1. Islam A Christian’s Guide To Understanding

2. Approach: Investigation Investigation Understanding Understanding Fair and rigorous comparison which leads to conclusions Fair and rigorous comparison which leads to conclusions I Thessalonians 5:21 Testhold Test all things; hold fast what is good.

3. Part 1 – The Birth of Islam Mohammed Revelations Community

4. The Rise and Growth of Islam Part 2

5. Four Periods of Arab- Islamic Civilization 1. Expansion (7 th to 8 th cent.) 2. Golden Age (8 th to 11 th cent.) 3. Decline (11 th to 19 th cent.) 4. Reawakening (19 th cent. to present)

6.  Arab – an ethnic distinction; someone who is of Arab descent or speaks Arabic  Muslim – a religious distinction; one who follows the religion of Islam who may or may not be Arab

7. Crisis in Leadership After Mohammed’s death, some wanted the leadership to stay in his family and supported his cousin and son-in-law Ali The majority did not and supported others After Ali did become “caliph” the division turned violent, he was assassinated, and his son was killed in battle A true schism occurs: - “Shi’a” or Party of Ali - “Sunni” (tradition) becomes the name for the mainstream

8. The initial difference was political Eventually, there will be a few variations in practice (praying, alms, holy days) Bad blood between the two groups developed because of violent power struggles Government rule is seen as the protector of religious faithfulness thus, there is a religious zeal that fueled the division

9. Abd al-Rahman al-Bazzaz – Islam and Arab Nationalism “Islam, in its precise sense, is a social order, a philosophy of life, a system of economic principles, a rule of government”

10. Shi’a… - Believed the prophet’s family had inner light - The rival minority most places - The majority in Iran (ancient Persia, non-Arabs) - One place where the Shi'a majority had been ruled by the Sunni minority for centuries was Iraq, but that has now reversed

11. Expansion Raids for plunder had been an Arabian way of life, they continued Now they have an emerging and unified civilization to take with them…they have “a cause”

12. 636 637641 646 699 711 712 The Spread of Arab/Islamic Rule Muslims

13. A political/military operation, not just a religious movement Seized leaders but respected personal property Efficient government How did they successfully conquer and spread their culture?

14. Allowed Jews and Christians to generally live in peace Did not force conversion with the sword Taxed non-Muslims (convert, pay, or die)

15. Khalid, Muslim military commander - To a Persian governor in 634 “Accept Islam, and thou art safe; else pay tribute…A people is already upon thee, loving death even as thou loveth life.” (Quoted in Age of Faith, by Will Durant)

16. The Persian and Byzantine empires had weakened; they had been oppressive to local people The form of Christianity in these areas was weak and formalized They created Islamic communities and eventually most converted in time

17. Arabic language replaced local ones Effective political and economic organizations Incorporated literature, science, and art of other societies The Golden Age of the Arab/Islamic Civilization (8 th to 12 th century)

18. Advancements: algebra geometry medicine art law architecture

19. Modern Muslims are very aware of this glorious past Western civilization generally hasn’t appreciated the accomplishments and impact of this civilization There was an expectation that the Arab/Islamic civilization would continue to spread until the whole world was under its sway

20. Beginning in the 12 th century a period of internal decline set in regarding two areas: - Intellectual slumber - Religious orthodoxy The Decline of the Arab/Islamic Civilization

21. External forces intruded and weakened the Arab/Islamic Civilization - Mongol invasion (13 th century) - Ottoman Turks… Asians Non-Arab Muslims Ruled the Middle East by 1700

22. - The rise of Europe (1500-1900)  Technology, wealth, and military surpassed the Muslims  Imperialism led to European powers seizing control of the Middle East  Then, the World Wars of the early 20 th century weakened Europe’s influence

23. The Reawakening of Islam and Arab Nationalism

24. Geoffrey Parrinder - World Religions: From Ancient History To Present “These manifold reversals of fortune created a crisis of thought and faith among Muslims that shook their civilization to its very roots. The result has been a renewed grasp of the Islamic heritage that has both a political and religious side.”

25. Political independence for more Arab peoples before and after WWII (one group which did not organize into a nation – the Palestinians) Contributing Factors to the Reawakening:

26. Oil - Economic power and prosperity increased for several Middle Eastern countries

27. Religious revival - In the last half of the 20th century, Islam has come alive - It has often been connected to political unrest

28. Pan- Arabism - A renewed sense of racial and cultural pride among Arabs - An increased awareness of brotherhood among Arabs - A growing political activism that defends Arab interests against the non-Arab world

29. Since WWII, the Middle East has been a focal point of change and conflict U.S. and U.S.S.R. competed for allies during the Cold War This 20 th century reawakening coincided, even collided, with a reawakening of another ancient people connected to the Middle East… The modern state of Israel

30. Because of continued involvement in Middle Eastern affairs and support of Israel, resentment toward the West began to be expressed strongly, even violently by a minority

31. Eventually, the target of that resentment became the United States as it became the lone super power at the end of the 20 th century

32. Observations: Christians need to view people and events primarily from a spiritual and biblical perspective, not an American one Christians need to rise above the international crises and cultural clashes

33. Our cultures are interacting more than ever and we must be prepared to respond as Christ’s followers with any souls we encounter Remember Japan, Vietnam, and the Soviet Union?

34. II Corinthians 5: 14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

35. II Corinthians 5: 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.