Islam: What every Christian should know

Dr. Chedid was brought up in Damascus and has a particular ministry to Arabs and Muslims. With his background and understanding of the subject, he has written a book which is both readable and informative. It will find acceptance both by those who are well informed of the challenge of Islam and also those who are new to this area of evangelism. It is not ‘heavy going’, has been well re-searched, and can be easily read through or used as a reference book when necessary.

The origins of Islam are covered in a manner sufficient to give the reader an accurate insight into its formation, and he shows how the Muslim religion, culture and politics are so closely connected.

Dr. Chedid shows clearly that the there is no need for the Christian to fear a comparison of the Bible with the Quran. The Muslim will always say with great pride that the Quran is written in perfect Arabic, and is infallible. Dr. Chedid has listed words from the Quran which are from languages other than Arabic. He goes on to show that even the Quranic scholars disagree over the degree of fallibility.

The point is made that many of the teachings of Islam find their roots in the Bible, but their interpretation and application are very different to biblical doctrine. Above all Dr. Chedid goes to great lengths to contrast the God of biblical revelation with the Allah of Islam. In the later chapters, the book deals with the subject of sharing our faith with Muslims. This is not presented in a formal manner, but in a way that seeks to give an insight into the Muslim mind, and presents ways of dealing with a variety of objections.

In the light of present world events, this book is recommended, as the title suggests, to ‘every Christian’. It is an area of knowledge concerning which we do well to have a measure of understanding; Dr. Chedid has made a valuable contribution toward our intelligent assessment of Islam. The writer acknowledges the help of Mike Leahy, Killamarsh, in the initial reviewing of this book.