Page 112 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Muslims. According to the journal Intercede (March 2008), “The UN calls
Somalia ‘the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa.’ It tops the list of the
world’s most forgotten and neglected emergencies. Headlines declare
‘Somalia’s endless hell.’” The phrase “endless hell” describes the state of
far too many people. We must respond to the challenge.

How did Islam begin? Why does it have a grip on so many people?
Since these questions deserve an entire course of study, I recommend
the Discovery Series textbook Muslim Ministry in the African Context by
Harry Morin. For our study, we will look briefly at some of the major
events and teachings of Islam and conclude with a suggested response.

The Prophet and His Message
Islam was founded by Muhammad, who was born in approximately
A.D. 570 in Mecca, Arabia. We do not know much about his early life.
History indicates that Muhammad lost his father before he was born, and
his mother died while he was a small child. He was raised by a respected
but not wealthy uncle, Abu Talib. Muhammad was employed as a camel
driver and trader by Khadijah, a wealthy woman, who became his wife. By
this marriage, Muhammad gained economic freedom and time to meditate.

Muslims claim that in about A.D. 610 the word of God (Allah) came
to Muhammad in a cave outside of Mecca, where he had some kind
of a mystical experience. According to tradition, an angel appeared to
him and commanded: “O Muhammad! You are the messenger of Allah,
and I am Gabriel.” When Muhammad related this incident to his wife
Khadijah, she advised him to seek advice from her cousin, Waraqah,
who was a Christian. Morin details Waraqah’s response to Muhammad’s
experience:

Waraqah was acquainted with the Scriptures of the Jews and
Christians. After hearing Muhammad’s experience, Waraqah
assured him that his experience was from God. He added that just as
God called Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of idolatry, He was
now calling Muhammad to lead the Arab people out of idolatry. (9)

No doubt Muhammad had met people of different religious beliefs,
including Christians, during his travels and in his contact with people
such as Waraqah. Unfortunately, the kind of Christianity Muhammad

::: 102 :::