Bridgebuilding Between Christian and Muslim.
By Dr. Jamal Badawi
All grace is due to Allah, Creator and Sustainer of the
universe, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
and that Muhammad is His servant, messenger and the seal of
all the prophets and messengers in history. May Allah's
peace and blessing be upon them all. I'd like first to
express my thanks and appreciation to those who arranged
this seminar, and I do hope that we leave it with a better
understanding of each other and with more positive
attitudes. With nearly one billion followers each, Islam
and Christianity are major religions that influence the
thinking and values of over 40 percent of the World
population. While there are theological differences, some
of which might be significant, there are nonetheless other
important areas of belief that are shared by both
communities: belief in Allah, or God; belief in revelation,
in prophets, in the Holy Books of Allah; in the life
hereafter and in a divinely inspired moral code organizing
and regulating human life during our earthly journey to
eternity.
MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE
For the Muslim, constructive dialogue is not only
permitted, it is commendable. In the Qur'an we read, 'Say,
'O people of the book' (a term which particularly refers to
Jews and Christians) 'come to common terms as between us
and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate
no partners with Him (in His powers and divine attributes);
that we erect not from among ourselves lords and patrons
other than Allah.' If then they turn back say you 'Bear
witness that we are Muslims.' (Bowing) to the will of God."
(al-i-Imran;3:64)

The methodology of that dialogue is also explained in the
Qur'an; "Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom
and beautiful exhortation, and argue with them in ways that
are best.' (al-Nahl; 16,125) A prerequisite for any
constructive dialogue is that both communities should not
learn about each other through sources that are
unsympathetic, critical, or even hostile: they should
rather try to formulate an honest idea as to how the other
faith is seen in its own authentic scriptures and as
practiced by those who are truly committed to it. This need
is even more significant in the case of the
Muslim-Christian dialogue. The average Christian has heard
of or has read about Islam mostly through writers who have
had colonial or missionary motives, which might have given
a certain slant to their interpretation of Islam to the
western mind. While I admit that my own practice of Islam
is far from perfect, I at least speak from the vantage
point of someone who wants to think of himself as a
committed, practicing Muslim. Now I'd like to share with
you five basic areas, consideration of which is imperative
in any Christian-Muslim understanding: the meaning of the
term "Islam"; the meaning of the term "Allah"; the nature
of the human; the relationship between the human and Allah;
the question of accountability, and finally, some
conclusions pertaining to bridgebudding between Muslims and
Christians.
MEANING OF "ISLAM"
Taking the term "Islam," it is important to emphasize that
it is not derived from the name of any particular person,
race, or locality. A Muslim considers the term used by some
writers, "Mohammedanism," to be an offensive violation of
the very spirit of Islamic teaching. The Prophet Muhammad,
peace be upon him, is not worshipped, nor is he regarded as
either the founder of Islam or the author of its Holy Book,
the Qur'an. The term "Islam" is given in more than one
place in the Qur'an itself. It is derived from the Arabic
root (SLM) which connotes "peace" or "submission." Indeed,
the proper meaning of "Islam" is the attainment of peace,
both inner and outer peace, by submission of oneself to the
will of Allah. And when we say submit, we are talking about
conscious, loving and trusting submission to the will of
Allah, the acceptance of His grace and the following of His
path. In that sense the Muslim regards the term Islam, not
as an innovation that came in the 7th Century, Christian
era, with the advent of the Prophet Muhammad, but as the
basic mission of all the prophets throughout history. That
universal mission was finally culminated and perfected in
the last of these prophets, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
them all.
ISLAMIC MONOTHEISM
The next essential concept that needs to be clarified is
the term "Allah" What does it mean? It should be emphasized
first that the term "Allah" has no connotation at all of a
tribal god, an Arabian or even a Muslim god. The term
"Allah' in Arabic simply means the One and Only True,
Universal God of all. To think that Allah is different from
God, with a capital 'G' is no more valid than saying the
French Christians worship a different god because they call
him "Dieu".

