Islam: Surrender to the one God, Allah
 Muslim: one who submits.
 Muslim Doctrine
 Oneness of Allah- opposition to idolatry.
 Prophecy of Muhammad- seal of the prophets,
consummation of revelation.
 Divinity of the Qur’an- the “inlibration” of Allah’s mind and
will.
Mark Pursley
Muslim Doctrines
 Judgment Day: separation
of believers and
unbelievers, consignment
to paradise or hell.
 Creation: Allah is the Lord
of all worlds humans are
vice-regents.
Mark Pursley
 Ummah: brotherhood of
believers.
 Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca as
an experience of unity.
 Dar al Islam: “abode of
submission,” lands and people
under Islamic law. Dar alHarb: “abode of warfare,” nonMuslim peoples.
Islamic Doctrine
 Angels: agents of God’s
revelatory activity. Jinnhalfway between men and
angels, created of fire. Some
are beneficial, like guardian
angels. Some are demons.
Demon leader (Satan) is
called Iblis. He was exiled
from paradise for refusing to
bow to Adam.
Mark Pursley
 Predestination: God is
sovereign. Fatalism or free
will? In Shallah (if God wills it).
He who wants the reward of this world,
we give it to him, and he who wants the
reward of the next world, we give it to
him.(Sura 3/139). God leaves in error
whom he will, and guides right whom he
will. (Sura 74/34)
The Qur'an (Koran)
 “Recitation,” “reading.” The unadulterated word of God which
became audible through Muhammad, the pure vessel, in “clear
Arabic language.” An eternal book which exists in heaven on a
well-preserved tablet. Translation is impossible, will always
contain interpretation. Contains solutions to all problems.
Hidden mysteries await in the sequences of verses and
arrangements of letters. revealed to Muhammad by the angel
Gabriel in a series of revelations. 114 Suras. Meccan Suraswarnings, stories of the prophet. Medinian Suras- legal, practical
issues.
Mark Pursley
Qur’an
 I will tell you what your Lord has
made binding on you: that you shall
serve no other gods besides Him;
that you shall show kindness to your
parents; that you shall not kill your
children because you can’t support
them...; that you shall not commit
foul sins, whether openly or in
secret; and that you shalt not killfor that is forbidden by God-except
for a just cause. (Sura 6:150)
Mark Pursley
 Men have authority over women
because God has made the one
superior to the other, and because
they spend their wealth to maintain
them. Good women are
obedient.... As for those from
whom you fear disobedience,
admonish them and send them to
beds apart and beat them. Then if
they obey you, take no further
action against them. (Sura 4:34)
Ahl al-kitab
 Do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation
otherwise than in the most kindly manner- unless it be
such of them as are bent on evildoing- and say: “We
believe in that which has been revealed to us from on
high, as well as that which has been bestowed upon you:
for our God and your God is one and the same, and it is
unto him that we all surrender ourselves. 29.46
Mark Pursley
The Satanic Verses
 In an apparent attempt to soften the harsh reaction his
monotheistic message received, the prophet said:
 Have you not considered al-Lat and al-Uzza and Manat, the
third other? These are the exalted birds whose intercession is
approved.
 Later, these verses were removed and new verses were
added dismissing the banat al-Llah as “mere names.”
Mark Pursley
Problem Passages?
 41.12 Indicates that the earth
was created before the sky
and stars.
 19.15ff Mary gives birth to
Jesus- draws on the
apocryphal book History of the
Nativity of Mary and the Savior’s
Infancy.
 5.112 Jesus and the clay
bird- from Infancy Gospel of
Thomas
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 9.5 When the sacred months are
over slay the idolaters wherever
you find them.
 2.223 Women are your fields, go,
then, into your fields whence you
please.
 9.69 God has promised
unbelievers the fire of hell. The
curse of God is upon them,
lasting torment awaits.
Salvation in Islam
 Human effort, not divine
grace. All humans have a
“sound constitution” (fitra).
Conscience, natural beliefs
about fairness and justice
show we are created with a
moral sense. No sacrifice or
atonement is required, just
repent and submit to Allah.
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 Deathbed conversion is not
possible- a pattern of
repentance and good works
must be established, then
God will forgive past unbelief
and evildoing.
