First Impressions of Islam from the Qur'an

The topic of contextualization of the Gospel (especially among Muslims) keeps coming up.  Maybe it's because "Jesus in the Qur'an" (JIQ) was at Grace Midtown this weekend, but I've been thinking about it a good bit over the past year since I went to JIQ, JIQ 2 and then traveled in Israel speaking a lot with both Jews and Muslims.  I want to comment on that a bit, but I'll preface it with my thoughts after reading the Qur'an summer 2008.  I'm sure my views have developed more since then, but this is a good primer on my first impressions of Islam having had no prior knowledge or experience.
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June 28, 2009

 Last summer, I read through the Qur’an with Anna.  I was hoping to synthesize my thoughts on it much sooner, but never got to it.  I’m going to try to put together a brief overview of my impressions of Islam as seen in the Qur’an from a Christian perspective.  Obviously I can’t hope to give a comprehensive analysis of such a work after one read and another skimming today, so I’ll just point out the things that strike me as the most important.

Overall, I was not impressed by the quality or style of the text.  Granted there’s probably a lot “lost in translation” – beauty, style, meaning, etc.  However, I did not think it lived up to its claim that “If you have doubts about the revelation We have sent down to Our servant, then produce a single sura like it” (2:23).  I won’t say that it was a pleasant read because it was rather grueling.  But it was interesting nonetheless.  I find it interesting and perfectly in line with the tactics of Satan to take the Judeo-Christian tradition and scripture and warp it through ignorance, misunderstanding, and addition to make a text such as this that governs the Islamic world today.  It was obviously based on the Bible because it shares many stories and themes.  However, the overall message does not line up with Judeo-Christian theology at all.

The style is “fire and brimstone” throughout most of the book and it’s hard to see Allah’s merciful side although it claims he is time and again.  This gets aggravating and dismal after a while since Muhammad likes to describe the agony of hell in great detail.  In fact, he gets rather spiteful at times describing the fate of unbelievers: “’Take him!  Thrust him into the depths of Hell!  Pour scalding water on his head as punishment!’  ‘Taste this, you powerful respected man!  This is what you doubted’” (44:47-50).  Far from the Apostle Paul’s attitude of anguished compassion toward unbelievers (Phil 3:18), Muhammad writes “[Prophet], (sic) do not be grieved by those who are quick to disbelieve.  They will not harm God in the least; it is God’s will that they have no share in the Hereafter – a terrible torment awaits them” (3:176).  At best, the Qur’an teaches to be passively indifferent about the fate of the unbelieving world.  All the “Bible stories” are also to this end.  From Noah to Lot to prophets named Hud and Salih, the details are different, but each seems to have the same moral: God will punish the unbelievers and they will burn in eternal hell.  It almost seems like this is the goal when Allah says, “If it had been Our will, We could certainly have given every soul its true guidance, but My words have come true.  ‘I will be sure to fill Hell with jinn and men together’” (32:13).  Contrast this with God’s words through the Prophet Ezekiel: “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the sovereign LORD.  Repent and live” (Ez. 18:32).  However, Muhammad still asserts the merciful nature of Allah saying that all would be hopeless “If not for God’s bounty and mercy and the fact that He is compassionate and merciful” (24:20).  It seems that this mercy is shown at a whim though, because “if He wills, He can do away with you and bring in a new creation” (35:16).  On the contrary, YHVH promised very early on that “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done” (Gen. 8:21).

