The word ‘Islam’ means ‘submission’ or ‘surrender,’ as its followers are to surrender to Allah's will continuously. It is because the name ‘Allah’ translates as ‘god,' that many Christians who live in the Middle East incorrectly use the word “Allah” when referencing the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, it is important to note that the terms “God” or “Allah” actually mean different things when spoken by various people. The God of the Bible and the god of Islam have absolutely nothing in common, and Jews and Christians do not worship the god of Islam.
Muhammad bin Abdullah
In AD 570, a man named Muhammad bin Abdullah was born. He worked for a rich widow named Khadija and married her. In AD 610, he came to her and said, "The angel Gabriel has appeared unto me," and then he described it "with a silken scroll." He then told her, "The angel Gabriel came and holding the scroll said,' Read in the name of the Lord God who made man from a drop, read.'" At that moment, the religion of Islam was born in Mecca, which is in modern-day Saudi Arabia
Mohammad began telling his family and fellow polytheistic tribesmen who lived in Mecca about his experience and that he was called to become Allah's chosen messenger and proclaim the message of submission. Whoever obeyed the message became a Muslim (one who submits). After 12 years of preaching that message, he had only about 100 converts, who were mostly relatives. The Mecca tribesmen let him preach his message until AD 622 when they forced him to leave. He settled in Medina, and from there, he began to launch warring raids everywhere to proclaim his message.
Evangelism
According to the Hadith, lying is allowed to win converts:
- in battle, reconciliation, and to your spouse (Hadith #6303)
- if it makes peace between people (Sahih Bukhari, Book #49, Hadith #857)
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According to the Qur’an:
- Allah is the best of l-makirina – the root word "maakir" means deception or guile (Surah 3:54).
- Lying/deceit is allowed (Surah 3:28), under compulsion (Surah 16:106), and to break a Treaty (Surah 9:3)
A Muslim cannot become friends with a Jew or a Christian (Surah 5:51), but they can ask Christians and Jews when they are in doubt (Surah 10:94) and speak nicely to people of the Book (Surah 29:46).
They can fight the people of the Book until they submit to Islam (Surah 9:29), and those who resist must be punished by death, crucifixion, or the cutting off of the hands and feet (Surah 5:33) because Allah loves those who fight in His cause in battle array as if they were a solid cemented structure (Surah 61:4; 2:190-193; 9:38-39) and are to "Fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)....." (Surah 9:5)
Jihad
The central idea in Islam is ‘jihad,’ which means ‘struggle’ and refers to internal and external efforts to defend their faith. Jihad is regarded as a noble and holy endeavor to annihilate and destroy those who refuse to recite the Shahada.
Mohammad came up with a new strategy to gain converts and told his followers to fight non-Muslims until they recited the Shahada, which became Islam's first pillar of faith. To live, all a person has to do is say, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah," and if they did not, "then their blood (lives) and possessions are denied” them. Those who have yet to recite the Shahada are considered infidels.
In the Qur'an, Allah demands war against unbelievers, especially against Jews and Christians (Surah 2:216; 5:34; 9:5, 29, 73, 47:4; 123-124, 191). Many passages in the Qur'an exhort Muslims to hate or kill or terrorize infidels (non-Muslims) wherever they find them (See Sura 2:190-193, 2:216, 2:244, 3:56, 3:142, 3:151, 4:56, 4:74 (beheading), 4:76, 4:84, 4:89, 4:91, 4:95, 4:104, 5:51, 5:32-38, 7:96-99, 8:12-15 (beheading), 8:39, 8:57-60, 8:65-67, 9:5, 9:14, 9:20-30, 9:38-41, 9:73, 9:88, 9:111, 9:123, 17:16, 18:65-81, 21:44, 22:18-22, 25:52, 33:60-62, 47:3-4 (beheading), 47:35, 48:16-17, 48:29, 61:4, and 66:8-12.
English translators of the Qur'an have tried to soften the true Arabic meaning of some of the passages. For example, the word "fight" actually means to kill in Arabic. Many believe that Islam remains the greatest threat to the world today.
