TTAABBLLEE OOFF CCOONNTTEENNTTSS INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................I A WORD TO GROUP LEADERS ....................................................................................................II A WORD TO GROUP PARTICIPANTS ...........................................................................................III THE LEADER’S MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ..................................................................................... IV SESSION 1 QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................1-2 SESSION 2 QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................3-4 SESSION 3 QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................5-6 SESSION 4 QUESTIONS .........................................................................................................7-8 SESSION 5 QUESTIONS ....................................................................................................... 9-10 SESSION 6 QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 11-12 SESSION 7 QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 13-14 SESSION 8 QUESTIONS ..................................................................................................... 15-16 SESSION 9 QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................... 17 SESSION 10 QUESTIONS ................................................................................................... 18-19 SESSION 11 QUESTIONS ................................................................................................... 20-21 SESSION 12 QUESTIONS ........................................................................................................ 22 SESSION 1 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 23 SESSION 2 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 24 SESSION 3 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 25 SESSION 4 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 26 SESSION 5 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 27 SESSION 6 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 28 SESSION 7 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 29 SESSION 8 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 30 SESSION 9 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 31 SESSION 10 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 32 SESSION 11 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 33 SESSION 12 / MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 34 INTRODUCTION This workbook is designed to help individuals and groups facilitate thinking and discussions on one the most strategic conversations in the today’s world. People hear and read many things about Islam in the popular media. Yet Christians in general know very little about the faith and practices of Islam. Nabeel A. Qureshi, a former Muslim and dedicated advocate for the Christian faith, presents excellent answers to the questions about the differences between these two world faiths. Nabeel writes, “It is my prayer that this book will reach many who are in the throes of their search [for God], and I pray it will lead them to the altar of the one true God. If that is you, know that I have prayed and shed tears for you, and that this book is written for you.” This workbook is organized into twelve sessions. Each of these sessions—except sessions 9 and 12—covers the material from three or four chapters. The questions in the guide are designed to focus on the main objective in each chapter. I A WORD TO GROUP LEADERS SEVEN VITAL FEATURES FOR STIMULATING DISCUSSIONS The Necessary Conversation Congratulations, leader! You will be have a strategic voice in facilitating discussions on one of the most needed conversations in the Christian world. People hear and read many things about Islam in the popular media. Yet, Christians in general know very little about the faith and practices of Islam. Nabeel Qureshi will open your group’s eyes to the history and ways of Islam. With this knowledge, Christians will engage Islamic friends, neighbors and co-workers with both godly compassion and insightful knowledge. The General Format The format of this No God but One: Allah or Jesus? Leader’s Guide reflects the twelve parts of the book. You, the group leader, will be prepared to facilitate twelve stimulating conversations based on the questions that provoke answers drawn from the group. Each of the sessions, except two—sessions 9 and 12—is informed by three or four chapters. Allow at least one hour for the discussion of answers to the questions and personal reflections on what was learned. The Main Focus Nabeel Qureshi presents a lot of intriguing information about Islam and Christianity. To keep your group from getting information overload, the questions in the guide are designed to focus on the main objective in each chapter. To be a well-equipped leader, you are urged to read the assigned pages or chapters for each session and answer the questions in order to keep the main focus in mind. You will find THE LEADER’S MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY at the end of the PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE. The Key Assumption As a leader, you understand that the core assumption is that the participants in your group have read the assigned chapters and answered the questions. The group’s work before the meetings is crucial to transformative discussions during the meeting. Remind your group of their vital role in these life-changing conversations. The Group’s Participation In group interaction, some members will be ready and eager to contribute. Others will be more reluctant. As leader, invite participation from each member of your group. Oftentimes, the quiet member will offer insights that stimulate more eager and expansive conversation. Be sensitive to your group and ask the Holy Spirit to help you draw everyone into the discussions. Lead by example by communicating how what you have learned has influenced you. The Life and Death Reality Fellow Christians are dying over the truths presented in No God by One: Allah or Jesus?, and Sara Fatima’s story is only one example. Encourage your group to pray for the Muslim world and for new Christians converted from Islam. Where prayer focuses, God’s power falls. II A WORD TO GROUP PARTICIPANTS MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR GROUP DISCUSSIONS A Safe Place You are engaged in a strategic conversation about Islam and Christianity. In the context of extreme Islamic terrorism, keep your heart and mind focused on what will help Christians reach Muslims for Christ. Nabeel wants us to learn, not debate, tragic world events. Imagine a seeking Muslim in your group. How would you behave? Keep all discussions and reflections confidential. Respect is Vital Others in the group may not see things like you do. Give each person space to process what they are learning. With only an hour (or so) for your meeting, share your thoughts kindly and briefly, giving space for others to share as well. Just Do It Your leader will expect you to read the assigned