Adventist-Muslim

Relations
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 What is
Adventist-Muslim Relations?
Adventist-Muslim Relations is primarily
concerned with helping Adventists build bridges of
understanding that would bear the weight of truth
with their Muslim neighbors, colleagues and friends.
It is important to understand the common ground
between these seemingly diverse perspectives—Islam
and Adventism. Most Muslims do not know that
there is a group of Christians, called Adventists, who
don’t eat that which is unclean (haram) nor intoxicate
themselves with any form of alcohol. Adventists are
the end-time movement of the believers of God who
are saved through the grace of Jesus Christ, worship
on the Day of the Lord (Sabbath) and are aware of the
Day of the Lord (Judgment day).

This is why, we, together with our Muslim friends

can begin a journey of spiritual progression, which
will lead to the straight path. We have to begin this
journey from where they are, using their book and
culture rather than our differences.

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 What is Islam?
The name of the religion is Islam, which comes
from an Arabic root word meaning “peace” and
“submission.” Islam teaches that one can only find
peace in one’s life by submitting to Almighty God
(Allah) in heart, soul and deed. The same Arabic root
word gives us “Salaam alaykum,” (“Peace be upon
you”), the universal Muslim greeting.

Muhammad , the prophet of Islam, lived from 570

to 632 A.D. and Muslims believe that he received
revelations from 610-632 A.D., which was compiled
into a book, called the Qur’an, after his death.

A person who believes in and consciously follows

Islam is called a Muslim. Muslim means ‘the one
who is submitted to God.” So, the religion is called
“Islam,” and the person who believes in and follows
it is a “Muslim.”

A. Statistical Analysis?
Islam is a major world religion, with over 1.5 billion
followers worldwide (nearly 1/4th of the world’s
population).

Although usually associated with the Arabs of the

Middle East, less than 10% of Muslims are in fact
Arabs. Muslims are found all over the world, of every
nation, color and race.

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B. 2010 Estimated Muslim Populations:

Number
Country
of Muslims
Indonesia 204 million

Pakistan 177 million

India 172 million

Bangladesh 145 million

Trans-European Division 411 million

Southern Asia-Pacific Division 378 million

Euro-Africa Division 268 million

Southern Asia Division 174 million

West-Central Africa Division 170 million

Euro-Asia Division 76.7 million

East-Central Africa Division 61 million

Northern Asia-Pacific Division 21.8 million

Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division 9.2 million

North American Division 7 million

South American Division 1.5 million

Inter-American Division .5 million

South Pacific Division .5 million

C. What do Muslims believe?

There are five articles of faith in Islam.

These are:

Belief in the oneness of God

Belief in Angels
Belief in Allah’s books
Belief in Prophets
Belief in the Last Day (Resurrection)

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D. The “Five Pillars” of Islam:

In Islam, faith and good works go hand-in-hand. A

mere verbal declaration of faith is not enough, for
belief in Allah makes obedience to Him a duty. The
Muslim concept of worship is very broad. Muslims
consider everything they do in life to be an act of
worship, if it is done according to Allah’s guidance.
There are also five formal acts of worship which help
strengthen a Muslim’s faith and obedience.

They are often called the “Five Pillars of Islam.”

Confession of Faith (Shahada, Kalima)

Prayer (Salat)
Almsgiving (Zakat)
Fasting (Sawm)
Pilgrimage (Hajj)

F. Two Main Sects of Islam

Sunni (83% of Muslims)

They follow the sayings and examples of Muhammad
which are compiled in the books of Hadith
(traditions). They believe the Traditions show how
to practice the guidance given in the Qur’an.

Shia (15% of Muslims)

They are mainly found in Iran and Iraq and follow
a charismatic and infallible leader, the Imam. They
have a non-literal interpretation of the Qur’an and
have their own collection of Traditions (Khabar).
Shias were divided from the Sunni on the main point
that the succession of leadership should have been
to the direct descendants of the Prophet of Islam,
whereas Sunnis believed in the elected successors
(Caliphs).
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G. Expression of Islam in the World

Islam is found in many countries of the world and

has taken a prominent place in global politics and
news. Islam is not one monolithic entity, but divided
into numerous sects as mentioned in the preceding
section. There are several expressions of Islam, as well:
Folk Islam, Orthodox Islam and Mystical Islam; and
groups of Islam such as moderates, fundamentalists,
terrorists, women, youth, rich, learned, poor,
illiterate and atheists. This diversity suggests a
variety of different approaches to Adventist-Muslim
Relations, a fact which the General Conference’s
Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations
(GCAMR) is conscious of.

