Among Muslims in Egypt

Nothing is said in the New Testament about the persons who first related the story of the cross in Egypt. But there is a universal tradition that the Evangelist Mark went to Egypt and preached the gospel with great success until he was martyred for the name of Jesus Christ. His head is believed by the Copts to have been buried in the place where the Coptic Church in Alexardria now stands. From the records of history it is clear that the Christian religion was carried to Egypt a few years after the ascension of our Lord, that many in Egypt accepted the new religion before the close of the first century, and that the numbers rapidly increased until Egypt became Christian and churches filled the land. Abyssinia, too, whether through the Ethiopian’s return to his country after his baptism or through others, also accepted the Christian faith, and many of her people retain the Christian name and boldly defend a form of Christian doctrine to this day.

The church in Egypt, as we learn from the pages of history, passed through the fires of persecution as other churches did in the Roman Empire, and many suffered martyrdom for their unwillingness to deny Him who redeemed them with His precious blood. The persecution in Egypt especially was severe in the reign of Diocletian. Milner says on the authority of Eusebius:

Egypt suffered extremely. Whole families were put to various kinds of death; some by fire, others by water, others by decollation, after horrible tortures. Some perished by famine, others by crucifixion, and of these, some in common manner. Others were fastened with their heads downwards and preserved alive that they might die by hunger. Sometimes ten, at other times thirty, sixty, and once a hundred men and women with their children, were murdered in one day by various torments. And there was still the appearance of joy among them. They loved Christ above all, and bravely as well as humbly met death for Christ’s sake.

But as the years passed on, great importance was laid on fasting, hermitage, and image-worship, and little by little they lost sight of the merits of Christ’s life, sufferings, and death. Today the majority of the Copts are far away from the gospel purity of doctrine and are bound with the chains of superstition, and need help to loosen themselves from such chains that they may enjoy the light and liberty of the gospel.

The Real Character of Islam

The population of Egypt today is twelve million, of which 90 per cent are followers of Muhammad. Islam entered Egypt in 638 A.D., and from that time it has continued to be the prevailing religion. I will now mention briefly the ethics of Islam in order to give the reader some idea about the pollution, corruption, brutality, and wickedness that exist among the adherents of this false religion.

Islam, [says Adolph Wuttke] finds its place in the history of the religious and moral spirit, not as a vital organic member, but as violently interrupting the course of this history, and which is to be regarded as an attempt of heathenism to maintain itself erect under an outward monotheistic form against Christianity.

The ethics of Islam bear the character of an outwardly and crudely conceived doctrine of righteousness. Conscientiousness in the sphere of the social relations, faithfulness to conviction and to one’s word, and the bringing of an action into relation to God are its bright points; but there is a lack of heart-depth of a basing of the moral in love. The highest good is the outwardly and very sensuously conceived happiness of the individual.

Among Muslims the potency of sin is not recognized; evil is only an individual, not a historical, power; hence there is no need of redemption, but only of personal works on the basis of prophetic instruction. Muhammad is only a teacher, not an atoner. God and man remain strictly external to and separate from each other. God, no less individually conceived of than man, comes into no real communion with man; and as moral, acts not as influenced by such a communion, but only as an isolated individual. The ideal basis of the moral is faith in God and in His Prophet; the moral life, conceived as mainly consisting in external works, is not a fruit of received salvation, but a means for the attainment of the same. Pious works, particularly prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and pilgrimage to Mecca, work salvation directly of themselves. Man has nothing to receive from God but the Word, and nothing to do for God but good works; of inner sanctification there is no thought. Thus, among Muslims today we find, instead of true humility, only proud work-righteousness. Nothing but the enjoyment of wine, of swine flesh, of the blood of strangled animals, and games of chance are forbidden.

After this summary of the real character of Islam ethics, an account of its practical teaching and effect will make the picture more vivid to the reader, although still darker.

The Muslim Idea of Sin

Muslim doctors define sin as “a conscious act of a responsible being against known law.” They divide sin into “great” and “little” sins. Some say there are seven great sins: idolatry, murder, false charges of adultery, wasting the substance of orphans, taking interest on money, desertion from Jihad, and disobedience to parents. Muhammad himself said, “The greatest of sins before God is that you call another like unto the God who created you, or that you murder your child from an idea that he or she will eat your victuals, or that you commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife.”

