Shane Bennett

Though I’ve yet to convince my 11 year old son of this, reading must be one of the most essential and delightful (if you’ve ever read a Leif Enger novel) skills we possess in the modern world. And its absence, illiteracy, carries a strong social stigma. 

Get this: Muhammad was likely illiterate and many Muslims see this as a good thing. 

Now when I read that he was illiterate, I right away think, “Well, our guy Jesus could read and write. He argued with the smarty pants in the Temple at twelve years old and he wrote on the ground in John 8.6 (overlooking the questionable provenance of that text) and that means we’re ahead!” (Because my inner me is still concerned with getting that last pie piece in my Trivial Pursuit token!)

It turns out Muslims believe Muhammad’s illiteracy actually lends credibility to the Quran! “Only God could produce such a book. And certainly Muhammad didn’t write it because he could neither read nor write.” 

It’s a fascinating take, though Muhammad’s alleged illiteracy might not be true to history. Either way, intelligence, or the illusion of it, was less tied to literacy in Muhammad’s day than ours. Reading, writing or not, Muhammad would have done well to spend more time with the Gospels and Paul’s letters, than hanging out in a cave hearing things from Gabriel. 

Follow Up Good News
Our new favorite football player, Ahmed Hassanein, who I wrote about one month ago did get drafted! The Detroit Lions took him in the sixth round, making him the first Egyptian to ever reach the NFL. It also super-charged his potential platform for sharing about his faith in Jesus. May God protect him and use him as an ambassador to the many Muslims living in and near the shadow of Ford Field and beyond. 

No way around it: Suicide is tragic, permanent and painful beyond comprehension. There seem to be more suicides here in my little corner of paradise than should reasonably be expected. Do you get that feeling about your area? God help us all. 

Thinking about this has me wondering about suicide in Islam. Is it a “You’re banned from Heaven forever” deal like it used to be for Catholics? Or simply frowned on? Somewhere in between?

The Quran says, “And do not kill yourselves [or one another]. Indeed, Allah is to you ever Merciful.” [Qur`an 4: 29]. Pretty plain right there. Additional verses support this one. 

Extra-Quranic teaching says those who kill themselves will be punished in Hell with the implement of their death. One Hadith in particular records, “Whoever kills himself with a piece of iron, that piece of iron will be in his hand and he will be stabbing himself in the stomach with it in the Fire of Hell, forever and ever.” Dang.

Additionally, based on an example from Muhammad, some Muslim teachers think they shouldn’t say the official funeral prayer for those who’ve died by suicide. 

Softening this hard line slightly, is the caveat that Allah will not record the evil deeds of people who are insane. Someone lacking control of their faculties to the extent they don’t know what they’re doing when they kill themselves will not be punished. 

Interestingly to me, ten out of fifteen of the countries with the lowest suicide rates are predominantly Muslim. (20 of the lowest 30!) You may suppose, as I do, that this reflects significant, shame-based underreporting. A Muslim in the UK wrestles with that here.

And finally this, a recent survey reported that Muslims in the U.S. attempt suicide at twice the rate of Protestants. We might think, “Another indication Islam is broken.” We’d do better to wonder what is going on and how God may have us live and love in such a way that fewer and fewer Muslims and Christians find themselves convinced there are no other options but to end their lives. 

A couple flips of the calendar pages and we’ll be square in the middle of summer. I hope the lengthening of the days corresponds to an easing of your schedule and commitments and an overall bump in your general wellbeing. 

(If your summer involves travel to southern Colorado, hit me up and maybe we can get coffee!)

For many churches, summer means a shift, maybe a lightening, in schedule. I’ve even heard reports (unverified) of pastors taking vacations! 

So my little mobilizer mind thinks, “Maybe this is an opportunity for people like us to help out while waving our flag!” If you go to Mighty Mongo Mega Church, the preaching and programming is probably already set. Good for them. But if you go to a church like mine: Slightly smaller, slightly more seat-of-the-pants, perhaps now is a good time to reach out. 

You can likely come up with some really good ideas. (When you do, please share them with me.) Here are five to spark your thinking:

1. Offer to preach. I’ll grant there may be legitimate reasons that’s not a good idea for you and your church. (eg. You’re only marginally fluent in the language your church worships in.) You know the language? Great! John’s chapter 4 account of Jesus and the woman at the well provides a great text from which to invite others to connect with Muslims.
2. Offer to lead a prayer for the nations.
3. Ask to show a killer PrayerCast video.
4. Provide a summer series of classic “Missions Moments.” Project an arresting image, include a thoughtful question, give a clear call to action and finish 30 seconds before your time is up.
5. Write a blurb on unengaged Muslims, or four while you’re at it, for the bulletin. Too cool for a bulletin? Offer it for the website or app. 

Come to my church and I’ll let you do any two of the above!! 

I’m writing on Maundy Thursday, anticipating Good Friday and fervently asking God for help with my Easter Sunday message! How are you? 

Easter is the best, isn’t it? So much reality and hope wrapped up in an often hijacked holiday! But the core remains the core: 

Jesus defeated death.