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 Islam and Adventists
A. The Understanding of God

Muslims and Adventists believe there is only one

God. The basic testimony of Islam is called the
‘shahada’, the first clause of which states that “la
ilaha illa Allah”, “There is no god but God.” This
is certainly a statement that Adventists would affirm.

But how the two Faiths conceptualize God in their

respective theologies is actually quite different. The
emphasis in the Islamic theology of God can be
summarized by one word: ‘tawhid’, which means
“absolute unity.” Muslims insist that there is no
distinction within the Godhead. God is one.

Thus the Islamic polemic against Christianity has

centered on the doctrine of Trinity. This is the
central doctrine that causes problems for Muslims
when they consider Christianity. Muslims have
caricatured Christians as tri-theists guilty of “shirk”,
that is, attributing an associate to God. By believing
in the Trinity, Muslims say, Christians believe in
three gods. This attitude is expressed in the Qur’an:
Say not “trinity”, desist. It will be better for you. For
God is One God (Qur’an 4:171).

They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three

in a Trinity, for there is no God except One God
(Qur’an 5:76).

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Within the Christian theology the doctrine of the
Trinity was articulated precisely to oppose the idea of
believing in three gods! However, the understanding
of the Trinity was very inadequate among the
Christians with whom the earliest Muslims interacted
Some Christians gave the impression, at least, that
they believed Mary was a part of the Trinity! This
misunderstanding of the Trinity found expression
in the Qur’an itself: And behold, God will say; “O
Jesus the Son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men,
“Worship me and my mother as gods in derogation
of God?” (Qur’an 5:119). No wonder the Qur’an
and Muslims are opposed to that type of Trinity. So
are Adventists!

Adventists affirm that there is only “one God.” As

the Orthodox Christians in the Middle East say in
Arabic: “Bismilabi wal-ibni war-ruhi-l-quddus,
ALLAH WAHID!”. (“In the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ONE GOD!”)

B. The Understanding of Revelation:

Adventists believe that God revealed Himself in

order to redeem us, to save us, that is to lead us to a
fullness of life, free from the bonds of sin both in this
world and in the world to come. According to Islam,
on the other hand, revelation is not for the purpose
of redemption, but for the sake of “guidance”. That
is, God’s revelation is meant to provide guidance for
living in this world.

Adventists believe revelation is mediated. They

believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but do not
believe that God mechanically transmitted it word
for word. They hold that the Bible was written by
human beings under divine inspiration of the Holy
Spirit.
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The divine revelation was thus “filtered” through a
human lens and written in human words and within
human history. That is why the scriptures refer
to historical circumstances; it describes, not some
mystical, non-historical revelation of God, but rather
God’s wonderful intervention in human history.

In Islam, on the other hand, the Qur’an is considered

the “unmediated” word of God. In other words,
Islam stresses very strongly that in receiving his
revelation Muhammad was illiterate and hence
completely passive. He simply recited what was
put into his mouth, without any input of his own.
(“Qur’an” means “recitation.”) The Qur’an,
which is seen as eternally existing in heaven, simply
descended and was expressed through Muhammad
as a passive instrument of revelation. In summary it
could be said that in Islam, “…and the word became
a book..” while Adventists would say, “…and the
Word became flesh – Jesus Christ..”

C. The Understanding of Sin and Salvation:

Sin and salvation are central categories in the theology

and spirituality of the Bible. Adventists teach that the
effects of original sin has corrupted the world and the
human beings who exist in it. In Islam, however,
there is no such thing as original sin. The Qur’an
does indeed state that Adam and Eve sinned, but
according to Islamic belief, they repented and were
fully forgiven so that their sin had no repercussions
for the rest of human race.

The Islamic rejection of original sin is really the

rejection of a ‘specific understanding’ of original
sin. Islam rejects the doctrine of original sin that
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asserts that all human beings inherited the guilt, the
culpability of the sin of Adam and Eve. This seems
unfair to the Muslim: Why should we have to accept
guilt for someone else’s disobedience? And Adventists
would agree!

Because Muslims do not recognize the universal

and corruptive power of sin, unleashed as a result of
original sin, they see no need for salvation. If there
is no sin that has hold on you, you do not need to
be saved from it. What you should do, according to
the Islamic view, is to live a good life, pleasing God
in all that you do. Submit to God and follow His
directives. Religion, to the Muslim, does not mean
salvation from sin; it means following the right path,
or the shari’a, mapped out by Islamic law. Adventists
believe, also, that as people submitted to God, we
should follow God’s will.

