How Much Do You Know About Islam? Part 2

In my last article I presented a quiz on the background and history of Islam. In this installment we will look at more questions concerning the beliefs and practices of Islam. As we said then, no world religion has garnered more interest, questions, and just plain fear than has Islam in the past couple of decades. Take a few minutes to answer the following ten questions on the beliefs of Islam then check the answers below to see how you did.

Fill in the blanks with the letter of the correct answer.

1.   ___ The primary articles of Islamic faith are _______.
a.   The Five Pillars
b.   The Four Fundamentals
c.   The True Doctrines
d.   Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

2.   ___ Islamic “Holy War” is called ” ______”, from the Arabic word meaning “to endeavor, to strive, to struggle”.
a.   Jihad
b.   Zakat
c.   Ramadan
d.   Oon-gawah

3.    ___ The ______ is the Sacred Book of Islam.
a.   Injil
b.   Qur’an
c.   Torah
d.   Book of Mormon

4.   ___ Muslims believe it is the words of God revealed to Muhammad in the _______language.
a.   Aramaean
b.   Aramaic
c.   Arabic
d.   Aerobatic

5.   ___ The Islamic view of God (Allah) is rigid _________.
a.   Polytheism
b.   Tri-theism
c.   Monotheism
d.   Monopoly-ism

6.   ___ Jesus is Called “________” in the Qur’an and is mentioned in 15 separate Suras of the Qur’an.
a.   Ishmael
b.   Isa
c.   Allah
d.   ABBA (Mama Mia!)

7.   ___ For Muslims, _____ is caused by human weakness or forgetfulness, but not inherited.
a.   Sin
b.   Disease
c.   Death
d.   Epidermis

8.   ___ In Islam, there is no assurance of ________, it is only…”if Allah wills…”.
a.   Birth
b.   Death
c.   Salvation
d.   On Time Pizza Delivery

9.   ___ The consumption of pork and drinking of _______ is forbidden in Islam.
a.   Alcohol
b.   Caffeine
c.   Water
d.   Decaffeinated Diet Cola (If it’s not, it should be! Blah!)

10.   ___ Muslim men may have up to ______ wives at a time, women may have only one husband.
a.   Two
b.   Three
c.   Four
d.   Don’t know, but the Bible says “No man can serve two masters” (see Matthew 6: 24a).

Let’s see how you did in this part.
Question 1. The correct answer is A. The primary articles of Islamic faith are the Five Pillars. A pillar is a stone column upon which the roof of a huge building rests. In this case the religion of Islam rests upon these five concepts. They are as follows:
(1) Faith – Every good Muslim is expected to recite the essential Declaration of Faith called the Shahada. It is a simple formula that all Muslims must pronounce in Arabic. It is translated as “There is no God except God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”

(2) Prayer – Each day Muslims recite obligatory prayers called the Salat. They are performed five times per day and are led publicly by a person who knows the Qur’an chosen by the local Mosque. Muslims use the human voice to announce the times of prayer and to call the community to prayer. The adhan is the call to prayer itself, and the person who calls it is called the muadhan.

(3) Almsgiving – Called Zakat, this is the giving of legal alms to assist the needy and to support the cause of Islam. Muslims believe that their possessions are purified by the giving of alms. The expected requirement is 2.5 % of one’s capital wealth and is given to the local mosque or other worthy Islamic organizations.

(4) The Fast – Sawm is when all faithful Muslims fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It is observed from first light to sundown each day. Muslims abstain from food, drink, and sexual relations during those hours.

(5) Pilgrimage – The Hajj is the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca by every faithful Muslim at least once in his or her life. Those who are physically and financially unable may help support a surrogate to go in their place. It is observed during one week each year when pilgrims all wear simple garments supposedly to strip away distinctions of class & culture.

