Muhammad and Jesus are central figures in Islam and Christianity respectively. Both men were successful religious reformers who sought to spread their news of God/Allah to the people. Early on, Muhammad and Jesus acquired the same type of follower—young and poor or working class. However, these early circumstances did not stop Islam and Christianity from becoming the two most widely practiced religions in the world.
The fundamental difference between Jesus and Muhammad is that, while Jesus is considered by Christians to be both human and divine, Muslims regard Muhammad as a strictly human prophet. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish revolutionary, is the Messiah. Jesus is part of the Trinity which includes God the Father, Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity has historically raised issues about Christian monotheism. The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) met in part for the purpose of clarifying the relationship between God the Father and Jesus and ultimately declared that Jesus was of the same divine essence of the God the Father and was God’s son, not His creation. However, one could make a valid case today, even after the above assertion by the Nicene Creed, the Christianity is not an absolutely monotheistic religion. Islam, on the other hand, demands strict monotheism. Muslims respect Muhammad and believe him to be the outlet through which God revealed his final message to humanity. Muhammad is not divine, but rather “a stenographer or loudspeaker for Allah” (Hopfe, 326). Everyday, the followers of Islam recite the phrase, “There is no God but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God.” In contrast to Christianity, Islam is unequivocally monotheistic. The Qur’an depicts Allah as “the one sovereign God over the entire universe” (Hopfe, 327). Another significant difference between Jesus and Muhammad is that Muhammad led his followers militarily in his efforts to conquer Mecca, whereas Jesus never took on the role of military leader. Jesus did however sacrifice himself for his followers with the promise that he would one day return to earth. Perhaps the Christian notion of Jesus as a divine figure prevents Jesus from taking on what can be argued as an earthly or overly-violent role and allows instead for his promise to return.
It is important to consider Muhammad and Jesus as historical figures within the context of their respective time periods. Jesus was born around 6/7 CE and executed sometime around 36 CE and Muhammad lived from 570-632. The huge advances in technology between 6 CE and 632 allowed for thorough documentation of the life of Muhammad whereas record of Jesus’ life is less reliable having been compiled from a huge number of sources after a significant amount of time following his death.
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Laura, your post is definitely very thought provoking. Your last paragraph, in particular, is raising a question:
ReplyDeleteWould having more documentation of Jesus' life make it harder for us to see him as a part of the trinity? In other words, is it because there is more account on Mohammad as a person (and not just a religious leader) that it is easier for Muslims to distinguish him from the divine?
Excellent question, Asma. Care to respond, Laura?
ReplyDeleteLaura, it's really interesting to point out the military role Muhammad took on while Jesus was nailed onto the cross as a "heroic" figure for each religion. I also wondered about the factual evidence during the early period of Jesus, while we only can refer Jesus' life from the four Gospels.
ReplyDeleteAsma-
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that because of the nature of the documentation of Jesus' life, it is much easier for Christians to believe he was divine. (What's there to tell them he's not?). Jesus really avoids consideration as a historical figure, I feel, by most Christians. I definitely think that the historical record of Muhammad's life makes it easy for Muslims to distinguish him from the divine.