We ought to view all
monotheistic religions (religions which enjoin belief in one God)
in the spirit in which St. Peter viewed them when he said, "Of
a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in
every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is
accepted with Him." [Acts10:34,35]
The same is the spirit of the
oft-repeated definition of "Muslims" in the Qur'an:
"Those who believe and work righteousness" (al-lazina
amanu wa amalu-s-salehat) [Qur'an
2:25, 2:62, 2:25 etc.]. And
"Trust in the Lord and do good," as the Psalms
say. [Psalms
37:3]
It is essential that any
discussion of Islam as a monolithic religion must begin with its
very fundamental concept of unity of God (Tawhid). In this
context, it is also important to note that the creed of Islam is
very simple. To become a Muslim, one has only to declare in
sincerity, and preferably in the presence of a person already
professing Islam, "I testify that there is none worthy of
worship (god) but God, and that Muhammad is the Prophet of
God". The first part of the Muslim creed is a dialectically
rigorous rejection of polytheism in favour of monotheism. It
underlies the pivotal Muslim doctrine of divine unity (Tawhid),
and has historical antecedents in both Judaism and Christianity.
The first part of the creed
presupposes a cosmology that includes an invisible as well as a
visible world. Underlying the cosmology of this first part of the
creed, which is universalistic and acknowledged by all
monotheistic faiths, is a concept of prophesy which is
particularized and, by demanding recognition of Muhammad as God's
Prophet becomes unacceptable to non-Muslims. None of the teachings
of prophets who preceded Muhammad are denied. From Adam and
Abraham to Solomon and Jesus, the Biblical and even extra-Biblical
prophets are affirmed, many of their actions and utterances being
lauded in the pages of the Qur'an. For this reason Muslims do not
subscribe to the Jewish view which according to Jewish tradition
asserts that prophecy ceased about 400 B.C. so that there could be
no new scriptures after that time.
Christians maintain, on the
contrary, that prophecy continued and that the writings that
eventually became the New Testament were also divinely inspired.
But since Muslims maintain and believe that Muhammad is also the
last prophet, the revelations communicated through him supersede,
even as they mark the culmination of all earlier SCRIPTURES. The
authority of both, Jewish and Christian scriptures is subordinated
to the content of Muslim revelation, and the former serve as a theological,
not merely a chronological, preamble to Islam.
It is a well known fact that
there is no trace today of the scrolls of Abraham. We are also
aware of the sad story of the Torah of Moses and how it was
destroyed by Pagans several times. The same fate befell the
Psalter. As for Jesus, he had not had the time to compile or
dictate what he preached. It was his disciples and their
successors who gleaned his utterances and transmitted them to
posterity in a number of recensions [a critical revision of the
text], of which at least 70 recensions of the Gospels are known,
and with the exception of four, all are declared by the Church to
be apocryphal.
For such reasons, both the
Torah and the Gospels are regarded as corrupted (Arabic term Tahrif,
which means altering the words or misrepresenting the meaning)
in their present form. Consequently,in these earlier
revelations, whatever disagrees with the Qur'an is abrogated by
the Qur'an.
Our presentation of some
remarkable points of similarities and differences (set out in
chart-form below) is meant to demonstrate and illustrate (as
examples of practical application) how this principle of
abrogation permeates not only the whole spectrum of Islamic
teachings based on the Qur'an and the Traditions of Prophet
Muhammad in general, but also underlies the whole Islamic legal
system (Shar'iah and Fiqh). It is because of
such application of this principle of abrogation that the Qur'an
retells many stories found in the Hebrew Bible and the New
Testament. No doubt the majority of Muslims, therefore, acquire
their knowledge of the Bible solely from the Qur'an. Nevertheless,
many Muslims have studied and several novelized lives of Jesus
have been published in the twentieth century, especially in Egypt.
The Muslim position on this
issue is twofold:
a)
that the injil [Arabic for 'Bible'] like the Qur'an, was a
real Scripture -- the original Word of God, sent down from the
heavens and transmitted to the human Messenger (Prophet) Jesus on
earth, through the medium of the celestial messenger (the angel
Gabriel), as the highest form of infallible divine inspiration
called wahy in Arabic. Christians have lost
their injil, whereas Muslims have managed to meticulously
preserve every word of their Qur'an in its original purity.
