Establish the need: How do we witness to Muslim?
Purpose: In this session we will give a guide for the Christian of how to defend the faith when it comes to the concerns of Islam, so that you can be an effective witness to your Muslim friend.
- Important terms and individuals.
- An Evangelistic and Apologetic Method
- Verses from the Quran’s affirming the Bible
- Alleged Verses from the Quran’s denying the authority and perseverance of the written Bible
Important terms and individuals.
- Allah The Islamic/Arabic word for God.
- Quran- Islam’s Scripture, believed by Muslims to contain the Word of God
- Surah- Chapters in the Quran.
- Mohammed- Founder of Islam, the last major prophet according to it’s teaching.
- Abdullah Yusuf Ali- Translator of the Quran, whose English version is the most popular in use.
- People of the Book: Jews and Christians, because they follow the Bible.
An Evangelistic and Apologetic Method
a. Important Methodological principles.
i. Principle 1: The Bible is the Word of God.
ii. Principle 2: Islam’s teachings contradict the fundamentals of the Bible.
1. Denial of the Trinity (Surah 112).
2. Jesus did not die on the cross.(Surah 4:157)
iii. Principle 3: Muslims believed the written Bible has been corrupted and changed (deleted, additions).
iv. Principle 4: The Quran does not teach the written Bible has been corrupted and changed but rather it teaches the Bible’s is authoratitive and remains.
1. This does not mean the Quran does not teach that men have twist the reading (INTERPRETATION) of the Bible.
2. Some Muslims will be surprised themselves when they hear you say this.
3. Controversial claim that the rest of this outline will seek to explore more.
b. The Strategy
i. The game plan
1. The main goal is to share the gospel from God’s Word.
a. Why: God’s Word is what changes people’s heart from unbelief to belief!
b. Share about God as Creator, man as sinner, Jesus Christ as Savior, etc.
c. You can use the “Bridge”, Romans Road, the Way of the Master, etc.
2. When the Muslim object at any point in the presentation that a doctrine goes contrary to the Quran, ask them where in the Quran it says it.
a. Why: To challenge the Muslim to examine their own beliefs in light of the authority of the Quran in their worldview, and to see whether or not a certain belief they hold to is based upon the Quran.
b. Feel free to use the index of the Quran to look things up.
3. Then show from the Bible where you as a Christian get your belief.
a. Why: This exposes them to the Word of God, which does not go forth void. It also shows that what you believe in is not just your opinion but taught from the Bible.
b. Hopefully, you know the Bible well enough to show where you get your beliefs from!
4. When the Muslim object that the writing of the Bible has been corrupted, changed, etc., ask if the Quran teaches this, and where does one find this teaching.
a. Why: Asking them puts the burden of proof on them and makes them think about what the Quran teaches about the Bible.
b. Be gracious: let him or her use the index of the Quran to look things up without attacking them that they don’t know their Quran.
5. Showthat the Quran does not teach the Bible has been corrupted in two ways:
a. Refuting how their Quranic proof text does not teach the WRITING of the Bible has been corrupted.
b. Presenting verses from the Quran that presupposes the authority and perseverance of the Bible as the Word of God.
6. Press the antithesis to the Muslim that when the Quran’s teaching contradict the Bible, it’s Islam that the Quran itself is in trouble for being inconsistent with the Bible, and not the Bible itself.
a. Reasoning
i. If the Quran has a high view of the Bible’s authority and perseverance,
ii. And the Bible warns against teaching going contrary to the Bible,
iii. So when the Quran contradicts the Bible,
iv. By the basis of the Quran’s view of the Bible, Islam itself is incoherent.
b. Illustration: If someone said she’s finished custom knitting an outfit for your baby in one week, and it turns out that what she gave to you was too small for your child, the problem is not with the baby but with outfit that was claimed to fit neatly the child. In the same way, the Quran is like the baby outfit.
7. Continue with the Gospel, repeat cycle if an objection to the Gospel is raised again.
ii. Illustration of the General strategy:
The Marines in 2003 had the object of heading toward Baghdad. They only fight when there are obstacles along the way. After they clear the obstacle hindering them, they continue on toward their objective. Since the Christian’s main goal is to share the gospel, removing the obstacle is not the goal in of itself, but for the purpose that one can get back towards sharing the gospel without any rational/irrational resistance.
Verses from the Quran’s affirming the Bible
a. The Quran does teach the Bible is the Word of God that has not disappeared
i. Muslims are to believe in the Bible (Surah 29:46)
“And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say, “We believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam).”
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- In context, the verse earlier (v.45), the Quran exhorted Muslims to recite “the book of inspiration to you.”
