Biblical and Quranic Narratives
As is easily understood, the sacred books of Christianity and Islam could not be more different. Christianity has the Bible and Islam has the Qur’an. Interestingly, both scriptures offer an account of the life and works of Jesus. According to Islamic theology Jesus is an undivided part of their belief and Muslims view the Christian Gospels as altered, unlike the Christians who consider the gospels to be authoritative. The Bible consists of the Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament dates to centuries before the time of Jesus and narrates the history of the relationship between the Jewish people and God. The New Testament dates from not too long after the time of Christ.
The teachings of the Qur’an are presented as the direct revelation and words of Allah as recited by the angel Gabriel. Muslims believe that Allah sent the Qur’an to bring peace and harmony to humanity through Islam. Muhammad’s worldwide mission was to establish universal peace under the Khilafat. The Khilafat ensured the security of the lives and property of non-Muslims under the dhimmi system. This status was originally only made available to non-Muslims who were “People of the Book,” but was later extended to include Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Hindus, Mandeans, and Buddhists.
The Qur’an refers extensively to both the Jewish and Christian scriptures. In some sections it summarizes them, in others it differs from them. Muslims believe that Jesus was given the Greek Evangel, or Gospel, from the Abrahamic God and that parts of these teachings were eventually lost or distorted to finally produce what is the New Testament. As a result, only some elements of the original gospel of Jesus are contained in the four canonical gospels. Abraham, Moses, Noah, Isaac, the Hebrew prophets, and Jesus are all considered prophets of Islam, but according to Muslim tradition their message and the texts of the Torah and the gospels were corrupted by Jews and Christians.
Islam teaches that every prophet, both Jewish and Christian, who preached “Islam,” or surrender to the will of God, provided a historical backstory to the religion. However, the Seal of the prophets is considered to be Muhammad, a real person who was born in Mecca and lived from 570 to 632 AD. In 610, Muhammad claimed to receive a revelation from the archangel Gabriel to be a prophet to the Arabic peoples, promoting monotheism and belief in Allah. The Qur’an explicitly promises salvation for all those righteous Christians who were there before the arrival of Muhammad,
Lo! Those who believe (in that which is revealed unto thee, Muhammad), and those who are Jews, and Christians, and Sabaeans – whoever believeth in Allah and the Last Day and doeth right – surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve — Qur’an, Sura 2 (Al-Baqara), ayat 62
History and Future of the Two Religions
Throughout the nearly fifteen centuries of Muslim-Christian encounter, individual adherents of both traditions often have lived peaceably with each other. At the same time, Muslim expansion into Christian territories and Christian imperialism in Muslims lands have fostered fear and ill-will on both sides. Western and Islamic histories offer differing accounts of both periods of tolerance and violence. With the awareness of shared responsibility, Christians and Muslims have an obligation to fully respect the religious beliefs of each other and overcome their rivalry. They ought to seek solidarity between them and contribute to solving the world’s common problems for the sake of humankind.
Where Do We Get this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Philosophy of Religion”. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
Christianity’s status as monotheistic is affirmed in, among other sources, the Catholic Encyclopedia (article “Monotheism”).
John L. Esposito (2009). “Islam. Overview”. In John L. Esposito. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shaye J.D. Cohen 1999 The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties, Berkeley: University of California Press; p. 7