Comparison Between Jesus In Christianity And Mohammed In Islam - Essay Example

 Comparison Between Jesus In Christianity And Mohammed In Islam Introduction This essay will talk about the lives of prophets Jesus and Mohammed. It will talk about the life of Jesus from a Christian perspective, and the life of Mohammed from an Islamic perspective. It will also show the impact of Jesus' death (in Christian beliefs) on Christianity, and the impact of Mohammed's death on Islam. It is expected that those men were worshipped or at least one of them. Islam and Christianity are being carried out in the world today, but each religion has a different way. The Lives of Prophets Jesus And Mohammed The Life of Prophet Jesus (From A Christian Perspective) It's believed that "the birth of Jesus falls within the period 747-749 A.U.C., His public life must begin about 777-779 A.U.C". He was born in "Bethlehem" in Palestine (Knight, 2009a). Jesus was the son of "Mary". She gave birth to him without having a sexual relationship with any man ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006). Jesus' message was to believe in God and to be peaceful with people. In order to deliver this message, he "preformed miracles which include turning water into wine, walking on water, cursing a fig tree, healing the sick, multiplying a small meal to feed a large crowd, casting demons out of people, and raising the dead back to life". Also, Jesus was teaching people by telling stories (or "parables"). His message puts God's mercy before his punishment. Jesus started to gain followers. The Jews didn't like Jesus for 2 reasons: 1. The parables told by Jesus "condemned the pride and hypocrisy of Jewish leaders". 2. His message became popular because it focused on God's mercy ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006). At the "Last Supper", Jesus expected that he will be betrayed and killed. "Judas Iscariot" was one of the people who believed in Jesus' message. He turned against him and cooperated with the Jews. The Jews decided to execute Jesus. They executed him by "crucifixion, which is a slow and painful death by asphyxiation". Jesus was 30 ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006). The Life of Prophet Mohammad (From An Islamic Perspective) Mohammed was born in 570 in "Mecca" in Arabia (Davidmann, 2003). He was "was born to the Quraish tribe. His father Abdulla died before he was born" (Boyce, 2003). His mother died when he was six years old. His grandfather, "Abd al-Muttalib" became responsible for him. Mohammad lived with his grandfather until he died when he was eight. After that, his uncle, "Abu Talib", decided to take care of him. By the help of Abu Talib, Mohammed had the chance to work for a woman called "Khadija". He worked with her caravan. Khadija was a rich woman. She also had a husband but he died. Soon after that, Mohammed married Khadija. Mohammed was 25 and Khadija was 40 (Gottheil, Montgomery, & Grimme, 2002). The first revelation came to Mohammed when was forty. He "received a call from the Angel Gabriel, and thus began his active career as the prophet of Allah and the apostle of Arabia" (Knight, 2009b). Mohammed told his wife, Khadija, what happened with him. She believed him. Mohammed started to preach about Islam, but not too many people believed him in the early days of his message (Davidmann, 2003). Early believers included "Mohammed's friend Abu bakr, his cousin Ali, and Mohammed's slave Zaid" (Boyce, 2003). Mohammed began to preach about his message in Mecca. The main principle of his message to people was to "abandon all forms of idolatry and devote themselves to following the edicts of the one all-seeing and almighty but compassionate God, that it was necessary for people to be humble and grateful towards God and to worship Him". Islam obligates its followers to be compassionate, humble and generous with poor, needy and weak people. In Islam, all Muslims are one family. All of these teaching were rejected by the leaders of Quraish. They found Islam a serious danger to their power (Davidmann, 2003). Quraish started to "insult and ridicule Mohammed and his message". Mohammed decided to go to "Taif" hoping that they will listen to him and follow his message. People in Taif also rejected his message. Mohammed returned to Mecca but he found oppression again (Boyce, 2003). Muslims were not able to stay in Mecca with all the excessive forms of persecution. Many of them decided to immigrate to "Habsha". There was one tribe that was ready to accept Mohammed's message, and it was "Yathrib". Yathrib (or "Madina") was full of domestic conflicts. Mohammed had a good reputation there because