Christianity and Islam are the two largest religion in the
world, began with Jesus, and the second was founded by Muhammad. By knowing
Jesus the Nazareth one will get a better view of how Christianity was develop. In
order to understand the Islam religion one have to consider the role of the
prophet Muhammad. The beginning and end of the life of Jesus and Muhammad, how
they were worshipped and how their message have carried out today.
Jesus was born in Palestine in the Galilee Village of
Nazareth around 4 B.C.E. when he was born he was called Joshua. He was born as
a divine child, he was not conceived by a man Mary was Jesus mother. He worked
in Galilee as an artisan or carpenter. He was fluent in Aramaic but he also
spoke Greek and biblical Hebrew. He follow the religion movement of John’s who
everybody called the Baptist, soon after he joined John the Baptist, he was
baptized. The baptism was the beginning of Jesus public ministry, he took 12
disciple under his command who after his death were responsible to spread the
belief in Jesus as messiah. Jesus was betrayed by one of his follower and
arrested in Jerusalem. The Jewish turn him over to Pontius Pilate who was the
governor, and he condemned Jesus to death by crucifixion.
The narration of the gospel describe Jesus as prophet with
miracles healing power and returning from death, changing water into wine, and
multiplying bread and fish to feed his followers
The foundation of Christianity was based on the birth and
ministry of Jesus and on his death of resurrection. The Jesus movement started
after his crucifixion when some Jewish declared that Jesus had been
resurrected. That testified what it was said on the gospel about Jesus
resurrection after death, and his follower were so proud of what they were
preaching. Jesus believers were Palestinian Jewish, and after his death, they
started the Christian movement. It took them twenty years to spread the
Christian message to non-Jews people. Saul was a persecutor and experience a
vision of Jesus where Jesus converted him to Christian, and gave him the mission
to convert the gentiles of Greece and Asia Minor, he was the first person to
practice a Christian theology different from Jewish practice. Christian did not
accept the Greco-Roman deities or acknowledge the Roman Emperor as a god, like
they want them to.
Church is the house
of god on earth and where Christian get together for private or public worship,
they also gather in private homes. Christian church is a sacred place of
reverence where Christian go to communicate the drama of salvation to its
congregants. They also visit places like Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Galilee associated
with the life of Christ, they pilgrimage to places they believed to pose sacred
power. Pilgrimages are intended to be acts of devotion, to thank or ask a saint
for intercession. The ritual worship and prayer are spontaneous.
When Jesus went to heaven, he left his disciples with the
mission to carry out his message in earth. At the beginning Christianity was
spread by word of mouth, John used Jewish Scriptures when he was taking to
people. Today the message is spreading by the writing of the gospels. All
Christian are disciples of Jesus and one of their mission is to share their
faith and talked about Jesus. There are churches all over the world that give
support and love to people under the name of Jesus Christ.
Muhammad was born in Mecca ca. 570ce. Orphaned at an early
age, lived with his uncle, Abu Talib and his family. He was given a nickname
al-Amin (the trustworthy). He was born with some characteristic that describe
him as future Prophet. He married an older woman name Khadija, she was the
mother of his four daughter.
Muhammad prophecy
history began in the Mount Hira during the month of the Ramadan, he was
meditating and heard the voice of the angel Gabriel. Gabriel asked him to
recite the Qur’an. Now it is the Islam text, it was orally gave to Muhammad.
After the Qur’an was written never rewritten again. The Qur’an is the most
accurate evidence about Muhammad’s life. He did not had supernatural power like
Jesus, but when Muslin recite the Qur’an, they could be healed, calmed and
protected. Muhammad was a teacher, prophet and the founder of the Islam
religion. After his uncle and wife death Muhammad moved with his followers from
Mecca to Yathrib. In Yathrib Muhammad control two group and his main focus was
to convince both group to work together. Before Muhammad death in 632ce. He
addressed his people one last time where his resume the essence of Islam where
he identified the five pillars to be the Islamic central belief and practice.
Muhammad death was a
chaos because he did not appoint any one to be his successor and his position
could not be inherited. Abu Bakr was appointed as his successor. Ali was the
first man to embrace this religion. Muhammad died and was buried as a normal
person. He was man with integrity, a leader, a politician, and a statesman but
Muslim saw him as the god messenger, the last prophet, the greatest teacher of
all time.
Muhammad was not worshipped by Muslim because they would be
committed a sin. Muslim must follow the Qur’an instruction that is only to
worship Allah, nothing else, nobody else but Allah. (Fisher, 2005). Muslim Must
learn and perform five ritual duties which are refer as the five pillars of
Islam, profession of the Shahadah, the central act of daily prayers, zakat and
fasten. Regardless you social class, the muslin get together to worshipped
Allah at the Muslim mosque where they pray. The Mosque is the house of god
where worshippers stand, bow or kneel but no one can’t seat down, there are no
priest, no sacrament and not seats. The mosque is also a place where Muslim can
received an education.
Islam want a unity society without corruption and
oppression. They concentrate in the good and reject the bad. It has been one of
the faster spread religion in the world. Their promote education and work with
scientist to accomplish their spiritual goal. They have a free T.V., channel to
promote their religion. (Fisher, 2005). Islam have been spread to world by
teaching the Qur’an by implementing and practicing the six belief and the five pillars.
Muslin built mosque very often around the world. Unfortunately they also use
violence in the name of god to abolish oppression.
Conclusion
As you can see Jesus and Muhammad have both influence the
world in many ways despite their differences. They are from different era about
six hundred years apart but their word have such a profound meaning that
encourages people to follow their religions. They were religious leader with
the two bigger monotheism religion in the world. They thought differently but
they both changed people’s life.
Jesus is the son of god who died to save human kind, and
then resuscitated. He was a carpenter and converted to Christian after he was
baptized, once he was baptized he gained spiritual power that gave him the
abilities to performed miracles such as healed people, turned water into wine,
cured people with leprosy, and walked on water. Jesus told his disciples that
Judas would betrayed him, that he would be crucified and then resuscitate with
that event Christian prophecy was full fill.
In the contrary Muhammad a great prophet, moral like any
human being. The founder of Islam and creator of the Qur’an, he did not write
it, but it was revealed to him orally by Angel. Muhammad was an orphan who
lived with a wealthy uncle, he was a trader who married Khadijah when he was 25
years old. Muhammad believed in Jesus and in the New Testament, but he did not
accept that he could pardon people when they committed a sin. According to
Muhammad Allah is the only one who could do that.
Reference:
Fisher, M.P. (2005). Living Religions (6th Ed.). New Jersey, New Jersey:
Prentice-hall.
Werner, p. (2005). Islam in the World (5th Ed.). London, London: Der
Islam.
Alpha.org
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