Islam and Christianity: Beauty of Tolerance

The Relationship between Islam and Christianity

Is there any relationship between Islam and Christianity? Actually Islam is the closest religion to Christianity. I can say Islam shares with Christianity about 99% of the teachings. In many aspects Islam meets Christianity. Let me mention seven of them which I call it Seven Types of Relationship between Islam and Christianity. They are: Relationship of Tolerance: Jesus said, "whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matthew 5:39) and Jesus said: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." (Matthew 5:44) and the Prophet Muhammad taught the same thing. We read in the Holy Quran: "Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal. Repel (Evil) with what is better: then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were thy friend and intimate!" and the Prophet Muhammad said: "The best of all virtues is: to connect those who disconnected you, and to give those who forbade you, and to forgive those who oppressed you." A Jewish man was putting some dirt in front the door of the Prophet Muhammad's house. Whenever the Prophet comes out he cleans the dirt and never blame the Jew. Once the Prophet Muhammad did not find the dirt, so he asked about the Jew. They told him the Jew is sick. Then the Prophet Muhammad visited him, although he did all those bad deeds. The Jew surprised and knew this is a Prophetic character. So what we both Muslims and Christians need to do is to welcome everybody even those who hate us.
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The Relationship of Love: All Muslims love Jesus. All Muslims believe that Jesus was the true Messiah. If a Muslim did not believe in Jesus then he is out of Islam. The name of Jesus is mentioned in the Quran about 25 times. And there is a full chapter in the Quran titled in the name of Jesus' mother, Mary. Muslims also believe that Jesus was born miraculously. Muslims wait Jesus second coming and they
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believe the true believers are the ones who will join him. When he comes we, Muslims, will kiss his hands and feet. The Relationship of Genealogy: Abraham the father of the Prophets had two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. Jesus was descended from Isaac and the Prophet Muhammad was descended from Ishmael. So, Jesus and Muhammad were cousins! Some people think in a racist way. They claim that the only chosen people are the Jews, the children of Isaac. But the Bible refutes them. It stated that both the children of Abraham: children of Isaac (the Jews) and the children of Ishmael (the Arabs) were both chosen nations of God. We read in the Bible: "for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman [Ishmael] will I make a nation, because he is thy seed." (Genisis 21:12-13). Some people thinks because Hagar the mother of Ishmael was a slave woman makes Ishmael out of congregation of God. This is not true. Because firstly the obvious verse admits Ishmael as Abram's seed and chosen nation. Secondly, yes Hagar was a slave woman but later on, and before Ishmael birth she became Abraham's wife: "And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram TO BE HIS WIFE." (Genesis 16:3) Actually, God was loving Ishmael (as he loved Isaac) and He was with him: "And God was with the lad [Ishmael]; and he grew." (Genesis 21:20). And God gave a promise that Ishmael will be a great nation. God does not look at high buildings and technology but He sees hearts. So when God says great nation means a good, believing nation. "Arise, lift up the lad [Ishmael], and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 21:18)
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The Relationship of Culture: Both Muhammad and Jesus are from middle east. So they both are from the same culture. Jesus was wearing white cloth and shawl, keeping beard which were also made by the Prophet Muhammad, and the Muslims follows him in that. Mary was wearing a scarf which is a symbol of the Muslim woman. Jesus language was Aramaic which shares a lot of words with Arabic. Jesus wishes in his own language was "Shlama alaikhum" which is closed to the Islamic wish, "Assalamu alaikum". Both words
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mean "Peace unto you". The word "God" is English term. In the language of Jesus (the Aramaic) it was "Alah". The same word applied to God in Arabic "Allah". The Relationship of Faith and Worship: Jesus taught that God is only one. He said: "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord." (Mark 12:29) This same teaching which is most important of all God's teachings is main teaching in Islam. That is way Muslims always reapeat the word "la elaha ellallah" means "There is no god except God." And in the Holy Quran we read: "Say, He is only one." Jesus was liking to have a connection with God always by praying to Him: "he [Jesus] went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12). So Muslims pray five times daily to build a continues relationship with God. Muslims also during their prayers put their forehead to the ground, prostrating to God. It is a symbolism of submission and love to God. Jesus did the same: "And he [Jesus] went a little farther, and fell on his face." (Matthew 26:39).
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The Relationship of Ethics: Both Muhammad and Jesus teach us not to kill, not to steal, not to make adultery, not to cheat, not to lie and not to hurt anybody. The Prophet Muhammad taught also kindness not just to humans but also to animals. 'A'esha the wife of the Prophet Muhammad once she was riding a difficult camel and she started beating it. The Prophet Muhammad said to her: "You should have kindness. Anything with kindness becomes beautiful and anything without it becomes ugly." The Prophet Muhammad gave a story of a man God forgave him his sins. The reason of God's mercy on him is that the man was thirsty then he found a well and drank. When he came out he found a thirsty dog who eats the dust out of thirstiness. The man filled his shoes with water and gave the dog to drink. The Prophet Muhammad said: "God thanked the man [for what he did] and He forgave him [his sins]." Once the Prophet Muhammad saw a bird bewildered. Then he knew that someone took her child. Then the Prophet asked his disciples who did terrify the bird by taking its child? One of the disciples said: "I did." The Prophet asked him to return it back. Women who were persecuted in most of early cultures,
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the Prophet Muhammad taught us we must be kind with them. He said: "Be gentle with the glasses." The Prophet Muhammad taught such merciful teachings because he is a Prophet of God. God's Prophets were sent by God to teach goodness and to lead us to how we conduct our life rightly. The most thing the Prophets focus on is mercy. Jesus said: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7) The Prophet Muhammad said: "Be merciful in the earth the one who is in heaven will be merciful to you." The Relationship of Characteristic: Because Muhammad and Jesus were sent by God, both were sharing same characteristics. Both were humbles and sat with poor people and slaves. Both were ignored by arrogant people. Both were loving their followers and their followers loved them. Both were living a simple life. Both all what they care is to have a connection with God and to have goodness to people.
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The Prophet Muhammad and the Bible

The Bible already predicted about the Prophet Muhammad coming. Let me give some of biblical prophecies about the coming of the Prophet Muhammad: 1- The Last of the Three Prophets: In the first century CE, the Jews were awaiting three promised men. The Jews had prophecies that predicted their coming as the last three prophets who would be sent. When John the Baptist started his mission, the Jews came and asked him: Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. (The Bible, John 1:19-21) The coming three prophets were: 1) The Christ. 2) Elias. 3) That Prophet. According to Matthew 17:12-13 Jesus testified that Elias is John the Baptist himself: But I [Jesus] say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.Then

the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. The Prophet Elias already had come hundreds of years before Jesus (Read the first book of kings in the Bible, chapters 1721) but here Jesus was referring to Elias successor. The Prophet John the Baptist (the successor of Elias) was the first of the three prophets named. The second one was the Christ who certainly was the Prophet Jesus. The remaining one is the last of three who was known as that Prophet. That Prophet is an awaited Prophet and his coming definitely will be after Jesus, the Christ, as well as after John the Baptist. So, According to the history and Bible record, the result will be: 1) John the Baptist (Elias successor). 2) Jesus (the Christ) who was sent after John the Baptist. 3) That Prophet who will be sent after Jesus. And we know that the Prophet Muhammad came after Jesus.
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The Prophet of "Read!": Seven centuries before Jesus, Isaiah the Prophet prophesied about a Prophet that was to come. Isaiah described how that Prophet would receive his message: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned. (Isaiah 29:12) Six centuries after Jesus, this prophecy was fulfilled. In 610 CE, Muhammad was worshipping the One God, the God of Abraham, just outside of the Arabian city of Mecca. There the Prophet Muhammad was visited by the angel of the Lord who asked him to read. The Prophet answered, I am not learned. The angel of the Lord asked him thrice and Muhammad answered the same. Then the angel embraced Muhammad and at that moment all time and space was removed. The first words of the Holy Quran were then revealed to the Prophet Muhammad: "Read in the name of your Lord who created- Created man from a clinging substance. Read, and your Lord is the most Generous Who taught by the pen Taught man that which he knew not." (The Holy Quran 96:1-5) This fact of the prophethood of Muhammad cannot be omitted by the most learnt, educated and honest of Christians. During the third Anglican Mission Congress in Canada, Canon Worn, who was a Christian evangelist and scholar, declared to all the evangelists: God has revealed Himself in diverse manners.
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We should be bold enough to insist that God was speaking in that cave in the hills outside Mecca. 1 Prophecies About the Prophet Muhammad's Life Incidents: The Prophet Muhammad was sent in Arabia and descended from Ishmael son of Abraham. A promise of God to Ishamael which was fulfilled in Muhammad: "Arise, lift up the lad [Ishmael], and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 21:18) The Prophet lived in Arabia and was persecuted by the pagans as Moses was persecuted by the pagan Egyptians. Then the Prophet Muhammad and his followers migrated to a city called Media. One year after the migration, the pagans attacked Medina and the Prophet Muhammad and his followers defended in a battle called, "Battle of Badr". In this battle the Muslims won over the pagans. All these incidents were mentioned in the Bible. In the book of Isaiah (21:13-17) we read (I will put my explanations between brackets []. And I will use New International Version): "13 An oracle concerning Arabia [The place where the Prophet Muhammad was sent]. 14 You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia [Dedanites are Syrians. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad the trading caravans were to go from Arabia to the city of Tema up to Damascus in Syria then it return back through the same way], 14 bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. 15 They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle [here the verse describes the persecution of the pagans to Muslims which led the Muslims to immigrate to Madina as fugatives]. 16 This is what the Lord says to me: "Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the pomp of Kedar will come to an end [The verse here is describing the war wich happened one year after the migration. Kedar is the second son of Ishmael who was the father of Arabs]. 17 The survivors of the bowmen, the warriors of Kedar, will be few [The verse here explaining the trumph of Muslims over the pagans]". The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken." (Isaiah 21:13-17)

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Peter Whiteley, Frontier Mission: An account of Toronto Congress, p.18.

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