Islam and Christianity: Beauty of Tolerance

The Relationship between Islam and Christianity

Is there any relationship between Islam and Christianity? Actually
Islam is the closest religion to Christianity. I can say Islam shares
with Christianity about 99% of the teachings. In many aspects
Islam meets Christianity. Let me mention seven of them which I call
it Seven ypes of !elationship between Islam and Christianity. hey
are"
1- Relationship of Tolerance: #esus said$ %whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right chee&$ turn to him the other also.%
'(atthew )"*9+ and #esus said" %Love your enemies$ bless
them that curse you$ do good to them that hate you$ and
pray for them which despitefully use you$ and persecute
you.% '(atthew )",,+ and the -rophet (uhammad taught
the same thing. .e read in the /oly 0uran" %1or can
2oodness and 3vil be e4ual. !epel '3vil+ with what is better"
then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as
it were thy friend and intimate5% and the -rophet (uhammad
said" %he best of all virtues is" to connect those who
disconnected you$ and to give those who forbade you$ and to
forgive those who oppressed you.% A #ewish man was putting
some dirt in front the door of the -rophet (uhammad6s
house. .henever the -rophet comes out he cleans the dirt
and never blame the #ew. 7nce the -rophet (uhammad did
not find the dirt$ so he as&ed about the #ew. hey told him
the #ew is sic&. hen the -rophet (uhammad visited him$
although he did all those bad deeds. he #ew surprised and
&new this is a -rophetic character. So what we both (uslims
and Christians need to do is to welcome everybody even
those who hate us.
2- The Relationship of Love: All (uslims love #esus. All
(uslims believe that #esus was the true (essiah. If a (uslim
did not believe in #esus then he is out of Islam. he name of
#esus is mentioned in the 0uran about 8) times. And there is
a full chapter in the 0uran titled in the name of #esus6
mother$ (ary. (uslims also believe that #esus was born
miraculously. (uslims wait #esus second coming and they
9
believe the true believers are the ones who will :oin him.
.hen he comes we$ (uslims$ will &iss his hands and feet.
- The Relationship of !enealo"y: Abraham the father of the
-rophets had two sons" Ishmael and Isaac. #esus was
descended from Isaac and the -rophet (uhammad was
descended from Ishmael. So$ #esus and (uhammad were
cousins5 Some people thin& in a racist way. hey claim that
the only chosen people are the #ews$ the children of Isaac.
;ut the ;ible refutes them. It stated that both the children of
Abraham" children of Isaac 'the #ews+ and the children of
Ishmael 'the Arabs+ were both chosen nations of 2od. .e
read in the ;ible" %for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And
also of the son of the bondwoman <Ishmael= will I ma&e a
nation$ because he is thy seed.% '2enisis 89"98>9*+. Some
people thin&s because /agar the mother of Ishmael was a
slave woman ma&es Ishmael out of congregation of 2od.
his is not true. ;ecause firstly the obvious verse admits
Ishmael as Abram6s seed and chosen nation. Secondly$ yes
/agar was a slave woman but later on$ and before Ishmael
birth she became Abraham6s wife" %And Sarai Abram6s wife
too& /agar her maid the 3gyptian$ after Abram had dwelt ten
years in the land of Canaan$ and gave her to her husband
Abram 7 ;3 /IS .I?3.% '2enesis 9@"*+ Actually$ 2od was
loving Ishmael 'as he loved Isaac+ and /e was with him"
%And 2od was with the lad <Ishmael=A and he grew.%
'2enesis 89"8B+. And 2od gave a promise that Ishmael will
be a great nation. 2od does not loo& at high buildings and
technology but /e sees hearts. So when 2od says great
nation means a good$ believing nation. %Arise$ lift up the lad
<Ishmael=$ and hold him in thine handA for I will ma&e him a
great nation.% '2enesis 89"9C+
#- The Relationship of Culture: ;oth (uhammad and #esus
are from middle east. So they both are from the same
culture. #esus was wearing white cloth and shawl$ &eeping
beard which were also made by the -rophet (uhammad$ and
the (uslims follows him in that. (ary was wearing a scarf
which is a symbol of the (uslim woman. #esus language was
Aramaic which shares a lot of words with Arabic. #esus
wishes in his own language was %Shlama alai&hum% which is
closed to the Islamic wish$ %Assalamu alai&um%. ;oth words
mean %-eace unto you%. he word %2od% is 3nglish term. In
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the language of #esus 'the Aramaic+ it was %Alah%. he same
word applied to 2od in Arabic %Allah%.
