Steven Masood

Chrislam

2011-09-04T18:22:00.000-07:00

There is a subtle, dangerous and perilous movement roaming about, raising voices for a false unity between Islam and Christianity. It is called Chrislam, claiming to share the same God, the prophets and the Truth. The idea behind it is to relativize all differences for the common good to create a utopian society. Interestingly, here are some Muslims also propagating it and yet after a glance, one finds that they are only involved so to take advantage of preaching and propagating their faith. Pick up any program organized by interfaith or by Muslims in the USA, in the name of interfaith, and you will find them teaching Islamics at the expense of others. The agenda is to bring Jesus to the level of Muhammad and then convince participants, that like Jesus, Muhammad should be accepted by Christians as the prophet of God.

As ambassadors of the crucified and risen redeemer, Christians have a message to deliver to all everywhere. Thanks be to God for the freedom we still have available in the USA that we can still share the message and even search and choose.

According to Wikipedia, 76% of the USA is Christian. I am sure, like others, all of us are concerned with the evil of terrorism. If we want Muslims to stop terrorism, let us, along with other precautions, not forget the ultimate calling; to share the Good News of Jesus with them. Share with them the assurance of eternal life that God gives to us all, through Jesus, the Christ.

What Muslims think of Jews and Christians

Many Muslims have no idea what the Bible is all about and what Christians really believe. Like a typical Muslim child, I learned the first chapter of the Qur’an by heart at age 6 with translation and commentary. If you even look at the translation, it is very encompassing but do you know that when it comes to the commentary, there it creates hatred. Let me share with you how. Verse 6 and 7 state: ‘Show me the straight path; the path of those whom you have blessed and not the path of those with whom you are angry, nor of those condemned.’ Do you know that Muslims interpret that the condemned by God are the Jews and those with whom he is angry are the Christians? (See for example, Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Ibn Kathir, p. 28. (Lebanon: Resalah Publishers, 2001)

Such an interpretation is taught to Muslim children in the mosques and Islamic centers even in the United States of America. Part of the Islamic faith is to believe in Abraham and all the prophets and their scriptures and do not make any distinction among them (see Sura 3:84). Yet Muslims do make a distinction by claiming that the Bible is corrupted. They claim to believe in Jesus and yet hate the Jews, not even for a moment thinking that Jesus, as a human being was a Jew. Every day in their prayers, Muslims also recite a special prayer dozens of times; asking God to bless Muhammad and his descendants, as he has blessed Abraham and his descendents.

Ironically, the same Muslims, not for a moment, question their intention to destroy the descendents of Abraham, including the Israelites, who are Jews. What a contradiction! I thank God for someone like you sharing the gospel with me. I thank God for the Bible being available to me in my language and for the Christians who spent many hrs in conversation with me, answering questions about Jesus.

Help your Muslim friend to read: “The LORD had said to Abraham. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Geneses 12:1-3. Promise repeated in 15, 17 and 22). Someone (following the Messiah, Jesus) distributed copies of John’s gospel and one reached me. Today when I look back, it was then that the seed was sown in my life.

If you want Muslims to stop terrorism, why not reach them with the message of Jesus? Otherwise how can you expect a Muslim to stop hating Jews and Christians, when 5 times daily, he is reminded of it in his prayer? As a Muslim, I believed in Jesus but hated Jews and Christians also. Well, Jesus was a Jew. Then I read in the Qur’an: Believe in Abraham and the Prophets; Moses and Jesus that led me to read the Bible. – Thanks be to God for his grace, mercy and assurance available to me through Jesus, who I found to be more than a prophet!

Let us share with Muslims that they do not have to kill themselves and others for God to get into his paradise as ‘martyrs’. God already sent his own to give his life once and for all, as the great sacrifice. Let us also reach the Muslim who thinks that “only a Muslim is a brother of a Muslim and worthy of love and fellowship”, by sharing what Jesus said, ‘Love your neighbor like yourself’. Let them see that Christ-like love is in us. Love will not be satisfied with anything less than the total salvation of its object. ̶ Steven Masood

Building Bridges – but what kind of bridges?

2011-01-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

Building Bridges – but what kind of bridges?

When it comes to sharing the Gospel with Muslims, we find that Muslims comprise at least 39% of all un-evangelized people of the world. Only 1% of mission force is directed to reach them. Most of the work by some nowadays is directed towards Muslims to make them feel at home in their own religion in the name of ‘tolerance’ and ‘love’. Indeed many of such churches, their mission committees quote the scriptures as ‘Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love’ (1 John 4:8).

I desire that many friends who are trying to ‘create peace between faith’ will realize that Love will not be satisfied with anything less than the total salvation of its object. I have seen again and again in my past 40 years that the matter of salvation of Muslims is totally ignored for the sake of and in the name of ‘multi-culturalism’, ‘multi-faith societies’ and multi faith trends with the idea that all roads lead to God.

‘Creating peace between faiths’ is very good but is it possible without watering down the status of Jesus? I wonder what happened to the peace Jesus talks about and claims to be the giver of it. No matter how much we try to bring peace between faiths and people, if we keep Christ, the original source of peace, out of it, there can be no peace.
And what do you do when one finds that the people who are teaching how Islam is peaceful, behind your back support militant Islam? The predicament is not the people, but Islamic ideology. It has 2 faces both the peaceful and militant and Muslims use both of them as the case may be. When we look at the Qur’an, the Ahadith, the schools of thought and classical commentaries, we find both trends used and being used even today.

One of the top methods that the majority of Muslims have used is not only their insistence that Islam should always have the upper hand but profess it through a military type of radicalism. I can quote to you from the Arabic Qur’an and what Muhammad has said and from the classical Muslim era, people like Urwah ibn Zubayr (d. 712), Wahb ibn Munabbih (d. 728), Ibn Ishaq (d. 761), al-Waqidi (745-822), Ibn Hisham (d. 834), al-Maqrizi (1364–1442), and Ibn Hajar Asqalani (1372-1449) and you will be surprised at how the 2 faces of Islam, its jurisprudence and communities have been used in expansion of Islamic empires and are used today to renew and restore the zenith of the Islamic empires. In the West, today, those Muslim tactics amount to hypocrisy, manipulation and unprovoked attacks.

Having said that, as Christians, indeed we should be peaceable to our neighbors, including our Muslim neighbors, in-spite that Islam has exclusivity that ‘al-Muslim akhwal Muslim, a Muslims is a brother of a Muslim.’ Let us not ignore the matter of salvation of Muslims for the sake of and in the name of ‘multi-culturalism’, ‘multi-faith societies’ and multi faith trends with the idea that all roads lead to God. If we really love Muslims, then we have to share the love of Jesus with them, by telling them that He is the only way to have the eternal life.

Why is Islam spreading fast in the USA?

2011-01-18T14:14:00.000-08:00

Why is Islam spreading fast in the USA?
1. Islamic Da’wa (Islamic evangelism). Islam is a “works religion”, Muslims believe they will get into paradise by winning non-Muslims to Islam. They marry Christians and Jews to eventually convert them to Islam, although they don’t tell them up front, nor do they tell them that they must raise their children as Muslims, even if she remains a Christian or Jew.
2. Islam is a community oriented system, especially when Muslims are in a minority in a new country. Leaders convince followers to unite and do good so to entice the non-Muslims around them, to ultimately convert them to Islam.
3. Islam is seen as dealing with every aspect of a Muslim’s life, religious or political. Thus while Christians may be hesitant to share their views, Muslims feel obligated to share their faith anywhere.
4. Muslims are allowed to lie for a greater purpose, the ‘domination of the world for Islam’ and so they hide the points of weaknesses in Islam.
5. Also to be an instrument to fulfill what Muhammad predicted that his community will over populate the
world through propagation. Muhammad advised, “Marry beautiful women, especially those women who will bear you lots of children”.

Pastor Terry Jones and the burning of the Qur’an

2011-01-18T14:05:00.000-08:00

An Opportunity lost
Well, we heard it all - Pastor Terry Jones and the burning of the Qur’an. We thank the Lord that he did not follow the conviction and withdrew from it. However, I believe he could have used the opportunity while announcing his withdrawal to remind the media of the atrocities against Christians that are committed day and night in Muslim majority countries. Churches are burned down and even members killed and their Scriptures are destroyed. The Pastor could have easily reminded the media asking ‘where are you when such things happen? Why don’t you report them? I am calling on you to look into your conscience and ask yourselves which side you are on.’

This would at least been heard in the media somewhere, but Terry did not use such an opportunity. Let us please pray for each other, that whenever we all are given such an opportunity, we may glorify Him, use the Lord’s wisdom and be counted to say words that will be a warning and loving too. (Ezekiel 3:18)

Be warned of the ‘Interfaith’ delusion that is about in the USA

2011-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

We are living in a time where in the name of tolerance we try to find

something good anywhere and everywhere and whatever the situation may be. Mindful people claiming to be from various faiths in the USA, have established themselves into what is known as Interfaith dialogue. On the surface, when you look at it, you find that in the forefront Judaism, Christianity and Islam as ‘Abrahamic faiths’ and not as Judeo-Christian faith is presented. They claim that ‘The Torah, the New Testament, and the Quran all contain exceptional teachings instructing us to love God, to love one another, and to care for all people.’ Then they go a little further, stating that it is ‘crucial… that we honor both the universal as well as the particularly exclusivist teachings of each of our faith’s traditions.’ (http://www.countercurrents.org/falcon150910.htm). Although as a Christian, I have no problem with such statements, what I find is that many Muslims on these “Interfaith committees” are actually using the forum to their own propagation agenda, while the prominence of salvation through Jesus is shunned by them and many of the pastors and reverends attending these meetings just keep quite in the name of so-called ‘tolerance’ not even pointing out their reservation of the matter.

In these interfaith dialogues while it is talked how badly Muslims are treated in America, we hear rarely Muslims and other raising their voices on what goes on in Muslim majority countries against Christians, in losing their lives and belongings. In fact in the name of ‘Interfaith’ Muslims hold meetings in churches and synagogues to convince non-Muslims how good the Islamic ideology is. They go to the extent to invite attendees to perform some of the rituals and even are given Islamic polemic material showing that it is not Christianity, but Islam that should be followed.

As far as being loving and kind to each other that is indeed Biblical, but to allow a Muslim on a church platform to go on to do Islamic evangelism, is not Jesus, but Muhammad who is presented to be followed. Such a notion is a total negation of the gospel which declares that Jesus is the only way unto Salvation.

If you love Jesus and accept him as the only Savior, then it is of utmost importance that you, as his follower, should draw a line and state – this far is fine, but not beyond Biblical values. State clearly indeed I have to love as the Lord loves, but when it comes to the matter of Salvation, even God has drawn the line. There is only one name under heaven through whom we can be saved. He is Jesus. Be warned. The Scriptures is quite clear and warns us of ‘no other gospel’ to be accepted.

Resurgent Islam has adopted Muhammad's season of diplomacy

2011-01-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

In the USA, instead of a military attitude the resurgent Islam has adopted Muhammad’s season of diplomacy from his Meccan period. Although traces can be found of militant Islam and of terror, Muslims are using, in the forefront, all legal means to spread their ideology. Financial aid in the millions is given to Islamic organizations and secular Universities and colleges by Saudi Arabia and Gulf states to enlighten people in the USA to see Islam as the best way of the Abrahamic path. Muslim organizations are using every available source from IT to PR. Packages of pro-Islamic books and media materials by the thousands are provided to libraries, teachers, State officials and Representatives. Many Muslims have made contacts with influential people at Radio, TV and newspaper mediums and seek their help to give a peaceful picture of Islam. Several Muslim organizations, such as CAIR, ISNA and MSA are campaigning against those Non-Muslims who want to expose the hidden face of Islam and Muslims. Indirectly some Muslims are trying to replace America’s freedom of speech with hate-crime bills. They are relentless in the nomination of Muslim sympathizers and Muslims in political and religious offices. They are getting involved in demonstrations on immigration issues, as well.

