islam vs christianity essay conclusion

Religion: Christianity vs. Islam

Introduction, the meta-narratives of islam and christianity, comparison between christianity and islam.

Traditionally, the concept of religion has been related to a population’s beliefs. Although religion has been a controversial aspect, it is the worship and acknowledgment of the existence of a supernatural controlling power among the traditionalists. Several attempts to define the term have proved unsuccessful after scholars disagreed on a specific meaning (Chekovikj & Trencevska Chekovikj, 2020). Additionally, religion was categorized based on how it was systematized and according to the populace’s different theories and opinions. In this light, Islam and Christianity became the predominant religions; questions about their relations have been an interest globally. Various theologists have come up with numerous philosophies, but the topic remains ambiguous and brings about mixed reactions. Amidst these uncertainties, it cannot be denied that even though both religions’ worldviews might differ, an in-depth consideration of similarities and differences in their diverse beliefs pointing out a meta-narrative can help understand the concept.

In early human history, religious differences characterized a major crisis period. For instance, in the Arabian Peninsula, the Muslim army arose and formed non-existence borders from the Atlantic Ocean to Punjab, which are currently referred to as the Muslim world’s heartlands (Penn, 2015). However, over the centuries, the situation has changed as Muslims became a minority group in their areas of control. In Syria, these Muslim worlds became a majority-Christian territory. Violence ensued between the Muslims and Christians and subconsciously the latter assumed minority identity due to violent flashbacks.

Before the seventh century A.D, Christian Martyrs suffered and died under the arms of Muslim officials. Scholars have periodically used hagiography as a study tool for religious history, especially matters of holy conceptions and church-state relations. They in return have proved that hagiography, as many people thought, is not built on traditional myths and misconceptions (Penn, 2015). Researchers, however, did not find specific triggers of the religious battles, but with time, the warring religions, that is the Christians and Muslims, amicably settled their differences and started respecting each other. Ultimately, conversion emerged when those of Christian faith would change to Muslim conviction, and vice versa.

Additionally, in ancient times, people relied on metanarratives to understand religion. They outlined critical values that characterized and distinguished beliefs. These worldview predominant stories explained the reality and framework in which religion was founded. The histories are still relevant in the Postmodern era in addressing the existence of conflicting beliefs in religion. For Islam, ethical behavior is governed by what Mohammed did as detailed in the Quran.

Muslims believe that Allah is better, and so is Mohammed, his messenger. They must also convince the world in exchange for a promise to enter the Islamic paradise (Leube, 2019). Consequently, their call is to do that and increase their chances to go to heaven. Christians are guided by what Jesus did as learned in the Bible; he completed humanity’s salvation (Billy, 2019). A confession of the mouth and faith in the heart that Jesus is the path and destination to Heaven, where He rules, is all it takes to obtain a pass to heaven. Subsequently, their call is to live because Jesus did all that. A closer look at the above histories outlines some common elements yet so different in one way or another.

The doctrine of revelation and resurrection differs between the Islamic religion and Christianity. Islam faith teaches evading hellfire through God’s mercy, whereby they will be admitted into paradise (Bagley, 2015). Although there is no existing assurance of entering the delightful garden, the followers believe that submitting to God’s will and following His ways could contribute to a person’s account during judgment. Additionally, as per their teachings, moral perfection does not count; instead, repentance does. On the other hand, the biblical Christian story tells how the believers are headed towards the judgment day when the rapture will follow the triumphant announcement from Jesus (Billy, 2019). In this case, they concentrate on perfecting their morals to dwell with Jesus in a righteous place.

The existence of God in the world differs between Christianity and Islam. God’s presence in Christianity is emphasized in God-activity. This means that it is interceded by the Holy Spirit. Further, He exists instinctively through his indwelling in a trinitarian nature (Sire, 2009). Because of this complete communion in the Father, Son, and Spirit, his love is everlasting. Nevertheless, in Islam, the view is human activity, referring to feeling God’s presence by calling people names. According to Muslims, God is too great to manifest in human shape or specific essences.

Islam believes that a person has pure inborn nature referred to as fitrah, which allows them to have access to God. Adam had a fitrah that equipped him with the familiarity of Allah’s divine attributes and names (Bhat, 2016). This innate knowledge of Allah is considered hereditary and is to be passed on to successive generations. According to Christianity, a fall represents disobedience to God with a consequence of a transmissible tendency towards sinning in the Old Testament. However, the New Testament introduces a different perspective of the redemption of sins. Sire (2009) explains the origin of sin into the world through one person, which resulted in death. Since every person sinned, sharing the death of Jesus brought life and forgiveness to the Christians.

Islamic prayers are rule-driven in contrast to Christians who exercise freedom. For Muslims, there are prayer periods characterized by mosque bells that alert them of prayer time. Further, there is a set sequence of prayer methods where they stand, bow, kneel, and have recitations of Quran verses or other prayer formulas (Bagley, 2015). Muslims’ prayers are performed at day start, noon, afternoon, and evening with no deviation. On the contrary, Christians have no established prayer series by rule but can instead pray at any time of their choice.

Both Christians and Muslims have expressed a difference in how they view the holy books. Christians seek reference from the Bible as God’s holy word. The Bible is divided into two parts, namely the New Testament and the Old Testament. In total, the Christian Bible has sixty-six books; thirty-nine are in the Old Testament and twenty-seven in the New Testament (Chekovikj & Trencevska Chekovikj, 2020). According to Christian teachings, the Bible is a direct word from God without mistakes. On the contrary, Muslims recognize Quran as the holy word of Allah.

The term Quran refers to recitation; it is derived from its original preservation in Arabic for generations to understand it without alterations (Van der Spuy, 2015). In addition, the religion believes that no Arabic Quran’s script varies. A common belief among the followers is that introduction of the Quran transpired when prophet Muhammad obtained revelations for a twenty-three-year era starting in the 609 A.D. from Angel Gabriel (Van der Spuy, 2015). Even though Muslims appreciate Psalms of David, Torah, the law of Moses, and Jesus’ Gospel as God’s books, they claim that given their various translations over time, they may have been corrupt.

However, Islam and Christian similarity is illustrated with respect to God’s perception. First, attachment to God is a unifying factor regardless of religious differences. According to Vandesande et al. (2018), John Bowlby’s behavioral hallmark of attachment can explain the relationship of a religious believer with the Supernatural being. This approach increases the probability that fewer emotionally-strong individuals endure childhood dangers. The concept further reduces fear and forms of distress, allowing people to focus on other life goals and tasks. Similarly, Christians and Muslims demonstrate these hallmarks in relation to God. A sense of security and mental wellness that acts as a safe base for physical well-being also results from believing in God.

In addition, both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic religions. There is a common belief that there is only a single deity in Islam as well as Christianity (Chekovikj & Trencevska Chekovikj, 2020). They trust that God is a supreme being who created and sustained the universe. Furthermore, He is eternal, infinite, and His existence is essential. The Omni-character of this divinity is recognized in both religions. Omnipotence means that God is all-powerful and not subject to limitations. Omniscience refers to an all-knowing God who is aware of everything about humans and the entire universe (Sire, 2009). Omnipresence states that He is all-present and can be everywhere simultaneously.

