What Are The Similarities Between Islam And Christianity

On the surface, Islam and Christianity appear to have very little in common, however, as you get deeper into areas such as rituals, beliefs, ethics, founders, and sacred objects, the two show strong mutual similarities, particularly in the fundamental areas, while being totally different. In this essay I will compare and contrast many of the facets that make up the worlds largest and most recognized religions, Christianity and Islam.

Both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic religions, believing in the same god, referred to as 'Allah ' by the Muslims and, 'God ' by the Christians. In this sense, Islam and Christianity are considerably intertwined, appearing to come from the same beginning. For Christianity, the stories about the origin

The five pillars of Islam are the foundation of the way Muslims live. The first pillar of Islam is the Shahadah, the Declaration of Faith. This says; ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah’. The second pillar is salah, which says that Muslims should prey five times a day. This applies to all Muslims, except Shi’is are permitted to combine the 5 prayers into 3 sessions. The third pillar is zakah, which means giving money to people who are poor or in need. The fourth pillar is sawm, which means fasting. Every year, during the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during hours of daylight. The fifth pillar is Hajj. This is the pilgrimage to Mekkah, which every Muslim tries to make at least once in their

There are a number of reasons that bring about these similarities and differences. Firstly, both are monotheistic religions recognising God/Allah as creator. Through this, the strong similarities about the origin of the universe between Islam and Christianity can be seen. Both religions have divine scriptures which are the primary source of religious knowledge: the Bible for Christians and the Qur’an for the Muslims. Both holy books contain similar ethical teaching and stories, yet, there are some differences between the Quranic and Biblical versions in the details of certain stories. As these holy books are primary sources of teaching, the differences and similarities between the 2 can be considered a relevant reason for the differences and similarities between certain beliefs and practices in Islam and Christianity.

Islam, unlike Christianity, does not treat law and morality as different things. Islamic law automatically covers and governs morality, where as in Christianity secular law and morality are often different things. This can be considered as a reason for the differences in ideas about social responsibility, for example the moral and legal requirement of zakah in Islam that is not featured in Christianity. This can also be considered as a reason for some ideas about the environment.

On the surface, Islam and Christianity appear to have very little