Since both Jesus and Muhammad are widely recognized as pivotal figures in the development of their respective religions, it makes sense to compare and contrast these historical figures. There are some similarities between Jesus and Muhammad, but the differences are far more striking with far more differences.
If you look into it, you will realize that Jesus Christ and Muhammad are as dissimilar as two persons can be from each other despite claiming to serve the same God.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus is the very embodiment of God. The Lord Jesus Christ declared in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus’ words were seen by the Jews as an assertion of deity on his part. God sent a human form of Himself to save mankind from sin, the Messiah Jesus Christ. While on earth, the apostles called Jesus Rabbi, or teacher, and knew Him as the Son of God. Through the study of the biblical genealogy, we know Jesus’s lineage traces all the way back to Adam, making Him a Jew and a fulfiller of prophecy. He founded the Christian church by coming back as the Savior.
Who is Muhammad?
Muhammad did not claim to be one with God or even a child of God. Instead, he was a mortal man who claimed to be a prophet or messenger of the Lord.
He was a human prophet and messenger, announcer, and bearer of news. Additionally, he was an Arab trader before he founded the Islamic religion. After originally thinking his revelation came from Satan, Muhammad declared himself to be the final and greatest of God’s prophets after claiming to have had a revelation from an angel of God.
Similarities between Jesus and Muhammad
Although Jesus and Muhammad have some superficial similarities starting with they both followed God (or, in Arabic, Allah). Each person shared his own understanding of God and the duties of a Christian. Both Jesus Christ and Muhammad are often regarded as the most influential figures within their respective faiths. In addition, both had groups of followers to help spread their messages and encouraged their supporters to help the needy with a focus on charity.
Furthermore, both are believed to have come from the line of Abraham. According to their literature, both communicated with angels. Jesus and Muhammad talked about heaven and hell and the final judgment of all mankind.
Differences between Jesus and Muhammad
The differences between Jesus and Muhammad far outweigh their similarities. While we could spend several pages listing the differences, we will focus on the major dissimilarities. To start, Mohammed, in contrast to Jesus, was guided by an angel rather than God. In addition, Jesus had no spouses, but Mohammed had eleven. Also, while Jesus performed many miracles (both in the Bible and the Quran), Muhammad did not. More importantly, Jesus lived a sinless life, while Muhammad lived as a sinful man.
Another major difference focuses on their method of redemption. Muhammad expected people to follow specific tenets to be saved. Jesus paid the price for sin and allowed people to accept the gift without conditions. According to Jesus, God made us for fellowship with Himself and welcomed us into His family as cherished offspring. Muhammad claimed to have permission from Allah to wage war to safeguard the faith and unite the people, whereas Jesus preached love, grace, forgiveness, and tolerance.
Moreover, Jesus brought people back to life and preached love and peace while his counterpart took lives by his own hand, and his followers took thousands. While many have taken lives in Jesus’s name, they did it of their own volition as Jesus told the world to love each other as we love ourselves. On that point, Muhammad did more than kill; he took women and girls as sex slaves while Jesus remained pure for his entire life.
Time periods
The times of Jesus and Mohammed are quite distinct from one another. It is estimated that Mohammed lived 600 years after Jesus Christ. Jesus was born between 7-2 BC, while Muhammad arrived in 570 AD. Jesus died in 30-33 AD, and Muhammad died on June 8, 632.
Identity
Jesus claimed to be God the Son and One with God (Matthew 26:63, 64; John 5:18–27; John 10:36 ). He claimed His identity from the Father who sent Him to earth on a mission to save the world from sin. Christ was not just a messenger, He was a bridge from sin to redemption. Christ taught that He was the Son of God, the Word of God, the Messiah, and God Himself, in addition to being a great prophet and teacher.
The Prophet Muhammad disproved of Jesus’s deity. Instead, he claimed to be a prophet and the founder of the Islamic religion, although he knew he was only a man and not a god. At approximately 40, Muhammad started experiencing visions and hearing voices and claimed the Archangel Gabriel came to him and commanded a series of revelations from God. A single God was implied by these early revelations, which ran counter to the polytheistic beliefs prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula before the rise of Islam.
Sin between Jesus and Muhammad
Muhammad battled sin throughout his life, including in Mecca, the home of Islam, and instructed others to sin as well by going against God’s word. However, the Quran claimed Muhammad to be without sin as both righteous and blameless despite countless murders and immoral treatment of women and children. Furthermore, Muhammad admitted he was a sinner with examples of his own life.
Alternately, Jesus was the only man to ever follow God’s law perfectly (John 8:45–46). As a matter of fact, Jesus spent ministry counseling people to avoid sin for redemption. He also fulfilled the law by accepting the price for sin to save all of mankind. 2 Corinthians 5:21 sums up Jesus’ character, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Jesus and Muhammad on salvation
No one is able to rescue themselves, according to Jesus Christ’s teachings, where He claims in John 14:16, “I am the door, the gate, and the life. I am the only way to God the Father” When a person accepts the free gift of salvation, they are saved from the punishment of sin (which is eternal death) without any other necessities (Romans 10:9-10) with faith as the only instruction.
