Islam: What Can We Christians Learn from Muslims?

Some of the Islamic practices which are relevant for us in India today:

What can we Christians learn from Muslims’ practices?

Introduction 

Islam is the largest minority religion in India, and the second largest in the world after Christianity. It constitutes around 14.2% of the total population of India, that is, 172 million Muslims according to the census of 2011. Islam began with the life and ministry of the Prophet Mohammed who was born in the 6^th century AD (570 – 632). Mohammed’s teachings were compiled and constituted by his followers as the Sacred Text for Muslims – the Holy Quran. It is around 1400 years old in terms of its origin. Islam was brought to India for the first time in the 7^th century in the western coastal region of Gujarat, by the Arab traders. It reached North India in 12^th century with the reign of the Mughals.

 

The literal meaning of the term ‘Islam’ is ‘submission’ to God. One of the unique most aspects of Islam is that there is an intense and strict concentration on monotheism. There is no physical representation of God that indicates no idols whatsoever in Islam. All the Muslims have the duty to profess the simple testimony that is, “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet”. Therefore, obedience to the will of Allah rests on following the example of the Prophet Mohammed in one’s own life and faithfulness to the revelations of Allah collected in the Holy Quran.

Some of the Islamic Practices Which are Relevant for Us in India Today

The main issue of this article is, “what are some of the Islamic practices which are relevant for us Christians in India today? Or what can we Christians learn from Muslims?”

Browsing through the history of traditions and religious practices of Christianity and Islam, one spontaneous reaction seems to occur with much force would be something like, “Christians can learn nothing from Islam”. The reasons are quite obvious – violence, terror, hatred, etc. At the present scenario terrorism is very easily identified with Muslims even if there is no connection at all. The situation is so vulnerable that sometimes all Muslims are regarded as supporters of terrorism and terrorist activities. Having all this at the background of Islam in relation to other religions, how can there be an option for mutual sharing of love and peace between Muslims and Christians!

However, there are some indications and suggestions that Islam could be looked at positively and that there are a good number of positive features that could overshadow the so-called negative image it has been thrust upon. For many, it would be a completely strange thing if we say that the Holy Quran teaches peace and that Islam, as the word implies ‘total surrender and submission to Allah’, is a peaceful religion. It should be noted here that Christianity has also done much harm to Islam by way of Crusades, though it remains a mere history now.

Certain Similarities between Islam and Christianity

There are certain similar peculiarities in both Christianity and Islam. To begin with, both religions find their roots in Judaism. Another aspect is that both are missionary religions and have the mission of propagating their faith and religion. Similarities that are found in these two religions surely teach us to learn from and appreciate one another. For example, we could speak of Muslims’ adherence to the commandments to love both Allah and neighbour, though there is no direct mention of it in the Quran. Having originated from Judaism, Christianity and Islam worship the same God, just the names are different. The ways of worship, of course, are different from one another, but there is only one God who is worshiped by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Monotheism is the essence of Islam, the fundamental doctrine of Islam. The holy Quran says, “Say, He is God, the One, God the Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like Him.” (The Quran 112:1-4). Allah is the one who fulfils the needs of the believers. He always cares for the believers and they owe their existence to Him alone. Belief in one Great God implies that human beings are His humble servants and that modesty alone befits Him. The Sacred Texts in the form of the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran are the Inspired and Revealed Texts of the Divine.  There is a long historical tradition of prophets in both religions and the prophets are revered with great devotion.

Islamic Practices Relevant to Christianity/ Christians can learn from Muslims’ Practices

While keeping in mind the similarities of Christianity and Islam in terms of some traditions, practices and expressions, we Christians ought to be inspired by the magnanimity that Islam has in itself. We simply cannot miss out certain features that sound very dear to the whole of humanity. There are certain features that are very important and are at the core of Islam, which can be very much inspiring for Christianity. All Muslims are supposed to abide by these rituals and practices as true followers of the Prophet Mohammed. These practices are a significant way through which the followers of Islam remember their history, express conviction, and thus grow in devotion to Allah. These core practices and rituals are popularly known as the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars of Islam, namely, Shahada (Profession of Faith), Salat (Ritual Prayer), Zakat (Almgiving), Sawm/Siyam (Fasting during the month of Ramadan), and Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca), are five practices regarded by all sects of the Islamic religion as essential to the Muslim faith. Some rituals are practiced daily with regularity and dedication, like prayer; others are practiced annually, like those aligned with specific Islamic lunar calendar. The religious practices and rituals of Islam are relatively few in number, but great in importance.

In Islam, more emphasis is given to the notion of community. The term ‘ummah’ refers to the entire Muslim community. They emphatically reject the notion of individualism; and see themselves as part of Muslim community. Likewise, Christians in the present scenario urgently need to recapture the idea of community and fellowship or ‘koinonia’, which is intrinsic to the biblical understanding of the church since its origin. The idea of community would help Christians to understand better how they could involve themselves in politics without falling into the theocratic trap that Muslims have more often gone through. In fact, Muslims have misinterpreted the role of their faith by trying to apply the Quran directly to political affairs. Everyone, including secularists, should try to learn more about Islam and Muslims in order to see that many of the differences between them and Muslims cannot be written off as merely a clash of civilizations. They go far beyond cultural differences, because Muslims live in many cultures, but are basically religious and rooted in totally different understandings of the world and human society.

