Comparison between the religions
Islam and Christianity are two most widely followed religions of the world. Both of these are divine religions that are confirming the presence of Prophet Abraham.
Some of the Comparisons of the Two Religions
God. In Christianity, there is One God, who is present in three distinct individuals known as The Trinity. On the other hand, in Islam, there is One God (in Arabic known as Allah), who is unique as mentioned in Quran 112:1.
Trinity. The concept of Trinity in Christianity shows the Father, Son and Holy Spirit according to Matthew 28:19 (Boora, n.a.). The Islamic view of God is strictly on the basis of Monotheism and there is no concept of trinity.
Founder/Restorer. Jesus Christ is the founder of Christianity (Luck 429). On the other hand, Prophet Muhammad is the restorer of true monotheistic faith, i.e. Islam.
Time of Founder or Restorer. Jesus Christ was present from 4 B.C. to 30 A.D. Prophet Muhammad was present from 570 to 632 A.D.
Prophets. In Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God. In Islam, Prophet Muhammad is the prophet of God. Both of these prophets have no sons as children.
Jesus Christ in the two religions. In Christianity, Jesus Christ is considered as the second person of the Trinity (Belsham 129). In Islam, he was a prophet sent by Allah.
Jesus Christ’s birth. In both of the religions, Jesus Christ is the son of Virgin Mary.
Jesus Christ’s mission. In Christianity, Christ came to reconcile Man to God through his death (Kohlenberger 1004) and sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. On the other hand, in Islam, he proclaimed Injil, or gospel, which was corrupted with the passage of time by human changes.
Jesus Christ’s death. In Christianity, he was crucified for the sake of humanity (Merkur 44). He suffered the death and was buried. On the other hand, in Islam, Jesus Christ was not crucified as mentioned in Quran 4:157.
Jesus Christ’s rise to heaven. In Christianity, on the 3rd day of being buried, Jesus Christ rose and ascended to heaven. In Islam, he was raised to Heaven by Allah as mentioned in Quran 4:158.
Jesus Christ’s second coming. Both the religions affirmed the second coming of Jesus.
Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is believed to be the third person of the Trinity (Geddes and Griffiths 8). On the other hand, Holy Spirit is equivalent to the Angel Gabriel in Islam. He came to the Prophet Muhammad to give him the Quranic text.
Holy Books. In Islam, the Quran or Koran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the time of over 20 years. The Quran is the final revelation that came from Allah to humanity. In Christianity, the Bible was given by God to humanity. Christians refer to Bible as the Word of God (Ogbonnaya 25).
Other forms of writings or traditions. In Christianity, there are the writings of the early church fathers, and the reports (acta) and decisions (canones) of the ecumenical councils, including the Creeds (Blockmans and Hoppenbrouwers 62). On the other hand in Islam, the Hadith is the collection of traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. Hadith works as the supplement to the Quranic teachings, i.e. continuously giving guidance to Muslims to live a good life.
Languages. Aramaic and Greek is the original language of Christianity, and Arabic is the original language of Islam.
Places where they were preached initially. Christianity was founded in Palestine, whereas Islam was restored in Arabian Peninsula.
Holy City. In Christianity, Jerusalem is the holy city. In Islam, Mecca is the holy city.
Origins of the religions’ names. The word Islam has been derived from the Arabic word for “submission”. It is also related to the Arabic word “salaam”, meaning “peace”. On the other hand, the word Christianity has been derived from the Greek word “christos” meaning “anointed” (Newland 285) that is referring to Jesus Christ.
Believers. Believers of Islam are known as “Muslims” (Ghazi 12), and believers of Christianity are known as “Christians”.
Divisions in the Two Religions. There are two most important groups in Islam. These are Sunni and Shia (Ruthven and Nanji 8). This division occurred as a result of the dispute on the legitimate successor of the Prophet Muhammad. On the other hand, in Christianity, there are three main groups that are Orthodox, Protestant and Roman Catholic.
Fundamentalism. In Christianity, there is a debate over the literal meaning of the Bible. They are continuously working and trying to bring religion in the daily life. In Islam, there is an effort of returning to “pure” Islam, rejection of secular culture, and efforts to bring religion in the daily life. Muslims tried to create an Islamic state.
Beliefs. According to the beliefs of Christianity, with good moral character and religious behaviors, and with the help of God, people can achieve eternal life with God. There are various interpretations of Christianity which are conflicting sometimes. Muslims believe that believers who have submitted themselves to God’s will go to Paradise that is an eternal place of happiness and success (Kendall 494).
