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Islam And Christianity

Islam

Islam (Arabic) is a monotheistic religion originating with the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. It is the second-largest religion in the world today, with an estimated 1.4 billion adherents, spread across the globe, known as Muslims.

Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur’an to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel; and that Muhammad is God’s final prophet. The Qur’an and the traditions of Muhammad in the Sunnah (literally means “trodden path”) are regarded as the fundamental sources of Islam. Muslims do not regard Muhammad as the founder of a new religion but as the restorer of the original monotheistic faith of Adam, Ibrahim and other prophets whose messages had become corrupted over time.

Muslims believe that “Islam is the eternal religion, described in the Qu’ran as ‘the primordial nature upon which God created mankind.’ Further the Qu’ran states that the proper name Muslim was given by Abraham. Muslims believe that God will hold every human, Muslim and non-Muslim, accountable for his or her deeds at a preordained time unknown to man. The archangel Israfil, will sound a horn sending out a “blast of truth.” Traditions say Muhammad will be the first to be brought back to life. Bodily resurrection is much insisted upon in the Qu’ran, which challenges the pre-Islamic Arabian concept of death. Resurrection is followed by the gathering of mankind, culminating in their judging by God. According to the Qu’ran, sins that can consign someone to hell include lying, dishonesty, corruption, ignoring God or God’s revelations, denying the resurrection, refusing to feed the poor, indulgence in opulence and ostentation, the economic exploitation of others, and social oppression. The punishment is in Qu’ran contrasted not with release but with mercy. Islam views paradise as a place of joy and bliss. Despite the graphical descriptions of the physical pleasures, there are clear references to a greater joy that exceeds the...