All sins except great ones are easily forgiven, as God is merciful and clement. What Allah (God) allows is not sin. What Allah or his Prophet forbids is sin, even should he forbid what seems right to the conscience. It is as great an offense to pray with unwashed hands as to tell a lie, and pious Muslims who nightly break the seventh commandment will shrink from a tin of English meat for fear they will be defiled by eating swine’s flesh. Oh, what ignorance! The false prophet Muhammad said: “One cent of usury which a man takes for his money is more grievous than thirty-six fornications, and whosoever has done so is worthy of hell-fire. Allah is merciful in winking at the sins of his favorites (the prophets and those who fight his battles), but is a quick avenger of all infidels and idolaters.”

The Low Ideal of Character in Islam

A stream cannot rise higher than its source. The measure of the moral stature of Muhammad is the source and foundation of all moral ideas of Islam. His conduct is the standard of character. We need not be surprised, therefore, that the ethical standard is so low among his followers.

Raymond Lull, the first missionary to Muslims, used to show in his preachings that Muhammad had none of the seven cardinal virtues, and was guilty of the seven deadly sins. He may have gone too far, but it would not be difficult to show that pride, lust, envy, and anger were prominent traits in the Prophet’s character.

To take an example, what Muhammad taught regarding truthfulness is convincing. There are two authenticated sayings of his given in the traditions on the subject of lying: “When a servant of God tells a lie, his guardian angels move away to the distance of a mile because of the badness of its smell.” “Verily a lie is allowable in three cases—to women, to reconcile friends, and in war.” It is no wonder, then, that among the Prophet’s followers and imitators “truthtelling is one of the lost arts” and that perjury is too common to be noticed. “As I pass in the streets of Cairo, many times I hear the Muslims utter the phrase, b’ism Allah, “in the name of God,” while the speaker knows very well that his words are altogether a lie.

There are certain things which the ethics of Islam allow, of which it is also necessary to write. They exist, not in spite of Islam, but because of Islam, and because of the teachings of its sacred book.

Polygamy, Divorce, and Slavery

These three evils are so closely intertwined with the Muslim religion, its book, and its prophet, that they can never be wholly abandoned without doing violence to the teaching of the Koran and the example of Muhammad.

A Muslim who lives up to his privileges and follows the example of their saints can have four wives and any number of slave concubines; can divorce at his pleasure; can remarry his divorced wives by a special, though abominable, arrangement; and in addition to all this, if he belong to the Shiah sect he can contract marriages for fun (metaa), which are temporary. The Koran permits a Muslim to marry four legal wives, and to have as many concubines, or slavegirls, as he can support. In Turkey, Muslims call a woman “cow.”

In Islam, marriage is a kind of slavery; for the wife becomes the slave (rakeek) of her husband, and it is her duty absolutely to obey him in everything he requires of her, except in what is contrary to the laws of Islam. Wife-beating is allowed by the Koran.

The other ethic, which is much worse than all the rest, is slave trade. According to the Koran, slavery and the slave trade are divine institutions. From the Koran we learn that all male and female slaves, either married or single, taken as plunder in war are the lawful property of the master, his chattel. Slave traffic is not only allowed but legislated for by Muslim law and made sacred by the example of the Prophet.

For five hundred years Islam has been supreme in Turkey, the fairest and richest portion of the Old World, and what is the result today? The treasury is bankrupt; progress is blocked; “instead of wealth, universal poverty; instead of comeliness, rags; instead of commerce, beggary.”

Such are the chief tenets and religious requirements of Muslims in Egypt, Turkey, and in other countries where the people believe in the Koran. Christianity exists in Turkey by a kind of sufferance. The Turks hate, ridicule, foster pride and passion toward Christians; the ignorant populace are taught by their learned men to regard themselves infinitely better than any Christian. The mosques are generally the hotbeds of fanaticism. The usual manner of speaking of the Christian was and still is to call him, in Turkey, Imansig Kevour (unbeliever); in Egypt, Nasrani (Nazarene), or Ya din el kalb (you dog). Peace, harmony, and happiness in the homes of Muslims are of a very transitory nature.

Muslims may be steadfast and unswerving in their faith and yet guilty of some of the most heinous crimes. Having lived among them, I have had many opportunities to learn of their treachery as well as of their sterling qualities. The Muslims are in great need of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is a gospel of pardon, peace, purity, righteousness, and true wisdom.

Notwithstanding the fact that from their earliest childhood their ideas are perverted by their traditions and false teaching, and their consciences defiled through their vain religion, the melting power of the Spirit of God reaches some of their hearts when the gospel of Jesus Christ is preached. Their lives of deception bring to them many a snare, yet from among their ranks in the Orient have come some of the most staunch ministers of the gospel. Gross darkness once reigned throughout the land of Egypt, and now fervent prayers are ascending to the throne of God for the light of the gospel to drive the spiritual darkness from the hearts of the people.