Jesus_vs_Muhammad

Jesus and Muhammad A comparison of these important figures in the World’s two largest religions Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world today with 1.8 billion and 1.1 billion followers respectively. These two religions have a lot of similarities as well as differences. Both are monotheistic religions, meaning they believe there is only one true God. For Christianity it is God, the Father. For Islam it is Allah. These religions were founded centuries ago through the teachings of Jesus and Muhammad. The following will reveal the similarities and differences between these two prophets, Jesus and Muhammad. Through retracing their lives we can better understand how and why they were worshipped, and what impact their lives have on Christianity and Islam today. The Prophet Muhammad Muhammad (“the praised one”) was born in 570 CE into a poor clan. Before Muhammad was born, his father died. Shortly after the death of his father, Muhammad’s mother and grandfather died making him a ward of his uncle. After this, his uncle put him to work as a shepherd. As a teenager, Muhammad went on a trip to Syria with his uncle. It was on this trip a Christian monk noticed marks on Muhammad’s body which indicated he was a prophet. At 25, Muhammad managed caravans for a wealthy older woman named Khadijah. Khadijah became fond of Muhammad and offered to marry him. At the age of 40, Muhammad went on a spiritual retreat during Ramadan. It was on this retreat that the angel, Gabriel, appeared to him and demanded he recite what later came to be the first words of the Qu’ran. Three years later, Muhammad was instructed to preach publicly. Upon doing this, Muhammad was ridiculed and stoned by the Qurayshites who were the aristocrats of his tribe. Fortunately for Muhammad, he was protected somewhat by his uncle. This didn’t help him for long. During his fifteenth year as a prophet, Muhammad’s uncle died followed by his wife. This period of time was known as the “Year of the Sorrows”. Muhammad endured the worst persecution of all, and at the height of these trials, he experienced what was known as “The Night of Ascension”. It was at this time that Muhammad was believed to have ascended through the seven heavens, receiving the blessings of the Divine Presence. Finally, Muhammad is viewed as a prophet. Those on a pilgrimage to Mecca invited Muhammad to their city to help solve social and political problems. Muhammad, not welcomed in Mecca and viewed as a threat by the Quaryshites, secretly left Mecca and traveled to Medina. Meccans were opposed to Muhammad and his followers, believing Islam went against their belief in a monotheistic religion. Muhammad lead Islamic forces against a Meccan caravan on its return journey. A small group of Muslims were victorious. After several years of war and strife, Muhammad organized a truce between the two people. He later returned triumphantly to Mecca. In 632 CE, Muhammad died. Before his death, he made a final promise to his followers that he would meet them at “The Fountain” of Paradise. Jesus It is almost impossible to say, with any certainty, exactly when Jesus was born. Many Christians believe he was born just before the beginning of the “Common Era” (CE). It is also believed that he was born in Bethlehem, actually in or near Nazareth. According to the Gospels, Jesus’ mother was Mary. She was believed to be a virgin at the time of conception by the Holy Spirit. Mary’s husband was a carpenter from Bethlehem named Joseph. When Mary was pregnant, she and Joseph had to take a long journey to Bethlehem for a census. Upon arriving, they found there was no room for them in the inn, so Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable among the animals. The first stories told of Jesus’ childhood began when, at the age of 12, he went with his parents on their annual trip to Jerusalem for the Sabbath. It was there that Jesus was found in the Temple discussing the Torah with the rabbis. Little about his early manhood was discussed until he came upon John the Baptist conducting baptisms in the Jordan River. At the age of 30, Jesus came to John to be baptized. After being baptized, Jesus then retreated for 40 days into the wilderness. There he was approached by Satan who tempted him to use his spiritual power to ease his pain and suffering. Jesus refused. After returning from the wilderness, Jesus began gathering his disciples. Jesus told his disciples, in order to follow him they had to leave behind all their possessions so they could pay attention to the life of the spirit and not comfort and wealth. Jesus taught his followers to focus more on the treasures they will receive in Heaven and less on material wealth on earth. As Jesus and his disciples traveled, teaching the word of God, he was said to have performed several miracles. The miracles included walking on water, healing the sick, turning water into wine, and bringing the dead back to life. The main thing that Jesus taught was love. In fact, Jesus preached that to love God and “to love your neighbor as yourself” were the two commandments upon which all the other commandments were built. Jesus also preached that those who repented their sins would be welcomed by God into the Kingdom of Heaven. As the teachings of Jesus and his disciples gained popularity, the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes began to view him as a threat. It was because of this that Herod ordered the execution of John the Baptist. As a result, Jesus and his disciples moved outside Herod’s jurisdiction to carry on their work. Jesus knew that returning to Jerusalem would be dangerous, but he did it anyway. At the time of Passover, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, while his followers greeted him waving palm leaves. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that the end was near. He gave instructions that a ceremony of passing bread and wine would be carried on after his death as a form of communion with him. Then Jesus went to a garden on the Mount of Olives where he prayed. After his prayer, a crowd of soldiers surrounded Jesus and took him to be questioned by the chief priest, elders, and scribes. After an interview with Caiaphas, the high priest, it was decided that Jesus’ statements were blasphemy, and according to Jewish law, punishable by death. Because a death sentence could not be carried out by supreme Jewish court, Jesus then went before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, for sentencing. According to Gospel, Pilate did not want to carry out the sentence of death. He felt Jesus had done nothing wrong. Others felt that by Jesus proclaiming himself the King of Jews he was challenging the power and authority of Caesar. Because of this, Jesus was sentenced to be crucified. He died sometime between 27 and 33 CE. The impact of the death of Jesus compared to that of Muhammad All had seemed lost when Jesus died, until three women came to the tomb where Jesus was placed to prepare him for a proper burial and found it to be empty. Then angels appeared to them and proclaimed that Jesus had risen from death. The women then brought male disciples to the tomb to witness it being empty. It is written that Jesus appeared to some of the disciples dispelling any doubt that he had risen, and asked them to touch his wounds. The resurrection of Jesus turned defeat into victory. The word of his resurrection spread and more followers came to believe that Jesus was God in human form. Those who saw Jesus as a threat soon came to believe that his birth, death, and resurrection were predicted in the Old Testament, and that he in fact was the Messiah that they had been told was coming. This was the beginning of the spread of Christianity in the Mediterranean. Upon the death of Muhammad, Islam was not experiencing the same turmoil as Christianity. Muslims remember Muhammad for his physical beauty and his tenderness towards all living beings. Muhammad’s good qualities are what every Muslim wants to emulate. “The best Islam is that you feed the hungry and spread peace among people you know and those you don’t know.”