Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity

James Gladwell (Student # 4158244)

American Military University

Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

Dr. Mark D. Wessner

In this research paper I will outline the beliefs about eschatology in the faiths of Islam

and Christianity. Islam has two major sects: Sunni and Shi’a, and Christianity has two major

sects as well: Catholic and Protestant, with Protestant covering a wide array of varying traditions

and teachings. There are other traditions that belong to each of the major faiths covered here that

I will not cover.

Eschatology is defined as “The study of "last things," or the end of human history.

Although specific interpretations vary widely, most Christian eschatologies center on the belief

that the just will be rewarded when God triumphs over Satan in the last days.” (Cran &

Loeterman, 1999) In contrast to “eastern” religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism, the

ultimate reality or “goal” of Islam and Christianity is to live forever in Paradise with God.

Buddhism, Hinduism, and other eastern religions believe that the ultimate reality is one-ness

with nature or with yourself.

One thing that the religious faiths of Islam and Christianity share with regard to their

beliefs in the end times is the presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus is referred to as “Isa” in the Koran

and plays a role in the end of days. According to Islam, Jesus was a prophet and was given a

Book of Gospels but the Gospel was lost or distorted so the teachings contained in them are not

the true Word of God. He was not crucified; another man took his place while Jesus ascended

bodily into Heaven without dying. Another Muslim tradition from Jesus from the Amadiyaa

Muslims of South Asia says that Jesus did not die in Jerusalem, but fled for India, where he died

as an old man. Whatever the belief of Jesus is, his role in Muslim eschatology is comparable to

what Christians believe, that he will come again to judge people. He will be preceded by the

Mahdi, who will come to the world to teach and prepare for another teacher’s coming, Jesus.
Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

The term “Mahdi” is a title meaning “Guided One” or “Savior.” Muslims believe that the

Mahdi will come as a Great Imam or spiritual leader to the world and fill the world with justice,

peace, and convert the world to Islam, alongside Jesus, who will break the cross (meaning Jesus

will destroy the idea that he died as the Son of God on the cross) and defeat al-Dajjal or false

Messiah. When Mahdi comes, he will create an Islamic world by converting all Christians and

Jews or by killing them. Shi’a Muslims believe that the Mahdi has been born.

The Ithna ‘ashari or “Twelvers” of the Shi’a faith drew information from several Shi’a

Hadiths, Mohammed said there would be Twelve Great Imams and then the Mahdi would come.

In 869 A.D., Mohammed ibn Hasan ibn Ali was born, but disappeared at the age of five years

old. Having been “hidden” by God, Mahdi will appear when the time is right for him to

complete his mission of preparing the world for judgment.

Mahdi tradition in Sunni Islam is much the same as in Shi’a Islam, with the major point

of difference being the belief that the Mahdi was born and taken by God to be hidden. The

Sunnis discount the notion that Mohammed ibn Hasan is the Mahdi. They say that he could not

have been the Mahdi because according to the Hadiths, the Mahdi will bear the name of the

prophet Mohammed. There are other Hadiths that say the Mahdi will be of Mohammed’s

family. This has led to fewer Sunni Muslims actually following a belief in the Mahdi. In an

article (The Sunni Mahdi, n.d.) about the Mahdi it can be learned that reformers who are

antagonistic to established authority can gain great power. Historically, in Sudan in the 1880’s, a

person claiming to be the Mahdi created trouble between Muslims and the British government.

Political unrest and turmoil in Sudan and neighboring Egypt created a situation that was

favorable to charismatic Mohammed Ahmad ibn as Sayyid Abd Allah. Mohammed Ahmad was

a fakir, or holy man who claimed to be the Mahdi. He had spent several years gaining a
Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

reputation as a mystic and a teacher. His sermons were very stirring and he gained a large

following and massed a sizeable army, called the Ansar. He was able to convince his followers

that he was the Mahdi returned to prepare the way for the second coming of Isa (Jesus.) He

imposed traditional Islamic rule in the region he had control of and modified the five pillars of

Islam to support the idea that loyalty to him was essential to true belief. He added the phrase

“and Mohammed Ahmad is the Mahdi of God and the representative of His Prophet" to the

profession of faith, forbade traveling to Mecca for the hajj, instead replacing that obligation with

service in the war he was fighting. He also changed the giving of alms to the poor to the paying

of taxes to support his war. He justified these reforms by saying that God had revealed to him in

visions that this is what he was sent to do. (The Sunni Mahdi, n.d.)

In Christianity, belief in the “end days” has different meanings. The Catholic Church

teaches that since the Incarnation of Jesus, we’ve been in the midst of the end times. The Church

teaches “But in these "end times," ushered in by the Son's redeeming Incarnation…” (Catholic

Church, 2000)

Christians believe that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, but only

after several miracles and disasters happen, along with rebellion, lawlessness, and persecution, in

a period some Christians call “Tribulations.” As taken from Christian Scripture, “there will be

terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud,

haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable,

slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure

rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power” (2 Timothy

3:1-5)
Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

Many Christian sects try to predict when Jesus’ second coming will be, despite passages

in the Christian Bible that say to do so is pointless. In one Bible passage, Jesus says, “no one but

the Father knows the day and the hour” (Matthew 24:36.) Christians believe that this does not

mean that Jesus did not know when his Second Coming would be, since He is God.

After the period of “trials and tribulations” Jesus will appear suddenly without warning,

“as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of

Man be.” (Matthew 24:27) The physical world will be destroyed, the dead resurrected, and the

living and the dead will be judged. The righteous will go to Heaven and the damned will be sent

to Hell.