God is transcendent and beyond all the physical perceptions of
man and also above all the limitations and bounds of language. The
Scriptures have been revealed to the Prophets in different
languages and at different times according to the needs and
circumstances of those times. The phenomenon of Divine Guidance
may be explained by using the following metaphor that "the
Prophets are like lightbulbs and revelation is the electric
current -- when the current contacts the light bulb, the light
bulb provides light according to its voltage and colour. The
mother-tongue of a Prophet is the colour of the light bulb,
whereas the power of the light bulb, (i.e., the current and other
things) are determined by God Himself. The human factor then, is
just an instrument of transmission and only an intermediary."
[Dr.
Hamidullah, Introduction to Islam]
b)
that not only the Prophet Muhammad's p.b.u.h. own words, sayings
or utterances, as distinct from God's Words (the Qur'an) but also
a record of his actions and tacit approvals, have all been
separately preserved. They are known as Hadith, Traditions,
or Sunnah. Muslim scholars maintain that The New
Testament, which contains the writings of the disciples of
Jesus are really more like the Hadith of the Prophet
Muhammad, p.b.u.h., whereas the injil, which has been lost,
was like the Qur'an. Accordingly, since the Qur'an has remained
unaltered to the present day, (compared to the other Scriptures)
Muslims assert that only the Qur'an contains the Words of God
-- the truthin toto (i.e., the whole truth and
nothing but the truth). Whereas the earlier Scriptures/Books such
as The New Testament, The Old Testament, etc. contain only partial
truths (i.e., much less than the whole truth).
Consequently,
in this connection, the scholars of Islam always seem so intent on
bringing home the universal truth relating to change and renewal.
It is maintained that this principle of change, revision, and
renewal is enshrined in the laws of Nature itself and that such
laws permeate the whole Divine Scheme of Guidance. This universal
law has been beautifully articulated by Lord Alfred Tennyson in
these serene and sombre yet simple words:
The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God
fulfils Himself in many ways
Finally, the
principle of abrogation does NOT mean nor does it operate by
seeking the absorption and assimilation of everyone such as
Christians, Jews, or other minority groups into the
"ruling" Muslim community. Islam protects the interests
of all its subjects. Islam welcomes and even encourages every
group, Christian, Jewish, Magian or other to have its own
tribunals presided over by its own judges, in order to have its
own laws applied in all branches of human affairs, civil as well
as criminal. This is a characteristic feature of the Quranic
legislation which accords judicial autonomy to different minority
communities living under the Muslim rule. How faithfully the
Muslims of later generations have followed these principles in
running their governments is a matter of history. History will
also judge Christian, Jewish and other governments of later
generations on their adherence to their principles!
Similarities The
Lord's Prayer compared to Surah Fateha
We see that
both the Lord's prayer in the Bible and the Opening Chapter of the
Qur'an (Sura al-Fateha), go to the root of all religions
ever professed by man. They are truly universal prayers. No man
need hesitate to join in the solemn recitation of either.
The Islamic prayer is simpler
than the Christian prayer. We do not say that one is good and that
the other is bad. No, both are very good indeed, however one seems
simpler than the other. Let us compare them.
Islam The
Muslim Prayer
Christianity The
Christian prayer
The
Fateha [The Opening]
The
Qur'an 1:1-7
The
Lord's Prayer
Matthew
6:9-13 [The
New Testament, King James version]
(a)AdorationPraise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, the
Compassionate, the Merciful. King of the Day of Reckoning.
(a)
AdorationOur
Father who art in heaven, Hallowed
be thy name.
(b)
SubmissionThee
only do we worship and of Thee only do we ask aid.
(b)
SubmissionThy
Kingdom come. Thy
Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
(c)
SupplicationGuide
us unto the right path - the
path of those to whom Thou hast been
gracious, not
the path of those who are the objects of
Thy wrath, nor
of those who have gone astray. Amen
(c)
SupplicationGive
us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors [Other
translations say: "Forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against
us."] And
lead us not into temptation, But
deliver us from evil. For
Thine is the Kingdom, The
Power and the Glory. For
ever and ever. Amen
If we carefully compare the
parts of each prayer which are written above as separate
paragraphs (a) (b) and (c), we will observe that there are
differences only in language, yet there are no differences
whatsoever in meaning. There is in both prayers absolutely the
same spirit of (a)Adoration(b)Submission
and (c)Supplication.