Muhammad said to those willing to "battle in the path of Allah," that they are guaranteed the spoils of war, plunder, and slaves (including concubines). If they die during Jihad, their rewards will be even greater, including being forgiven of any sin committed in their life and guaranteed entry into Paradise (aka Heaven), as well as 72 "Houris" who are supernatural, sultry, and voluptuous celestial virgin women that Allah created for the express purpose of the sexual gratification of his warriors throughout all of eternity, and would miraculously return to being a virgin after each sexual encounter (See Surah 78:31).
By AD 630, Muhammad's army began to grow exponentially, and they aggressively plundered cities all around them and beyond. In AD 622, Muhammad traveled from Mecca to Medina with his followers. This pilgrimage became known as the Hijra and marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Seven years later, Muhammad and his many followers returned to Mecca and conquered the region. He continued to preach until he died in AD 632. Islam began to spread rapidly after that. A succession of leaders, known as caliphs, became successors to Muhammad. Their leadership system is known as a caliphate. It lasted for centuries, eventually evolving into the Ottoman Empire, and controlled large regions in the Middle East from about AD 1517 until AD 1917, when World War I ended the Ottoman reign.
Muhammad died in AD 632 at the age of 62. Still, the Jihad continued, and just 25 short years later, the armies of Islam had conquered Egypt, overrun Palestine and Jerusalem, and conquered all of Syria, Mesopotamia, Iraq, Persia, and the great central areas of Asia called Turkistan. In AD 1009. Hakim Bi-Amr Allah gave the order to begin another Jihad, and over 30,000 churches were attacked and destroyed across Egypt and Greater Syria.
The Islamic armies often paid mercenaries to fight for them. A Celtic race of mercenaries, known as the Gauls, fought for them in the destruction of Pergamos. The Muslims hired a group of mercenaries who were Germanic tribesmen known as the Goths. They sacked the city of Ephesus in AD 1090 and nearly destroyed it. In AD 1096, the first Crusade began in response. They were victorious for 44 years until Islam recovered its losses and began defensive Jihad. By AD 1299, Islam had conquered the Middle East.
A Mongolian warrior named Timur (Persian name for Tamerlane) was a skilled and cruel military tactician. Around AD 1395, he became a Muslim and was the most powerful ruler of the 14th Century. Once, after a visit to the city of Baghdad around AD 1400, the leader of the city insulted him, and he returned with a huge army that decimated the city and built 120 towers across it that were made of 90,000 severed heads. In late AD 1402, his forces seized Sardis, sacked it, and made an enormous pyramid of the heads of the decapitated Christians there. In AD 1424, Smyrna was destroyed by him. He never lost a battle. His armies killed over 17 million people.
In fifty more years, Islamic armies had overrun all of North Africa and Spain. By AD 1453, the Christian Byzantine Empire was fully overthrown. Those who carried out the continuous Jihad wars throughout history were also known as the Moors, Ottomans, Persians, Tartars, Arabs, Turks, and Islamic Jihadists.
Jihadists also deprived Spain and England of access to the Black Sea and cut off their land route to India. In AD 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel financed Christopher Columbus to find a new route to India, and America was discovered.
In AD 1801-1805, the United States fought against Islamic Jihadists in what is known as the Barbary Powers Wars (aka the Tripolitanian War and the Barbary Coast War). In AD 1923, after World War 1, the United States helped create the Turkish Republic, and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey abolished the institution of the Caliphate in March of AD 1924. In AD 2001, Islamic Jihadists attacked the USA and caused the death of over 3,000 people. They remain a threat today.
Throughout history, Islamic Jihad has been carried out against Christianity, and those Christians living through it believed they were in the Great Tribulation as tens of thousands of churches were attacked and destroyed. It was primarily the result of attacks by Muslim Jihadists that the seven churches of Asia Minor Jesus addressed ultimately disappeared from the Earth, and the areas where they existed were no longer considered 'Christian' (See Revelation 1:1-22). However, during the late 20th Century, the archaeological remains of all seven locations were discovered in present-day Turkey.
In the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, Allah demands war against unbelievers, especially against Jews and Christians (See Qur'an 2:216; Surah 5:34; 9:5, 29, 73, 47:4; 123-124, 191). Many believe that Islam remains the greatest threat to the world today.
Islam is the only religion in the world that is the mirrored image opposite of Christianity and is one of the largest religions in the world. Islam intends to be the one-world religion, and its holy city, Mecca, is located in Saudi Arabia. It considers Christianity and Judaism as enemies.
