It Is Finished Audio
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
The Top 5 Tasks of a Pastor
The Top 5 Tasks of a Pastor
1.) To be faithful in teaching Biblical truth (MacArthur 2005, 26).[1] Paul gave instructions to Timothy in his letter regarding teaching the unadulterated word of God. “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).[2] Paul gave this instruction to Timothy so that he would take great care to ensure that he taught sound doctrine to those under his care so that they would know the ways of the Lord. It is important for those in ministry to teach the true word of God regardless of if it is popular or not. In today’s society, too many leaders are compromising the word of God in an effort to be a seeker-friendly church instead of teaching their members to be a friend of God. The church, in many ways, has failed in its ability to be effective in evangelizing to the lost because of this compromise with sin due to politics, money, fame, and status. For example, the world says that it is lawful for to men to marry each other when the Bible says that it is an abomination to the Lord. “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).[3] Pastors must stand on God’s word despite the objections of the world.
2.) To be bold in refuting and exposing error (MacArthur 2005, 26).[4] As part of Paul’s letter to Timothy, he told him that he must courageously stand on truth and expose falsehood. “ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed” (1 Timothy 4:6).[5] It is important to expose the errors in false teaching so that people will not be deceived. Many pastors are teaching falsehoods in the pulpits and people are being led astray from the ways of God due to the deceptions of demons. It is important to expose this and therefore, correct the error by showing them in the word of God the truth so that they may be led in the right direction and learn to discern the truth for themselves.
3.) To be an example of Godliness to the flock (MacArthur 2005, 26).[6] Many pastors are being scandalized across the media due to their own indecent and unbecoming behaviors as pastors. Many have committed sexual sins that bring reproach not only upon themselves but the churches at which they minister. These scandals have been seen all across the media pages and tv platforms that brings disgrace upon the body of Christ. Paul taught that a pastor is to be above reproach. “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money” (1 Timothy 3:2-3).[7] A pastor must be a person with whom the church can look up to and be a role model for the world to be able to see Christ. A pastor should never get caught up in scandals that will be shame upon the body of Christ. Pastors are to lead an exemplary life being suitable for a Christian man/woman of God and practice what they preach.
4.) To be diligent and hardworking (MacArthur 2005, 26).[8] There many pastors who want to shepherd their flock by being outside of the fold rather than being hands on. These types of pastors are the ones that will parade with armor bearers and security surrounding them as if they are in need of the Secret Service. However, when a person is a shepherd, that means that they are in the pen with the flock so that if a wolf was to get in the pen, not only would the shepherd be able to run the wolf off but would be in position to assist a sheep that may have been injured of had run away due to fear of the wolf. Shepherds have to get dirty with the sheep and cannot lead the flock effectively if they are unwilling to be hands on. It is very shameful when there are “celebrity” so-called pastors leading people who cannot even have any personal contact with the pastor apart from seeing them in the pulpit. Many pastors train their congregations to idolize them instead of being the humble servants that they are supposed to be. “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).[9] The work of a pastor is nonstop and is not something that can be put on and taken off at will – at least, it shouldn’t be. Those called to the office of the pastor must work hard in their personal lives as well as be diligent in disciplining people for the kingdom and this requires hands-on action.
5.) To be willing to suffer hardship and persecution (MacArthur 2005, 26).[10] In many of today’s “prosperity” gospel organizations, the true meaning of following Christ is being lost for the sake of material gain. Most Christians today are not being taught the meaning of living a crucified life. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).[11]Living for Christ often means sacrificing people and things that one may hold dear in order to be totally dedicated to Him. In order to live for Christ, a pastor must be willing to be uncomfortable and even be persecuted unto death in order to bring others into the fold of salvation. Many pastors are living this concept out in various countries. How many pastors in the west would be willing to do the same? One American pastor, Andrew Brunson, is sitting in a Turkish prison right now having spent over 500 days there for preaching the gospel which has unduly been labeled as terrorism.[12] He has suffered hardship, persecution and is currently in need of our prayers.