$- The Relationship of %aith and &orship: #esus taught that
2od is only one. /e said" %he first of all the commandments
is$ /ear$ 7 IsraelA he Lord our 2od is one Lord.% '(ar&
98"89+ his same teaching which is most important of all
2od6s teachings is main teaching in Islam. hat is way
(uslims always reapeat the word %la elaha ellallah% means
%here is no god eDcept 2od.% And in the /oly 0uran we
read" %Say$ /e is only one.% #esus was li&ing to have a
connection with 2od always by praying to /im" %he <#esus=
went out into a mountain to pray$ and continued all night in
prayer to 2od.% 'Lu&e @"98+. So (uslims pray five times daily
to build a continues relationship with 2od. (uslims also
during their prayers put their forehead to the ground$
prostrating to 2od. It is a symbolism of submission and love
to 2od. #esus did the same" %And he <#esus= went a little
farther$ and fell on his face.% '(atthew 8@"*9+.
'-The Relationship of (thics: ;oth (uhammad and #esus
teach us not to &ill$ not to steal$ not to ma&e adultery$ not to
cheat$ not to lie and not to hurt anybody. he -rophet
(uhammad taught also &indness not :ust to humans but also
to animals. 6A6esha the wife of the -rophet (uhammad once
she was riding a difficult camel and she started beating it.
he -rophet (uhammad said to her" %Eou should have
&indness. Anything with &indness becomes beautiful and
anything without it becomes ugly.% he -rophet (uhammad
gave a story of a man 2od forgave him his sins. he reason
of 2od6s mercy on him is that the man was thirsty then he
found a well and dran&. .hen he came out he found a thirsty
dog who eats the dust out of thirstiness. he man filled his
shoes with water and gave the dog to drin&. he -rophet
(uhammad said" %2od than&ed the man <for what he did=
and /e forgave him <his sins=.% 7nce the -rophet (uhammad
saw a bird bewildered. hen he &new that someone too& her
child. hen the -rophet as&ed his disciples who did terrify the
bird by ta&ing its child? 7ne of the disciples said" %I did.% he
-rophet as&ed him to return it bac&. .omen who were
persecuted in most of early cultures$ the -rophet (uhammad
taught us we must be &ind with them. /e said" %;e gentle
with the glasses.% he -rophet (uhammad taught such
merciful teachings because he is a -rophet of 2od. 2od6s
*
-rophets were sent by 2od to teach goodness and to lead us
to how we conduct our life rightly. he most thing the
-rophets focus on is mercy. #esus said" %;lessed are the
merciful$ for they will be shown mercy.% '(atthew )"F+ he
-rophet (uhammad said" %;e merciful in the earth the one
who is in heaven will be merciful to you.%
)- The Relationship of Characteristic: ;ecause (uhammad
and #esus were sent by 2od$ both were sharing same
characteristics. ;oth were humbles and sat with poor people
and slaves. ;oth were ignored by arrogant people. ;oth were
loving their followers and their followers loved them. ;oth
were living a simple life. ;oth all what they care is to have a
connection with 2od and to have goodness to people.
The *rophet +uhammad and the Bible
he ;ible already predicted about the -rophet (uhammad coming.
Let me give some of biblical prophecies about the coming of the
-rophet (uhammad"
1- The Last of the Three *rophets: In the first century C3$ the
#ews were awaiting three promised men. he #ews had
prophecies that predicted their coming as the last three
prophets who would be sent. .hen #ohn the ;aptist started
his mission$ the #ews came and as&ed him" GWho art thou?
And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not
the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias?
And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he
answered, No.H 'he ;ible$ #ohn 9"99>89+
he coming three prophets were"
9+ he Christ.
8+ 3lias.
*+ hat -rophet.
According to (atthew 9F"98>9* #esus testified that (lias is
,ohn the Baptist himself"
GBut I [Jesus] say unto you, hat Elias is come already, and
they knew him not, but ha!e done unto him whatsoe!er they
"isted. #ikewise sha"" a"so the $on of man suffer of them.hen
the disciples understood that he spake unto them of
John the Baptist.H
he -rophet 3lias already had come hundreds of years before
#esus '!ead the first boo& of &ings in the ;ible$ chapters 9F>
89+ but here #esus was referring to 3liasI successor. he
-rophet #ohn the ;aptist 'the successor of 3lias+ was the first
,
of the three prophets named. he second one was the Christ
who certainly was the *rophet ,esus- he remaining one
is the last of three who was &nown as Gthat %ro&hetH. Ghat
%ro&hetH is an awaited -rophet and his coming definitely will
be after #esus$ the Christ$ as well as after #ohn the ;aptist.