It is also of interest to note
that a Prophetic Tradition (Hadith) that is included in Abu
Dawud's collection of Hadith is as follows: "Narrated Abu
Darda': I heard the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) say: If
any of you is suffering from anything or his brother is suffering,
he should say: Our Lord is Allah Who is in the heaven, holy
is Thy name, Thy command reigns supreme in the heaven and the
earth, as Thy mercy in the heaven, make Thy mercy in the earth;
forgive us our sins, and our errors; Thou art the Lord of good
men; send down mercy from Thy mercy, and remedy, and remedy from
Thy remedy on this pain so that it is healed up." [Sunan
Abu Dawud, Book 28, Number 3883]
And
nearest among them in love To the Believers wilt thou Find those who say, "We are
Christians": Because amongst these are Men devoted to learning And men who have renounced The world, and they Are not arrogant.
Qur'an
5:82 Yusuf Ali Translation
Behold! God said: O Jesus, I will take thee And raise thee to Myself And clear thee (of the
falsehoods) Of those who blaspheme; I will make those Who follow thee superior To those who reject faith, To the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto
Me, And I will judge Between you of the matters Wherein ye dispute.
[Qur'an
3:55 Yusuf Ali translation]
What follows here are further
points for a comparative study of Christianity and Islam (in
simple columnar form) highlighting similarities and differences.
We must also bear in mind the importance of the Qur'an's
declaration which requires Muslims to regard Christians as their
close friends:
Similarities
Islam Creation
Christianity Creation
Qur'an
35:13 He
merges Night into Day, and he merges Day into Night, and
he has subjected the sun and the moon (to his Law): each
one runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah
your Lord: to Him belongs all Dominion. And those whom ye
invoke besides Him have not the least power.
Genesis
1:14 Then
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the night, and
let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and
years;
Qur'an
13:2 Allah
is He Who raised the heavens without any pillars that ye
can see is firmly established on the throne (of
authority). He has subjected the sun and the moon (to his
Law)! Each one runs (its course) for a term appointed. He
doth regulate all affairs, explaining the signs in detail,
that ye may believe with certainty in the meeting with
your Lord.
Genesis
1:1,2 In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The
earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the
surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over
the surface of the waters.
Qur'an
13:3,4 And
it is He who spread out the earth, and set thereon
mountains standing firm and (flowing) rivers: and fruit of
every kind He made in pairs, two and two: He draweth the
night as a veil o'er the Day. Behold, verily in these
things there are signs for those who consider! And
in the earth are tracts (diverse though) neighbouring, and
gardens of vines and fields sown with corn, and palm trees
- growing out of single roots or otherwise: watered with
the same water, yet some of them We make more excellent
than others to eat. Behold, verily in these things there
are signs for those who understand!
Genesis
1:9-12 Then
God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be
gathered into one place, and let the dry land
appear''; and it was so. God called the dry land earth,
and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God
saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth
sprout vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees
on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with
seed in them''; and it was so. The earth brought forth
vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind,
and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after] their
kind; and God saw that it was good.
Qur'an
41:37 Among
His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the
Moon. Do not prostrate to the sun and the moon, but
prostrate to Allah, Who created them, if it is Him ye wish
to serve.
Genesis
1:3-5 Then
God said, "Let there be light''; and there was light.
God saw that the light was good; and God separated
the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and
the darkness He called night. And there was evening and
there was morning, one day.
Qur'an
41:12 So
He completed them as seven firmaments in two Days, and He
assigned to each heaven its duty and command. And We
adorned the lower heaven with lights, and (provided it)
with guard. Such is the Decree of (Him) the Exalted in
Might, Full of Knowledge.
Genesis
1:14-18 Then
God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the
heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them
be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and
let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to
give light on the earth''; and it was so. God made the two
great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the
lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give
light on the earth, and
to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light
from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.
Qur'an
50:38 We
created the heavens and the earth and all between them in
Six Days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us.