Question 2 – The correct answer is A. Islamic “Holy War” is called Jihad – from the Arabic word “Jahada” meaning “to endeavor, to strive, to struggle.” Some Muslims interpret this to mean to struggle internally with evil and sin in one’s life. However, the traditional meaning is to fight against all forces that oppose or will not willingly submit to Islam. Young Jihadist warriors are told that if they die in a Jihad they will immediately go to Paradise where they will be met by 72 beautiful virgins.

Question 3 – The correct answer is B. The Qur’an is the sacred book of Islam. Gabriel supposedly appeared to Muhammad and dictated the words in Arabic exactly as they were given to him directly from Allah. Muhammad then recited them to scribes who wrote them down flawlessly. Thus, they regard Muhammad and the Qur’an as divinely inspired without variance from Allah’s message. In many ways it is the center of the Islamic Faith. Muslims believe it is the dictated words of God revealed to Muhammad in Arabic and is comparable to the significance of Jesus to Christians. It is the perfect revelation and ultimate revelation of God. The Qur’an consists of 114 Suras (chapters). The Suras are not placed in chronological order in all editions of the Qur’an. Rather they are placed in what they believe is a divinely designed order.

Question 4 – The correct answer is C. Muslims believe the Qur’an is the words of God revealed to Muhammad in the Arabic language. They maintain that the only valid understanding of the text is in that language and that any translation is invalid. Most Muslims not from Arab countries (the vast majority) do not speak or read Arabic. Therefore, they are encouraged to learn Arabic as a second language or they must rely on its interpretation by a qualified Imam (teacher).

Question 5 – The correct answer is C. The Islamic view of God (Allah) is rigid monotheism. Muslims believe that Allah was Creator of the universe, man, and the host of angels. He is indivisible and without parts. He alone is God and has no son. “No son did Allah beget nor is there any god along with Him” (Sura 23:91). “No son has He begotten nor has He a partner in His dominion…” (Sura 25:2).

In Islam, Allah is unknowable in a personal sense. We can only know of his characteristics. According to Islam God has 13 attributes: Existence, Eternity, Perpetuity, Dissimilarity, Self-Sustenance, Unity, Might, Will, Knowledge, Life, Hearing, Sight and Speech.

Question 6 – The correct answer is B. Jesus is Called “Isa” in the Qur’an and is mentioned in 15 separate Suras of the Qur’an. His miracles are signs that Jesus came from Allah. Ironically, Muslims do believe Jesus was born of a virgin.

And Mary the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of his Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants). Sura 66:12

However, they absolutely deny he is the Son of God.
“No son did God beget, nor is there any god along with him.” Sura 23:91

Muslims also do not believe Jesus died on the Cross. They believe that God took Jesus from the cross and substituted Judas in His place, or at least someone who looked like Jesus. He was then taken to heaven where He is alive and from where one day He will return.

“They killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:” Sura 4:157

Muslims do not believe Jesus was raised from the dead. Since Jesus did not die, the question of His resurrection makes no sense to them.

Question 7 – The correct answer is A. For Muslims, sin is caused by human weakness or forgetfulness, but not inherited. The Christian concept of original sin is rejected by Muslims. Every person is responsible only for his or her sins.

Question 8 – The correct answer is C. In Islam, there is no assurance of salvation, it is only…”if Allah wills…”. Salvation requires strict Obedience to the Five Pillars, faithfulness to Islam, and good works. Nonetheless, there is no real confidence that one will be acceptable to Allah at the judgment.

Question 9 – The correct answer is A. The consumption of pork and drinking of alcohol is forbidden in Islam. Pork is considered unclean and alcohol destroys the spirit. Tobacco and other addictive and intoxicating drugs are commonly used in many Islamic nations.

Question 10 – The correct answer is C. Muslim men may have up to four wives at a time but women may have only one husband. In Islamic countries, husbands may divorce their wives for virtually any reason. Women, however, do not have the same rights as men including those regulating marriage.

So how did you do on the two quizzes? If you answered at least half correct you probably have a fairly good knowledge of Islam. If you did not do so well you may want to study our article on Islam at http://www.marketfaith.org/non-christian-worldviews/the-gospel-according-to-osama-bin-laden-islam/.