Asking questions (a) communicates respect and interest in them as a person, (b) gives you insight into how to communicate the gospel to that person, and (c) earns you the right to share what you believe.
Below are some conversations starters. Obviously you don’t want to legalistically ask each of these questions in this order to every Muslim student. 🙂
These are just tools in your toolbox. Keep the conversation natural and friendly. Look for open doors to ask them about spiritual things.
“Salam alaykum” This Arabic greeting and a smile are usually enough to meet someone!
“Would you teach me a few more Arabic words?”
“What is it like being away from your family?”
“How do you like being in America?”
“How are your studies going?”
with a smile…. “Are you a Muslim? How comfortable are you talking about faith?”
“I understand that Muslims around the world bow towards Saudi Arabia to pray. How often do you pray? Why do you pray?”
“Are you a Muslim because you have studied other religions and found Islam to be true, or because you were born Muslim?”
“Would you consider yourself to be a good Muslim?”
“What do you believe about the Christian faith? About the Bible? About Jesus?”
“What do you believe is the biggest difference between our two faiths?”
“I believe that I have been given a great gift from God… forgiveness of sins. I did not earn it or deserve it. I received it by faith as a gift from God. I would be a horrible person if I did not share this gift with others.”
“What do you believe that we must do so that God will erase our sins?”
“I am not trying to convert you because I cannot convert anyone. Only God can open our minds to His truth.” (Muslims also believe this.)
“I don’t like to debate because a debate involves a winner and a loser. However, I enjoy seeking the truth about God together with friends.”
“I am very open minded. If God shows me that the Qur’an is His words, I will become a Muslim, but I have a strong faith in the Bible.
Are you also committed to the truth? If God shows you that the Bible is His words, will you follow Him according to the Bible?”
“My Muslim friends believe that the Bible was distorted. Satan would like for us to believe that some heavenly books (OT & NT) have been distorted, but they have not. What did you learn that caused you to believe that heavenly books were distorted?”
“I would like to continue our conversation another time. May I ‘friend’ you on facebook now and send you a message later?”
“Would you bring some of your friends to our home for an American dinner? We can discuss faith more.”“May I bring some of my friends to visit you and your friends sometime?” Generally speaking, in Arab culture, it is an honor if someone asks to visit you.