Genesis
2:1-3 Thus
the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their
hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He
had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His
work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day
and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His
work which God had created and made.
Qur'an
15:28,29 Behold!
thy Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create
man from sounding clay from mud molded into
shape; when I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and
breathed into him of My spirit fall ye down in obeisance
unto him.
Genesis
2:7 Then
the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living being.
Similarities
Islam Similar
verses to the 10 Biblical Commandments
Christianity The
10 Commandments
About
the 10 Commandments:Qur'an 2:53 And
remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion
(between right and wrong): There was a chance
for you to be guided aright. Qur'an
7:145 And
We ordained laws for him [Moses] in the tablets in all
matters, both commanding and explaining all things, (and
said): "Take and hold these with firmness, and enjoin
thy people to hold fast by the best in the precepts . . .
About
the 10 Commandments:
Exodus
24:12 The
Lord said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain
and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone,
with the law and commands I have written for their
instruction." Deuteronomy
4:13
He declared to you His covenant, the Ten Commandments,
which He commanded you to follow and then wrote them on
two stone tablets.
Qur'an
17:23 Thy
Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him . . . Qur'an
2:163;
2:255; 3:2; 3:6; 3:18; 3:62; 4:87; 5:73; 6:102; 6:106;
7:59; 7:65; 7:73; 7:85; 7:158; 9:31; 9:129; 10;90; 11:14;
11:40; 11:61; 11:84; 13:30; 16:02; 18:110; 20:8: 20:14;
20:98; 21:25; 21:87; 23:23; 23:32; 23:116; 27:26; 28:38;
28:70; 28:88; 35:3; 37:035; 38:65; 39:6; 40:3; 40:62;
40:65; 44:8; 47:19; 64:13; 73:9 La
illa ha illa Allah
[there is none worthy of worship but God]
Exodus
20:3 You
shall have no other gods before Me
Qur'an
22:12 They
call on such deities, besides Allah, as can neither hurt
nor profit them: that is straying far indeed (from the
Way)! Qur'an
22
[Athar Husain translation condensed version ] Avoid
filthy rites associated with idols and also false
invocations, remaining firm in faith towards God, without
associating anyone with Him. And whosoever associates
aught with God, it is as if he has fallen from on high and
the birds snatch him away or the wind blows him to a
distant place.
Exodus
20:4 You
shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of
what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the
water under the earth.
Qur'an
7:180 And
Allah's are the best names, therefore call on Him thereby,
and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His
names; they shall be requited for what they did.
Exodus
20:7 You
shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
[i.e. in an irreverent or disrespectful manner] for the
Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in
vain.
Qur'an
16:124 The
Sabbath was only made (strict) for those who disagreed (as
to its observance); But Allah will judge between them on
the Day of Judgement, as to their differences. Qur'an
4:154 And
for their covenant we raised over them (the towering
height) of Mount (Sinai); and (on another occasion) We
said: "Enter the gate with humility"; and (once
again) We commanded them: "Transgress not in the
matter of the Sabbath." And We took from them a
solemn covenant.
Exodus
20:8-11 Remember
the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall
labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a
sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any
work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your
female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays
with you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and
the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on
the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath
day and made it holy.
Qur'an
17:23 Thy
Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that
ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain
old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt,
nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
Exodus
20:12 Honour
your father and your mother, that your days may be
long in the land which the Lord your God gave you.
Qur'an
17:33 Nor
take life which Allah has made sacred . . .
Exodus
20:13 You
shall not kill
Qur'an
17:32 Nor
come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an
evil, opening the road (to other evils).
Exodus
20:14 You
shall not commit Adultery
Qur'an
60:12 O
Prophet! When believing women come to thee to take the
oath of fealty to thee, that they will not associate in
worship any other thing whatever with Allah, that they
will not steal, that they will not commit adultery (or
fornication), that they will not kill their children, that
they will not utter slander, intentionally forging
falsehood, and that they will not disobey thee in any just
matter; then do thou receive their fealty, and pray to
Allah for the forgiveness (of their sins): for Allah is
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. [Note:
This applies to men as well as women. The
Qur'an ordains severe punishment for theft 5:41,42] Qur'an
2:188 And
do not eat up unjustly the property of each other among
yourselves nor convey their cases to the authorities for
devouring unlawfully some portion of the property of the
people knowingly. [Commentary
by Mufti Shah Ahmad Raza Khan -- this
prohibition covers the acquisition of property by all
unlawful means, such as theft, robbery, gambling, bribery,
backbiting, giving false evidence, and all such other
means as bringing a false claim against another or
wrongfully influencing authorities to obtain unlawful
benefits as a consequence]
Exodus
20:15 You
shall not steal.