Bibliography
MacArthur, John. Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005.
McKay, Hollie. "U.S. Pastor Jailed in Turkey Without Charge Now Faces 35 Years in Prison."
MSN. Last modified March 15, 2018. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-pastor-jailed-in-turkey-without-charge-now-faces-35-years-in-prison/ar-BBKdAn5?ffid=gz.
[1] John MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry: How to Shepherd Biblically (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005), 26.
[2] 2 Tim. 4:2 (New International Version).
[3] 1 Cor. 6:9-10 (English Standard Version).
[4] MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry, 26.
[5] 1 Tim. 4:6 (New International Version).
[6] MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry, 26.
[7] 1 Tim. 3:2-3 (New International Version).
[8] MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry, 26.
[9] Is. 53:6 (New International Version).
[10] MacArthur, Pastoral Ministry, 26.
[11] Gal. 2:20 (New International Version).
[12] Hollie McKay, "U.S. Pastor Jailed in Turkey Without Charge Now Faces 35 Years in Prison," MSN, last modified March 15, 2018, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-pastor-jailed-in-turkey-without-charge-now-faces-35-years-in-prison/ar-BBKdAn5?ffid=gz.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Thursday, March 15, 2018
The Background of Paul's Idea of Life to Come
Overview the background of Paul’s idea of the life to come. Does Paul give any details about heaven or hell? What role does the resurrection from the dead play in Paul’s view of the life to come? What role does the bodily resurrection of Christ play in the Christian’s hope of participation in the life to come?
Paul’s view of the life to come is inconclusive prior to his conversion.[1] Nevertheless, his views were more than likely based on that of the Pharisees who did believe in a resurrection, judgment and rewards for evil and good which distinguished them from the Sadducees who did not believe that there was a resurrection but that death was the end.[2] Paul, however, did believe in the resurrection of the dead which he made evident when he was on trial before the Sanhedrin and Pharisees.[3] Paul believed that there was no intermission between the departure of the person on earth and being united with Christ upon death, but there would be a continual relationship.[4] To not believe in the resurrection would have made Jesus’ sacrifice null and void with regards to his faith in the resurrected Savior.[5]
When Paul talked about death, he spoke of us leaving our earthly bodies in order to put on new ones to be in the presence of the Lord. He also spoke of those who had been turned over to a delusion because they rejected the truth but preferred a lie and in so doing, they would be condemned.[6] Therefore, Paul believed that there were either one of two places a person would go when they departed this life. Paul had a strong belief that those who died in Christ would immediately see Jesus upon departing this body and coming into their new ones. They first had to shed one in order to come into the other. [7]
As a Christian, we can have faith in knowing that because Christ died and was resurrected, He conquered death and was victorious. Therefore, because He lives, we will live. If Christ had not been resurrected, our faith would be in vain and we would be eternally lost. This is the reason for our belief and confidence for Christ did what the original Adam could not do.[8] We can look forward into having a newness in Christ either upon His return or at the moment of our deaths, whichever comes first. Death is not the end for those who believe in Christ. It is merely stepping from mortality to immortality. This is why we can comfort those who have lost loved ones as well as keep this in mind ourselves should we be faced with persecution as Christians are in other parts of the world. Jesus said to not fear those who can destroy the body because this is just a vessel, but we are to fear the one who can destroy both the body and soul for all of eternity.[9] There is clearly a distinguishing factor between this mortal body and the immortal one when it comes to the One who made it and who looks forward to His children uniting with Him.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Saturday, March 10, 2018
The Rise of Islam
Introduction
In March of 2017, the BBC News put out an article that Islam is the
fastest growing religion in the world. It is the second largest religion with
Christianity being ahead at present.
