Friday, July 23, 2010

Jesus and Muhammad Compared

Folks, in this day and age when we are told repeatedly that all religions are the same, that they all lead to heave, and that all religious founders are equally saintly, we will do well learning the differences between them. In this case, Islam and Christianity are as different as were their respective founders, Jesus of Nazareth and Muhammad of Mecca. Each one left the profound imprint of their respective characters in their teachings and the communities they originated. Check it out:

 Facts Jesus Muhammad
Death Jesus died and rose from the dead Muhammad died and stayed dead.
Fighting Jesus never fought Muhammad fought many many times
Hearing from God When Jesus heard from God he went to the desert to be tempted and began his ministry with boldness, (Mark 1:14-15). When Muhammad heard from God (supposedly through an angel) he cowered, was uncertain, and wanted to commit suicide (Quran 74:1-5)
Identity Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:24; 8:58) as well as a man.
Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).
Muhammad claimed to be a man.
Instructions Received From God the Father (John 5:19) Allegedly from an angel
Killing Jesus never killed anyone Muhammad killed many
Life Jesus had the power to take life, but never did. He restored it. Muhammad had the power to take it, but he never restored it.
No one ever died in Jesus' presence Many people died in Muhammad's presence -- he killed them.
Marriage Jesus never married Muhammad had over 20 wives and even married a nine year old girl.
Ministry Jesus received his calling from God directly (Matt. 3:17).

Jesus received his commission in the daylight

Muhammad allegedly received it from an angel (Gabriel)

Muhammad received his words in the darkness of a cave.

Ministry Length Jesus taught for 3 1/2 years Muhammad taught for more than 20 years
Miracles Jesus performed many miracles including healing people, calming a storm with a command, and raising people from the dead. Muhammad's only alleged miracle was the Quran.
Prophecy Jesus fulfilled biblical prophecy about being the Messiah Muhammad did not fulfill any biblical prophecy except the ones about false teachers (Matt. 24:24).
Sacrifice Jesus voluntarily laid his life down for others Muhammad saved his own life many times and had others killed.
Sin Jesus never sinned (1 Pet. 2:22) Muhammad was a sinner (Quran 40:55; 48:1-2)
Slaves Jesus owned no slaves Muhammad owned slaves.
Virgin Birth Jesus was virgin born Muhammad was not virgin born.
Voice of God Jesus received and heard the direct voice of God (Mark 1:10-11) Muhammad did not receive or hear the direct voice of God. It was an angel instead.
Women Jesus spoke well of women Muhammad said women were 1/2 as smart as men (Hadith 3:826; 2:541), that the majority in hell will be women (Had. 1:28,301; 2:161; 7:124), and that women could be mortgaged.

Islam is but a pale reflection of the religious faiths, Judaism and Christianity, that it supposedly came to supplant. Only Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one goes to the Father if is not through Him.

3 comments:

Chad Myers said...

One quick point, about the angel that told him these things. According to the Quran and the Hadiths, the angel threatened and drove fear into him, causing him to be mortally afraid even after the encounter, wanting to kill himself for fear the angel would strike him and torture him. When his wife finally told him to talk with someone, he talked with a (reportedly, and seemingly misguided) Catholic priest or monk who told him that it might have been the Angel Gabriel and this encounter with the priest/monk and that advice got recorded in the Hadiths. Legend now holds that it was Gabriel, but that was never officially determined from what I understand.

The behavior of the angel sounds more like that of a fallen angel, and not of one of the seven that stand before God.

bryn said...

highly educational for me...I have copied it to my desktop for furthur perusal.thanks

Elizabeth Mahlou said...

And I thought I knew something about Islam! Never looked at it quite this way. The comparison is interesting. Now, what about Joseph Smith? Do you dare tackle that?

(I love your blog. I really do!)