When a person follows a certain religion, they follow its teachings that cover various aspects: what’s right and wrong, what happens after death, who or what the higher power is, and their influence on the believer's life.
In Islam, the Quran states that Allah is the only god who decides what is good or evil; after death, humans are judged by him; their good and bad deeds are weighed on a scale to determine what the afterlife looks like for them.
Here’s a more specific question: how does a person achieve salvation in Islam?
Interestingly enough, “salvation” is not a word used in the Quran, because there are many layers to that word’s meaning that Islam does not accept. Instead, Allah offers his followers “rewards” according to their good deeds, some of which can partially remove some of their sins. So instead of worrying about being saved, Muslims are concerned about being let into paradise without having to go through the after-death levels of punishments.
Understanding sin in Islam
In Islam, sin has an entirely different meaning than what the Bible says. Muhammad teaches in the Hadith that every baby is born pure but becomes sinful when the devil touches them right after birth [Bukhari; Muslim].
The concept of sin in Islam is not about the heart of the person committing the sins or because they believe that sin separates them from Allah. Rather, it is about power– their sins give Allah power to forgive them or not forgive them.
“By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace (you by) those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them." (Sahih Muslim, 37:6965)
So in Islam, there isn’t a need for salvation from sin– rather the religion is built on whether or not you have Allah’s favor.
To best understand what salvation is or the rewards that are given in Islam, these verses in the Quran spell it out. We’ve dissected each one for you:
What does the Quran say about salvation?
Weighing of good deeds against the bad on the day of judgment
“The weighing on that Day will be just. As for those whose scale will be heavy with good deeds, only they will be successful. But those whose scale is light, they have doomed themselves for wrongfully denying Our signs.” Surah 7:8-9
On the day of judgment a Muslim finally learns whether they have done enough to gain Allah’s favor. There is no guarantee that after devoting their entire lives to following the Five Pillars of Islam Allah will give them favor (unless they die in the cause of Allah).
Allah gives favor as He wants, not equally
“So compete with one another for forgiveness from your Lord and a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His messengers. This is the favour of Allah. He grants it to whoever He wills. And Allah is the Lord of infinite bounty.” Surah 57:21
There is no proof that Allah will grant his favor to all Muslims or equally in any way. Muslims are left to hope they did enough for themselves, and even compete for Allah’s favor against their fellow Muslims.
Rewards from Allah does not mean no punishment for wrongdoing
“There is none of you who will not pass over it. This is a decree your Lord must fulfill. Then We will deliver those who were devout, leaving the wrongdoers there on their knees.” Surah 19:71-72
Even if Allah does grant a Muslim rewards in paradise, they still have to pass over hell to pay for their sins on the way. This is just one reason out of many that Muslims are afraid of dying and of the afterlife.
Allah forgives sins– the true meaning behind this verse
Say, ‘[Allah says], My servants who have harmed yourselves by your own excess, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Allah forgives all sins: He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” Surah 39:53
Muslims love to point to this verse, and similar ones, to show that Allah is forgiving. But how can they reconcile such verses with the ones that affirm that Allah will eventually decide who enters paradise. And if Allah truly forgives all sins, why then will the good works be put on a scale and they should outweigh the bad deeds for the Muslim to be spared?
Obviously, there are many contradicting teachings in Islam about salvation and who will enter into paradise. But let us remember, that salvation (if at all granted) does not lead into a personal relationship between the Muslim and Allah, whether here or in the afterlife. It is never said that Allah will dwell with his followers in the afterlife either.
Hell will be full of women
According to Muhammad there will be many more women in hell than hell because they are ungrateful to their husbands:
“I was shown the Hell-fire and that the majority of its dwellers were women who were ungrateful.” It was asked, “do they disbelieve in Allah?” (or are they ungrateful to Allah?) He [Muhammad] replied, “they are ungrateful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors and the good (charitable deeds) done to them. If you have always been good (benevolent) to one of them and then she sees something in you (not of her liking), she will say, ‘I have never received any good from you.’” Hadith Bukhari, v. 1 # 28
How to talk about salvation with your Muslim friend
Remember, Muslims have a different concept of sin than you do, and their place in paradise after death relies more on whether they did enough to gain Allah’s favor or not.
Be prepared to explain what the Bible teaches about sin if you want to talk about Jesus’ sacrifice. From a Muslim’s perspective, Jesus didn’t have to die, because they do not believe that the wages of sin is death.
We have a free resource that is addressed to Muslim’s to help them with this topic, but if you read it as a Christian, it can give you perspective of where they are coming from and why they don’t understand the true impact of sin.
Here are some questions or prompts you can use in a conversation about salvation:
It sounds exhausting to have to constantly try to earn Allah’s favor. I believe God loves me unconditionally. Would you like to hear my own experience?
I believe there is a real cost to sin that separates us from God. Have you heard what the Bible says about it?
Do you ever wonder if you’ve done enough to gain Allah’s favor to enter paradise?
I know that because I have accepted Christ as Lord, my sins are forgiven and I will live with Him forever. You can have that assurance too.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
Prayer for talking to a Muslim about salvation
Dear Lord, thank you for loving me unconditionally and paying the price of my sin. Please open my Muslim friend’s heart to hear the truth and recognize their need for you. Amen.
