Some of us are going through Sketches from Church History by S M Houghton one small chapter at a time. (By the way, the book has pictures.) Aiding us in this study is the work book by Rebecca Frawley. Both are Banner of Truth books.
Now we are at
Chapter 7 Islam
Some keywords/names to remember/key ideas from this chapter are:
- Islam and Christianity are not compatible because:
- Mohammed taught that Jesus was a prophet but he, Mohammed, was the greatest prophet of all.
- While Mohammed believed that Jesus was a holy man, he denied that He was the Son of God. He also denied the virgin birth, resurrection, ascension, and the atoning death of Jesus.
- Islam knows nothing of salvation by the sheer unlimited grace of God.
- Mohammed was born in Mecca in Arabia
- Islam means ‘obedience’ or ‘surrender’
- Mohammed wanted to warn his people that they could only escape condemnation by giving up their idols and turning to the worship of the one supreme god he knew as Allah.
- On 16 July 622 (Day 1 of the Mohammedan calendar), the Hegira (Flight from Mecca to Medina) took place.
- Mohammed claimed to have received his teaching from Angel Gabriel. The teachings are contained in the Koran.
- Five pillars of Islam are:
- Confessing–There is no other God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet
- Offering prayer at stated times, five times a day, facing Mecca
- Giving of alms
- Fasting during the month of Ramadan
- Pilgrimmage to Mecca at least once in a person’s life
- Mohammed believed that prayer led halfway to God, fasting led to the gateway of heaven, and waging the holy war gave actual entrance into heaven.
- A note on Caliph Omar
- Took Jerusalem in 637 AD.
- Built mosque on the site of the old Jewish temple destroyed in 70 A.D.
- Destroyed the world’s most famous library in Alexandria in Egypt, declaring that no books other than the Koran were required.
Courage to tremble 