Friendship between Christians and Muslims

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Robert Sievers

Over the years, I have been blessed to be friends with many Muslims. Many people believe that more and stronger interfaith friendships will increase understanding, and I wholeheartedly agree this is necessary. By creating these interfaith friendships, Christians will let go of misconceptions about Islam, and Muslims will similarly let go of misconceptions regarding Christianity. But as the discussion of such interfaith friendships takes form, is there something more subtle that illustrates a strict dichotomy between the two religions and how they each view and approach such interaction?

To begin with, what is the view within Islam regarding taking Christians as friends? As many people know, the Qur’an forbids Muslims from becoming friends with anyone who would be counted as an unbeliever as well as those “who received the Scripture before” the Muslim. From the Muslim point of view, this would be Christians.

[5.56] O Ye who believe! Choose not for friend such of those who received the Scripture before you, and of the disbelievers, as make a jest and sport of your religion. But keep your duty to Allah if ye are true believers.

Some other translations of this verse of the Qur’an use the world “guardian” or “ally”. However, the meaning is clear. As respected early Muslim ibn Kathir states in his tafsir, “This Ayah discourages and forbids taking the enemies of Islam and its people, such as the People of the Book and the polytheists, as friends.”[i] Luckily, friendship is not something that begins at a distinct moment. Friendships develop over time. If you think about a current friend, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact time and place where that person changed from being an acquaintance into a friend. The friendship occurs before either party would cognitively acknowledge its inception. This fact oftentimes allows Christians to develop deep friendships with Muslims even though this is prohibited within Islam.

Though Muslims are warned against taking Christians as friends, Muslims do state they respect the previous prophets and the teachings that they brought. While there is a good argument against whether Muslims actually respect other religions, most Muslims will tell you that they do. The Qur’an even makes a point to note that Muslims are to respect previous prophets. In essence, Muslims are told to believe in Jesus and what He revealed.

[2:136] Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.

In short, Muslims are to respect Christianity but not take Christians as friends. Jesus teaches us to have a different attitude with respect to how to interact with others, including those who follow other religions. Christians are told we are to love each other (John 13:34; 1 John 3:11). This command is not just for other Christians, but even for our enemies. We are told to love others to the extent even to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). Loving your neighbor as yourself is foundational to Jesus’ teachings on how we are to operate on a daily basis (Mark 12:31). Yet at the same time, as Christians we are to hate the sin that so easily entraps those around us (Romans 12:9, Amos 5:15). Jesus lived out this principle as he spent time with sinners, while simultaneously working to guide them to repentance (Mark 2:16-17). When asked about the woman caught in adultery, Jesus makes sure she doesn’t get stoned, but then at the end tells her to change her ways (John 8:11). Many people have summarized this Biblical principle as “love the sinner, hate the sin.” As one Christian writer states, “I can love the liar while hating his lies. I can love the alcoholic while hating his alcoholism. I can love the adulterer while hating his adultery.”[ii]

So what does this have to do with Islam? The same principle applies. As Christians, we are to love Muslims, sincerely and deeply. Yet under no circumstances can we respect and admire a false gospel (Galatians 1:8).

All this preparation though is to illustrate an odd contrast between Islam and Christianity. Islam teaches its adherents to view Christianity with respect, but not to take Christians as friends. Christianity teaches its adherents not to view Islam with respect, but to take Muslims as friends and love them with a pure heart. Islam respects the other religion, but not the followers; Christianity doesn’t respect the other religion, but demands love for its followers.

You could not create more contrasting and anti-parallel teachings regarding how to treat other religions and those who practice them.

[i] http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=765&Itemid=60

[ii] http://www.plainsimplefaith.com/2013/06/the-bible-doesnt-say-love-the-sinner-hate-the-sin-the-defense-series/

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Where are you going?

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Robert Sievers

In today’s world, it is much easier than in years past to navigate your way to an unknown address. The advent of GPS devices and Google maps has changed how we find our way around. Back in the day, receiving accurate directions was tricky business. Before modern navigation systems, the preferable method of getting to an unknown destination was to follow someone else who knew where they were going.

How does this relate to Christianity and Islam? As it happens, both Muhammad and Jesus had something to say about where they were going after they died. During the final week of Jesus’ life, He relayed a lot of instructions and encouragement to His disciples. In particular, He wanted to assure them that while He was leaving them physically, He had a purpose behind His departure and that He would be awaiting them. Jesus told the disciples that He was going to make preparations for their eventual arrival in heaven.

2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:2-3)

Jesus was informing the disciples that He was going ahead of them to heaven to get things ready, but that they too would be there with Him at some point in the future. This level of certainty about where we go after death is an entirely different topic and will be discussed in a future article (Ephesians 1:13-14). For now, let’s stay focused just on the fact that Jesus announced that He Himself was going to be with the Father and to prepare a place for His followers. Jesus knew where He was going, and what He would be doing when He arrived there.

