Folk Islam

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Folk Islam

• By
• Dr. Mark Anderson

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The Andersons
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The Islamic World
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Muhammad 570 AD- 632 AD
Jerusalem captured 638 AD

• AD
• M
• Conquors
• Mecca

622 AD M. Flees to Medina
610 AD M First Revelation (age 40)
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Mount Hira Place of Mohammads Revelations
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Good News!
More Muslims have come to Christ in the past 30
years than the total number during the previous
1,300 years There are first-generation converts
from Islam to Christ all over the planet
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Definition Official Islam

• Official Islam
• answers ultimate
• issues of life
• theologically-
• the big picture

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Official Beliefs of Islam

• Allah
• Angels of Allah
• Prophets of Allah
• Books of Allah
• Day of Judgment
• Destiny
• Life After Death

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Five Pillars of Islam

• 1. The Shahada or Confession
• There is no God but Allah and
• Muhammad is his prophet
• 2. Required prayer performed
• five times daily
• 3. Almsgiving giving to the poor
• equal to 2 ½ percent of ones property

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Five Pillars of Islam

• 4. Fasting during Ramadan
• 5. Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a
  lifetime if affordable
• (6) Jihad holy war or internal
• struggle?

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Alvin Niendick asks
So what is Folk Islam?
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Folk Islam Defined

• Folk Islam handles
• immediate, everyday
• life problems by
• finding spiritual
• causes and solutions

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Is Folk Islam Common?

• About 75 of
• the worlds Muslims
• practice Folk Islam

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What Does This Mean?

• Muslim practices
• can look quite
• different from
• personal and official
• belief statements

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Its About Power

• Solutions for spiritual causes in everyday
• life involve power-
• Folk Muslims seek power
• for daily life

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Power For What?

• 1. Power over spiritual enemies
• Goal Appeasing or manipulating
• them for ones benefit
• Satan (Shaytan) mentioned
• 59 times in 31 of the Korans 114 Suras
  (chapters)
• b. Spiritual powers, jinn demons, angels

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Power For What?

• 2. Power over the power
• of evil persons
• a. Envy
• b. Curses and spells
• c. Manipulation

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Power For What?

• Power over threats to
• fertility
• health
• possessions
• family
• resources

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Power For What?

• 4. Power over
• a. Threats to Islam
• b. Dawah- bringing Islam to
• Dar al-Harb (Domain of War)
• Europe, United States, Israel,
• Africa, Central South
• America, Asia.

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Daily Life May Include

• Amulets Divination
• Curses Astrology
• Jinn or spirits Sorcery
• Ancestral spirits/ghosts
• Dead saints baraka Magic

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Daily Life Continued

• Impersonal spirits Angels
• Sorcery/witchcraft Satan
• Sickness-healing Charms
• Medicine person Evil Eye
• Dreams and visions

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In Folk Islam

• The supernatural and
• natural realms are seen
• as totally
• inter-dependent.
• They interact between each
• other normatively.

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• Normative interaction of the
• natural with supernatural is
• assumed in Buddhism,
• Hinduism, Witchcraft, Sikhism,
• New Age Thought, Voodoo,
• Native American religion,
• Mormonism, Scientology,
• Jehovahs Witnesses, etc.

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Obtaining and Using Power
Pastor Barnes, I still refuse to join the
worship team!
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Folk Religion The Evil Eye

• Among contributing factors,
• the evil eye is seen as
• a major cause of crises
• in Muslims lives.
• Bill Musk. The Unseen Face of Islam.
• Ch. 1, p. 24.

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Evil Eye Defined

• A person
• communicatesa destructive forcewith their
  eyes
• (i.e., anger, jealousy)

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Envy Sura 113

• (1) Say I seek refuge with the
• Lord of the Dawn,
• (2) From the mischief of
• created things
• (3) From the mischief of
• darkness as it overspreads

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Envy Sura 113 continued

• (4) From the mischief of those
• who practice Secret Arts
• (5) And from the mischief of
• the envious one as he
• practices envy.

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Evil Eye Places of Origin

• North Africa
• The Middle East
• India
• Southern Europe
• David Burnett The World of the Spirits, 143.

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Evil Eye Protection
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Blue Eyes Most Dangerous
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Evil Eye Protection Hand of Fatima, or Hamsa
(five)
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Door Knocker Hand of Fatima
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Hand of Fatima
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Spiritual Protection- Bracelet Piece of Koran
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Pendant Koranic Writing
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Pendant Koranic Writing
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Shiite Armband Amulet (Koranic verses, Allahs
names, etc)
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Guess What?

• Muslims have brought
• Folk beliefs and practices
• with them to America.
• They seek power to deal with everyday life
  issues.

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What About Us?
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• God
  
• Gods Angels Rebellious Angels
• Michael Gabriel Satan
• ? ? ?
  ?
• / / / \ \
  / / \ \
• ? ? ? ? ? ?? ??
• ? ? ? ? \ ?
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• ?? ?? ???? ? ???? ? ?? ?? ??
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• People
• ?????? Pastor Barnes ?????
• 
  

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A Christian Challenge

• God
• --------------------------------------
• ?
• An Excluded Middle
• ?
• -------------------------------------
• Gods People

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Jesus is Lord Eph. 119-21
IN HIS ASCENSION, JESUS IS ELEVATED
TO A POSITION OF
AUTHORITY OVER
ALL POWERS,
WHOM HE JUDGES
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Jesus the Center

• - Creation
• - All powers
• - The church
• His people
• Col. 115-23

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Muslims Coming to Christ

• 1 Reason
• The lifestyle of Christians
• they practiced what they
• preached

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Muslims Coming to Christ

• 2 Reason
• The power of God to
• answer prayers
• and to heal

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Reason Number Three Dissatisfaction With The
Type of Islam Experienced.

•  

• The Qurans emphasis on
• judgment over love and
• acceptance.
• The need for liturgy in Arabic.
• Folk Islams use of amulets
• and praying at graves of saints.

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Reason Number Four Dreams and Visions
More than one in four respondents, 27, noted
dreams visions before their decision for
Christ, 40 at the time of conversion, and 45
afterward.
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Why is Jesus appearing to Muslims?

• Dreams/visions are where the supernatural and
  natural intersect in traditional
• Islamic worldview
• Christ shows up where such things would be
• expected to happen

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Reason Number Five The Gospel Message

• The gospel message, especially its
• assurance of salvation and forgiveness,
• is a significant attraction to Muslims.
• Muslims have no certainty of salvation.
• The Quran demands absolute
• obedience with no assurances
• (Allah might change his mind)

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Gods People Praying

• Unleashing
• Gods
• Power

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St. Lukes Church Prayer Walking
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Praying With And For Muslims Identifies You As

• 1. A holy person
• One loved by God

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Praying With And For Muslims Identifies You As

• One who refuses secularism, humanism, atheism
• 4. A friend of Muslims

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Praying With And For Muslims Identifies You As

• 5. A source of help
• One whose prayers
• reveal power over
• spiritual forces

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Prayer Lining Up With God
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Prayer Spiritual Weight-Lifting
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God Listens

• The smoke of the incense,
• together with the prayers
• of the saints, went up
• before God from the
• angels hand.
• Revelation 84

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Bad Evangelism 1
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2
Bad Evangelism 2
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To Do

• Locate a Muslim
• 2. Pray for and with them

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A Key Resource Bill Musk
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Lynn and Donna about to contact Muslim neighbors
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