Every year, those of the Islamic faith gather for the 'Haaj,' which is an event where everyone gathers to march around the 'Kabba Stone,' which is a meteorite that fell to earth, and worship it because they believe it is the image of their pagan goddess, 'Diana,' also is known by many other names such as Isis, Ishtar, Belit, Anahita, and Diana. In the Bible, this pagan goddess is known as Ashtoreth and Semiramis, who was both the wife of Nimrod and his mother. Semiramis is the source of all the false religions in the world today.
The symbol of Islam is the crescent and the star, which was on the golden calf the children of Israel made when Moses was on Mount Sinai with the Lord and is on the flags of all Islamic countries, as well as in the Russian flag. This symbol is crucial to identifying the enemies of God because it is the true symbol of satan. Russia will play a significant role in the formation of the Beast described in the Book of Revelation. It will be one of the countries that align with Magog and invade Israel, but there is no conclusive evidence that Russia is Magog.
Followers of Islam are called Muslims who are told to live a life of complete submission to Allah and to worship in Mosques. They believe that Muhammad continued to receive revelations from Allah throughout the rest of his life. Some important holy places for worship include the Kaaba Shrine in Mecca, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and the Mosque in Medina.
Muslims believe that nothing can happen without Allah’s permission, but humans still have free will. Allah’s word was revealed to the prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Muslims believe several prophets, such as Abraham, Moses, Noah, and Jesus, were sent to teach Allah’s law, but Muhammad was the final prophet.
Shiites and Sunnis
When Muhammad died, a schism began over who should replace him, which led to Islam breaking into two major sects known as the Sunnis and the Shiites. Shiite Muslims believe that only the caliph Ali and his descendants are Muhammad's real successors. They deny the legitimacy of the first three caliphs. Today, Shiite Muslims have a considerable presence in Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
Sunnis make up nearly 90 percent of Muslims worldwide. They accept that the first four caliphs were the true successors of Muhammad.
Within the two major divisions of Islam are numerous sects such as Wahhabi, Alawite, Nation of Islam, Sufism, and Kharijites.
The Holy Book of Islam
The Qur’an is considered the most important holy book among Muslims. It is written in the first person by Allah, speaking through Gabriel to Muhammad. The book contains 6,236 verses in 114 chapters, which are called Surahs. The Hadith, a collection of Muhammad's sayings and traditions, is the second most important book. Muslims also revere some material in the Judeo-Christian Bible. Muslims worship Allah by praying and reciting the Qur’an. They believe there will be a day of judgment and life after death.
The Qur’an contains some basic excerpts from the Hebrew Bible as well as revelations given to Muhammad. It is considered Allah’s final word and supersedes any previous writings, including the Bible. Most Muslims believe that Muhammad’s scribes wrote down his words, which became the Qur'an (Muhammad himself was never taught to read or write). Scholars believe the Qur’an was compiled shortly after Muhammad’s death under the guidance of Caliph Abu Bakr.
Five Pillars of Islam
Muslims follow five basic pillars that are essential to their faith. These include:
1. Shahada: to declare one’s faith in Allah and belief in Muhammad (Note: When Muslims began their war against Christianity, which has continued for centuries, the people they captured were told to say the Shahada, or they would be put to death. The vast majority refused to and became martyrs for Jesus).
2. Salat: to pray five times a day (at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening)
3. Zakat: to give to those in need
4. Sawm: to fast during Ramadan
5. Hajj: to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during a person’s lifetime if the person is able
Sharia Law
Islam’s legal system is known as Sharia Law, which directs Muslims on how they should live in nearly every aspect of their lives. It requires men and women to dress modestly and outlines marriage guidelines and other moral principles for Muslims.
If crimes are committed, Sharia Law is known for its harsh punishments, such as cutting off the hand of someone who steals or stoning to death someone caught in adultery.
Muslim Mosques and Prayer
Muslims pray facing Mecca up to five times a day, wherever they are. Mosques are the primary permanent location for prayer, and men are separated from women. The Mosques are also used for public gatherings and as social centers.
The Kaaba Shrine
The Kaaba (aka: Ka’ba) is a small cube-shaped shrine comprised of gray stone and marble, with its corners corresponding to the points of a compass. On the eastern corner of the Kaaba is the ‘Black Stone’ (al-ajar al-Aswad), with broken pieces that are surrounded by a ring of stone and held together by a heavy silver band. It is believed that the stone was originally white and was given to Adam when he was expelled from Paradise so that he could obtain forgiveness for his sins. After that, the stone became black over time, absorbing the sins of the countless thousands of pilgrims who kissed and touched it.
Muslims consider the Kaaba to be the most sacred spot on Earth. It is near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslims orient their bodies toward it wherever they are during the mandatory five daily times of prayer. They desire to visit there when on a pilgrimage, or Hajj, in accord with the command set out in the Qur’an.
Barnaby Rogerson (AD 1960) is a British author, television presenter, and publisher who has written extensively about the Muslim world. He has also written a biography of Muhammad, whom he considers a hero for all mankind. He wrote:
“Inside this holy of holies are stored all manner of sacred objects and images. These are said to include an icon of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child and a portrait of the Prophet Abraham. But the shrine is dominated by a representation of the war god Baal Hubal, who watches over the city’s political destiny. At times of trouble the city elders can seek his advice by casting a quiver of divinatory arrows before idols and reading the future from the answers they give. (The Prophet Muhammad – A Biography [Hidden Spring, An Imprint of Pauline Press, Mahwah, NJ 2003], p. 15)
Historical Evidence that Hubal is the Lord of Kaaba
Islamic scholars confirm that the chief deity of Mecca and the lord of the Ka’ba was Hubal, who was viewed as the god of the moon. Hubal was the idol of the tribe of Muhammad who they worshiped and referred to as Allah. Muhammad’s grandfather would pray to Allah while standing before Hubal’s idol.
The Quraysh tribe controlled access to the idol’s temple. Hubal's devotees fought against followers of Muhammad during the Battle of Badr in AD 624 and the Battle of Uhud in AD 625. After Muhammad entered Mecca in AD 630, he destroyed the statue of Hubal from the Kaaba along with the icons of all the other polytheistic gods because he felt the statue was an idol depicting Allah.
The Qur’an says that Allah has a Spirit who is both personal and has all the attributes of God. In addition to the Qur’an, other Islamic sources do not support the belief that Allah is a basic unitarian deity but is actually a plurality-within-unity deity - a multi-personal entity. The word used in Islamic theology to describe Allah's unity is ‘Tawhid,’ which is a verb that means to unite, to realize, and to maintain the unity of Allah in one's actions (inwardly and outwardly). The word is not found in the Qur’an.
Hisham Ibn al-Kalb (AD 737-AD 819) was an Arab historian who wrote “The Book of Idols (Kitab Al-Asnam) and said the following:
“It stood inside the Ka’bah. In front of it were seven divination arrows (sing. qidh, pl. qidah or aqduh). On one of these arrows was written ‘pure’ (sarih), and on another ‘consociated alien’ (mulsag). Whenever the lineage of a new-born was doubted, they would offer a sacrifice to it [Hubal] and then shuffle the arrows and throw them. If the arrows showed the word ‘pure,’ the child would be declared legitimate and the tribe would accept him. If, however, the arrows showed the words ‘consociated alien,’ the child would be declared illegitimate and the tribe would reject him. The third arrow was for divination concerning the dead, while the fourth was for divination concerning marriage. The purpose of the three remaining arrows has not been explained. Whenever they disagreed concerning something, or purposed to embark upon a journey, or undertake some project, they would proceed to it [Hubal] and shuffle the divination arrows before it. Whatever result they obtained, they would follow and do accordingly.”
