Part 3 Understanding Islam – IS “ALLAH” SIMPLY ANOTHER NAME FOR THE GOD WORSHIPED BY CHRISTIANS AND JEWS?
“After 9/11 at a large media event a Christian minister stood at the microphone and began the invitation as follows: “We pray in the name of our God – the God of Christianity, Judaism and Islam . . .” (Ergun and Emir Caner in “Unveiling Islam”). Is that true? Is “Allah” simply another name for the God worshipped by Christians and Jews? The argument advanced is that the Arabic generic term for “god” is “Allah” – and since Christians and Jews use the term God to refer to their deity they are in fact referring to the same deity only they have different beliefs about that same deity.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. The god of the Koran is radically different from the God of the Bible in nearly every aspect. Allah is described as the “absolutely sovereign.” He “knows everything, determines everything, decrees everything, and orders everything. Allah is even the cause of evil.” He is absolute and arbitrary at will and demands complete obedience under the constant threat of punishment. He is not intimate with his followers. “Islam does not know an intimate, personal, and loving God. Allah is an impersonal creator and judge.” Even their prayers are repetition not requesting anything for he does not promise to listen or answer prayer. “For the Muslim, prayer is an act of obedience (and escaping the punishment due those who neglect prayer) not petition” (All quotes from Ergun and Emir Caner in “Unveiling Islam”).
“A Muslim has no assurance of salvation or forgiveness of sin apart from death by Jihad. “Twice (in the Koran) Allah guarantees entrance into paradise for the Muslim who dies in jihad”. If you ask a Muslim how they can enter paradise apart from jihad you will most likely hear that there are two angels, one on each shoulder who are filling up books – one recording good deeds and one recording bad deeds. At judgment the books are compared and Allah will decide, but even that is not assured for “Allah forgives whom he pleases, and punishes whom He pleases, for Allah has power over all things” (All quotes from Ergun and Emir Caner in “Unveiling Islam”).
“Perhaps the most stark difference between the God of the Bible and Allah is their view toward unbelievers (infidels). Jesus “came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:13). What is probably the most well known verse in the Bible is, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Apostles explained that God does “not wish that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) – that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). He called disciples to be “fishers of men” (Luke 5:10) – to take the Gospel to those who had not yet heard or accepted Him as Lord and Savior (infidels) because God is love (1 John 4:7-8). His last command was that all Believers are to “go . . . and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20) – to evangelize “infidels”.
“Contrast that with what we learn in the Koran about Allah. “Allah’s heart is set against the infidel (kafir). He has no love for the unbelievers, nor is it the task of Muslims to ‘evangelize’ the unbelieving world. Allah is to be worshipped, period. Any who will not do so must be defeated, silenced, or expelled. The theme is conquest, not conversion, of the unbelieving world” (Ergun and Emir Caner in “Unveiling Islam”).
“The distinctions between the God of the Bible and Allah are total. The God of the Bible is not arbitrary – “He is same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Intimacy with God is available for all Christians. Forgiveness of sin is possible for all who believe, make Jesus their Lord, and truly repent. God is love – He hears and answers prayers. Jesus has assured us that He has prepared a place for us and that He will come and bring us to that place to spend eternity with Him (John 14:1-3). Our salvation is not based on what we do, but rather by faith in what Jesus has already done for us when He died on the cross to pay for our sins (Ephesians 2:8-9). “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Christians have nothing to fear in this life or the next.
“As you read this it is my sincere hope that your heart will become one with the Lord’s and you will have compassion on a people who are sheep without a shepherd – following a teaching that does not offer hope or any assurance of salvation apart from violence – a people living in constant fear. As you consider this, think about another billion Believers in Jesus Christ committed to following Him and living as He taught with the same passion as they now are living seeking to avoid punishment. It would be a far different world and an incredible eternity together celebrating with the Lord.”
About David Maddox – After a legal career in both Texas and Arizona that spanned over 40 years as a civil litigator, God called David to leave his law practice and work full time as Discipleship Director for Time to Revive. That call is really the fruit of decades of prayer for revival and teaching God’s Word, writing discipleship materials and seeking to make disciples. David married Janet Whitehead in 1976 and they minister together from their Phoenix home. God has blessed them with four children and thus far seven grandchildren.
