I’m always sad to hear about the persecution of anyone due to their religious convictions. I must stress that Islam does not teach persecution of other faiths. Where this occurs it is due to ignorance on the part of those who persecute, and radicalisation of Muslims.
Muslims too have suffered in those countries where extreme religious fanaticism prevails. Wahabis and their spin-offs declare anyone who doesn’t swallow their extreme doctrines as “kafirs” (infidels), even if they’re other Muslims. Like all fanatics believing only they are right and everyone else will go to hell.
In the Holy Qur’an, Christians and Jews are called the “Ahl Al-Kitab” (People Of The Book). God doesn’t call Christians or Jews ‘kafirs’. He called them the People Of The Book, ie the people who believe in His previous prophets and revelations. They are not therefore kafirs although they are non-Muslims. Kafir does not mean simply non-Muslim, it is a stronger term meaning infidel or rather someone who completely rejects God. Christians and Jews believe in God although they differ in the ways they worship, they still worship God. Muslims are taught to come
to common terms with Christians and Jews.
“Say:’O People Of The Book! Let us rally to a common formula to be binding on both us and you: That we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God.’” Holy Qur’an [3:64].
People of faith should work together for the common good, creating harmonious communities, resolving societies ills, and building a better society. We must develop respect and trust with each other, in order for this to work. In the Holy Qur’an God teaches us to respect Jewish and Christian places of worship which are protected by God.
“…if God had not driven some people back by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, where God’s name is mentioned much, would have been pulled down and destroyed. God will certainly help those who help Him – God is All-Strong, Almighty” Holy Qur’an [22:40]
There have been throughout history, and even today Muslims who work with people of other faiths and certainly wish them no harm.
Tolerance, understanding, co-operation and most importantly love, are integral parts of traditional Islamic teachings and practices all over the world.
Muslims are neither anti-Christian or anti-Jewish. We believe as God says in the Holy Quran;
“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error” Holy Qur’an [2:256]
It is wrong for anyone to foist a religion upon someone else. Faith must be discovered by each person in his or her own way. Enforced religion has no value in the sight of God, and anyone who mistreats people of other faiths is not following Islam. Indeed they are problematic for people of all faiths, including us Muslims too.
“Those who believe (in the Qur’an) and those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians† – Any who believe in God and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.” Holy Qur’an [2:62]
Islam doesn’t teach an exclusive doctrine, it isn’t meant exclusively for one people. Most of the teachings of Islam can be found in the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Prophet Muhammad never claimed to preach a new religion. The God of Islam is the God of all the prophets, the God of creation, and the God of the Bible. The central teaching of Islam, indeed the meaning of ‘Islam’ is submitting to, and obeying God. This has always been the teaching of all heavenly revealed religions. Real believers of sincerity and true faith have nothing to fear from their Lord.
†This refers to a religious tradition with similarities to Judaism and Christianity, they could well be the subba - Sabians, also known as Mandaeans or Christians of St John. There still exist a small community of these follows of John the Baptist who used to live mainly in Iraq.
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10. December, 2007 at 10:01 am
Moshe Y Bernstein
This is such a vital concept for Islam, the religion of “submission” and “peace” that it is difficult to comprehend how some Moslems would see otherwise. Unfortunately, the same negative attitudes can be found amongst practicing Jews and Christians as well. This is why the cultivation of mystical practice, the internal aspect of exoteric religions, is so vital at this time. Although the mystical is often condemned by religionists as an aberration, in truth it signifies the internal aspect of the larger “organism” that must be functional for the external organs to perform properly. Without mysticism and unity consciousness, religion has the potential to be a most evil, divisive and destructive force.
16. February, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Tim Wilson
I appreciate your spirit of peace and tolerance, but unfortunately Christianity and Islam cannot be grouped together for three reasons:
1) Christians does not believe in the same god as Islam. Allah is the only person in the godhead of Islam. The God of the Bible is one God with three persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is a big difference.
2) Islam says humans can overcome sin. If they know the 5 pillars and obey them they can please Allah and sin less. Christians, however, hold that man’s heart is sinful. He cannot please God even when he does righteous acts, because he does good deeds with sinful motives. The only way this can change is if the Holy Spirit gives a new heart to the believer.