Probably the most important difference between Islam and Christianity is the plan for salvation as presented in the Qur’an versus in the Bible.  Muhammad says, “True Religion, in God’s eyes, is islam: [devotion to Him alone] (sic)” (3:19).  The very meaning of the word Islam implies a very legalistic merit based religion.  The way by which a Muslim is saved is very simple: “Believe in God and the Last Day and do good” (2:62).  However, by sura 23, we see that believers are actually “those who pray humbly, who shun idle talk, who pay the prescribed alms, who guard their chastity, except with their spouses or their slaves […], who are faithful to their trusts and pledges, and who keep up their prayers” (23:2-9).  This litany describing what it means to be a believer (with various additions and subtractions) is repeated time and again throughout the Qur’an.  Even Muhammad seems to realize, however, that trying to make it by human effort is impossible, as we see when he gives a lot of commands and then comes back with a list of exceptions.  YHVH makes no compromise: “be holy, because I am holy” (Lev 14:44).  Allah, instead requires “reasonable obedience” (24:53) saying “Be mindful of God as much as you can” (64:16).  As well he should.  How else would anyone be able to be good enough for God?  Muhammad does not like the idea of substitutionary sacrifice.  He describes the Day of Judgment as “a Day when no soul can stand in for another” (2:123).  Instead, we see the common metaphor of good deeds outweighing the bad at the final judgment (23:102-103).

Christians, however, believe that there is nothing you can do on your own to be holy, but by Jesus’ death on the cross, we have forgiveness and enter into a relationship with God.  John writes, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).  Paul adds, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9).  Rather than trying to live up to God’s standard, Christians are given a completely new nature in Christ.

Next I want to address Muhammad’s claim that “our God and your God are one [and the same] (sic)” (29:46).  Based on what I read in the Qur’an, I have to disagree.  While Allah and YHVH share many attributes, they differ on very fundamental levels. The first distinction that struck me was the distance of Allah from the human world.  It is almost as though he is so other and holy that he cannot quite condescend enough to have direct personal contact with humans.  The classic case is the fact that while God appeared himself on Mt. Sinai to give Moses the Torah, Muhammad is given his revelation by the angel Gabriel. We are told, “It is not granted to any mortal that God should speak to him except through revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His command what He will” (42:51).  Moses, however, had the privilege of talking to God directly; it was only when he went out in the camp that he needed to wear a veil because the rest of the people couldn’t handle his radiant face (Ex 34:33).  This is in even starker contrast to the fact that Christians actually have Jesus living in us and “with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory” (2 Cor 3:18).  Even though the Qur’an does point out that “God took Abraham as a friend” (4:125 cf. Jas 2:23), that doesn’t seem to be a possibility for the rest of us.  Relationship to Allah seems to be more about a fear of Hell than anything else. 

Another thing I noticed that sets Allah apart from the Judeo-Christian God is how he considers his subjects who have strayed.  Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep in which the shepherd will leave the 99 sheep of his flock to go after the one lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7).  Allah, on the other hand does not seem like one who would pursue one wanderer.  Muhammad says, “He will substitute other people for you if you turn away, and they will not be like you” (47:38).  While God agrees to spare Sodom and Gomorrah from destruction if He can find at least 10 righteous men (Gen 18:32), Allah, in the same situation, tells Abraham “cease your pleading: what your Lord has ordained has come about; punishment is coming on them, which cannot be turned back” (11:76).  Muhammad gives a very one-sided picture of God.  He is very good at describing his wrath and justice but can’t quite seem to grasp his mercy, as I mentioned above.

A more obvious difference is over the issue of the Trinity.  We both agree that there is one God: “truly your God is one” (37:4) and “Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the Lord is one” (Deut 6:5).  However, Christians believe that He exists in three persons (the Hebrew echad in this verse implies unity from diversity).  Muhammad is very clear that this cannot be: “do not speak of a ‘Trinity’ […] God is only one God, He is far above having a son” (4:171).  He does not understand the concept of divine sonship.  I believe this comes from the idea of Allah being so distant.  A god as holy as he could never bring himself to actually make “himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Phil 2:7).

I’ve already written a lot, so I’ll refrain from mentioning some of the other interesting tidbits and oddities I found.  Overall, I’m glad I read through the Qur’an because it gave me an opportunity to really dig deep into the Bible to discern truth between my faith and one that is similar in many ways but fundamentally different.  I had never really done that before by going “straight to the horse’s mouth” so to speak.  I most likely won’t read it again (except maybe as a reference), but I feel better equipped to discuss my faith with those who profess Islam.