- Then in this verse, it tells Muslims not to “dispute” with the the People of the Book (Jews and Christians).
- This verse then tells the Muslim to say the People of the Book that Muslims also believe “believe in the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you…”
- Muslims during the writing of the Quran are to believe the revelation that has been given to them in the Bible.
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ii. Koran is to be tested by previous revelation (Surah 5:46-48)
v.46 And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah.
V.47 Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.
V.48 To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety: so judge between them by what Allah hath revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging from the Truth that hath come to thee. To each among you have we prescribed a law and an open way. If Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (His plan is) to test you in what He hath given you: so strive as in a race in all virtues. The goal of you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth of the matters in which ye dispute;
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- Note in verse 46, Jesus had to confirm the Law that was before Him.
- Then in verse 47, there is the call for the “people of the Gospel” (Christians) to judge the teaching of Islam.
- Verse 48 explains that the basis would be with pervious revelation (Old Testament, New Testament Gospels cf v.46-47) since “To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety:”
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iii. The Quran teaches the Bible will not be abrogated or forgotten (Surah 2:106)
“None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?”
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- Previous verses in our survey above establish that the Bible is the revelation of God
- This verse teaches these “revelations” will not be abrogated nor forgotten.
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Alleged Verses from the Quran’s denying the authority and perseverance of the written Bible
Remember: The Quran does teach that men have twist the reading (INTERPRETATION) of the Bible. What needs to be proven is that the Bible has been changed in it’s writing.
a. Surah 3:78
“There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, “That is from Allah,” but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!”
i. This text does not say the writing of the Bible has been changed.
ii. Rather, this verse teaches that people distort the teaching of the Book “with their tongues.
iii. Then the verse also describe “how they say…” which means the verbal interpretation was twisted not the written content.
iv. These word twisters apparently “tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it!”
1. In order for someone to lie, they have to know they are not aligning with the truth, and thus have an idea of what the truth is to begin with.
2. Which means that the “Book” is still a possible source of truth.
b. Surah 2:59
“But the transgressors changed the word from that which had been given them; so We sent on the transgressors a plague from heaven, for that they infringed (Our command) repeatedly.”
i. This text does not say the writing of the Bible has been changed.
ii. It does mention “the transgressors changed the word from that which had been given them…”
iii. Then in the context, the next verse (2:60) it quotes from Exodus 17:6 (Moses striking the rock), showing that the Quran still appeal to the Bible.
iv. Verse 59 cannot teach the Word of God in writing is changed since later in verse 62, the Quran appeal to the Jewish Scripture as a means of salvation:
“Those who believe (in the Qur’an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”
Excellent insight. Very helpful.
Shalom!
Good point regarding all persuasive arguments: ” God’s Word is what changes people’s heart from unbelief to belief!”
Amen!! Because the Word is powerful I laid out the strategy to include the Bible being shared. Thank brother for reading this!!!
I agree with Michael, this is excellent, Pastor Jim.
Please do not approve this comment until you have watched this full documentary. It is well researched and probably one of the best histories on Islam that I have ever seen. I know it is long but it is pretty comprehensive and you may not want to approve this for this particular post. This film has 289k views on another YouTube channel which means nothing except that many have seen it. I chose this particular channel because it gives information of the ministry responsible for researching this information.
God’s blessings my friend.
If you do not have the time to watch this I would completely understand. So..wait until you have watched it to make a decision to post it with this if you think it fits well enough, even if you aren’t able to watch it for a long time.
I do recognize that name and I approved it. Thanks for sharing that Chris!
Okay, Pastor Jim. It’s pretty much just the facts about Islam and some of them aren’t too pretty. There couldn’t be a greater difference between Mohammad and Jesus.
Very logical is the Word of God.
Amen the Bible is logical! Still praying Maw Maw
Thank you and I see it working.
Thanks for this outline re: Islam. I know for little about Islam so I appreciated this post.
You are welcome!! I think this strategy is hopefully as low maintenance of how much one need to memorize elaborate details, but just keep preaching the Word and when they object you point out the Quran supports the Bible’s authority and never said the text was corrupted, so they self refute themselves in their worldview when the Bible contradicts the Quran. How is your day starting out, is the weather cooler than yesterday?
I appreciate that point about the Quran not stating the Bible is corrupted.
RE: Weather
Yup, much cooler today, only 70F currently, and rainy off and on. Our gutters get clogged with catkins this time of year and I just cleaned the downspouts before the next rain. But I’m determined to grill hamburgs later. May have to do it near the garage door.
How’s the weather in SoCal today?