“It was before [Hubal] that ‘Abd-al-Muttalib shuffled the divination arrows [in order to find out which of his ten children he should sacrifice in fulfilment of a vow he had sworn], and the arrows pointed to his son ‘Abdullah, the father of the Prophet. Hubal was also the same idol which abu-Sufyan ibn-Harb addressed when he emerged victorious after the battle of Uhud, saying: ‘Hubal, be thou exalted’ (i.e. may thy religion triumph); “To which the Prophet replied: ‘Allah is more exalted and more majestic.’” (Translated with Introduction and Notes by Nabih Amin Faris, pp. 19, 23-24)
Dr. John Muehleisen Arnold (AD 1817-1881) wrote the book “Islam: Its History, Character, and Relation to Christianity, Chapter I. The Land Of Its Birth, The Pre-Islamite Kaaba.” He stated the following;
“Again, when it is stated by Abulfeda that the image of Abraham occupied the chief in the Kaaba, and that he was represented by Hubal, we may take it for granted that Hubal had a double character, like Baal, who was both the founder of the Babylonian empire and the solar deity…”
“As well as worshipping idols and spirits, found in animals, plants, rocks and water, the ancient Arabs believed in several major gods and goddesses whom they considered to hold supreme power over all things. The most famous of these were Al-lat, Al-‘Uzza, Manat and Hubal. The first three were thought to be the daughters of Allah (God) and their intercessions on behalf of their worshippers were therefore of great significance…”
“Al-lat, also known as Alilat, was worshiped in the shape of a square white stone. She was known to other Semitic people in Syria and Mesopotamia, and was the Mother Goddess of Palmyra (in northern Syria), whose symbol was the lion. The Nabataeans of south Jordan and south Palestine worshiped her as the sun goddess, the giver of life. In Mecca, Al-lat had a haram (sanctuary) and a him a where the Arabs flocked to perform the rites of worship and sacrifice which would bring her favour upon them.”(pp. 26-27)
Trevor Le Gassick (AD 1935-2022) wrote the book “The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), Volume I,” 1998 - reviewed by Dr. Ahmed Fareed, and presented the following:
“Eventually he had ten sons grown up whom he knew would give him protection. Their names were al-Harith, al-Zubayr, Hajl, Dirar, al-Muqawwim, Abu Lahab, al-‘Abbas, Hamza, Abu Talib, and ‘Abd Allah. He assembled them and told them of his vow and asked them to honour his pledge to God, Almighty and All-glorious is He. They obeyed, and asked him what he wanted them to do. He asked each of them to take an arrow, write his name on it and return to him.”
“They did so and went with them inside the ka‘ba to the site of their god Hubal, where there was the well in which offerings to the ka‘ba would be placed. There, near Hubal, were seven arrows which they would use for divining a judgement over some matter of consequence, a question of blood-money, kinship, or the like. They would come to Hubal to seek a resolution, accepting whatever they were ordered to do or to refrain from.”
“So they left for Medina, where they found the diviner whose name was Sajah, as Yunus b. Bukayr reported from Ibn Ishaq, was at Khaybar. They rode off again and went to her and sought her advice, ‘Abd al-Muttalib telling her of the whole problem regarding him and his son. She told him: ‘Leave me today, until my attendant spirit comes and I can ask him.’”
“They left her and ‘Abd al-Muttalib prayed to God. Next day they went back to her and she informed them that she had had a message. ‘How much is the blood-money you prescribe?’ she asked. ‘Ten camels,’ they told her, that being then the case. ‘Then go back to your land and present your man as an offering and do the same with the ten camels. Then cast arrows to decide between him and them. If the divining arrow points to him then add to the number of camels until your god is satisfied; if it points to the camels, then sacrifice them in his place. That way you will please your god and save your man.”
