The Quran And The Bible Comparison Religion Essay

All around the universe, There are diverse faiths depending on the sort of values, beliefs, civilization, and patterns with which the 1 of us has grew up. Those facets have a direct relationship with the different spiritual books that represent the ultimate and most of import mention that edify and edify these regulations for any one of us. Consequently, these books provide us besides with instructions, ordinances, and set of Torahs forming our lives and paving us the manner to remain in this universe in the best possible mode. Having the opportunity to inscribe in the category of World Literature was for me an chance to analyze and research different of import literature works which for sure helped to enrich, better and develop my critical thought abilities. Among the plants that I have read are for case, Gilgamesh that said to be to first of all time great epic narration of universe literature and that is originated back to the prehistoric culture. The Iliad that I have seen as a film and read and that is speaking about the great narrative of two great civilisations: the Trojans and Achaeans. In add-on, and more significantly, the two literature works that I have enjoyed the most are:

From the one manus, there is the Hebrew Bible which is the sacred Hagiographas of the Jews and it encompasses a rich assortment of texts from different periods in poesy and prose. For case, the Old Testament ( Torah ) is the holiest authorship of Jews that means the jurisprudence and instructions. Besides, it is of import to read this subdivision of the Old Testament since even the prophesier Mohamed showed regard to it. In add-on, the Torah dates to 1200 B.C when it was foremost spoken and 1000 B.C when it was foremost written ( Benjamin R. Foster, 2009 ) . Therefore, the Bible remains the ultimate beginning to analyze the Judaic civilisation and people from different manners and positions and to pass on with them with best possible mode.

On the other manus, the Qur’an is defined as the sanctum authorship or book by all Muslims, it is considered as the reliable expressions of God that the prophesier Mohammed received orally. Muslims garbage wholly the thought that says that the prophesier is the beginning of Qur’an, Mohammed for Muslims is merely a courier to whom God transmitted a message to present to the remainder of humanity. The Qur’an is chiefly the ultimate cogent evidence of God ‘s clemency for us, for the whole Muslim community it is considered as the verification and the achievement of the old sanctum books viz. the Bible and the Torah. The content of the Qur’an does n’t turn to direct life issues but negotiations more by and large about life values and rules, it talks besides about different subjects such as skies and Earth, the environment, nature, different races, natural phenomena ethical issues, history of old people and their moral illustrations. The Qur’an occupies the most of import topographic point in the Muslims ‘ head, this shows chiefly in the fact that bulk attempt to do their kids learn the Qur’an by bosom and understand the significance of the words in it. The Qur’an was n’t revealed to Mohammed in one portion but in different parts that took twenty three old ages in Mecca and Medina, it is composed of hundred and 14 subdivisions classified under different subjects. The Qur’an is of high value for Muslims as it constitutes the 1 and lone miracle of the prophesier Mohammed represented in the unwritten disclosure of God ‘s words. Qur’an was translated to different linguistic communications in different parts of the universe for understanding affairs. However the lone mention for Muslims corsets ever the Qur’an in Arabic because of the readings that may hold a different significance if translated.

It seems for granted that many issues around faith have been exhausted and dealt with exhaustively to the extent that no farther work on them would be given the involvement it owes. Those issues have received much involvement on the disbursal of the current issues that brainstorm the head of authors and bookmans. Every one of them tries his best to contrast and compare the chief facets of different faiths, viz. Qur’an and the Bible. What truly brought this subject to the surface and made of it the hot topographic point in media and divinity surveies are the perennial events that have made of our planet a volcano-like crater. Samuel Huntington ‘s work “ The Clash of Civilizations ” could be considered as the bead that made the state of affairs even worse and tense. In his book, Huntington points out that the universe is heading towards a planetary clang between civilisations of which faith is the bosom. Religion is, hence, considered as the kernel and the anchor of every civilisation. In other words, faith is non merely the jurisprudence that people can watch to make a better after life, but besides it has ever been a cardinal agencies of forming human life and kineticss.

Therefore my low work will seek to contrast and compare Qur’an and the Bible, though it is non a simple undertaking as it sounds to be. My effort will non cover all the specific differentiations, but instead would cast some visible radiation on the major constructs that are witness in both faiths.