Those numbers, however, is projected to
change by the year 2070 and as a result, Islam will become the world’s largest
religion.[1] A
census done in 2010 showed that Indonesia had the world’s largest Islamic
population but by 2050, the numbers are projected to shift, and India will
become home to the largest Muslim population. Christianity in the United Kingdom
and France are projected to drop by 50% during that same period, and
10% of people in Europe will be of the Muslim faith. In 2050, one out of every
fifty citizens within the United States will be of the Islamic faith.[2] This religion has taken the world by storm but
what exactly is Islam? Where did it begin? Who was its founder? What major impact did it have on the world and
why? The answer to this and many other
unanswered questions can be found through
thorough research into the history and rise of Islam.
Origin of Islam
The Life of Muhammad
Islam
is divided into two major sects –Sunni
Muslims making up 80% and the Shia comprised of 10%. The remaining 10% is divided into even smaller sects.[3]
Islam shares a few beliefs taken from Judaism and Christianity such as
believing in some of the prophets of old like Abraham, Moses, and Noah who are
found in both the Torah and the Holy Bible as well as their belief in the story of creation.[4]
Muslims, however, have their texts that
they consider as sacred called the Qu’ran.[5] Their
beliefs differ greatly about the divinity
of Jesus. While Muslims agree that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, they do not believe Him to be the
Son of God, but a greatly respected prophet mentioned numerous times in their
Qu’ran for they believe Allah has no
son.[6]
Islamic belief also differs greatly with Christians in that they do not believe
that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected.
They believe that Allah spared him and took him up to Heaven instead.[7]
Abraham is greatly regarded in the
Islamic faith for they believe the Ishmael is the chosen one with the promise
instead of Isaac.[8]
They believe that Ishmael helped Abraham build a temple at the site of the well
that God provided for Hagar, Ishmael’s mother, while she and Ishmael were
living in the desert.[9]
Muslims believe this spot to be holy and for this reason, a pilgrimage to this
site is to be made by all capable Muslims – the city is called Mecca.[10] Arabs
did a lot of trading during this part of the world and felt a connection with
their heritage there. One tribe, the Quraysh, made
provisions for the many visitors that traveled
there during their trades. The Quraysh once held a belief in Allah, but they fell away from
worshipping Allah and began worshiping other gods.[11]
In 570 A.D. Muhammad, the prophet of
Islam, was born. There are no images that can be found of him because this was
forbidden. Muslims believe that a star pointed towards his birth and that his
umbilical cord was severed without the
help of a midwife or physician.[12]
His father died before he was born but his mother,
Aminah bint Wahb, took him to live with his grandfather, Wahb ibn Abd Manaf who
was an elder in the Quraysh tribe. Muhammad was later
sent on a journey to prepare him for life as an Arab that was customary in the Quraysh tribe. Legend has it that two angels appeared to
Muhammad and removed a dark spot from his heart that made him free from sin.[13]
Muhammad began traveling with his uncle to learn about trade as a profession
with the Meccan tribes. At age 20, he became a trusted caravan leader and met
his first wife, Khadija, who was wealthy
widow and businesswoman fifteen years his
senior.[14]
At the age of 30,
Muhammad spent time alone in the hills near Mecca, but around age 40, he was believed to have experienced a series of
visions over a three-night span.[15] After which, he claimed to have been visited by the angel Gabriel and
was commanded to teach about the goodness of Allah. Muhammad had various visitations
and revelations, given to him by Gabriel, over a span of 23 years which were
written down with the help of others that became known as the Qu’ran.[16] The word Qu’ran means recitation
(read aloud). Within the text, Muhammad was directed to resurrect the
monotheism of Abraham, prayer, charity, fasting, and the pilgrimage to Mecca
which became known as the Five Pillars of Islam.[17]
Muhammad’s teachings
did not sit well with many in his clan, and
it brought civil war amongst the Arabs.[18] He eventually succeeded in establishing a community based on his
beliefs. By 622 A.D. Muhammad and Muslim followers were preaching all
throughout Mecca. This, however, angered
the Quraysh elders who worshiped other gods and held festivals in their honor
along with having trade with those who made a pilgrimage there.[19] The Quraysh began a campaign of rebellion against Muhammad and his
followers. Both his wife and uncle died leaving Muhammad vulnerable and
unprotected. Despite the troubles that he encountered in Mecca, tribes from
other areas wanted his assistance in settling matters of dispute about their trading due to his reputation of
being an honest caravan leader.[20] This opened the door for
Muhammad to be able to relocate to an area of acceptance where he could freely
preach his message to those receptive to
him.
