1. Folk Islam By
Dr. Mark Anderson

2. The Andersons

3. The Islamic World

4. M: First Revelation (age 40)
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)

5. Mohammad’s Revelations
Mount Hira: Place of
Mohammad’s Revelations

6. 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

7. Definition: “Official Islam”
answers ultimate
issues of life
theologically-
the “big picture”

8. Official Beliefs of Islam
Allah
Angels of Allah
Prophets of Allah
Books of Allah
Day of Judgment
Destiny
Life After Death

9. Five Pillars of Islam five times daily 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

10. 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?

11. Alvin Niendick asks:
So what is Folk Islam?

12. “Folk Islam” Defined:
“Folk Islam” handles
immediate, everyday
life problems by
finding spiritual
causes and solutions

13. Is Folk Islam Common? About 75% of practice Folk Islam
the world’s Muslims
practice Folk Islam

14. What Does This Mean? Muslim practices can look quite different from
personal and official
belief statements

15. Solutions for spiritual causes in everyday Folk Muslims seek power
It’s About Power:
Solutions for spiritual causes in everyday
life involve power-
Folk Muslims seek power
for daily life

16. them for one’s benefit:
Power For What?
1. Power over spiritual enemies
Goal: Appeasing or manipulating
them for one’s benefit:
Satan (Shaytan): mentioned
59 times in 31 of the Koran’s 114 Suras (chapters)
b. Spiritual powers, jinn: demons, angels

17. Power For What? of evil persons: a. Envy b. Curses and spells
2. Power over the power
of evil persons:
a. Envy
b. Curses and spells
c. Manipulation

18. Power For What? fertility health possessions family resources
Power over threats to:
fertility
health
possessions
family
resources

19. Dar al-Harb (Domain of War): Europe, United States, Israel,
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.

20. Daily Life May Include:
Amulets Divination
Curses Astrology
Jinn or spirits Sorcery
Ancestral spirits/ghosts
Dead saints & baraka Magic

21. Daily Life Continued: Impersonal spirits Angels
Sorcery/witchcraft Satan
Sickness-healing Charms
Medicine person Evil Eye
Dreams and visions

22. natural realms are seen They interact between each
In Folk Islam
The supernatural and
natural realms are seen
as totally
inter-dependent.
They interact between each
other normatively.

23. Normative interaction of the natural with supernatural is
assumed in: Buddhism,
Hinduism, Witchcraft, Sikhism,
New Age Thought, Voodoo,
Native American religion,
Mormonism, Scientology,
Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.

24. Obtaining and Using Power
Pastor
Barnes, I
still refuse
to join the
worship
team!

25. Folk Religion: The Evil Eye
Among contributing factors,
the evil eye is seen as
a major cause of crises
in Muslim’s lives.
Bill Musk. The Unseen Face of Islam.
Ch. 1, p. 24.

26. communicates a destructive force with their eyes
“Evil Eye” Defined:
A person
communicates a destructive force with their eyes
(i.e., anger, jealousy)

27. (1) Say: I seek refuge with the
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;

28. Envy: Sura 113 continued who practice Secret Arts;
(4) From the mischief of those
who practice Secret Arts;
(5) And from the mischief of
the envious one as he
practices envy.

29. Evil Eye: Places of Origin
North Africa
The Middle East
India
Southern Europe
David Burnett The World of the Spirits, 143.

30. Evil Eye Protection

31. Blue Eyes: Most Dangerous

32. Evil Eye Protection: Hand of Fatima, or “Hamsa” (five)

33. Door Knocker: Hand of Fatima

34. Hand of Fatima

35. Spiritual Protection- Bracelet: Piece of Koran

36. Pendant: Koranic Writing

37. Pendant: Koranic Writing

38. Shi’ite Armband Amulet (Koranic verses, Allah’s names, etc)

39. Guess What? Muslims have brought Folk beliefs and practices
with them to America.
They seek power to deal with everyday life issues.

40. What About Us?

41. God’s Angels † Rebellious Angels Michael & Gabriel Satan
∆ ∆ ∆ ▲
∕ ∕ / \ \ ∕ ∕ \ \
∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ∆ ▲▲ ▲▲
    \  | | \
∆∆ ∆∆ ∆∆∆∆ ∆ ∆∆∆∆ ▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲
↨↨ ↨ ↨ ↨ ↨↨ \ \ \ ∕ ∕ ∕ ↨ ↨ ↨ ↨↨
People
☺☻☺☺☻☻ Pastor Barnes ☺☻☺☻☺

42. A Christian Challenge God An Excluded Middle God’s People ↨
An Excluded Middle
God’s People

43. Jesus is Lord: Eph. 1:19-21
IN HIS ASCENSION, JESUS IS ELEVATED TO A POSITION OF AUTHORITY OVER ALL POWERS,
WHOM HE JUDGES

44. Jesus the Center - Creation - All powers - The church His people
Col. 1:15-23

45. Muslims Coming to Christ
#1 Reason:
The lifestyle of Christians;
they practiced what they
preached

46. Muslims Coming to Christ
#2 Reason:
The power of God to
answer prayers
and to heal

47. The Qur’an’s emphasis on judgment over love and acceptance.
Reason Number Three: Dissatisfaction With The Type of Islam Experienced.
The Qur’an’s emphasis on
judgment over love and
acceptance.
The need for liturgy in Arabic.
Folk Islam’s use of amulets
and praying at graves of saints.

48. dreams & visions before their decision for Christ, 40% at
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.

49. Christ “shows up” where such things would be
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

50. 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 Qur’an demands absolute
obedience with no assurances
(Allah might change his mind)

51. God’s People Praying =
Unleashing
God’s
Power

52. St. Lukes Church Prayer Walking

53. Praying With And For Muslims Identifies You As:
1. A holy person
One loved by God

54. Praying With And For Muslims Identifies You As:
One who refuses secularism, humanism, atheism
4. A friend of Muslims

55. Praying With And For Muslims Identifies You As:
5. A source of help
One whose prayers
reveal power over
spiritual forces

56. Prayer: Lining Up With God

57. Prayer: Spiritual Weight-Lifting

58. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers
God Listens
The smoke of the incense,
together with the prayers
of the saints, went up
before God from the
angel’s hand.
Revelation 8:4

59. Bad Evangelism #1

60. Bad Evangelism #2 #2

61. To Do:
Locate a Muslim
2. Pray for and with them

62. A Key Resource: Bill Musk

63. Lynn and Donna about to contact Muslim neighbors

64. Comments?