Islam, Christianity, Judaism: Compared Essay

In the prehistorical decade, Moslems have been in the front pages of newspapers for militance, from Palestinian intifadah (uprising) in the westernmost Bank to Hezbollahs armed warfargon against the Israeli multitude forces. The most dramatic being the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States by the Al Qaeda. This attack later on spawned suicide bombings in London, Ind unrivaledsia and elsewhere around the globe. To date, the Al Qaeda re of imports coiffeive albeit possibly corrupted and its leaders on the run.Its completelyeged associate groups such as the Jemaah Islamiya (in Indonesia) and Abu Sayyaf (in the Philippines) excessively remains active and continue to battle government forces in their single countries. The Taliban continue their armed resistance in Afghanistan where they once held the reins of government. Undoubtedly, it is their faith that fuels the militancy of these groups. Whatever political motivations they may have in their struggle is underpinned and premised on their religious beliefs. Islam, Christianity, Judaism Comp bed Judaism, Christianity and Islam charter to be monotheistic and worship one deity.They claim a common ancestry through Abraham and sh atomic number 18 the prophetic usage through Moses and the prophets. They either believe in angels and angelic activity in behalf of man. They believe in divine revelation and the last judgment. All usurp laces of worship and command, Judaism the Synagogue, Christianity the Church and Islam the Mosque. They place a heavy emphasis on prayer and hold special weekly days of worship, Judaism the Sabbath, Christians the Lords Day (or Sunday) and Islam the day of Salat (or Friday). (A Christian Comparison With and Evaluation of Islam, 2007).With these similarities, where lies the come of militancy and steadfastness of the Muslim mujahideen and jihadists? Why would a darling Muslim sacrifice himself in bombing military and civilian targets? The main area of theological diff erence pertains to the Christians (particularly the Catholics) concept of Holy Trinity. Christians see divinity fudge has having three persons God the Father, God the Son (or savior Christ) and the Holy savor. On the other hand, Muslims and Jews are simple monotheists and believe in one God, called Allah and Yahweh respectively. both(prenominal) the Jews and Muslims see Jesus as man and not God entirely they differ in perceiving the significance of Jesus life. To the Jews, Jesus was an ordinary Jew (not divine) who crucified for claiming to be the Messiah. Muslims also see Jesus as a human (not divine) just now that he was a prophet, a messenger of God (Quran, 517 as cited in Comparison Table between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, 2007). Furthermore, Muslims say that Jesus was not crucified, but was raised to Heaven by Allah (Quran, 4157 158 as cited in Comparison Table between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, 2007).In addition, the Holy Spirit is also seen differently. It is a divine power given to the prophets according to the Jews. Muslims put one across the Holy Spirit identical with the Angel Gabriel who came to give Gods message to Muhammad. Comparison Table between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, 2007) Islam An Overview Islam is a monotheistic morality that originated from the teachings of Muhammad. The word Islam elbow room totally turn ining oneself to Allah (God). The word Islam is derived from the Arabic aslama which means to accept, surrender or submit. Its fundamental theological concept is that at that place is only one God (Allah).(Islam, 2007) An adherent or believer of Islam is known as a Muslim. Islam originated in Arabia in the early seventh century. At around this time, Muhammad had begun to proselytize. As of today, there are two major denominations of Islam, namely the Sunni and the Shia (or Shiite). The split took place in the seventh century on the issue of rightful(prenominal) succession in the religious and political l eadership of the Muslim society. Islam instructs that all faiths essentially have one common message the existence of a Supreme Being, the one and only God.It teaches that Gods Sovereignty essential acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments. These teachings and commandments are conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history. (Zahid, 2004) In this regard, Muslims believe that God delivered his final message for humanity to Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Muhammad is a prophet. He is man and not a god although being a prophet, he is closest to perfection of man.(Islam, 2007) Muslims believe that some prophets, even though human, are able to perform miracles to prove their claim of being messengers of God. In this light, Muslims encounter Jesus as just one in the long telephone line of prophets since Adam. The central religious text of Islam is the Quran that was written dow n by Muhammads companions while he was s work on alive. Nevertheless, the Muslims believe that the Quran is not simply beatified scripture it is the holy word of God. Hence, the words and meaning of Gods message can best be understood in Arabic, the nomenclature of Muhammad.Also, Muslims all over learn to recite portions of the Quran in its original language. (Islam A Worldwide Religion and Its Impact in Southeast Asia, 2007) Quran literally means recitation. While the Christian Bible has been translated into as many languages as possible, the Muslims see differently. Any translation is simply considered as a remark or interpretation of the Quran due to language differences and fallibility of the translators. It is also impossible to carry on the originals inspired (by God) style. A supplement to the Quran is the hadith (meaning reports).The Hadith is a complete and authentic record of the life of Muhammad. It recounts his words, actions and own(prenominal) characteristics. (Za hid, 2004) Muslims are encouraged to emulate Muhammad in their daily life. They are to follow the hadith (literally, trodden path), Muhammads normative example. Five Pillar of Islam Obligatory actions are ask of Muslims and these are collectively called the Five Pillars of Islam. Cline (2007) wrote, Unlike Christianity, Islam is founded on orthopraxy (right action) instead than orthodoxy (right belief). The Five Pillars are ritual acts of worship.These were ordained in the Quran as a means to discipline humanity to remember God constantly. (Zahid, 2004) First is the firmness of purpose of faith or shahadah. This is expressed in the statement Ash-hadu anla ilaha illal-Lahu Wahdahu la Sharika Lahu wa-ash-hadu anna Mohammedan abduhu wa rasuluhu. The English translation is I bear out witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One, without any partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. (Shahadah Declaration of Faith, 2007) Second is prayer or salat.This is offered five times a day because the prayers cannot be said all at the same time. As a result, they create a regular recurrence that structures a Muslims day. Prayers are to be recited at fajr (after come home but before sunrise), duhr (early afternoon till late afternoon), asr (later afternoon till sundown), maghrib (just after sunset), isha (late evening till late at night). The prayers are recited in the Arabic language. They consist of verses from the Quran. The third pillar is alms-giving or zakat. In Islam, man holds wealth as a trust from God. As trustee, possessions moldiness be used wisely including sharing with the unfortunate.In practice, Muslims are necessary to annually give a fixed amount of excess personal assets for the benefit of the poor, the sick and the welfare of the community. Zahid (2004) calls this purification of wealth. Sharing, through zakat, becomes an act of purifying not just the wealth but also the giver for having disci plined oneself against greed through selflessness. Fourth is fasting or sawm. The ordinal pillar actually refers to self-purification through fasting. Every Muslim fasts from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar.It involves abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and marital intercourse. Sawm is a reminder of the believers dependence on God as salubrious as their kinship with others who involuntarily fast due to lack of fare or its unjust distribution. (Zahid, 2004) The last pillar is piligrimage or hajj. All Muslim should undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. The hajj is a ritual to create a single community out of the diversity of the believers. Hence, ten kilometers away from Mecca, all pilgrims are required to wear the same clothing, which consists of two white seamless sheets.