Muhammad
made the journey to Yathrib which is commemorated by the Islamic world
as being the year (Hijri) Muhammad started the first Muslim community.[21]
He went about making peace among the tribes which was a huge success and in so
doing, the tribes change the name of Yathrib to Medina (city of the prophet). Peace
in Medina was temporary as the Quraysh came against the Muslims
once again to destroy them in 624 A.D.[22] The Muslims, although fewer in number, was triumphant over the Meccan
army. The conflict did not end, however, and during one of the conflicts,
Muhammad was severely wounded. In 630
A.D., the Muslims captured Mecca and Muhammad was able to return to his hometown along with his 10,000 warriors finally.[23] Muhammad went on a mission to cleanse the idols from the Meccan
temple upon his victory. The Meccans who were left were offered their freedom
if they would discontinue their fighting against him. This olive branch
impressed the Meccans and caused them to accept Islam.[24]
June
8, 632 A.D., at the age of 62, Muhammad died of a fever.[25] During that time, Muslims had control over the Arabian Peninsula.
Within 100, Muslims had made numerous conquests where they had large amounts of
territory and were a force to be reckoned with.
They had conquered a large territory which was under the control of the Umayyad
dynasty that included Syria with Damascus being their capital from 661 A.D.
to 750 A.D.[26]
They ruled over Morocco to China and India where many they conquered were
either forced to convert to Islam or some converted through the generations. During
this time, Jews and Christians were not forced to convert to Islam since they
believed in the God of Abraham.[27]
In 680 A.D., at the death of Muhammad’s
grandson, Hussein ibn Ali, who died in the Battle of Karbala,
the Shia broke away Sunni Muslims. This
was due to a difference of beliefs in whom they felt should succeed Muhammad as
the Muslim leader.[28] The
Sunnis believe that the leader of the Muslims should be elected amongst the
Muslim community whereas the Shias maintain that it should be a descendant of
Muhammad. In 750 A.D., there was a massive downfall in the Islamic world, but
they returned strong under the Abbasid dynasty in the eight-century building a
beautiful city called Bagdad.[29] During
this time, they were accredited to having
acquired scrolls from the library of Alexandria and Pergamum as well as texts
by ancient Greece, Rome, and Persia which were
translated into Arabic.[30]
The Crusades
The First
Crusade
By the
end of the eleventh-century, tensions rose between Muslims and Christians. This began with the Seljuk Turks taking Anatolia igniting the Battle of Dorylaeum that took place July 1, 1097, which was the First Crusade.[31] This cut off the routes that
Christians took to get to Jerusalem which they held of great importance because
of Jesus death and resurrection that took place there.[32] Pope Urban II called on all Christians in Europe to go to war against
the Turks to reclaim the Holy Land which had
been in Muslim control for over 400 years. Jerusalem was the third
holiest place to the Muslims because Muhammad was believed to have been transported
there from Mecca on a creature called Buraq. At
the Dome of the Rock, Muhammad is believed to have ascended to Heaven.[33]
The Crusaders vowed to reclaim Jerusalem in the name of Jesus Christ
and traveled over 3000 miles fighting Muslims enroute
to do so. In 1099, the Crusaders successfully penetrated Jerusalem’s walls, and no one was
spared as they killed approximately 30,000 Muslims and fellow citizens.[34] The Muslims, however, did not lie down in defeat as they
strategically planned their next move under the leadership of Saladin, a Muslim
and political leader, who fought for their Jihad.