What are the basic attributes of Allah? The Qur'an mentions
the "most beautiful names" (or attributes) of Allah.
Instead of enumerating them all, let's examine a few. Some
attributes emphasize the transcendence of Allah. The Qur'an
repeatedly makes it clear that Allah is beyond our limited
perception. "There is nothing whatever comparable unto
Him." (al-Shura; 42:1 1) "No vision can grasp Him, but His
grasp is over all vision." (al-An'Zim; 6:103) A Muslim
never thinks of God as having any particular image, whether
physical, human, material or otherwise. Such attributes as
"The Perfectly-Knowing," "The Eternal," "The Omnipotent,"
"The Omnipresent," "The Just," and "The Sovereign" also
emphasize transcendence. But this does not mean in any way
that for the Muslim Allah is a mere philosophical concept
or a deity far removed. Indeed, alongside this emphasis on
the transcendence of Allah, the Qur'an also talks about
Allah as "personal" God who is close, easily approachable,
Loving, Forgiving and Merciful. The very first passage in
the Qur'an, which is repeated dozens of times, is -In the
name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful . . . .' The
Qur'an tells us that when Allah created the first human "He
breathed into him something of His spirit," (al- Sajdah;
32:9) and that "Allah is closer to the human than his
jugular vein." In another beautiful and moving passage we
are told, "When my servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning
me, then surely I am near to them. I listen to every
suppliant who calls on Me. Let them respond to My call and
obey My command that they may be led aright."

For the Muslim, monotheism does not mean simply the unity
of God, because there can be different persons in unity.
Monotheism in Islam is the absolute Oneness and Uniqueness
of Allah, which precludes the notion of persons sharing in
Godhead. The opposite of monotheism in Islam is called in
Arabic "shirk," association of others with Allah. This
includes not only polytheism, but also dualism (believing
in one God for good or light and another for evil or
darkness). The concept of "shirk' also includes pantheism,
the idea that God is in everything. All forms of
God-incarnate philosophies are excluded by Islam's
monotheism, as is blind obedience to dictators, to clergy,
or to ones own whims and desires. These all are regarded as
forms of "associating" others with Allah (shirk), whether
by believing that such creatures of Allah possess divinity
or by believing that they share the Divine Attributes of
Allah. It should be added that, to the Muslim, monotheism
is not simply a dogma. Islam's pure, pristine and strict
monotheism is much more than a thought or a belief; it is
something that deeply influences the Muslim's whole outlook
on life.
NATURE OF THE HUMAN
We have talked about Allah. What about you and me? Who is
the human being? Who are you and I? And why are we here on
earth? The Qur'an teaches that we humans are created of
three components. We are created from clay, representing
the material or carnal element. We are endowed with
intellect that is Allah-given to be used, not to be put on
the shelf. Reason may be insufficient but it is not the
antithesis of faith, either. And thirdly, we are endowed
with the spirit of Allah, which was breathed into us
(al-Sajdah; 32:7, al Baqarah; 2:31, al-Hijr; 15:29). The
Muslim does not see human existence here on earth as
punishment for eating from the forbidden tree. That event
is regarded as an experiential lesson for Adam and Eve
before they came to earth. The Qur'an teaches that even
before the creation of the first human it was Allah's plan
to establish human life and civilization on earth
(al-Baqarah; 2:30). Thus, the Muslim does not view the
human as all evil, nor as all good, but rather as
responsible. It is stated in several places in the Qur'an
that.Allah created the human to be His "khalifah", His
trustee or vice- regent on earth. Humankind's basic trust,
our responsibility, is to worship Allah. Worship for the
Muslim is not only engaging in formal rituals, but it is
any activity in accordance with the will of Allah for the
benefit of oneself and of humanity at large. Thus the
Muslim views the earth, its resources and ecology as a gift
from Allah to humans to harness and use in fulfillment of
the trust for which we shall all be held responsible. That
is why the Qur'an speaks highly of learning. The first word
revealed of the Qur'an was, "Recite," or "read." As long as
they were true to their faith and to Qur'anic injunctions
about learning, Muslims established a civilization that saw
great advances in science and in the humanities. Not only
did they preserve earlier scientific heritage but they also
added to it and paved the way for European renaissance.
When Muslims again become true to their faith such history
is bound to repeat itself
 ALLAH-HUMANKIND RELATIONSHIP
We talked of Allah and of humankind. Now we must ask what
is their basic relationship. The Qur'an teaches us that the
human race is given an innate pure nature called "fitrah."
Knowledge of Allah and innate spirituality are inherent in
human existence, but this spirituality can betray us if it
is not led in the right direction. To depend on a merely
human feeling of the guiding Spirit is dangerous. Many
groups, even cults, claim to be guided by the spirit or by
God or by revelation, yet these groups hold divergent, even
contradictory, beliefs. We find people behaving in
contradictory ways who claim nonetheless that each is doing
the will of God. "I feel," they say, "that the spirit
guides and directs me.'

