30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World | www.30-days.net » what is islam http://www.30-days.net What Christians should know about Islamic background, history and culture. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000 en hourly 1 The last of the unreached http://www.30-days.net/ramadan/the-last-of-the-unreached/ http://www.30-days.net/ramadan/the-last-of-the-unreached/#comments Mon, 23 May 2011 07:00:26 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=991 There are about 220 Muslim peoples around the world with over 100,000 members each, and these peoples have no local committed Christian witness. In addition, there are no known believers who are specifically planning to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to them. A short list of some of these peoples is on this page. In addition there are huge numbers of Muslims peoples where there is a small Christian witness, but the Muslims still have never heard the Gospel in a meaningful and culturally adapted way. This is true of millions of Arabs in the Middle East as well as millions more in Africa and Southeast Asia.

Jesus said, “This Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Mt. 24:14). The end of the age and the dawning of God’s new world will not come about before all people from different religions and cultures have had an opportunity to hear and to respond to the message. On this prayer site we have made a significant effort to focus our prayers on unreached peoples without neglecting Muslims in more visible and well known settings.

Muslim Populations

  • Africa – 400 million
  • Middle East – 250 million
  • Asia – 800 million
  • Europe – 25+ million
  • Americas – 5+ million
  • TOTAL = 1.48 billion

The figures above give the approximate numbers of Muslims in various regions of the world. In the last 50 years probably no more than one or two million Muslims have come to saving faith in the Messiah. Some people might give a somewhat higher figure. Whatever the real number, it is relatively small, and a breakthrough is needed.

Unreached

Here are some Muslim peoples of over 100,000 without any known Gospel witness. Call out in prayer for them.

Saho of Eritrea – 211,000

Maraikayar of India – 127,000

Mawalud of India – 1,161,000

Nikari of India – 151,000

Pashtun of India – 13,282,000

Thulukkan of India – 269,000

Asahan of Indonesia – 541,000

Bangka of Indonesia – 340,000

Belitung of Indonesia – 100,000

Gayo of Indonesia – 300,000

Kangean of Indonesia – 1,100,000

Takistani of Iran – 330,000

Afshari of Iran – 1,230,000

Khorasani Turk of Iran – 832,000

Seraiki of Pakistan – 17,854,000

W.Baluch of Pakistan – 1,261,000

Burig of Pakistan – 474,000

Kho of Pakistan – 314,000

Kolai of Pakistan – 410,000

Awan of India – 618,000

Chhimba of India – 1,047,000

Kamboh of India – 1,525,000

Kunjra of India – 1,601,000

Makhmi of India – 499,000

Mappila of India – 9,635,000

Kerinci of Indonesia – 260,000

Lembak of Indonesia – 120,000

Video: Reaching Them

Reaching The Hungry in Word & Deed from Carlos Sales on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/ramadan/the-last-of-the-unreached/feed/ 8 Why pray for Muslims? http://www.30-days.net/ramadan/why-pray-for-muslims/ http://www.30-days.net/ramadan/why-pray-for-muslims/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 07:14:12 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=987 Common and yet different values and beliefs

Believers in the Messiah, Jesus, have many beliefs and values in common with Muslims, not only concerning faith-related issues but also moral values. People from both faith communities agree that our world has become a dangerous place. Believers in Jesus and Muslims can both be in agreement concerning the following text in 2 Timothy 3:2-5:

“… Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”

Common Values

Believers in the Messiah and Muslims share similar common values for daily living: faithfulness (to God and in relationships), honesty, compassion, honour, humility, chastity, self-sacrifice, mercy and love.

Same God?

Muslims and Christians believe that there is one God, but are we worshiping the same God in word and deed? One might also ask: In a time when many people think that all roads and all religions lead to the one true God, why should one pray for Muslims to come to salvation? Does it make any difference? Are they not already accepted by God?

Certainly Muslims are loved by God. Without doing anything they are loved by Him. God counts Muslim children and adults as precious. He loves every aspect of their languages, food, attitudes and daily life which are truly good and right. However, this does not mean that Muslims have entered into eternal life or have had their sins forgiven.

