How Is Islam Different from Christianity or Judaism?

ISLAM is an Arabic word which means “submission” or “surrender.” Within the context of Islam, it means submission or surrender to Allah, the name of the god of the Muslims.

 MUSLIMS are the people of Islam. The word “Muslim” means “one who submits”.

 In pure Islamic nations under Islamic (Shari’a) law there is no democracy, no free will, and no freedom of expression, which is totally contrary to the freedom we have in Christ. When a nation is ruled by Islamic Law, freedom to preach the gospel is not allowed because Muslims are not permitted to change their religion. The rejection of Islam for any other faith, either by action or word of mouth, is considered a rejection of Allah and Muhammad, thus making it an act of apostasy. Under Shari’a law, changing your religion from Islam to Christianity is punishable by death. This is practiced in many Muslim nations such as several North African countries, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Malaysia, and many Middle Eastern countries.

MUHAMMAD is the founder and leader of the Islamic faith. He was born in 570AD in the city of Mecca in (Saudi) Arabia. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was six. He was placed in the care of his grandfather, but he also soon died. Muhammad was then raised by his uncle. At age 25 he married a wealthy widow named Khadijeh, who was 40 years of age. During that time both Jews and Christians lived in Arabia, but it seems they lacked the power to convince Muhammad and the other Arabs that Jehovah, the God of Judaism and Christianity, is the one true God.

 Muhammad would go occasionally to a cave three miles north of Mecca to meditate. At age 40 he had a visitation, and he believed it to be the angel Gabriel who told him to recite. When Muhammad asked what he was to recite, he was told, “Recite, in the name of the Lord who has created, created man from the clots of blood.” This experience brought great doubt to Muhammad, but when he shared this experience with his wife, she convinced him that he was appointed as a prophet to the people. His followers chose to believe that these were true words of God because they considered Muhammad to be illiterate. Messages continued to come to him over a period of 22 years. As a result, he preached that there is no god but Allah and that he was the prophet of Allah. When his wife died he remarried and had up to 35-40 wives and concubines. In 628AD he received a “revelation” that Islam was to be exalted above all other religions, including Christianity and Judaism. Becoming the political leader of Arabia, the message of the domination of Islam was spread across the Arabic world and the city of Mecca became the center of the religion.

THE QUR’AN (Koran) is their holy book. The Qur’an cannot be questioned or criticized, or recited in any other language than Arabic, making up about one fifth of the people of Islam. As a result, the majority of Muslims have very little knowledge of true beliefs because they are not versed in the Qur’an or in the history of Islam

In conversing with a Muslim they may say, “We believe in the Bible; we believe in Moses, David and Jesus.” For this reason, many people in western nations see Islam as another way to God. But what is it that Islam really believes? Their religion is based upon the Qur’an (teachings of Allah) and the Hadith which contains 7,000 sayings, teachings, and traditions of Muhammad and few Muslims have read it. According to the Hadith, Allah has given mankind 104 books. Of those, 103 have been corrupted and are abrogated (annulled or abolished) and only the Qur’an remains.The Qur’an is about 4/5 the size of the New Testament. The chapters are called suras.                   

In a discussion with a Muslim, they may say they believe in the Bible and Moses, David, Jesus, etc. But it is in a different way than we understand the Bible. According to Islam, the Torah, Psalms and the Gospels were genuine revelations from God but over time they were corrupted and changed by dishonest people. They believe mankind was expected to guard these books from harm but unfortunately failed to live up to this expectation. Traditional Islam views the Qur’an as identical with what is called the “Mother of the Book” in heaven; they believe the Qur’an is not corrupted and contains the very words of god himself.  

In a number of places, the Qur’an emphasizes that Jesus Christ is a prophet, but the Christian view of Jesus Christ as the literal Son of God is blasphemy to the Muslim. Islam denies His divine nature. In sura (chapter) 43:59 the Qur’an asserts, “Jesus was no more than a mortal man whom [Allah] favored and made an example to the Israelites.” They believe Jesus did not die on the cross, but rather a substitute took His place, probably Judas. Jesus said in John 8:24 . . . “If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.

Christians are told in Ephesians 2:10 that we are saved by grace through faith; it is the free gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. What does Islam teach?

William Miller was a missionary to Muslims in Iran from 1919 to 1962. He wrote about the Islamic view of salvation, its dependence upon good works and personal merit, and the uncertainty this brings to the heart of every Muslim:

“Islam has no Savior. Muhammad is rarely called Savior. He is said to have brought God’s (Allah’s) laws to men, and they, by keeping those laws, must satisfy God’s requirements and win His approval . . . Since God (Allah) does not make known how the accounts stand, a Muslim facing death does not know whether he is to go to paradise to hell. After all, the decision is made by the arbitrary will of God (Allah) and no one can predict what this decision will be. And so, the Muslim lives and dies, not sure of his final salvation.”

Islam is a totally different religion from Christianity and Judaism and the god of Islam is not the God of the Christians and the Jews. However, we must see the Muslim people through the heart of God, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Many devout Muslims have a true hunger to know God. A paraphrase of John 3:16 says,

“For God so loved the 1.2 billion Muslims in the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Click the button below for a comparison chart that outlines the differences between the god of Islam and the God of Christianity.