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Common Ground: Judaism, Christianity & Islam
INTRODUCTION:
It is important to appreciate the common ground that links together Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Each of the three religions maintains that there is only one God. Each of the three claims the same historical legacy within the prophetic tradition. All three urge one to avoid evil and wickedness, for there will be a general resurrection and a Day of Judgment. Each of the three finds impressive common ground with the other two when it comes to certain aspects of ethical and spiritual teaching. Using the analogy of a tree, each of the three religions claims to be the one, true, vertical extension of a trunk of primary revelation, with the other two religions being seen as lateral branches that deviate from the true-verticality of the original trunk.
Let us proceed with some specific examples.
JESUS:
Both Islam and Christianity proclaim the angelic annunciation to Mary and the virgin birth of Jesus.
When the angels (again returned to Mary after some time had passed), they said “Mary! God gives you the good news of a word from Him. He’s going to be called the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary…” “But my Lord!” she cried out. “How can I have a son when no man has touched me?” “And so it is that God creates whatever He wants,” the angels replied. “When He decides something, He only has to say, ‘Be,’ and it is.”…The example of Jesus in the sight of God is like that of Adam. He created him from dust, saying, “Be,” and he was (Quran 3:45a, 47, 59).
While many passages in the Quran deal with the mission, ministry, and miracles of Jesus, Quran 3:49 provides the most succinct encapsulation. This single verse informs the reader that Jesus performed many miracles “by God’s leave” (e.g., turning a clay figure of a bird into a living bird, healing the blind and the lepers, and quickening the dead) and that he declared “what you eat, and what you store.” In addition, Quran 19:27-34 states that Jesus spoke from the cradle, and Quran 5:46 reports that God gave Jesus a gospel containing “guidance and light, and confirmation of the law that had come before him.”
The story of the clay birds and of Jesus speaking from the cradle may be new to most Christians, but both stories appear in early Christian literature. The First Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ 1:2 details Jesus speaking from the cradle, while 15:6 of the same apocryphal gospel and 1:2-10 of Thomas’ Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ narrate the story of the clay birds coming to life. Further, the list of miracles given in Quran 3:49 appears to overlap quite comfortably with similar lists given in the New Testament gospels. For example, Quran 3:49 has Jesus saying:
…I’ll heal the blind and the lepers and bring the dead to life, all by God’s command. I’ll tell you what you consume (and waste of the world), as well as what you store away (of good deeds for Judgment Day). (Know that) in all of these things is a great sign if you really have faith.
Similarly, the New Testament gospels have Jesus saying:
And he answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye have seen and heard; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good tidings preached to them. (Luke 7:22; see also Matthew 11:4b-5).
Finally, Islam, like Christianity, maintains that there is yet a future role for Jesus prior to the Day of Judgment. In a remarkable similarity to Christian thought, numerous sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Muslim #293,6931-6934,7015,7023; Abu Dawud #4310, Al-Bukhari 3:425,656; 4:657,658) contribute to the Islamic perspective that Jesus will descend back to earth, slay the Antichrist, and establish an earthly rule.
There is a particularly dramatic Old Testament passage that many Christians interpret as referring to this coming Messianic reign.
And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9).
The Messianic reign is described in remarkably similar terms in the following saying of Prophet Muhammad.
During Jesus’ reign, such security will exist that a camel will graze with the lion and the beast of prey with cows and sheep. Children will play with snakes, and none harm the other (Musnad 406:2).
MARY:
It is not only Jesus that occupies an honored position in Islam. His mother Maryam (Mary) also does. It may surprise some Christians to know there is a whole chapter in the Quran entitled Maryam. Muslims also believe Mary to be one of two best women of creation – the other one being Asiya, wife of the Pharaoh (Sahih Muslim, book 31).
ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL TEACHING:
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism all stress that proper adherence to the divine revelation involves establishing a proper relationship with God and with one’s fellow man. The first classical expression of this viewpoint can be found in the Biblical Ten Commandments as stated in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:1-22. Using the traditional Protestant method of counting them, these commandments may be summarized as: (1) you shall have no other gods before God; (2) you shall not make any graven images or idols; (3) you shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain; (4) remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; (5) honor your father and your mother; (6) you shall not murder; (7) you shall not commit adultery; (8) you shall not steal; (9) you shall not bear false witness; and (10) you shall not covet. These Ten Commandments serve as a basic underpinning of the Judaeo-Christian system of ethics and are reflected quite dramatically in the ethical teachings of the Quran.