Qur'an
2:42 And
cover not truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when
ye know (what it is).
Exodus
20:16 You
shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
Qur'an
4:32 And
in no wise covet those things in which Allah Hath bestowed
His gifts more freely on some of you than on others . . .
Exodus
20:17 You
shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not
covet your neighbour's wife or his male servant or his
female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that
belongs to your neighbour.
Similarities
Islam Degrees
of affinity and consanguinity prohibiting
marriage
Christianity Degrees
of affinity and consanguinity prohibiting
marriage
Qur'an
4:22-24
4:22
And marry not women whom your fathers married,
except what is past: It was shameful and odious, an
abominable custom indeed. 4:23
Prohibited to you (for marriage) are: your mothers,
daughters, sisters; father's
sisters, mother's sisters; brother's
daughters, sister's daughters; foster-mothers (who gave
you suck); foster-sisters; your
wives' mothers; your
step-daughters under your guardianship, born of your wives
to whom ye have gone in, no prohibition if ye have not
gone in; (those
who have been) wives of your sons proceeding from your
loins; and
two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time, except
for what is past; for
God is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful; 4:24
Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those
whom your right hands possess. Thus hath God ordained
(prohibitions) against you. Except for these, all others
are lawful
. . . and God is All-knowing, All-wise.
Leviticus
18:6-18
6 No
one is to approach any close relative to have sexual
relations. I am the Lord. 7
Do not dishonour your father by having sexual relations
with your mother. She is your mother; do not have
relations with her. 8
Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that
would dishonour your father. 9
Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your
father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she
was born in the same home or elsewhere. 10
Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or
your daughter's daughter; that would dishonour you. 11
Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your
father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister. 12
Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister;
she is your father's close relative. 13
Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister,
because she is your mother's close relative. 14
Do not dishonour your father's brother by approaching his
wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. 15
Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.
She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her. 16
Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife;
that would dishonour your brother. 17
Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her
daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her
son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her
close relatives. That is wickedness. 18
Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have
sexual relations with her while your wife is living.
Similarities (i)
Basic Concepts
Islam
Christianity
Monotheistic
-- God (Allah) is recognized as the Creator.
Monotheistic
-- God is recognized as the Creator.
God
is omnipotent, omniscient, immanent within His creation
yet transcendent.
God
is omnipotent, omniscient, immanent within His creation
yet transcendent.
God
has a unique relationship with humans (master and
servant).
God
has a unique relationship with humans. (master and
servant).
God
makes agreements or Covenants with humans.
God
makes agreements or Covenants with humans.
Have
similar eschatology (pertaining to the last days or the
end of the world) -- this world will come to an end
someday and no-one knows when.
Have
similar eschatology (pertaining to the last days or the
end of the world) -- this world will come to an end
someday and no-one knows when.
A
figure referred to as Satan or Antichrist (dajjal) (a
figure of evil) will be defeated at the end of the world.
A
figure referred to as Antichrist or Satan (a figure of
evil) will be defeated at the end of the world.
After
the world has ended, God will judge humans, based on their
actions in compliance with a moral code, specified in the
Covenant which God makes with us.
At the end of the world, God will judge humans based on their
actions in compliance with a moral code, specified in the
Covenant which God makes with us.
This
judgement will determine one's eternal abode, heaven or
hell (bliss or punishment).
This
judgement will determine one's eternal abode, heaven or
hell (bliss or punishment).
Human
beings have a spirit (ruh) which is eternal,
continuing its existence after our physical death. As to
its origin, the Qur'an says, "When I [God] have
fashioned him [Adam] (in due proportions) and breathed
into him of My spirit . . ." [Qur'an 15:29]
Human
beings have a soul which is eternal, continuing its
existence after our physical death
Humans
have the ability (free will) to choose between good and
evil (obeying or disobeying God, complying with the moral
code of the Covenant or transgressing).
