Jesus and Mohammed

Jesus and Muhammad

Jesus and Muhammad both preached "believe and obey the One true God and His messengers." Both were thought of as messengers of God. While both messages conveyed the same meaning, two religions were formed, however both are universal and will hold until the end of time.

Jesus was born as a Jew about two thousand years ago in Roman-occupied Palestine. (Fisher, 2005, p.286). An angel brought him to a virgin named Mary. Mary was told that by God's power the Holy Spirit, she was going to conceive and bear a son. Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem to register for a census. While there Mary gave birth to Jesus. She laid him in a manger because there was no room at the inn. Shepherds visited Jesus in Bethlehem. (Fisher, 2005, p.288).

Jesus had many friends, including John the Baptist and the 12 disciples. (Scaruffi, n.d.). John lived in the wilderness near the Jordan River. Many people came to hear John preach about repentance and the coming of Christ. John baptized people in the river for the forgiveness of sins. Although Jesus never sinned, he was baptized by John. (Fisher, 2005, p.290).

The disciples were men Jesus selected as companions. They traveled with Jesus as he preached. After Jesus died, they taught others about him. The apostles names were: Peter, Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon, and Judas Iscariot. (Fisher, 2005, p.291).

As he traveled around Israel, Jesus taught with sermons and parables. Jesus delivered his most famous sermon on a mountain. In it, Jesus taught his listeners to: Love your enemies, do not judge others, trust God, don't be anxious about tomorrow, and do unto others as you would have them do unto you (The "golden rule"). (Fisher, 2005, p.293).

Jesus performed miracles to show others that he was God's son. God gave Jesus power over nature, power over disease, and even power over death! Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus. They accused him of blasphemy, and had Jesus arrested. A Roman governor named Pilate tried Jesus. He wanted to release Jesus. But when the Jews threatened to riot, Pilate condemned Jesus to death on a cross. Jesus was sentenced to death by crucifixion. He was beaten by Roman soldiers, scourged, stripped, and nailed to a cross. He was crucified between two robbers, and died. (Fisher, 2005, p.301).

His body was placed in the new tomb of a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea. Jesus had promised the disciples he would come back after he died. His enemies knew this. So, to prevent anyone from stealing the body, they had soldiers guard the tomb of Jesus. (Fisher, 2005, p.301).

On the third day after Jesus died, an angel descended, and the soldiers fled. The disciples came and found an empty tomb. Jesus had risen from the dead! He later appeared to many believers, commanding them to teach and baptize others. (Fisher, 2005, p.302).

It was the resurrection that turned defeat into victory for Jesus, and discouragement into powerful action for his followers. As the impact of all they had seen set in, the followers came to believe that Jesus had been God present in a human life, walking among them. (Fisher, 2005, p.302).

Today, the cross is a central symbol of Christianity, marking the path of suffering while experiencing the union of compassion with God. To participate in Jesus' sacrifice, people could repent of their sins, be baptized, and be reborn to new life in Christ. Attending public worship services with sermons and offering of the sacraments, celebrations of the liturgical year, private contemplation and prayer, and devotions to Mary and the saints are a few of the sacred practices that takes place to carry out Jesus' messages. (Fisher, 2005, p.334).

Muhammad was born about 570 CE in Mecca. Muhammad was born to his mother Amina, into the Quraish, the then ruling tribe of Mecca. Up to the age of eight, he was raised by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib because Abdallah, his father, died in Yathrib a few weeks before Muhammad was born. Amina died when he was six. After the death of his grandfather, his uncle Abu Talib then assumed responsibility for raising Muhammad. Abu Talib was a businessman involved in trade so it is likely that Muhammad went with him on business trips and encountered both Jews, 280 miles to the north in Madina, and Christians also to the north and to the south in Nejran. (Fisher, 2005, p.363-365).

At 25 years old, Muhammad was hired to manage the business of a wealthy widow named Khadija who was 15 years older than he. She ended up proposing to Muhammad later and in 595 they were married. Muhammad and Khakija were married for 25 years until Khadija died at the age of 65 during the month of Ramadan, well after the start of Islam. (Fisher, 2005, p.365-366).

When Muhammad was 40, while in a cave on Mt. Hirah, Muhammad said that the angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him to recite (96:1-19). This recitation became the Qur'an. In these encounters with the angel Gabriel, sometimes he would see the angel, other times he would only hear him, and at others he only heard the sound of a bell through which the words of the angel came. (Fisher, 2005, p.365).

Muhammad could neither read nor write so he was instructed to memorize the words given to him by Gabriel. This complete recitation which Muhammad received over a 23 year period, ending in 632, the year of his death, is known as the Qur'an. Initially, Muhammad doubted that he was being called by Allah to be a prophet. Others, including his wife and a cousin, counseled him by saying that Allah