 Shirk: unforgivable sin
“associating” something with
god, idolatry and unbelief.
War and Reward
 Jihad: “striving,” “holy war,”
resisting evil individually and
collectively. Greater jihadstriving against the lower self,
internal struggle between
right and wrong, truth and
error. Lesser jihad- striving
to protect the way of God
against the forces of evil.
Mark Pursley
 Mujahid: fighter in the path of
God, values the path of God
above all else, goes straight to
paradise if killed.
 Paradise: Beautiful garden
with flowing water and shade,
maidens serve wine.
 Hell: hot wind, smoke,
brackish water.
Islam’s Exclusivism
 5.49 Vie with each other in good works, for to God you shall all return and he will
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resolve for you your differences.
2.256 There shall be no compulsion in religion.
5.51 Believers, do not take Jews or Christians as friends. They are but one another’s
friends. If anyone of you takes them for his friends, then he is surely one of them. God
will not guide unbelievers.
9.5 Kill those who join other gods with God wherever you may find them.
8.12 I will instill terror in the hearts of the infidels, strike off their heads then, and strike
off from them every fingertip.
Mark Pursley
Islamic Ethics
 Sharia: imam- things to be believed; islam- things to be
done (works).
 Five Pillars: (1) Confession: There is no god but God and
Muhammad is his messenger.
 (2) Prayer- ritual prayer five times a day.
 (3) Almsgiving: charity for the needy.
 (4) Fasting during Ramadan, no food or water, sunrise
to sunset.
 (5) Pilgrimage to Mecca (once, if possible).
Mark Pursley
Islamic History
 Age of ignorance: Arabia
before Muhammadpolytheism with an
unapproachable high god
known as Allah (the god).
Animism- spirits in nature,
demonic jinn, corpse eating
ghouls. Ignorance of the
original monotheism of Adam
and Abraham.
Mark Pursley
 Muhammad- 570 C.E. Father
dies before his birth, Mother
dies when he is two. Raised
by Uncle Abu-Talib. Works on
a caravan, illiterate. At age 25
marries wealthy widow
Khadija who is 40. 2 sons die
in infancy, 4 daughters, only
one (Fatima) outlives
Muhammad.
History of Islam
 At age 40, in the month of Ramadan, in a cave on Mt. Hira,
Muhammad receives his first revelation. Considers himself the last
in a series of monotheistic prophets. First convert- Khadija, then
cousin Ali, then pal Abu-Bakr. Is persecuted by Meccans.
 619-Wife and Uncle die.
 622- 9/24- Hijrah to Medina.
 623- Marries Aisha, nine year old daughter of Abu-Bakr. 630Mecca conquered, idols destroyed at the Kaaba. Further
marriages. 632- dies.
Mark Pursley
Sunnah vs Shiah
 After Muhammad’s death, his
close friend Abu Bakr was
elected successor (kalipha).
Some felt that the successor
should have been Ali ibn Abi
Talib, the prophet’s cousin
and son-in-law (who became
the fourth caliph).
Mark Pursley
 Dissidents, who disapproved
of the policies of the first
three caliphs (abu Bakr, Umar
ibn al-Khattab, and Uthman
ibn Affan), claimed that Ali
was the first rightful Imam.
This group, the Shiah-i-Ali
(partisans of Ali) split from
the Sunnah.
Islamic Mysticism: Sufism
 The Sufis attempted to return to the original simplicity of the
ummah when all Muslims lived as equals. Many wore the course
wool garment (tasawwuf) common among the poor as Muhammad
had done. Reacting against legalism and literalism, the Sufis
sought to cultivate the state of mind that enabled the prophet to
hear God’s message. Fasting, vigils, and chanting the names of
God would sometimes induce ecstatic states. By peeling away the
layers of egoism, some found Allah as the ground of their own
being. I am through thee, there is no god but thou. (Abu Yazid alBistami).
Mark Pursley
The Quranic Portrait of Jesus
 The Qur’an insists that
Jesus was a prophet in the
succession of Noah,
Abraham, and Moses.
Jesus provided “clear signs”
and recruited “helpers to
God.”
