Reaching Muslims: A Christian's Guide to Islam - Softcover

Sabah, Mona

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0998637815 ISBN 13: 9780998637815

Publisher: Gethsemane Press, 2018

Synopsis

How do I learn more about a practical way to reach Muslims in my area? Mona Sabah, a Former Muslim presents an intimate view to her past with examples of culture, traditions, beliefs and the religion of Islam. The interactive book provides research and guidelines on how to share the Gospel at the end of each chapter along with questions for practical application. This is a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about how to connect with the Muslim community for Christ with gentleness and respect. Mona Sabah was born and raised in the Middle East, went to school in Pakistan and then moved to the United States. She has worked in the Human Resources field and teaches Management, Leadership and Cultural Diversity. Mona became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of 35. She published her testimony "From Isa to Christ: A Muslim Woman's Search for the Hand of God" in February 2017.

About this title

About the Author

Mona Sabah was born & raised in the Middle East, England, went to school in Pakistan and then finally moved to the United States. She speaks English, Spanish, and Urdu fluently. She has worked in the Human Resources field and teaches Management, Leadership and Cultural Diversity. She holds her Masters in Human Resources from the University of San Francisco. She is a professional speaker and a corporate trainer. Mona became a follower of Jesus Christ at the age of 35. She has been married to her husband since 1993 and has three beautiful children. MISSION STATEMENT To be a light for the Kingdom of God by sharing my testimony of faith in my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ and by equipping the Church to be an authentic witness to share the Gospel.

From the Inside Flap

How to Use This Book

This book is meant to be used as a workbook tohelp summarize what you learn, to record ideas on how to initiate aconversation and how to invite a Muslim (or any other non-believer) into thefamily of Christ. There are many assumptions made by both Christians andMuslims, I hope to share nuances from my own life and previous beliefs thatwill help to bridge the Gospel to Muslims. My aim is to help the reader gain anunderstanding of not just the religion of Islam, but also the rich traditions,culture, other Islamic readings, teachings and places that can cause confusion,especially when translated from Arabic to English.

I personally appreciate it when authors use theentire passage of the Bible to make their claim. I would like to extend thesame respect to Muslims by using complete passages of the Quran and the Hadithwherever possible. For this reason, you will see large sections from theIslamic writings in the book. It is also helpful to know what the passage saysin its entirety to draw your own conclusion.

There are fill-in-the-blank questions at theend of each chapter that highlightimportant facts about Islam. The answer key, along with a glossary offrequently used terms are located in the appendix. I encourage you to notimmediately flip to the back of the book but to take the time to do someresearch and find the answers. You might be surprised at all the things you willlearn!

I have shared my testimony and taught aboutIslamic practices and beliefs over the last decade. This book is designed toanswer the frequently asked questions I receive almost every time I speak andto compile these answers into one interactive guidebook. I hope you will findit to be useful to you.

Chapter 1
Historyof Islam

Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:
"I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
Fear not, nor be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
And you are my witnesses!
Is there a God besides me?
There is no Rock; I know not any."
Isaiah 44:6-8

The Beginning

Islam begins with the affirmationof the statement that Allah is one and ends with the assertion that Muhammad isthe last prophet. Muhammad (or also written as Mohammad 570 AD - 632 AD) is knownto Muslims as the "seal of the prophets" and the founder of Islam. Hewas born in 570 AD, was orphaned at a young age and then raised by his paternaluncle Abu Talib. His family descendedfrom the merchant clan of Banu Hashim and he followed in their footsteps in trade.He married Khadija (or Khadeejah), his first wife when he was 25 and she was 40years old. She was considered to be a great catch, since she was widowed andwas running her deceased husband's business. She had hired Muhammad tonegotiate a few business deals for her and thus earned his complete trust.

At that time, most of Arabiaworshipped idols. It was a common pagan practice to retreat to caves in Arabiato meditate. On one of these spiritual retreats, Muhammad claimed he was visitedby an angel of light (or a demon- he was not sure) in Cave Hira around 610 ADand received a revelation. He was 40 years old at that time.

Quran, Hadith & Sira

Some terms to know when studyingIslam are Quran, Hadith and Sira. Muslims believe that the Quran is the fourthand final revelation of Allah through his prophet, Muhammad. The book must beread in Arabic, as Islam considers that to be the language of Heaven There isno passage in the Quran or the Hadith that make this claim, yet all prayersalso are mandatory to be done in Arabic.

Quran means "torecite" and contains faithfully recorded recitations that Muhammadreceived from the angel Gabriel. Muhammad was considered to be illiterate, yetthe angel told him to read. Everything he said while covered under a blanketduring a revelation was the Quran. Anything he said afterwards to explain theverses became the Hadith. The Hadith is a collection of the traditions ofMuhammad and there are six writers of the Hadith, with Sahih Bukhari being onefrom which many Muslims quote. Sahih Bukhari has nine volumes with over 4000Hadith (many repeat, so can count them to be anywhere from 2000-4000) while thesecond most quoted Hadith Sahih Muslim has around 2000 Hadith. Someare considered to be strong and others weak (not much support for them). Theword "Sahih"means authentic, valid or sound in Arabic.

The following excerpt is fromthe Hadith and the Sira about the sequence of events that started his legacy asthe prophet of Islam.
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From the Hadith and Sira of theProphet:

It is reported in al-Saheehayn from'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr that 'Aa'ishah the wife of the Prophet said:
"The beginning of the Revelation that came tothe Messenger of Allah was good dreams; he never saw a dream but it came truelike bright daylight. Then seclusion was made dear to him, and he used to go tothe cave of Hiraa' and worship there, which means that he went and devotedhimself to worship for a number of nights before coming back to his family tocollect more provisions, then he would go back again. Then he would go back toKhadeejah to collect more provisions. (This went on) until the truth came tohim suddenly when he was in the cave of Hiraa'. The angel came and said,'Read!' The Messenger of Allah said, 'Iam not a reader.' He said, Then he took hold of me and squeezed me until Icould not bear it any more then he released me and said, 'Read!' I said, 'I amnot a reader.' He took hold of me and squeezed me a second time until I couldnot bear it any more, then he released me and said, 'Read!' I said, 'I am not areader.' He took hold of me and squeezed me a third time until I could not bearit any more, then he released me and said,

'Read! In the Name of your Lord Who hascreated (all that exists).
He has created man from a clot (a piece ofthick coagulated blood).
Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.
Who has taught (the writing) by the pen.
He has taught man that which he knew not.'
[Surah al-'Alaq 96:1-5 - interpretation of themeaning]

Then the Messenger of Allah went back with hisheart beating wildly, until he came to Khadeejah and said, 'Cover me! Coverme!' They covered him till his fear went away. Then he said to Khadeejah, 'OKhadeejah, I fear for myself,' and he told her what had happened. Khadeejahsaid, 'Nay, be of good cheer, for by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. Youuphold the ties of kinship, speak truthfully, help the poor and destitute,serve your guests generously and assist those who are stricken by calamity.'

Edition details

• Publisher: Gethsemane Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0998637815
• ISBN 13: 9780998637815
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160