Lastly, a similarity exists in religious rituals and behaviors. Christians express their need for safety and closure to God through deeds such as prayers, attending church services and fellowships, worshipping, and using physical symbols such as prayer beads and sacraments (Brooks, 2020). Seeking proximity is more common when these practices are used to plea for protection or get closer to God during need. Likewise, Muslims use religious prayers more extensively to seek Islamic spirituality and rituals to place believers nearer the prophets who intercede for them (Bhat, 2016). Other symbols include observing pureness, pilgrimage, a journey towards a place that represents God’s presence, and fasting which brings the believers closer to Allah (Bagley, 2015). The Islam believers also participate in repentance as a way of finding reunification with God.

A comparison of Christianity and Islam has revealed varying core commitments within the religions. For instance, Christians are obligated to follow the teachings of Jesus, such as forgiveness and love. Muslims have set pillars to guide them, such as salat, which means prayer, shahada, a practice of faith, and sawm for fasting (Bagley, 2015). Recognizing the similarities and differences in religious practices between Muslims and Christians is significant. Nonetheless, even as people acknowledge these differences, it is essential that both religions cultivate good relationships since they seek a common good. However, doing so will not be easier considering the past periods of misunderstandings and suspicion, as well as the existing tensions. Embracing and respecting each other’s beliefs is a challenge facing the contemporary religious world today and develops a research gap for theologists in the coming years.

A difference in people’s beliefs and opinions has brought along the categorization of religion. Both Christianity and Islam believe in a sovereign deity and illustrate a connection of people to the supernatural being. In ancient times, religious wars between Christians and Muslims were witnessed, although scholars failed to identify specific triggers of the battles. Research tools such as hagiography was used to look into religious history and were proved not to be mythical. Meta-narratives on Islam and Christianity have helped understand religion as they outlined critical values that characterized and distinguished these beliefs. The study has illustrated a resemblance between the two religions in their perception of God, acknowledgment of His existence, and their use of religious symbolism. However, there are significant differences some of which appear to be opposing one another.

As outlined in their resurrection doctrine, Christians believe in a rupture day after judgment, while Muslims believe in an immediate presentation to a paradise. Also, prayer time is set by Islam rules, whereas there is freedom of prayers among Christians. A difference is also revealed in their definitions of Holy Books. Christians believe in the Bible as a way in which God communicates to them; it is considered to be a direct word from God. For Muslims, the Quran is the ultimate word of Allah which they trust has no variation unlike the Bible which has been continuously altered during translation. Finally, despite the differences, it is essential to cultivate a healthy relationship between the two religions. Theologists have developed a research gap in the future since it has been challenging to establish a common ground for settling these religious differences. The rifts have been characterized by misunderstandings, suspicions, and ongoing tensions.

Bagley, C. (2015). Islam today: A Muslim quaker’s View . Quaker Universalist Group.

Bhat, A. M. (2016). Human psychology (fitrah) from Islamic perspective . International Journal of Nusantara Islam , 4 (2), 61-74. Web.

Billy, D. J. (2019). Jesus and the last things: Death, judgment, heaven, hell . Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Brooks, S. D. (2020). Worship formation: A call to embrace Christian growth in each element of the worship service . Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Chekovikj, T., & Trencevska Chekovikj, E. (2020). Jesus and monotheism, the similarity and relations between early Judeo-Christian credence and Islam . Modern Islamic Studies , 1 , 45-53. Web.

Leube, G. (2019). Encounters of Christian power and Islamic truth? Two stories of divine intervention on behalf of Islam. EHumanista , 41 .

Penn, M. P. (2015). Envisioning Islam: Syriac Christians and the early Muslim world . University of Pennsylvania Press.

Sire, J. W. (2009). The universe next door: A basic worldview catalog (5 th ed.). InterVarsity Press

Van der Spuy, R. (2015). The understanding and the use of the term Allah as a term for God in translations of the Bible and the Qur’an with specific reference to the Talysh speakers of Azerbaijan. In die Skriflig , 49 (1), 1-6.

Vandesande, S., Bosmans, G., Schuengel, C., & Maes, B. (2018). Young children with significant developmental delay differentiate home observed attachment behavior towards their parents. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities , 32 (1), 106-120. Web.

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Teaching the Differences between Christianity and Islam

In a society like ours, which is replete with different belief systems, it can be challenging to present the beliefs of Christianity as they differ from other religions. This blog marks the first in a series that seeks to equip teachers of all ages to address differences between Christianity and other major world religions.

The Differences in View of Higher Power

Islam means “submission to God” or simply “submission.” Those who espouse Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are strict monotheists, meaning they believe in one god, whom they refer to as Allah, the Arabic word for “god.” T he Qur’an contains the prophet Muhammad’s teachings, based on a series of revelations he claims to have received from the angel Gabriel in the first half of the AD 600s. Muslims consider it to be the word of Allah, that it teaches that Allah is the creator and protector of all things and that he is compassionate and forgiving. Muslims consider Muhammad to be the last and most significant prophet. Muslims also consider Moses, Abraham, and Jesus to be prophets.

While it may be tempting to draw a connection between Christianity and Islam concerning “submission,” keep in mind that Islam views submission as a work, that is, something that man does to earn favor with Allah. Christian submission is empowered by the Holy Spirit and modeled after the submission of Jesus Christ. I can submit to the one true God only because God came to me first in His Holy Spirit and created saving faith. Christians submit to God through faith in Jesus. Our Savior submitted to His Father perfectly in our place, going to the cross to suffer and die for our sins. So, where Muslims submit out of fear of Allah, Christians submit out of love, recognizing that God loves and forgives for the sake of Jesus’ perfect submission.

The nature of the person of Jesus Christ is the lynchpin difference between Islam and Christianity. However much Muslims may honor Jesus as a prophet, for them, He is nothing more than a great man. Christians recognize Jesus as fully God, the Son of the Father, the Savior of the world . Whatever accomplishments Muhammad may have had in life, he was just a sinful man. It is important to stress the person of Jesus Christ. He is what sets Christianity apart from all religions. In Christ, we have grace. Where all other religions are based on works, only Christianity teaches salvation at God’s expense. He is the one acting for our good.  

The Differences in Basic Beliefs

To be able to effectively respond to Muslims or those who have questions regarding Islam, it is vital to have at least a cursory knowledg e of the religion. Below is a brief listing of Islam’s basic beliefs and how Christianity is different. When comparing the two, pay particular attention to how Christianity points always to the work of Christ.

1. Oneness of God

Allah is one, uncreated, having no children. The Bible also speaks of God as one, yet as also being three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It’s also important to note that within the Christian Godhead, each person is attributed with certain tasks. God the Father is our Creator, Jesus is our Redeemer and Lord, and the Holy Spirit creates and nurtures saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Muslims believe that angels are created by Allah to serve him alone. Christians  believe and teach that God created angels for His purposes, which include being messengers and servants, protecting God’s people, and worshiping Him continually. What is more, the Bible teaches that Satan is one of God’s created angels who turned to evil. It is important to stress that while Satan is powerful, he is no more than an angel. He is not a god. Therefore, Satan does nothing outside of God’s control. Additionally, the reality is that Jesus defeated Satan through His perfect life and all-availing death on the cross.

