1. The Key Issue: Who Is God? The Key Issue: Who Is God?

2. What you believe about God will directly effect what you believe about many other ideas What you believe about God will directly effect what you believe about many other ideas

3. Two Gods or One? Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? “The basis for peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity.” A Common Word (2007) “The basis for peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity.” A Common Word (2007)

4. The God of Islam Defined

5. Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. Qur’an (Sura 112) Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him. Qur’an (Sura 112) Taw ḥ īd The doctrine of Allah’s absolute, indivisible unity Taw ḥ īd The doctrine of Allah’s absolute, indivisible unity

6. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day... Genesis 3:8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day... Genesis 3:8

7. The Biblical God... Steps into His creation Is a relational God Steps into His creation Is a relational God But in the Qur’an... This idea is missing Allah is distant, remote and utterly transcendent This idea is missing Allah is distant, remote and utterly transcendent

8. The God who walks and talks with Adam and Eve...... is the God who takes on flesh in the person of Jesus...... and who will dwell with His people in the new creation (Rev. 21:3) The Relational God

9. Not present in the Garden of Eden...... didn’t take on flesh in the person of Jesus...... and isn’t present with his people in Paradise The Absent God of Islam

10. This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they understand and know me.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they understand and know me.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

11. The Koran, unlike the Gospel, never comments on the essence of Allah. “Allah is wise” or “Allah is loving” may be pieces of revealed information but, in contrast to Christianity, Muslims are not enticed to claim that “Allah is love” or “Allah is wisdom”. Only adjectival descriptions are attributed to the divine being and these merely as they bear on the revelation of Allah’s will for man. The rest remain mysterious. “ ” Shabbir Akhtar, A Faith for All Seasons (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1990) p180

12. The God of the Bible is the God who suffers The God of the Bible is the God who suffers

13. Not so Allah. Suffering is seen as weakness. It does not befit Allah nor his prophets. Not so Allah. Suffering is seen as weakness. It does not befit Allah nor his prophets.

14. Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Habakkuk 1:13

15. The Bible... Uses the word “holy” for God over 100 times The Qur’an... Uses the word “holy” (quddus) for Allah just 2 times Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: “Allah fixed the very portion of adultery which a man will indulge in. There would be no escape from it.” Sahih Muslim, Book 33, Number 6422 Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger as saying: “Allah fixed the very portion of adultery which a man will indulge in. There would be no escape from it.” Sahih Muslim, Book 33, Number 6422

16. Taw ḥ īd: The Unity of God in Muslim Apologetics and Polemics Taw ḥ īd: The Unity of God in Muslim Apologetics and Polemics

17. TawhidTawhid The concept of Allah as an utterly indivisible unity The core doctrine of Islam Becomes central in discussions between Muslims and Christians

18. TawhidTawhid Islam arose in competition with and reaction to polytheism Causes many Muslims to entirely misunderstand Christian language about God as triune

19. Muslims often claim that Tawhid is simple, the Trinity is complex Simplicity does not equal truth The Islamic concept of God is not as simple as it first appears

20. Muslims perceive the Trinity as an area where Christians are weak Hence they often love to attack on this point Christians often let themselves get stuck on this subject “Doesn’t 1+1+1 = 3?” “Show me the word ‘Trinity’ in the Bible!” “Show me the word ‘Trinity’ in the Bible!”

21. Christians can turn this situation around Tawhid leads to many theological problems Problems that the doctrine of the Trinity avoids or solves

22. The Qur’an and Tawhid

23. The Qur’an asserts that Allah is one The Qur’an claims that it is the very Word of Allah The Qur’an claims that it is the very Word of Allah Traditionally Islam has claimed that the Qur’an is uncreated “The Word of God in Islam is the Qur’an; in Christianity it is Christ … The form of the Qur’an is the Arabic language which religiously speaking is as inseparable from the Qur’an as the body of Christ is from Christ Himself.” - Seyyed Hossein Nasr “The Word of God in Islam is the Qur’an; in Christianity it is Christ … The form of the Qur’an is the Arabic language which religiously speaking is as inseparable from the Qur’an as the body of Christ is from Christ Himself.” - Seyyed Hossein Nasr

24. Doesn’t the presence of another eternal entity existing alongside Allah call the doctrine of tawhid into question? Doesn’t the presence of another eternal entity existing alongside Allah call the doctrine of tawhid into question?... or does it mean that we can, after all, draw distinctions within Allah? ?