What did Muhammad say about his final destination after death? A person might assume that Muhammad would have said he would be with Allah after he died, but this is not the case. In one of the Hadith, one of the early Muslims was discussing whether her father would reside in heaven or Hell. Muhammad clearly stated that nobody could be certain of anyone’s final destination, even that of himself. Muhammad stated that “By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me,” [i] This Hadith is quite reliable since it is attested to by multiple chains of narration. Since this statement has been corroborated by so many early Muslims, it subsequently occurs in multiple other Hadith as well. [ii]

This contrast is so stark that it cannot be ignored. Jesus clearly knew where He was headed after His physical death. Muhammad was uncertain. As for myself, if I want to get somewhere, it seems obvious that I want to follow someone who knows where they are going rather than someone who isn’t clear on how to get there either. In Jerry Trousdale’s book “Miraculous Movements,” he shares the story of one Muslim who contemplates this very same thought. The speaker was talking to his grandfather about some of the Hadith mentioned earlier, and the conversation picks up as follows,

I ran to my grandfather and said, “What did Mohammad say when he was dying?” And he repeated these things to me. I said, “Grandfather, look at Jesus. He said he was going to his Father and he would prepare a place for his followers, and after that he will come back. But Mohammad doesn’t know where he is going, so which one would you follow?” And he said, “The one that knows where he is going.” And I said, “I am going to a church.” And that’s how I came to know the Lord. [iii]

Where are you going? Perhaps the better question is how will you get there? Will you follow someone who knows the way, or someone who isn’t sure where he will wind up?

[i] Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 58, Number 266. http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_5_58.php
[ii] Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 87, Number 131. http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_9_87.php
[iii] Trousdale, Jerry. Miraculous Movements. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012, p79.

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The Ultimate Act of Love

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Robert Sievers

Many of the articles on this blog contrast Jesus and Muhammad. This shouldn’t be surprising, as each of these individuals serves as the central figure of their respective religions. One of this blog’s readers, Jeanne, made an interesting and perceptive observation on a previous article upon which I would like to expand. Jesus said in John 15:13 that the ultimate act of love is giving one’s life for others, and Muslims cite examples of Muhammad’s followers doing so as proof of their great love for the prophet of Islam. What can we learn from investigating this ultimate act of sacrifice when viewed from both the lens of Islam and Christianity?

Both Muslims and Christians possess overwhelming love and admiration for their two respective religious figures. Some of the great lengths to which Muslims love Muhammad have been written about extensively on this blog. However, one aspect left untouched relates to how the Muslims’ love for Muhammad was manifested in battle. Early Muslims had such affection for Muhammad that they would be willing to defend him to the point of being martyred for the cause of Islam. Without opening a political can of worms, some Muslims today feel the same way. Islamic blogger and author Mohamed Ghilan describes this propensity by Muslims of Muhammad’s day for self-sacrifice during battle as follows.

“This was a man whose companions would jump up in battle exposing their chests to take arrows that were being shot at him. They did that without any of the training modern day Secret Service personnel receive to subvert their instincts for self-preservation. Their instinct was to sacrifice themselves in order to keep the Beloved peace be upon him safe.” [i]

Ghilan’s analysis is accurate as it correctly reflects events as recorded in the Hadith, one of the primary sources of information regarding Muhammad’s life. There are many Hadith which discuss how Muslims were martyred defending Muhammad in battle. One such example states,

On the day of the battle of uhud, a man came to the Prophet and said, “Can you tell me where I will be if I should get martyred?” The Prophet replied, “In Paradise.” The man threw away some dates he was carrying in his hand, and fought till he was martyred. [ii]

Martyrdom is not unique to Islam. Of course within Christianity, countless numbers of faithful followers of Jesus have been martyred over the centuries. So on the surface this might make it appear as a point of doctrine and practice where Christianity and Islam are analogous. However, a closer look tells a much different story.

An entire article could be written regarding the manner in which these martyrs surrendered their lives, and that deserves its own special look at a later time. For now, consider the timing of these martyrdoms. The first Muslims martyred themselves for Muhammad while he was still alive. However, all of the martyrs for Jesus Christ came after His death and resurrection. This might seem a trivial difference, but bear with me for a moment.

Before anyone was able to give their lives for Jesus, He had to first give His life for them. In other words, nobody died for Jesus until after Jesus first died for them. Not only this, but when Jesus gave His life for us, He did so knowing we didn’t deserve it (Romans 5:6). Jesus died for us, not because we were somehow inherently worthy, but rather in spite of our unrighteousness. Jesus did this of His own free will (John 10:18) so that He would be the path to salvation (1 Peter 2:24). Any acts of martyrdom by Christians after Jesus’ death and resurrection are only imitations of Jesus and His actions (Ephesians 5:1-2). Giving your life for someone you believe to be a good man is one thing (Romans 5:7), but dying for the ungodly is something else entirely (Romans 5:8). Just as we only can love because Jesus first loved us (1 John 4:19), so too we can only give our lives for Him only because He first gave His life for us.

The early Muslims were willing to take the arrows to preserve Muhammad, but Jesus took the arrow of sin first for us. Muslims saw Muhammad as a man worthy of all protection, while Jesus knew we were completely helpless, not deserving of salvation by our own merit. Yet Jesus provided an avenue of salvation for us nonetheless. In Islam, the followers die for their leader. In Christianity, the leader dies for His followers.

[i] http://mohamedghilan.com/2012/02/13/why-are-muslims-so-serious-about-their-prophet/

[ii] Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 377 http://www.sahih-bukhari.com/Pages/Bukhari_5_59.php

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