3. Prophets

Muslims believe that prophets are human beings sent by Allah to teach about faith and holy living. What’s important to remember about the Christian understanding of prophets is that prophets are always working toward God’s agenda of salvation in Jesus Christ. Through the Old Testament prophets, God worked to turn the people from sin and promised the coming Savior, Jesus Christ. Even as the Lord chastised the people through the prophets, He did so to preserve the people from whom would come the Messiah. John the Baptist, considered the last prophet of the Old Testament, called for repentance and served as Jesus’ herald.

The Qur’an is written in Arabic by the prophet Muhammad. It contains information on the nature of Allah, history, guidance for holy living, and warnings to unbelievers. When comparing the Bible and the Qur’an, point out that the Bible is far older than the Qur’an. What is more, the books of the Bible span a much broader time in history and were written by many people who were guided by the Holy Spirit. This, and the fact that Scripture does not contradict itself, gives it credibility .

5. Day of Reckoning

The differences in practices.

Muslims teach five practices or “pillars” of faith.

1. Declaration of Faith

There are two fundamental statements of Muslim faith: Allah is one and Muhammad is his prophet. Christians have different and more elaborate statements of faith in the words of the three creeds: the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian. There are two salient points here. First, while reciting and memorizing the creeds is indeed worthwhile and healthful for Christians, doing so is not necessary for salvation, nor does it produce favor with God. Instead, studying the creeds and using them in worship serve to reinforce these basic truths in our minds and prepare us to share and defend the Christian faith. Second, the stress in the Christian creeds lies on Jesus Christ. This is appropriate, as we have access to the Father only through the Son, and the Holy Spirit serves to introduce us to the Son.

Muslims are to pray to Allah five times daily, facing toward Mecca, the location of Muhammad’s birth. Christians have a fundamentally different view of prayer. Rather than another means to satisfy a demanding God, Christian prayer is a gift from God to Christians. The centrality of Christ in Christian prayer cannot be overemphasized. It is only through faith in Jesus, the one who by His death and resurrection opened the gates of heaven, are we able to talk to the one true God . God hears the cries of all people, but only Christians can be assured of God’s answer because of Jesus Christ, who sends His Christians out with the Law and Gospel to answer the cries of all people . Second, whereas Islam is directive and pedantic regarding the content, posture, location, and frequency of prayer, Christians are free to pray to God as a child would speak to a loving father. Our prayers are acceptable to God for the sake of Christ’s perfection.

3. Almsgiving

Almsgiving is financial giving to help those less fortunate. Almsgiving is certainly a fine practice within Christianity, but the purpose is different than in Islam. Christians serve as stewards of the Lord’s gifts for the benefit of those less fortunate. Where Muslims share with others in a way that is ultimately self-serving, Christians do so out of love for God and their neighbor, always with the understanding that salvation is a gift of God’s grace through faith in Christ.

Fasting occurs during the daylight hours of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The Bible does speak of fasting, but always in reference to the edification of faith, prayer, or repentance, not toward the goal of currying favor with God. For example, it is common for Christians to abstain from certain foods during the season of Lent to reflect on the deprivation that Jesus suffered in His ministry and Passion. Such practice is certainly commendable and prudent and may help us better understand Christ's sufferings, but God will not pull away from us if we do not fast .

5. Pilgrimage

The differences in worship.

The practice of the five pillars is part of Islamic worship. Muslims worship in a mosque and take part in prayer led by the imam.

Christians also worship God in buildings (called churches), but the design of Christian worship spaces is different from mosques in purpose. Christian worship spaces centralize Christ, what He has done, and the gifts that He offers in worship. This is why a Christian church is replete with crosses of various sizes, shapes, and designs, why the baptismal font is (or should be) located prominently, and why the altar dominates the front of the worship space. Christian worship is fundamentally different from that of other faiths, including Islam, in that Christians come to God’s house not primarily to do for Him but rather to receive His gifts to us . These include most notably the means of grace, which are the Word and Sacraments.

Additionally, while receiving God’s gifts in worship is indeed a blessing within beautiful church buildings complete with stained glass windows, a large pipe organ, and endless pews, we are mindful that we can receive these gifts in even the simplest of places.

Christians define church in two distinct ways: (1) to refer to the building itself wherein we praise God and receive His gifts and (2) to refer to the body of Christ , that is, all Christians through space and time. For the Christian, it is of great comfort to know that he or she is part of a larger family, one that stretches not only all over the world but even through time.

While there are several differences in theology between Christianity and Islam, two stand out and should be highlighted. The first is the certainty of salvation. Where Islam teaches that Allah will judge all people on the day of reckoning, based on their record of submission to Allah and adherence to the five pillars, Christianity teaches salvation by grace, through faith, in Christ . Islam is ultimately a religion of works. But the Bible is clear: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). There is no certainty in Islam, there is only works. On the other hand,  through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God offers certain salvation based on what Jesus has done in our place.

The second salient difference is the action of God. In Islam, Allah sets forth a standard of behavior and expects Muslims to reach it. With Christianity, God does all the work. While both Christianity and Islam present God as creator, it is the one true God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who redeemed the world of sin at His own expense in His Son, Jesus Christ, and who brings that salvation to sinners through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Phil Rigdon

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Home — Essay Samples — Religion — Spread of Christianity — Comparing Islam and Christianity: Similarities and Differences

Comparing Islam and Christianity: Similarities and Differences

• Categories: History of Islam Spread of Christianity

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Published: Feb 7, 2024

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Table of contents

Beliefs in one god, angels, prophets, and holy scriptures, differences in beliefs about jesus christ, practices and rituals, values regarding social issues.

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Christianity vs. Islam

Christianity and Islam have more in common than most people know — they are both monotheistic Abrahamic religions , and Jesus Christ is an important, revered figure in both religions.

Followers of Christianity — called Christians — believe in the Holy Trinity , and that Christ, the son of God, walked the earth as the incarnate form of God ("the Father"). Most Christians also believe Christ will return at the end of the world.

Muslims (followers of Islam) consider Jesus Christ to be a [Messenger-vs-Prophet-in-Islam|prophet, a messenger of God]] and a messiah. However, they believe that Muhammad was the last prophet and he recorded the word of God verbatim in the Quran.

Comparison chart

Early history.

In many ways, Christianity and Islam were radical for their times, often preaching tolerance, respect, and equality between different races and classes, despite rigid monotheism. This initial progressive nature resulted in considerable persecution but ultimately did not stop the development, evolution, or expansion of either religion. Ultimately, early Christianity and Islam were spread by exploration, trade, missions, warfare, and colonization.

According to the New Testament , Jesus Christ had a number of followers prior to his execution in Golgotha , but the concept of Christianity as a religion did not truly exist until after his crucifixion, when his most ardent followers, such as the Roman Apostle Paul , began writing and speaking of Christ's reported miracles.

Christianity acquired many of its terms and beliefs from the Hellenistic Judaism and Greco-Roman paganism that were dominant at the times and places of Christianity's earliest development. The Roman Empire, with its common language—Latin—crossing great swaths of land, helped spread Christianity, especially after Emperor Constantine (around 300 CE) converted to the religion, ordered the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , and adopted the cross for his army's banners. To learn more about early Christianity, its development, and the spread of the religion, watch the Crash Course video below.

