Comparison of Jesus and Muhammad

Most of us know about Jesus Christ and his life. Therefore, I will briefly cover Jesus in this paper. As for Muhammad, I will attempt to shed some light on the subject of this "Messenger of God". Perhaps a better understanding of this Islamic icon can be obtained and understood through this comparative essay. Both of these religious figures caused a renewal of faith and belief in the one and only God, or Allah as the Muslims know Him by.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ, son of God, was born to Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, Israel. He was baptized by John the Baptist. When Jesus was baptized God called out from Heaven and declared "This is my beloved son". This signified that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus had twelve companions oh his choosing. These were his disciples, also known as the apostles. They went with Jesus in his travels. In these travels, Jesus taught the masses about God through parables and sermons.

Jesus performed many miracles to prove that he was the son of God. He used his holy powers to overcome nature, disease and even death itself. He made believers out of many people that had witnessed the miracles. These miracles, along with his teachings, caused many to glorify God and believe that Jesus was truly the Messiah. The Messiah was foretold to be the savior of the world and the King of the Jews. Sadly, the Jewish leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jews had Jesus arrested. He was nearly released by the Roman Governor Pilate but the Jews threatened to riot. Pilate gave in and sentenced Jesus to be crucified.

Delivering on the promise that he had made to his disciples, Jesus came back to life after he had died on the cross. As it is told in the Bible, He was sealed up in a guarded tomb. An angel came and scared the heck out of the guards and fled the scene. The disciples later went to the tomb to discover it empty. Jesus had died on the cross for the sins of humanity and had risen from the dead, thus again proving that he was the true Messiah.

Muhammad Al-Amin

The Prophet Muhammad was born in 569A.D. in Makkah, also known as Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He was raised by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. This was because Muhammad's father had died before he was born. Upon his grandfather's death, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. The Makkans claim to be descended from Abraham by Isma`il. (Pickthall, M.) Therefore, it could be said that Islam is similar to Christianity in the fact that both are Abrahamic religions.

Muhammad journeyed with his uncle with a group of merchants that traded is Syria. Muhammad eventually became the merchant for the wealthy widow Khadijah. Although she was fifteen years older that Muhammad the two came to be married for twenty-six years. His marriage put him in good standing with the Makkahan people of notoriety. This, along with his excellent conducts in business and society, earned him the surname Al-Amin which meant "trustworthy". (Pickthall, M.)

Muhammad was a non-conformist to the popular religion of his time. The House of Allah, known as the Ka`bah, was said to be built by Abraham for the worship of Allah only. Ka`bah had come to be a place of worship to other idols as well. Muhammad and others like him were known as Hunafa. They desired to know the true religion of Abraham and did not agree with the current worship of many idols. (Pickthall, M.)

The Hunafa sought the truth through inner reflection or meditation. Muhammad's place of meditation was known as Hira`, a cave located in the Mountain of Light, near Makkah. This is where the angel Jibril, known as Gabrial to Christians, revealed to Muhammad his destiny. The angel appeared to Muhammad and stated "O Muhammad! Thou art Allah's messenger, and I am Jibril". (Pickthall, M.)

At first, Muhammad was quite disturbed by this event. He came to terms with his purpose and began to preach. In the beginning of his ministry he only preached to his family and friends. This was mainly due to the people of Makkah believing that Muhammad had gone crazy. (Pickthall, M.)

After a few years the prophet Muhammad was commanded by Allah to begin to preach to the public in order to convert the pagan Arabs to Islamic beliefs. Muhammad and his converts were met with much opposition by the Quraysh. They wanted to continue to idolize their pagan gods. The majority of Muhammad's converts were powerless in defense against the Quraysh. The persecution was horrible. Muhammad urged all of his converts that were able to escape Makkah and go to the Christian country of Abyssinia which is now Ethiopia. (Pickthall, M.)

The Muslim converts still grew in number despite the persecution and flight of many to Abyssinia. This enraged the Quraysh so much that a document was drawn up restricting Muhammad, his family and all Muslim adherents. Furthermore, Muhammad and his family were imprisoned and could only go out at the time of pilgrimage. The incarceration lasted for three years. At the end of this time, the document was removed from the Ka`bah, where it had been placed, for review and consideration. Upon inspection, it was found that the writing had been destroyed by white ants. All that remained were the words "Bismik Allahumma" which means "In thy name, O Allah". The Quraysh elders were so awestruck that the ban on Muhammad was lifted and he was set free. (Pickthall, M.)

The Prophet Muhammad went forth to spread his beliefs. This was known as the Hijrah and lasted around ten years. It is also known as the beginning of the Muslim Era. He made his final pilgrimage to Makkah and preached to a massive group of Muslims at Mount Arafat. Shortly after, Muhammad the Prophet, Messenger of God, became ill and died. (Pickthall, M.)

To conclude and compare these two religious figures, Jesus and Muhammad where quite different. Jesus was the son of God and Muhammad was the Messenger of God. Images of Jesus are allowed. Images of Muhammad are not. Jesus was the Messiah. According to Muslim beliefs there was no son of God and the Messiah has yet to come. Jesus was a carpenter and Muhammad was a merchant. Although both went through much persecution, only Jesus died for our sins. Muhammad became ill and died. Furthermore, Jesus came back to life. In addition, Jesus performed many miracles during his life.

Reference:

(n.d.). The Life of Prophet Muhammad. Retrieved April 30, 2007
from Web site: http://www.muhammad.net/bio/byPickthall.htm