Let us pray for Muslims so they
can enter into the Messiah’s
eternal kingdom.

Muslims are not inspired by the hope of a new world in which Jesus, the crucified and risen Messiah, reigns as King. Most Muslims have actually been trained not to believe that Jesus died and rose again. In general they know little of His forgiveness. They believe that Jesus was a prophet sent from God but they generally never think of Him as God’s appointed King who reigns over the nations (Mt 28:18-20). It is precisely “believing the Gospel of the Kingdom” which is a problem. Like all people everywhere and in all cultures, Muslims are called to turn from evil and believe the Gospel of the Kingdom. Most Muslims around the world have not even had an opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus’ death for sins and His resurrection, which liberates us from the power of sin, death and demonic bondage.

For various reasons which will be discussed later in this prayer guide, Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Believers in the Messiah are always rejoicing that “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).

Jesus has come so that we can have life and have it in abundance (John 10:10). Therefore let us pray for Muslims so they can enter into that life in the Messiah’s eternal kingdom.

Video: The Broken

Change the World from DanStevers.com on Vimeo.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/ramadan/why-pray-for-muslims/feed/ 7 How Islam Split – Ali, Hassan and Hussein http://www.30-days.net/islam/history/ali-hassan-hussein/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/history/ali-hassan-hussein/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:18:23 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/?p=1062 Mohammed’s cousin and adopted son


Born in about AD 600 – died January AD 661
Ali was the cousin, adopted son and son-in-law of Mohammed. He married Mohammed’s daughter Fatimah in AD 624. His name means “exalted, noble.” He reigned over the Muslim empire as Caliph from AD 656 to 661. Shi’a (Shiite) Muslims regard Ali as the first true infallible Imam and consider he and his descendants (Hassan and Hussein) as the rightful successors to Mohammed. Disagreement over succession eventually split Islam into the Sunni and Shi’a branches. Ali encountered opposition and civil war during his reign. At about age 60 Ali suffered an assassination attempt while praying in the mosque of Kufa in Iraq – he died soon afterwards. The main mosque of Najaf, Iraq is supposedly his final burial place and has become a major Shi’a shrine dedicated to his memory.

Hassan

Born in March AD 625 died March AD 670
Hassan (Hasan) was the grandson of Mohammed and the son of Ali and Mohammed’s daughter Fatima. His name means “handsome one.” Hassan’s succession to the Caliphate was contested and eventually he conceded in order to avoid bloodshed. He retired to a quiet life in Medina till he died, poisoned by his wife, many years later. He is regarded by all Muslims as a martyr.

Hussein

Born January AD 626 at Medina in Saudi Arabia, died October AD 680 at Karbala in Iraq
Hussein was the second grandson of Mohammed through Fatima. His name means little Hassan, “the little handsome one.” Hussein, son of Ali, is revered as a martyr, having died in a struggle for the Caliphate. The anniversary of his martyrdom is called “Ashura,” which is a day of mourning and religious observance especially for Shi’a Muslims. Hussein’s death was significant because it launched the Shi’a movement which is so prominent today in Iraq and Iran; they believe that Hussein should have been Caliph.

Prayer Requests:

  • There are literally millions of Muslim men around the world who are named Ali, Hassan and Hussein. Pray for them to encounter the living Messiah (Acts 7:56 and 9:1-5).
  • Millions of Iranians and Iraqis commemorate the memory of Hussein’s death each year. Sometimes as many as 7-8 million pilgrims visit Karbala during that time. Many Shi’a men will cut and flail themselves, shedding blood in the memory of Hussein. A popular Shi’a saying tells us, “a single tear shed for Hussein washes away a hundred sins.” Pray that Shi’as of Iraq and Iran could see the value of the blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Definition: The Caliph is the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, the worldwide Islamic community or nation which should ideally be ruled by the religious law, the Shari’ah. The word is derived from the Arabic word which means “successor” or “representative.” The early Caliphs in particular were seen as Mohammed’s successors.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/history/ali-hassan-hussein/feed/ 13 How Muslims understand Gospel of Barnabas http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howjesus/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howjesus/#comments Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:44:26 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/howjesus/ Most Christians are fairly uninformed about Islamic beliefs. In a similar way, many Muslims do not understand or are ignorant of Christian teaching about Jesus. Most Muslims believe that Jesus (whom they call Sidna Isa) was a remarkably good prophet who was sent to the Jews to bring them back to an Israeli form of Islam. Muslims believe that Islam was the religion which was practised by all the prophets (Abraham, David, Moses, Solomon, Jonah and others). Afterwards their followers corrupted the true faith.

