Introduction
The most challenging and persistent debate of all time has involved religion. Every religious group in the world has a reference book that serves as both a source of divine enlightenment and a manual for carrying out their beliefs. Bevilacqua and Loop explain how Christians cite the Bible, whereas Muslims cite the Quran (149). The Bible is a body of teachings that purport to have been delivered by God to his prophets for spreading throughout all of human history which Christians use as a religious road map for achieving spirituality. The Quran is regarded as the best work of Arabic literature where Prophet Muhammad’s recitations of Allah are collected. The lessons contained in the Quran serve as mankind’s verbal instructions for following the ethical and just path. However, the Bible and the Quran do have a substantial number of similarities and differences. This essay compares and contrasts the two books and ends with a reasonable conclusion that while there are distinctions, these minor church-related concerns should not prevent the two faiths from understanding more about one another.
Similarities
Creation
Similar narratives about how the earth was created and how man began to exist on it can be found in both the Qur’an and the Bible. According to Qur’an 35:13, “[God] integrates Night to Day, and has subjugated the Sun and the Moon to His command”(Bevilacqua and Loop 151). This idea of Allah as the creator of the world, the placer of the sun and moon, and the most potent force in the universe is quite similar to the one found in the Bible (Bevilacqua and Loop 152). Then God decreed, “Let there be lights in the vast sky to distinguish between day and night,” according to Genesis 1:14 (Bevilacqua and Loop 153). The Bible also contains Genesis 2:7, God molded mankind from the mud or dirt of the ground and gave him breath by placing it in his nostrils.
The Qur’an (15:28, 29) echoes this creation of man: “Behold! The Lord said to the angels, “When I have fashioned him and put My spirit into him, I will form humankind from sounding clay, fashioned into a figure” (Bevilacqua and Loop 150). Both writings claim that the Creator made the sun and moon above the earth, revolving them following His plan. Both books agree that God formed mankind and gave him life.
Moral Codes
According to both the Bible and the Qur’an, the C1reator of the Word is the sole being who deserves reverence and worship. Both books include a list of unacceptable behaviors in others, whether they are contained in the Commandments or expressed elsewhere, as is frequently the case. The Creator harshly condemns the worship of any god other than God or Allah, as well as any contempt for Him, in all religions (Suraju and Badmus 40-43). For instance, the Creator emphasizes that people have rights, most notably the ability to make their own decisions, but there are restrictions on things like killing, stealing, deception, assault, and other behaviors that are meant to hurt other people. Suraju and Badmus explain that, outside of the bounds of the marriage bed, fornication and indecent behavior are prohibited in both books (48). Every book stresses the importance of abiding by social norms as they outlaw intoxication, suicide, and homosexuality as an offense.
Commandments
The fundamental principles found in both the Bible and the Qur’an appear to be extremely similar. The Ten Commandments of the Bible and the Qur’an are nearly identical, as in Qur’an 17:33, one should not take a life that Allah has declared to be sacred, and Exodus 20:13 of the Bible explains that one should not kill (Bevilacqua and Loop 170). Followers are commanded not to approach adultery because it is a disgraceful act and an evil that opens the door to further evils in Qur’an 17:32. The Bible continues to use this similar idea in Exodus 20:14, which states, “You shalt not commit adultery.” Again, virtually line by line, it is specified in both volumes who an individual cannot marry, including relatives. It appears that the Bible and the Koran have comparable ideas about how a devoted and “Godly” man should behave in each circumstance.
Differences
Authors
The angel Gabriel, acting under God’s precise instructions, revealed the Holy Qur’an to the Prophet Muhammad. Revelation is the ultimate source of inspiration without potential fault in the contents or the delivery of the message. According to Bevilacqua and Loop, the holy Qur’an is not the Prophet Muhammad’s word; it is the message of God (155). Christians hold that the authors of the Bible were driven by divine inspiration. As a result, they hold that Paul the Apostle’s letters or the Gospel of St. Mark, which was undoubtedly composed by St. Mark, represent the “Word of God.”
Route to Heaven
Contrary to Christian belief, the Qur’an rejects the concept of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Jesus is revered as God in the Trinity and is regarded as having undergone the crucifixion and risen from the dead. According to Suraju and Badmus, the Quran’s teachings can be summarized as follows: Despite certain seeming situations that led certain adversaries to believe otherwise [Qur’an 4:157, 158 & 3:55 & 4:157], Christ was never crucified (35-38). He was not slain by the Jews; instead, He was carried up to God (Suraju and Badmus 35-38). Both hold that Hell is an eternal place, but Christians think that only they can enter Heaven because they read the Bible. According to Qur’an 4:124, if someone does good deeds and has faith, whether they are male or female, they will enter Paradise, and not the slightest harm will be done to them.
Alterations
Today’s Qur’an is identical to the version that was given to Muhammad. Absolutely no alterations to the content have been made. In the early years of Christianity, a council was summoned, and the elders and church fathers debated. The Roman (and Christian) Emperor Constantine presided over the debate (circa 324 A.D.) (Bevilacqua and Loop 160-161). The New Testament was given its current shape by this council, which also codified (systematized) fundamental Christian beliefs. As a result, certain writings lost their position as Scripture and are therefore not the same as they were originally written.
Conclusion
Contrary to popular belief, the proclaimed word and guidelines for followers in the Bible and the Qur’an are more similar. They are almost equivalent in terms of creation and the highlighted laws of the commandments. While there are distinctions, it is usually believed that these are more a result of man’s perception of the Bible than true contrasts. These minor church-related concerns should not prevent the two faiths from understanding more about one another, as the Qur’an can be compared to the original manuscript while the Bible cannot. To focus primarily on these parallels would indicate a limited understanding of both religions. When it pertains to Jesus Christ, the primary significant distinctions between the Qur’an and the Bible become clear.
Works Cited
Bevilacqua, Alexander, and Jan Loop. “The Qur’an in Comparison, and the Birth of ‘Scriptures.’”Journal of Qur’anic Studies, vol. 20, no. 3, 2018, pp. 149–174.
Suraju, Suraju, and Saheed Badmus. “A Discourse on Differences and Similarities between the Qur’Ān and the Bible.” Ar-Raniry, International Journal of Islamic Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, 2017, pp. 31-54. Web.