chapters and answer the discussion questions before your meetings. For maximum benefit from the book and this group, do the assignments. The group discussions center on the valuable information that Nabeel presents. The questions are designed to get you into the book and prepared to discuss what you are learning. The Power of Reflection Take time to ponder what you read and learn. How does it change your perceptions of the Christian faith and the Muslim faith? How does what you learn help you pray for the conversion of Muslims to Jesus Christ? How might God want to use you in that endeavor? Reflect, also, on what others contribute to the group’s growth. The Power of Community While you might be informed by reading No God but One: Allah or Jesus? alone, you will experience stimulating personal transformation in group discussions. Jesus meets us through his Body, our fellow believers. God seeks to use you to help others grow in the faith and God wants to use others to help you as well. Be willing to contribute to your group and be eager to listen and learn from your group. III NO GOD BUT ONE: ALLAH OR JESUS? THE LEADER’S MAIN FOCUS SUMMARY Each of the twelve discussion sessions in the Participant’s Workbook is based upon three to four chapters in No God but One: Allah or Jesus? This means that each group member will come to each session with a lot of information. You, as leader, must keep in mind the main objective of each part of the Nabeel’s book. Without ignoring what each participant may contribute to the discussions, you will want to keep the main focus the main thing. The following “main focus summary” is provided to help you keep Nabeel’s core ideas at the center of your group’s discussions. It provides key paragraphs that keep the main objective in mind. A participant may offer some comments about a secondary focus from the chapters read. You will want to help the participant connect that information to the main idea. For example, in discussing the Crusades, a participant may get bogged down trying to recite the history of the Crusades from both an Islamic and Christian point of view. The main point of Nabeel’s whole discussion of the Crusades is that for Christians the Crusades were a defensive move, not a violently aggressive move against Muslims (contrary to popular opinion). IV SESSION 1 QUESTION 1: WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY? Part 1: Sharia or the Gospel? Two Different Solutions (read Preface and Chapters 1 - 4) Preface In his Preface Nabeel writes, “Both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic, believing there is ‘no God but one,’ but they differ fundamentally on who that God is: Allah or Jesus.” What are the four ways that the words “Allah” and “God” are used by Muslims and Christians that may cause some confusion”? PART 1: SHARIA OR THE GOSPEL? TWO DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS Chapter 1 “The Way to Life” 1. What are some surprising similarities between Islam and Christianity? 2. How would you describe “the way to life” in both Islam and Christianity? What was your initial reaction to these two different ways? Chapter 2 “Comparing Sharia and the Gospel” 3. What is the concept of “prophet” in Islam and how is it different from that in Christianity? 4. What is the Islamic solution for the problem of the human condition and how does it compare to the Christian worldview and solution? 5. What are the Five Pillars of Islam that are the basic requirements of Sharia? 6. “So important are the hadith that, after the Quran, they form the second rung of sharia.” What are the hadith and how do they inform Islam? 1 SESSION 1 Chapter 3 “Questioning Grace” 1. Nabeel is often asked an expected question, “If God just forgives all Christians and none of them go to hell, why would any Christian do good when they can sin all they want?” How would you answer this question? 2. How would you answer a Muslim who asks, “How can God be just if he is willing to forgive serial killers and genocidal dictators? You’re telling me Hitler could have gone to heaven if he had become a Christian?” 3. How does Nabeel answer the common Muslim question, “How can Jesus die for the sins of mankind?” 4. What reasons do Christians have to do good? Chapter 4 “Diagnosis and Deliverance” 1. In spring of 2009, Nabeel volunteered with a humanitarian organization called Physicians for Peace helping with educating young mothers in the barrios of Santo Domingo. What was Nabeel’s point in telling that story? 2. According to Nabeel how do Islam and Christianity “diagnose” the spiritual condition of humanity? 3. Nabeel makes three observations to support his view that “the gospel resonates with reality.” What observation was most compelling for you? 2 SESSION 2 PART 2: TAWHID OR THE TRINITY? TWO DIFFERENT GODS Chapter 5 “The Islamic Inquisition” 1. “Tawhid teaches that Allah is absolutely one; and the conclusion naturally arose among some thinkers that since Allah is absolutely one, he cannot have attributes. Attributes would curb his absolute unity, being things he has as opposed to things he is.” 2. What theological problem did Tawhid create for early Muslim scholars regarding the Quran? 3. What was the Mihna? What happened to Muslim thinkers who believed in the eternality of the Quran? 3. What does bila kayf mean and how does it relate to the eternality of the Quran? 4. What is the Sufi Muslim view, wahdat al-wujud that creates divisions among Muslims? Chapter 6 “Comparing Tawhid and the Trinity” 1. What is the difference between “the eternal Word of God” in Islam and in Christianity and how does each faith have “a physical expression of God” in the world? 2. Why is the idea—“person is not the same as being”—crucial to the discussion about Islamic Tawhid and the Christian Trinity? 3. What are the five elements found repeatedly throughout the Bible that are best interpreted through the lens of the Trinity? 3 SESSION 2 4. What intrinsic reason separates Allah from Yahweh regarding relationships with people? Chapter 7 “Questioning Complexity” 1. What does quantum physics have to do with the differences between Islam’s view of one God and the Christian view of one God? 2. What is the very significant theological problem with Allah being “relational,” that is, how can Allah be called Allah the Merciful or Allah the Gracious? Why is this not a problem for the Trinity? 3. What is the shema? How can Christians account for the shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 and still believe in the Trinity? 4. What do some notable Jewish scholars teach about Jewish views of God in Jesus’ day? Chapter 8 “Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?” 1. How are the views of God in Islam and Christianity “diametrically opposed”? What texts in the Quran support your answer? 2. How does the Islamic model of theism promote service to others, yet the Christian model of theism “goes further still” to intrinsically require service to others? 3. Nabeel writes, “People ought to be selflessly loving because it is who we are.” How does he support that truth? 4. Why is belief in the Trinity not just a “theological curiosity”? 4