ISLAM
Whereas most students of the Bible have long held that some form of humanism or universal church would catapult Antichrist unto the world stage, no such concept is really described in scripture concerning the religious system of Antichrist.
What scripture portrays is a fanatical, and blasphemous, political-religion that persecutes Christians, attempts to wipe out the Jewish people and beheads those who refuse to follow. The beast of Revelation that the apostle John saw rising up is a precise portrayal of the revived Islamic Caliphate driven by the apocalyptic religion of Islam in the end times.
What the prophets described thousands of years ago regarding the brutal, religious system, of the coming empire, is being unleashed on the world today in preparation for the arrival of Antichrist.
ISLAM 101
According to Islamic tradition, a man named Mohammed began receiving revelations from the angel Gabriel which came directly from god, known in Islam as Allah. These revelations were received in Mecca, a city in the Arabian Peninsula, now part of Saudi Arabia. Born in 570 A.D., Mohammed received revelations from approximately 610 A.D. until his death in 632 A.D. When Mohammed made his revelations known to local Jewish scholars in Mecca, declaring himself a prophet, he was rebuked. During the first few years only a handful of people came to Islam, and, according to Islamic sources only a couple hundred during the first 13 years of Islam (peaceful Meccan period). Eventually Mohammed was driven out of Mecca and fled to the town of Medina. There, Mohammed made agreements with the local tribes, gained support, and raised an army. Many people were converted to Islam, and when Mohammed secured enough power, he returned to Mecca and conquered it.
In Islam, Mohammed is considered the perfect example of a Muslim (“al Insan al Kamil”), therefore, anything he did is considered worthy of emulating. Significant examples include: Mohammed’s killing of 500-700 Jews of the Qurayzah in Medina whose beheadings were sanctioned by Mohammed himself who participated; Mohammed’s command to wage Jihad against non-Muslims until they convert or submit to Islamic rule; and Mohammed marrying a six year old girl and consummating the relationship when she was nine (Aisha). These are all accepted in Islam as legal (“halal”) behavior.
The compilation of the revelations is contained in the Qur’an, which is considered “the uncreated word of God (Allah) in Islam.” Because it is direct divine revelation, it can never be changed or annulled.
People who adhere to Islam are called “Muslims.”
Islam is comprised of Sunni and Shia Muslims. Sunnis believe the leader of the Islamic community (Ummah) is elected/chosen. The Shia believe the leader must be a blood-line descendent of the Prophet Mohammed. Most of the Islamic world is Sunni (85-90%). Shia states include Iran, Iraq (60% Shia), Bahrain, and others.
The Hadith is the collection of the words and deeds of Mohammed as witnessed by those who traveled with him. There are many Hadith scholars and thousands of individual Hadith. Hadiths are rated based on their “chain of transmission” which determines the authenticity of the individual Hadith. The most authoritative Hadith scholars are men named Bukhari and Muslim. Strongly authenticated Hadith by Bukhari is second in authority to Islam only to the Qur’an itself.
Islam is not just a religion, but a “complete way of life governed by Islamic Law (Sharia).” Islam is the social, cultural, military, political, and religious life of a Muslim governed by Sharia or Islamic Law. Theology is subordinate to the requirement to adhere to the Sharia. Islamic Law was formed from the Qur’an and the Sunnah (the ‘way’ of the Prophet). The Sunnah is comprised of the Hadith and the Sira, which are the authoritative biographies of Mohammed.
Four Schools
In Sunni Islam, there are four doctrinal schools of law; the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’ite, and Hanbali. It should be noted that Takfirism and Wahhabism arise exclusively out of the Hanbali School of Islamic law, the form of Islamic law that is official in Saudi Arabia.
Iran’s Constitution states the four Sunni schools are legitimate as well as the Jafari School (Shia), even though there are irreconcilable differences between Shia and Sunni Islamic law.
Ijma
or scholarly consensus, is the doctrine that holds when the grand mujtahids came together at one time and one place to discuss one issue where they unanimously agreed (based on four criteria), then the agreed upon ruling becomes an absolute rule in Islamic law that cannot be contravened or annulled. The four schools of jurisprudence agree in approximately 75% of the law. “Jihad” and relations between Muslims and non-Muslims are issues where there is scholarly consensus.
Abrogation
is an Islamic legal doctrine that holds that what was revealed later in the period of revelation to Mohammed controls or overrules those things that were revealed earlier where disagreement exists. Therefore, the peaceful verses of the Quran (“…there is no compulsion in religion”) are abrogated by chronologically later violent verses (“…fight and slay them (unbelievers) where you find them.”).