Jesus conquered evil.

Jesus opened the door for life. 

Jesus reset the entire system. 

The kingdom of God is here. The kingdom of God will come in fullness. The Lamb will receive the reward of his suffering, the Father’s blessing will extend to every family on the Earth and some from every nation, tribe, people and language will stand before the throne and worship him. 

As we celebrate our 8th or 80th Resurrection Day, many Muslims, now freshly following Jesus, celebrate their first. 

Many Christians from ancient streams of the faith navigate the challenges of observing Easter in Muslim-majority nations. 

More than a handful of our sisters and brothers, workers wholeheartedly devoted to the task, hide eggs and sing familiar songs in a strange, new culture, wondering how to explain to new friends that Jesus really did die, that God really did raise him from death and that the implications of this miracle are both terrifying and good. 

Let’s remember all of these as we celebrate with hope and joy this Easter.

As Easter draws near, you’re probably thinking the same thing as me, “What’s up with Jonah in the Quran?” What? You’re not thinking that? 

Jesus did say in one of his earliest references to his coming passion, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Mt. 12.40) Jonah might be a good text for my Easter sermon!

Jonah shows up (as Yūnus) four times in the Quran: al-Qalam 68:48–50, al-Anbiyāʾ 21:87–88, aṣ-Ṣāffāt 37:139–148, and the surah bearing his name, Yūnus 10:98.

The story is a little different, told in a slightly different order. It feels like the end of a short, but fairly accurate, telephone game. I assume Muslims think God gave Muhammad the corrected version of the story when Gabriel told it to him. 

It makes me wonder though, where did Muhammad get his information on the Bible? Scholars say Muhammad likely had access to an Arabic translation of the Syriac Peshitta. “The Syriac Peshitta is an ancient translation of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament into the Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic. It was a widely used version of the Bible in the Middle East.”

While the order of the story and some fairly significant points vary from the Bible to the Quran, both the earlier and the later version say similar things about God’s graciousness and his desire to forgive sin.

Jonah’s prayer in the Quran version also varies from the Bible’s, but you can’t really argue with his sentiment: “There is no God but You. Glory be to You. I was wrong.”

Want some good news? The compassion and forgiveness that both Jonah and the Ninevites received and that was secured by the Son of Man is available to you, me, our families, our people and Muslims all over the place. 

April is a big month! We’ve got Palm Sunday and Easter, I turn 60 on the same day my younger son turns 11, a daughter turns 16 a few days later and of course, the event you’re all looking forward to: The NFL draft! 

Actually, you probably don’t prioritize watching the draft, but here’s the story this year that might pique the interest of Muslim Connect tribe members: Ahmed Hassanein may become the first Egyptian in history to play in the NFL! He loves Jesus and his story is amazing. 

Born in the US, Hassanein moved to Egypt at six years old with his dad and zero Arabic! He had a hard time fitting in and staying out of trouble, but found sports to be a good outlet. He excelled in a variety of sports and became a national Cross Fit champ. 

When he was 15, a plan was concocted for Ahmed to return to the US with his half brother, a teacher and football coach at a small high school in California. He soon found himself once again losing the language lottery! But he was a terror on the football field! He didn’t know the rules, but resonated with the instructions, “See ball! Get ball!” 

Late in high school, some tape Ahmed posted on Instagram caught the eye of the defensive coordinator at Boise State. Turns out his brother had played with that coach when they were both students at Azusa Pacific! 

By his senior year at Boise State, Ahmed found both great success on the gridiron and a relationship with Jesus. 

People who predict these things think he’ll go in the 5th or 6th round of the NFL draft. I don’t predict much, but pray he’ll continue to be a solid follower of Jesus and that God will give him a strong voice for Christ in the US and especially back in Egypt. 

More on Ahmed:
Nine minute video interview. 

Great version of Ahmed’s story.

Got a second for a fun story?

I was in Minnesota earlier this week to see family and found an Arab bakery just around the corner from our Airbnb. When you live in a place like I do, you gotta take opportunities to hang with Muslims when you can. (My part of southern Colorado is a “Muslim-desert!”) Plus, with Eid (the celebration at the end of Ramadan) coming up this weekend, I thought things might be bustling there. 

I popped in on our way out of town for road snacks and a look around. A staff member made eye contact, but I had to look at the hummus display for an abnormally long time while he wrapped up a phone call. 

When he came up, I asked for a hummus recommendation. He advised the basil version and he was not wrong! Of course I was not primarily interested in hummus, but rather him! 

I asked a couple questions and discovered he was from Palestine and had been in the US for forty years. I told him I wasn’t a Muslim, but wondered it if was ok to give a Muslim an Eid greeting. He said of course, just say “Eid Mubarak!”

So we’ve got emphatic permission from a great guy. Let’s do it. Give whatever Muslims God guides across your path in the next couple of days a hearty, “Eid Mubarak!” (Basically, Happy Eid!)

Since you might not see any Muslims in person (Odds are not good where I am in rural Indiana!), grab the image at the top of this email and splash it on your socials. I’m going to break my low key Lenten Facebook/Instagram fast to post it. I expect it will go viral! 