It is true that both faiths, Qur’an and the Bible, portion many meeting points to the extent that both are labelled as the Abrahamic faiths bearing in head it is so hard to compare and contrast them as in the Bible there is such a broad scope of beliefs and patterns among different wings of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox, churches, the Anglican Communion, and the 10s of 1000s of Protestant religion groups. The same instance applies to Islam cognizing that there are four different schools -called Madahib: Malikki, Hanafi, Chafii and Hanbali. These schools are referred to as the Sunni Madaheb and they are methods or ways of interpretation of the spiritual stuffs in the three degrees: beliefs, spiritual patterns and jurisprudence.

To simplify the undertaking, I will restrict myself to three major facets that can be tracked in both faiths and to see how every faith positions those capable affairs and what version it gives to them. I will undertake the construct of singularity of God in both faiths. Then I will seek to cover the impression of disclosure every bit good as the Ten Commandments and Qu’ran.

1-GOD

Herman Roborgh ( 2009 ) , in his article “ Paradoxes of Christianity and Islam ” argues that “ The Bibles of both Islam and Christianity are full of paradoxes. Some readers of paradoxes merely underscore merely one portion of the paradox and neglect the other. Critics of Qur’an and of Bible banquet on nonreversible reading of this kind. Other readers smooth over the evident contradictions or are so dulled by acquaintance that they do non even detect them ” .

Consequently, we can believe that there is a field world that no 1 can deny which is the understanding of both faiths on the construct of the unity of God and His power. This impression is referred to in Qur’an as “ Tawheed ” . In Qur’an God, could be translated as Allah, is the alone and supreme. He is the Godhead, upholder, ordainer, and justice of the existence. God has 99 names all of which testify that He is the proprietor of the opinion twenty-four hours. He is the 1 that would depict or impute all bing things: “ God is the First and the Last, the Outward and the Inward ; God is the Knower of everything ( Sura 57:3 ) . Meanwhile, Muslims are to see themselves as the retainers and friends of God since He is the Godhead and has full cognition of the secrets of the bosom ( Roborgh 2009 ) . Therefore, He deserves to be worshipped and glorified entirely and no 1 else should be worshipped or taken as an intermediate between the followings and Him.

“ Moslems believe in one unitary and almighty God – “ Allah ” . The ultimate intent of humanity is entry to Allah in every facet of life including religion, household, peace, love and work. Islam is strongly monotheistic and abhors both the ascription of deity to any human and the impression that Allah might be divisible ” . It means that primary concern for Muslims must be to believe in the unity of God and to avoid the ascription of any human features to God such as mortality or household. This is strongly felt is this Sura “ They take their priests and their hermits to be their Godheads in disparagement of Allah, and ( they take as their Lord ) Christ the boy of Mary ; yet they were commanded to idolize but One God ( Allah ) : there is no God but He. Praise and glorification to Him: ( far is He ) from holding the spouses they associate ( with Him ) . ” Quran 9:31

As for Christians, God or Lord is alone. We can get down with what The Bible dictates in ( One of the Commandments ) “ You shall non hold no other Gods before me. ” Exodus 20:3. This strongly shows that Christians are to believe in one God and non to affect another one in idolizing him. Yet, the chief difference with the Qur’an is that the Bible believes that God has a boy, harmonizing to the construct of Trinity which is the karyon of the Athanasian Creed which states that: “ There is one individual of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the male parent, of the boy, and of the Holy Ghost is one, the glorification equal, the majesty co-eternal. The male parent is god, the boy if God, and the Holy Ghost is god. And yet they are non three Gods, but one godaˆ¦ ( Marmarinta Umar P Mababaya ) .

Despite holding and believing in one God, we can see that power, respect and endearment are divided on the three corners of the cross: Lord, Son and the Holy Spirit. This seems to be contradictory. Both faiths view God as a cardinal character, which personifies power, wisdom and cognition ; virtuousnesss that persons are unable to to the full make. Passages from the Bibles demonstrate such a fact. D. Emmanuel ( 2008 ) argues that “ The consciousness of God and the belief in his enterprise to make out to humanity appears to be at the bosom of both Bible and Qur’an. God appeared to Adam and conversed with him individual to individual ( Sura 2: 31 ; californium. Genesis ) . ”

In Qur’an every bit good as in Bible, the power of God lies in one word “ Be ” . All His orders and wants are executed simply by expressing this word. Muslims go farther to state that “ be and it is ” is the secret of the beginning of the existence. The same impression is seen in The Bible. To exemplify we can advert the narrative of the creative activity of the existence. This narrative states that God created heaven and so created the Earth but some clip subsequently God noticed that darkness was ruling all over and so the spirit of God said “ Let there be light, ” and there was visible radiation.