By the time Islam was formed in 622 CE, Roman Catholicism, the most widespread form of Christianity, already had its 69th Pope— Pope Boniface V . In Mecca, in the Arabian Peninsula where Islam began, there was a melting pot of faith that included Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and those who worshipped Mesopotamian gods. It was in this place and time that Muslims believe Muhammad was visited by the angel Gabriel and told to begin writing down the word of the one true god, Allah.

Many in the region saw monotheism as a threat, eventually forcing Muhammad to migrate with his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE in what is known as the Hijra . Most consider this the beginning of Islam as a religion, as the migration brought many new followers to the fledgling faith. In 630 CE, Muhammad and his followers were able to return to Mecca in a near-bloodless conflict.

Murji'ah , an early Islamic philosophy that promoted tolerance of a wide variety of beliefs within Islam (leaving the judgment of Muslims to Allah), likely smoothed the way for early conversions. Within 100 years, Islam had spread rapidly east and west of the Arabian Peninsula. A Crash Course video that covers Islam's development, expansion, and how it split into two main branches can be watched below.

Short Timeline of Christianity and Islam

Note: Dates are historical estimates.

• 5 BCE: Jesus is born in the Roman province of Judea. Christians generally believe he was "born of a virgin," Mary.
• 26 CE: John the Baptist begins ministry.
• 28 CE: Jesus begins his ministry.
• 33 CE: Jesus is arrested and executed by way of crucifixion. Christians believe he rose from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven. Christianity begins.
• 44 CE: James, Jesus' older brother, becomes a primary leader in Jerusalem's Christian community.
• 57 CE: Paul the Apostle is arrested in Jerusalem after failing to help Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians reach a compromise regarding the depiction of Jesus.
• 62 CE: James is stoned to death.
• 63 CE: The Temple of Jerusalem, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, is built.
• 64 CE: Roman Emperor Nero blames Christians for the burning of Rome .
• 66 CE: Mark begins writing his version of Jesus' life.
• 70 CE: Rome takes over Jerusalem and destroys its temple, more or less ending the more Jewish branch of Christianity.
• 73 CE: Matthew and Luke write their versions of Jesus' life, partly based on Mark's version.
• 75-90 CE: John writes his version of Jesus' life.
• 90 CE: The Romano-Jewish historian Josephus writes of the life and death of Jesus . Scholars often believe his words have been tampered with over the years.
• 125 CE: The earliest surviving New Testament writing, written by John, is roughly dated as being from this year.
• 380 CE: Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire.
• 397 CE: The Councils of Carthage decide which gospels and other written works will be considered canon books of the Bible versus which will be considered apocryphal.
• 570 CE: Muhammad is born in Mecca.
• 610 CE: Muslims believe this is the year Muhammad is first visited by the angel Gabriel.
• 610-622 CE: Muhammad begins his ministry. Islam begins.
• 622 CE: Muhammad and his followers migrate from Mecca to Medina in what is known as the Hijra. The Islamic calendar begins and the Prophet's Mosque is built. The first Islamic state begins when a constitution is drafted that combines Medina's government with Islam..
• 623 CE: Muhammad marries Aisha . Muslims generally view this marriage favorably, but Aisha's age—nine, to Muhammad's 53—causes great controversy outside of the Islamic faith today.
• 628 CE: The Treaty of Hudaybiyah is created, allowing Muslims in Medina to make pilgrimages to Medina.
• 630 CE: Muslims peacefully overtake Mecca after the Treaty of Hudaybiyah is dissolved. Other faiths' idols are destroyed and Mecca becomes an Islamic state.
• 632 CE: Muhammad dies from an illness. Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father-in-law (Aisha's father), becomes caliph (spiritual leader).
• 633-655 CE: Islam is spread through warfare. Muslim armies take over Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Syria, the North African coast, and portions of the Byzantine and Persian empires.
• 650 CE: Caliph Uthman forms a committee to standardize and reproduce the Qur'an. Muhammad's dialect of the Quraysh tribe is chosen as the standard dialect.
• 656-661 CE: Islam's first civil war; the Shia and Sunni sects form.
• 675 CE: Sufism forms.
• 1096 CE: The First Crusade , a three-year battle between Christians and Muslims, begins.

Jesus Christ in Islam and Christianity

Jesus Christ, son of Mary is, of course, the most important figure and namesake in Christianity. Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God, and that along with God and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is part of the Godhead, or Holy Trinity. Christian belief is that Jesus' mother Mary was a virgin, that Jesus died when he was crucified, and that he was resurrected on the third day after his death.

Several of these beliefs about Jesus are shared in Islam . Muslims also believe in

• virgin birth
• that Jesus Christ could (and did) perform miracles
• the second coming of Jesus during the apocalypse

Where Islamic beliefs about Jesus differ is that Muslims believe that Jesus, although he was crucified, never actually died but ascended to heaven. God raised Jesus to Himself. Because Jesus never died, Muslims do not believe in the resurrection .

Position of Mary

As the virgin mother of Jesus Christ, Mary is an important figure in both Christianity and Islam. Mary plays a larger role in practices of some sects of Christianity, particularly Catholicism , where statues of Mary abound. In Islam, Mary is considered the best woman God ever created, and free of sin.

Beliefs and Practices

Beliefs and practices among Christians and Muslims vary greatly across the world and among certain demographics. Within Christianity, Catholics and Protestants often have very different beliefs, and Protestantism itself holds denominations as varied as evangelical fundamentalism and Unitarianism. In Islam, similarly large differences exist between Sunni, Shia, and Sufi Muslims and their beliefs. These differences have run so deep that Catholics and Protestants, Sunnis and Shiites, and Christians and Muslims have sometimes warred against each other over their beliefs.

A few major similarities exist between Christians and Muslims. Both belief systems are monotheistic, encourage or require the practice of daily prayer, and believe in the importance of many of the same figures, though their interpretation of them is often very different. Likewise, certain basic principles are generally supported within both faiths: the Ten Commandments for Christians and the The Five or Seven Pillars of Islam for Muslims. Heaven and Hell, angels, demons, and spirits, are generally accepted by both religions, as is an apocalypse.

Similar to Judaism, Islam tends to have stricter guidelines or rules than Christianity does. In modern Christianity, most hardline rules are found in the Old Testament and more related to Judaism, and many of the rules found in the New Testament are downplayed. For example, Christians may or may not "keep the Sabbath holy" by resting, even though doing so is a commandment, and most freely eat whatever they want, including pork and foods not blessed by religious leaders, something that Muslims and Jews do not do under halal and kosher dietary restrictions.

Two of the biggest differences found among Christian sects/denominations when it comes to scripture have to do with how literally the Bible is interpreted, whether it is considered the inerrant word of God as passed down through various writers or seen as being "inspired" and metaphorical, and whether "good works" or "faith alone" is most important for entry into heaven. Some Christians believe the Bible should be at the foundation of all matters: politics, education, charity, etc. Others believe their faith is personal and private and that Christian scripture really only applies to Christians.