The Second Crusade
The Crusaders took down the Islamic symbols off of the Dome of the
Rock and replaced them with crosses to let the Muslims know that Jerusalem was
a Christian city. The Muslims came together after Jerusalem was taken over to
mourn its loss.[35] They were divided but knew that they would need one leader to bring
them all together to reclaim Jerusalem
that was being resettled by Christians at the request of the Pope to move
there. Jerusalem grew into a city of
around 30,000 citizens.[36] The Crusaders set up four powerful states, Kingdom of
Jerusalem, the Antioch, the Tripoli, and Edessa. Pilgrims from all around the world flocked to Jerusalem not that the
Crusaders had taken over and reestablished its Christian roots.[37]
The Knights Templar came to power to
protect the Pilgrims from the bandits who would threaten their lives during the
pilgrimage to and from the Holy City. The Muslims despised both the Crusaders
and the Knights who aided in what they considered as the Christian occupation. Jihad (struggle or fight against the enemies of Islam)
was once again in the minds of the Muslims who were disgusted by the Crusader's reign of authority over what they
considered to be theirs. In the twelfth-century, the Muslims decided to take
action. Seljuk general Zangi, governor of Mosul offered to
protect Aleppo from the Christians, and
in 1128, an agreement was reached, and he
gained control over northern Syria after 20 years of working to unite the
Muslims. He led a successful Jihad against the Crusaders with the help of
30,000 men and expert miners to weaken the walls captured Edessa which led to
the Crusaders losing the northern part of the state. Thousands of Christian
men, women, and children were killed during this siege. Two years later,
their leader was killed, but his son, Nur
al-Din, took his place.[38]
In 1145, Pope Eugenius III received
word of Edessa’s fall and initiated the second crusade.[39] This call was answered by Louis VII of France who had a deep Christian faith
but had minimal military experience. In May 1147, he set off for the second
crusade with an army of over 30,000 soldiers and 300 Knights Templar.[40] Things did not go as planned for King
Louis VII as they battled the cold
weather, loss formation of their forces, and was exposed giving open access for the Turks to come up against
them. Reduced to 20,000 troops, King Louis VII abandoned his plans for Edessa
and looked towards Damascus.[41] The Muslims in Damascus was forced to call on Nur al-Din for assistance
who then dealt a humiliating blow to King Louis VII and the Crusaders consequently
ending the Second Crusade.[42]
The
Third Crusade
Nur
al-Din ran a campaign to have Muslims unite under him to regain control over the Crusade states. In 1154, the Muslims
welcomed him with high hopes that they would be able finally to be united under one ruler to drive the
Crusaders out.[43] Nur al-Din had a master plan, and that was to take control of Egypt, and its capital, Cairo which was independently held
by Shia Muslims opposed to both Nur al-Din Sunni Muslims and Christians.[44] In 1160, the Muslims had plans to
enclose the Crusaders, and they had their
sights on taking control of Egypt before the Crusaders could.[45]
In
1168, the Crusaders led a massacre of Sunni Muslims near Cairo which caused
Egypt to join forces with Nur al-Din. Nur al-Din welcomed the opportunity and
sent in his general, Saladin to help them, and
he took control of Egypt.[46] Saladin, however, turned against Nur
al-Din who died in 1174 but was not able to succeed Nur al-Din due to his 12-year-old
son, Al-Salih Ismail al-Malik, taking his father’s place.[47] Saladin tried on two separate
occasions to capture Aleppo but was unsuccessful due to an unsuccessful
assassination attempt and a second threat upon his life by hired assassins of Al-Salih
Ismail al-Malik. However, he died under uncertain circumstances, and Saladin gained control of both Syria and
Egypt.[48]
Saladin
was finally ready to reclaim Jerusalem in 1183. Raynald of
Châtillon, triggered an attack on a
Muslim caravan on their pilgrimage breaking a truce. Saladin marched to Hattin
with his troops to do battle.[49] In
1187, Saladin nearly destroyed the Crusaders at the battle of Hattin. The King
of Jerusalem, Guy, became a prisoner of Saladin after he killed Raynald.