25. In the eighth and ninth centuries, a Muslim sect called the Mu‘tazilites saw exactly these kind of problems They said the Qur’an was created They were branded as heretics Their objectors said that if the Qur’an was both Allah’s Word and created, then Allah must at one time have been without his Word... and how could that be? They said the Qur’an was created They were branded as heretics Their objectors said that if the Qur’an was both Allah’s Word and created, then Allah must at one time have been without his Word... and how could that be?

26. توحد The Islamic concept of God is much more complex than its surface appearance would suggest. Tawhid does not easily fit with an uncreated Qur’an.

27. Tawhid and the Nature of Allah

28. The Loving The First The Living The Forgiving The Gracious The Deferrer The Faithful The Self-Exalted The Firm The Proud The Originator The Answerer The Patron The Safeguard The Liberal Giver The Judge The Wise The Kindly The forbearing The Eternal The Afflicter The Exalter The Watcher The Peace- Maker The Hearer The Grateful The Witness Lord of Majesty and Honour The Gentle The Merciful The Compassionate The Provider The Guide The Light The Guide The One The Unique The Observer of Justice The King Possessor of the Kingdom He Who Causes To Die The Preserver The Avenger The HelperThe Guardian The Observant Since Allah is unchanging, some theologians took these names to describe Allah’s nature Others said they described Allah’s eternal actions Others said they described Allah’s eternal actions

29. Love requires both a subject and an object (e.g. “X loves Y”). Thus if Allah’s 99 names are ontological or eternal, then he is contingent upon his creation. The Allah of the Qur’an had to create because of his eternal or ontological attributes. Love requires both a subject and an object (e.g. “X loves Y”). Thus if Allah’s 99 names are ontological or eternal, then he is contingent upon his creation. The Allah of the Qur’an had to create because of his eternal or ontological attributes.

30. Introducing the TrinityOne God eternally existing in three persons Because the God of the Bible is multi- personal, these problems do not exist for us. God is love (e.g. 1 Jn 4:8), but he is not contingent upon his creation. From eternity, love existed between the three persons of the Godhead. Hence the God of the Bible did not need to create in order to be who he is. Because the God of the Bible is multi- personal, these problems do not exist for us. God is love (e.g. 1 Jn 4:8), but he is not contingent upon his creation. From eternity, love existed between the three persons of the Godhead. Hence the God of the Bible did not need to create in order to be who he is.

31. A relational God... Did Allah have to change in nature when he created he world? A relational God... Did Allah have to change in nature when he created he world?

32. The Christian Concept of God as Tri-Personal The God of the Bible was a relational being before and after creation; He did not have to fundamentally change. Creation saw the sphere of personal relationships extended from the horizontal (Father - Son - Spirit) to the vertical (God - created beings).

33. Francis Schaeffer made the point that it is hard to see how that which is personal can come from that which is impersonal The Christian concept of the imago dei (image of God) suggests that our being personal, relational entities is derived precisely from this image

34. The Islamic concept of tawhid is bound to produce communities in which the individual is swallowed up in the whole, the Ummah. The Islamic concept of tawhid is bound to produce communities in which the individual is swallowed up in the whole, the Ummah. Conversely, Western post-Christian society is highly individualistic. Conversely, Western post-Christian society is highly individualistic. Christians have, in the Trinity, a strong model to rebut both these errors, if we truly reflect the God whose image we bear. Christians have, in the Trinity, a strong model to rebut both these errors, if we truly reflect the God whose image we bear.

35. The church ought to be a ‘pilot plant’, where men can see in our congregations and missions a substantial healing of all the divisions, the alienations of which man’s rebellion has produced … Now the church, I believe, ought to be a pilot plant in regard to the healing of man and himself, of man and man, and man and nature. Indeed, unless something like this happens, I do not believe the world will listen to what we have to say. “ ” Francis Schaeffer