Muslims believe there have been many prophets and messengers sent by Allah throughout time, but that their messages have been corrupted by man. They believe Muhammad was the latest and final prophet and that the Qur'an is the only uncorrupted holy message in the world. The vast majority of Muslims believe the Qur'an is the inerrant word of Allah, as passed down through the Prophet Muhammad, and can and should be part of every aspect in life, even when it comes to matters such as banking, warfare, and politics. The governmental enforcement of Islamic beliefs and practices is known as Sharia law. In a 2012 Pew Research study on Muslim political beliefs , a majority of people in Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt felt laws should strictly follow the Qur'an, while people in Tunisia, Turkey, and Lebanon were less inclined to want their governments to follow the Qur'an.

Christians and Muslims' sociopolitical views often go hand-in-hand with how literally they interpret the Bible or Qur'an, with the most traditional and fundamentalist of both religions rejecting certain matters of gender equality, same-sex marriage, the theory of evolution, etc.

Belief in an imminent apocalypse that is soon to transpire varies by region among Christians and Muslims, but in many cases both groups do believe it will occur at some point in the future. There are many similarities between their versions of the apocalypse as well, having developed from similar or even the same texts.

Some Muslims believe as Christians do, that Jesus will be the one to return at the end of the world; the difference is that Muslims believe Jesus' return is a sign, not the actual end, and that his purpose is to destroy Christian symbols and convert Christians to the true religion of Islam. Other Muslims, such as the Shia Twelvers , believe Jesus is a minor figure in the apocalypse, if even present, and that a figure known as the Mahdi —Islam's 12th imam who has been hiding since the 9th century—will be the one who returns and helps cleanse the world of evil.

Demographics

With over 2.1 billion followers, over half of which are Catholic, Christianity is the world's largest religion. Islam, with over 1.5 billion followers, is the world's second largest religion; Sunnis make up 80-90% of Islam's adherents. Because the two religions are the largest in the world, one or the other is generally the dominant faith in nearly every country, with a few exceptions in Asia where Buddhism or no religion is dominant.

• Christianity's Influences - Patheos Library
• Christianity's Missions and Expansion - Patheos Library
• Christianity's Origins, History, and Beliefs - Patheos Library
• History of Islam - ReligionFacts
• How Muslims View the Qur'an - ApologeticsIndex
• Islam Timeline - Faithology
• Islamic History - University of Georgia
• Islam's Missions and Expansion - Patheos Library
• Mapping the Global Muslim Population - Pew Research
• Most Muslims Want Democracy, Personal Freedoms, and Islam in Political Life - Pew Research
• Muslim Beliefs in Angels, Fate, the Afterlife, and the End Times - Pew Research
• Muslim Views of the Apocalypse - Huffington Post
• Overview of Christian History - ReligionFacts
• Timeline of Islam - PBS Frontline
• Timeline of Islam - ReligionFacts
• The Trial of Jesus: A Chronology - University of Missouri-Kansas City
• Wikipedia: Christian
• Wikipedia: Muslim
• Wikipedia: History of Christianity
• Wikipedia: History of Islam
• Wikipedia: Islamic schools and branches
• Wikipedia: List of Christian denominations by number of members
• Wikipedia: Origins of Christianity
• Wikipedia: Quran
• Wikipedia: Timeline of Christianity
• Wikipedia: Christianity
• Wikipedia: Islam

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Comments: Christianity vs Islam

Anonymous comments (5).

October 10, 2013, 3:42am whoever wrote this is wrong, self harming is not permissible in Islam. Repenting yes, self harm no. — 76.✗.✗.82

May 6, 2014, 7:38pm I am grateful. this has shown me the differences between us — 86.✗.✗.181

February 25, 2014, 6:08pm Thanks, this really helped me! And to everyone trying to push their beliefs on others, and being rude to other faiths, please, can't we learn to love and tolerate? I'm Catholic, but I have no problem if you don't believe the same thing as me. — 81.✗.✗.177

June 3, 2014, 6:37pm I'm a Christian and i am tired of the ignorance shown by many people towards both Islam and Christianity. No, Muslims are not terrorists. I have a lot of respect for Islam and its followers, and i don't follow the media garbage often said about the religion. People should also know that Christians worship only one God, not three as is often claimed. Just because God appeared in three different forms does not mean there are three Gods, it means that God can appear in different forms, after all he is God isn't he. He is able to do literally anything. Just because there are different names for God doesn't mean he changes, he is always the same God, and always will be. — 86.✗.✗.210

May 28, 2014, 11:04am Enes you completely took scripture out of context and left out important parts of the verses. In fact that is how satan deceived man from the beginning. He twisted the word of God to deceive eve. This is what your doing now enes. — 108.✗.✗.194

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Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Analysis Essay

The study of different cultures and the identification of distinctive features between them is of practical importance. They can provide much knowledge about religion and how it shapes people’s worldviews. The primary purpose of this scientific work is to conduct a comparative analysis of Christianity and Islam. The central aspect considered the attitude and vision of God in these two religions. Conducting this examination will help interpret the obtained information for further academic research on this topic.

Christianity and Islam have one of the main ways of the attitude and worldviews of God. Henceforth, for the Christian religion, there is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who form the concept of God, in other words, his three persons. In contrast, Islam sees the Almighty in one guise and claims that the formation of such a vision is impossible and has no meaning. In Islam, the nature of the Almighty, who is called Allah, is incomprehensible to ordinary mortal people. It is worth noting that “Allah” is a translation of the word God and is not a proper name 1 . This is because the Almighty is regarded as a prophet and not as in the Christian religion, almighty God. The worldview and beliefs of Islam do not allow equating a person with Allah.

Another difference between the Christian and Islamic God is his attitude towards people. Consequently, in the Islamic vision, the Almighty can treat people differently: he can show mercy and love or show negative feelings. Thus, unlike the merciful and loving Christian God, Allah chooses how to act and treat believers. This contributes to Allah being the sovereign Creator and Ruler of all things. Another distinctive feature is that submission to God is more valuable for believers than just love. In other words, it is a central part of this religion.

As already mentioned, unlike Islam, the Christian religion assigns three eternal, equal Personalities to God. Moreover, the Almighty has unconditional love for every believer, and his main feature is the manifestation of mercy, which is enough even to grant forgiveness to sinners 2 (1 John 4:8). Another difference from Islam is that the relationship is based on the manifestation of love for Allah and simultaneous obedience. According to Christianity, God the Father has an eternal relationship with God the Son.

In conclusion, this work was a comparative analysis of Christian and Islamic religions. The main aspect considered was the perception of God in these beliefs. Thus, in Islam, the basis is submission to the Almighty, and in Christianity, love plays a big role. In Christianity, God has three persons, while in Islam, he has only one form. Distinguishing these differences helps to better understand other peoples’ religions and spread awareness about the importance of acquiring this knowledge.

Roosma, André H., and E. James Wilder. 2022. The Love of Immanuel . United States: Accede.

Shuhari, Hasrul, Norislalizan Harun, Wan Hishamuddin Wan Jusoh, and Aman Daima Mohd Zin. 2018. “Contemplation as a Mean to Achieve Recognition of Allah.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 8(10).

