How is judaism christianity and islam similar

Though all three hold some views of the ancestor Abraham in common, they also interpret texts about him differently. For Christians, Jesus and all who believe in him also are descendants of Abraham. When it comes to reading the Old Testament, a Christian reading necessarily requires the lens of Christology, whether implicitly or explicitly. And yet, the Old Testament must be viewed in continuity with the New Testament, since both are of the Word.

Judaism, on the other hand, does not share the belief in the Incarnate Word. The Old Testament is read not with Christ in mind, but as the earliest inspired documents of their religious community through which they can see and better understand their present existence as a people. Finally, an Islamic reading of the Old Testament would be very different from both a Christian and Jewish reading. Islam thought of the Old Testament as becoming somehow defective. Therefore, any reading of the Old Testament would be a Koranic reading since Muslims believe the Koran is the true word of God that actually supplants the Old Testament.

Put another way, if a contradiction existed between the Old Testament and the Koran, the teaching of the Koran would be adhered to while that of Old Testament would be rejected.

The person of Jesus Christ and the meaning of his passion, death and resurrection are viewed differently by all three religions. For the Jewish people, Jesus cannot be divine because there is only one God, and for them his divinity presupposes the existence of two. Islam expanded into areas controlled by the Byzantine Empire largely Greek-speaking and Orthodox Christian, but with a diverse population and the Sassanian Empire officially Zoroastrian and Persian-speaking, but also diverse.

As Islam expanded, the new Islamic societies adapted and synthesized many of the customs they encountered. As a result, Muslims in different areas of the world created for themselves a wide array of cultural traditions. The culture of Islamic Spain, for example, was so cosmopolitan that some Christian and Jewish parents complained that their children were more interested in developing their knowledge of Arabic than in learning Latin or Hebrew, respectively.

Many elements of Islamic society became integral parts of medieval and Renaissance European culture, like the notion of chivalry, and certain forms of music the lute, the arabesque and poetry. On the eastern end of the Islamic world, many Indonesians converted to Islam between the 15th and 17th centuries.

Preexisting animist beliefs were often incorporated into the local practice of Islam. Within Islam, there are many different communities. Adherents of Islam may be more or less observant, conservative or liberal. Sufism is the mystical tradition of Islam, where direct experience of the divine is emphasized. The 13th-century poet Jalaluddin Rumi is a well-known Sufi figure whose work has become popular in the United States today. Whirling dervishes are dancers who are entranced in their experience of Sufism.

Muslims believe that Allah the Arabic word for God sent his revelation, the Quran , to the prophet Muhammad in the seventh century C. The Quran contains verses surahs in Arabic that tell Muslims to worship one god, and explains how they should treat others properly. Another historical text, the Hadith, written by scholars after the death of Muhammad, describes Muhammad's life as an example of pious behavior, proscribes law for the community based on the Quran and the example of Muhammad, and explains how certain rituals should be performed.

Observant Muslims practice five principles pillars of Islam: orally declaring their faith shahadah ; praying five times a day salat ; fasting in the daylight hours during the month of Ramadan sawm ; giving a share of their income for charity zakat ; and making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they can afford it hajj.

Many Muslims also observe dietary rules, in origin similar to those of Judaism, that forbid certain foods like pork , outlaw alcohol, and dictate how animals should be slaughtered for food. The Muslim calendar is lunar, and shifts in relation to the solar calendar. Just as Christians count years starting with the year of Jesus's birth, Muslims count years beginning with Muhammad's move from Mecca to Medina in C.

Muslim years are labeled as A. Major Muslim festivals include Id al-Fitr the Fast-Breaking Festival, celebrated at the end of Ramadan and Id al-Adha the Festival of Sacrifice, the commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Ishmail which takes place during the month of pilgrimage. Muslims believe in a Day of Judgment, when righteous souls will go to heaven and wrongdoers will go to hell.

Islam sees Judaism and Christianity as earlier versions of Islam, revelations given within the same tradition by Allah but misunderstood over time by their followers. Muslims see Islam as the final, complete, and correct revelation in the monotheistic tradition of the three faiths. The Islamic tradition recognizes many of the Jewish and Christian prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus although he is not considered to be the son of God.

Many non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muhammad is the equivalent of Jesus in the Islamic tradition; in fact, it is the Quran that stands in the same central position in Islam as Jesus does in Christianity. Muhammad himself is not divine, but a prophet chosen by God to deliver his message and an example of piety to emulate. Jews and Christians are specifically protected in the Quran as Peoples of the Book, reinforcing their spiritual connection to Islam by virtue of having been given revelations from God.

The Islamic legal tradition has upheld the rights of Jews and Christians to maintain their beliefs and practices within their communities in Islamic lands, and this policy of tolerance has generally been upheld. This story was aired during the military standoff at Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. Saudi Time Bomb? In the s, alienated Americans flock to the promises of Christian fundamentalism.

What is religious militancy and its relationship to terrorism? Lesson plans: Who Wears a Veil? Stereotypes: More Than Meets the Eye. Judaism A brief history of Judaism Judaism is the oldest surviving monotheistic religion, arising in the eastern Mediterranean in the second millennium B.

An ancient wall relief depicting a religious scene [ enlarge ] While there was always a small community of Jews in historic Palestine , in 73 C.

Jewish cultural groups Homeless Jews arrive in search of a new life, Haifa, Palestine, July 21, Judaism in Israel and America There is great difference of opinion among Israeli Jews over the role Jewish religious law should play in the state.

What Jews believe Reading from the Torah [ enlarge ] Jews believe in one god and his prophets, with special respect for Moses as the prophet to whom God gave the law. Judaism's views of Christianity and Islam Jews do not believe in the prophets after the Jewish prophets, including Jesus and Muhammad. Christianity A brief history of Christianity An aerial view of Istanbul, Turkey, formerly Constantinople [ enlarge ] Christianity started as an offshoot of Judaism in the first century C.

The establishment of Lebanon as an independent state is announced on the steps of a Maronite church, Lebanon, There is one exception though: the internationally recognized, and pretty uncontroversial, emergency exit signs which hang on the wall. Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw. Go to the new dw. More info OK. Wrong language? Change it here DW.

COM has chosen English as your language setting. COM in 30 languages. Deutsche Welle. Audiotrainer Deutschtrainer Die Bienenretter. Abraham: the founding father Painting of the moment when God promises Abraham many descendants. Old Lutheran Bible. Gospel choir in London. Muslim people praying at the Mount Arafat near Mecca in October Encyclopaedia Britannica: Zion Hill, Jerusalem.

PBS on Muhammad. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Hebrew Bible. Encyclopaedia Britannica: Allah. Islamic Information Center: Allah.