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Encountering the World of Islam
Encountering the World of Islam guides you on a journey into the lives of Muslims around the world and in your neighborhood. Through this comprehensive collection, you will learn about Muhammad and the history of Islam, gain insight into today’s conflicts, and dispel western fears and myths. You will also discover the frustrations and desires of Muslims and learn how to pray for and befriend them. Encountering the World of Islam provides a positive, balanced, and biblical perspective on God’s heart for Muslims and equips you to reach out to them in Christ’s love. Encountering the World of Islam features articles from eighty authors who have lived throughout the Muslim world, from West Africa to Southeast Asia. Experienced missionaries, scholars of Islam, and other well known authors, including several Muslims, contribute to this extensive ministry resource. • Highlights in each lesson provide insight into Muslim culture, the Qur’an, and Muslim women.
• Discussion questions and other assignments will deepen your understanding as you reach out to Muslims with the love of Christ.
• Charts, maps, and illustrations illuminate the text and provide additional context.
• An extensive, easy-to-use glossary clarifies Muslim terminology.
• Discussion questions and other assignments will deepen your understanding as you reach out to Muslims with the love of Christ.
• Charts, maps, and illustrations illuminate the text and provide additional context.
• An extensive, easy-to-use glossary clarifies Muslim terminology.
574 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 26, 2019
A wealth of information, this volume can be compared to the PERSPECTIVES reader. The breadth of subjects and authors is a great benefit; however, it does not prevent the book from excluding certain viewpoints. That said much in this volume is truly excellent including most of the practical teaching. The section on folk Islam alone is worth the price of the book. I would heartily recommend this volume with some cautionary words that some of the earlier sections and articles very much represent one perspective on Muslim history and doctrine.
March 18, 2014
A nice overview of Islam worldwide. I had the privilege of meeting Keith Swartley in person at one of his lectures and enjoy reading about his family in his regular newsletters. The diagrams, side stories and rich content from around the Muslim World make this book a must read for Westerners seeking to better understand the history and progression of Islam up until the present.
February 29, 2012
The book is a good introduction to Islam from a predominant Christian source. I am reading this book primarily to get an ethnographic attitudes of Muslims and thus just skimmed through parts about the evangelicalization of Muslim.
After reading this my conclusion about Muhammed is that he was a pious man who turned his personal faith into a potent politico-military weapon that eventually united the middle east. In contrast to the constant bickering of the Christian states of the time, I am sure being ruled by an iron dictatorial fist was seen as a God send. Unfortunately, his followers wrote not only his faith down but how he ruled so fundamentalist Islamist now look Islamic way of life as complete system that encompasses not only the personal world but also politico-soicio-economic interpersonal world too. It is as if modern man is stuck in the 7th century forever. Muslim see God as King and Judge so their societies are based on rules and regulations.
Muslims worship the Quaran as the direct words of God and the Hadith as anecdotal life of Muhammed. Sharia is a set of laws that Muslim should live in their day-to-day lives and is based on the Quaran and the Hadith. The difference between Shia and Sunni is essentially who they follow. Shia's follow direct descendants of Muhammed and call them Imam and Sunni follow only Caliph. It is basically the difference between following the Roman Pope or the Orthodox Patriarch.
Muslims only differ based on their interpretation of Shia laws:
1) Hanafi - most liberal interpretation which stresses personal interpretation of the law (predominantly in Turkey and Central Asian states) which explains why Turkey is the most successful Islamic countries
2) Maliki - emphasize Hadith in Sharia also emphasizes personal opinion predominant in North Africa
3) Shafi'l - relies on more community interpretation of the law determined by a consensus of judges that issue legal rulings. This school of thought is predominant in Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Indonsia
4) Hanbali- fundamentalist who think that the Koran and the Hadith are literal interpretations - which are predominant in Saudi Arabia (esp the Salafist movt), Qatar (state-sponsored Al Jazeera), with a large following in Iraq, Palestine, and Syria.
All Muslim profess to follow 5 pillars:
1) Recitation of La ilaha ila Allah, and Muhammed is his last prophet
2) 5 prayers a day facing Mecca
3) Alms giving to the poor and the oppressed
4) Fasting during Ramadan to be able to feel for the poor and the oppressed
5) Pilgrimage to Mecca - which during the medieval period served as a nexus of ideas for cross-cultural exchanges
Islam today:
Whereas Islam is a more practical religion in that it permeates every aspect of a Muslim's life, Christianity is more spiritual in allowing Christians to live to their own dictates of what a Christian life should be. Thus, while Christianity can mold itself into other cultures, Islam is inflexible in its interpretation. Islam seeks complete outside-in unity of Islamic laws in a person's life, thus dissension from Islamic law is frowned upon. This explains the reason why Islamic countries have issues with separating church from state. For Muslim, the Islamic Umma supercedes the state.
