Islam Basics

Christianity Basics

Do not believe in the Trinity 

Christians believe in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)

God has informed us of only 99 of His beautiful names (Attributes). Many of them depict His beautiful aspects (Jamal), and some of them depict His power, authority and grandeur (jalap).

Christians currently emphasize the beautiful aspects of God (i.e. God is Love)

Jesus is a Prophet and a servant of God. Muhammad is also a Prophet and a servant of God. He was the last Prophet sent by God to guide and teach mankind.

As a member of the Trinity, Jesus is viewed as God Himself.

The Qur'anic teachings in this regard may be summed up as follows: (1) Christ was neither  crucified nor killed by the Jews, notwithstanding certain apparent circumstances which produced that illusion in the minds of some of the enemies; and (2) Jesus was taken up to God (i.e.. God raised him up (raf'a) to Himself.) [Qur'an 4:157, 158 & 3:55 & 4:157]

Christians believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross.

See above.

Christians believe Jesus was resurrected (raised from the dead) three days after being crucified on a cross (Good Friday to Easter Sunday are the days when Christians remember and celebrate this.) Jesus' crucifixion they believe, redeems Christians of their sins.

Eschatology - Judgment will occur on Judgment Day (the end of the world when God will judge all human beings beginning from Adam and Eve). Persons who have been previously deceased, and are in their graves, are given an indication (via 'windows' in the grave) of what his or her future Judgment may be. The punishment of the grave will begin immediately. Rewards begin immediately too. (This intermediate stage of the grave may be regarded as similar to the Catholic Purgatory, and is called barzakh in Islam). The final abode of either Paradise or Hell will be pronounced on the Day of Judgment.

Eschatology -  most Christians believe that judgment takes place, immediately upon death (i.e. they will either go to Heaven or Hell, or as in the case of Catholics, they  could also go to Purgatory immediately upon death). Christians also believe that the final Judgment Day is only for all those people who have not died yet and will be for those remaining on earth.

Hell is a place of purification, and is permanent. Paradise as a reward, and Hell as a punishment are but graphic terms to make us understand a state of things which is beyond all our notions of life in that world. Paradise will be eternal. Once meriting it, there can be no question of being ejected from it. As to whether Hell is also eternal for the unbelievers, there are two schools of thought: (1) A great majority of Muslims affirm that God may  pardon every sin and every crime except disbelief in God. [Qur'an 4:48,116]
(2) Others believe that even the punishment of disbelief may one day terminate by the grace of God. [Qur'an 11:107, etc.] 
The Qur'an 4:124 declares: "If any do deeds of righteousness - be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them." In other words no religion has a monopoly on salvation!

Hell is eternal, but Purgatory is not (note: Catholics believe in Purgatory whereas Protestants do not). While Catholics believe that Purgatory is precisely the same as Hell, it is not eternal. They believe it is a place or state of punishment wherein the souls of those who die in God's grace may do penance for past sins and hence become cleansed and fit for heaven. Only Christians can go to heaven.

All mankind is born pure and he/she is responsible for his or her own sins and not someone else's.

Christians believe in Original Sin, (all of mankind is held responsible for the sins of Adam and Eve) which only the sacrament of baptism in the name of Christ can expiate.

Muslims do not believe in vicarious atonement. They believe that each person is responsible for his or her own actions and that no-one else can atone for them. However, you can pray to God for His Mercy and Forgiveness on behalf of another person. The Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. -- and some others (like innocent babies who have passed away) are given the special privilege to intercede on behalf of their parents on the Day of Judgment. This is in accord with the Throne Verse in the Qur'an. So  with God's graceful permission, they may have a specially bestowed privilege of pleading on behalf of others and begging for God's forgiveness for them on the Day of Judgment. This is known as intercession (shafa't).

Christians believe in vicarious atonement -- that another person can extinguish the guilt incurred by another person's sins. Jesus is believed to have died so as to atone vicariously for man's sins. He was considered to be the Lamb of God, which means that Jesus was considered to be the perfect sacrifice by which the hold of Original Sin was broken. Christians believe in intercession and intercessors such as priests and monks.