“So they went back to Mecca and, when they had agreed to do as she had said, ‘Abd al-Muttalib said prayers to God. Then they offered up ‘Abd Allah and the ten camels as sacrifice and cast the arrow. At that point the men of Quraysh told ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who was standing near Hubal praying to God, “It’s all over! Your God is pleased, O ‘Abd al-Muttalib’…” (Ibid., p. 126-127) [Garnet Publishing Limited, 8 Southern Court, south Street Reading RG1 4QS, UK; The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, 1998], pp. 125-126)
C. Scott Littleton (AD 1933 - 2010) was an American anthropologist who was Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Occidental College. In his book “Gods, Goddesses and Mythology” he wrote:
“The Hubal Chief god of the Ka‘ba; a martial and oracular deity; a moon god. Hubal – an idol, the God of the Moon. Centuries before Islam, ‘Amr ibn Luhayy, a chief of the tribe of Jurhum who dwelt in Mecca before the coming of the Quraysh tribe, brought the idol to the city from Syria. It was set up in the Ka‘bah and became the principal idol of the pagan Meccans. The ritual casting of lots and divining arrows was performed in front of it.” [Marshal Cavendish Corporation 2005], Volume 11, p. 137)
Mahmoud Mustafa Ayoub (AD 1935 – 2021) was a highly recognized Lebanese Islamic scholar and professor of religious and Islamic studies from 1988 to 2008. He was a professor and director of Islamic studies at the Department of Religion at Temple University in Philadelphia, an adjunct professor at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, a research fellow at the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Tolson visiting professor at the Pacific School of Religion at Berkeley University. He wrote:
“Among the many deities that the Arabs worshiped in and around the Ka‘bah were the god Hubal and the three goddesses Al-Lat, al-‘Uzza, and Manat. Hubal was originally a moon god, and perhaps also a rain god, as hubal means ‘vapor.’ …” (Islam: Faith and History [Oneworld Publications Ltd., 2005)], p. 15)
Malise Ruthven (AD 1942) has taught Islamic studies, cultural history, and comparative religion at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, Birkbeck College, University of London, UC-San Diego, Dartmouth College (New Hampshire, USA) and Colorado College (Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA). He is considered a leading expert in Islam and wrote a book titled “Islam in the World,” which is considered one of the best books about Islam. He wrote:
“… The presiding deity was Hubal, a large carnelian kept inside the temple; 360 other idols were arranged outside…” (Oxford University Press, Second edition 2000], p. 15)
“… Although originally under the aegis of the pagan god Hubal, the Makkan haram which centered around the well of Zamzam, may have become associated with the ancestral figures of Ibrahim and Isma’il as the Arab traders, shedding their parochial backgrounds sought to locate themselves within the broader reference-frame of Judeo-Christianity.” (Ibid., p. 17)
“… the god of Makka, Hubal, represented by a statue of red carnelian, is thought to have been originally a totem of the Khuza’a, rulers of Makka before their displacement by the Quraysh…” (Ibid. p. 28)
Fred McGraw Donner (AD 1945) is a scholar of Islam and a Professor of Near Eastern History at the University of Chicago. He has published several books about early Islamic history. In his book “Muhammad And The Believers: At The Origins Of Islam” he wrote:
“… At the center of the town was the shrine called the Ka‘ba – a large, cubical building with a sacred black stone affixed in one corner – that was the sanctuary to the pagan god Hubal…” [Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010], 1. The Near East on the Eve of Islam, p. 35)
Francis Edward Peters (AD 1927-2020) in his book “The Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places” wrote:
“Amr ibn Luhayy the Arab conquer of Egypt brought with him (to Mecca) an idol called Hubal from the land of Hit in Mesopotamia,” which provides evidence the idol Hubal was representation of Baal and one of the Quraysh’s greatest idols. Luhayy “set it up at the well inside the Kab’a and ordered the people to worship it. Thus a man coming back from a journey would visit it and circumambulate the House before going to his family, and would shave his hair before it” [Princeton University Press, NJ, 1994], pp. 24-25)
Cyril Glasse (AD 1944) is an international lecturer on Islam and comparative religion. In his book ‘’The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Third Edition,” he wrote the following:
“Of the 360 idols set up in the Ka‘bah, the most important was Hubal, the god of the moon. Upon the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet cut open some of these idols with a sword and black smoke is said to have issued forth from them, a sign of the psychic influences which had made these idols their dwelling place. The Prophet turned the idol of Hubal into a doorstep.” (p. 235)
Professor M. Th. Houtsma, (AD 1851-1943) wrote in E. J. Brill’s “First Encyclopedia of Islam 1913-1936, Volume IV”
“… In the Ka‘ba was the statue of the god Hubal who might be called the god of Mecca and of the Ka ‘ba. Caetani gives great prominence to the connection between the Ka‘ba and Hubal. Besides him, however, al-Lat, al-‘Uzza, and al-Manat were worshipped and are mentioned in the Kur’an; Hubal is never mentioned there. What position Allah held beside these is not exactly known. The Islamic tradition has certainly elevated him at the expense of other deities.” (p. 591)
“… The question might even be asked whether and how far the Ka‘ba was regarded as an astral symbol. For the affirmative there is the fact that the Ka‘ba is the object of the tawaf and that tawaf and Ka’ba are represented by Muslim tradition itself as connected with the host of spirits round the throne of God. The throne of God is, as is well known, a cosmic magnitude, and the Ka‘ba and the Black Stone are described as the throne of God’s khalifa on earth, Adam. The dance of the heavenly spirits can easily be interpreted as a dance of the planets. Moreover, golden suns and moons are repeatedly mentioned among the votive gifts (al-Azraki, p. 155).”