Saladin claimed Jerusalem upon an
agreement between the Christians and himself to spare their lives. Once again,
Jerusalem was in the hands of the Muslims.[50]
Pope
Gregory VIII made a call for another crusade. In May 1189, 100,000 soldiers
from Germany led by Emperor Frederick Barbarossa began their
journey to Jerusalem for the third crusade. He, however, drowned on his way
there which left King Richard I of England in charge of the army that remained after
many lost heart
and went back home.[51]
He imposed a tax to finance the third crusade and sold his possessions to
purchase the best military gear. Fourteen months later, he was ready and began
the journey to Jerusalem.[52] Saladin
allowed the former king of Jerusalem, Guy free, with the understanding that he
would no longer be a threat. Guy, however, had other plans in mind.[53]
Upon
his release, Guy gathered military forces composed of a 7,000-man
infantry and a 400-man cavalry to
take over the city of Acre which caused another battle between him and Saladin
– the Muslims and the Christians. Guy, however, still needed help which came
through the leadership of King Richard I who eventually arrived with his army
of over 17,000 men in 1191.[54]
Within five weeks, King Richard I was finally able to break through the walls
of Acre and took over 2,000 of Saladin’s men captive earning him the name –
Richard the Lionheart.[55] King
Richard tried to have to have
negotiations between himself and Saladin for a price in exchange for the
release of the prisoners, but due to Saladin seemingly dragging his feet, King
Richard I had them slaughtered.[56]
In 1191, King Richard I and 12,000 men marched to Jerusalem but
changed his mind due to analyzing the possible consequences should he attempt
to overtake the city. He was down by 5,000 men from when he first started and
did not think that he could keep hold of the city even if he successfully
captured it due to Saladin’s force.[57] He returned to Acre to unite the cities that he had already taken. Saladin
took the opportunity to capture Jaffa which caused King Richard I to gather an
army of men and battled Saladin’s men.[58] After an intense battle, Saladin’s men retreated. In September
1192, Richard and Saladin made a truce where the
Kingdom of Jerusalem (from Jaffa to Tyre) would be kept by the Christians,
but Muslims would keep control of the
city of Jerusalem which ended the Third Crusade.[59]
The Mongolians
For 200, Muslims faced six major battles against European Knights.
Their greatest challenge, however, came from the Mongolians who lived in the
east. In 1258, the Muslims faced the
Mongolians who swept through Russia to take their plunder from Bagdad.[60] The
Mongolians left the cities of Damascus and Aleppo in flames and continued to
move forward towards Palestine. In 1260, a Muslim army from Egypt stopped the Mongolians.[61] The
Mongolians continued their conquests as some of them converted to Islam where
they conquered where Islam was spread to
Afghanistan, China, and India. The city
of Mecca was filled with Muslims from
various nations, and eventually, Islam was spread to Spain.[62]
In the
thirteenth-century Catholic forces began the Christian conquest to recapture
Spain. By the 1400s, only the enclave of Granada remained under Muslim rule
until 1492 where it fell into the hands of Christians after seven centuries of
being ruled by Islam. In other areas of the world, Islam was on the rise.[63] In
1435, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine
Empire, to the Muslim Ottoman Empire.
After a thousand-year rule by Christians, it became part of the expanding Muslim empire and was renamed Istanbul (Islam in abundance).[64]
In the
sixteenth century, the Ottoman armies
were considered a threat to western Europe when they conquered the Balkans and a great part of Crimea. They took
control of Vienna in 1529 and 1683. That, however, was that last of their
control into Europe for they were slowed down by the eighteenth-century due to
European powers getting stronger contributed to the rising industrial
revolution as the Ottoman’s power decreased.[65]
Muslim Core Beliefs and
Values
The Muslims’ fight in the past
centuries was due to their deeply held beliefs and values based on their
Prophet Muhammad. Five times a day, all around the Islamic world, Muslims hear
the Adhan (call to prayer) called out by their muezzin (the person who leads the prayer) from their
mosques.[66]
He recites the Takbir (Allah is Great) and the Shahada (There is no god but
Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah).[67]
The word Islam means submission, and through Muslims’ submission, they believe
that it is their straight path to Allah and believe in strict monotheism.[68] As-salamu
alaykum is a standard Arabic greeting among Muslims meaning peace be unto you or Assalamu alaikum was rahmatullah
which means may the peace and mercy of
Allah be with you.[69]
The first pillar is the Shahadah (there is only one Allah to be worshiped, and
Muhammad is His prophet) which is the Muslims’ declaration of faith.[70]
The second pillar is the Selah which is the scheduled prayers that take place
five times daily and is to be done facing Mecca with the utterance of Allāhu
Akbar (Allah is the greatest). The
third pillar is Zakah (almsgiving to the needy).[71]
They are to give 2 ½% of what they own directly to the poor or give it in their
mosque which in turn, will be given to
the poor. The fourth pillar is the requirement to fast during the month of
Ramadan.[72] This is believed to be the month the Qu’ran was given to Muhammad and Muslims are to
refrain from eating, drinking and sexual activities from dawn to dusk.[73]
The fifth pillar of Islam is the required pilgrimage to Makkah for those who can
afford and are able to visit what Muslims
believe is a holy land. The beliefs of
Muslims are very influential in the world today as they were during the
Crusades as they still battle on in their desire for world dominance and power.[74]
Conclusion
From the beginning of Islam to the
fifteenth-century, Islam has been a prominent force in the Muslim world and
beyond. Their Prophet Muhammad believed that he was providing his people with a
word from Allah, sent through the angel Gabriel, a message of hope, unity,
morality, and monotheism. Sometimes this message caused Muhammad and his
followers to rage Jihad both offensively and defensively throughout the
centuries. The clash between followers of the cross and the crescent has caused
many to die in defense of what they believed to be the true Holy One to be
served (God or Allah). The Holy Land was and still is a major cause of conflict
between the three major religions of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. This conflict may never be permanently solved
amongst the three religions for each believe that the land is reserved for them as their holy site.
Nevertheless, history tends to repeat its same lyrics but to a different tune.
What once was may be evident to be repeated between the Crusades and Jihad.
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[1] Michael Latham, "Islam: The World's Fastest Growing Religion,"
BBC News, last modified March 16, 2017,
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-39279631/islam-the-world-s-fastest-growing-religion.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Public Broadcasting
Station, "PBS - Islam: Empire of Faith - Faith - Islam Today," PBS:
Public Broadcasting Service, last modified 2018,
https://www.pbs.org/empires/islam/faithtoday.html.
[4] Francis Edwards Peters, Allah's
Commonwealth: a History of Islam in the Near East, 600-1100 A.D (New York
(N.Y.): Simon and Schuster, 1973), 10-25.
[5] Seyyed Hossein Nasr et
al., The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (New York, NY:
HarperOne, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2015), 4-6.
[6] Fateh Ullah Khan, God,
Universe and Man: The Holy Quran and the Hereafter (New Delhi: Kitab
Bhavan, 1999), 280-298.
[7]Ibid., 280-302.
[8] Scott B. Noegel and
Brannon M. Wheeler, The A to Z of Prophets in Islam and Judaism
(Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2010), 152-157.
[9] Ibid., 5-7.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Fred M Donner, The
Early Islamic Conquests (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1982), 22-40.
[12] Shaykh G. Haddad,
"Prophet Muhammad (?): His Birth and Reality," MuslimVillage.com,
last modified November 26, 2017, https://muslimvillage.com/2017/11/26/60844/prophet-muhammad-s-birth-real/.
[13] ʻAbd al-Malik Ibn
Hishām, Muḥammad Ibn Isḥāq, and Alfred Guillaume, The life of Muhammad:
a translation of Isḥāq's Sīrat rasūl Allāh (Karachi: Oxford
University Press, 2013), 4-27.