2- Disclosure

This leads us to speak about the 2nd common point between Qur’an and Bible which Revelation of God. The Qu’ran and Bible have given us many hints and inside informations about the being of a merciful and caring God. W. Rauschnebusch ( 2010 ) concludes that “ since the creative activity of the universe, the unseeable character of God, his everlasting power and Godhead, has been discerned through his seeable plants ” . To set it otherwise, we can state that we feel the being of god though we do n’t see Him and, therefore, maintain a kind of connexion with him via his creative activities that truly maintain us perplexed mundane. God has been turn toing his couriers every bit good as all his followings in three different ways: foremost, that God has spoken to humanity as individual to individual ; 2nd, that his disclosure was fragmental in its contents and signifiers ; and 3rd, that disclosures culminated in one who by his curious dealingss to God guarantees a flawlessness to which broken and uncomplete disclosures did non achieve. Consequently, to account for our failing and sightlessness, God has reached down to us and has revealed himself to work forces. Both faiths point out that God revealed himself to us and gave us cognition of himself.

“ The Qur’an claims to be the apogee of all the old Revelations, and contains the cardinal instructions of all the old Nebiims and Scriptures. Mentioning to the old Nebiims and their Books, God says to the Muslims: “ These are they whom Allah guided, so follow their counsel. ” ( 6:91 ) “ A Messenger from Allah, who recites unto them the pure Scriptures, wherein are the permanent commandments. ” ( 98:2-3 ) ” ( Khalid Saifullah Khan )

However, how disclosure has taken topographic point is the cardinal difference that lies between Qur’an and Bible. Father Zakaria Boutros says that God delivers his reverent message when a religious contact occurs between the prophesier or courier and God and that the Holy Sprit which is the spirit of God gives significances and ideas to work forces ‘s spirit. Christians insist on the absence of an intermediary between God and work forces or the couriers unlike in Islam. Disclosure in Islam is the Qur’an and its assembly. Sometimes God enters in a direct disclosure with his prophesier to reassign what is in godly ideas and cognition or he relies on an intermediary like angels.

Nasr Abu Zayd ( 2010 ) points out that “ Muhammad ‘s first brush was non with the Lord ; it was with the angel. In this brush, the Godhead is presented in an intimate personal ” . This mean that God ‘s disclosures have taken many signifiers to near His Prophetss and couriers. These signifiers or ways differs from the two Abrahimic traditions “ faiths ” . The Qur’an, in one poetry, pointed to the three ways of disclosure stating: ” It is non suiting for a adult male that God should talk to him except by inspiration, or from behind a head covering, or by the sending of a courier to uncover, with God ‘s permission, what God wills: for He is Most High, Most Wise { Consultation Chapter ( Surat Ash-Shura ) 51 } .

By the direct disclosure we mean the interpolation of the significance or cognition into the bosom of the prophesier. This is clearly noticed in the Hadith Narrated by Ibn Masoud from Ibn Hayan: the prophesier, said: the Holy Spirit inserted into me a converse: ” No psyche will decease until it fulfils its nutriment ” . This construct is near to the Christian manner of disclosure since it does n’t implicate any sort of intermediary between God and his chosen prophesier.

The 2nd type of disclosure harmonizing to the Qu’ran is behind a head covering while turn toing his Prophetss such as Moses.

The 3rd sort of disclosure is directing an angel with a message to present. The angel in charge of this is Gabriel. – Al-Bokhary Narrated from Aeisha that Al-Hares Ibn Hashim asked the prophesier Muhammad: “ How the disclosure comes to you, he said: sometimes he speaks to me and I recognize him, another clip the angel comes to me in a human signifier speech production to me and I recognize what he says. ”

All Muslim bookmans agree on the fact that Qur’an is the address of Allah be it in words or significance. But this definition may take us to overlook or except another type of text in Qur’an from being a portion of Allah ‘s disclosure. It is the Hadith Qudssi which refers to the inspiration of intending from Allah but the words are from the prophesier Muhammed. This sort of disclosure does non be in Bible. This constitutes in itself a immense difference between disclosure in Qur’an and that in the Bible.

