Christianity and Islam
"O ye who believe, believe in God and His Apostle and the Book which He hath down to His Apostle and the Scripture which He hath sent down formerly. Whosoever denieth God and His Angels and His Books and His Apostles and the Last Day hath strayed far from the Truth."
In Islam God is referred to as Allah, which is the shortened form of Al-ilah, ‘The god’.
The ‘most beautiful names’ of God include Hearer, Seer, Bestower, Recknoner, Pardoner, Keeper, Guide. There are ninety nine ‘most beautiful names’.
The famous Throne-verse (Sura ii, v. 256) is an exposition of God:
"God-there is no god but He, the Living, the Self-subsistent. Slumber seizeth Him not, neither sleep. To Him belongeth whatsoever is in the Heavens and whatsoever is in the Earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His Will? He knoweth what is present with men and what shall befall them, and nought of His knowledge do they comprehend, save what He willeth. His Throne is wide as the Heavens and the Earth, and the keeping of them wearierth Him not. And He is the High, the Might One."
Most Christians would agree with the exposition of God in the Throne-verse.
In Islam, and for that matter in Christianity, God exists from eternity to eternity: "Call not on any other god but Allah; there is no god but He. Everything shall perish except His Face. To Him belongeth the rule and to Him shall ye be brought back for judgement" (xxviii, v. 88).
Where Christianity and Islam disagree is on the nature of God. For Christians God is triune, three persons in One. Islam is opposed to ascribing partners to God. "Verily God forgiveth not the giving of partners to Him; other than this will He forgive to whom He pleaseth, but whosoever giveth a partner to God hath conceived a monstrous sin’ (Sura iv, v.48,49).
The Koran describes Mohammed as mortal, commissioned to convey God’s warning and message of salvation. He has no superhuman knowledge beyond what is revealed to him, and has not been granted any miraculous powers.
The story of Jesus is found in both the Meccan and Medinian version of the Koran and expounds on his virgin birth and miracles. However the Koran denies the divinity of Jesus or his claim to divinity. Jesus is not a god or the Son of God. The Koran teaches that Jesus was conceived miraculously but that is not the Biblical virgin birth. Just as Adam was created from the earth, the Koran teaches, Jesus was created by God in the womb of Mary.
The Bible teaches, "And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore that holy Offspring will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35, MLVB). On the other hand the Koran teaches that, "Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than an apostle of God" (Sura 19:92).
The crucifixion is rejected as a Jewish fable, another in his semblance having been crucified in his stead. Nevertheless, the Injil or Evangel or Gospel is accepted as a written revelation and is to be believed and accepted along with the Torah or Tawrah of Moses, the Zabur or Psalms of David and the Koran or Recital.
As described in the Gospels, Jesus is his own best advocate and very clearly presents his claims to Deity. In John 8:51 he says to the Jews, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM." The Jews, realizing his claim of being eternal, then " picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple."
John 1 tells us: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness; and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:14 goes on to state, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Jesus is the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us.
John 10:24-30 further expounds on Jesus’s claim to Diety, made in the temple in the portico of Solomon: "The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, ‘How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never prerish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ‘I and the Father are one.’
"Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’
The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man make Yourself out to be God.’"
In John 14:6 Jesus says, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
John 5:23 Jesus says, "He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him." Truly honoring the Father for Christians is honoring the Son.
When the seventh angel sounds after the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:15: "there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.’" The Lord and His Christ are treated equally.
The third person of the trinity in Christianity is the Holy Spirit. John 4:24 states, "God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Acts 5:3 describes the Holy Spirit as God. "Ananias why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? ‘While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to me, but to God."
Christianity stands and falls on the issue of the resurrection of Jesus. The Koran however does not accept it, "They neither killed nor crucified him; it had only the appearance of it." Being without sin, Jesus was not tainted by the original sin of Adam and thus could not remain under the curse of death. Only God is without sin and Jesus was one with God, therefore the grave could not hold him. The evidences for the resurrection are presented on this website under the category "Powerful Evidence For The Deity of Christ" subcategory "The Greatest Sign – The Resurrection."
The New Testament makes very clear the mode of Jesus’s death, "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucifed him" (Luke 23:33, KJV). "and when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Luke 23:46 KJV).
Mohammed’s testimony occurred 600 years after the events related to Christianity occurred. The life of Jesus was written by eyewitnesses or people who recorded first hand testimony. All the evidence points to the fact that the first three Gospels were written within thirty years of the time they occurred. Unfriendly witness were alive at the time to rebut the accuracy of what was recounted if it was wrong.