# Conversation with a Muslim



## aadebayo (Feb 12, 2015)

Hello All

I have a regular conversation with a Muslim at my workplace. Sometimes, he mentions God's name (I know that the god of Islam is not the God who created the whole universe, who is self existent, self sustaining, unchanging, infinite, Holy, Mighty, powerful God). I have spoken to him several times. My concern is that will I be violating the third commandment by not drawing to his attention each time who I know God is? 

Also I have had at least 2 colleagues use the name of God in vain recently. How do I call them to account? Will it be good to first ask if they believe in God first and use that as a basis of drawing their attention to this sin. A majority of my colleagues, including all my close colleagues (colleagues who I directly work with) know that I am a Christian. Your thoughts and advice will be much appreciated.
Please bear in mind that I have read both the Westminster Confession and 1689 London Baptist Confession.


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## earl40 (Feb 12, 2015)

For your muslin friend you have appeared to do enough. So far as your other friends who do such I assume they are really your friends, and if so you may simply say that it grieves you to hear them do such in front of you. If they see your sincerity any friend should at least stop for your sake.


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## johnny (Feb 12, 2015)

I also have a muslim friend who does the exact same thing to me.
He assumes quite wrongly that the god he is talking about is the same God that I believe in. 
(only a greater and more recent revelation) 
He blathers on and on and I can't get a word in edgewise. 

I think its a muslim way of relating to us Christians (per say)


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## Jack K (Feb 12, 2015)

A few rambling thoughts...

God's name is not honored by his people being annoying. You might bring up your concerns on occasion, and it is good for you to testify winsomely about your hope in Christ, but it is not your responsibility to protest each and every time your hear God spoken of wrongly—as if he needed you to come to his defense.

This is actually a difference between Christianity and what many Muslims believe. However much we love Christ, Christians do not feel a need to prove their love by striking back or getting defensive every time he is dishonored. He will defend himself in time, and we are willing to bear some shame until then. Part of your Christian witness in your workplace, and especially to your Muslim coworker, will be to demonstrate this difference by how you approach things.

If your coworker wants to talk about God, perhaps you take him up on it. There's nothing sinful about listening to a person who's mistaken about God and talking with him about the true God. You don't have to correct every little thing or constantly tell him he's wrong; just be a patient teacher and friend. This honors God. To outdo your coworkers in humility and kindness, while still holding to truth, will be a big part of your witness. Also talk about how Jesus reveals God; how when we've seen Jesus we've seen the Father. The deeper you get into that, the clearer it will become that you and your coworker don't view God the same way.


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## Steve Curtis (Feb 12, 2015)




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## whirlingmerc (Feb 12, 2015)

It's strange what God uses sometimes to reach people. Singing in worship is a sin in Islam but a Christian cleaning lady sung all the time and many people in one family became Christians listening to her.

Some areas you might talk about include salvation resting on God's power, the spectacular love and mercy of God, God being the highest treasure
Seeing genuine faith, mercy and love in a person will go a long way


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## aadebayo (Feb 13, 2015)

Thanks very much for all your replies. They have been very helpful.


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## KeithW (Feb 13, 2015)

A possibility in understanding and interacting with a Muslim might be to read a book like James White's _What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an_. The introduction to the book is available as a preview on Amazon. While I have not read the book, the introduction includes this about Christians and Muslims.



> Generally, our two communities are abysmally ignorant of the other's sacred texts, so we tend to talk right past each other, assuming nonexistent commonalities of language and definition...


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## aadebayo (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks Keith, I will get a copy f the book.


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## whirlingmerc (Feb 14, 2015)

I recommend the speaker Nabeel Qureshi that now works for RZIM ( Ravi Zecharias ministries ) 

see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQX9ZTxmqMs


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## Cymro (Feb 14, 2015)

You ask how to deal with workers blaspheming the name of God. A friend of mine
responds mildly by saying,"don't you know that your cursing your own soul?" The reaction is usually, 
How do you say that? To which he replies with the third commandment of the law. The word of God is
quick and powerful, and the law convicting. It opens up discussion.


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## Ask Mr. Religion (Feb 14, 2015)

I would ask, _What doesn't offend Muslims_? The only truthful answer from a faithful Muslim is that Muslims are offended by the existence of anyone who is not Muslim. 

If you're not Muslim, you're an _infidel_. First and foremost–it's not what you _say_ or _do_, but what you _are_, that's intolerable. 

You could say nothing, or you could mouth all the right Islamic honorific titles in conversations with Muslims (empowering and emboldening them), but even that is insufficient to placate Muslim sensibilities. For that matter, it's not even enough to be Muslim. After all, it is offensive to be the wrong kind of Muslim. _Sunnis_ are offensive to _Shiites_, and vice versa.