And to wrap up the story with my new friend, I left the grocery with twice as much yummy stuff as I actually purchased and his card. Guess who’s gonna get an Eid Mubarak email this weekend! 

If you’re reading this Muslim Connect when it drops and you’re in the northern hemisphere, welcome Spring! Here in Colorado, Spring is more of a promise today than a reality, but we greet it, like Abraham, from afar! The Earth is reborn, dead things come to life, we’re reminded of the nature of God, bringing life and renewal from death and destruction. 

In Iran and regions thereabouts the spring celebration is called Nowruz. With ancient roots in Zoroastrianism, Nowruz predates Islam, but is celebrated by Persian Muslims, Christians and others. Here are five cool things to know about Nowruz and one way to pray today. 

1. Nowruz, meaning “new day” in Persian, embodies themes of renewal, rebirth and the triumph of light over darkness.
2. Nowruz involves a blend of spiritual, cultural and practical activities. As with Easter, Christians in Iran and beyond pick and choose the aspects of Nowruz they participate in. 
3. Similar to an American Christmas tree, the centerpiece of Nowruz celebrations is a Haft-Seen table, adorned with seven symbolic items starting with the letter “S” in Persian — apples, garlic, sumac, vinegar, wheat or barley sprouts, sweet pudding and dried fruit. (And sometimes a goldfish!)
4. Nowruz is preceded by a time of spring cleaning called Khāne-takānī (literally: Shake the house!) that involves “washing carpets, painting the house, and cleaning the yard and attic.”
5. According to Chai and Conversation, “It’s extremely important to get in touch with everyone you know after Nowruz to wish them a happy new year. You can use the phrase nowruz mobarak to say happy new year, or nowruz pirouz, meaning may it be a victorious new year. . .”

Pray with me on this Nowruz that Persian Muslims would experience a spiritual spring and Persian Christians would sense the Holy Spirit’s leading as they celebrate. And that as the two groups gather and intermingle, words of wisdom would be whispered and shouts of joy raised as the life that is truly life continues and increasingly comes to Persians in Tehran, the rest of Iran, and throughout the world. Amen

Tomorrow the Hindu festival called Holi will be celebrated in India and to varying degrees throughout the world. You probably recognize the colored powered that celebrants throw on each other. 

Holi is one of those originally religious festivals that have now grown beyond, like Thailand’s national water fight called Songkran and Christmas pretty much everywhere. 

So why am I focusing on Holi in Muslim Connect? It’s a Hindu festival and “Muslim” is literally in the name of the email! 

Well, some Muslims do participate. Maybe in the way you, as a Christian, might participate in Halloween or do yoga! Holidays and religious practices can be tricky. Muslims who’ve grown up with and socialize with Hindus may want to wish them well and I can imagine throwing colored powder on someone might be fun and not feel very religious. 

However, the day will not be fun for many Muslims, particularly as Holi falls during Friday prayers this year. Imagine how you usually feel about April Fool’s Day, but if the pranksters legit wished you were dead! Or if you were non-Irish and St. Patrick’s Day celebrants turned your water supply green and pelted your house with empty beer bottles! 

In one Indian city in particular, and perhaps many more I don’t know about, police are heading off sectarian violence by pre-arresting a ton of people and planning to be out in force. They’ve even tarped several mosques along the two routes of popular Holi parades to protect them from the colorful revelry. 

It’s tough to be a minority anywhere. May God extend mercy and grace to our Muslim cousins this Holi-day and shine a light of hope and invitation to follow Jesus to Hindus all over as well. 

I heard a stat last night that sounded a little sketchy. You know that sense, “This is probably made up, likely not documented, but certainly punchy.” It was something along the lines of, “More money is embezzled from Christian churches each year than is given to missions.” 

Trouble is, it seems to be true: 

“Applying findings on fraud from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), it is plausible that in 2023, approximately USD 62 billion, or 6.6% of all funds given by Christians globally (USD 945 billion), was lost to fraud and embezzlement. This is, unrelatedly, USD 7 billion more than the total income (USD 55 billion) of global foreign missions.” 

This was written by my friend, Muslim Connect reader and possibly the smartest human I know, Todd Johnson. He co-directs the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is as reliable as the moon. If Todd says it, I believe it. 

Sorry to drop a bummer on your day, but that’s depressing, isn’t it? I’m thinking of launching a fund raising campaign under the theme of, “This Year, Let’s Give More Than We Steal!”

Two take aways from this little tidbit of information: 

1. Ramadan is not just a time of fasting and feasting for many Muslims, but also giving. It’s also sadly a time for increased fraud associated with that giving. Let’s pray that the money Muslims give to zakat this month would neither be stolen nor used for nefarious purposes, but would put food in the mouths of hungry kids. 
2. If you’re in leadership of a church, this is my gentle encouragement, sisters and brothers, to check your systems and processes. If you need more “snake smarts” in how your money is handled, get it. Dr. Johnson has some starting points at the end of this article. Find additional ideas here.