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In the readings, I have identified many similarities between the early Jewish and Christian traditions with Islam. Muslims commonly use the names Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus because of their reverence for these biblical figures and because of the custom of saying “Peace and blessings be upon him” after naming any of the prophets. Furthermore, Jesus and the Virgin Mary are mentioned frequently in the teachings of Islam, with Mary being mentioned more times in the Quran than in the New Testament (Johns,2011). This is made abundantly clear by quotations citing these prophets. For instance, Surah Al-Baqarak declares, “O believers, “We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us, as well as what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his offspring, and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord. To us, there is no difference between them. Ultimately, we acknowledge that Allah is the ultimate authority “(Qur’an 2:36). Further, all faiths agree that there is only one God (monotheism), that history is the sacred ground because it is where God has interacted with humanity, that prophets are messengers of God, that divine revelation exists, that angels and Satan exist, and that all these things are interconnected. Each one stresses the importance of doing the right thing, being held accountable for one’s actions, the Day of Judgment, and the afterlife. The Quran declares Allah to be the only creator in Surah Al-Fatihah, “To the Almighty, Most Merciful God. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Universes” (Qur’an 1:1-2). Similar to the teachings of Judaism and Christianity, the Quran discusses a future day of judgment in which individuals will be held accountable for their deeds. It is written in the Qur’an (Surah 99:6) that, “On Judgment Day, people will be divided into groups and individually shown the consequences of their actions.”
The Qur’an contains many messages that could help the religion spread, but the most important of these is the message of peace. The religious ideas presented in the Qur’an are permeated by a desire for peace. In Islam, achieving peace is a top priority, and all actions must be performed in the name of God or Allah. Helping others and practicing prayer and fasting are two of Islam’s five pillars of peace (Hasanzadeh& Chaeechi,2014). As was mentioned, shalom is one of God’s or Allah’s names, and all efforts are directed toward achieving it. Peace came on the night of the revelation’s arrival. The highest ideal of the Muslim paradise is peace. God is the source of tranquility. Although these verses focus on abstract concepts, they do have practical implications for how Muslims should conduct themselves, according to the Qur’an. The Qur’an intends for its description of heaven, “in which there is no talk of sin,” to serve as an example of how people should act on Earth. There, non-Muslims and Muslims alike pray for each other’s happiness and peace upon meeting (Nursita, 2019). Moreover, here on Earth, even the mockers and degraders of believers should be prayed for peace. Those who only quote certain verses from the Qur’an to justify violence are ignoring some of the most crucial parts of the holy book.
References
Hasanzadeh, M., & Chaeechi, R. A. (2014). Empathy and peace in the Qur’anic context based on Johan Galtung’s ABC-triangle. In Proceedings of First International Holy Quran Congress (Vol. 75, p. 87).
Nursita, R. D., & Sahide, A. (2019). The Concept of Peace in Islam and Its Relevance to International Relations.
Johns, A. H. (2011). Shuʿayb, Orator of the Prophets: Reflections on Qur’anic Narrative. Journal of Qur’anic Studies, 13(2), 136-148.
