A Glance At Our Islamic Friends

Today in Living World Religions with Dr. Cox we began our study of Islam, a subject that we have also briefly discussed in my Seminar in Missions class. I found it ironic that I was finishing studying for our quiz by reading about Islam in Harding University Chapel today. There's a lot of interesting things about Islam. Of course, my Bible major self finds the most interesting things is when Islamic beliefs over-lap some biblical truths.

One of the coolest things about Islam is that they have 99 names for God. Here's the list so you can take a brief glance at it:

1. Allah
2. The Compassionate (al-Rahman)
3. The Merciful (al-Rahim)
4. The King/Sovereign (al-Malik)
5. The Holy (al-Quddus)
6. The Source of Peace (al-Salam)
7. The Giver of Faith (al-Mu'min)
8. The Overall Protector (al-Muhaimin)
9. The Strong (al-`Aziz)
10. The Almighty (al-Jabbar)
11. The Majestic (al-Mutakabbir)
12. The Creator (al-Khaliq)
13. The Maker (al-Bari')
14. The Fashioner (al-Musawwir)
15. The Great Forgiver (al-Ghaffar)
16. The Dominant (al-Qahhar)
17. The Bestower (al-Wahhab)
18. The Provider (al-Razzaq)
19. The Opener, The Reliever (al-Fattah)
20. The All-Knowing (al-`Alim)
21. The Restrainer, The Withholder (al-Qabid)
22. The Extender (al-Basit)
23. The Humbler (al-Khafid)
24. The Exalter (al-Rafi`)
25. The Empowerer (al-Mu`izz)
26. The Humiliator (al-Mudhill)
27. The All-Hearing, The Hearer (al-Sami`)
28. The All-Seeing (al-Basir)
29. The Judge (al-Hakam)
30. The Just (al-`Adl)
31. The Kindly One (al-Latif)
32. The Gracious, The Aware (al-Khabir)
33. The Clement, The Forbearing (al-Halim)
34. The Mighty (al-`Azim)
35. The Forgiving (al-Ghafur)
36. The Grateful, The Appreciative (al-Shakur)
37. The High, The Sublime (al-`Aliyy)
38. The Great (al-Kabir)
39. The Preserver (al-Hafiz)
40. The Protector, The Guardian, The Feeder, The Sustainer (al-Muqit)
41. The Reckoner (al-Hasib)
42. The Sublime One (al-Jali)
43. The Bountiful, The Gracious (al-Karim)
44. The Watcher, The Watchful (al-Raqib)
45. The Responsive, The Hearkener (al-Mujib)
46. The Infinite, The All-Embracing (al-Wasi`)
47. The Wise (al-Hakim al-Mutlaq)
48. The Loving (al-Wadud)
49. The Glorious (al-Majid)
50. The Resurrector (al-Ba`ith)
51. The Witness (al-Shahid)
52. The True (al-Haqq)
53. The Advocate (al-Wakil)
54. The Most Strong (al-Qawiyy)
55. The Firm (al-Matin)
56. The Patron (al-Waliyy)
57. The Praiseworthy (al-Hamid)
58. The Numberer (al-Muhsi)
59. The Commencer (al-Mubdi)
60. The Restorer (al-Mu`id)
61. The Giver of Life (al-Muhyi)
62. The One Who Gives Death (al-Mumit)
63. The Living One (al-Hayy)
64. The Self-Subsisting (al-Qayyum)
65. The Perceiver (al-Wajid)
66. The One (al-Wahid)
67. The Independent (al-Samad)
68. The Powerful (al-Qadir)
69. The Dominant (al-Muqtadir)
70. The Giver (al-Muqaddim)
71. The Retarder (al-Mu'akhkhir)
72. The First (al-Awwal)
73. The Last (al-Akhir)
74. The Manifest (al-Zahir)
75. The Hidden (al-Batin)
76. The Governor (al-Wali)
77. The High Exalted (al-Muta`ali)
78. The Righteous (al-Barr)
79. The Relenting (al-Tawwab)
80. The Forgiver (al-`Afuww)
81. The Avenger (al-Muntaquim)
82. The Compassionate (al-Ra'uf)
83. The Ruler of the Kingdom (Malik al-Mulk)
84. The Lord of Majesty and Bounty (Dhu'l-Jalal wa'l-Ikram)
85. The Equitable (al-Muqsit)
86. The Gatherer, The Collector (al-Jami`)
87. The Self-Sufficient (al-Ghani)
88. The Enricher (al-Mughni)
89. The Bestower (al-Mu`ti)
90. The Withholder (al-Mani`)
91. The Propitious (al-Nafi`)
92. The Distresser (al-Darr)
93. The Light (al-Nur)
94. The Guide (al-Hadi)
95. The Eternal (al-Azali)
96. The Everlasting (al-Baqi)
97. The Heir (al-Warith)
98. The Guide to the Right Path (al-Rashid)
99. The Patient (al-Sabur)

It's interesting because most seem to be similar descriptions that we Christians give God (with an exception of #71....."the Retarder"?). Descriptions such as "The Mighty" "The Forgiving" "The Compassionate" all fit Christianity's view of who God is. There are some good precepts in Islam such as an emphasis on helping the poor and a strong devotion to God. Another interesting thing is the prayer called the Al-Fatihah that Muslims repeat at least 17 times a day. It goes,

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship. You alone we ask for help. Show us the straight path, the path of those whom you have favored; not the path of those who earn your anger nor of those who go astray."

I mention all these things to just show some similarities between Islam and the True Way. I certainly do not say them to advocate Islam, nor to argue an inclusivist view of salvation. I just wanted to show what I've been learning.

An interesting topic we briefly discussed in Seminar in Missions is how many Islamic rituals should Muslim converts to Christianity be able to keep. We talked about how they should certainly still be able to call God "Allah," since the word used for God in the Greek, Theos, is just the word Greeks used for any deity. Some argue that Muslim converts should still be able to call themselves "Muslims" since the word Muslim means "servant of God." Another question is whether Muslim converts are allowed go to mosque as long as they do not pray anything outside of Christian principles. Some argue against these allowances because it dangers on pluralism. Others counter that argument by saying that Paul became like a Jew to win Jews and like a Greek to win Greeks. All of these are difficult questions, and I do not have the answers (at least not yet), but they are interesting concepts to consider.

I think it is very important that we learn all we can about the world around us and the beliefs of others, so that we can better communicate the love of Christ to them. I'm really excited about all I'm learning this semester and I hope it will make me a better minister of reconciliation. God bless us all as we work together in this ministry.