The Paul of Islam (updated)

"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished" (Acts 22:3-5). Paul was a "Hebrew of Hebrews," not only in line with the strictest teachings of his day, but even educated by Gamaliel himself, a Pharisee "teacher of the law held in honor by all the people" (Philippians 3:4-6; Acts 5:34). He was among the most knowledgeable Old Testament scholars and most radically zealous for God. Even his persecution of Christians was rooted in this zeal, albeit misplaced (Acts 26:9-11; 1 Timothy 1:13). After his conversion, Paul was soon found baffling the Jews in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 9:22). Over the course of his ministry, he "powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus" (Acts 18:28).

Being then one of the most knowledgeable Old Testament scholars, one of the most radically zealous for God (even persecuting Christians), and one of the best contenders of the faith, Paul might rightly be considered the archetypal contender for Jesus from the Jewish perspective. Accordingly, what God provided the Jews through Paul is of great need today among Muslims: a Paul of sorts from the Koranic perspective. And whether this "Paul of Islam" be a specific individual, or a theoretical model for myriads of Muslim-background believers to become, the Gospel would make significant headway through him. He would be a Muslim whose knowledge of the Qur'an is impeccable, whose devotion to Allah is radical (maybe even persecuting Christians and so forth), and whose transformation by Jesus makes him a powerful contender for the faith.

Now in even naming this "Paul of Islam" after Paul, it must be made clear what distinguishes him. For it is reasonable to think that just as the original Paul illuminated truths from his culture's perspective, so also truths can be shown from Islamic culture. This notion is similar to the "redemptive analogy" theory purported by author and missionary Don Richardson: "the idea that each culture has some story, ritual, or tradition that can be used to illustrate and apply the Christian gospel message" (Staub, Feb. 2003). In fact, Richardson himself addresses Islam in relation to this notion. In an interview with Christianity Today's Dick Staub, he says, "I approached the Qur'an after 9/11, and I began to study it intensively to see if the redemptive analogy approach could work for Christians to approach Muslims winsomely. But I found that everything that a Christian would use of redemptive analogy to lead a person to God was already redefined in the Qur'an by Muhammad in a way that made the redemptive analogy approach not work" (qtd. in Staub, Feb. 2003). Richardson has furthermore written a whole book on the subject entitled Secrets of the Qur'an.

So, it must be understood that there is one major difference between the "Paul of Islam" and the historical Paul: the scriptures they are experts in. The original Paul was studying the God-inspired, inerrant Old Testament (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). The Qur'an is nothing of the sort. While it is debated whether the book is actually demonically inspired or merely empty human writings, it is at least certain that the Qur'an is not the infallible, God-breathed text, which the Old Testament is.

However, though there be no explicit "redemptive analogy" in the Qur'an, it can nonetheless be used to point to Jesus. Whatever its falsehoods about Jesus, these errors can be brought to light, especially by an expert, such as a former imam. Accordingly, the Qur'an's errors and the Bible's truths can be used to show that Jesus is the Christ. Moreover, while the Qur'an denies the great Truth, namely, who Jesus truly is, it nonetheless shares far more theological truths with Christianity than any other religion, Judaism aside. It teaches monotheism, anti-idolatry, a largely Mosaic law, and even makes claims about God's holiness, sovereignty, and mercy. From this ground, the foundation for the Gospel is set much more readily for a Muslim than perhaps a Buddhist who may never have considered such things. Not only so, but from all the details of such truths, a Muslim expert in the Qur'an would be much more capable of explaining the Gospel from the Qur'an-rooted perspective, which his kinsmen would share.

Furthermore, he would also be most capable of rightly expounding on Koranic verses which happen to be true, and rejecting false presumptions his people have about them. For example, the Qur'an says of God in Sura III:3,

"And He sent down the Law
(Of Moses) and the Gospel
(Of Jesus) before this [Qur-an],
As a guide to mankind,
And He sent down the Criterion
(Of judgment between right and wrong) [sic]."

However, the general consensus among Muslims is that the Torah and Gospels, as they are today, are corrupted versions of the originals, and therefore untrustworthy. Yet, a former imam believer would be able to use this verse to his advantage, explaining it in right context and Muslim perspective, combined with the associated apologetics for the validity of the preserved Scriptures. By such means, this "Paul of Islam" could powerfully refute Muslims in public, showing that the Christ was Jesus.

If he does so, he will also face much of the kind of life Paul himself faced: great labors, imprisonments, countless beatings, often near death, and finally put to death. Paul says, "I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure" (2 Corinthians 11:23-29). In maybe the most difficult field remaining for the Gospel to breakthrough, namely the Muslim world, certainly much of the same can be expected.

But there is assurance to those who face such things: Jesus says, "they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues [perhaps mosques] and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict [like Paul]. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death [like the Muslim world]. You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives" (Luke 21:12-19; see also Matthew 10:16-22). There is a promise addressed to Jesus concerning the reward of His sufferings in the Muslim world: "you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9), from the nation of Morocco to Indonesia, from Saudi Arabia's people to Malaysia's, from the Farsi language to Turkmen, and from the Bedouin tribes to China's Dongxiang. Through the various Pauls and other Muslims He works through, the Gospel's success in the world of Islam is guaranteed: in heaven there will be "a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!'" (Revelation 7:9).

Ali, A. Yusuf. The Glorious Qur'an. 2nd ed. American Trust Publications, 1977.

Richardson, Don. Secrets of the Koran. Regal Books: 2003. (excerpt: Introduction: From Peace Child to the Koran).

Staub, Dick. "The Dick Staub Interview: Why Don Richardson Says There's No 'Peace Child' for Islam." Christianity Today. Feb. 2003. 27 Oct. 2006. <>.