• Shuhari et al. “Contemplation as a Mean to Achieve Recognition of Allah.” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences 8, no. 10 (2018).
• Roosma and Wilder. “The love of Immanuel”. Accede , (2021).
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IvyPanda. (2023, April 17). Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/islam-and-christianity-a-comparative-analysis/

"Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Analysis." IvyPanda , 17 Apr. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/islam-and-christianity-a-comparative-analysis/.

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IvyPanda . 2023. "Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Analysis." April 17, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/islam-and-christianity-a-comparative-analysis/.

1. IvyPanda . "Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Analysis." April 17, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/islam-and-christianity-a-comparative-analysis/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Islam and Christianity: A Comparative Analysis." April 17, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/islam-and-christianity-a-comparative-analysis/.

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• No God but One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity

Nabeel Qureshi, No God but One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity . Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016. 320 pp. $17.99, paper.

Stories of converts from Islam to Christianity are plentiful. Indeed, according to some reports unprecedented numbers of Muslims are coming to Christ across the world. Notably less common, however, are testimonies of former Muslims that ascribe a significant role to Christian apologetics. Nabeel Qureshi represents one such case—perhaps the best-known case given the success of his first book, Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus , in which he recounted his personal journey from Islam (specifically the Ahmadi tradition) to Christianity. His conversion was driven not only by increasing unease with traditional Islamic teachings but also by historical arguments against major Islamic claims. A significant component of Qureshi’s story involves his friendship with David Wood and his encounters with Christian apologists Gary Habermas and Michael Licona, whose arguments eventually persuaded him that Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection were historical events.

Qureshi’s first book served as an apologetic as well as a testimony, but it didn’t directly and systematically address the historical and theological issues at stake between Christianity and Islam. Qureshi’s most recent book, No God but One , does precisely that. As Qureshi puts it, his first book reflects “the heart” of his story, while this one represents “the mind” of his story. His stated goal is to defend two basic theses: “that the differences between Islam and Christianity have great implications, and that the evidence of history strongly supports the Christian claims” (13). The wording of his second thesis already hints at the methodology he adopts for establishing the truth of Christianity.

The book is thus structured into two halves addressing two crucial questions: (1) What are the differences between Islam and Christianity? (2) Can we know whether Islam or Christianity is true? The second question somewhat understates Qureshi’s goal, which is not merely to argue that we can know whether one of the two religions is true, but that examining the historical evidence shows us precisely which one is true. Each half of the book is further divided into five parts, and each of these into four short chapters, resulting in a book with 40 easily digestible chapters. In the remainder of this review, I will briefly summarize the main issues addressed in the book before offering an assessment of its content and approach to those issues.

Part 1 (“Sharia or the Gospel?”) contrasts the Islamic and Christian views of salvation: law-keeping versus grace-receiving. The two faiths present very different diagnoses of the human condition, and thus offer very different solutions. To put matters bluntly: Islam teaches that we can (and must) save ourselves, whereas Christianity teaches that only God can save us.

Part 2 (“ Tawhid or the Trinity?”) examines the different views of God represented by each faith. While both are monotheistic—each can affirm the biblical shema —the God of the Quran is “a monad” with no internal interpersonal relations (the Quran states emphatically that Allah has no son) but the God of the New Testament is triune. The last of these four chapters raises the vexed question of whether Muslims and Christians “worship the same God.” Readers in search of an unambiguous answer to the question will not find one here (although to be fair, that’s partly because the question itself is ambiguous and thus susceptible to different answers depending on how it is interpreted). Nevertheless, we are left in no doubt that the Islamic and Christian views of God are diametrically opposed at significant points. The two religions cannot be reconciled.

Part 3 (“Muhammad or Jesus?”) contrasts the two founders of Islam and Christianity, although much of the material focuses on Muhammad’s view of Jesus (a merely human prophet) versus Jesus’s own view of himself (the incarnate Son of God). Along the way, Qureshi seeks to defuse some of the common objections Muslims have raised against the doctrine of the Incarnation.

Part 4 (“The Quran or the Bible?”) compares the two holy books of Islam and Christianity, laying out not only the major differences between the Islamic and Christian understandings of divine inspiration but also traditional Muslim views on the corruption of the Bible. Qureshi closes this section of the book with a personal testimony of how the Bible penetrated his heart in a way that the Quran never did, speaking words of deep comfort in a time of sorrow.

Part 5 (“Jihad or the Crusades?”) surveys “two different holy wars”: the wars of Islamic jihad and the wars of the Christian crusades. The material here is basically a condensation of Qureshi’s 2016 book Answering Jihad . Without attempting to exculpate the Crusaders—atrocities were committed by armies on both sides—Qureshi argues that their actions need to be understood in their historical context as, at least initially, a justified defensive reaction to “the Muslim conquest of fully two-thirds of the Christian world” (quoting Thomas Madden). More importantly, he contends, the Crusaders were not following the example of Christ in the way that the Muslim conquerors were seeking to follow the example of Muhammad.

Having established these fundamental points of difference between Christianity and Islam, Qureshi proceeds in the second half of the book to focus on the question of truth . While the two faiths could both be false, they cannot both be true: “ The central claims of Christianity are explicitly rejected by Islam. Islamic doctrine is antithetical to the core message of Christianity. ” (154, author’s emphasis) Thus, if the central teachings of Christianity are vindicated, Islam is falsified—and vice versa .

With this axiom in place, Qureshi revisits five crucial questions that he committed to studying when challenged by David Wood and his fellow Christians apologists:

• Did Jesus die on the cross?
• Did Jesus rise from the dead?
• Did Jesus claim to be God?
• Is Muhammad a prophet of God?
• Is the Quran the Word of God?

These questions are dealt with in parts 6 through 10 of the book, each consisting of four chapters: the first laying out the “positive case” made by Christians (questions 1 through 3) or by Muslims (questions 4 and 5), the second summarizing the typical response by the other side to the positive case, the third assessing that response, and the fourth drawing an overall conclusion in answer to the original question.

Qureshi’s conclusions will surprise no one, but he does lay out the arguments in a responsible fashion, showing that Christianity stands on firm historical ground in a way that Islam simply does not. Readers familiar with Christian-Muslim apologetics will not find much new or surprising in these chapters, but Qureshi does a fine job of cutting through tangential issues to get to the heart of the debate. Any Muslim who has yet to engage in a serious study of the historical origins of Christianity and Islam will find enough material to dislodge his unexamined assumptions.

There is much to admire about this book, and I expect it will have a significant positive impact. Given his personal story of coming to faith in Christ, Qureshi possesses a credibility that few Christian apologists can match. The book is well arranged, with a clear logical structure, and written in a respectful, conversational style with plenty of engaging illustrations and anecdotes. In my view, Qureshi succeeds in his main goals of demonstrating the fundamental opposition between Christianity and Islam, and exposing the glaring disparity between the two with respect to historical credentials.

While I can recommend it as a useful resource, I must also register several serious reservations. In the first place, there are some theological concerns. In the chapter on grace, Qureshi suggests that “Muslims and Christians do not disagree on much” when it comes to human sinfulness, since both basically agree that everyone sins and that sin invites divine judgment. Qureshi notes that Islam lacks Christianity’s doctrine of original sin, but implies that this is a secondary issue; furthermore, he forwards the view that Adam’s progeny inherit only his corruption and not his guilt, such that we bear guilt only for the sins we ourselves have committed. Reformed readers will no doubt find this troublesome, along with the later (perhaps inadvertent) implication that Christ in his death bore merely “the consequence of our sins.” The notion of imputation, whether in Adam’s fall or in Christ’s atonement, is absent from Qureshi’s account of sin and salvation.