Your Lord has decided that you must serve no one else but Him and that you should be kind to your parents. Whether one or both of them becomes old in your lifetime, never speak to them disrespectfully nor scold them, but rather speak to them in generous terms…Don’t go anywhere near any unlawful sexual activity for it’s a shameful practice and opens the way (to even greater sins and dangers.) Don’t take the life of anyone (whose life) God has forbidden (to be taken), except for a just cause (under the law)…Give full measure (to your customers) when you measure (for them), and weigh with an accurate scale, for that’s best for achieving a good result…Don’t be jealous of (the material) things, (such as money or fame,) that God has blessed some of you with more than others. (Quran 17:23, 32-33a, 35; 4:32a).
Let us pause for a moment to consider these Quranic injunctions. 1) “Your Lord hath decreed that you worship none but Him” You shall have no other gods before God. 2) “be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, do not say to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor” Honor your father and your mother. 3) “Nor come near to adultery; for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” You shall not commit adultery. 4) “Nor take life—which God has made sacred—except for just cause” You shall not murder. 5) “Give full measure when you measure, and weigh with a balance that is straight” You shall not steal. 6) “And in nowise covet those things in which God has bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others” You shall not covet.
As to the remaining four moral injunctions of the Ten Commandments, one can easily find Quranic parallels to three of them. You shall not make any graven images or idols is consistent with Islam’s traditional avoidance of creating artistic likenesses of any living creature and with the following Quranic injunction.
… shun the abomination of idols… (Quran 22:30).
You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain is paralleled by Quran 24:53.
(The hypocrites) swear to God adamantly, claiming that if you but gave the command, they would leave (their homes and march with the militia in times of war). Tell them, “Don’t just swear on it, for actual obedience is a more fitting (way to prove your sincerity), and God is well-informed about what you’re doing.”
You shall not bear false witness finds expression in many passages of the Quran (e.g., 2:42; 4:112; 25:72-75; 40:28; 45:27; 51:10; 56:92; and 58:14-15), but is perhaps expressed best in Quran 2:42
Don’t confuse the truth with falsehood, nor conceal the truth knowingly…
Thus, only the Decalogue’s injunction to remember the Sabbath day is not to be found in Islam.
A second fundamental ethical precept of the Old Testament is the Lex Talionis (law of retaliation in kind) found in the so-called Mosaic Law.
But if any harm follow, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23-25)
Of note, the New Testament claims that Jesus modified this Lex Talionis when he reportedly said:
Ye heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth; but I -- I say to you, not to resist the evil, but whoever shall slap thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other (Matthew 5:38-39; see also Luke 6:29)
In the above verses, Jesus reportedly suggests that the Lex Talionis should be softened with charity, mercy, and forgiveness. This call for a compassionate modification of the Lex Talionis is also found in the Quran.
We decreed for them in (the Torah): “A life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and a wound in exchange for a wound.” Now (this principle has been amended,) so if anyone chooses to refrain from retaliating, for (the sake of) charity, then it’s an act of atonement for himself. (Quran 5:45)
Let us consider another of the great ethical teachings attributed to Jesus in the New Testament, one that dramatically illustrates our social duty and responsibility to our fellow man.
Then shall he say also to those on the left, Go from me, cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: for I hungered, and ye gave me not to eat; I thirsted, and ye gave me not to drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye did not clothe me; ill, and in prison, and ye did not visit me. Then shall they also answer saying, Lord, when saw we thee hungering, or thirsting, or a stranger, or naked, or ill, or in prison, and have not ministered to thee? Then shall he answer them saying, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have not done it to one of these least, neither have ye done it to me. And these shall go away into eternal punishment, and the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:41-46)
Islam offers an almost identical ethical instruction, which is found in the sayings of Prophet Muhammad.
God’s Apostle said: “Verily, God, the exalted and glorious, will say on the Day of Resurrection: ‘O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.’ He will say: ‘O my Lord, how could I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ Thereupon He will say: ‘Didn’t you know that a certain servant of Mine was sick, but you did not visit him, and were you not aware that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food but you did not feed Me.’ He will say: ‘My Lord, how could I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ He will say: ‘Did you not know that a certain servant of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him, and were you not aware that if you had fed him you would have found him by My side?’ (The Lord will again say:) ‘O son of Adam, I asked you for something to drink, but you did not provide Me with any.’ He will say: ‘My Lord, how could I provide You with something to drink when You are the Lord of the worlds?’ Thereupon, He will say: ‘A certain servant of Mine asked you for a drink but you did not provide him with one, and had you provided him with a drink you would have found him near Me’” (Muslim, Hadith #6232).
In another passage, the New Testament reports that Jesus warned his followers against false piety in giving alms, stressed that one’s heavenly reward is based upon one’s intentions as much as one’s behavior, and suggested that one’s acts of charity should not be made public.
Take heed not to do your alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may have glory from men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand does; so that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father who sees in secret will render [it] to thee. (Matthew 6:1-4)
The following passage from the Quran appears to be a direct parallel.
All you who believe! Don’t cancel your charity by making others feel they owe you or by humiliating (the poor). This is what the boastful do when they spend to be seen by other people, for they don’t really believe in God and the Last Day. (Quran 2:264a).
Before leaving our consideration of Matthew 6:1-4, it may be helpful to quote an example from the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, one which parallels the reported words of Jesus regarding the proper way of giving alms.
God’s Messenger said: “When God created the earth…the angels … asked if anything in His (God’s) creation was stronger than wind, and He replied, ‘Yes, the son of Adam who gives charity with his right hand while concealing it from his left.’” (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith #192)
The New Testament states that Jesus also warned against false piety in the performance of prayers.
And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. And in praying use not vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (Matthew 6:5-7)
Similar sentiments are expressed in Quran 107:4-7.
So a warning to those who pray—to those who are careless in their devotions, whose prayers are only for show, and yet who refuse to share even the smallest of favors.
The ethical considerations stated in Matthew 6:5-7 also find clear and unambiguous expression in a saying of Prophet Muhammad, wherein he implied that the Antichrist was less of a threat to a believer than was the believer who altered his prayer out of false piety.
God’s Messenger came out to them when they were discussing the Antichrist, and asked if they would like him to tell what caused him more fear for them than the Antichrist. They replied that they certainly would, so he said, “Latent polytheism, meaning that a man will stand up and pray and lengthen his prayer because he sees someone looking at him” (Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith #5333).
For many Christians, the pinnacle of the reported ethical instruction of Jesus can be found in the so-called Golden Rule.
Therefore all things whatever ye desire that men should do to you, thus do ye also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12; see also Luke 6:31)
Variations on the Golden Rule can also be found in prior Jewish writings. For example, a precursor to the Golden Rule is attributed to Rabbi Hillel, in which he instructed that one should not do to others what one would not want done to oneself. An additional Jewish precursor to the Golden Rule can be identified in the Old Testament apocryphal writings.
And what you hate, do to no man. (Tobit 4:14)
The Islamic parallel to the Golden Rule can be found in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad.
The Prophet said: “None of you will have faith until he wishes for his brother what he likes for himself.” (Al-Bukhari, Hadith #1:12)
Consider one final example of the commonality to be found between Islam and the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The author of the Epistle of James warns man against taking himself too seriously.
Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ]For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. (James 4:13-15)
The Quran also warns against this type of arrogance.
Never say of anything, “I’ll do it tomorrow,”without adding, “If God wills.” (Quran 18:23-24a).
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS:
Despite the impressive consensus that is to be found among the three Abrahamic faiths, it must be acknowledged that there are also very real differences among them. Among these fundamental differences that divide the Abrahamic faiths, one can list the following issues: 1) the divine mission and ministry of Jesus Christ—universal according to contemporary Christianity, specific to the children of Israel according to Islam, and non-existent according to Judaism; 2) the alleged crucifixion of Jesus—reality according to contemporary Christianity and Judaism, illusion according to Islam; 3) the nature of Jesus—divinity according to contemporary Christianity, humanity according to Islam and Judaism; and 4) the nature of God—trinity according to contemporary Christianity, unity according to Islam and Judaism. Additional disagreements among the Abrahamic faiths concern the status of Muhammad as a prophet of God, the status of the contemporary Bible as divine revelation, and the status of the Quran as divine revelation.
These differences, however, should not obscure the equally real and equally important similarities in religious history, heritage, and core beliefs that are to be found among the three Abrahamic faiths. Nor should these differences blind us to the fact that Jews, Christians, and Muslims share a common core of religious values, a common embrace of religious idealism, and a common religious belief in their social obligations and duties to their fellow man.
(Excerpt from book "Easily Understand Islam")
Click to read sample chapters from the book below
Table of Contents
Why is there Evil and Suffering?
Why I Believe in God — A Muslim Speaks
The Quran, Modern Science, and More
Islam & Racism
Islam: A Solution for America’s Social Problems?
Some Muslim Virtues (Sayings of the Prophet)
Section IV: Islam & Christianity
Common Ground: Judaism, Christianity & Islam