Jihad
from Reliance of the Traveller (Shafi’ite Islamic Law), means to “war against non-Muslims … to establish the religion (of Islam).” Also understood as “just war” or “holy war.” No other definition of ‘jihad’ has ever existed at any point in history in any authoritative Islamic Law. When Muslims cannot fight the jihad against non-Muslims, they are required to fight with the pen or mouth. If even this is not possible, Islam requires them to fight with their “heart” and hate/despise the unbelievers for the sake of Allah. Muslims can only fight when there is an overwhelming probability they will win. Jihad is obligatory for all Muslims until the world is claimed for Islam.
Dar al-harb
the world of the sword, the infidel and perpetual war. Countries that are non-Muslim reside in the dar al-harb. Individuals from the dar al-harb are designated as harbi, “enemy persons, persons from the territory.
Islam divides the entire world into the Dar al-harb and the Dar al-Islam.
Dar al-Islam
the Land of Islam and peace. Peace on earth does not come until the entire world has been made of Dar al-Islam. Islam is under permanent jihad obligation to reduce the dar al-harb to non-existence.
Shaheed / Martyr
a Shaheed or Muslim martyr is a person who is killed while fighting the infidel, or the non-Muslim. When a Muslim dies, he is prepared for burial and buried within a short time, as prescribed by Islamic Law. He awaits the Day of Judgment at which time all the good and bad deeds of his life are weighed on a scale. If the bad outweigh the good, the person is cast into hell. If the good outweigh the bad, that person still must go through the fires of hell to be purified, and then he goes to Paradise/Heaven. A Shaheed is buried as he was killed so Allah can see he is a Martyr and is taken to Paradise/Heaven immediately. It is the only guaranteed way in Islam for a Muslim to get into Heaven.
Zakat
mandatory financial giving and one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Per Islamic Law, which comes directly from Sura 9:60 in the Qur’an, a Muslim must give 2.5% of their financial earnings – after expenses as calculated by a “Zakat Calculation” table – to eight (8) categories equally. Category seven (7) is “The Cause of Allah” and is defined as Jihad. This means that all Muslims are required, by Islamic Law, to support jihad – which the West calls terrorism.
Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam are the basic requirements of all Muslims and includes:
- Shahadah – the statement of faith; there is no god but god (Allah) and Mohammed is his messenger.
- Salah – five daily prayers
- Zakat – almsgiving
- Sawm – fasting
- Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca
The aforementioned information is understood as authoritative Islamic doctrine and taught at the most prestigious Islamic institutions in the world. This is also taught in Islamic schools at the elementary school level around the world, to include the majority of Islamic schools in the United States. To imply this information is not correct is to make a statement that the majority of the Muslim world understands and teaches an incorrect version of Islam.
Credit: John Guandolo of Understanding the Threat.
Islamic Terms
Alawite
An offshoot of Shia Islam, often considered heretical, located primarily in Syria where it makes up approximately 12% of the population.
Allah
Arabic for “God.”
Burka
A full-body and face covering worn by some Muslim women in compliance with an interpretation of a Quranic verse that instructs Muslims to dress “modestly.”
Caliphate
An Islamic State where Sharia is the basis of governance; usually used in reference to past Islamic empires in the Middle East. The Caliphate will be revived in the end times and brought back to life by the 10 Kings.
Civilization Jihad
Term used by the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood in a 1991 document to describe its strategy to gradually destroy the United States from within.
Dawa
The proselytizing of Islam.
Fatwa
A legal ruling made according to Sharia (Islamic law).
FGM
Female Genital Mutilation – Partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia usually carried out on girls from a few days old to puberty. Considered a religious obligation by some Islamic authorities in order to control women’s sexual desires.
Gradualism
Islamist strategy often used by the Muslim Brotherhood that calls for incremental, pragmatic change of societies towards compliance with Sharia governance.
Hadith
Recorded collection of the acts and sayings of Mohammed, the founder of Islam who Muslims believe was a prophet; “ahadith” refers to the body of collections, each viewed with varying credibility.
Hajj
Pilgrimage made to Mecca that is required of all capable Muslims.
Halal
Arabic word for “permissible” under Islamic law (Sharia).
Hijab
Veil often worn by Muslim women that covers the scalp but leaves the face exposed in compliance with an interpretation of an Islamic command to dress “modestly.”
Honor Killing
The murder of a family member for allegedly “shaming” the family with un-Islamic behavior.
Hudna
Islamic term for temporary truce.
Hudud
The term Hudud in Sharia (Islamic law) usually refers to the most serious criminal punishments.
For example, the punishment for apostasy, adultery and homosexuality is execution; thievery is punishable by having a hand severed and premarital sex is punishable by 100 lashings.