some pilgrims from Madina met him on their visit to Mecca, and they liked him (Boyce, 2003; Davidmann, 2003). People in Madina wanted his help to end the conflicts. Many people from Yathrib became Muslims and Mohammed "was able to form an alliance pact with the Yathrib who promised him protection if he were to come to live with them in Madina". As a result of that, Muslims decided to move from Mecca to Medina. Mohammed stayed with Abu Bakr and Ali in Mecca. There was a plan to kill Mohammed. After they knew about this plan, Mohammed decided to go to Madina with Abu Bakr (Boyce, 2003). People in Madina loved Mohammed and respected him. Mohammed became the ruler of Madina. He ruled Madina according to the teachings of Islam. Jews were a problem because they were ready to cooperate with Quraish against Mohammed. Hypocrites were also a huge problem. They pretended to be Muslims but they were not, and there was an alliance between them and the Jews. A particular incident resulted in tension inside Madina: Trouble began between Mohammed, the Hypocrites and the Jews when some of Mohammed's people attacked a caravan during a time period that was traditionally observed as being a time of peace. The Hypocrites were upset that Mohammed did not observe this traditional cease-fire and Mohammed was upset with them for being angry at his people who did the raid out of necessity for survival. (Boyce, 2003) Quraish decided to stop one of the Muslim's attacks. A battle took place in 624 and it's called "the Battle of Badr". Muslims won the battle. Another battle took place at the "Uhud" mountain a year later. In this battle, Muslims were defeated and Mohammed was wounded. The third battle between Muslims and "non-believers" was called "the Battle of the Trench", and it took place in 627. Muslims won because they surrounded Madina with a huge Trench (Boyce, 2003; Davidmann, 2003). The following year, Mohammed was about to attack Quraish but Quraish wanted peace. Mohammed agreed on a condition that Quraish will not assault any Muslim. This agreement is called "the Treaty of Hudaibiya" (Boyce, 2003). Between 629 and 630, Mohammed became powerful and that made people of Mecca convert to Islam. As a result, he made Islam the only existing religion there (Davidmann, 2003). After a life full of patience and devotion, Mohammed died in 632 (Boyce, 2003). What Impact Did Each Person's Death Have on His Message? The Impact of Jesus' Death on Christianity (From A Christian Perspective) In Christianity, there is a belief that Jesus rose from his grave "and then ascended into heaven". This belief is the main belief in Christianity because it makes Christians believe in the possibility of being devoted to God in life and getting rewarded generously after death ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006). Christians consider Jesus' expectation of his death an evidence of his prophecy. Jesus' execution has a huge effect on Christians' behavior: The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ had several effects on Christianity: a sign that a prophet was martyred, a divine plan of salvation, and an act of redemption. Christian followers see the death of Christ as a heartbreaking but necessary feat in order for there to be atonement between mankind and God. From this develops a positive act of God which “expiated the sins of the world”. However, the resurrection of Jesus also displays hope for all. ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006) The Impact of Mohammed's Death on Islam (From An Islamic Perspective) After the death of Prophet Mohammed it was time to choose his successor or the "Caliph". Muslims chose Abu Bakr. "Sunni" Muslims didn't have a problem with that. There was another group who called themselves "Shi'a". They didn't agree on that and said that Prophet Mohammed said that Ali should be the Caliph. Mohammed's death also caused a shock to many Arabian tribes. Many of them turned against Islam. There were two main ways for that: 1. Some of them decided to stop paying the obligatory tax of "Zakat". 2. Some other "touted individuals claiming to be prophets". All these events caused the "Ridda Wars" or the "Wars of Apostasy" to begin leaded by the Caliph Abu Bakr. "Abu Bakr was able to solidify the rest of Arabia under Islam, and basically rescue Islam" (Vadai, 2008). How Were/Are Prophets Jesus And Mohammed Worshipped? How Was/Is Prophet Jesus Worshipped? Stewart (n.d.) says that Jesus was worshipped. He claims that the "New Testament" Bible mentioned that fact many times. It was mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark (Stewart, n.d.). Stewart (n.d.) says that Almighty God is the one who deserves to be worshipped and "Jesus Christ is Almighty God". He also says that there is a difference between "bowing" and worshipping. Koukl (1993) have similar theories. He says that the phrase, "falling down and worshipping", was used with Jesus many times in the New Testament Bible. Koukl (1993) says that using this phrase means that Jesus was worshipped. For example on worshipping Jesus, Stewart (n.d.) says that "when Jesus was born, Babylonian wise men came from the East" to worship Jesus. How Was/Is Prophet Mohammed Worshipped? Muslims don't worship Mohammed. And even if that happened it would be some rare cases. Mohammed's main message was to worship God only. In Islam, Mohammed is "the Messenger of God and His slave". He should worship God like all Muslims. He tells people what God is saying. In Islam, it's impossible to worship anything other than God. Worshipping anyone or anything with God "is considered to be the worst sin in Islam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim, but they worship and pray to other than Almighty God, this cancels and nullifies their Islam" ("Worship Muhammad", n.d.). How Christianity And Islam Are Being Carried Out in the World Today How Christianity Is Being Carried Out in the World Today Christians are ambitious about attracting people to Christianity. Sometimes they could be a little bit violent. Christians believe that it is up to any person to convert to Christianity without being forced. Christians don't see preaching about their religion as a way to gain a reward from God. Although Christians want to see people converting to Christianity, they don't set serious penalties for converting out of it ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006). How Islam Is Being Carried Out in the World Today Muslims preach about Islam through professional centers. Anyone from any religion can go there by his own choice and learn about Islam. Many times Islamic centers give away free "pamphlets and books" so that people understand Islam and its teachings. Muslims are motivated by believing that helping someone to become a Muslim is an important cause for God's mercy and forgiveness. Muslims are not only trying to bring new people to Islam, but they also want to make sure that Muslims don't convert to other religions. In Islam, people are not forced to convert to Islam but "conversion out of Islam is punishable by death" ("Jesus and Mohammed", 2006). Conclusion Both Jesus and Mohammed preached about worshipping God and mercy between people. Both of them were oppressed by the Jews. Jesus' story in Islam is different from his story in Christianity. "Muslims do not think Jesus died on the cross. They believe that right before he was to be killed, God took him up to heaven and someone else (probably Judas) replaced him on the cross" ("Witnessing", n.d.). Jesus' death (in Christianity) supports Christianity until today but Mohammed's death caused many people to leave Islam back then, but this effect doesn't exist nowadays. Jesus was worshipped in the past, and there are people who want him to be worshipped today. Islam's teachings are clear about worshipping one God only. Both religions are carried out in the world today, but Islam is stricter about converting religion. References Boyce, A. (2003). Prophet Mohammed. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/trade/prophetmohammed.htm Davidmann, M. (2003). Prophet Mohammed's Struggle for a Better Life for All. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.solhaam.org/articles/islam01.html Do Muslims Worship Muhammad?. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://islamicweb.com/begin/myth3.htm Gottheil, R., Monrgomery, M. W., & Grimme, H. (2002). Mohammmed. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=699&letter=M Knight, K. (2009). Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08377a.htm Knight, K. (2009). Mohammed and Mohammedanism (Islam). Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10424a.htm Koukl, G. (1993). Was Jesus Worshipped?. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5379 Stewart, D. J. (n.d.). Worship Jesus!. Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Believer%27s%20Corner/worship_jesus.htm The Lives of Jesus Christ and Mohammed. (2006). Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.freeonlineresearchpapers.com/biography-jesus-mohammed Vadai, S. (2008). Ridda Wars. Retrieved March 26, 2009, from http://www.xtimeline.com/timeline/History-of-Islam/Ridda-Wars Witnessing to Muslims. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2009, from http://www.christiananswers.net/evangelism/beliefs/islam.html Read More