A credible source of revelation is imperative. Throughout
history Allah has selected particular individuals to convey
His message, to receive His revelation and to exemplify it
for mankind. For some of these prophets, holy books or
scriptures were given revealing Allah's commands and
guidance. For most of you the names of these prophets found
in the Qur'an will sound familiar: Noah, Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon, John the
Baptist, Jesus, and, finally, the last prophet, Muhammad,
peace be upon them all. These prophets carried the same
basic message: "Not an apostle did We send before you
without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that there is
no god but I; therefore worship and serve Me." (al Anbiya;
21:25) Further, the Qur'an insists on calling all those
prophets Muslims, because a Muslim is one who submits to
the will of Allah. Their followers are called Muslims as
well. Thus it is an article of faith for a Muslim to
believe in all these prophets. Indeed, Muslims are warned
that anyone who accepts some prophets and rejects others,
in fact rejects them all. For a Muslim, to believe in Moses
while rejecting Jesus or Muhammad is against the very
teaching of Moses. And to believe in Jesus but reject Moses
or Muhammad is to violate what Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad
stood for. For a Muslim to believe in Muhammad and reject
either Moses or Jesus is to violate his own Holy Book.
'Those who deny Allah and His apostles, and (those who)
wish to separate Allah from His apostles, saying: 'We
believe in some but reject others ' and (those who) wish to
take a course midway. They are in truth (equally)
unbelievers and We have prepared for unbelievers a
humiliating punishment." (Al-Nisa'; 4:150-151) Recognition
of all prophets is an article of faith, not a mere social
courtesy or diplomatic statement. I do hope that with open
minds, open hearts and further careful, honest study there
may be more such mutual recognition.
 THE SPECIAL ROLE OF MUHAMMAD
But why do Muslims in their testimony of faith say, "I bear
witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is
His messenger? Does that mean that they in fact reject
other prophets? Indeed, the special role played by Muhammad
as the seal and last of all the prophets puts the Muslim in
the position whereby honoring Muhammad implies honoring
those who came before him as well. Muslims are warned not
to make fanatical or parochial distinctions between
prophets (al- Baqarah; 2:285). But the Qur'an also says
that Allah has favored some prophets with more significant
gifts or roles than others (Al-Isra'; 17:55). All are
brothers, although the only prophet with the universal
mission to all humankind is Muhammad, peace be upon him
(al- Furqaan; 25:1 1). The Muslim believes not only that
Muhammad is a brother to Jesus, Moses, Abraham and other
prophets, but the Qur'an states in clear terms that the
advent of Muhammad was foretold by previous prophets,
including Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them (al-Araf;
7:157, al-Saff; 61:6). Even the Bible in its present form
clearly foretells the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (e.g.
Genesis 21:13, 18, Deuteronomy 18:18 and 33:1-3, Isaiah
11:1-4, 21:13-17, 42:1-13 and others).