Mark Pursley
 His later followers divided
into “sects” and “fell into
disagreement.” They
corrupted Jesus’ message
creating such innovations as
”monasticism” and “trinity.”
He was simply a messenger
and “never said worship me
and my mother.”
The Historical Critical Method (HCM) and
Islam
 The HCM, which biblical
scholars have applied to the
Hebrew scriptures and the
New Testament, has not been
widely employed by Muslim
scholars. Those who have
used critical scholarship in
interpreting the Qur’an have
concluded the following:
Mark Pursley
 The Qur’an makes use of
extant Jewish and Christian
stories, adapting them to its
message.
 The Qur’an addresses
Muhammad’s audience in a
particular place and time,
which influences how the
message applies in different
circumstances.
 The Qur’an’s message is
closely connected with the
personality of the Prophet.
Islamic Scholars
 In, The Spirit of Islam, Sayyed Amir
Ali argues that the Qur’an contains
Muhammad’s teachings which
evolved over time. The “realistic”
descriptions of heaven and hell are
from the early period “before the
mind of the teacher had attained
the full development of religious
consciousness….[T]he adoration of
God in humility and love.”
Sayyed Amir Ali
1849- 1928
Mark Pursley
Islamic Scholarship
Asaf Fyzee (1899- 1981)
Fazlur Rahman (19121988)
 According to Asaf Fyzee,
 Rahman claims that the
the Qur’an is God’s voice
as heard by the Prophet. It
is “a testimony of his faith
in God.” God does not
speak directly, but
Muhammad’s words and
God’s words are one in a
mysterious way.
Mark Pursley
Qur’an “had partly to
accept the then existing
society as a point of
reference” so its laws
cannot be viewed as
“literally eternal.” “The
Qur’an is entirely the word
of God” and “also entirely
the word of Muhammad.”
Irshad Manji
 In ,The Trouble With Islam Today, journalist Irshad Manji calls
for a reformation in Islam which she refers to as Project
Ijtihad. Ijtihad is a term from early Muslim theology which
means “independently forming one’s own opinion. She hopes
to revive “Islam’s lost tradition of independent thinking….To
this very day, imitation of medieval norms has trumped
innovation in Islam. It’s time to revive ijtihad to update Islam
for the twenty-first century.” The Qur’an, she says, should be
viewed as “divinely inspired” rather than “divinely authored.”
The history of its compilation “points to the probability of
human editing and therefore human error.”
Mark Pursley
Ijtihad
 Even moderate Muslims believe
that the Qur’an is the final,
immutable word of God,
untouched by the human hand
and mind.Which is why most
Muslims have no clue how to
debate or dissent with
extremists—we’ve never been
introduced to the possibility,
let alone the virtue, of asking
questions of our holy book.
Mark Pursley
 It’s time to change
that…Mainstream Muslims
need to face those questions,
just as moderates in
Christianity and Judaism have
been doing for the past
century.
 www.irshadmanji.com
Interfaith Dialogue
 Whilst Islam and Christianity are obviously different
religions- and whilst there is no minimising some of their
formal differences- it is clear that the Two Greatest
Commandments are an area of common ground and a link
between the Qur’an, the Torah, and the New Testament…So
let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us.
Let us vie with each other in righteousness and good works.
Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to one
another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual
goodwill.
A Common Word Between You and Us 10/13/06
 http://www.acommonword.com/index.php?lang=en&page=option1
Mark Pursley
References
 Ali, A.Y. (Translator). (2009). The Qur’an: a guide and
mercy. Elmhurst, New York: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an
Inc.
Armstrong, K. (1992). Muhammad: A biography of the
prophet. San Francisco: Harper Collins.
Armstrong, K. (2000). Islam: a short history. New York:
Random House.
Dawood, N.J. (Translator). (1993). The koran. New York:
Penguin.
Mark Pursley
References
 Denny, F.M. (1987). Islam. New York: Harper & Row.
 Manji, I. (2003). The trouble with Islam today. New York:
St. Martin’s Griffen.
Warraq, I. (2003). Why I am not a Muslim. Amherst, New York:
Prometheus Books.
Williams, J.A. (1962). Islam. New York: George Braziller.
Mark Pursley