Ikhwan
Arabic for “Brotherhood,” usually in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Imam
Religious authority figure; usually the leader of a mosque.
Islamism
The interpretation of Islam as a governmental system in which strict Sharia law must be enforced; synonymous with Political Islam.
Islamophobia
Unwarranted fear of Muslims; term frequently used by Islamist groups and their allies to label critics of Islamic extremism as bigots in order to stifle criticism.
According to Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, a former member of a U.S. Muslim Brotherhood front group (IIIT), “This loathsome term is nothing more than a thought-terminating cliche conceived in the bowels of Muslim think tanks for the purpose of beating down critics.”
Jihad
A holy war waged against non-Muslims on behalf of Islam considered to be a religious duty; also, a personal struggle in devotion to Islam.
Mahdi
The Mahdi is a figure who, according to Islamic believers, will unify Mankind under Islam after vanquishing a false messiah; Shiites sometimes refer to him as the “Hidden Imam.”
Masjid
Arabic for “mosque;” Islamic house of worship.
Mujahideen
Religiously-motivated fighters that volunteer to wage Jihad against the enemies of Islam.
Muslim Brotherhood
A worldwide Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna that seeks to implement Sharia-based governance globally.
Nikah Mut’ah
A marriage contracted for a limited period, for a certain sum of money. Such marriages are still legal among Shiites, but are considered prohibited by Sunnis. (Dictionary of Islam, by Patrick Hughes).
Even though mutʿah is prohibited by Sunni schools of law, several types of nonpermanent marriage exist, including misyar (ambulant) marriage and ʿurfi (customary) marriage, that gained popularity in parts of Sunni world (Mut’a, by Karen Ruffle, Oxford Bibliographies).
Niqab
A face veil, worn by some Muslim women, that exposes only the eyes in compliance with an interpretation of an Islamic command to dress modestly.
Political Islam
The interpretation of Islam as a governmental system; synonymous with Islamism.
Quran
The book that Muslims believe records the prophecies received by Mohammed from Allah.
Salafist
Islamic movement formed in the early 20th century that holds that Muslims must reject much of modernity and replicate the lifestyle of Mohammed and early Islamic authorities; often used synonymously with Wahhabism.
Salat
Arabic for “prayer,” required by Islamic law (Sharia) to be performed five times per day.
Sawm
Arabic for “fasting.”
Shahada
The declaration of faith required by Islamic law saying that a person believes that Allah is the one God and Mohammed is his messenger.
Sharia
A legal framework to regulate public and private aspects of life based upon specific Islamic teachings. Sharia is a strict system which views non-Muslims as second-class citizens, sanctions inequality between men and women and prescribes cruel and unusual punishments for crimes. The totalitarian Islamist doctrine of Sharia, mandates the spread of Islam by all believers and submission to its laws even by non-believers. Not all Muslims practice this, but those who do, represent a major threat to the free world.
Sharia Finance
Investments into funds approved by Islamic scholars as being Sharia-compliant; often referred to as “Islamic banking.”
Sheikh
A Muslim preacher with recognized religious authority.
Shiites
Branch of Islam that represents 10-15% of Muslims. Shiites believe that Muhammed divinely ordained his cousin and son-in-law Ali to be the next caliph making Ali and his direct descendants Muhammed’s successors.
Sufi
Practice of Islam that emphasizes mysticism and whose followers organize into “orders.”
Sunna
Proper behavior as represented by the life of Mohammed and written in the ahadith; often used synonymously with ahadith.
Sunnis
Branch of Islam that represents 85% of Muslims. Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr, the father of Muhammad’s wife Aisha, was Muhammad’s rightful successor and that the method of choosing leaders is the consensus of the Muslim community.
Sura
Chapter of the Quran.
Takfir
The act of declaring ones fellow muslim to be a non-believer. It is a legal categorization for which the sentence is traditionally death, which must be handed down by an Islamic Court. Most notably used in recent times on Salman Rushdie, who was declared a kafir and sentenced to death in a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini because of passages in Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses.
Taqiyya / Taqqiya
Arabic for “deceit” or “dissimulation.” According to certain Islamic interpretations, Muslims are allowed to lie in certain situations such as to deceive their enemies, particularly non-Muslims.
Ummah
Worldwide community of Muslims.
Wahhabi
Term used to describe a puritanical form of Islam like that which is instituted in Saudi Arabia; inspired by the preaching of Mohammed al-Wahhab.
Zakat
Obligatory donation of income in Islam.
GET IN TOUCH
Events Location
Events Location
First Baptist Church of Mauldin
150 S. Main St.
Mauldin, SC 29662