Gospel of Barnabas

Muslims think of Jesus as a prophet who is reputed to have done miracles, but most of them have no knowledge of most of His life and ministry. Jesus is highly honoured by Muslims as a holy man, but is not seen to be divine. In recent times many Muslims have pointed to the so-called Gospel of Barnabas as being a source document about the Muslim Jesus. This document portrays a Jesus who is radically Islamic. Many believe that this so-called Gospel was possibly written around the year 1600 by a Muslim living in Spain. It was certainly not written by the disciple Barnabas who was a contemporary of Paul. (For more information about the Gospel of Barnabas, see the websites: (Christian site: www.answering-islam.org/Barnabas , Muslim site: www.islam101.com/barnabas ).) [In a new window]

Ideas and understanding about Jesus (Isa)

Muslims claim that Jesus did not die on the cross – such a death is considered to be unworthy of such a good prophet. They affirm that Jesus was taken up to heaven without dying. Generally they think that Judas Iscariot was crucified in the place of Jesus, and that God supposedly transformed his face to make him look like Jesus. Judas is seen as being a traitor who received just punishment while Jesus escaped.

Muslims equally affirm that Jesus (Isa) will return to earth from heaven sometime before the end of the world to punish the Jews and Christians for their corruption of religious faith and practice. Eventually Jesus will die a natural death and later be resurrected to be judged with all men during the last days. The Muslim idea of Christ is actually significantly different from the Christ of the Bible.

Prayer Points

* Muslims need to understand and recognize Jesus as Lord and Saviour, and to see the glory of the risen Lord. Pray for spiritual blindness to be removed (2nd Corinthians 4:1-7).

* Most Muslims have never even had an opportunity to believe because they have never heard enough of the real Gospel to be saved. Ask God to raise up an abundance of ministries to proclaim Christ in a culturally sensitive manner.

* The “Jesus” film has been an excellent means worldwide of helping Muslims learn about Jesus. Pray for a wider distribution of this film in more languages (Rom. 10:14).

* Most Muslims have needs which can only be answered by Jesus Christ. Pray that Muslims might find themselves in situations where they would be encouraged to call upon and believe the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:8-13). Some remarkable healings and conversions have happened when Muslims call on Jesus as a healer.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howjesus/feed/ 13 How Muslims Understand God http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howgod/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howgod/#comments Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:52:23 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/howgod/ There are some similarities between Islamic and Judaeo-Christian thought about God. Mohammed was certainly influenced by Christianity and Judaism as he developed Islam. Muslims, Jews and Christians agree that God is the Creator of heaven and earth. All three religions see God as everlasting, all powerful and all wise. All three proclaim that God will someday judge the world, and that He has sent prophets and has given scriptures. Muslims and Christians even use similar words to describe God. It is often surprising to many non-Arabic speakers that all Arabic Bibles use the word “Allah” for God (see note below).

GodTube Video: The Crescent through the Eyes of the Cross

Insights from an Arab Christian

Differences

Despite the similarities, there are real, profound and significant differences between Christian and Muslim beliefs. Muslims have a fundamentally different understanding of God compared to Christians. Muslim faith and experience are remarkably different from Christian faith and experience.

Islam actually teaches that God Himself is unknowable. Muslims seek to worship a God whom they believe is unknowable. Christians are called into relationship with their Creator and Redeemer: Jesus defined eternal life as knowing the Father and the one whom he had sent (John 17:3).