Many Muslims still believe the Christian Trinity is “Father, Son, and Mother”. (_Surah_ 5:116) Sigh. This caricature of the Trinitarian doctrine in the Muslim's holy book is alone sufficient evidence that the book of Islam is not divinely inspired. For if it were, the book would at least get the doctrine of the Trinity as believed by Christians correct. The fact that it does not is _prima facie_ evidence of the questionable origins of the book. This fact is more pointed given that the book of Islam arrived on the scene in the seventh century, well after the church had declared the doctrine of the Trinity in answer to the numerous heresies that were prevalent at the time. Was God ignorant of what the Christian church was declaring about His one divine essence and three personal subsistences (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) when Gabriel presumably revealed God to Muhammad at that time? You would think that this presumed corrective from God through Gabriel to Muhammad would at least have its facts straight about the Christianity being denounced therein.

All the lachrymose pontifications by Muslims that it is a _religion of peace_ ignores the reality of their own book.

That which is contained in the book of Islam is clearly denied by Muslims who profess their _peaceful_ religion. Shirk! Indeed, they are hypocrites of the first order of their own _professed_ (but apparantly not _possessed_) faith.

*Any Muslim* who gives their careful attention to the violence now part of the _Sharia_, Muhammad’s _Sunna_ (e.g., 4:24, 4:92, 8:69, 24:33, 33:21, 33:50), and the sword and anti-Christian verses of the Qur’an (e.g., 4:74, 4:91, 8:12, 9:5, 9:29, 33:35-36, 59:2) should realize that their claims of "peace" are but chimeras of their own making. 

If a Muslim are going to stand for something at least he or she stand for what their book actually teaches.

Just sayin'.


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## Elisabeth (Mar 9, 2015)

aadebayo said:


> Hello All
> 
> I have a regular conversation with a Muslim at my workplace. Sometimes, he mentions God's name (I know that the god of Islam is not the God who created the whole universe, who is self existent, self sustaining, unchanging, infinite, Holy, Mighty, powerful God). I have spoken to him several times. My concern is that will I be violating the third commandment by not drawing to his attention each time who I know God is?
> 
> ...




I am glad to hear you have managed to get contact with a Muslim! Coming from a Muslim family and background myself I'd suggest not to bring up the fact about their God not being our God too many times - it might actually have the opposite effect. Now, the Muslim believes they indeed worship the God of Abraham, as we do, but they also believe that we misunderstood Jesus' words, and that Mohammad is the last prophet of God. The emphasis for you when you speak to your Muslim friend should then be to use examples from the OT and the Gospels about the deity of Jesus Christ and his role as the Messiah. This is central because the Muslim believes in the scriptures of the Jews and the Christians (up until the end of the Gospels), and so you can use the bible to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. If you are interested in seeing your Muslim friend come to Christ, this is at least what I suggest and have seen to be profitable  My understanding is limited, though, and I might be wrong. I have found that many Muslims long for someone to carry their sins, but they are going about establishing their own righteousness and denying the true God... I hope your friend comes to see the love of Christ and repents!


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## Covenant Joel (Mar 9, 2015)

Ask Mr. Religion said:


> I would ask, _What doesn't offend Muslims_? The only truthful answer from a faithful Muslim is that Muslims are offended by the existence of anyone who is not Muslim.
> 
> If you're not Muslim, you're an _infidel_. First and foremost–it's not what you _say_ or _do_, but what you _are_, that's intolerable.
> 
> You could say nothing, or you could mouth all the right Islamic honorific titles in conversations with Muslims (empowering and emboldening them), but even that is insufficient to placate Muslim sensibilities. For that matter, it's not even enough to be Muslim. After all, it is offensive to be the wrong kind of Muslim. _Sunnis_ are offensive to _Shiites_, and vice versa.



Are you basing this on your own personal interactions with Muslims or on your reading of the Qur'an in combination with what you see on the news?

Perhaps you have had very extensive interactions with Muslims, I really don't know. But I live surrounded by them. What you describe is _extremel_ rare in my context. Are they faithful in their reading of the Qur'an? Frankly, I don't really care because whether they are not, they still need Jesus. Lots of them haven't really thought through all of the things you mention, sure. 

But at the end of the day, it would be better for us to get out and befriend Muslims and share the gospel with them rather than make broad generalizations about how they view things and even how they _should _​view things as Muslims.


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## jwright82 (Mar 10, 2015)

I can't say that I ever had any conversation with any Muslims but I have studied their thinking and noticed a similarity between them and Mormons. I was meeting with some Mormons a few months back and they were teaching me their religion from their perspective until I wouldn't convert and they asked me not to come back. But one thing I noticed is that any religion that starts with scripture is wrong but supplemented by by some later revelation always has to have some individuals who only interpret the faith correctly. Like a pope of sorts. Mormons and Muslims alike affirm some human being as divinely inspired to interpret the faith for the faithful. 

We on the other hand have no need for a "pope" as such because we actually have the word of God in scripture. Notice that when us Christians came along we didn't say that the OT was wrong, to be fair Catholics and Eastern Orthodox agree with us here, but had a fuller revelation in Christ and his disciples. Those other religions hinge on their belief that those earlier revelations were lacking in some way. As if God could not truly reveal himself through one set of scripture.


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