There are many things that are good we Christians already know. However, we ought to learn from Muslims some things which are good, or be reminded of by Muslims. These are things which we already believe, though we do not practice them very well. The things Christians should not learn from Muslims are those that we already recognize as evils, and the things Christians should obviously learn from Muslims are those that we already recognize as goods. But there is yet another thing, which is good, not evil, but which we do not clearly recognize as obviously good, but do not practice it very well. It is not unique to Muslims. We could learn it from anyone, but Muslims seem to be the ones who are most clearly manifesting it today. Therefore we must turn to the Muslims to learn it, not merely for the sake of being nice to them or for religious harmony, but for our own holiness, wholeness and humanity. We could call it something like the ‘spirit’ of Islam, ‘strength of will’, or ‘spiritual toughness’. It is the spiritual power of moral conviction in a person’s soul. In my opinion, this is an admirable and even crucially necessary quality because it is one of the qualities that stands out in Jesus in the Gospels. We as Christians need to regain this quality as our mission is to win souls and fulfil the Great Commission assigned to us in the Gospel, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19).

Muslims are some of the most charitable people on earth. They give willingly, as per commanded to by Allah, to the poorest in society, regardless of any discrimination. Jihad means ‘Inner Struggle’. When he refers to ‘Jihad’, a Muslim is more likely to be struggling with fasting from dawn to dusk in Ramadan rather than wanting to bomb and shoot the innocent world. Apart from cleanliness in the minds and hearts Islam speaks about cleanliness in the physical world too. Nature loves cleanliness and is annoyed by pollution. Muslims have always attached great importance to cleanliness, because of the explicit commands of the Quran on this subject. Just as repentance frees body and soul of worldly immorality, water removes impurities from body and clothing.

Moving further, human beings have been granted total intellectual freedom of expression and creativity in Islam. Islam with its message of freedom of expression has brought a revolution in human history to all human beings. The truth is that the secret of all human progress lies hidden in intellectual freedom. A society having intellectual freedom breeds creative people whereas a society which curbs intellectual freedom will necessarily stagnate and as a result the produce of creative mind and its growth and development will forever be stopped.  Islam put an end to discrimination between human beings on the basis of race, colour, status, etc. People ought to be assigned a high or low status according to their moral worth alone.

Another striking feature of Islam is that major portion of the Quran is dedicated to the exemplary lives of the prophets. Jesus is frequently mentioned in the Quran and is honoured everywhere by Muslims as the messiah, prophet, messenger, word from God, etc. Muslims believe in Jesus, Just not the same Jesus with the divine status that privileged Christians believe in. They do not believe in Jesus dying on the Cross, and do not worship him as the Son of God. The Quran clarifies that Jesus’ creation was no different from that of the first human being that says, “Jesus is like Adam in the sight of God. He created him of dust and then said to him: ‘Be’ and he was.”

According to the Plan of God, human beings are created and placed in the situations where they have to go through times of joys and hardships as integral parts of their daily lives.  The present world is a passageway and not the destination. It is the place for preparation, and not for reaping the harvest. Therefore, right approach to life is the demand of Islam. We the Christians must make a note of it and strive to integrate a right approach to life and the plan of God. This right approach further inspires us to inculcate the quality of resilience in the realm of trials and tribulations and challenges and competitions. We ought to have the ability to bounce back from misfortune or hardships. Nature has provided the remedy for such negative experiences, and that is the power of resilience, coupled with the gift of patience. Moreover, Islam aims to build a peaceful society at all cost even as peace is the basic to all religions. Islam aims at making all individuals peace-loving to the ultimate extent. That is why they are enjoined to greet one another by saying ‘assalam-o-alaikum’, which means, peace be upon you.

Furthermore, we are told that God-Experience in Islam is quite unique. For Muslims, the universe is a complete introduction to God. God is visible in His creation, just as a human being sees his own reflection in the mirror, without having any doubts about it. The concept of a living and powerful God is necessarily accompanied by the concept of accountability. And the concept of accountability guarantees right thinking and right actions on the part of human beings. Besides, the Quran mentions about Mother Mary several times, whereas it does not do so for any other woman by name. By this fact, we can just imagine the eminent importance of Mary in Islam. Mary dedicated her life to the service of God, so God opened the doors to the treasures of wisdom and truth. Such exposition of Mother Mary in the Quran ought to intensify our devotion to Mother Mary.

Moreover, Islam also showcases the final judgement of human beings after death on this earth. According to Islam, the virtuous are to be rewarded by God in the after-life by being admitted to the gardens watered by running streams and lodged in pleasant mansions in the gardens, i.e., paradise. Comparison between a fruit tree and human society showcases that just as a tree benefits mankind by its offerings of shade, fruit, flowers and a loveliness to gladden the eyes, so should human beings live in society, giving comfort and bringing joy to their fellow human beings.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, having gone through the information on Islam and the traditions and practices of the Muslims, I have arrived at a point where I can sense a real beauty in Islam. In fact, the reality is that, besides Christianity, our secular society too has so much to learn from the ancient wisdom that is there in Islam. Some of this learning may take the form of reminders of what is inherently and originally biblical, but has been neglected for a long time. A wide range of Christian values and ideals seem to be finding their abode in Islam. Muslims may indeed have learned some of these things from Christians. All the same, now Muslims can return the favour to Christians with love. For such marvellous teachings and inspirations we Christians ought to be thankful to the Muslims and their traditions and practices. Christians can indeed learn much from Muslims, but only if they are willing to learn. Besides, the importance of faithfulness and regularity in prayer with an absolute submission and total surrender to God is a just example for all of us. The universal approach can be seen in all the teachings of Islam. One who adopts the Quranic way would start thinking at the universal level. His personality would be linked with the entire human brotherhood. In spite of being located in a particular region, one would become a citizen of the universe. Eventually, what I can say is that Islam, even as it is widely misunderstood and mistreated due to connection with violence and terrorism, has rather great features to marvel at and striking lessons of great importance to other religions, especially, Christianity.