God of Christianity vs Allah of Islam - Essay Example

Topic -God of Christianity vs. Allah of Islam. Although they are many similarities between the two, their vast differences support that Christians and Muslims worship 2nd December 2007 Christianity is the largest and Islam is the second largest religion of the world. Christianity emerged with the holy birth of Jesus to Virgin Mary in c.33 CE in Palestine with New Testament (bible) as the sacred book of God (Peters 1990). Islam arose from the deserts of Arabia after 572 years of the death of Jesus Christ (Giddens, Anthony 2001) among the pagans of Mecca with Koran as the holy book. However both the religions find their roots in the Abraham's religion. Although the ultimate reality in both the religions is only one God, yet, Islam staunchly believes in the absolute monotheism (tauheed) i.e. oneness of God whereas Christianity believes in Trinitarian monotheism. Allah is the Arabic world and a given name to God as Yahweh, the holy trinity given to God in Christianity. Islam considers Jesus the true prophet of God whose message has later been corrupted. Whereas in Christianity Jesus is believed to be the Son of God, and savior of the world who has been crucified at the altar but Muslims believe that he has been lifted unharmed by Allah and will be resurrected before the Day of Judgment. Without understanding the history of 'tauheed' i. e. absolute monotheism in Islam in contrast with Trinitarians concept of God the issue of worshiping different Gods in both the religions cannot be understood. When Mohammad (the prophet of Islam) announced his prophet hood in the year 612 AD in Kaabaa (the Muslim's sacred house of Allah believed to be built by Abraham) was decorated with 360 idols placed by pagans of quresh tribes of Arabia. Pagans used to worship those idols for fulfillment of their worldly desires. The most famous idols were named as laat, mannat and huzza (shimmel 1990). The prophet placed the truthfulness of his message in the once and for all rejection of the worship of all the idols in one stroke. And he announced, " Say there is no God but Allah, so that thou be successful." Al Koran. From 1612 AD to 1622 AD he faced cutthroat opposition from the pagans of Mecca till he self exiled to medina, another holy city of Islam. Then onwards he placed all the emphasis on the absolute monotheism of God i.e. Allah. He integrated faith in tauheed and the matter of his prophet hood together in one pronouncement Kalama (an Arabic verse) "there is no God but Allah and Mohammad is the prophet of Allah." So early Islam remained in constant war with pagans of Arabia during the life of Mohammad and a long after him. The pagans had coined their own gods to worship and they were ready to sacrifice every thing for the sake of their faith. Islam developed as an anti-thesis of polytheism of Arabia. Koran was mainly believed to preach tauheed, (the absolute monotheism) during the stay of prophet Mohammad in Mecca from 572 AD to 612 AD. Perhaps there was no other slogan stronger than this one (tauheed) that could break and reorganize the Arab society under single leadership that later integrated economy, politics, state and religion together. The prophet after having achieved the basic success ensured that the edifice of his religion strongly stands on the basis of tauheed. He gave in Koran various strong commandments of Allah regarding tauheed. Historically Islam and Christianity coexisted side by side. Islam accepted Christianity as divine religion and ordained Muslims to believe in the entire previous prophet and not to discriminate between them. Koran gave a whole chapter on the innocence and virginity of Mary and confirmed the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Any one who did not believe in the prophet hood of Mary and Jesus was not accepted as a Muslim. However Koran gave the concept of lifting alive of Jesus to heavens by God and his resurrection before the Day of Judgment. There is hardly any difference between the two religions as far as divinity, concept of dooms day, heaven and hell; angle and devil etc are concerned. Having emerged from amongst the pagans of Mecca, conceptually the paradigm of Christian trinity was out rightly rejected in Islam in face of tauheed in Islam. Here the two religions depart. Mary and Jesus are believed to be the true prophets of Allah and not a part of His. Although there are instances in Koran where Jesus is called as "ruhul-qudos" (Bookie Morris. the English meaning of which is the soul of GOD. Still the manifest versus of Koran out rightly desist Muslims to believe in any other God accept for only one God i.e. Allah. Here the identity of Allah seems to depart from the God of Christianity where Jesus and Mary make a part of it or to say not separable from God. "Say not "trinity", Desist. It will be better for you. For God is One God (4:171)". Koran. Further Islam forbids and declares belief in trinity as haram, (religiously prohibited) and regards it a blasphemy. They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a Trinity, for there is no God except One God (5:76). Koran (Pickthall) Yet at another point in Koran Allah directly addresses the Jesus and says "O Jesus the Son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, "Worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God" (5:119). Koran. (Pickthall) Another big point of departure between Christianity's God and Islam's Allah is that Allah although allows to accept as true yet declares all the previous religions including Christianity as dysfunctional and defunct after the advent of Islam. On the other hand Christians do not accept Islam as a true religion. In Christianity trinity is an integral part of their religion (Letham, Robert (2004). This is not for the human mind to grasp and understand the doctrine of trinity, this is God himself who revealed trinity in bible and a man or a woman cannot cut God to a size to understand him in full and an entire form. Orthodox Christians always begin something with the utterance' in the name of father, the son and the wholly spirit; God." God is love and love cannot work in isolation and is expressed in relationship (Arnold III, William.) God needs a community of persons to love and that community exists in trinity (Clark, Kelly James). If Islam is understood to be the surrender before God, then God cannot exist alone and dry without love for others. Christians understand son ship of Jesus as an evidence of the trinity (Letham, Robert 2004). And that God himself sanctified this earthly world by incarnation of his son Jesus. Muslims believe that God has spoken to mankind through his book the holy Koran whereas Christians believe that himself spoke to his people in Jesus Christ (Clark, Kelly James).. Christians claim is still heavier in a way that God in human form can better address his people. So it can be safely said that what Koran is to Muslims Jesus himself is to Christians. As Christianity is a Jesus centered religion as is Islam a Koran centered religion. As Jesus is eternal in Christianity as is Koran eternal to Muslims. Koran is integral to Allah and Jesus is integral to God. As Koran is believed by Muslims to be the word of Allah, in Christianity Jesus is believed to be the part (son) of GOD. However despite all the above argument Koran in the last chapter in sura of purity says, " say Allah is one. He is indifferent to the entire world. Neither he gave birth to any one nor was he born of any one. No one can be his equal." (Pikthal 1999) So it is here that the God of Christianity and Allah of Islam depart from each other. Hence on the doctrine of absolute monotheism in Islam and doctrine of trinity in Christianity the worship to God are principally different in theory and practice. The formal institution of worshiping Allah in mosques by five time prayers, fasting in the month of Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, annual payment of 2.5 % income in charity as zakat make the formal institutions of churches, chapels and cathedral different where on Sundays Christians go for prayers to Jesus and God. The concept of original sin by Adam and eve are also points of difference in Christianity and Islam. Worshiping God in every moment of life and seeking forgiveness of all the slips of the mankind since Adam and Eve makes the hallmark of Christian worship. Islam looks at sins as more or less an individual proclivity and seeking forgiveness from Allah is the core part of the worship whereas Christianity transcends this concept universally and seeks love of God to prevail upon the entire humanity. Muslims can not think of the burden of sin of a person can be taken by another where as Christian place in Jesus God the hopes to salvation for His Sacrifice, therefore the worships make thanks giving to Jesus as a part of worship to God. Therefore Muslims and Christians though having many similarities yet worship different Gods. Terms used. Islam -Arabic word- -to surrender before God Kalama; -Arabic verse- the first pronouncement to become a Muslim Tauheed- absolute Monotheism (oneness of God) Allah; Only one God Mecca; the holy city of Muslims pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia Kaabaa; Baitullah -the house of Allah Sura; a complete combination of verses on a subject in Koran Sources; Koran referred verbatim in verses and chapter numbers with each. 1- Pickthall, Mohammed Marmaduke, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran. New York.1990 2- Peters, F. E., Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - The Classical Texts and Their Interpretation - Volume 3: The Works of the Spirit. New Jersey, 1990. 3- Letham, Robert (2004). The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P&R Publishing. ISBN 0-87552-000-6. 4-Schimmel, Anne Marie, Islam - An Introduction, Albany, N.Y. 1992. 5-Arnold III, William. Is Jesus God the Father. 6-Bookie Morri.s Bible Koran and science Islamic education center Karachi Pakistan July 1985. 7-Chambers encyclopedia vol.6 George Newness limited New York 1952. 8-Giddens ,Anthony .Sociology, ISBN Cambridge 2001. 9- Clark, Kelly James. "Trinity or Tritheism", Virtual Library of Christian Philosophy Philosophy Department, Calvin College.1996 Read More