The Real Roots of Islam
There's been a lot of talk about the Islamic faith in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States. Some of the statements being made don't seem to make sense. I don't like it when things don't make sense, so I started digging for the truth. What I've found really is quite interesting. Let's start at the beginning.
Time and again it is being stated as fact that the god of the Koran is the God of the Bible. Even from the little I previously knew about Islam, that statement seemed suspect. So I decided to go to the root of the matter. I feel compelled at this point to say that I in no way believe that all Muslims know the true origins of their religion or the political agenda that the leaders of Islam have promoted throughout the ages. In fact, I have a feeling that the roots have been obscured and refashioned for so long that they would seem completely foreign to the vast majority of Muslims. Not unlike my hair. I had been coloring my hair for such a long time that I wasn't quite sure what my natural color was any more. As my hair grew longer it was too much trouble to keep it colored, but enough of my hair was still the bottled color that my roots weren't of much consequence. Then I got my hair cut - short. When the stylist was done I looked in the mirror and saw my true color for the first time in years. So, just like a well trained stylist, I think it's time to cut away the centuries' worth of tinkering and PR that now colors Islam and take a look at the real roots. For this we need to go back to Ur of the Chaldeans. Sound familiar?
If you've ever read the Bible you've no doubt heard of Ur. It is the land where Abram lived with his extended family. God called Abram out of Ur, told him to leave his father's house and go where God would show him (Genesis 12:1). When God told Abram to leave his father's house, He wasn't just telling him not to invite his dad along for the journey. God was telling Abram to leave behind the spiritual practices of his father's house and the land of Ur. But what were those practices?
The primary deity of Ur was the moon-god and his emblem was the crescent moon. This moon-god was known as Al-Ilah and was "Lord of the Ka'aba." He ruled over 360 idols, all located in Mecca, the center of pagan worship in Arabia. Pagans in Saudi Arabia worshipped toward Mecca because that's where the idols were. The Ka'aba (black cube) is still in Mecca to this day.
This religious system - the very one God called Abram out of - is the foundation of Islam. We can still see these ancient practices being carried out today in Islam - the emblem of the crescent moon, the god Al-Ilah (now simply Allah), and worshipping toward the Ka'aba in Mecca. The god of Islam, wanting to be greater than all other gods, including the God of the Bible, then proclaimed that Mohammed was the greatest of all prophets and that his teachings supersede all others. The names of Biblical figures were then incorporated into Islam while at the same time altering time frames and genealogies. Also altered were fundamental Biblical truths in a further attempt to thrust the god of Islam above all others.
If the God of the Bible were in fact the god of Islam, why would He seemingly discard the foundations and truths set for in His Word? Why would He completely change His nature? In a word, He wouldn't, and because God can not lie, He couldn't change even if He wanted to.
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is by nature a loving and merciful God. From the beginning all He has wanted is to be in loving relationship with His creation. And He has gone to the extreme to make that possible by giving His son, Yeshua (Jesus), as an eternal atonement for sin that we might enjoy loving fellowship with Him for all eternity. From the beginning of time God knew what would be required in order for us to enjoy His fellowship. He also knew that there would be strident opposition to His plan by the one who wanted so badly to usurp God's position - Satan. There is one simple truth when it comes to matters of God - you are either on God's side or you aren't. Satan is definitely not on God's side.
If we search the Scripture, we will find that the one aim of Satan is to steal, kill and destroy. It is his mission to keep as many people as possible from entering a love relationship with God through Christ. Satan knows what his ultimate destiny is - to burn for eternity in the lake of fire - and he doesn't want to go alone. Throughout the Bible we see Satan trying to thwart God's redemptive plan by trying to sabotage the bloodline of the coming Messiah. We can also see that throughout history Satan has taken special pains to try and wipe out the people who will one day call upon their Savior and usher in the thousand year Messianic reign - the Jews.
Taking all this into consideration, is it any wonder that the Koran is so explicitly anti-Jewish and anti-Christian? Is it also any wonder that Muslim nations have but one desire for the Middle East - to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth?
Another point of contention between the Jews and Muslims has been Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the most holy city in the world for Jews, as it is for Christians. For centuries now Muslims have made the claim that Jerusalem is their third holiest city (after Mecca and Medina), although to listen to the press you could very well get the impression that it is really their most holy city as well. The squabbling over Jerusalem is another prime example of "My god is greater than your god." (It is also interesting to note that when crowds of Muslims are translated as saying "God is great," the correct translation is "God is greater." I would ask, "Greater than whom?")
It was only after the leaders of Islam realized that Jerusalem would make a fine political conquest that it ever came into play on the world scene. Because the god of the Koran constantly strives to be greater than the God of the Bible, it seems that there was no way he could leave Jerusalem to the Jews. Muslims had to prove that theirs was the greater god and therefore the one true religion for the world. In order to do this they had to conquer Jerusalem. And it goes on to this day.
The "struggle" for a Palestinian state is the furtherance of what started long ago. Again, digging into history for the truth about the region we find that Trans-Jordan, now simply Jordan, was originally established by Great Britain as an independent Arab state. Arab nations purposely refused their brothers entry to help bring their cause to the world stage and to further their agenda. All this over a piece of land smaller than the state of Rhode Island.
While there are those who lay claim to the property that is called Israel, there is only one title deed to the land. The covenant was made between God and Abraham, then renewed with Isaac, then Jacob and the nation of Israel. Israel and the Jews are the only ones with a divine right to dwell in the land.
Although what happened in the United States on September 11, 2001, was horrific to say the least, it is but one more step in a long plan by Satan to take the world by force. That might sound rather simplistic, but when step back to see the truth behind the rhetoric that's all it amounts to. But even in the midst of the terror, we need not be fearful. God is still in control. He knew what was going to happen before time began. He has sealed the victory with the blood of His Son. And in an instant you can ensure that the victory is yours as well. If you would like to come into relationship with the loving God of the Bible, please click here. That relationship is what you and I were created for, and it's what God has been longing for since the day you were born.
If you would like to study this topic further, please visit KHouse.org for more excellent information. If you would like to read the Bible to see what it has to say about all this but don't have one, you can visit BlueLetterBible.org and read the Bible online.
May the God of all peace be with you!
