Compare and Contrast: Koran and the Bible
The Bible and Qur’an have many similarities including writings and beliefs regarding the creation and 1the 0 Commandments. They are each considered Holy books and the revealed word of our Creator. In each case, these words have led to the development of a major system of religion with several renditions such as the Lutheran and the Catholic or the Shiite and the Sunni. Instead of always trying to fight that one religion is wrong and the other is right, perhaps it would be better to consider where they are the same and where they might have differences. Perhaps those differences aren’t so great as to cause such hateful and hurtful wars. Both of these Holy Books share several major similarities and some differences regarding their basic concepts, moral codes, and practices.
Similarities
Creation
Both the Qur’an and the Bible have similar stories regarding how the earth was made and the man came to live on it. In the Qur’an, 35:13 – [God] merges Night into Day, and He merges Day into Night, and He has subjected the sun and the moon [to his Law]: each one runs its course for a term appointed. Such is Allah your Lord: to Him belongs all Dominion. And those whom ye invoke besides Him have not the least power. This concept of Allah as the world’s creator, organizer of the sun and moon, and the most powerful being in our universe compares quite closely to the Bible. In Genesis 1:14 it is stated – Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs seasons sons and days and years.” The Bible is a bit more verbal, but also includes Genesis 2:7 – Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, seasons sonsAdultery and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. This creation of man is echoed in The Qur’an 15:28,29 – Behold! thy Lord said to the angels: “I am about to create man from sounding clay from mud molded into shape; when I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit fall ye down in obeisance unto him.” Both books indicate that it was our Creator who placed the sun and the moon above us, rotating according to His design and that the Creator fashioned mankind out of the dust or clay of the earth and then breathed into him to give him life.
10 Commandments
The cardinal rules of the Bible and the Qur’an also seem to match up very closely. The Qur’an and 10 Commandments of the Bible match up well almost line by line such as Qur’an 17:33 Nor take life which Allah has made sacred and the Bible’s Exodus 20:13 You shall not kill. In the Qur’an 17:32, followers are instructed, Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful [deed] and an evil, opening the road [to other evils]. This same concept is carried forward in the Bible through Exodus 20:14, You shall not commit Aadultery In both books, it is listed whom a person cannot marry, such as family members, again, almost line by line. In each case, it seems the Bible and the Koran share similar concepts regarding how a pious and ‘Godly’ man should conduct himself.
Moral Codes
Both the Bible and the Qu’ran insist that the Creator of the Book is the only being that should be worshipped and given tribute. Whether within the Commandments or stated elsewhere, as it often is, both Books provide a list of what is not acceptable behavior among other men. The Creator in both religions severely punishes the worship of any deity other than God or Allah Himself as well as punishing any disrespect shown toward Him. For example, the Creator insists that humans have rights, most importantly the right to choose, but there are prohibitions placed on murder, theft, lying, violence, and other actions intended to cause harm to another. In both Books, fornication and lewd behavior are forbidden outside of the confines of the marital bed. Each Book insists that society’s laws must be obeyed. Intoxication and suicide are forbidden in both and homosexuality is considered a sin in both.
Differences
Path to heaven
The Qur’an does not believe in the Trinity while Christians believe in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). As a member of the Trinity, Jesus is viewed as God Himself and worshippers believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross and raised from the dead. The Quranic teachings in this regard may be summed up as follows: Christ was neither crucified nor killed by the Jews, notwithstanding certain apparent circumstances which produced that illusion in the minds of some of the enemies; and Jesus was taken up to God [Qur’an 4:157, 158 & 3:55 & 4:157]. Both believe that Hell is eternal but according to Biblical interpretations by Christians, only Christians can get to heaven. The Qur’an 4:124 declares: ‘If any do deeds of righteousness – be they male or female – and have faith, they will enter Paradise and not the least injustice will be done to them.’ In other words no religion has a monopoly on salvation.
Authors
The Holy Qur’an was revealed (‘revelation’ [wahi] is the highest form of inspiration with no possibility of error in the message or the conveyance of the message) to the Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. through the angel Gabriel who was carrying out God’s precise instructions. This occurred over a period of 23 years. The holy Qur’an is God’s Word – not the word of the Prophet Muhammad. Christians believe that divine inspiration (the Latin word is ‘afflatus’ which means ‘divine wind’) inspired the writers of the scripture. Hence they believe that the Gospel of St. Mark (obviously written by St. Mark) or the letters of Paul the Apostle is the “Word of God.”
Alterations
The Qur’an exists today the same as it was revealed to Muhammad. There have been absolutely no changes whatsoever made to the wording. A council was called, in the early days of Christianity, where the church fathers and elders debated. This was presided over by the Roman (and Christian) Emperor Constantine (circa 324 A.D.). This council codified (systematized) standard Christian belief and gave the New Testament its present form, depriving some books of the status of Scripture and thus is not the same as it was originally written.
Conclusion
The Bible and the Qu’ran are more similar in the revealed word and the instructions for followers than many would like to believe. In many ways, they match up perfectly. In terms of Creation and the emphasized laws of the commandments, they are nearly identical. While there are differences, these are frequently seen to be more man’s law or interpretation rather than actual scripture. Since the Qu’ran can be compared to the original manuscript and the Bible cannot, these smaller church-related issues should not get in the way of the two faiths learning more about each other.
Works Cited
- The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York: American Bible Society (1999). Bartleby.com.
- Qur’an: The Final Testament (Authorized English Version) with Arabic Text. Trans. Rashad Khalifa. Fremont: Universal Unity. (2000).