Alternatively, Muhammad imparted Islam’s core tenets, known as the Five Pillars, which are the profession of faith, prayer, alms, fasting, and pilgrimage. He added that this was the way to earn entry into heaven and that only if you did these things would Allah consider you worthy of entering. According to Muhammad, God is capricious, and you can never be sure if your good deeds are sufficient to earn you a place in heaven.
Resurrection of Jesus vs Muhammad
Muhammad beseeched Allah for forgiveness and mercy for his own soul as he lay dying by poison in the arms of his girl-bride Aisha, pleading with God to elevate him to the greatest companions in paradise. Jesus was resurrected three days after His death and later ascended to heaven to be with God. When multiple people went to care for Jesus’ dead body, they found the tomb guarded by an angel, and Jesus was gone, walking through town. Meanwhile, Muhammad stays in his grave to this day.
Differences in miracles
The Bible describes many miracles of Jesus, including turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), curing the sick (John 4:46-47), casting out unclean spirits (Mark 1:23-28, healing lepers (Mark 1:40-45), raising people from the dead (Luke 7:11-18), stilling a storm (Matthew 8:23-27), and healing the blind (Matthew 9:27-31) to name a few. Additionally, even the Islamic Quran mentions six miracles performed by Jesus, including a table laden with food, protecting Mary from the cradle, bringing a bird back to life, healing people, and resurrecting the dead.
However, Mohammed did not perform a single miracle during or after his lifetime. Instead, he engaged in several bloody wars and massacres, along with enslaving people along with other acts of violence. According to the Quran, even Allah claimed Muhammad had no miraculous powers.
Prophecy
Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies listed in the Old Testament of the Bible, starting with Genesis 3:15, “And I will make enemies of you and the woman,
And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head.” As the ancient prophets predicted, Jesus Christ’s ancestry may be traced back to the house of David.
Alternately, no one ever praised Muhammad or described him as a saint. There were no predictions made about Muhammad, nor are there references to his ancestry found in any historical documents. Nor does he show up in the Bible either in prophecy or in person. Although, the Islamic faith claims some of the prophecies made of Jesus refer instead to Muhammad (Deuteronomy 18:17-19).
Views on prayer
Jesus instructed his followers to pray with honesty and sincerity, as God does not find religious rituals impressive or genuine. In Matthew 6:5-13, Jesus tells people how to pray, warning them not to act like hypocrites but to pray alone without repetition and excessive words. According to Jesus, genuine prayer is an outpouring of love and communication with God the Father.
Muhammad instructed followers on the proper way to pray. Throughout the day, Muslims are required to pray five times. The salat, or daily prayer, should be repeated five times a day, but this does not need physical attendance in a mosque. Although Muslims are not restricted in where they worship, they should always face Mecca. In a show of respect and devotion to Allah, believers bow many times while standing, kneel, and touch the ground or a prayer mat with their foreheads when they pray. Many Muslims gather at mosques every Friday at noon for prayers and a speech (khutba).
Women and Marriage
Jesus is the bride of the church (Ephesians 5:22-33) and never took an earthly wife. Meanwhile, Muhammad had as many as 20 wives. Jesus welcomed children and blessed them, while Muhammad wed a nine-year-old girl. Muhammad seized over cities, enslaved women and girls for sexual purposes, and slaughtered all the male inhabitants. Jesus never touched anyone impurely and said marriage should be between one man and one woman (Matthew 19:3-6), reiterating God’s words in Genesis 2:24.
Jesus and Muhammad on war
Many Muslims now fail to remember that Muhammad launched the very first crusade. He led or participated in seventy-four raids, skirmishes, and battles throughout his ten years in Medina. Then, before he passes away, he reveals his final insight in its full in Sura 9. He gives his army orders to attack Jews, Christians, and other believers in the Bible, which we still see happening today.
On the other hand, Jesus fought hypocrites and taught love. He listed two commandments, to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself, which encompassed the Old Testament commandments, including not to murder. In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus gave His last commandment saying without mentioning war, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus in Islam
As a faith, Islam has never accepted the Christian beliefs in the incarnation or the Trinity. Because the biblical teaching on the deity of Jesus Christ is foundational to the gospel message, this is not a minor disagreement. And although Jesus plays a central role in the Quran, they follow the teachings of Muhammad instead of the Savior. Even though the Quran continually speaks highly of Jesus, the Islamic religion does not keep His Word, and the book denies Jesus’ teachings and deity.
Jesus or Muhammad: Who is greater?
A comparison between Jesus Christ and Muhammad shows two different religions with different Gods. While God and Allah are thought to be the same, their commandments are quite different. Jesus came to save the world from the punishment of sin, while Muhammad continues to sow discord. One of them is holy and enlightened and proclaims themselves to be the Creator. He was held in higher esteem than even God because of his profound insights. The Prophet Muhammad stood in stark contrast to the teachings of the Christian Jesus, instead bringing darkness instead of light to the world.
Thanks for this explanation – to make me understand that Jesus is God