The reader may be wondering what “Islam” has to do with the Bible, as
the Bible is the holy book of Christians, and Islam is a different
religion
altogether!
As we shall see, this is a superficial judgment.
The fact is that there is a great deal of common ground between Muslims
and Christians - both share many beliefs, like belief in one God, His messengers and
prophets, the divine revelation sent to them, the Day of Judgment, heaven
and hell, etc. Outside of Christianity, there is no other religion,
besides Islam, that makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus
Christ (peace be upon him)* and in God’s revelation to him - the Gospel. Muslims believe that he was conceived
supernaturally without a human father, and that he performed great
miracles, like giving life to the dead and healing the blind and the
lepers, by God’s power. Muslims also believe in his Second Coming. Jesus
and his mother Mary (peace be upon them) are highly respected and revered
in Islam.
With this orientation let us proceed to examine both Islam and
Christianity
in
the Bible. The subject will be treated under the following titles:
Islam
1. The
origin and meaning of the name ‘ISLAM’
2. The
concept of ‘ISLAM’ in the Bible
3. The
practice of ‘ISLAM’ in the Bible.
Christianity
4. The
origin and meaning of the name ‘CHRISTIANITY’
5. The practice and meaning of ‘CHRISTIANITY’ in the
Bible.
* Muslims use the phrase “peace be upon him” or the abbreviation (pbuh)
whenever any prophet’s name is mentioned; this is an expression of
respect and reverence for him.
