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ISLAM: Insights and Implicatiions

islamIslam is not only the major religion in Arab countries, but also the fastest growing world religion. This year, it is estimated to surpass the Christian population, as Christianity has been on a steady decline since the 1940s. With the Middle East dominating the news today, Islam has become one of the most sought after topics on our web site’s “Ask Your Bible Questions” page (BibleStudents.com). Is Allah just another name for the Judeo/Christian God? Is the Quran another inspired book? How does Islam figure into God’s plan?

Mohammed, Allah and The Quran

Islam’s founder, Mohammed (A.D. 570-632), was born into the Arabian tribe which was in control of the city of Mecca. At the age of forty, Mohammed declared that Gabriel appeared to him in a cave. In the name of Allah, Gabriel commanded him to preach Islam — meaning full surrender to Allah. Sura 2:91, 92; 81:19-21

Archaeologists point out that until the seventh century when Mohammed announced Allah as the one true God, Allah was the name of the widely worshipped moon god of ancient Mesopotamia. The oldest reference to Allah as a Babylonian deity can be found in the Epic of Atrahasis chiseled on several tablets dating to around B.C. 1700.

Mohammed claimed that, until he became Allah’s appointed prophet, the Arabs had no guide since their patriarch Ishmael, calling this time “the days of ignorance.” (Sura 36:1-5; 34:43) In these days of ignorance, pagans would come to worship at the Ka’aba Stone in Mecca. This stone was originally housed together with hundreds of tribal god icons. Legend says the stone (possibly a meteorite, about seven inches in diameter) was given to Adam on his being barred from Eden, and that it originally was white, but became black by absorbing the sins of those who kissed or handled it. The legend further claims that Adam first set up the Ka’aba to be worshiped, and that it was later reinstituted by Abraham and Ishmael. Sura 22:27; 3: 91

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3 comments to ISLAM: Insights and Implicatiions

  • ALLWYN FURTADO

    Dear Brother / Sister,

    Why did Jehovah God delayed the brith of Isaac and let Abraham’s wife Sarah tell Abraham to lay with his concubine Hagar by whom Ishmael was born ? Is Ishmael the ancester of the Muslims/ Arabs ? If yes then what was the plan of Jehovah God in bringing Ishmael in the world ?

    • Jacqueline (Bible Student)

      ALLWYN FURTADO, Thank you so much for your question and welcome!
      I guess I will take first stab at this and it is just how I reason. I am not able to say why Jehovah allowed Ishmael to be born any more than Esau to be born. But here is my take.

      God gave a general promise as well as a specific one to bless descendants of Abraham, so Ishmael got the oil rich lands and his descendants are rich to this day. (Arabs?) Gen 12:1-3 So he was blessed as a descendant. Gen 21:18 he was promised to be a great nation. And the arabs are filthy rich as a nation with the oil.

      The wife could and did give concubines in that day to their husbands. Lessons, to drive home the point that it is God that established the one descendant that would be the seed, (one) and not just a child of Abraham. This could account for the delay.if childbearing years being over, yet a baby was conceived and born it was by divine intervention. A miracle birth like Jesus. Not under their power but God, she was past childbearing years. The same as Mary was a Virgin the baby was by God’s divine will in both cases. (how I understand)

      Ishmael would be a donkey of a man the angel said to Hagar (Gen.16:12 wild-ass man). This explains the nature of his descendants to this day in the Arab nations.
      His plan was not to bless the world thru Ishmael as they claim. Matt. 24:4-5 shows many will come and mislead many saying they are “The Christ” (Muhammad).
      Rom. 9:6-13 shows God chose to bless Jacob over Esau the firstborn. So contrary to what Islam says, God has the right to chose the younger over the firstborn. (Gen. 25:23)
      The covenant wasn’t made with Ishmael no more than it was made thru Lot who angels also rescued and blessed with 2 nations from his daughters. There are many examples of Jehovah choosing and rescuing but it doesn’t invalidate the promise is through Isaac.
      Merely being a descendant of Abraham does not save nor does it make them in line to be the Messiah and inhabit the land God gave the Jews.
      An Arab, Jew or gentile can be a part of the promise also, but Jesus is the “seed”.
      Romans 4:13-17. “13 For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression.

      16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

      So, we know, Isaac was not Abraham’s first born, Ishmael had not grown up as his father had hoped. He was inclined towards many things Abraham and Sarah considered bad, causing Sarah to tell him to send this boy away. Ishmael even taunted Isaac when he believed himself unobserved. Psalm 83:1-18 speaks of this false worship by his descendants. Between 1000-400 BCE it is believed the Meccans worshiped Baal as their God and hated the God of the Jews.

      John 14:6 Jesus said he is the way the truth and life. Not Muhammad. (acts 4:8-12)
      Gen.15:-12-21 is a covenant of the Land to be given to Abraham’s seed.also Gen.17:1-8.

      Conclusion:Ishmael was not put here to inherit Israel but was blessed. The scriptures clearly state:
      Gen.17:18-21
      18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”
      19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.”

    • Jacqueline (Bible Student)

      Allwyn Furtado, I wanted to add something to my thought on why Sarah was permitted to give her slave girl to Abraham.
      She was running ahead of God. But because of Abraham and this was his seed he still blessed the offspring of this union.
      Sarah suffered as we all do when we decide how God’s promise to us is to be fulfilled in our timeline. The slave girl was owned by Sarah but when she had a child by Abraham it put this woman in a concubine position, an intimate one with Sarah’s husband. Not a good thing for the wife, now this woman had a degree of say so in the household involving this firstborn heir. God already knew she would do it but he showed his purpose by waiting until it was humanly impossible for her to bear a child.

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