While Islam and Christianity share a common ancestry, they split in the emphasis of the Hirja and the cross. By venerating the Hirja event, Islamist honor the marriage between the spiritual church and political power of Muhammed. Whereas in Christianity, it was the pagan state that persecuted the church symbolized in the cross. Thus, separation of church and state is easier to accomplish in Christianity than it is in Islam. Thus, Christianity focuses on personal salvation and thus individual change from the inside out ( greater jihad) while Islam focuses on the politico-socio-economic change as a way to bring heaven on earth.
Diversity in Islam:
Pro-democracy branches include: Ashari that focuses on man having free will and Sufisim which uses ijtihadi (independent thinking approach should be encouraged
Anti-democratic Islamist movt include: Deobandism practiced in Pashtun area of Pakistan and Afghanistan and Wahabism Salafist movt which uses taqildi (unquestioning imitation of tradition) should be countered by America
Democracy vs Tawid: To Islamist, the focus in Tawid, that is Islamic faith permeates ones life and society, is against Democracy. They see Democracy as nothing more than Secular Humanism that although possibly well-meaning is not a substitute for Islam in matters of faith and government.
Concern for Honor and Shame and the importance of group solidarity, tradition, and relationships over accomplishments and progress shows why Muslim countries will never be economically successful and why politically sectarian violence will predominate. Premarital sex and an illegitimate child is seen as a disgrace to the family and that the perpetrator of the shame should be punished accordingly.
Most of the Islamic world is rural with a lack of mobility. As with most small communities that are immobile, Muslims have tight family structures with the emphasis on tradition, strict hierarchy, and defense of women's virginity. One cannot do anything shameful, since a person's shame in a small community becomes a family's shame as well as the community's shame. Marriage is a family affair and one marries not as individuals but as communities, thus the whole community celebrates the marriage. On the positive side in having a tight knit community is that there is always going to be a safety net. The negative side of a safety net is that individuals accept their lot and will not try to change it for fear of having the safety net torn apart. Like all provincialism, uneducated Muslim's living in a small town are superstitious. Higher education is really the only way out of thoughts of provincialism. The only way for a stable country is through a secular democratic state with a capitalistic economy based on a global supply chain.
With its emphasis on experiential spirituality rather than the letter of the law, Sufism is Individualistic Democracies natural ally. In Syria, the Shammee are natural friends of American capitalism
Since Muslims equate their government with religion, they see Western government policies as a reflection of Christian values. Whereas westerners value individualism, Muslims' value group conformity. They value close relationship (family) and hospitality (sharing a meal) over individual achievement. Other cultural barriers between Christians and Muslims are legalistic view of religion with strict punishment against immoral behavior as well as the West protection of Israel over the Palestinians. Since the Palestinians are part of the Islamic Umma they of course defended over Judaic state.
Through reading this book, I now understand Evangelicals insistence on the Sin of Man because where there is the mark of Sin, there is also a need for a Savior whereas Muslims see sin as simply a break from God. Whereas Islam focus is on the Koran as God's revelation to man and thus its laws, Christianity focus is on Jesus and the organic personal relationship that one can have with him based on Christian Love. Although we now take it for granted, Jesus' "Our Father" implies a personal relationship with God the Father through his obedient son Jesus Christ. Whereas Christianity seeks a personal relationship with God, the Judaic and Islamic religious traditions, see God as omnipotent and that He needs to be completely submitted to. One thing I do admire about Islam and its laws is the heavy emphasis on acting on complete integrity of mind/body/soul. I think contextualization as a means for conversion is smart. I think as long as the Muslims professes undying faith in Jesus Christ, he should be able to follow familiar Islamic rituals that does not conflict with biblical teachings. Considering that evangelizing to Muslims in Islamic countries is dangerous because of legality issues, I think evangelicals should focus on converting Muslims in Europe because at least the law is on their sides. I agree that dogmatic debates on religion rarely lead to deep conversion. I agree with contextualization in the conversion experience as well as having missionaries be culturally trained so they are more equip to save souls.
It is funny but it seems the more Fundamental a religion is, the more it focuses on sex. I mean who else but fundamentalist would equate being a father with the sexual act? It is sad how women are considered second citizens in Islam. According to this book, Muslim ideal women are faithful, chaste, modest, and obedient to Allah and their men in their lives.
It is no wonder that Islamic Golden Age was when a significant number of their subjects were Christians or Jewish before dogmatic conversion took reign. Again Islamic culture/trade flourished when their population was diverse. Once diversity of religion and thought died so to did Islamic innovation gradually died out especially in the scientific realm.
Reading this book confirms my belief that the separation of church and state is a good thing. As long as the government remains secular and allows unimpeded religious freedom, Christianity will always win. Early Christians thrived despite its persecution from the state because of the power of the Holy Spirit and Christianity only became corrupted when the Church became a temporal power, so what makes Christians today think its a good idea to have a blending between Church and State. I contend the reason why America is strong is due to its religious conviction that gives it strength of character combined with a secular government that allows innovation in the private sphere. It is the combination of a strong religious conviction and innovation from lack of government interference in private lives that allows us to be strong. Besides Christianity being an inside-out phenomenon cannot be legislated.
After reading this my conclusion about Muhammed is that he was a pious man who turned his personal faith into a potent politico-military weapon that eventually united the middle east. In contrast to the constant bickering of the Christian states of the time, I am sure being ruled by an iron dictatorial fist was seen as a God send. Unfortunately, his followers wrote not only his faith down but how he ruled so fundamentalist Islamist now look Islamic way of life as complete system that encompasses not only the personal world but also politico-soicio-economic interpersonal world too. It is as if modern man is stuck in the 7th century forever. Muslim see God as King and Judge so their societies are based on rules and regulations.
Muslims worship the Quaran as the direct words of God and the Hadith as anecdotal life of Muhammed. Sharia is a set of laws that Muslim should live in their day-to-day lives and is based on the Quaran and the Hadith. The difference between Shia and Sunni is essentially who they follow. Shia's follow direct descendants of Muhammed and call them Imam and Sunni follow only Caliph. It is basically the difference between following the Roman Pope or the Orthodox Patriarch.
Muslims only differ based on their interpretation of Shia laws:
1) Hanafi - most liberal interpretation which stresses personal interpretation of the law (predominantly in Turkey and Central Asian states) which explains why Turkey is the most successful Islamic countries
2) Maliki - emphasize Hadith in Sharia also emphasizes personal opinion predominant in North Africa
3) Shafi'l - relies on more community interpretation of the law determined by a consensus of judges that issue legal rulings. This school of thought is predominant in Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and Indonsia
4) Hanbali- fundamentalist who think that the Koran and the Hadith are literal interpretations - which are predominant in Saudi Arabia (esp the Salafist movt), Qatar (state-sponsored Al Jazeera), with a large following in Iraq, Palestine, and Syria.
All Muslim profess to follow 5 pillars:
1) Recitation of La ilaha ila Allah, and Muhammed is his last prophet
2) 5 prayers a day facing Mecca
3) Alms giving to the poor and the oppressed
4) Fasting during Ramadan to be able to feel for the poor and the oppressed
5) Pilgrimage to Mecca - which during the medieval period served as a nexus of ideas for cross-cultural exchanges
Islam today:
Whereas Islam is a more practical religion in that it permeates every aspect of a Muslim's life, Christianity is more spiritual in allowing Christians to live to their own dictates of what a Christian life should be. Thus, while Christianity can mold itself into other cultures, Islam is inflexible in its interpretation. Islam seeks complete outside-in unity of Islamic laws in a person's life, thus dissension from Islamic law is frowned upon. This explains the reason why Islamic countries have issues with separating church from state. For Muslim, the Islamic Umma supercedes the state.
While Islam and Christianity share a common ancestry, they split in the emphasis of the Hirja and the cross. By venerating the Hirja event, Islamist honor the marriage between the spiritual church and political power of Muhammed. Whereas in Christianity, it was the pagan state that persecuted the church symbolized in the cross. Thus, separation of church and state is easier to accomplish in Christianity than it is in Islam. Thus, Christianity focuses on personal salvation and thus individual change from the inside out ( greater jihad) while Islam focuses on the politico-socio-economic change as a way to bring heaven on earth.
Diversity in Islam:
Pro-democracy branches include: Ashari that focuses on man having free will and Sufisim which uses ijtihadi (independent thinking approach should be encouraged
Anti-democratic Islamist movt include: Deobandism practiced in Pashtun area of Pakistan and Afghanistan and Wahabism Salafist movt which uses taqildi (unquestioning imitation of tradition) should be countered by America
Democracy vs Tawid: To Islamist, the focus in Tawid, that is Islamic faith permeates ones life and society, is against Democracy. They see Democracy as nothing more than Secular Humanism that although possibly well-meaning is not a substitute for Islam in matters of faith and government.
Concern for Honor and Shame and the importance of group solidarity, tradition, and relationships over accomplishments and progress shows why Muslim countries will never be economically successful and why politically sectarian violence will predominate. Premarital sex and an illegitimate child is seen as a disgrace to the family and that the perpetrator of the shame should be punished accordingly.
Most of the Islamic world is rural with a lack of mobility. As with most small communities that are immobile, Muslims have tight family structures with the emphasis on tradition, strict hierarchy, and defense of women's virginity. One cannot do anything shameful, since a person's shame in a small community becomes a family's shame as well as the community's shame. Marriage is a family affair and one marries not as individuals but as communities, thus the whole community celebrates the marriage. On the positive side in having a tight knit community is that there is always going to be a safety net. The negative side of a safety net is that individuals accept their lot and will not try to change it for fear of having the safety net torn apart. Like all provincialism, uneducated Muslim's living in a small town are superstitious. Higher education is really the only way out of thoughts of provincialism. The only way for a stable country is through a secular democratic state with a capitalistic economy based on a global supply chain.
With its emphasis on experiential spirituality rather than the letter of the law, Sufism is Individualistic Democracies natural ally. In Syria, the Shammee are natural friends of American capitalism
Since Muslims equate their government with religion, they see Western government policies as a reflection of Christian values. Whereas westerners value individualism, Muslims' value group conformity. They value close relationship (family) and hospitality (sharing a meal) over individual achievement. Other cultural barriers between Christians and Muslims are legalistic view of religion with strict punishment against immoral behavior as well as the West protection of Israel over the Palestinians. Since the Palestinians are part of the Islamic Umma they of course defended over Judaic state.
Through reading this book, I now understand Evangelicals insistence on the Sin of Man because where there is the mark of Sin, there is also a need for a Savior whereas Muslims see sin as simply a break from God. Whereas Islam focus is on the Koran as God's revelation to man and thus its laws, Christianity focus is on Jesus and the organic personal relationship that one can have with him based on Christian Love. Although we now take it for granted, Jesus' "Our Father" implies a personal relationship with God the Father through his obedient son Jesus Christ. Whereas Christianity seeks a personal relationship with God, the Judaic and Islamic religious traditions, see God as omnipotent and that He needs to be completely submitted to. One thing I do admire about Islam and its laws is the heavy emphasis on acting on complete integrity of mind/body/soul. I think contextualization as a means for conversion is smart. I think as long as the Muslims professes undying faith in Jesus Christ, he should be able to follow familiar Islamic rituals that does not conflict with biblical teachings. Considering that evangelizing to Muslims in Islamic countries is dangerous because of legality issues, I think evangelicals should focus on converting Muslims in Europe because at least the law is on their sides. I agree that dogmatic debates on religion rarely lead to deep conversion. I agree with contextualization in the conversion experience as well as having missionaries be culturally trained so they are more equip to save souls.
It is funny but it seems the more Fundamental a religion is, the more it focuses on sex. I mean who else but fundamentalist would equate being a father with the sexual act? It is sad how women are considered second citizens in Islam. According to this book, Muslim ideal women are faithful, chaste, modest, and obedient to Allah and their men in their lives.
It is no wonder that Islamic Golden Age was when a significant number of their subjects were Christians or Jewish before dogmatic conversion took reign. Again Islamic culture/trade flourished when their population was diverse. Once diversity of religion and thought died so to did Islamic innovation gradually died out especially in the scientific realm.
Reading this book confirms my belief that the separation of church and state is a good thing. As long as the government remains secular and allows unimpeded religious freedom, Christianity will always win. Early Christians thrived despite its persecution from the state because of the power of the Holy Spirit and Christianity only became corrupted when the Church became a temporal power, so what makes Christians today think its a good idea to have a blending between Church and State. I contend the reason why America is strong is due to its religious conviction that gives it strength of character combined with a secular government that allows innovation in the private sphere. It is the combination of a strong religious conviction and innovation from lack of government interference in private lives that allows us to be strong. Besides Christianity being an inside-out phenomenon cannot be legislated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2023
Thoroughly mixed bag. Some chapters are pretty problematic. Claims to have an "unbiased" representation of Islam, and yet makes factual errors to paint Islam in a positive light (E.g. Dar el-Harb means house of war, and Muhammed's conquests were not exclusively defensive, and there are many good reasons to doubt the authenticity of the Quran).
However, there are also helpful discussions/case studies on various topics like Islam and women, cultural outreach, and developing a heart for this work. In any case, it shows you some of the different approaches that are out there.
However, there are also helpful discussions/case studies on various topics like Islam and women, cultural outreach, and developing a heart for this work. In any case, it shows you some of the different approaches that are out there.
February 8, 2010
Excellent overall view to understanding Islam.
October 31, 2011
Satisfyingly weighty without being ponderous. I am able to forgive the rampant, distracting use of insets and sidebars only because the information was so very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews