A Reached Muslim

Isaiah 21:13-16

by Timothy Abraham

ne of the bewildering them afterwards till they were recleaned, Muslims do not pray in the name of Jesus, O questions in our world to- etc. For good measure, they try to re- God still hears their cries and yearn- day is, “How can we witness a worldwide vive and reinstate the Muslim nation as it ings for Him. A Muslim would lift his or peace in the Islamic countries?” By was established by the prophet her heart and say, “Ya Ellahi, ya sami and large, my Muslim friends attribute Muhammad and the early successors As-Salah,” translated, “My God, O You this decline in Muslim states to the (Caliphs). The problem is not with the who hear prayer!” This is literally unfaithfulness of governors. As far as or- Muslim governor, nor is it with the what David prayed, “O You who hear thodox Islam is concerned (that is, Muslim community; rather, it is the prayer, to You all flesh will come” Islam based on Muhammad’s words found human heart that needs to be changed (Ps. 65:2). Here, all flesh, includes in the Qur’an and the Hadith), these with a new heart in which the Spirit Muslims ˛ even Muslim radicals! In Muslim governors must be resisted, de- of God dwells (Jer. 24:7; Ezek. 11:19). the whirlwind of my mental agonies, stir- posed and punished until they recant. ring for the irrefutable TRUTH as a No wonder Islamic history has been fos- committed Muslim, I cried to Him in the tering on the fights and battles that middle of the night, “O You who hear broke out between an allegedly godless prayer, show me the truth, and the truth Like all peoples of the world, Muslims governor and an outraged Muslim You lead me to, I will serve for the are so dearly loved by God, and they community. Even the early successors of rest of my life, whatever the cost may be.” fit crucially into God’s redemptive plan Muhammad (Caliphs) were killed by for humanity. God’s Word emphati- their own Muslim people. cally teaches that He has put eternity in If this is presumably the case their hearts (Eccles. 3:11), and these with our twentieth century allegedly per- hearts will remain restless until they find Unequivocally, God opened my eyes verted Muslim governors, what about their rest in Him. Having the same and confirmed to me the truth of the early successors of Muhammad who worth and value as any people on earth, Christ as the exclusive way to knowing took charge of the Muslim nation? our Father makes His sun rise on Him. This is why I used to teach This is quite an interesting question, as it them and sends them rain, no matter how skepticals, who were found, to say, “Lift reveals to us how successful the early wicked they can be (Matt. 5:45). your heart to God (Allah, our Lord) Islamic reign was, and this consequently and He will show you His truth.” decides how applicable the Islam reign for today is, on a worldwide scale, for which the Muslim fundamentalists aspire. In this conjecture it is essential to This, in turn, leads to another ques- state that the Muslim fundamentalists tion, “If Muslims are so loved by God, Without compromising the truth, or are not anything far from true Islam. would He still answer their prayers?” falling into the trap of a universalistic Unequivocally, they arrive with the My answer is, “Yes!” Some oppressed Christology, God loves Muslims and early real spirit of Islam as manifestly Christians in the Islamic countries say hears their sincere prayers and deep- rooted in the Glorious Qur’an and the the answer is “No!, contending that est cries for His help. God hears prayers daily norms of life of the prophet Muslims do not pray in the name of from the unsaved in many cases. In Muhammad. They imitated every de- Jesus. Yet, Christians in the West say that his helpful little book, Praying in the Holy tail of his life, the way he used to sit, their God is not the god of Muslims, Spirit, Dr. H. A. Ironside says: walk, eat with his fingers and lick for he is Allah, not Jehovah. Even though INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 11:2 APRIL 1994 4 Reflections From A Reached Muslim

