Abu Da’ud is a former Muslim who was born and raised in a Muslim Majority country. He is the only Christian known on either side of his family and has been a Christian for nearly forty years. He was disowned and disinherited because he followed Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He has discipled Muslim Background Believers (MBBs), taught about Muslim ministry at church, led Muslims to the Lord, and started small groups.
With these life experiences, Abu Da’ud has been compelled to create a system of Bible studies that can be used with a Muslim seeker or a Muslim background believer. The set is split into five books with all kinds of helpful advice for those who are interested in reaching Muslims. These resources have been so helpful in my experience that I'd like to give a brief summary of each here.
Book 1: An Overview of Seeker Evangelism in Disciple MBBs
The first book in a set of five is an Overview of Seeker Evangelism in Discipling Muslim Background Believers. This book tells Da'ud's story of coming to faith. He shares his misconceptions about Christianity and his three questions that had to be answered:
The First Question - The Virgin Birth - how could this happen?
The Second Question - The Trinity - the apparent contradiction between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and the claim that all three were God but that there was only one God.
The Third Question - Jesus is the Son of God - the Messiah, as He claimed to be - not the Muslim version that comes back with the Mahdi, but the one born of a virgin.
He shares how these misconceptions and questions were addressed and answered each in a way that gives us the information to be able to dialogue with Muslim seekers. Also included is a chapter titled "Considerations for the Seeker," which goes into detail about first steps for the new believer and counting the cost for making the decision to follow Christ
Book 2: An Overview of Discipling MBBs
The second book is an Overview of Discipleship in Discipling Muslim Background Believers. Its chapters include: "Reading and Understanding the Bible," "The Foundational Teachings," "God Keeps His Promises," and "Prayer" to name a few.
The three most striking elements of this book are:
The comprehensive use of Scripture to address every topic and question.
Da'ud's answers and explanations to questions are easy to understand.
The Kindle edition includes hyperlinks that will easily direct the student to more information.
Book 3: Muslim Seeker Bible Study and MBB Bible Studies
The next two books—Muslim Seeker Bible Study and Muslim Background Believer Bible Studies—are in a workbook format. The Muslim Seeker Bible Study has thirty-seven lessons with biblical answers to topics addressing the differences in Christianity and Islam and questions that Muslims might need to have resolved before considering following Christ.
Da'ud provides thirteen questions to guide the discussion about the Bible passages. These include questions on topics such as: What is Faith, the names of God, intimacy with God, marriage, and raising a family.
Book 4: Muslim Background Believer Bible Studies
Muslim Background Believer Bible Studies has thirty-one lessons to help a Muslim background believer grow in his or her walk with God. The same thirteen questions are provided to guide the discussion about Bible passages.
Book 5: Discipling Muslim Background Believers
The final book, Discipling Muslim Background Believers, is the foundational piece for the two Bible studies. It is an indexed resource that covers hundreds of topics. The reading paths can guide someone through the book—whether a seeker or an MBB—even in isolation. Each topic has a reference number.
A believer can go through the Bible study above in a small group or with a friend using this book as a reference. If it is not possible for the believer to be in a group Bible study, a discipler can give the believer the index number. When it is safe, the believer can look up the index number in the book and study the information given on their own. Each topic also has links to other references that will build on the information. Though the size of this book can be intimidating, the good news is the electronic version has hyperlinks. Discipling Muslim Background Believers is an excellent resource for discipleship.
Additional Resources
Abu Da’ud has a website with additional resources, a place to sign up for his blog, and information about where books can be purchased. You can access the website at www.abudaud.com. On the website, the books can be purchased in EPUB and MOBI (Amazon Kindle format). From Amazon, the books can be purchased in MOBI or in paperback.
