Man and Sin in Islam - In
Islam the purpose of mankind is not to know God and to be conformed to His character, but
rather to understand Allah's will and become more obedient to His commands. For Muslims,
man is the high point of God's creation. He is a type of viceroy (khalifa) on the earth.
However, man's most basic relation to God is that of a slave or servant. Man is to serve
God the Master, fulfilling His commands and abstaining from His prohibitions. Man is not
made in the image of God.
Mankind is seen as being innately religious, and this natural state can be encouraged or
discouraged through education. Muslims believe that man's most basic problem is ignorance.
Man is good but imperfect. Muslims think that man was created as a weak and inconsistent
being. Man is forgetful and needs to be reminded about his religious duties. Therefore
mankind needs more knowledge of religious law to please God. Man does not need to be born
again, but to live in conformity to Islamic rules.
Religious activity such as ritual prayer, pilgrimages, alms giving, fasting and reciting
the Muslim confession of faith are at the heart of Islamic religious experience. People
should always do what is religiously obligatory and shun what is forbidden. Because of the
view that man is weak, forgetful and ignorant, sin is therefore seen
more as a mistake and not moral corruption in the Christian sense. Muslims believe that
they earn merit with God based on their religious practices. Often, Muslims are more
concerned about losing face by getting caught not practicing religion than with actually
breaking moral law. This shame mentality is found in almost all Muslim societies.
Christians believe that man is made in the image of God. God Himself encourages men to
reason, to make wise decisions and to rejoice in God and the things which He has made. In
the Christian view man was originally created good but became morally corrupt through sin.
Therefore, for Christians, sin is not simply a matter of making mistakes, but rather of
living in opposition to Godly character. Through the new covenant God wants to transform
our very being, bringing us back into conformity with His nature and character (Rom
12:1-3).
Muslims do not easily understand the reason for the cross of Christ partly because they do
not understand man and sin. Missionaries and Christians in general need real wisdom,
courage and perseverance to explain clearly to Muslims God's role for man and to clarify
the nature of sin.
Prayer Topics
* Thank God that He has made us in His image and likeness (Gen 1:26). God has renewed His
image in us through Christ and we are to be His imitators (Eph 4:31-5:2). God's design is
for us to be His children (John 1:12-13; Rom 8:16, 21; 1 John 3:1-2, 10).
* Pray for Muslims to have a revelation of real sinfulness through the Holy Spirit (John
16:8).
* Pray for wisdom, courage and perseverance for missionaries and Christians in general as
they seek to explain the Christian understanding of man and sin to Muslims.
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