* Pray that Muslims around the world will come to believe that it is possible to know God.

Friendship

The Muslim Allah is impersonal. In Islam God is not a person. He is simply beyond description. While Muslims habitually address prayers to the God of Abraham, they do not believe that this God will speak to them or reveal Himself to them. Abraham’s experience was very different. God spoke to Abraham and called him His friend (Gen. 12:1-3, 2 Chron. 20:7, Isa. 41:8, James 2:23).

* Pray that Muslims would come to know God as a real person.

Character

In Islam Allah is absolutely free (His actions are not bound by character or moral principles). Christians believe that God Himself always acts in accordance with moral principles and He even makes covenants.

* Pray for Muslims to have a revelation of the character of God (His love, faithfulness, kindness, holiness and justice).

Emotions

Allah in Islam has no emotions. Muslim theologians believe that it would be incorrect for God to have real emotions. For them it would be demeaning to His greatness. In the Bible God is seen as one who grieves, who rejoices and who loves passionately.

* Pray for a revelation of the loving-kindness of God which will touch the emotions of Muslims.

Revelation

Muslims believe that God is only one and He has no associates. Christians do not believe that Jesus is an associate of God but that He is God in the flesh (John 1:1-18). Knowing God as a Trinity is a profound thing. In the words of Francis Schaeffer: Love, communication and friendship have always been present between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity gives us an example of how to live.

* Pray for Muslims to have a profound revelation of the Triune God.

Note: In our 30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World prayer booklet the words God and Allah are always spelled with a capital letter for simplicity.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howgod/feed/ 3 How Muslims understand the Bible http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howbible/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howbible/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 10:38:16 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/howbible/

Is the God of Islam also the God of the Bible?

Answer: Yes and No
Explanation: Muslims use the word Allah as the name for the God of Abraham. The word “Allah” is also used by Christians in the Arabic Bible as the word for God. The Islamic holy book, the Qur’an, is full of references to the Biblical characters and prophets. Here is a short list of Biblical characters found in just four verses of the Qur’an (chapter 6, verses 84-87): Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Zechariah, John, Jesus Elijah, Ishmail, Elisha, Jonas, and Lot. There a dozens of other references to biblical characters in the Qur’an. While these people are all mentioned in both the Qur’an and the Bible this does not mean that Muslims and Christians are in total agreement about God.

The abundant references to Biblical characters in the Qur’an definitely show that Mohammed was influenced by many aspects of Jewish and Christian teachings. However his idea of God does not include very significant Christian concepts about God. For example Muslims are unitarians and Christians are trinitarians. Islam does not know God as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In addition Muslims deny that Jesus died on the cross and that he was raised from the dead.

Is Mohammed prophesied in the Bible?

Muslims often point to two texts in the Bible as evidence that the coming of Mohammed was foretold even in the Bible. In Deuteronomy 18:15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you (the Israelites) a prophet like me (Moses) from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”

Muslims attempt to say that the Ishmaelites are the “brothers of the Israelites” mentioned in this text. Mohammed is said to be a descendant of Ishmael through one of the sons (either Nebajoth or Kedar). However in Deuteronomy 17:15 the Israelites receive specific instructions concerning kings using the same words: “You shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.” From the context it can plainly be seen that the word “brother” here means someone from among the Israelites themselves. The Apostles believed that Jesus was “the Prophet” mentioned in Deuteuronomy 18 (See Acts 3:22-23 and 7:37).

The other main passages which are cited by Muslims are John 14:16-18 and 16:7-15. Muslims sometimes try to say that Christians changed the original Greek wording of the text concerning the “helper or comforter”. For them the original word was not “helper or comforter” (parakletos in Greek) but “periklytos” meaning “glorious or honoured one.” They say this refers to Ahmed, a form of the name Mohammed, which means “he praised one”. It is significant that there are no known Greek texts of John 14 and 16 which use the word “periklytos” instead of “parakletos.” In addition the activities of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the texts do not match well with the life of Mohammed.