Another concern pertains to Qureshi’s defense of the deity of Christ. The arguments he offers are unobjectionable for the most part, but he shares in the practice—common in popular evangelical apologetics—of expressing the Christian doctrine simply as “Jesus is God.” If that statement is taken as a loose way of affirming the fully deity of Christ (the Nicene homoousios ) then, of course, it’s a true and orthodox statement. However, its imprecision can easily invite modalistic distortions of the doctrine of the Trinity, which serve to aggravate Muslim confusions rather than alleviate them. In the context of engaging Muslims it would be safer to characterize the Christian view as “Jesus is the divine Son of God,” or something similar. That would still present a direct challenge to the Quran’s denials, while more closely tracking Christ’s self-descriptions and the language of the New Testament generally.

Turning to matters of methodology, Qureshi’s evidentialist approach also invites criticism at points. He apparently holds that conflicting truth-claims between worldviews can be settled by examining historical evidences, presumably from some sort of worldview-neutral standpoint. But this is misguided: there is no worldview-neutral approach to historical investigation, and how one interprets and weighs evidences will depend on one’s presuppositions (i.e., worldview). This is not to suggest that historical evidences are impotent or unimportant when it comes to worldview-level disputes, but only that we must recognize the two-way relationship between worldviews and the evidences we take to support them.

Furthermore, Qureshi repeatedly suggests that Christians and Muslims should approach the historical questions raised in the book as “objective observers” and “objective investigators” (151, 157, 174-176, 181-182, 194-195, 209, 214, etc.). If this is meant only as a plea to set aside personal feelings, cultural prejudices, and the like, then all well and good. But I suspect it is intended more strongly as an invitation to take a worldview-neutral or worldview-indifferent stance with respect to the evidence. (Tellingly, Qureshi remarks in a footnote that “an objective observer must allow for the existence of God without asserting it”—in other words, adopt a neutral stance with respect to God’s existence.) This ideal of objectivity is not only epistemologically and psychologically naïve, but also theologically misguided given what Scripture teaches about the noetic effects of sin. It’s understandable that a Muslim led to Christ through an evidentialist apologetic would adopt the same approach in his own ministry to Muslims, but the fact that God can draw straight lines with crooked sticks doesn’t legitimize crooked sticks.

A second methodological issue, closely related to the first, arises in the way Qureshi frames the debate over whether Islam or Christianity is true. In identifying the hinges of the truth question, Qureshi contends that while the truth of Islam hangs on the divine inspiration of the Quran, the truth of Christianity does not similarly depend on the divine inspiration of the Bible:

Although David [Wood] and I had investigated the Bible, and its inspiration was very important for Christian doctrine, we both realized that it constituted the “what” of the Christian faith, not the “why.” Wanting to focus on the minimal requirements for Christianity, we had to exclude many matters that were very important but not central to the case, and the inspiration of the Bible was one such matter. Theoretically, even if the Bible had never been written, Jesus could still have died on the cross for our sins and risen from the dead, making the Christian message true. The inspiration of the Bible is not central to the case for Christianity. … [T]he Quran forms a central pillar in the case for Islam, whereas Jesus forms the pillar in the case for Christianity. (155)

This minimalist approach has become a common if not ubiquitous theme in contemporary evangelical evidentialist apologetics: we must set aside the inspiration (never mind the inerrancy) of the Bible as a non-essential secondary doctrine, treating the New Testament merely as a collection of generally reliable historical documents, and on that basis argue that (very probably) Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, was crucified, buried, and rose again. If we can show that much, we can claim victory.

I take issue with this approach in many respects, but here I will mention only one: I do not believe that such an approach honors Christ. One of the defining teachings of Christ—indeed, one of the defining presuppositions of his teachings—was the inspiration of Scripture. Following Jesus means following Jesus’ doctrine of Scripture. To put it bluntly: we dare not separate the Christ of Scripture from Scripture of Christ. The conviction that Scripture is God’s Word wasn’t a secondary issue to Jesus, and it shouldn’t be treated as a secondary issue by Christians who seek to lead Muslims to Jesus. (On a purely practical level, one wonders how efforts by Christians to play down the significance of their scriptures must appear to Muslims who are so proud of their own.)

Despite these shortcomings, Qureshi’s book is undoubtedly one of the better resources available today for apologetics to Muslims. Christian readers will find it most valuable as it makes clear the foundational differences between Christianity and Islam, boosts their confidence in the historical foundations of their faith, and provides them with useful material for engaging in discussions with Muslims.

No God but One ends on a sobering note as it concludes the moving story introduced in the book’s prologue: the story of Sara Fatima, a young Saudi woman who was brutally murdered by her brother following her conversion to Christ in 2008. As Qureshi observes, “Leaving Islam can cost you everything: family, friends, job, everything you have ever known, and maybe even life itself. Is it really worth sacrificing everything for the truth?” The author himself has suffered painful losses because of his conversion (and I suspect his life has also been threatened). Even so, he presses upon the reader his conviction that any earthly suffering or sacrifice is worth the eternal peace and joy of knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection (cf. Phil. 3:7-11).

To that one can only say, “Amen.”

James N. Anderson Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte

Volume 2 Issue 2

September 2017 | 96 pages

Other Articles in This Issue

• Covenant Sign and Seal
• Psalm 110 Reconsidered
• Reflections on a Teaching Career: “What a Great Savior!”

Other Reviews in This Issue

• Biblical Authority After Babel: Retrieving the Solas in the Spirit of Mere Protestant Christianity
• The Religious Life of Robert E. Lee

Copyright © 2017 Reformed Theological Seminary

• How Does Islam Differ from Christianity?

According to Pew Research, if current trends continue then by 2050 there will be nine billion people living on the planet. Approximately three billion will be Christians, three billion will be Muslims, and three billion others will represent various beliefs (both religious and secular). 1

Since Christianity and Islam are the two largest (comprising about 55% of the world’s population 2 ) religions in the world people often wonder where they disagree and how significant the differences are. A brief look at six doctrinal contrasts will help address this question.

First, it is important to note that Islam shares common ground with historic Christianity. For example, both religions are:

• theistic in philosophical orientation
• monotheistic in doctrinal belief
• Middle Eastern in origin
• biblically oriented Abrahamic faiths (they connect to the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament)

However, the differences between the two religions are profound. Since Islam emerged about six centuries after Christianity, we’ll outline how Islam reacts to essential Christian truth claims. As you’ll see, traditional Islam denies the essence of historic Christianity.

Six Systematic Doctrinal Denials

• Islam denies the Trinity (i.e., tri-unity: One God in three persons). Muslims instead affirm a form of unitarianism where Allah is a single, solitary being ( tawhid ) with no partners, equals, rivals, or companions. Allah is not begotten nor does he beget; therefore, he has no son.
• Islam denies the incarnation ( i.e., Jesus Christ was God in human flesh: a single person with both a divine and human nature). In contrast, Muslims assert that Jesus was a mere human being. Yet Islam does concur that Jesus was virgin-born, performed miracles, and lived a sinless life.
• Islam denies the crucifixion ( i.e., Jesus’s atoning death on the cross). Muslims i nstead declare that Jesus either didn’t actually die on the cross (though he may have been impaled) or that someone else took Jesus’s place on the cross. But either way, Islam is not a redemptive religion.
• Islam denies the imago Dei ( i.e., human beings bear God’s image). In contrast, Muslims affirm that such an image would put creatures too close to Allah (the heresy known as “ shirk ”). Thus in Islamic theology, human beings are not made in Allah’s image.
• Islam denies original sin ( i.e., that human beings are born with a sinful nature and a natural propensity to sin). Instead, Muslims assert that people are born morally good. So Islam rejects the Christian doctrine of the fall.
• Islam denies salvation by grace ( i.e., that human beings are reconciled to God by God’s unmerited favor apart from works). In contrast, Muslims proclaim that personal submission is required to earn paradise. So both paradise (reward) and divine wrath (punishment) are earned.

Both Can’t Be True

While we live in a time that prizes religious pluralism, nevertheless the laws of logic are stubborn things. Given these six systematic doctrinal denials it follows logically that if Islam is true, then Christianity is patently false and vice versa, for Islam denies the very essence of Christian doctrinal truth claims.

Reflections: Your Turn

Why do you think Islam and Christianity are such popular religions? Visit Reflections on WordPress to comment with your response.

• For a further comparison of Islam and Christianity, see my two books God among Sages: Why Jesus Is Not Just Another Religious Leader (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2017), 159–88; and A World of Difference: Putting Christian Truth-Claims to the Worldview (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007), chapter 15, 247–63.
• For an introduction to Islam by a Muslim scholar, see Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization by Seyyed Hossein Nasr (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2003).
• Pew Research Center, “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050, April 2, 2015,” https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/ .
• Wikipedia, s.v., “List of Religious Populations,” updated May 28, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations .

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In This Article Expand or collapse the "in this article" section Islam and Christianity

Introduction, bibliographies.

• Textual Sources
• Christianity and the Origins of Islam
• Christians Living under Islam
• Islam and Western Christianity
• The Crusades
• The French–North African Connection
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Islam and Christianity by Daniel A. Madigan , Diego R. Sarrio LAST REVIEWED: 25 May 2011 LAST MODIFIED: 25 May 2011 DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195390155-0114

Islam and Christianity have been related since the former emerged as what Muslims would see as a divinely initiated reform and restoration of perennial prophetic religion, particularly in its Abrahamic forms in Judaism, Christianity, and the rituals of the sanctuary of Mecca. The relationship has been theological and cultural as well as political. Despite a common tendency to read “Islam and Christianity” as signifying “Islam and the West,” a substantial part of the interaction has taken place in the central Islamic lands. The Qur’an itself engages in conversation, sometimes controversy, with the biblical and postbiblical tradition, and Islamic thought developed in a close relationship of both dialogue and polemic with the existing traditions of the Middle East, particularly Christianity. Grand narratives about the relationship have tended either to see a history permanently marked by conflict between two incompatible systems or to see Islam and Christianity as integral parts of the continuing, though nonetheless contentious, history of Western monotheism. In either case, both traditions have continued to construct their identities in relation to one another.

The various partial bibliographies available may eventually be superseded by the monumental project of Thomas, et al. 2009 , which intends to cover all historical periods and geographical areas. The analyses of Anawati 1969 and Caspar 1975 , although now somewhat dated, are from two major authorities in the field. The bibliographies of Christian Arabic literature ( Graf 1944–1953 , Teule and Schepens 2005 , and North American Society for Christian Arabic Studies ) are generally for the specialist. The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford is developing more introductory resources, and the website of the Muslim dialogue initiative Common Word offers graduated lists.

Anawati, Georges C. “Polémique, apologie et dialogue islamo-chrétiens: Positions classiques médiévales et positions contemporaines.” Euntes Docete 22 (1969): 375–451.

Covering polemical works of Muslim authors from the 9th century to the 16th, then the most relevant works of both Muslim and Christian authors 1865 to 1968. The author analyzes 20th-century developments in Muslim attitudes toward Christianity by comparing them to the classical positions.

Caspar, Robert. “Bibliographie du dialogue islamo-chrétien.” Islamochristiana 1 (1975): 125–181.

Continued in Islamochristiana 2 (1976): 187–249; 3 (1977): 257–286; 4 (1978): 247–267; 5 (1979): 299–317; 6 (1980): 259–299; 7 (1981): 299–307; 10 (1984): 273–292; 13 (1987): 173–180; 15 (1989): 169–174. Covering the period from the 7th century to the 14th, this series of essays includes not only the works written in Arabic by both Muslim and Christian authors but also Christian works originally written in Greek, Latin, Armenian, Georgian, Coptic, and Syriac.

Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford .

“Starter bibliographies” on various issues related to Muslim-Christian relations.

Common Word .

Graduated reading lists for the understanding of the two religions contributed by scholars (both Muslim and Christian) involved in the Common Word initiative.

Graf, Georg. Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur . Studie testi 118, 133, 146, 147, 172. Vatican City: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1944–1953.

History of Christian Arabic literature. Covers literature in Arabic concerned with Christianity until the end of the 19th century. Graf sought to complement Carl Brockelmann’s Geschichte der arabischen Literatur , which did not include Christian Arabic literature. A guide to the use of this work produced by the Middle East Librarian’s Association (MELA) is available online .

North American Society for Christian Arabic Studies .

Notices of recent publications in Christian Arabic studies, including many on Islam and Christianity.

Teule, Herman G. B., and Vic Schepens. “Christian Arabic Bibliography 1990–1995.” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 57.1–2 (2005): 129–174.

DOI: 10.2143/JECS.57.1.2003120

This project from the Institute of Eastern Christian Studies (Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands) is compiling a bibliography of Christian Arabic studies since the work of Graf 1944–1953 . A subsequent publication by the same authors is “Christian Arabic Bibliography 1996–2000,” Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 58.1–2 (2006): 265–300.

Thomas, David, and Barbara Roggema, with Juan Pedro Monferrer Sala, Johannes Pahlitzsch, Mark Swanson, Herman Teule, and John Tolan, eds. Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History . Vol. 1, 600–900 . The History of Christian-Muslim Relations 11. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2009.

DOI: 10.1163/ej.9789004169753.i-960

Impressive first volume of a major project covering all written sources to do with Muslim-Christian relations. In addition to David Thomas’s general survey, includes useful essays on the presentation of Christians in the Qur’an, in its commentaries, in prophetic biography, in hadith, and in Sunni law.

Thomas, David, and Alex Mallett, with Juan Pedro Monferrer Sala, Johannes Pahlitzsch, Mark Swanson, Herman Teule, and John Tolan, eds. Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History . Vol. 2, 900–1050 . The History of Christian-Muslim Relations 14. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2010.

Originally projected to cover the period to 1200, because of the quantity of material this volume only covers the period prior to the Crusades. Introductory essays include David Thomas on Muslim regard for Christians and Christianity and Nicholas Drocourt on sources and themes of Christian-Muslim diplomatic relations in the period.

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