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Fariza Gulomikova grew up in a Shia Ismaili family in Tajikistan. As a child, she saw how much a person could lose by leaving Islam. Then her cousin became a Christian, and the kindness she encountered at his church challenged everything she thought she knew about Christians.

In part three of our Understanding Islam series, Fariza tells Preston about her childhood, her encounter with Jesus at age 11, her family’s response to her conversion, and the challenges of starting over in the United States. She also shares what she wishes Christians understood about their Muslim neighbors.

Chapters

0:00 Fariza’s decision to become a Christian

0:32 Introduction to part three of Understanding Islam

2:23 Growing up in Tajikistan during a civil war

5:31 Sunni, Shia, and Fariza’s Ismaili background

12:22 Growing up as a girl in a Muslim majority country

17:47 The pressures and dangers Fariza saw women face

26:41 Fariza’s people, language, and culture

29:10 Her childhood view of Christianity

31:34 The cousin who changed her view of Christians

33:32 The kindness that drew her toward Jesus

34:30 Fariza’s encounter with Jesus at age 11

36:45 What she was taught about Jesus in Islam

38:44 Fariza’s advice for Christians talking with Muslims

43:39 How her family responded to her conversion

47:33 Starting over in America

52:28 Islam, terrorism, and stereotypes

55:28 Searching for belonging in Christian communities

58:41 Fariza’s final word to Christians

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How does the Qur’an compare to the Bible? Do Muslims read it the way evangelical Christians read the Bible? And if the Qur’an is Islam’s sacred text, why are the Hadith so important for understanding what Muslims believe and how they live?

In part two of our series on Islam, Preston sits down with Dr. Gabriel Said Reynolds, a Catholic Qur’an scholar and the Crowley Professor of Islamic Studies and Theology at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his Ph.D. from Yale University and is the author of The Qur’an and Its Biblical Subtext, The Qur’an and the Bible, and Christianity and the Qur’an.

Together, they explore how Muslims understand the Qur’an, where it came from, how it took shape, and how its form and use compare with the Bible. They also discuss Muhammad’s relationship to the Qur’an, the early Islamic conquests, passages concerning violence and women, and why reading the Qur’an by itself does not necessarily tell you how Muslims will interpret or apply it.

Gabriel’s books explore how the Qur’an engages earlier scriptures and what that relationship can tell us about the emergence of Islam. His latest book, Christianity and the Qur’an, was published by Yale University Press in 2025.

You can find more of Gabriel’s work on his YouTube channel, Exploring the Qur’an and the Bible.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Why reading the Quran alone isn’t enough

00:42 Introducing Dr. Gabriel Said Reynolds

02:15 How Gabriel began studying Islam

05:31 What is the Quran?

09:03 Where did the Quran come from?

12:24 Did Muhammad write the Quran?

14:13 How does the Quran compare to the Bible and Psalms?

19:13 The biggest differences between the Quran and the Bible

21:42 Violence and the early Islamic conquests

27:10 How early Muslims treated Christians and other conquered peoples

32:29 Does the Quran command violence?

39:32 How Muslims interpret difficult Quranic passages

43:28 Is Islam inherently violent?

47:25 What does the Quran say about women?

49:58 Polygamy and the disputed passage about striking wives

52:29 Modesty, honor, and women in Muslim societies

59:07 What are the Hadith, and why do they matter?

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Join the Theology in the Raw community to listen to my "Extra Innings" response to my conversation with Javad.

What do Christians misunderstand about Islam? Is it inherently violent? Was it spread by the sword? What do Muslims believe about Christians, Sharia, women, the Quran, and the Hadith?

In the first episode of our three-part series on Islam, Preston sits down with Dr. Javad Hashmi, a Muslim scholar and PhD candidate in Islamic Studies at Harvard University.

The conversation explores the origins of Islam, what historians can know about Muhammad, the development of the Quran and Hadith, Sunni and Shia Islam, Sharia, early Muslim-Christian relations, Islamic empires, religious violence, ISIS and al-Qaeda, the treatment of women, and how Muslims view Christians and Americans.

This conversation is not intended to settle every question or present one definitive account of Islam. It is an attempt to listen carefully, understand Islam’s internal diversity, and ask difficult questions without reducing an entire religious tradition to slogans or stereotypes.

This is Part 1 of our series, Understanding Islam.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Does the Quran Promote Violence?

00:43 What Is Islam, Really?

05:21 Introducing Dr. Javad Hashmi

06:32 How to Understand Any Religion

12:41 Muhammad and the Origins of Islam

23:40 Early Muslim-Christian Relations

29:16 Was Islam Spread by the Sword?

42:30 Sunni, Shia, and Sufi Islam

49:50 Core Beliefs and Sharia

55:46 The Quran Versus the Hadith

1:04:36 Islam, Violence, and Terrorism

1:15:41 Islam and Women

1:27:03 How Muslims View Christians and Americans

1:32:22 Closing

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