3) In Christianity, God’s people are justified on the last day before God not by the works they have done, but by Jesus’ sacrifice. We should face God’s Wrath, but on the cross he experienced it instead. We should live good lives, but he lived one for us. In Islam it is the deeds of the individual that are measured.
So you see we believe completely different things. This is why I can’t accept Islam. It is required that it follows in the line of Judaism and Christianity. Whilst the Old and New Testament are mutually compatible, the Bible and the Qur’an are poles apart. The Qur’an is not given by the same God who wrote the Bible.
Nevertheless, I agree we should not persecute. We should engage in intelligent discussion and find out more about each others’ faiths. This should ensure we haven’t been brain-washed by the religion of our birth.
Your site seems interesting I might stick around and read some more.
16. February, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Paul Salahuddin Armstrong
Peace be with you Tim!
Thank you for your comments. I agree mainstream Christianity worships a trinitarian God; this is a difference of doctrine. Virtually all of the Holy Bible, even much of the New Testament can be understood as referring to only a Unitarian God, though many Christians are not accustomed to understanding it that way. The Old Testament or Tanakh has always been understood as speaking of a Unitarian God by Jews. Some Christians do not believe in a trinitarian God either.
Actually, Islam teaches us mankind’s earthly nature is sinful. We are always tempted by sin. The five pillars of Islam will help us to overcome our sinful nature. Muslims still need to repent (Tawbah), to ask God’s forgiveness. Muslims are encouraged to do good deeds (as are Christians). After all, what is faith without works? We do not believe we will attain salvation through our deeds alone; we believe people will enter Paradise through God’s Grace (Rahmah). However, if someone has faith, this will in most cases be reflected through their deeds, as St James taught (James 2:14-26). Emphasis is placed on purifying our intentions, through prayers and meditation/remembrance (zikr) of God. We strive to avoid sin, but we believe we will only be able to do so out of God’s grace.
The main differences between Islam and Christianity are largely doctrinal, not scriptural. These doctrines were formulated by the scholars of each faith. Though based upon scripture, most of the scriptural verses cited can be understood from different perspectives. Hence, even within Christianity and Islam, there exist different schools of thought and denominations. One of these groups, from the time of Emperor Constantine, were the followers of Arius. They didn’t believe in the Trinity, understanding God and Jesus in much the same way as Muslims do today.
God (Allah) of the Holy Qur’an is the same God (Elah/Eloah/Elohim) of the Holy Bible. The same God that Jesus worshiped. For clarification on this, please watch:
A Jew Explains Why Allah Is The One And Only God
Related articles:
The Same God
Names of God, in the Holy Bible and Holy Qur’an
18. February, 2009 at 8:42 am
Tim Wilson
Those who believe in a Unitarian God are not Christian. The Bible is absolutely clear, in both the Tanak and the New Testament that Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit are God, but they are different persons.
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7
Note he is a “child” but he is also “Mighty God”. The Tanak testifies to the Messiah being God.
Indeed the Shema (“The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”) uses a Hebrew word for one which means more like “united” than “singular”. The same word is used to describe a man and a woman as being of one flesh. They are one. But they aren’t singular, they are united
In terms of sin, my Muslim friends obviously aren’t as well versed as you! I apologise for my misconception. However, the Tanak and NT call not only for faith but something to put faith in. The Hebrews put their faith in sacrifices, but the NT says these were fulfilled in Jesus who is the propitiation (the sacrifice that turns away God’s Wrath).
If Allah does forgive you without someone taking your punishment he is an unjust God. YHWH is just and merciful. His son took our punishments on him, so we had no punishment to bear.
By the way, Arians and other Unitarians are certainly not Christian and the Church has never considered them such. They have been a minority since the birth of Christianity.
18. February, 2009 at 1:55 pm
Paul Salahuddin Armstrong
The Roman Church, established by Constantine in 325 AD, didn’t accept the Arian / Unitarian Christians; unfortunately they actively persecuted them! As most churches today are successors of the Council of Nicaea, they don’t accept Unitarians either. However, Unitarians regard themselves as Christians or true followers of Jesus Christ, even if Trinitarians don’t accept them as such! Before 325 AD, they weren’t even regarded as heretics!
“The Hebrews put their faith in sacrifices” – this is not strictly true; they placed their faith in Almighty God, as Jews still do today, even though sacrifices were an important aspect of their worship. Sacrifices in one form or another, play an important role in all three monotheistic faiths, including Christianity.
Does God really need to punish? I do believe in hell and accept some will meet that fate, as a result of their own choices in this life. However, it seems more unjust to punish an innocent saintly man, in lieu of the sins of all those who believed in him! No legal system would be seen as just, if it punished an innocent man instead of a murderer – even if he willingly sacrificed himself!!!
“For a child has been born to us,
A son has been given us.
And authority has settled upon his shoulders.
He has been named
‘The Mighty God is planning grace;
The Eternal Father, a peaceable ruler’ -
In token of abundant authority
And of peace without limit
Upon David’s throne and kingdom,
That it may be firmly established
In justice and in equity
Now and evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of Hosts
Shall bring it to pass.”
Isaiah 9:5-6 JPS Tanakh (1985)
Commentary: “The Mighty God … ruler”: This long sentence is the throne name of the royal child. Semitic names often consist of of sentences that describe God; thus the name Isaiah in Hebrew means “The Lord saves”; Hezekiah, “The Lord strengthens”; in Akkadian, the name of the Babylonian king Merodach-baladan (Isa. 39:1) means “the god Marduk has provided an heir.” These names do not describe that person who holds them but the god whom the parents worship. Similarly, the name given to the child in this verse does not describe that child or attribute divinity to him, contrary to classical Christian readings of this messianic verse.
18. February, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Paul Salahuddin Armstrong
Please note: Christians usually read the Jewish scriptures translated by fellow Christians. Inevitably this leads to at least some Christian bias within the translation. I found it very worthwhile reading the Jewish translation of these scriptures, as this would have been how most would have understood them originally.
8. March, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Ric Blum
I don’t know who you are, but I appreciate what you’re trying to communicate here about peace and the true meaning underlying every religion. As a Jew, I glad to know that there are people who are Muslim and harbor no ill will towards Jews and others who aren’t Muslim.
What I find disheartening is that there was no such thing as anti-Semitism in the Arabic world until certain British people infected Muslims in the middle east with their own anti-semitism, along with introducing to the Arabic world the infamous and fictitious book called ” The Protocols of The Elders of Zion.” This book was written at the beginning of the last century by Russian police who wanted to control the population by blaming Jews for their ills.
I have a prayer for One God, for all people, to get past the hatred and killing once and for all. We don’t have to hate and kill each other to prove anything. We don’t have to hate and kill each other for any reason, or any cause. There is no cause, no reason worth considering that condones the killing of people, no matter who. Everybody wants to be happy in life. It doesn’t take much intelligence to understand that all people feel pain, and all people bleed red.
I believe that the only way we will be able to get past the ignorance once and for all is to be able to accept Compassion for all people. Compassion is the universal truth common to all religions, and all people, even should they be without any religion.
8. March, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Paul Salahuddin Armstrong
Salaam, Shalom, Peace!
Until the 20th century Jews and Muslims studied together, were friends, business partners, neighbours, even family in many Muslim lands. This is a history largely unknown today. I find it remarkable some Arabs even became anti-semitic – Arabs are Semites themselves! Isaac and Ishmael were brothers; which means Jews and Arabs are cousins!
Arabic, Hebrew and Aramaic have the same roots, as do the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I believe all people should have compassion for their brothers and sisters in humanity. How much more should this be the case between Jews, Christians and Muslims?
We have so much in common, we have been implored by our God to be kind to one another, to establish justice and fairness in the land, not to kill one another, not to envy or be jealous of each other, and to want for your brothers and sisters in humanity that which you desire for yourselves! These teachings are common to all three faiths. So how can we be real Muslims, Christians or Jews if we are not living by them? People of all faiths should reflect upon this and act accordingly.
If we were kind to one another and desired for each other only good, there would be peace and we would be living in a most beautiful civilisation.
25. November, 2009 at 7:37 am
ibrahim ali
please download from website http://www.naveeth.0fees.net relating to golden duas from holy quran for peace, security, health and wealth for mankind. The same may be circulated to all concerned