Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics (2006)

What is Islam? Who was Muhammad? When was Islam created? Is the Koran like the Bible? What does Islam share with Judaism and Christianity and what separates them?

Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics, by Daniel Ali and Robert Spencer, is a quick read consisting of 100 common questions and answers regarding Islam, its impact in history, the world and other faiths. Ali and Spencer do a nice job of explaining the beliefs of Muslims and how they are either similar or different from Judaism and Christianity.

Did you know that Muslims believe Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and that his second coming is part of the end times? Did you know that the Koran includes stories of Adam and Eve, Moses and Abraham? Yes, Islam shares the names and the stories, but the details and interpretations are sometimes very different.

According to the book, Muslims believe the Koran to be the direct word from Allah as dictated by the angel Gabriel to Muhammad. These words are not up for interpretation, merely obedience.

According to the book:

• Where Christians see God as a father figure, Muslims see Allah as a master.
• Where Christians believe heaven means spending eternity in God's presence, Muslims believe heaven means spending eternity in paradise, but not in Allah's presence.
• Where the Bible is consistent in it's messages and truths, the Koran allows for Allah to contradict previous statements or change his mind on various teachings.
• Where Christians believe in the Trinity, Muslims believe in Allah alone.
• Where Christians believe Jesus was the Son of God, Muslims believe he was only a prophet.

The book also states that Muslims believe that the original Old and New Testaments were in line with the Koran at their inception, but have since been altered to meet various devious goals, thereby nullifying their value as they are considered fiction.

Ali and Stevens go into greater detail into the history of the creation of the Koran, the holy traditions, Mecca, the role of women in Muslim society and so on. It is an informative and enlightening book. It gives me a much greater appreciation as to why some Muslims take their religion and wage war with the sword against unbelievers.

This is all new territory for me and this book is a great starting point for Catholics who want to begin to understand the Muslim faith and how it varies from our own teachings. I strongly recommend it for those of you interested in the subject matter.