D. Belief in Allah’s Books

True Muslims are required to believe in four existing

principle books revealed by God. There is a fifth
book called the book of Abraham which was lost.
The four books are:

The Torah through Moses, (Qur’an, 3:3, 5:44) or

in Christian understanding, the Old Testament.
The Psalms through David (Qur’an, 17:55) which
represents wisdom books. The Gospel through Jesus
(Qur’an, 5:46; 57:27) which is the New Testament.
The Qur’an through Muhammad (Qur’an, 2: 1-4).
We note that the first three books constitute what
Adventists have--the Bible.

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 The Uniqueness of Jesus
in the Qur’an
Qur’an states that his birth was pre-planned
(decreed). (Qur’an 19:21; 3:47)
Qur’an states that Jesus was sinless. (Qur’an
19:19)
Qur’an says that Jesus was a Sign for the
whole world and a Mercy from God.
(Qur’an 19:21)
Qur’an states that Jesus spoke in the cradle.
(Quran 19:33)
Qur’an affirms the death of Jesus. (Qur’an
19:33; 3:55; 5:117; 4:157)
Qur’an states that Jesus does not need our
peace on Him. He always has peace.
(Qur’an 19:33)
Qur’an states that the followers of Jesus are
superior. (Qur’an 3:55)
Qur’an states that Jesus created birds from
clay. (Qur’an 3:49)
Qur’an confirms that Jesus is the Word of
God (Kalimatullah). (Qur’an 3.45)
Qur’an confirms that Jesus is the Spirit of
God (Ruhallah). (Qur’an 21.91)

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 The Role of Adventists as
People of the Book

1. Qur’an states that not all Christians are the

same, thus distinguishing the true believers
as those who follow the Bible rather than
the tradition. (Qur’an 3:113-115).

2. Qur’an affirms that a true Muslim needs to

believe in the Bible as well (Qur’an 5:84;
10:94).

3. There are various references that support

the Sabbath. To the Arabs the term
‘Sabt’ (Sabbath) is not confused with any
other day of the week. The Qur’an clearly
mentions that the Sabbath was ordained as
part of the covenant at Mt Sinai between
God and the children of Israel (Qur’an
4:47). The Sabbath is a sign of accepting
God as a creator (Qur’an 4:47-48, 4:154-
155, 16:123-125).

4. In several verses, the Qur’an acknowledges

God as our King by virtue of the fact that
He created the heavens and earth in six
days (Qur’an 7:54, 57:4, 25, 59, 11:7,
10:3, 32:4, 50:38)? Adventists believe that
God created this world in 6 literal days.

5. Adventists do not drink alcohol nor do

they eat haram foods (such as pork).

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SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Ali-Karamali, Sumbul. 2008. The Muslim next door:
the Qur’an, the media, and that veil thing. Ashland,
Or: White Cloud Press. (Written by an American
Muslim woman)

Ghattas, Raouf Ghattas, and Carol Ghattas. 2009.

A Christian guide to the Qur’an: building bridges
in Muslim evangelism. Grand Rapids, Mich: Kregel
Publications.

Love, Rick. 2000. Muslims, magic and the kingdom

of God: church planting among folk Muslims.
Pasadena, Calif: William Carey Library.

Morin, Harry, and Nikki Aranna. 2009. Through

the eyes of Christ: How to lead Muslims into the
kingdom of God. s.l: Harry Morin.

Musk, Bill A. 1995. Touching the soul of Islam:

sharing the gospel in Muslim cultures. Crowborough:
Marc.

Musk, Bill A. 2005. Kissing cousins: Christians and

Muslims face to face. Oxford: Monarch.

Chatrath, Nick. 2011. Reaching Muslims: a one-

stop guide for Christians. Oxford: Monarch.

Parshall, Bill and Phil Parshall. 2002. Understanding

Muslim teachings and traditions: a guide for
Christians. Grand Rapids, Mich: Baker Books.

Swartley, Keith E. 2005. Encountering the world of

Islam. Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Media.

Woodberry, John Dudley. 1989. Muslims and

Christians on the Emmaus road. Monrovia, Calif.,
USA: MARC Publications.

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ADVENTIST-MUSLIM
RELATIONS
The Vision of AMR is:

1.
To awaken the need for a personal
relationship with God.
2.
To lead people to recognise the value of
understanding God’s Word.
3.
To help Adventists learn how to build
bridges of understanding with their Muslim
neighbours, colleagues and friends.
4.
To help Muslims see Adventists as the
People of the Book who are submitting to
God and obedient to Him, and to begin a
spiritual journey with us.
5.
To jointly engage in community projects
with Muslims.

Please pray for God’s leading in this challenging

ministry to our Muslim brothers and sisters.

The AMR Centers are engaging in consultation and

training. Please contact us and let us know how we
can be of assistance.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Global Center for Adventist Muslim Relations

[email protected]

OR

Your Division, Union, Conference or local Church AMR Leader

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 This publication has been produced by the
Global Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations