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How Christianity compares

Islam

Submission to God (Allah), as taught by the prophet Muhammad in seventh-century Arabia.

Islam teaches that there is one God and that Muhammad is his final prophet. Muslims honor Jesus as a great prophet born of a virgin, but they deny that he is God's Son and most believe he was not crucified. Salvation depends on faith and deeds weighed at the Day of Judgment.

Began
AD 610 in Mecca, Arabia, when Muhammad (about 570–632) reported his first revelations; the Muslim calendar begins with his move to Medina in AD 622
Followers
About 1.9 billion (Pew, 2020), the world's second-largest religion; the largest populations are in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh
Scriptures
The Qur'an, believed to be God's exact words revealed in Arabic through the angel Gabriel; the Hadith, reports of Muhammad's words and deeds
Main groups
Sunni (about 85–90%) and Shia (about 10–15%), with Sufi mystical orders in both

Where it began and how it spread

The story

Muhammad was a merchant of Mecca, a city full of idols. Muslims believe the angel Gabriel began revealing the Qur'an to him in 610. His preaching against idolatry met fierce opposition, and in 622 he and his followers moved to Medina, where he led a growing community. In 630 he returned to Mecca in triumph.

After his death in 632, the caliphs (successors) led Islam's rapid spread. Within a century Muslim rule stretched from Spain to India. A dispute over who should lead after Muhammad divided Sunnis from Shias, who believe leadership belonged to his cousin and son-in-law Ali.

Through trade, conquest, and missionaries, Islam spread across Africa, Asia, and eventually the whole world.

What they believe

God

Allah is the Arabic word for God, also used by Arab Christians. God is absolutely one (tawhid), with no partners and no son. Associating anything with God (shirk) is the gravest sin.

Prophets

God sent many prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus, ending with Muhammad, the 'seal of the prophets.'

Jesus (Isa)

Born of the virgin Mary, a great prophet and the Messiah, who worked miracles and will return. But he is not God's Son, and most Muslims believe he did not die on the cross; God raised him up to himself instead (Qur'an 4:157).

People

People are born innocent but forgetful and weak; there is no original sin.

The way

The Five Pillars: the confession of faith (shahada), prayer five times a day, giving to the poor (zakat), fasting during Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) for those able.

Judgment

On the Day of Judgment, each person's deeds will be weighed. God, who is merciful, will send people to paradise or to hell.

Side by side

IslamChristianity
GodOne God (Allah), absolutely single; the Trinity is rejected.One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the eternal, holy, loving Creator.
JesusA great prophet, virgin-born, the Messiah; not God's Son, and (most believe) not crucified.God the Son, who became fully human, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and is Lord and the only Savior.
The problemHuman forgetfulness and disobedience; no original sin.Sin, our rebellion against a holy God, separates us from him and corrupts everything.
The answerFaith, submission, and good deeds (the Five Pillars), hoping in God's mercy at the judgment.Grace: forgiveness and new life as a free gift, received by faith in Jesus's death and resurrection, not earned.
ScriptureThe Qur'an and the Hadith; the earlier Scriptures (Torah, Psalms, Gospel) are believed to have been corrupted.The Old and New Testaments (66 books), the inspired Word of God.
After deathJudgment by deeds; paradise or hell.Judgment, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life with God for all who are in Christ, in a new heaven and new earth.

Common ground

  • One Creator God who will judge the world
  • Abraham as a father of faith
  • Jesus's virgin birth, miracles, and return
  • Prayer, fasting, generosity, and modesty

Talking with a friend

  • Friendship and hospitality matter deeply in Muslim cultures; share a meal.
  • Treat the Qur'an and Muhammad respectfully, even where you disagree.
  • Ask what they believe about Jesus. It is a natural bridge, since both faiths honor him.
  • Read the Gospel of Luke together, and talk about why Jesus said he must die and rise again.

Key differences

Who Jesus is: Christians confess Jesus as the eternal Son of God, one with the Father (John 1:1–14; John 20:28), not only a prophet.

The cross: Jesus's death is the center of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:3–4) and is recorded by the Gospels, the early church, and even non-Christian historians of the first and second centuries, such as Josephus and Tacitus. Muslims, following Qur'an 4:157, deny it happened as Christians teach.

Assurance: Christianity teaches that salvation is a gift received by faith (Ephesians 2:8–9), so believers can know they have eternal life (1 John 5:13). In Islam, no one can be sure how their deeds will be weighed.

The Bible: Christians hold that the Scriptures were not corrupted. Manuscripts of both Testaments survive from centuries before Muhammad, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and early New Testament papyri.

Read in the Bible

Sources