Monthly Archives: July 2024

Please see the final week giving note at the end of today’s email.

My sweet wife is currently reading a book called God and Money. (Fair warning, you might not want to read it. I get little nervous every time she says, “So I read this thing in that book on money. . . .”) 

The book tells the story of how “John and Greg met as Harvard MBA candidates in a men’s Bible study and stopped asking ‘How much should I give?’ and started asking ‘How much do I need to keep?’” 

That’s a great question. For the sake of honesty, though, I should admit our family has yet to fully engage it. But it’s got us thinking about how Muslims think about money. (It’s almost always easier to wonder about someone else, than deal with it yourself, innit?)

The Zakat Foundation, a non-profit helping distribute Muslims’ charity briefly shares: 

“Five Essential Islamic Teachings on Wealth”
(If you think, “Whoa, these sound familiar, you’re not wrong!)

1. Wealth can be enjoyed, but do not let it distract you.
Wealth can give us pleasure in life, but it can also be a distraction from what is truly important. A Muslim should not save and hoard great sums of money, but should distribute it to those who are in need of it.

2. It is never acceptable to earn a living by doing wrong.Muslims must earn their wealth in a lawful, or halal, way. “O you who have believed, do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent.” Quran 4:29

3. Practice charity toward the poor, orphans and those in need.
The faith of Muslims is built on the five pillars of Islam. One of those pillars is giving wealth to charity, or zakat.

4. Do not fear poverty. God will provide.
Some believers say that fearing poverty is the same as not trusting in God.

5. Giving of your wealth is the source of true prosperity.
“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is like a seed [of grain] which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains.” [Quran 2:261]

May God help Muslims honor him with their wealth. And you and me, too.

Today is the final week for this semi-annual Muslim Connect funding drive. (And it’s oddly aligned with an unplanned edition on zakat!) If you’ve been considering a gift, now would be a good time. I’m raising money to get all the 390+ editions of Muslim Connect archived at shanebennett.com. I’m also beginning to dream about putting a collection of them together in a book! If you’d like to give, please click here, navigate to the “Staff” drop down, select me and proceed. Thank you very much. 

Please see the special note at the end of today’s email.

In case your Islamic calendar has gone missing, the current month is Muharram, the first of the Muslim year. On the 10th day of Muharram, Muslims celebrate a holiday known as Ashura. Ashura fell this year on July 16th and 17th.

While all Muslims celebrate Ashura, both the ways and reasons vary between Sunnis and Shias.

For Sunnis, Ashura mainly commemorates Moses parting the Red Sea. Some add remembering Noah getting off the ark and Joseph getting released from prison. Like Shias, Sunnis celebrate with fasting, extra prayers and giving money to charity and family. 

Ashura is a much bigger deal for Shias. For them it commemorates the 10th day of Muharram in the seventh century when Husayn, Muhammad’s grandson was killed by the Umayyad army in the Battle of Karbala. Shias believe he was the rightful successor to Muhammad and remember his martyrdom still today.

Shias fast, add prayers to the schedule and give money like Sunnis, but they also engage in elaborate and heartfelt mourning ceremonies. 

Muhammad is reported in a Hadith to have said when asked about fasting on Ashura, that doing so expiates the minor sins of the past year.

As is too often the case, violence marred this year’s celebration of Ashura: Islamic State terrorists fired on a gathering of Shias in Muscat, Oman, killing six and wounding 30. Four of the dead were Pakistani citizens. 

Jesus said the enemy came to steal, kill and destroy, but he came to bring abundant life. May that life be increasingly known among us and throughout the Muslim world. 

Twice a year I invite you to consider a gift to help fund Muslim Connect. The email is free and always will be, but this summer I’m asking God to bring in the necessary resources to archive all of the Muslim Connect emails at shanebennett.com. If you’ve learned something today or found value in Muslim Connect generally, please click here, navigate to the “Staff” drop down, select me and proceed. Thank you very much. 

Please see the special note at the end of today’s email.

The governor of Louisiana recently signed a law requiring the Ten Commandments (10C) be posted in every public school classroom, from elementary through university. 

“No later than January 1, 2025, each public school. . .shall display the Ten Commandments in each classroom. . . .The. . .Ten Commandments shall be displayed on a poster or framed document that is at least eleven inches by fourteen inches. The text of the Ten Commandments shall be the central focus of the poster. . .and shall be printed in a large, easily readable font.”

I’m guessing if you’re reading Muslim Connect you’re fairly pro-Ten Commandments. You think they’re a good idea and you endeavor to shape your life in alignment to them. 

But should governments, local, state or federal, mandate their display in public school classrooms? And you may wonder, like I do, what does this mean for Muslim school kids? Of course there are myriad other considerations as well. 

Two questions come to my mind:

1. What do Muslims think of the Ten Commandments? Turns out you can find parallels to each of the commands in the Quran, save remembering the Sabbath. They’re not in a list like Exodus 20, but the sentiments are reflected. So Muslims agree generally with the governor of Louisiana that the 10C reflect God-ordained and sensible, moral rails for life with God and society.

   But does this make a Muslim fifth grader feel more or less at home in her classroom? And frankly in what ways and how much does that really matter? To me, you, the governor of Louisiana?

2. Do you think this law is a good idea or not? I’d love for you to take 30 seconds and weigh in on this one question survey.

However you see this, may God give us all grace to live by the 10C and even more so by Jesus’s sum up of them to love the Lord God with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself!

Twice a year I invite you to consider a gift to help fund Muslim Connect. The email is free and always will be, but a contribution now will help it keep going and growing. Particularly this summer I’m asking God to bring in the necessary resources to archive all of the Muslim Connect emails at shanebennett.com. If you’ve found value in Muslim Connect and would like to help, please click here, navigate to the “Select Designation” drop down, select me and proceed. Thank you very much. 

Please see the special note at the end of today’s email.

Yesterday the U.S. celebrated its 248th birthday. If you joined in the festivities, I hope you had a fun time. Our family did. 

Although the fireworks have slowed down here, they continue unabated in Heaven for three amazing situations (among many) which are still unfolding. Be encouraged:

“Man in White” Dream
Recently in an unengaged area of an east African country a man dreamed of a guy in white accompanied by a pair of men he didn’t recognize. When two missionaries strode into his village, he said, “Hey I know what you’re talking about, I saw you in my dream!” He quickly gave his life to Jesus. This has helped catalyze over 80 others following Jesus and eight house churches forming. 

Strength in Trial
God is giving resilience and courage to Iranian believers whose incarceration for their faith includes added humiliations and pain. God continues to give hope as Persians in Iran and beyond find life in Jesus. 

Hope Realized in Chad
Three months ago there were 92 unengaged people groups in Chad. Now four of them have been engaged! Is there still a long way to go? Definitely, but the trend is right and momentum is growing. Chadian believers, new and old, are obeying Jesus, spreading the good news of the Kingdom.

Twice a year I invite you to consider a gift to help fund Muslim Connect. The email is free and always will be, but a contribution now will help it keep going and growing. Particularly this summer I’m asking God to bring in the necessary resources to archive all of the Muslim Connect emails at shanebennett.com. If you’ve found value in Muslim Connect and would like to help, please click here, navigate to the “Select Designation” drop down, select me and proceed. Thank you very much.