Islam

With approximately 1.5 billion followers, Islam is the second most widespread religion in the world. It is also the fastest-growing religion today, with 1 in 5 people identifying as Muslim. Christianity currently leads, followed by one-third of the world’s population. However, if Islam continues to spread at such a pace in the coming years, we estimate that by the middle of the 21st century it will become the world’s largest religion.

Although we hear a lot about Muslims in the news, few of us truly know this religion, which nevertheless shares some common points with Christianity. However, it is their profound differences that we will discuss here, because not only do these differences set them apart, but they also make them irreconcilable with one another.

A brief step back in time

About 1,500 years ago, in Mecca (in present-day Saudi Arabia), a man named Muhammad was meditating in a cave when he claimed to have been visited by an angel called Gabriel. This angel is said to have delivered a revelation to him, which continued over a period of 23 years.

Muhammad would use these revelations to establish a religion called Islam. The word Islam means “submission,” and those who follow the religion of Islam are called Muslims.

However, Muslims do not believe that Muhammad and his followers were the first Muslims. According to them, even before Muhammad was born, other figures mentioned in the Bible were already Muslim, such as Abraham (Qur’an, Surah 3:67-68).

In fact, Muslims believe that Islam was the very first religion of creation, and that Adam was the first prophet of Allah. Other biblical figures such as Noah, Moses, David, Solomon, John the Baptist, and Jesus were also prophets of Allah.

In total, 124,000 prophets are said to have been sent at specific times, but Muhammad remains the last and greatest of them all. He is also known as the “Seal of the Prophets,” according to Surah 33:40.

After Muhammad’s death, his followers disagreed over who should succeed him. This dispute led to a division into two main groups: Sunnis and Shias. About 85% of Muslims worldwide are Sunni, while the remaining 15% are Shia.

These two branches differ somewhat in their practices and traditions.

Their Holy Scriptures

Muslims believe in their holy book, the Qur’an. It is said to have been dictated by an angel sent from Allah to His Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad recited these words to his followers, who wrote them down and memorized them (both oral and written transmission). After Muhammad’s death, these elements were compiled into a single book: the Qur’an. Some time later, a Muslim leader, Caliph Uthman, gathered all the writings that were officially part of the Qur’an and ordered all other versions to be burned.

The Qur’an is divided into 114 chapters, called surahs. These surahs cover a variety of topics such as ethics, history, laws, and theology. The Qur’an is slightly shorter than the New Testament (the second part of the Christian Bible).

The Qur’an has been printed in many different languages, but Muslims believe that only Arabic is the language of Allah, and therefore the true meaning of the Qur’an can only be fully understood in Arabic.

As a general rule, Muslims who learn the Qur’an memorize it in Arabic, even if they do not understand the language. Considering the Qur’an to be the holy word of Allah, Muslims handle each copy with great care: they wash their hands before opening it and keep every copy in safe places. It would never occur to them to leave it lying around carelessly. In Muslim countries, those who deliberately damage a Qur’an can be arrested.

Islam teaches that Allah is the source not only of the Qur’an but also of the Bible. Muslims believe that certain prophets received divinely inspired books:

1. The Torah, given to Moses.
2. The Zabur (the Psalms), given to David.
3. The Injil (the Gospels), given to Jesus.
4. The Qur’an, entrusted to Muhammad.

Muslims are taught that the first three books were corrupted, and to correct these errors, Allah appointed Muhammad as the recipient of the Qur’an.

Muslims strive to live in the same way as Muhammad by following the Hadiths, documents that highlight the deeds and sayings of Muhammad and his companions.

Who is God ?

Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam is a monotheistic religion—a belief in which there is only one God. Muslims worship Allah, who created the universe and has absolute control over all things. Although Allah is eternal, all-powerful, omnipresent, and all-knowing, Muslims believe that one cannot truly know Allah or have a personal relationship with Him.

Rather than a friendship with Allah, Islam views the relationship with Him as one of complete submission to His will.

The Qur’an does not say that Allah seeks to save those who are in sin, and it also states very clearly that He does not love the sinner (Surah 3:32 and 4:107). This stands in complete contrast to the Biblical God, who loves the sinner and comes to save him by sacrificing Himself for him (John 3:16).

Muslims believe that there is no other god but Allah, and they recite this daily in the Shahada. In the same way as in Judaism, they completely reject the concept of the Trinity.

Who is Jesus ?

Muslims believe that before Muhammad, God sent great prophets who spoke to God on behalf of specific people and for specific times. Jesus is considered one of these prophets. The Qur’an acknowledges the virgin birth of Jesus. It recognizes that He lived a holy life and performed miracles. But the Qur’an makes it clear that Jesus was only a man. For Muslims, Jesus—whom they call Isa—should never be called “God,” “Lord,” or “the Son of God.”

The Qur’an contains several verses stating that Jesus is not the Son of Allah. It specifically says that anyone who claims that Allah has a son is a liar (Surah 37:152).

Many Muslims believe that calling Jesus the “Son of God” means that Allah would have had a physical relationship with a woman, which is a very poor misunderstanding of the Christian doctrine. For more information on this topic, refer to the Questions/Answers section.

