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Christianty regards the Holy Bible and Islam considers the Holy Quran as their holy books. The Holy Bible and Holy Quran are considered as a source of inspiration and instruction by Christians and Muslims respectively.
The Holy Quran is said to have a miraculous nature because of its distinctive and unique literary style. The Arabian lands revolutionized forever after the Quran’s incredible and marvelous revelation. The world witnessed that the Madinah state in Saudi Arabia based its laws and outlook on the foundation of Quranic teachings; 13 years after the revelation of first Quranic verse. The Quran provided the powerful approaches for strengthening the mentioned new state’s politics, economy, spirituality and philosophy etc. In simple words, although the Holy Quran is just consisted of 114 chapters; it is an essence of life and how it should be spent. The extraordinarily unique literary style of the Muslims’ Holy Book makes it an inimitable scripture. One can only understand the marvelous nature of the Quran by having an understanding of its The Arabic literary form, in general, is consisted of poetry and prose. However, both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars who have conducted thorough research on the said scripture agree that the Quran neither represents poetry nor prose but possesses a unique literary style of its own that is unmatchable. The Holy Islamic Scripture presents the perfect meticulousness and balance throughout. It also demonstrates a level of wakefulness of what is revealed and told and the repercussions behind the words that would not have been possible and practical enough for Prophet Muhammad to create by himself. Another miracle of the Quran is that there is no other book like it that has been consistent and unchanged for the last 1400 years. It is undoubtedly the revelation of God as it is impossible for any human being to compose a work that discusses topics of all sorts. The rhythmic, beautiful and stylish literature of the Quran makes it an entire work of perfection (Dharmaraj & Dharmaraj 39).
If truth be told, the verses in the Quran are simple expressions of boundless truth as substantial signs. There are hidden meanings in almost every verse that makes the reader wonder the expertise behind creating such an excellent manuscript. Thus, the amalgamation of metrical and non-metrical verses is the main reason why there can be no distortion in the different meanings of a verse. One of the most astounding literary features of the Quran is that it has sound grammar even though it does not follow poetry and/or prose rules. This is evident when every chapter of the Quran is thoroughly analyzed. One of the other astounding literary features is that a special uniquely-formed character and literary device brings the entirety to every chapter making the Quran an inimitable Holy Scripture (Dharmaraj & Dharmaraj 39).
As far as the Bible is concerned, its literature is a treasure. However, the major difference between the literary styles of the Quran and the Bible is that Bible is written by many authors time and again. On the other hand, the Quran is truly the word of God that has never changed since its first revelation. The Bible is also different from the Quran in a way that it has made use of different literary styles such as letters, stories, poetries, fiction etc. Although the Quran also tells the reader different stories and accounts of past events but it is all presented in an aligned form. One of the most important features to mention here is that every writer has employed those literary styles that help them in expressing their defined and personally accepted truth.
Ideas in the Holy Quran and the Bible: A Comparison
There are two major differences between the Holy Quran and the Bible. To begin with, Muslims consider the Holy Quran as a direct revelation/speech of Allah (God) that was brought by the Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Quran speaks from God’s perspective mainly and addresses human beings on the whole, not particularly the Islamic believers. On the other hand, the Bible has been written by multiple authors who have frequently made changes according to their wills.
The creation of the universe has been described in the Bible as the God’s work with the assistance of Jesus. On the other hand, the Quran discusses the creation of the universe and everything in it the work of God alone in the course of 6 days.
Both Islam and Christianity have nurtured in patriarchal environments and make men the dominating gender in the political, economic and social life. However, both Holy Scriptures are similar in presenting the ideas related to feminist power and women rights. The Quran and the Bible have many verses that support women and their rights and responsibilities. Both the Scriptures have made women answerable to their husbands and expect them to remain obedient toward their male spouse. The Quran specifically gives a man great control over his wife/wives. It is exceedingly important to mention here that both Scriptures give equal status to men and women near God. The Quran has a whole chapter (Surah An’Nisa) dedicated to discuss women rights regarding divorce, inheritance, status, respect etc. (Moghamis 50). Although women are mostly subjugated in both Christian and Islamic societies, the Holy Scriptures contain matter that elaborates the female rights.
As far as ideas of peace and war are concerned, there are many passages contained in both the Quran and the Bible that encourage followers to fight the enemies in particular situations. The Quran especially asks the Muslims to fight against the enemies of Allah, with tongue and in certain cases, with hands and/or armaments. The most important thing is that both the mentioned scriptures reject the idea of needless violent activities. Although the discussed books have given certain commandments regarding one’s conduct during war times; they also abhor murdering innocent people at the same time (Phipps 159). Both religions also show extreme concern for the welfare and well-being of the poor. There are networks of charities and organizations that help the needy and the distressed.
Marriage rules and traditions are explained differently in both scriptures. The Bible does not contain formal marriage-related stipulations. However, the Quran discusses marriage in detail and allows polygamy if a man is able to provide equally of his wives. Muslim men are allowed to marry both Muslim and non-Muslim women. The Muslim women, on the other hand, are not permitted to marry non-Muslim men. The similarity that can be observed in the two scriptures concerning marriage is that it is believed to be a divine, legalized relationship that rejects the idea of adultery (Phipps 139).
The ideas of life and death are similar as well. Both the Quran and the Bible believe in the life after death and the Judgment Day (Moghamis 43). The two religions bestow the lesson of hopefulness about the future. The followers are repeatedly told of the presence of paradise. This expectation of a better future in the eternal life is stated in their holy scriptures.
People all around the world follow these religions in large numbers. The main thing is to understand and comprehend those religions which we do not follow. This is exceedingly important as only then can we be able to bridge the gaps and come nearer. It is necessary to understand the teachings of other religions and respect them in order to make the world a better and peaceful place to live.
Works Cited
Dharmaraj, G. E., and J. S. Dharmaraj.Christianity, Judaism, and Islam: A Missiological Encounter. Delhi: Cambridge Press, 2003. Print.
Moghamis, Naser. Christianity & Islam: according to the Bible and the Qurnan. Riyadh: Darussalam, 1999. Print.
Phipps, William E.. Muhammad and Jesus: a comparison of the prophets and their teachings. New York, NY: Continuum, 1996. Print.