Rituals. In Christianity, examples of rituals include Baptism and Holy Communion (Eucharist) (Bruyneel and Padgett 26). In the Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, five more rituals are also considered that are Confirmation (Chrismation), Penance, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing of the sick. On the other hand in Islam, there are five important rituals. These are “Shahadah”, “Salat”, “Sawm”, “Zakat”, and “Hajj”. Prayer and preaching is an essential part of the both of the religions.
Salvation. In Christianity, salvation is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). On the other hand in Islam, salvation is achieved through good works; therefore personal righteousness must be there to outweigh individual sin (Quran 23:101-103).
God's role in salvation. Predestination is common in both Islam and Christianity. However, Christianity has various forms of grace.
Hell. In Christianity, hell is the place of unlimited and everlasting punishment for those people, who are unrighteous (Matthew 25:46) (Thorsen, n.a). On the other hand in Islam, hell is the place of torment and fire (as mentioned in Quran 25:65, 104:6-7). Hell is referred to as Jahannum, which has various levels, and people would not necessarily spend their time in hell for unlimited time.
Early spread. Within 12 years, Islam spread in the entire Arabian peninsula, and within 100 years, Islam stretched in the world from the China to the Atlantic. In Christianity, within 60 years, churches were found in the major places such as Palestine, Greece, Turkey, and Rome. It spread in the entire Roman Empire by the end of 4th century (Hansen and Curtis 205).
Largeness or Current size rank on the basis of the following. Christianity has maximum followers in the world, and Islam has the second maximum followers in the world.
Followers. According to 2012 estimates, there are about 2,100 Million (2.2 Billion) Christians. On the other hand, there are about 1,500 Million (1.5 Billion) followers of Islam (Kendall 494).
Major Places of living. Presently, Christianity is found in majority in Europe, North and South America, and Islam is found in majority in Middle East, Southeast Asia.
View of other divine religions. In Islam, Christians and Jews are considered as the “People of the Book” and respected, but they have wrong faiths and have partial revelation. On the other hand in Christianity, Judaism is considered as the true religion having incomplete revelation (Bradford, n.a.), but Islam is considered as the false religion.
War. In Christianity, “Just war” can be fought as a last resort, but is considered as the non-violent resistance (Mulhall and Baldwin, n.a.). In Islam, war is fought in self-defense within certain limits.
Hierarchy. Catholics and Orthodox have extensive level of hierarchy. Islam has not hierarchy.
Statuses of Jewish Bible and the New Testament. In Christianity, these are canonical, and in Islam, these are noncanonical but can be considered as useful, though in the corrupted form.
Laws related to religion. In Christianity, there is Canon law (Catholics) (Chilson 360), and in Islam, there is Sharia.
Sacred Places. In Christianity, there are church, cathedral, chapel, basilica, and meeting hall. On the other hand in Islam, there is mosque.
Percentage of Charity. In Christianity, Tithe is 10% of the income. In Islam, Zakat is 2.5% of total wealth in an year.
Proselytizing. In Christianity, conversion is considered as important. Catholic and Protestant churches have preachers and missionaries. In Islam, Muslims have to tell others about Islam without forcing them to convert to Islam.
Worship days. In Christianity, Sunday is the day of worship (Carson 270). In Islam, worship day is Friday.
Women. In Christianity, men and women can worship together. Some Protestant churches order women as priests. In Islam, men and women have to worship separately.
Leaders. In Christianity, there are priest, minister, bishop, pastor, preacher, archbishop, patriarch, pope, and deacon. In Islam, there are imams.
Covering of Head. In Christianity, covering of head is not essential during prayer. In Islam, head is covered during prayer.
Religious days, weeks or months. In Christianity, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter are central religious holy days (Black 83). In Islam, Eid-al-Fitr, Eid-al-Adha, and month of Ramadan are central religious holy days.
Mysticism. Christianity has numerous mystical traditions. Islam has the concept of Sufism.
Diet. There are no dietary restrictions in Christianity. Islam has restricted pork and alcohol. All the meats are prepared by the halal method in Islam.
Idols and similar images. Although Images and statues are allowed in some denominations, they are not worshipped in Christianity. In Islam, these are prohibited. In fact, various idols were destroyed in the time of Prophet Muhammad.
Important symbols. Major symbols of Christianity are cross, dove, crucifix, fish, anchor, alpha and omega, halo, and chi rho. Major symbols of Islam are crescent and name of Allah in Arabic.
Dressing. Both religions share traditional standards of modesty in dressing.
Music in the life and musical devices. Islam prohibits different types of music, and Christians use different kinds of music and musical devices.
Works Cited
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