[14] Shamim Aleem, Prophet
Muhammad(S) and His Family: A Sociological Perspective (Bloomington, IN:
AuthorHouse, 2007), 62-89.
[15] Theodor Nöldeke et al., The
history of the Qur'an (Leiden: Brill, 2013), 15-32.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Nöldeke, Qar’an, 35-52.
[18] Peters, Allah’s
Commonwealth, 155-170.
[19] Ibid.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Claude Gilliot,
"Josef Horovitz, The Earliest Biographies of the Prophet and their
Authors, edited by Lawrence I. Conrad," Arabica 54, no. 2 (2007):
xx, doi:10.1163/157005807780220576.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Richard A Gabriel, Muhammad:
Islam's First Great General (Norman, Okla: University of Oklahoma Press,
2007), 155-176.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Reşit Haylamaz, The
Luminous Life of Our Prophet (Clifton: Tughra Books, 2015), 5.
[26] Bernard E. Lewis and
Buntzie E. Churchill, Islam: The Religion and the PeopleBy Bernard
Ellis Lewis, Buntzie Ellis Churchill (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall,
2011), 40-41.
[27] Ibid.
[28] Bernard Lewis, The
Encyclopaedia of Islam Vol. 2 Vol. 2 (Leiden: Brill, 1991), 125-127.
[29] Lewis, Islam, 126-132.
[30] Ibid.
[31] Malcolm Barber, The
Crusader States (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012), 4-20.
[32] Ibid.
[33] Ibid.
[34] Ibid.
[35] Thomas F. Madden, The
New Concise History of the Crusades (New York: Barnes & Noble, 2007), 15-29.
[36] Ibid.
[37] Jonathan Riley-Smith, The
Crusades: A History (London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2014), 50-75.
[38] Riley-Smith, The
Crusades, 50-75.
[39] History, "The
Crusades - Facts & Summary," History.com, last modified 2018,
https://www.history.com/topics/crusades.
[40] Ibid.
[41] Ibid.
[42] Ibid.
[43] Jonathan Phillips, Holy
Warriors: A Modern History of the Crusades (London: Vintage Books, 2010), 104-120.
[44] Ibid.
[45] Ibid.
[46] Phillips, Holy
Warriors, 120-132.
[47] Ibid.
[48] Ibid., 127-135.
[49] Ibid., 136-155.
[50] Ibid.
[51] Ibid.
[52] Phillips, Holy
Warriors, 136-156.
[53] Ibid.
[54] Ibid.
[55] Ibid.
[56] Ibid.
[57] Ibid.
[58] Ibid.
[59] Phillips, Holy
Warriors, 136-156.
[60] John Joseph Sauders, A
History of Medieval Islam (London: Routledge, 1996), 170-186.
[61] Ibid.
[62] Ibid.
[63] Joseph F O'Callaghan, Reconquest
and Crusade in Medieval Spain (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press, 2013), 2-19.
[64] Ibid.
[65] O'Callaghan, Reconquest, 177-201.
[66] Pnina Werbner,
"Rituals of Birth, Circumcision, Marriage and Death among Muslims in the
Netherlands," Journal of Islamic Studies 17, no. 1 (2006): 114-115, doi:10.1093/jis/eti197.
[67] Noor Mohammad, "The
Doctrine of Jihad: An Introduction," Journal of Law and Religion
3, no. 2 (1985): 381-397, doi:10.2307/1051182.
[68] John L Esposito, The
Oxford History of Islam (New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 1999), 225-230.
[69] Bernard E. Lewis and
Buntzie E. Churchill, Islam: The Religion and the People By Bernard
Ellis Lewis, Buntzie Ellis Churchill (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall,
2011), 08.
[70] Frank A Salamone, Encyclopedia
of Religious Rites, Rituals, and Festivals (New York, NY: Routledge,
2012), 282-286.
[71] Ibid.
[72] Salamone, Encyclopedia
of Religious Rites, 282-286.
[73] Ibid.
[74] Ibid.
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