black meteorite was revered. According to Islāmic tradition, “the Kaʽbah was originally built by Adam according to a celestial prototype and after the Deluge rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael.” (History of the Arabs, by Philip K. Hitti) It became a sanctuary for 360 idols, one for each day of the lunar year.
As Muḥammad grew up, he questioned the religious practices of his day. John Noss, in his book Man’s Religions, states: “[Muḥammad] was disturbed by incessant quarreling in the avowed interests of religion and honor among the Quraysh chiefs [Muḥammad belonged to that tribe]. Stronger still was his dissatisfaction with the primitive survivals in Arabian religion, the idolatrous polytheism and animism, the immorality at religious convocations and fairs, the drinking, gambling, and dancing that were fashionable, and the burial alive of unwanted infant daughters practiced not only in Mecca but throughout Arabia.”—Surah 6:137.
Muḥammad’s call to be a prophet took place when he was about 40 years of age. He had the custom of going alone to a nearby mountain cave, called Ghār Ḥirāʼ, for meditation, and he claimed that it was on one of these occasions that he received the call to be a prophet. Muslim tradition relates that while he was there, an angel, later identified as Gabriel, commanded him to recite in the name of Allāh. Muḥammad failed to respond, so the angel ‘caught him forcefully and pressed him so hard that he could not bear it anymore.’ Then the angel repeated the command. Again, Muḥammad failed to react, so the angel ‘choked him’ again. This occurred three times before Muḥammad started to recite what came to be viewed as the first of a series of revelations that constitute the Qurʼān. Another tradition relates that divine inspiration was revealed to Muḥammad like the ringing of a bell.—The Book of Revelation from Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī.
*** Who Is God?
PEOPLE worship many gods. But the Holy Scriptures teach that there is only one true God. He is unique, supreme, and eternal. He created everything in heaven and on earth, and he gave us life. Therefore, he alone is worthy of our worship.
God has many titles but only one personal name—JEHOVAH. God told
Moses: “This is what you are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘Jehovah the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name to time indefinite, and this is the memorial of me to generation after generation.” (Exodus 3:15) The name Jehovah appears some 7,000 times in the Holy Scriptures. As Psalm 83:18 says about God, “you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.”
No human has ever seen God. God told Moses: “You are not able to see my face, because no man may see me and yet live.” (Exodus 33:20) God lives in the heavens and is invisible to human eyes. It is wrong to make or pray to an idol, picture, or symbol of God. Jehovah God commanded through the prophet Moses: “You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or that is on the earth underneath or that is in the waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them nor be induced to serve them, because I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion.” (Exodus 20:2-5) Later, through the prophet Isaiah, God said: “I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images.”—Isaiah 42:8.
Few Jews are religious. For many, being Jewish is simply an ethnic designation.
Here are a few points that are beneficial to have in mind: Religious Jews view the pronouncing of God’s name as forbidden. Tradition is a central part of their faith and is viewed by many religious Jews as equal in authority with the Scriptures. They may associate Jesus Christ with the brutal persecution experienced by the Jews at the hands of Christendom in the name of Jesus. They frequently believe that God requires the Jews to keep the Sabbath, which belief includes refraining from handling money on that day.
Muslims believe that their faith is the culmination of the revelations given to the faithful Hebrews and Christians of old. However, their teachings diverge from the Bible on some points, even though they cite both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures in the Qurʼān. (See box, page 285.) To understand the Muslim faith better, we need to know how, where, and when this religion started.
Christians are followers of Christ. The bible is their basis for faith. However, true Christianity is not a matter of outward appearance. In fact, in Christianity’s early days it was called “The Way,” because it was more than formal worship. (Acts 19:9, 23. These religions do not have the truth or understand What the Bible Really teach but add doctrines of men.
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