For the Muslim, the Qur'an contains the words of Allah
directly and verbatim revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace
be upon him. Many confuse the Qur'an with the 'Hadith,' or
sayings, of the Prophet. The Hadith is quite separate from
the Qur'an. The latter was dictated to Muhammad word for
word through the Angel Gabriel and immediately memorized
and put down in writing. It is important to emphasize that
the Qur'an was neither written nor composed by Muhammad,
peace be upon him. To hold such a view would contradict
what the Qur'an says of itself and of Muhammad; that the
prophet is not speaking on his own but only transmitting
the revelation dictated to him by the Angel Gabriel. To
suggest that the Qur'an borrowed from or copied from
previous revelations, be it the Bible or otherwise, is, for
a Muslim, an accusation of 'prophetic plagiarism," a
contradiction in terms. The fact that there are
similarities between the Qur'an and previous scriptures is
simply explained by the fact that He Who spoke through
those earlier prophets is He Who revealed the Qur'an to
Muhammad, the one and only true God, Allah. However, the
Qur'an is the last revealed Holy Book, which supersedes
previous scriptures and the only one still available in the
exact words and language uttered by Prophet Muhammad.
ACCOUNTABILITY AND SALVATION
We have talked about Allah, about the human and about the
relationship between them. What about accountability? How
can we humans, from the Islamic perspective, overcome
"sin"? The Qur'an teaches that life is a test, that earthly
life is temporary (al-Mulk; 67:2). The Muslim believes that
there is reward and punishment, that there is life
hereafter and that reward or punishment do not necessarily
wait until the day of Judgment, but start immediately after
burial. The Muslim believes in resurrection,
accountability, and the day of judgment.

For a Muslim, to demand perfection in order to gain
salvation is not practical. It is demanding the impossible
and is unjust. Islam teaches a person to be humble and to
learn that we cannot achieve salvation by our own
righteousness. The reconciliation of the "sinful" human
with Allah is contingent on three elements: the most
important is the Grace, Mercy, and Generosity of Allah.
Then there are good deeds and correct belief. Correct
belief and good deeds are prerequisites for God's Grace and
Forgiveness and for rising above our common shortcomings.
How can sin be washed away? The Qur'an gives the
prescription: 'If anyone does evil or wrongs his own soul,
but afterwards seeks Allah's forgiveness, he will find
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (al-Nisa'; 4:110)
Another moving passage reads, "Those things that are good
remove evil deeds." (Hud; 11:114) Islam teaches repentance,
stopping evil ways, feeling sorry for what one has done,
and determining to follow the path of Allah as much as
humanly possible. The Muslim does not believe in the
necessity of the shedding of blood, much less innocent
blood, to wash away sins. He believes that Allah is not
interested in blood or sacrifice, but in sincere
repentance. The Qur'an puts it clearly: "But My Mercy
extends to all things." (al-A'raf; 7:156)
THE APPLIED ASPECT
How about the application? Are we just talking theology?
Since the human is Allah's trustee, it would be
inconsistent for a Muslim to separate the various aspects
of life, the spiritual and the material, state and
religion. We hear a lot about the "five pillars of Islam,"
but they are often presented as the whole of Islam, many
times in a shallow way. They are not the whole of Islam any
more than one can claim to have a functional house composed
exclusively of five concrete pillars. You also need the
ceiling, walls, tables, windows and other things. As the
mathematicians put it, it is a necessary but not a
sufficient condition. The rive pillars of Islam (the
testimony of faith, the five daily prayers, fasting,
charity, pilgrimage) are presented by most writers as
matters of formal ritual. Even the pillar that is liable to
appear ritualistic, daily prayers, is a purely spiritual
act involving much more than simply getting up and down. It
has social and political lessons to teach the Muslim. What
may appear as separate compartments of life simply does not
exist for the Muslim. A Muslim does not say, 'This is
business and this is moral." Moral, spiritual, economic,
social and governmental are inter-related, because
everything, including Caesar, belongs to Allah and to Allah
alone.
MUSLIM/NON-MUSLIM RELATIONS
In conclusion and against this background, what is the
implication for the Muslims in their attitudes toward
non-Muslims? To start with, and we must be frank about it,
the Qur'an makes it incumbent on the Muslim to convey
Allah's message in its final form, the Qur'an, to all
humanity. We are not talking here about conversion. I do
not like that word. Indeed, to turn to Islam, the religion
of all the prophets in its final form, is not to turn one's
back on the preceding Prophets. It is an augmentation,
rather than a conversion, because it does not involve
changing ones basic spiritual nature. In the Qur'an, pure
human nature is a "Muslim nature," which knows its Lord and
wishes to submit to Him. The Qur'an states, "Let there be
no compulsion in religion." (al-Baqarah; 2:256) My
substitute for the term "conversion' is "reversion," in the
sense of a return to the pure monotheism in which we were
all created. Thus the Muslim is taught to be tolerant
toward others. Indeed, the Qur'an not only prohibits
compulsion in religion, but it prohibits aggression as
well, although it allows defense: "Fight it, the cause of
Allah those who fight you, but commit no aggression; for
Allah loves not transgressors." (al-Baqarah; 2:190)