“According to al-Mas ‘udi (Murudj, iv. 47), certain people regarded the Ka‘ba as a temple devoted to the sun, the moon and the five planets. The 360 idols placed round the Ka‘ba also point in this direction. It can therefore hardly be denied that traces exist of astral symbolism. At the same time one can safely say that there can be no question of any general conception on these lines. The cult at the Ka‘ba was in the heathen period syncretic as is usual in heathenism. How far also North Semitic cults were represented in Mecca cannot be exactly ascertained. It is not excluded that Allah was of Aramaic origin. The dove of aloe wood which Muhammad found existing in the Ka‘ba may have been devoted to the Semitic Venus.” (Ibid)
The Oxford Dictionary of Islam states:
“Hubal A pre-Islamic deity represented by an idol in Kaaba that was destroyed by Muhammad when he conquered Mecca in 630. Patron of the Quraysh, leading tribe of Mecca.” [Oxford University Press, 2003], p. 117)
The Cambridge Companion to the Qur’an, states:
“The sira literature presents Mecca’s cult as a pagan one to the god Hubal, and depicts the Arabian religious environment in which Muhammad grew up as overwhelmingly pagan – the final vestiges of the ancient near eastern religious tradition…” (ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe [Cambridge University Press, 2006], p. 24)
“The Quraysh had also several idols in and around the Ka’bah. The greatest of these was Hubal. It was, as I was told, of red agate, in the form of a man with the right hand broken off. It came into the possession of the Quraysh in this condition, and they, therefore, made for it a hand of gold. The first to set it up [for worship] was Khuzaymah ibn-Mudrikah ibn-al-Ya’s’ ibn-Mudar. Consequently, it used to be called Khuzaymah’s Hubal.”
As documented, there is both ancient and modern scholarly evidence from non-Muslims and Muslims connecting the pre-Islamic Allah with the moon god Hubal, the Arabic equivalent of the god Baal, who is the chief deity of Mecca and identified as the lord and god of the Kabah.
The historical evidence also reveals that pre-Islamic people chose Allah as the name of the god Hubal, who is the chief of all gods and was worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia, notably by the Quraysh at the Kaaba in Mecca. The god's statue was a human figure believed to control acts of divination, which were performed by tossing arrows before it. The direction the arrows pointed answered questions asked of Hubal. Even the black stone of the Kabah is still associated with Hubal.
Allah In the Bible
As the lord and high god, Hubal, which is Arabic for Baal, would have been called Allah because that is the title that the pagans would have given to their chief presiding deity. Allah, is a created being, a “fallen” Angel…. and the greatest deceiver of all who talked 1/3 of God’s Angels to join him in his rebellion against the creator God of all things (Qur’an 3:54).
Beginning in Genesis, the Bible reveals that Allah is actually the fallen Angel known as “Lucifer,” “satan,” “Son of the Morning,” “Abaddon/Apollyon,” “Ancient Serpent,” “Baal,” “Beelzebub,” “the devil,” “god of this world,” “Great Dragon,” and “Wicked One.” Allah is the greatest of all deceivers and the master of deception (Miim-Kaf-Ra) (See Genesis 3:1-14; John 8:44-45; Revelation 12:7-9, 20:1-10). The God of Islam is deceptive and crafty (Qur’an 3:54; 7:99; 8:30) and not truthful and honest, loving, merciful, or forgiving.
Baal Zebub
According to the Old Testament, one of Baal's names is Baal Zebub, which refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal in the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal change of Baal Zebul to Baal, the Prince, a title known from the Ugaritic texts.
“After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.” But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’ Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘You will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will certainly die!” (2 Kings 1:1-4 NIV)
Jesus identified Baal Zebub as satan.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!” (Matthew 10:24-25 NIV – see also Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22-30)
Islam and End of Days
There is an emerging contingent of those who believe that the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible may well be the Mahdi spoken of in Islam because he fulfills all the characteristics and actions of the biblical Antichrist (Aka the Assyrian) (See Revelation 13:1-10; Micah 5:5; Qur'an 27:82).