As with belief in the end times, the organizational structures also have differences and

similarities. Muslim community or “ummah” is led by a Caliph. The split between Sunni and

Shi’a Muslims started over a dispute about who should succeed Mohammed after his death. For

a time following the death of Mohammed, Islam went through several caliphs known as the

“Patriarchal Caliphs.” In his web article, Richard Hooker says “For many Muslims, this was the

golden age of Islamic government when a true Islamic polity was in existence; from some

Muslims, such as Shiite Muslims, this was the only  period when there was legitimate Islamic

government” (Hooker, 1996) The term “Imam” means “leader.” Leaders of countries have been

called Imam but more commonly this term is reserved for the person who leads a group of

faithful in prayer.

The sects of Islam have their own terms for their leaders as well. In Shi’a Islam, the

ayatollahs (meaning “sign of God”) are responsible for teaching the faith and matters of the faith

in schools of Islamic sciences. Years of study are required, in addition to delivering lectures and

original writings for someone to be granted the title of ayatollah. The process of becoming a
Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

grand ayatollah requires the leaders of several hawza, or Islamic schools to agree that the

ayatollah possesses the knowledge and has gained the respect of the leaders before the title is

formally awarded. (Koerner, 2004)

Sunni Islam calls their rough equivalent of ayatollah by the term “mufti.” On the

Question and Answer section of Sunnipath.com, I found a brief description of the things one

must do to become a mufti in Sunni Islam. The website defines mufti as “someone well-

grounded in Islamic law…” To reach this status one must study the legal verdicts and principles

of jurisprudence and be able to research and provide sources in reference books in the matters of

Islamic law. (Mangera, 2005) The title of Grand Mufti is reserved for the highest official of

religious law in a Sunni Muslim country.

In Christianity, it is very rare for there to be a “Christian state” as there is in the Muslim

world. The laws of a country may have been founded on the principles and beliefs of

Christianity, and references to God may even be included in the documents that are the

foundation of a political society, such as the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of

the United States of America. However, it is unlikely that the laws and politics are strictly

governed by the clergy.

The religious structures in Christian religions vary according to what faith is being

observed. In Catholicism, the person leading a group of faithful in prayer is a priest. The priest

has a superior, called a bishop. The bishop typically oversees the administration of several

parish churches, called a diocese. The diocese is typically part of a larger archdiocese,

administered by an archbishop.

In the Protestant faiths, individual churches can be part of an association but are not

likely to be as hierarchal as the Catholic Church. The intent of association is usually to pool
Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

resources for the furthering of their ministries in activities such as missionary work and

community outreach. One such organization, the American Baptist Association, is “an

association of nearly 2,000 theologically conservative churches” (Wikipedia, 2011) The

American Baptist Association’s website says that there are member churches in the United States

as well as several other countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Individual churches are

governed by boards elected by the eligible members of the congregation. These boards make

decisions on matters such as hiring of pastors and teachers as well as major financial matters

concerning the church.

In looking at the history of people claiming to be Messiah in both Islam and Christian

sects, we can see that the right set of circumstances can lend great power to charismatic people

such as David Koresh, Jim Jones, and Mohammed Ahmad from the Sudanese conflicts of the

1880s. The similarities between Muslim and Christian eschatology go beyond that, however. At

the end of the days, Jesus will come again. What role he will play depends on whether the

believer is a Muslim or Christian, but both faiths agree that he plays an important role. The

organization and leadership varies greatly between the two faiths and also within the sects of the

individual faiths. Islam commands great control over the society of Muslims, but there doesn’t

seem to be much actual structure to the religion. In his 2005 article, Harvey Cox points out that

Muslims have never developed a clear hierarchy and have battled over questions of succession

ever since the death of the prophet. He goes on to say that even the limited hierarchy has broken

down in the wake of extremists claiming titles that the more moderate Muslims do not agree that

they have claim to. (Cox, 2005) The hierarchy in Christian religions differs for a

historical/religious reason. Protestants did not believe in the primacy of the Pope in Roman

Catholicism and have avoided establishing a similar system for centuries. What they have
Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

created with regard to their organization and associations works for them as well as the Roman

Catholic hierarchy has worked for the purposes needed.

Eschatology and Organizational Structure in Islam and Christianity 7

Catholic Church. (2000). Catechism of the Catholic Church. Vatican: Libreria Editrice Vaticana.

Cox, H. (2005, August 30). Religious Hierarchy. Foreign Policy , pp. 45-46.

Cran, W., & Loeterman, B. (1999). Frontline: Apocalypse! Retrieved February 3, 2010, from

PBS Online: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/etc/glossary.html

Hooker, R. (1996). The Caliphate. Retrieved February 13, 2011, from World Civilizations:

http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ISLAM/CALIPH.HTM

Koerner, B. I. (2004, April 6). So You Want To Be an Ayatollah. Retrieved February 10, 2011,

from Slate.com: http://www.slate.com/id/2098364/

Mangera, S. A. (2005, July 3). How does one become a mufti? Retrieved February 12, 2011,

from Sunni Path: http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=4980&CATE=22

Merriam-Webster. (2011). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved February 11, 2011,

from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shariah

The Sunni Mahdi. (n.d.). Retrieved February 7, 2011, from www.globalsecurity.org:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-sunni-mahdi.htm

Wikipedia. (2011, February 8). American Baptist Association. Retrieved February 14, 2011,

from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Baptist_Association