In addition, we find that within this broad rule of dealing
with non-Muslims "the People of the Book" is a special term
accorded to Jews and Christians in the Qur'an. Why "People
of the Book"? Because the Muslim makes a clear distinction
between a polytheist or an atheist and those who follow the
prophets who originally received revelations from Allah.
Even though a Muslim might point out areas of theological
difference, we still believe in the divine origin of those
revelations in their "original" forms. How should a Muslim
treat these "People of the Book"? Says the Qur'an: "Allah
forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for
[your] Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing
kindly and justly with them: for Allah loves those who are
just. Allah only forbids you, with regard to those (others]
who fight you for [your] Faith, and drive you out of your
homes and support (others] in driving you out, from turning
to them [for friendship and protection]. It is such as turn
to them [in these circumstances], that do wrong.'
(al-Mumtahanah; 60:8-9)

In the world today all believers in Allah are facing common
dangers: atheism, materialism, secularism and moral decay.
We must work together. Allah says in the Qur'an: "... If
Allah had so willed, He would have made you a single
People, but His Plan is to test you in what He has given
you. So strive as in a race in all virtues. The return of
you all is to Allah; it is He that will show you the truth
of the matters in which you dispute.' (al-Ma'idah; 5:51)

I hope, feel, and trust that there is sufficient common
ground for Muslims and Christians to meet, understand each
other, join hands and move together in the Path of Truth,
Peace, and Justice, the Path of Allah. Thank you very much
for your patience and may peace be with you.

The Holy Quran:Surah 49,Al-Hujurat,verse 13:Universal
declaration of human equality and brotherhood:"O Mankind!
We have created you from a male and female,and then made
you into nations and tribes so that you might know one
another.Indeed the most honourable among you in the sight
of Allah is the one who is most pious."
Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) sayings:(Hadith):
O son of Adam,so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I
shall forgive you for what you have done,and I shall not
mind.O son of Adam,were your sins to reach the clouds of
the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would
forgive you.O son of Adam,were you to come to Me with sins
nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me,
ascribing no partner to Me,I would bring you forgiveness
nearly as great at it. (Hadith Qudsi)

DU'A (Invocations)

Oh Allah! With your blessing,we enter the morning and with
your blessing,we enter the evening, with your blessing we
live and die,and unto you is the Reawakening.

Oh Allah!You are my Lord; there is no god but you. You
created me and Iam your slave.I Keep your covenant,and my
pledge to you so far as I am able,I seek refuge in you from
the evil of creation I recognize my misdeeds.Forgive me,
for there is none who may forgive sin but you.

Oh Allah!I have entered a new morning and call upon you and
upon the bearers of your throne,upon your angels and all
creation to bear witness that surely you are Allah, there
is no partners,and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is
your slave and you messenger.

Allah! Is sufficient for me. I have placed my trust in him;
he is lord of the majestic throne.

Oh Allah!Knower of the unseen and the evident,maker of the
heavens and the earth,lord of all and it is possessor, I
bear witness that there is no god but you.I seek refuge in
you from the evil of my soul and from the evil of Satan and
his helpers. (I seek refuge in you) from bringing evil upon
my soul and from harming any Muslims.

In the name of Allah! Who by his name harms nothing in the
earth nor in the heavens,he is the hearer,the knower of all
things.

I am pleased with Allah as my lord,with Islam as my
religion,and with Mohammed as my prophet.

Oh ever living one,oh Eternal one,by your mercy I call on
you to set right all my affairs. Do not place me in charge
of my soul even for a moment.

We have entered a new day and with it all creation enters
the dominion of Allah,lord of the world.My Lord,I ask you
for the goodness of this day for it's help and it's
victory,for it's light,for it's blessings, and for it's
guidance.I seek refuge in you from the evil that is in it
from the evil that follows it.

We have entered the new day in the faith of all creation,
in the word of absolute belief,in the religion of Mohammed.
And in the nation of our father Ibrahim. Pure in faith and
submission, he never worshipped any other than Allah.











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