So$ According to the history and ;ible record$ the result will
be"
9+ #ohn the ;aptist ''"ias( successor+.
8+ #esus 'the )hrist+ who was sent after #ohn the ;aptist.
*+ Jhat %ro&hetI who will be sent after #esus. And we &now
that the -rophet (uhammad came after #esus.
2- The *rophet of .Read/.: Seven centuries before #esus$
Isaiah the -rophet prophesied about a -rophet that was to
come. Isaiah described how that -rophet would receive his
message" *And the book is de"i!ered to him that is not
"earned, sayin+, ,ead this, I &ray thee- and he saith, I am not
"earned.. 'Isaiah 89"98+
SiD centuries after #esus$ this prophecy was fulfilled. In @9B
C3$ (uhammad was worshipping the 7ne 2od$ the 2od of
Abraham$ :ust outside of the Arabian city of (ecca. here the
-rophet (uhammad was visited by the angel of the Lord who
as&ed him to read. he -rophet answered$ GI am not learned.H
he angel of the Lord as&ed him thrice and (uhammad
answered the same. hen the angel embraced (uhammad
and at that moment all time and space was removed. he first
words of the /oly 0uran were then revealed to the -rophet
(uhammad"
%,ead in the name of your #ord who created/ )reated man
from a c"in+in+ substance. ,ead, and your #ord is the most
0enerous 1 Who tau+ht by the &en 1 au+ht man that which
he knew not.% 'he /oly 0uran 9@"9>)+
his fact of the prophethood of (uhammad cannot be omitted
by the most learnt$ educated and honest of Christians. Kuring
the third Anglican (ission Congress in Canada$ Canon &orn$
who was a Christian evangelist and scholar$ declared to all the
evangelists" G2od has revealed /imself in diverse manners.
.e should be bold enough to insist that 2od was spea&ing in
that cave in the hills outside (ecca.H
1
- *rophecies 0bout the *rophet +uhammad1s Life
Incidents: he -rophet (uhammad was sent in Arabia and
1
Peter Whiteley, Frontier Mission: An account of Toronto Congress, p.18.
)
descended from Ishmael son of Abraham. A promise of 2od to
Ishamael which was fulfilled in (uhammad" %Arise$ lift up the
lad <Ishmael=$ and hold him in thine handA for I will ma&e him
a "reat nation.% '2enesis 89"9C+ he -rophet lived in Arabia
and was persecuted by the pagans as (oses was persecuted
by the pagan 3gyptians. hen the -rophet (uhammad and his
followers migrated to a city called (edia. 7ne year after the
migration$ the pagans attac&ed (edina and the -rophet
(uhammad and his followers defended in a battle called$
%;attle of ;adr%. In this battle the (uslims won over the
pagans. All these incidents were mentioned in the ;ible. In
the boo& of Isaiah '89"9*>9F+ we read 'I will put my
eDplanations between brac&ets <=. And I will use 1ew
International Lersion+"
%9* An orac"e concernin+ Arabia <he place where the -rophet
(uhammad was sent=. 9, 2ou cara!ans of 3edanites, who
cam& in the thickets of Arabia <Kedanites are Syrians. In the
time of the -rophet (uhammad the trading caravans were to
go from Arabia to the city of ema up to Kamascus in Syria
then it return bac& through the same way=$ 9, brin+ water for
the thirsty; you who "i!e in ema, brin+ food for the fu+iti!es.
9) hey f"ee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the
bent bow and from the heat of batt"e <here the verse
describes the persecution of the pagans to (uslims which led
the (uslims to immigrate to (adina as fugatives=. 9@ his is
what the #ord says to me- 4Within one year, as a ser!ant
bound by contract wou"d count it, a"" the &om& of 5edar wi""
come to an end <he verse here is describing the war wich
happened one year after the migration. Medar is the second
son of Ishmael who was the father of Arabs=. 9F he sur!i!ors
of the bowmen, the warriors of 5edar, wi"" be few <he verse
here eDplaining the trumph of (uslims over the pagans=%. he
#6,3, the 0od of Israe", has s&oken.% 'Isaiah 89"9*>9F+

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