The Common Beliefs Christianity and Judaism Share with Islam

One of the major problems that the world faces at present is the extortion on the bases of difference in religion. The world is primarily at war because of the fact that people of different religions are intolerant of each other and for they cant seem to find any points of reconciliation. This variety in world religions is exploited by extortionists who highlight the differences between the religions and create divide among people.

There is no denying the fact that religious differences are a vivid truth and their presence cannot be ignored, however, still one can find similarities between religions and use it as a means of creating peace in this world. At this point of time the three most renowned religions in the world are Islam, Christianity and Judaism. People point towards differences between these religions in general and the difference Islam has with both Christianity and Judaism in particular. The lines below try to highlight few of the major similarities between these religions so that the reader could understand the ways in which these religions are similar and then on the bases of that try respecting each other for their believes.

Islamic Perspective of Christianity and Judaism:

For Muslims Quran is the sacred text and everything written in it is Holy and word of God. In Quran Allah Almighty says:

“Say, We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us, and in what has been sent down to Abraham and Ismail and Isaac and Jacob and their offspring, and what has been revealed to Moses and Jesus and to all the prophets of our Lord. We make no distinction between them and we submit to Him and Obey.” (3:84)

From this ayah it is clear that Muslims believe in all the earlier prophets in general and Moses and Jesus in particular. Both these Prophets are considered the bringers of Judaism and Christianity, therefore, it is a part of Muslim belief to accept the existence of these Prophets and the religion they brought. The lines below discuss the major similarities that Islam has with Judaism and Christianity.

Belief in One God:

The primary resemblance in all the three religions is the belief in one God. Christianity, Judaism and Islam all three belief in one God. Although the personality attributes associated with God may vary in all three religions, however, they all believe that there is only one God who is the Supreme and Creator of this universe. Thus, the belief in one God and Creator is the primary similarity between all these religions and they all preach oneness of God.

Life Hereafter:

The other major component that is similar in all these three religions is the belief in hereafter. Like Islam, in Judaism and Christianity there is also the concept of a life that will be after this one and in which the deeds of a person will be rewarded. For those who stick to the path of righteousness there is the reward of Heaven or Paradise, whereas those who do not follow the path brought by the religion there is the punishment in the form of Hell or inferno. Thus, the believers of Judaism and Christianity like Muslims also believe in this life being transient and temporary and the life in hereafter being permanent and eternal.

Belief In Angels:

In Islam it is a requisite for a Muslim to believe in angels. They are the supernatural beings which are a creation of Allah Almighty and their purpose is to serve Him. Like Islam, in Judaism and Christianity there is the believe in angels who are considered supernatural creation of God who have certain authorities and powers. The angels in all three religions have different responsibilities where communicating with the Prophets and carrying out the orders of Allah are a few of their primary responsibilities. Therefore, when it comes to angels all these three religions share the same belief.

Divine Revelation:

The third major thing on which all these three religions agree is the divine revelations. Like Islam both Christianity and Judaism are also based upon divine revelations which according to them are the word of God and contain the code of conduct the people of those particular religion need to follow. As Quran is for Muslims so is Torah and Bible for Jews and Christians. Therefore, for all these religions their religious scriptures are the word of God that He bestowed upon their respective Prophets for the guidance of mankind.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, there is no denying the fact that these religions have their points of difference, however, the need of present time is to look beyond these differences and find similarities in a way that the followers of these religions could find a way to coexist and accept each other in the way they are and make the world a better and peaceful place for living.