Over the past couple weeks we’ve looked at the basics of Islam and started looking at what it takes to evangelize a Muslim. Now it’s time to turn to more specific information regarding Islam to prepare the believer to speak intelligently about both faiths. Today we’ll examine the Five Pillars of Islam, rules accepted by all factions of Islam. These are:

The Shahaadah is the first pillar and declares one faith in a simple phrase, “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

Salah is the word for prayer, which is performed with ritual movements five times a day while prostrate and facing Mecca.

Zakat dictates that each Muslim should give charitably, usually 2.5% of their income or an equal amount of good works if one is poor.

Sawm is the sunrise to sunset fast of each day of the month of Ramadan.

Haji refers to a pilgrimage to Mecca. If a person is too poor of physically unable to make the pilgrimage they are excused from this mandate, though they should help others to make the journey. The journey is made in December.

With the exception of the first pillar there is nothing wrong with the requirements. It would do Christians well to pray as frequently, to give so charitably, to fast so faithfully, and to travel to Israel to gain a first-hand perspective of the time of our Lord. But that first pillar, there is no getting past it. This is what terrorist demand a person proclaim or else be executed, and it is simply something that a Christian cannot agree to.

As we were able to show previously, Allah and Jehovah are not the same. To say that there is no God but Allah is to deny Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit and to mischaracterize God entirely. The second half of the statement is also troubling, for we have shown that Muhammad does not fit the criteria of a prophet. There are dire consequences for proclaiming either of these statements. On the one hand, Jesus warns that “…whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10.33). And on the other hand Jesus also warned, “Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets” (Luke 6.26). Clearly judgment and not mercy await all who proclaim the Shahaadah. This is important for two reasons.

The first is that no Christian should ever agree to or proclaim the Shahaadah. While I do not believe one can lose their salvation, the greatest punishment is held for those who deny God. On February 15th, 2015 21 Christians were beheaded by Muslim’s because they would not agree to the Shahaadah and instead repeated the name of Jesus, guaranteeing it would be the last word on their lips before seeing their Savior face to face. An amazing example for all believers.

The second reason is that it is vital for Muslim’s to repent of the Shahaadah and come to faith in Jesus. As the verses quoted above attest, there is no hope for those who follow the teachings of Muhammad. Eternity is at stake for the millions on non-militant Muslim’s around the globe. It is imperative they learn the truth of Jesus or suffer eternal judgment.

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