Welcome to Book 4 in the Religious Groups series of the Liberty Bible Course. This booklet is Part 1 dealing with the religion of Islam. This study is written to be used with the King James Version of the Bible, otherwise your answers are going to be incorrect. Please get your Bible, and begin another exciting study in God’s Word, that just might change your life!
Islam -
Part 1
Chapter 1
A. The Background of Islam.
The founder of Islam was a man by the name of Muhammad. He was born in Mecca about 570 AD (that was 500 years after Jerusalem was destroyed, and a little over 500 years after Jesus walked upon the earth). Muhammad did not have a lot of parental influence in his life, because his father died while he was still in his mother’s womb, and his mother died when he was 6 years old. Muhammad eventually gained the favor of a wealthy widow, and ended up marrying her — she was 15 years older than he was.
Because of Muhammad’s financially well-off marriage, he had a lot of time
to meditate, and he began to have encounters with a spirit.
He was deathly afraid of these encounters, and thought that he must be possessed by an evil spirit, but his wife convinced him that these visits were from the angel Gabriel. After 25 years of marriage, Muhammad’s wife died, and through the rest of the course of his life, he had 11 wives and concubines (Unveiling Islam, by Ergun & Emir Caner, pages 39-42).
B. The Warnings About Being Deceived.
1. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says “For such are __________ apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for __________ himself is transformed into an __________ of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”
2. In 1 Kings 13:15-19, we see a prophet who accepted the supposed word of an angel over the clear Word of God. "Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may ______ return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place: For it was said to me by the ________ of the ________, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest. He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an __________ spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he ________ unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water."
3. Judgment was thus pronounced upon that prophet in 1 Kings 13:20-22, "And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast __________________ the mouth of the ________, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee, But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy ______________ shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers."
We must learn to NEVER put the word
of angels before the Word of God.
4. Galatians 1:8 says, “But though we, or an __________ from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be ________________.”
5. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 tells us what the true gospel is: “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the _____________ which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are __________, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that ____________ ________ for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was ____________, and that he ________ again the third day according to the scriptures.”
C. The Past and Present Attitudes of Muslims Toward Christians.
Note: Before we get into the teachings of Islam, we need to consider a statement made by Muhammad. Muhammad’s writings are placed in a book called the Quran (sometimes spelled Koran). The Quran has chapters that are called surahs, and then verses within those chapters. Surah 5, verse 82 (henceforth written 5:82, chapter/verse) says,
“Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans;
and nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find those who say,
‘We are Christians’: because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men
who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant.” (Quran, Surah 5:82)
Note: As you have just read, Muhammad did not have very nice words for the Jews, but his words in regard to the Christians should cause us to take careful note. Muhammad noticed that there was something special about Christians.
#1 — Muhammad noticed that Christians do not hate their enemies, but love them and want to see them converted.
“NEAREST AMONG THEM IN LOVE TO THE BELIEVERS WILT THOU FIND THOSE WHO SAY, ‘WE ARE CHRISTIANS…’” (Surah 5:82)
6. Matthew 5:43-48 says, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, ________ your ______________, bless them that curse you, do ________ to them that ________ you, and ________ for them which despitefully use you, and __________________ you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Note: But is this trait seen in Christians today? We are told that fewer and fewer missionaries are being sent out by local churches; while, at the same time, many churches are building huge building complexes, to the point where they now refer to them as campuses. Many pieces of literature advertising churches or special speakers now make reference to the value of the church property. That does not remind us of a missionary-minded church, but a rich, lukewarm, selfish church.
7. Revelation 3:14-19 says, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true ______________, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art ______________ cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art ________________, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am ________, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and ____________.” 8. Jesus did not seem too impressed with the value and size of buildings. Mark 13:1-2 says, “And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, ______ what manner of ____________ and what __________________ are here! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these __________ __________________? there shall ______ be left ______ stone upon another, that shall not be ____________ ________.”
Note: Would Muhammad be so convinced today that Christians love even their enemies, and want to see them converted? Or would he find Christians now to be more interested in their own comfort and contented to dwell in their multi-million dollar facilities?
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