enormous emphasis on the Day of Muslims for Christ. In order for a mis- Judgment and the impending account sionary to win a Muslim to Christ, he Prayer is almost universal in man- a Muslim will give in the transitory life to or she must fully understand what this en- kind. “O Thou that hearest prayer, un- the grave. Instead of searching for tails. We do not proselytize Muslims, to Thee shall all flesh come.” Unsaved points of disagreements between Islam but rather we introduce them to Christ, men pray. All nations pray. It is the and Christianity, which are already ir- Who loves them as much as the Jews. sense of need, of weakness, that leads revocably existent, we must seek to estab- When I began my deep search for the men to cry out for help to a Higher lish common ground and reach out in truth in 1985, as a strong Muslim fun- Power; and it is wrong to say, as some love. While in Arabic we say “Allah”, in damentalist, I was ready to be called any- have said, that the prayers of uncon- English we say “God”, even though thing but a Christian. When I was five verted people are never heard. The man the God of the Qur’an is theologically dif- years old, two Christians rented a room in whom our Lord healed of his blind- ferent from the God of the Bible as our house. In Egypt, Christians are ness said, “We know that God heareth not we will explain later. viewed as low-class people. “Son, they sinners.” This is true, in the sense that are kind people, even though they are he meant it. But the cases of Hagar in the Christians,” said my mother. I cannot for- wilderness, the heathen mariners get the day when my mother said mentioned in Jonah, and other similar in- Unfortunately, Muslims have been something to my Christian friend from stances must not be overlooked. It is shunned by the West for a long time. Cairo, “You are a godly person and, wrong and foolish to try to set bounds to They have been the object of some west- still, you are a Christian.” Of course, I the mercy of God. He who hears the ern historians’ sarcasm. Islamic histo- was embarrassed before my friend prayer of the young ravens when they cry ry came under heavy fire. Lots of books who came to visit me for the first time. He for food, hears the agonized heart- have emerged recently, and they at- came all the way from Cairo to my cries of troubled men who are of “more tempt to expose Islam. Rarely do these au- village in order to share Jesus with me. value than many sparrows” in His thors try to point out the good things My friend had a tremendous impact eyes. Both Scripture and history testify to in the Muslim/Arab culture. Arabs have upon my devotional life. He did not both- prayers answered in wondrous grace, been portrayed as those who live a er about the scorn the Muslims harbor even when those who prayed were ignor- poor primitive life in the desert and ride for Christians. ant of the One to whom their entreat- camels. Sadly, people in the West can ies were directed. be so ethnocentric that they think their culture is superior to that of the Arabs. Nothing could be further from the How did we view Christians in our truth. Just as our Lord crossed the cul- Egyptian society? It is in the very nature of God to an- tural barriers of His day, where the Jews swer prayer, even for unworthy crea- thought of themselves as being super- A Christian is often termed as tures. ior to the Samaritans, and He still sought “Kuftis”. You hear a Muslim saying, to give the Samaritan woman at the “Don’t hang out with him, he’s a well eternal life (John 4:9), so should we Kuftis!” Kuftis is equivalent to a scum- go to all Muslims and win them for bag, a person who is considered infe- Christ. The harrowing events of bombings Doctrinally, this is true because the rior. A Christian in the army is shunned and persecution of Christians in the Qur’an adapted lots of verses and sto- because he is Kuftis. In other words, a Islamic world challenge us more and ries from the Bible. For instance, Muslim is not supposed to join them in more to reach out to Muslims, speak- Muhammad quoted First Corinthians eating. Muslims would argue that ing the truth in love, and there always will 2:9 verbatim and related that Allah said, these Kuftis people are generally known be a time when they ask us for the “I have prepared for my righteous ser- for eating pork, and they are unclean reason of hope which is within us. vants what eye has not seen nor ear in that they do not take baths. Christians heard”. While Muhammad’s eschatol- are prohibited to enter Mecca and ogy is strong, his soteriology is weak. Medina because these cities have Shrines Islam is the only non-Christian relig- for Muhammad. ion that gives such a high and historical Me, Become a Christian? place to Jesus Christ as merely a prophet. Eschatologically, Islam places an Our unanswering aim, here, is to reach

