The Moslem Doctrine of God: An Essay on the Character and Attributes of Allah according to the Koran and Orthodox Tradition

by Samuel Marinus Zwemer

Publisher:

Young People’s Missionary Movement

, 1905

Overview

Zwemer investigates not only the Qur’an, but also the Hadith (the records of the authoritative sayings and doings of Muhammad), as well as Islamic orthodox traditions in this concise and focused study into the Muslim doctrine of God.

Nicknamed the “Apostle to Islam,” for nearly 40 years Samuel M. Zwemer lived and worked in the Middle East, preaching the Gospel of Jesus and training hundreds of missionaries. Founder and editor of The Moslem World, Zwemer—familiar with the land, language, and people of Islam—provided a window into a growing religion and culture that few Westerners knew. Zwemer’s legacy as one of the finest Christian scholars of Islam is still recognized today.

In the Logos edition, all Scripture passages in Arabia: The Cradle of Islam are tagged and appear on mouse-over. What’s more, Scripture references are linked to the wealth of language resources in your Logos library. If you own the English and Arabic Qur’an, you can follow along with Zwemer in his analysis of Islamic doctrine and his studies comparing Islam to Christianity. This makes these texts more powerful and easier to access than ever before for scholarly work or personal Bible study.

Key Features

• Investigates Islamic theology
• Offers insight from the Qur’an, the Hadith, and Islamic orthodox texts
• Provides evangelism tools for reaching Muslims

Contents

• There Is No God But Allah
• Allah, the Divine Essence
• The Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names of Allah
• Allah’s Attributes Analyzed and Examined
• The Relation of Allah to His World
• Mohammedan Ideas of the Trinity
• Predestination Vs. Fatalism
• The Completed Idea and Its Insufficiency

Top Highlights

“The word Allah is used for God not only by all Moslems, but by all Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians in the Orient. But this does not necessarily mean that the idea expressed by the word is the same in each case.” (Page 19)

“We thus are led back to the sources from which the Arabian prophet drew his ideas of Allah; namely (as for all his other teaching), from Arabian paganism, Talmudic Judaism and Oriental Christianity. Islam is not original, not a ripe fruit, but rather a wild offshoot of foreign soil grafted on Judaism. It will not surprise us, therefore, if its ideas of God are immature and incomplete.” (Page 28)

“The Koran is silent on the nature of sin not only, but tells next to nothing about its origin, result and remedy.” (Pages 49–50)

“Allah is not absolutely, unchangeably and eternally just.” (Page 112)

“As regards the moral code Islam is phariseeism translated into Arabic.” (Page 52)

Praise for the Print Edition

Brief and unpretentious though it is, it should be an authority on the subject which it discusses.

—The Princeton Theological Review

The study is painstaking and thoughtful. Deserving of close attention as a piece of earnest thinking and writing.

—The Spectator

This is a welcome contribution to the better understanding by the reading public of just what Muhammad did teach and what his followers said he taught.

—New York Observer

Product Details

• Title: The Moslem Doctrine of God: An Essay on the Character and Attributes of Allah according to the Koran and Orthodox Tradition
• Author: Samuel M. Zwemer
• Publisher: Young People’s Missionary Movement
• Publication Date: 1905
• Pages: 120

About Samuel Marinus Zwemer

Samuel Marinus Zwemer (1867–1952) was born in Vriesland, Michigan and educated at Hope College, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, Muskingham College, and Rutgers College. Zwemer served as a missionary in the Middle East from 1891–1929 where he earned his nickname “The Apostle to Islam.” In 1929, he was appointed professor of missions and professor of the history of religion at Princeton Theological Seminary. He retired from Princeton College Seminary at the age of 70.

Zwemer was the founder and edited The Moslem World for 35 years and the author of dozens of books, articles, essays, and periodicals—mostly revolving around missionary work and Islam.