This is excellent! I am saving this and when you send the ppt I I am going to send that to a friend who can apply this right now. I am so thankful for this series and I am thankful for this helpful session on engaging Islam. Love and blessings to y’all!
Wow thanks for reading this, and being part of the study last night. I had a lot of chats last night after study (answering questions from this study, coordinating for someone’s podcast to interview with an apologist, prayer requests, church administrative things, helping someone with school work, and also discussion about church safety) that I was a bit behind on things. How many weeks are your courses duration for again?
My classes are 14 weeks total but 12 lecture weeks (one week is a reading/study week and the other is finals week). I am glad this generated discussions!!!!
[…] « Apologetics Session 9: Islam, Quran and the Bible […]
Excellent points I think these will be helpful for all. 👍
Thanks! Have a blessed rest/night/sleep as I think it’s night there in India!!
Thankyou.🙏🏻
This is an effective strategy and easy to carry out by Christians
I recommend David Wood’s videos. I don’t know how long they would be around with Big Tech enforcing cancel culture
Thanks Jim for pointing out the inconsistencies of the Quran.
Thanks for reading this RG; how are you this week???
Saw the cardiologist yesterday and she said I’m progressing very well! I probably won’t be completely healed until October but I am feeling much better! Praise God!
Have you heard of Usama Dakdok? He grew up in a Muslim country and his father was a Christian pastor. He has a good testimony and he printed “the generous Quran.”
He has many footnotes that help the reader not only understand the Quran, but also great cross referencing as well that shows the fallacies in it.
I heard of the name but don’t really know him; interestingly one of the brothers in our Tuesday Bible study when I went over this outline brought up Usama Dakdok and told me I should look him up as a resource; since your comment is literally the third time his name came up this week I need to look him now. Thanks for the information! If there’s any specific video or content you know, feel free to share brother!
Mainly the generous Quran. I have not followed him so not sure of where he is at these days. I picked up the generous Quran when I was teaching a worldview class and found it to be a helpful resource.
[…] 5.) Apologetics Session 9: Islam, Quran and the Bible […]
Nearly every interaction I have with Muslim People has been negative. Even when not attempting to evangelize. In my interactions, Pakistanis have been the most unfriendly I have encountered
Allah-satan baal is the ancient False Pagan “moon” god worshiped by the Arabs. תַּאֲלָֽתְךָ֖ pronounced Ta’ alah’ te’kah meaning “your curse” or literally, “the curse of you” in the heart of this Hebrew word is the word “al’ah” meaning curse!!
All Muslims are Nazis – ( Struggle-Jihad, Islam-Submission ) same as ( Struggle-Mein Kampf, NAZI Germany ) – Both Different OCCULT-IDEOLOGIES, same / Evil / Satanic / Demonic Groups!! They’re Anti-Christian and Jewish People / Anti-USA and Israel!!
islam-FASCISM was created by satan ( the devil )!! islam-FASCISM from only 1400 years ago in Mecca!! islam-FASCISM was started only 600 A.D. years after JESUS-YESHUA CHRIST DIED and AROSE Again!!
MEMO TO: THE Palestinians and all Arabs: All of the United States of America and Israel-Yisrael is GOD’S land, and has been given to the Jews and Christians. Not one square inch of it belongs to the mythical Palestinians or Arabs or anyone else. Your Religion is NOT holy, it is finished by your own hands, by your own choices. Your False Pagan moon god allah-satan Baal and they NOT the same god of Israel-Yisrael and Christian and Jewish People of ABRAHAM / ISAAC and JACOB!!
( II Chronicles 7:14 KJV ) “If My people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and Pray, and Seek My Face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I Hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will Heal their Land.”!!
Praise Jesus-Yeshua Christ for Today and Everyday, HE is KING of kings and LORD ( ADONAI ), HE is the ALPHA and OMEGA, HE is the BEGINNING and the ENDING!! Glory Glory Hallelujah and Maranatha!!
May our ONE TRUE GOD THE FATHER who art in Heaven Above Bless all my Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus-Yeshua and my Messianic Jewish Sisters and Brothers in Christ Jesus-Yeshua who STAND with the Holy Land of Israel-Yisrael and our Judeo-Christian Nation United States of America!!
Our ONE True GOD’S LOVE 💙💕 is ETERNAL THROUGH HIS SON Jesus-Yeshua Christ for Today and Everyday Forevermore!!
I Love you all Everyone through Jesus-Yeshua, because HE LOVED 💕💙 EVERYONE FIRST!!
Love 💙💕 Always and Shalom ( Peace ) , YSIC \o/
Kristi
[…] Apologetics Session 9: Islam, Quran and the Bible […]
[…] Apologetics Session 9: Islam, Quran and the Bible […]