On a Christian response, the Church in America is divided into two extremes from hatred to totally unconditional love. There are ‘Christians’ who believe that Islam and Muslims are not included in ‘The Great Commission’, thinking God has finished with them. On the other hand there are those who are so ‘loving’ that they do not want to share Jesus in the name of interfaith slogan of ‘co-exist’, thus compromising the gospel. Their doctrine seems to be that Islam or any other faith can be accepted as a way to God. In both cases it is obvious that their ‘will and affections’ are set upon their fallen nature and thus they have become an offense to Christ. Both of these courses lead to spiritual ruin because the first group has totally closed the door of salvation on Muslims and the other in their compassion has gone too far to even offend God by showing an attitude that is contrary to the Gospel. (See how Carter Conlon, co-pastor of David Wilkerson, explains in his sermon “When Compassion Offends God”. http://jgospel.org/faith/sermon/when-compassion-offends-god-carter-conlon.c15451.aspx).

There are, however, a portion of Christians in between these two extremes that believe in loving the Muslims ‘the God way’ and are willing to take a stand for the uniqueness of the message of Christ and assurance for all, including Muslims. They use the utmost of their abilities to share the love of Christ with Muslims through friendship, and meaningful dialogue.

Punishment of Apostasy in Islam

2010-05-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

The majority of scholars in Islam stand for the punishment of an apostate. The following key passage in the Qur'an is used: ‘But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever ye find them; and (in any case) take no friends or helpers from their ranks; except those who join a group between whom and you there is a treaty (of peace) or those who approach you with hearts restraining them from fighting you as well as fighting their own people. (4:89-90). Other passages are used with an interpretation to punish apostates: 2:217; 3:72,90; 4:137; 5:54; 16:106.

Since the Qur’an does not have many aspects of religion in detail, Muslims follow what Muhammad said and did. For example, the Qur’an states to establish prayer however it is in the traditions (Ahadith/Sunnah) that Muslims find the number and methodology of prayer. According to the Qur’an what Muhammad say or do has to be followed: ‘Whoso obeyeth the Messenger obeyeth Allah.’ (Qur’an4:80).

The most reputed Hadith conveying the death penalty was reported by Ibn Abbas that Muhammad said: “Whoever renounces his religion, kill him.” This statement has been related in the following collections accepted by all Muslims.
{Sahih Al-Bukhari, “Bab Hukm al Murtad wa al Murtadah”, Vol. 8, pp. 50, 163;
Al Muwata’, “Kitab al Hudud”, Vol. 2, p. 736;
Sunan Al Tirmidhi, “Kitab al Hudud”, Vol. 4, p. 48;
Sunan Abi Daud, ‘Kitab al Hudud”, Vol. 4, p. 126;
Sunan Ibn Majah, “Kitab al Hudud” Vol. 2, p. 848;
Sunan AL Nasaee “Al Hukm fi al Murtad”, Vol. 7, pp. 103-104;
Al Musnad, “Musnad ‘Abd Allah b. ‘Abbas”, Vol. 1, pp. 466, 605, 606, 691;
Sunan Al Daraqutni, “Kitab al Hudud”, Vol. 3, p. 113}

Also Al Hakim reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that the Prophet Muhammad said: “ The Muslim who converts his religion, kill him. If the person says: {there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His Messenger}, then you have no right to punish him except for the crime he commits.”(Al Mustudrak, “Kitab al Hudud”, Vol. 4, p.366.

All schools of thoughts among the Sunni and Shia agree for the punishment of an apostate except some disagreement on detail of prescription (For a quick example read: http://www.light-of-life.com/eng/ilaw/).

Imam Shafi’s manual of Islamic Law, ‘Umdat al-Salik (pp. 595-96) states: ‘Leaving Islam is the ugliest form of unbelief (kufr) and the worst…When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostasies from Islam, he deserves to be killed. In such a case, it is obligatory…to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed.

Hizb at-Tahrir (HT) an Islamic group that has taken up re-establishment of Khilafah as its core mission, in a draft constitution (dustoor), proposed by its founder/leader Taqiuddin al-Nabhani and adopted by HT states in Article 7c:
“Those who are guilty of apostasy (murtad) from Islam are to be executed according to the rule of apostasy, provided they have themselves renounced Islam.” (Taqiuddin al-Nabahani. “The System of Islam,” Hizbut Tahrir, p. 116, also on line: http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/PDF/EN/en_books_pdf/system_of_islam.pdf).

One of the most dangerous issue the West is facing is the ‘2 faces of Islam.’ On one hand Muslims tell us there is no compulsion in their religion (http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Browse.asp?hGuestID=Gz9HCK) and yet on the other they tell among themselves to clear up apostasy from among them. (See: Qardawi: http://www.islamonline.net/English/contemporary/2006/04/article01c.shtml)

Why I followed Jesus and not Islam?

2010-05-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Like the Jews of Paul’s day Muslims too are very zealous for God. But their zealousness is in the wrong place. Like Paul’s heart cried for his fellow Jews, my heart cries for Muslims to know Christ. I love them all. It is not the Muslims but the ideology of Islam that is the problem. The ideology and faith that is very much ‘works’ related and still a Muslim is not sure whether God will accept him in His paradise as only martyrs in the way of Allah have Qur’anic assurance.Although the Qur’an talks about reward for good deeds, it also states that God has created some to lead them into the straight path of God and yet others to lead them astray. As a young Muslim this was my dilemma. From with one scholar of Islam to the other, I studied. My question was how could we be sure that we are on the right path, doing the right things that Allah has commanded and that we have assurance that we love him so much by keeping all the commands, that He now in return is loving us. Well, there was no easy answer. I looked into the life of Muhammad and found Muhammad saying to his companions:`No one of you will enter Paradise through his good works.' They said: `Not even you, O Apostle of God?' `Not even I,' he replied, `unless God covers me with His grace and mercy.'" (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim).I asked, so how can one get this covering of His grace and mercy? Neither the Qur’an nor the Ahadith tells how. Well, one night scared of death, hiding in a secure place, as there was a war going on between India and Pakistan and because of the air raid shells were falling, I was reciting one after another verses of the Qur’an from memory. It was, as if I was asked, that what I was reciting, did I really believe it? And indeed in my heart and mind I said, yes, I do. The next question came, so why don’t you act upon them? When was the last time you read what was revealed to Moses and given through Jesus? You say, you believe in them but you really do not act upon them. You say, you do not make any distinction among them, yet you claim whatever Moses and Jesus brought are corrupted. Well, I was reciting Sura 3:84.

The next day I got myself a Bible. Although at age 13 I had been given the Gospel of John and at age 15, a Gideon NT, but I always thought the message was corrupted and only the message of Islam was intact. Now at age 21 I started reading the Bible carefully. To make the whole story short, one day I found what I was looking for. I found God’s grace and mercy I was looking for. Right in the first chapter of John I found that the law was given through Moses but grace has been granted through Jesus. While the Qur’an was offering me conditional love of Allah, that it is I who had to take the initiative to love him first and still not know whether he loved me, the Christian Scripture was telling me that before I loved Him, he has loved me. There was Muhammad in the Qur’an who does not know what will happen to him or me (Sura 46:9), here was Jesus who knew where he came from and where he was going. Here was Muhammad who said to his own daughter Fatima, I cannot save you. Here is Jesus who claims, believe in me and you will have eternal life.

At age 23, I accepted the message of Jesus and him as my Savior and Lord. My situation since then has been like a beggar finding food and now wants to tell other beggars where to find it.We are living in a world where in the name of interfaith and so-called bridge building, Christians who have been blessed with the truth, are sadly letting Muslims die having no hope. If we really love Muslims, we should be sharing the Gospel of Jesus with them.