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]]> http://www.30-days.net/islam/howmuslims/howbible/feed/ 6 Islam – a peace-loving or militant religion? http://www.30-days.net/islam/culture/peace/ http://www.30-days.net/islam/culture/peace/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:35:38 +0000 TDI http://www.30-days.net/reveal/peace/ Is Islam a peace-loving religion, or does it tend towards violence? Both! Islam has a whole spectrum of positions. Some Muslims are liberally-minded and adapt themselves to democratic and pluralistic values, others are fundamentalists who struggle actively for a reformation of society, and still others are militant extremists prone to violence. Among the dedicated Muslim activists are peace-loving conservatives as well as the terrorist jihad supporters. It is important not to lump all Muslims and Islamic fundamentalists together.

What has contributed to the rise of militant Islam?

For a start, there are a number of events that have been traumatic for Muslims. Thinking of the past, they mourn the loss of the “Golden Age” of the beginnings of Islam and the Islamic cultural and military predominance from the seventh to 17th centuries. In addition, they have suffered under Western colonialism until recent times. Worldwide, they constantly experience the political, economical and military predominance of the “Christian” West. They have a sense of being under attack through events in Israel, Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq. They hate the repressive regimes in the Muslim world, which are often supported by the “Christian” West. They see their young people in danger from the immoral Western (“so-called Christian”) global culture. Many feel powerless and despised, leading them to be full of anger.

For militant Islamists, the example of Mohammad and the verses in the Qur’an that call for war against the “unbelievers” (Surat 2:190f, 9:5 and others) seem to be the only answer to this crisis. According to the Qur’an, violence is allowed if Muslims see themselves burdened or attacked. Petrodollars have helped many in the process of promoting militant Islam. They are inspired by the historic examples of commitment even to death of well-known Islamic personalities (eg Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Taimiyya, and Sayyid M Outb, the founder of modern jihad who was executed by the Egyptian government in 1966). It is probable that nearly every Muslim is convinced that one day all peoples will have to submit to Islam.

How can we pray for Islamists and for extremists?

1. Islamic fundamentalism, which is prone to violence, has evoked two types of reaction among Muslims: on the one hand, a stronger hatred of the West and stronger opposition to the gospel; on the other, a disillusionment with Islam and greater openness for the mercy and peace of God. Many Muslims are appalled by the acts of violence which are done in the name of Islam. This is verbalised in some internet chat room contributions as well as by testimonies of former Muslims in Algeria, Iran and Afghanistan who have turned their backs on Islam.

2. Some Islamic militants have come to understand something of God’s mercy and love from reading the Bible and observing the life of Christians. Interviews with more than 600 converts from a Muslim background have shown that these factors play crucial roles in about half of the decisions for Christ.

3. Some Islamic fundamentalists have experienced God’s direct intervention, ie through dreams, visions, healings or encounters with the risen Christ. Jesus encountered Saul, the persecutor of Christians (Acts 9); He can also reveal Himself to Muslim fighters and those involved in jihad in our day. Testimonies of converts from Islam make it clear that this is happening again and again.

4. Christians who work in the Islamic world and the Churches in the West need God’s help and a heart full of mercy to build up deep relationships with Muslims.

5. Churches worldwide need friendliness, love and creativity to express the love of God to Muslims. Only the Holy Spirit can open the eyes of Islamic militants to the truth. (This is no small matter. In Germany alone the National Office for the Protection of the Constitution estimates that there are about 30,000 Muslim militants who, under the right circumstances, could be prone to violence.)

6. We should also pray for God to frustrate the destructive plans of Islamic terrorists. Governments around the world need wisdom and the political will to counter these extremists in an appropriate way and protect the world from harm. We should also pray for the many victims of extremist Islam.

7. Let us pray for ourselves that we may be free from nationalistic and cultural attitudes concerned with defending the West. May we be free from fear (not seeing everything from a friend-enemy perspective) so that we can see militant Muslims through God’s eyes. Above all, may God give us His love for Islamic militants. Jesus also died and rose again for them, to bring them true peace.

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