The holy Qur'an was revealed ('revelation' [wahi] is the highest form of inspiration with no possibility of error in the message or the conveyance of the message) to the Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. through the angel Gabriel who was carrying out God's precise instructions. This occurred over a period of 23 years. The holy Qur'an is God's Word -- not the word of the Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.

Christians believe that divine inspiration (the Latin word is 'afflatus' which  means 'divine wind') inspired the writers of the scripture. Hence they believe that the Gospel of St. Mark (obviously written by St. Mark) or the letters of Paul the Apostle are the "Word of God."

The Qur'an exists today exactly the same as it was revealed to Muhammad, p.b.u.h. There have been absolutely no changes whatsoever made to the wording. Special checks and balances and special means for the preservation of accuracy (.e.g. memorizing of the text by many people, etc. etc.) were put into place so that no error or change could possibly creep into the text.

A council was called, in the early days of Christianity, where the church fathers and elders debated. This was presided over by the Roman (and Christian) Emperor Constantine (circa 324 A.D.). This council codified (systematized) standard Christian belief and gave the New Testament its present form, depriving some books of the status of Scripture (many of which still exist today and are known as the Apocrypha).

All the Prophets, from Adam a.s. to Muhammad p.b.u.h. are pure and sinless/infallible.

In the Old Testament (Jewish scriptures which most Christians regard as authoritative), Prophets are not portrayed as being infallible to say the least.

There are many differences between the Qur'anic and the Biblical versions in the details of certain Biblical stories.

There are many differences between the Qur'anic and the Biblical versions in the details of certain Biblical stories.

The first source of Muslim Law, is the Qur'an. The second source of law is the Hadith (Traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.). The Hadith literature expounds and explains and interprets the Qur'anic injunctions and teachings. The Hadith do not contradict the Qur'an in any way.

The source of Christian (or Canon) Law is the scripture, which has been interpreted by the Pope for Catholics; by the Patriarch for members of the Orthodox faith; and by the consensus of the community for other groups. The writings of the church fathers would also be relevant.

For Muslims, Prophets are spiritually advanced and are very pure and sinless. They have been sent by God to guide and teach mankind. There have been 127,000 of them from Adam, a.s. to Muhammad p.b.u.h. who was the last Prophet sent, meaning that no more Prophets will come after him. Hence Muhammad p.b.u.h. was called the "Seal of the Prophets." The Prophets were sent as Messengers of God to people in different countries at different times.

Prophets do not have the same stature in Christianity that they have in Islam.

Islam Moral Code

Christianity Moral Code

Islam does not treat law and morality as different things. What is legal/lawful is also moral and conversely what is unlawful/illegal is also immoral. Consequently, Islamic law automatically covers and governs morality -- moral values are not changeable nor are they dependant on the whims of individuals or society. The Islamic legal system combines the two opposites: a) rigid inflexibility and permanency through the Sharia (i.e. the divine injunctions of the Qur'an and the Sunnah) and b) the flexibility and fluidity to accommodate man-made legislation with the changing needs of society. There are two forms of legal systems in Islam: i) Fiqh (which cannot be inconsistent with the Shariah) and ii) the derivative form of legislation which is based on the Shariah. Transgressing these two regulations or bounds will make Fiqh (i.e. man-made legislation) ultra vires ab-initio (i.e. absolutely void from the beginning.)

Secular law, and morality are often different things. For example, abortion is considered legal by the government in Canada. Many Protestants have no problem with this law, yet Catholics forbid it for their followers. What is considered moral has tended to change with each generation. The guideposts and/or criteria of what is considered moral or what is considered immoral are interpreted differently depending on the era or the group (Catholic, Protestant, etc.). Church doctrine, while it can change and be altered, doesn't change so often as  the church members interpretations of it do. For example, Jesus' commandment "Love thy neighbor as thyself" has differing interpretations on how to carry it out depending on the time and era and generation; also compliance to this commandment has changed substantially from place to place, group to group and time to time.

Muslims believe that while the Scripture and Gospels were originally pure and error free, contradiction and error has crept into them over time and so now the current books are considered to be highly suspect. For example we don't know what are really Jesus', a.s. words from what are the scribes words because there were no checks and balances that were put into place to ensure that such errors did not occur. Hence we see several contradictions in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. 

Even though the Old Testament is regarded as Scripture, Christians do not regard themselves as being bound by Jewish law (this thanks to a dream of St. Peter).

Muslims, like Jews do not consume the flesh of swine.

Christians consume the flesh of swine.

Alcohol and/or intoxication is completely forbidden.

Alcohol intoxication is forbidden for Christians, but alcohol consumption is not.

Free-mixing of sexes is discouraged.

Free-mixing of the sexes was historically discouraged, but today this injunction doesn't play the role it used to.

Islam Practices

Christianity Practices

Muslims do not believe in the separation of 'church from state' (i.e. secularism). However, it is permissible to separate the functions of government (politics) from religion and be undertaken by different individuals -- politics would still be subject to religion.

Almost all Christian countries have secular governments.

The Muslim daily rituals and practices are clear and detailed (e.g. proper way to use the washroom, specifics of purification for prayer, inheritance, details of Zakat, prescribed punishments, etc.).

Lack the details that Islam holds.

Prayer is very specific and exactly the same no matter which country the Muslim happens to live in. There are five prescribed prayers per day at set times according to the rotation of the earth around the sun. All of these prayers are obligatory on every Muslim. The prescribed prayers are recited in Arabic and are recited exactly the same in all countries of the world. The culture of a person does not influence the performance of prayer (salat). It is the exact prayer that Muhammad, p.b.u.h. taught us to do.

With a few memorized exceptions, like the 'Our Father' and the 'Apostle's Creed,' prayer is an improvised conversation with God; there is no prescribed time for nor daily number of Christian prayers.

Actions may be haram (forbidden), halal (allowed), fard (obligatory), sunnah (following the ways of the Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h.) and so on.

Don't have any specific categories of actions as seen in Muslim law.

Funeral prayers, the birth of a baby (adhan), donations to charity (i.e. Zakat) etc. are ritualized and clearly set out no matter which culture a Muslim belongs to.

Certain rites called sacraments are performed: i.e.  Baptism, Confession, the Eucharist, etc.

Hymns and devotional services of worship and supplications are an integral part of all Muslim forms of worship. Zikr ceremonies (chanting a name of God), and sama (religious music) are practiced more often among the more devout groups of Muslims such as the Sufis. 

Hymns and devotional music play a big role in Christianity.

In Islam, there is no institutionalized "church" nor its hierarchy. There are no monks in Islam either. Religious leaders are not obliged to remain celibate.

Certain sects (i.e. large sects like the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches) condone monkshood. Catholic monks and priests are obliged to remain celibate. Protestant ministers are not obliged to remain celibate.

Muslims are forbidden to put pressure, either directly or indirectly, on another person to convert to Islam. Efforts in this regard have to be through persuasion (i.e. without involving any kind of pressure). The Qur'an clearly lays down the law that the duty and function of all the Prophets and all Muslims is only to convey the message of God. Period. 

Christians have an obligation to proselytize. Missionary work is considered very important.

Homosexuality is considered to be a perversion and is forbidden.

Since the prohibition on homosexuality is found in the Old Testament only, some Christian sects say it does not apply (i.e. the United Church ordains homosexual ministers).

Interest (riba) is forbidden to Muslims who live in Islamic countries. 

Interest used to be forbidden in Christianity, but it seems that this is no longer the case.

Polygamy is allowed to Muslims. There are strict limitations and prohibitions concerning it so it does not become a method to dominate women.

Polygamy used to be allowed by the Church, but now it is forbidden to all sects but the Mormons.

All games of chance and gambling are forbidden in Islam.

Some sects are very strict about gambling, but others are not strict at all.

Only females are allowed to wear gold

Males and females are allowed to wear gold.