Quotes from "A
Common Word between Us and You"
The Testimonies of Faith
"The central creed
of Islam consists of the two testimonies of faith or
Shahadahsi,
which state that: [1] There is no god but God, [2] Muhammad is the messenger
of God. These Two Testimonies are the sine qua non of
Islam. He or she who testifies to them is a Muslim; he or
she who denies them is not a Muslim....
[Note: Since
those two "testimonies" from the
Shahadahsi are
distinctly Islamic, not Christian, they do not imply "common ground."
In this context, the word "God" refers to Allah, not our
Biblical God. Muhammad is a messenger to Muslims, not
to Christians.
A Common Word
"...God in the Holy Qur’an confirms that the same eternal
truths of the Unity of God, of the necessity for total love and
devotion to God (and thus shunning false gods), and of the necessity
for love of fellow human beings (and thus justice), underlie all
true religion:
"And verily We have raised in every nation
a messenger, (proclaiming): Worship God and shun false gods. Then
some of them (there were) whom God guided, and some of them (there
were) upon whom error had just hold. Do but travel in the land and
see the nature of the consequence for the deniers!
(Al-Nahl, 16:36)..."
[Note: Islam rejects the Triune nature of our God (the
Father,
Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy
Spirit). Therefore Muslims have historically considered Him a
false false god. That's also why Christians in Muslim territories (since the 7th century)
have been viewed as infidels -- killed by the thousands for not converting
to Islam
or submitting to a dhimmi status.
Come to a Common Word!
"...We thus as Muslims invite Christians to remember
Jesus’s
words in the Gospel
(Mark 12:29-31):
"…the LORD our God, the
LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all
your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And
the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as
yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than
these. "
As Muslims, we say
to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not
against them—so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on
account of their religion, oppress them and drive them
out of their homes..."
[See
Persecution]
"...Muslims
recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, not in the same way Christians
do (but Christians themselves anyway have never all agreed with
each other on Jesus Christ’s nature), but in the following way: '...the Messiah Jesus son of
Mary is a Messenger of God and His Word which he cast unto Mary
and a Spirit from Him. (Al-Nisa’, 4:171). We therefore
invite Christians to consider Muslims not against and thus
with them, in accordance with Jesus Christ’s words here....
"Let this
common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue
between us, for our common ground is that on which hangs all the
Law and the Prophets
(Matthew 22:40).
God says in the Holy Qur’an:
"Say (O Muslims): We believe in God and that
which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham,
and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which
Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from
their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto
Him we have surrendered. "And if they believe in the like of that
which ye believe, then are they rightly guided. But if they turn
away, then are they in schism..."
[Note:
True
Christians cannot "come to a 'Common Word'" without
compromising their faith in the Holy God of the Bible. He alone is our Lord and
Shepherd, our Savior and King.
Yet we must never hesitate to show His love and share His Truth
with all who will listen. ]
“To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these
things...
By the greatness of His might and the strength of His power."
Isaiah 40:25