What is truly typical is that during most disclosures couriers and Prophetss were capable to some supernatural events and occurrences that world is non used to. These events might hold great psychological and physical complications. To exemplify, Moses lost consciousness when he entered in a duologue with God on the mountain of Sinai. Another case could be the eldritch cold the prophesier Muhammad felt in a hot twenty-four hours when the angel descended to him with the message from Allah. Once back, he asked his married woman to warm him up by seting more covers on him.

I besides end this portion about disclosure with the quotation mark of Montgomery Watt ; ” After all these considerations, what have Christians to state about the prophethood of Muhammad? For Muslims, Jesus is a prophesier and is so something more than a prophesier, since the Qur’an ( 4.171 ) speaks of him as ‘God ‘s word which he put into Mary and a spirit from him ‘ . For Christians the inquiry of Muhatnmad ‘s prophethood is hard… [ Life of many Muslim people changed to break even in difficult fortunes ] aˆ¦ These points lead to the decision that the position of world presented in the Qur’an is true and from God, and that Muhammad is hence a echt prophesier. “ ( Niyazi BEKI 2005 ) .

3-The Ten Commandments

Sebastian Gunther, who is a innovator bookman in the University of Toronto, draws the decision that the Ten Commandments are really cardinal for communities, societies and civilizations of Judeo-christian tradition. They are like the Magna Carta for societal order. “ The commandments are non intended as concrete statute law ( or “ Torahs ” ) but as a preparation of conditions for rank in the community, to be enforced by God, non by any human authorization. They are basically categorical jussive moods – of cosmopolitan cogency, above clip and independent of fortunes. The Ten Commandments comprise the most celebrated set of spiritual and ethical regulations in the universe. ” ( Royal Ontario Museum ) Here the demand for this inquiry rises. Does Qu’ran hold any history for the Ten Commandments? And are they similar to the 1s in The Bible?

Equally far as the Ten Commandments of Bible are concerned, they are divided into two groups of five commandments. The first five 1s revolve around the relationship between God and his followings. Whereas the other five staying commandments modulate the interactions between people themselves. Qur’an, on the other manus, does non incorporate any specific transitions or ayah for the Ten Commandments, but on two different countries, Qu’ran makes intimations to the commandments when we come across the ayah when God reveals Himself to Moses in the saddle horse of Sinai. In these poetries we have the feeling that God is urging to Moses to stay by his commands when covering with the Jews. “ ( 142 ) And We appointed with Moses 30 darks and We completed them with 10, so the appointive clip of his Lord was 40 darks… ( 143 ) And when Moses came [ to Mount Sinai ] to Our appointed clip and his Lord radius with him… ( 144 ) Said He, ‘Moses, I have chosen thee above all work forces for My Messages and My Utterance ; take what I have given thee, and be of the thankful. ‘ ( 145 ) And We wrote for him on the Tablets of everything an warning and a distinguishing of everything ” Surat Alaaraf. 7:142-5 ( late Meccan period ) . Here we see that God has given Moses Tablets in which the commandments were written. They are kind of Torahs or contracts between Moses and the Jewish.

It is of a paramount importance to advert that the Qur’an believes strongly that The Bible has been corrupt and that all its texts are non dependable beginnings since they have been modified and lost their Godhead originality as a effect to many factors such as personal involvement. Yet many occurrences coincide to a great extent with what have been mentioned in Qu’ran.

Decision

All in all, through this paper, I tried to compare and contrast some impressions in Qur’an and The bible. Of class, it is difficult to cover all the paradoxes and similarities between the two Abrahimic faiths. For this ground and many others, I opted for three major points which are God, disclosure and The Ten Commandments.

I came to the decision that Qur’an and The bible portion many common points much more than the differences they have. Both of them believe in the unity of God and his supreme power. The besides agree on a set of qualities and features of God. God is the Godhead of the existence and the alone justice. The 2nd point along which I contrasted both faiths is disclosure. God ‘s disclosure to people is mentioned in both sacred books but what differs is the manner of this disclosure. The demand to establish and keep a communicating between the Godhead and his animals seems indispensable because Prophetss and people ever need counsel from the 1 who knows everything- God. Last but non least, The Ten Commandments represent the usher line or Magna Carta that regulate life for the Christians. Though they are non straight cited in Qur’an, there are some intimations that could be interpreted as the Ten Commandments.

My low plants seems far off from flawlessness, and farther work must be carried to cast more visible radiation on this complicated issue. As a Muslim, I strongly believe that the mention text should be Qur’an which is the original version that has non undergone any sort of forging or alteration unlike The Bible.