The Qur’an also teaches that Jesus did not die but was taken directly up to heaven (therefore, no physical death). They maintain that Allah would never allow Jesus, a prophet, to die on a cross. Such a death would suggest defeat—if Jesus had been killed, it would mean, in their view, that He failed in His mission and that His enemies had won. Their theory is that someone else, probably Judas, was “made to look like” Jesus, and it was actually him who died on the cross in Jesus’ place. Of course, since they do not believe in the physical death of Jesus, they also do not believe in His resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christians. Without the Resurrection, there is no Christianity.

Heaven and Hell

Muslims believe that everyone will receive either the punishment of hell or the reward of paradise: “Those who disbelieve will have a severe punishment, while those who believe and do righteous deeds will have forgiveness and a great reward.” (Surah 35:7)

Hell is the place where non-believers, the infidels, will spend eternity. (For Muslim sinners, there is a way to avoid being condemned to hell—see the end of the article.)

The disbelievers among the People of the Book, as well as the polytheists, will not cease to disbelieve until there comes to them clear proof: a Messenger from God, reciting purified scriptures, containing correct and upright commandments. Those who were given the Scripture did not become divided until after clear proof had come to them. Yet they were commanded only to worship God, devoting their religion exclusively to Him, to establish prayer (Salat), and to give alms (Zakat). That is the religion of true uprightness. Indeed, the disbelievers among the People of the Book, as well as the polytheists, will be in the fire of Hell, to remain there eternally. They are the worst of all creation. But those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of all creation. Their reward with God will be Gardens of Eternity beneath which rivers flow, where they will dwell forever. God is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is the reward of those who fear their Lord.”

Surah 98:1–8

The reward that Muslims hope to attain is paradise, “the garden of delights,” where they will be joined by their wives—resurrected as virgins.

There, they will experience sensual pleasures: a choice of food and drinks, luxurious clothing and jewelry, companions, and beautiful virgins. (Surahs 56:12–37).

The Christian paradise, on the other hand, is not about earthly or carnal pleasures, but about the hope of regaining what was lost in the Garden of Eden through sin: we eagerly await being reunited with our Creator and living in communion with Him for all eternity.

Sin and salvation

Muslims believe that humans are born good by nature and without sin. Since they do not have a fallen nature, they do not believe they need a savior. It is entirely up to them to please Allah through their own efforts.

Muslims believe that on the Day of Judgment, Allah will judge each person according to their deeds: helping others, bearing witness to the truth of God, and living a virtuous life.

If they perform more good deeds than bad ones, they hope that Allah will forgive their sins and lead them to Paradise when they die. But they can never be certain of it.

The Qur’an tells them that good deeds will cancel out bad deeds (Surah 11:114), but no one knows how many good deeds are required.

The Qur’an states: “Do you not know that to God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth? He punishes whom He wills and forgives whom He wills. And God is All-Powerful.” (Surah 5:40)

Only Allah knows the amount of good deeds required to attain salvation; Muslims remain in doubt about their salvation until the Day of Judgment.

The Qur’an says: “Those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds] will be the successful. But those whose scales are light are the ones who have ruined their own souls, and they will abide eternally in Hell.” (Surah 23:102–103)

To enter paradise, Muslims must believe in Allah, in the prophets of Islam, in the Qur’an, in the angels, and in the Day of Judgment (Surah 4:136).

They must repent and obey Islamic law, but even by doing these things, they have no certainty of being saved.

In other words, although the Qur’an describes Allah as a forgiving and gracious God, these qualities do not seem to apply to sinners (which we all are): sin must always be atoned for by one’s own deeds.

The Traditions of Muslims – The Pillars of Islam

Muslims have five obligations that they must fulfill. These obligations, called the Five Pillars of Islam, are:

1. Shahada: professing one’s faith by reciting: “I bear witness that there is no god but God, and that Muhammad is His prophet and messenger.”

2. Salat: praying five times a day at specific times while facing Mecca, the birthplace of Muhammad. No matter where Muslims live, they must all face Mecca during their prayer time and perform their ritual cleansing beforehand. These five prayers are recited in Arabic.

3. Zakat: giving money to help the poor. Adult Muslims must give 2.5% of their wealth to charity each year. Some young Muslims also volunteer to help those in need.

4. Saum (or Sawm): fasting from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan to commemorate the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad. After sunset, Muslims can join their family and friends to eat a meal called Iftar.

Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan with a three-day festival called Eid al-Fitr. Schools and businesses close for the holiday in Muslim countries.

5. Hajj: making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, if possible. Mecca is a holy city for Muslims, and the law forbids non-Muslims from entering it. On the road leading to Mecca, signs direct non-Muslims to change course before entering the holy city. Once a year, around 2 million Muslims from all over the world come to Mecca for the Hajj, a ritual that lasts several days. For many Muslims, the Hajj is the most significant moment of their lives. These five pillars form the framework of Muslim life and practice.

By faithfully adhering to these pillars, Muslims hope to please Allah and attain salvation.

Did you know?

Muslims consider it unjust for someone—namely Jesus—to be punished in the place of another. Yet, some hadiths report that, for every Muslim, a Christian or a Jew would be designated to bear his sins and would therefore be sent to hell in his place.

In other words, from this perspective, someone outside the fault would bear the consequence of another person’s sin. This raises an important question: why should a Christian or a Jew be condemned for the sins of someone else?

If the sacrifice of Jesus—considered God in Christianity and destined for resurrection—is deemed unjust, then how can it be justified that an innocent person would be condemned to eternal punishment for someone else’s sins?