Humans
have the ability (free will) to choose between good and
evil (obeying or disobeying God, complying with the moral
code of the Covenant or transgressing)
Angels
exist who are the servants, and sometimes messengers of
God.
Angels
exist who are the servants, and sometimes messengers of
God
Satan
(shaitan) exists, as well as evil spirits who follow him;
they are the enemies of humanity.
Satan
exists, as well as evil spirits who follow him; they are
the enemies of humanity.
Divinely
revealed scriptures exist which are the primary source of
religious knowledge. The Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad
and it is the final scripture given to man.
Divine
scriptures exist which are the primary source of religious
knowledge; revelation in this department is finished
(there are no more biblical books yet to be revealed)
Miracles
occur on occasion.
Miracles
occur on occasion.
If
a person errs or transgresses, God may forgive them, if
they sincerely repent.
If
a person errs or transgresses, God may forgive them, if
they sincerely repent.
Prophets
brought spiritual instruction.
Prophets
brought spiritual instruction.
There
are similarities between the Quranic and biblical version
of many stories, such as Adam and Eve, Moses and the
children of Israel, etc.
There
are similarities between the Quranic and biblical version
of many stories, such as Adam and Eve, Moses and the
children of Israel, etc.
At
the time of the end of the world, Jesus Christ will
come again.
At
the time of the end of the world, Jesus Christ will come
again.
Jesus
Christ was born to the virgin Mary.
Jesus
Christ was born to the virgin Mary. (Immaculate
Conception).
Similarities (ii)
Moral Code
Islam
Christianity
Faith
without works is useless (it is not enough to simply say
"I believe).
Faith
without works is useless (it is not enough to simply say
"I believe).
God
severely punishes the worship of any deity other than God
Himself as well as disrespect toward Him.
God
severely punishes the worship of any deity other than God
Himself, as well as disrespect toward Him.
Humans
have rights (hence the prohibitions on murder, theft,
lying, violence).
Humans
have rights (hence the prohibitions on murder, theft,
lying, violence).
Parents
have special rights (to be honoured), as do spouses (hence
adultery is forbidden).
Parents
have special rights (to be honoured), as do spouses (hence
adultery is forbidden).
Fornication
and lewd behaviour are forbidden.
Fornication
and lewd behaviour are forbidden.
Transgressions
similar to the Christian "seven deadly sins"
(avarice, pride, greed, gluttony; envy, lust, sloth) are
all spiritual illnesses.
Transgressions
similar to the Catholic "seven deadly sins"
(avarice, pride, greed, gluttony; envy, lust, sloth) are
all spiritual illnesses..
Society's
laws must be obeyed.
Society's
laws must be obeyed.
Intoxication
is forbidden.
Intoxication
is forbidden.
Suicide
is forbidden.
Suicide
is forbidden.
Homosexuality
is forbidden.
Homosexuality
is forbidden (as stated in the book of Deuteronomy, as
well as in the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorra).
Similarities (iii)
Practices
Islam
Christianity
Prayer
is a means of communicating with God; God hears prayers
and sometimes grants requests.
Prayer
is a means of communicating with God; God hears prayers
and sometimes grants requests.
Special
congregational service of worship (salat) once per
week on Friday, in a mosque, is an obligation (in addition
to five times a day obligatory service of worship (salat)
- also preferably in congregation.)
Congregational
worship at church once per week on Sunday is an
obligation.
Charity
and relieving the suffering of others carries spiritual
rewards.
Charity
and relieving the suffering of others carries spiritual
rewards.
Certain
standard prayers exist.
Certain
standard prayers exist.
Fasting
and similar ascetic practices for religious purposes
carries spiritual rewards.
Fasting
or depriving oneself for religious purposes carries
spiritual rewards.
Pilgrimage
(hajj) is obligatory.
Pilgrimage still exists, but is not obligatory
Celebrate
the advent and birth of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) on
the 12th Rabi Awwal (Islamic calendar date)
Celebrate
the advent and birth of Jesus Christ, Dec. 25. This is
known as Christmas.