There is also a growing belief that the "false Prophet" will be the 'Isa' of Islam. The final world empire will actually be the "Beast," which is the one who fills the office of the Caliph (Mahdi?) after a Caliphate comprised of 10 Islamic nations is re-established (See Daniel 7:11; Revelation 17:9-11; 19:20; Qur'an 27:82).
It must be noted that the fundamental reason the churches of Asia Minor do not exist today is that countless Born-Again Christians throughout history refused to bow down to the god of Mohammad by reciting the Shahada and renouncing their faith in Jesus and, instead, willingly chose to experience a horrible death. It is overwhelmingly clear that their transformation from becoming Born-Again was so utterly profound and life-changing that nothing could shake their faith in Jesus because they did not fear death.
The Great Tribulation
There is a growing belief that the "false Prophet" of Revelation will be the 'Isa' of Islam. The final world empire will actually be the "Beast," which is the one who fills the office of the Caliph after a Caliphate comprised of 10 Islamic nations is established (Daniel 7:11; Revelation 17:9-11; 19:20; Quran 27:82).
The early Church believed it was in the Great Tribulation and did not prepare for it to come in the future (See Revelation 1:4-2:1-3:22). All of the seven churches of Asia Minor do not exist today because they were destroyed by either natural events or Islamic forces. In other words, the prophetic promises were NEVER fulfilled for ANY of them.
The Mark of the Beast
At the beginning of the Great Tribulation period, people will be forced to take a 'mark' of the Antichrist, and those who do not will be persecuted and killed, which will make it known to everyone that he is the Anti-Christ Jesus warned about (Daniel 12:11; Matthew 21:21; Revelation 20:4). He will reveal his true arrogant self, and at the end of the Great Tribulation, will cause all of the armies of the Earth to fight against Jesus and His army and defile the Third Temple (Revelation 19:19). However, they will lose in the end! (Daniel 7:11; Psalm 2:1-5; Isaiah 45:9; Revelation 19:20-21)
Taking the 'mark' of the Antichrist is a reprehensible and blasphemous act of willful defiance against God, essentially worshipping satan (Revelation 13:15-16). The word "mark" in Greek is 'charágmatos' and comes from the word 'charássœ,' which means to carve, engrave, or sculpture something, an impression, inscription, or an etched, branded, mark, or symbol, as on an animal, coin, statue, or false idol (Acts 17:29).
In antiquity, a 'mark' was branded on the right hand or forehead, such as on an enslaved person, to show others they were their master's property and upon those willingly branded in a temple with the symbol of their deity. In Islam, the mark of the Antichrist (aka Bismillah) is a line drawn on the forehead and must be worn on the right arm/hand of every Muslim at Judgment, distinguishing them from non-believers (Tirmuthi 2369).
Those who take the mark will have chosen to serve satan, the god of this world, rather than obey the Creator God of all things and receive Jesus as their personal Savior. When people make that decision during the Great Tribulation, God will grant their request to be eternally separated from Him. A Christian could never take the Mark of the Beast because it would be blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Christians need to remember that it is not people they should spiritually battle against but the religion of Islam and its god.
“Put on the whole armor of God,” that they may be able to stand against the lies and deceit of Allah. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12 NIV)
The primary difference between Islam and Christianity is that the god of Islam requires the sons of his followers to be sent to die to prove their love for him. In Christianity, God sent His Son, Yeshua, to die to prove His love for them once and for all.
God wants all Muslims to come to the true saving knowledge of Jesus, and they are now faced with a dilemma. Since Hubal was the chief god of Mecca and the lord of the Kabbah, this means that he would have been the Allah that the pagans worshiped because Hubal was actually Baal, which is another name for the devil and implies that the ‘Allah’ of the Quran is none other than satan in disguise.
In the Bible, God is described as being perfect, honest, reliable, trustworthy, faithful, and true. He is light, and no ‘darkness’ can flow from Him because it would be incompatible with His character and nature (See 1 John 1:5).
“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19 NIV)
“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5 NIV)