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS Robert C. Douglas 5

When I was drafted into the army, I felt understand that greatness is reaching out 17:11, 12) God was going to use me in this wild- to people and meeting them where erness, since our Lord was in the wilder- they are. I also understand that the ness and in the Spirit at the same Apostle Paul said, “I became as weak time. The lieutenant-colonel would never to the weak” so that he might win them It is remarkable that God did not reject allow any Christians to make his tea. for Christ. Ishmael or his descendants, but rather He confided to me, his English teacher, He says to Abraham, “And as for Ishmael, that he once vomited when I have heard you. Behold, I he ate cakes made by his have blessed him, and will Christian neighbors. make him fruitful and will Kuftis! multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great na- tion” (Gen. 17:20). It is es- “Don’t you notice, Timothy, sential here to point out that that Christians can be rec- God made His covenant ognized by their smell from a with Isaac, not Ishmael (v. 21). distance?” argued my We occasionally see the Muslim friend Ahmed, “Their children of Ishmael coming to priest puts on a distinctive commit themselves to the kind of cologne that turns me everlasting covenant that God off.” “Christians’ perfume ˛ had established with Isaac. Christians’ clothes. Immodesty marks These converts, who come from Muslim their women. Kuftis!” A member of "Other Sheep” backgrounds, are indiscriminately, as the zealous Muslim Brotherhood relates Isaac was, “children of promise” (Gal. the following conversation between a In the Egyptian Christian commu- 4:28). They receive the same Jesus, Muslim and his Christian teacher: nity, pastors would teach on waiting upon are washed by the same Blood, heirs of God using the story of Abraham and the same Kingdom, and royal chil- his wife Sarah and Hagar. Galatians 4:21- dren of the same King. 25 speaks of two covenants, “Tell me, “Mrs. Isis, you teach many teenag- you who desire to be under the law, do ers, and they are easily turned on by you not hear the law? For it is written the sexy clothes you wear.” She retorted, that Abraham had two sons: the one by a In Islamic countries, whenever we “It does not matter what I wear, what bond woman, the other by a free would be introduced to a new convert matters is my heart.” woman [that is Sarah] but he who was of from Islam, we would identify him or her the bond woman was born according as our brother or our sister “from the to the flesh, and he of the free woman other fold”. Jesus said, “Other sheep I through promise.” have, which are not of this fold: them I wish I would have met Mrs. Isis after also I must bring, and they shall hear my my conversion from Islam to Christ voice” (John 10:26). These people, and open my heart to her. I would say to once enemies of the cross, are now broth- her, “Mrs. Isis, you could have con- Surprisingly, the children of the ers and sisters in Christ. The Apostle tributed to my conversion earlier by show- bond woman, the Arabs, resemble their Paul bowed his knees before the Father ing me what a Christian is in the ex- father [Ishmael] in many ways: And and interceded for “the enemies of the ample of Jesus. While I recognize that the the Angel of the Lord said to her: cross” (Phil. 4:18). He later tells us that criteria of modesty is something cul- “Behold, you are with child. And you his intercessory prayer was answered, tural that varies from one culture to an- shall bear a son. You shall call his name in that there were saints “of Caesar’s other, you should realize the outward Ishmael, because the Lord has heard household” (Phil. 4:22). eloquently speaks of what is inside.” Why your affliction. “He shall be a wild man; should we let these things be a stum- his hand shall be against every man, bling block to Muslims’ conversions? I and every man’s hand against him.” (Gen.

VOL 11:2 APRIL 1994 6 Reflections From A Reached Muslim

Now, the crucial question is, “How ear- to the mosque and pray on time. When I nestly do we pray for Muslims?” was converted, that was the time to Since 1917, the Church worldwide has pray for them to accept Jesus and have a been praying for the fall of commu- personal relationship with Him. It is nism. I vividly recall those days, as a powerful intercessory prayer that changed strong Muslim fundamentalist, when I me from responding to the “muzzein” was reading about the Christians who in his mosque to the voice of the were beheaded, their hands and feet Crucified One. cut off, and other appalling stories that moved me to tears. It was because they believed that Christ suffered for their sake, that they were willing to lose Torn Between Two Cultures their lives for Christ’s sake. The people who were persecuted blessed those We have already discussed how who scourged them in prison, and there- Islamic worldwide terrorism should be fore, God’s Spirit began moving and more of an incentive than a deterrent. touching the hearts of the persecutors. As Their terrorism is nothing but a cry for a result of the church’s continual their dire need for Jesus, who re- prayer of Saul of Tarsus, he had that dra- placed the stony heart with a living one in matic encounter with the Lord which the Spirit of God dwells. Not Himself (Acts 9:1-8). every Muslim is a terrorist, any more than every American woman is what we see in Hollywood movies. Undoubtedly, sweeping statements are a stumbling A few days after I converted from block in relating to other cultures. Islam, I learned that many Christians Unfortunately, some American and in the Middle East, America, England and European writers portray Arabs as liars the Philippines were earnestly pray- and full of cheating and hypocrisy. It ing for my conversion. Only a week be- is the human heart, apart from Christ, that fore I converted, I wanted to expose a is deceitful above all things and des- medical student girl to the Islamic press perately wicked (Jer. 17:11). We want to so that they would sentence her to see these Arab brothers and sisters death. It was amazing grace at work as the holding onto their great Arab heritage answer to God’s saints’ prayers that rather than extract them out of their changed my stony heart toward Christ. families and friends over the long run. It (They prayed earnestly for the con- saddens me that some Egyptians, and version of so many other Muslims). generally Arab people, are ashamed of their Arab culture and start dressing like hippies or Western singers. This is what Egyptian thinkers and philoso- phers may term as “the western man In his book, Thinking Mission with ‘khawaga’ complex”. Christ, the late Dr. Samuel Zwemer, who spent twenty-five years as a mission- ary to Muslims, shares his deep bur- den for Muslims in the statement: “The challenge of the muezzin [i.e. that Please do not get me wrong. I am sheikh who calls Muslims to pray five not against “modernization” or “progres- times a day], so romantic to the tour- siveness”, but I am against violating ist, is a cry of pain to the missionary; it the identities of people and the oblitera- hurts.” When I was a little child, I tion of their culture. was challenged by that “muzzein” to run

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS