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The Qur’an is the written version of the teachings that Mohammed preached
while he was alive. A second source of guidance for most Muslims is al-Hadith
(Tradition), a vast body of transmitted stories of what the Prophet said or did
or what was said or done in his presence and therefore approved by him
(Foundations page 225). Christianity is a very appealing religion because it
seems to be so easy to understand and become a Christian where as Islam is very
difficult. There are five set times a day in Islam where you have to stop
everything and pray facing Mecca and Muslims go to church on Fridays. Christians
are free to pray any way they want at any time they want and go to church on
Sundays. The Bible is different in that it contains the teachings of Jesus, the
direct Word of God, and many religious stories.
The Qur’an contains only the teachings of Mohammed which is said to be the
Word of God spoken through man. The religious stories of Islam are in separate
sources such as the al-Hadith, The Six Authentic Compilations, and Gardens of
the Righteous (Tales page 230). The Bible and the Qur’an are similar in the
simple fact that they were not written until the prophets of their religion were
dead (although Jesus was resurrected and went to Heaven). While Jesus and
Mohammed were on Earth, their stories and teachings were passed on orally, so
the need to write them down was not necessary.
Christianity is a religion where they welcome outsiders in to convert them
and love everyone, Christian or not, for they are all the children of God. Islam
teaches to: “Be mindful of you duty to Allah and try to promote accord between
yourselves (8.2). All believers are brothers; so make peace between your
brothers (49.11). Fight the idolators all together, as they fight you all
together, and know that Allah is with the righteous (9.36)…”(Nawawi page 232).
“Make peace between your brothers”, means to make peace with other Muslims. If
you are not Muslim, you are not one of their brothers.
They also say to “fight the idolators”, which means to fight against those
who are not Muslim. This message to hate he who is not of the same religion is
the complete opposite from that of Christianity’s message. I believe that is why
Muslims feel compelled to bomb other peoples and fight holy wars. This is
another reason why Christianity is more appealing. Both Islam and Christianity
offer a rewarding “eternal dwelling” if you live a righteous life here on earth
and do the duty of Allah or God. Christians believe that their reward for a
righteous life is to go to Heaven. For Muslims, the reward for following the 5
Pillars of Islam is pleasant dwellings in Gardens of Eternity (Nawawi page 232).
These are the sole reasons for having the religions in the first place.
The supreme goal of both religions is to successfully reach a peaceful
afterlife. As far as bad afterlives go, Christianity has Hell for those who go
against God and are not forgiven for their sins. Hell is an eternal damnation
full of torture and suffering. Hell is a deterrent from sin, which makes people
more inclined to live holy and righteous lives. As Heaven is a reward for living
a righteous life, Hell is the punishment for living a life of sin. I am not sure
about Islam, although the book does talk about “Allah saving someone from the
Fire” and “Fire” being defined as Hell (Nawawi page 232). I can infer this means
that they both have a punitive home for the unholy and disbelieving. Both Islam
and Christianity have dietary restrictions. Muslims cannot eat from sunrise to
sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.
Some Christians fast on Good Friday as well as giving up their favorite food
during the Advent Season. Christians celebrate the birth, death, and
resurrection of Jesus while the only religious celebration that Muslims have to
my knowledge is the holy month of Ramadan. I do not know why they celebrate this
but I do know they celebrate the ninth month on their lunar calendar and that is
the holy month of Ramadan. I personally think that Christianity is a much easier
religion to deal with being that it has just about the same outcome as Islam
does. Christianity also has a lot less work involved. I would say that
Christianity is a much more convenient religion.
Less time and effort is put into praying and being righteous with
Christianity. Plus it is much more believable to me that Jesus was the Son of
God than it is to believe that Mohammed was visited by an angel that told him
what to do. They were both doing well although the Islamic message is not quiet
as nice as the Christian one. Loving everyone as your brother and sister is a
good message to give and it is an exceptional way to keep the world peaceful
even if you are not Christian. That is why Christianity is a much more
successful religion and it is stronger than Islam will ever be. Christianity and
Islam are basically one in the same.
They both have one God with and the same basic beliefs. Both have a holy text
with the teachings of their prophets along with some religious stories. Both
religions are very successful although Christianity has a leg up do to its
convenience and its willingness to take others and convert them. These religions
have been around for almost two thousand years and will continue to strive
throughout history.
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