Do we worship the same God?

Hi everyone! I've never posted here before, but I'm looking to settle a debate with some friends of mine. Do Muslims believe that Christians and Jews worship the same God you do? My friends say that Allah is not the same God we Christians worship, I say that he is. Who do you think is right?

we worship the monotheistic God(swt) who created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is within and without.

The God(swt) who has revealed Himself to Adam(PBUH, Moses(PBUH) JESUS(as) Muhammad(PBUH) and all of the Prophets(PBUH).

If that is the God(swt) Christians worship, then they do worship the same God(swt) we do.

Greetings and peace be with you August, and welcome to the forum.

Irrespective as to what any of us might believe the same God hears the prayers of Muslims, Christians, Hindu Sikh and Jews.

We may have tunnel vision, but I am confident that God has the ability to understand the intentions behind the prayers in all languages and from people of all faiths.

God has to be more just and forgiving than we are, he will know how we came by our faith and how we each live our lives.

In the spirit of praying to one God,

Eric

In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

:salamext:
and greetings

August, welcome to the forum.

To add to what brother Woodrow already posted:

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word "Allah". Many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews.
This is totally false
Allah (God)

Islam is the complete submission and obedience to Allah (God). The name Allah (God) in Islam never refers to Muhammad (peace be upon him), as many Christians may think; Allah is the personal name of God.

What do Muslims believe about Allah?

1. He is the one God, Who has no partner.

2. Nothing is like Him. He is the Creator, not created, nor a part of His creation.

3. He is All-Powerful, absolutely Just.

4. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship besides Him.

5. He is First, Last, and Everlasting; He was when nothing was, and will be when nothing else remains.

6. He is the All-Knowing, and All-Merciful,the Supreme, the Sovereign.

7. It is only He Who is capable of granting life to anything.

8. He sent His Messengers (peace be upon them) to guide all of mankind.

9. He sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last Prophet and Messenger for all mankind.

10. His book is the Holy Qur'an, the only authentic revealed book in the world that has been kept without change.

11. Allah knows what is in our hearts.

These are some of the basic guidelines Muslims follow in their knowledge of God:

1. Eliminate any anthropomorphism (human qualities) from their conception of Allah. His attributes are not like human attributes, despite similar labels or appellations.

2. Have unwavering faith in exactly what Allah and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described Allah to be, no more, no less.

3. Eradicate any hope or desire of learning or knowing the modality of His names and attributes.

4. Believe totally in all the names and attributes of Allah; one cannot believe in some and disbelieve the others.

5. One cannot accept the names of Allah without their associated attributes, i.e. one cannot say He is Al-Hayy - 'The Living' and then say that He is without life.

6. Similarity in names (or meanings) does not imply similarity in what is being described (referents). As a robotics arm differs from a human arm, so the "hand" of Allah is nothing like a human hand, His speech is nothing like human speech, etc.

7. Certain words are ambiguous or vague in their meanings, and thus may be susceptible to misinterpretation. Only those meanings that are in accordance with what is specified by Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) are acceptable.
http://www.beconvinced.com/en/article.php?articleid=0002&subcatname=Selected Articles

I hope this helps. feel free to ask more questions.

wasalam
-SI-

Yes it is true Jewish and Christian people do worship the same god as muslims. However what changes us is this:

Allah sent the last prophet down to guide Christians and Jews to the right path because they mistook Jesus to be the son of god and Jews had changed the religion too much. Despite some facts of thinking Jesus is the son of god where we think he is a prophet and the new changed versions of the Taurah (jewish book) the god still remains the same. Which does have a strong connection with these three religions

Woodrow said:

we worship the monotheistic God(swt) who created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is within and without.

The God(swt) who has revealed Himself to Adam(PBUH, Moses(PBUH) JESUS(as) Muhammad(PBUH) and all of the Prophets(PBUH).

If that is the God(swt) Christians worship, then they do worship the same God(swt) we do.

Click to expand...

Christian God never revealed Himself to Muhammad, so i guess that we don't believe in the same God.

Aaron85 said:

Christian God never revealed Himself to Muhammad, so i guess that we don't believe in the same God.

Click to expand...

I wouldn't make a blanket statement like that. Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. That is why all three religions have such a hard time getting along, because all three believe they know the right way to worship or pray to God. If all three religions were completely different and focused on a different God than the other, I have a feeling we wouldn't be having these problems today in the religious sense.

Keltoi said:

I wouldn't make a blanket statement like that. Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. That is why all three religions have such a hard time getting along, because all three believe they know the right way to worship or pray to God. If all three religions were completely different and focused on a different God than the other, I have a feeling we wouldn't be having these problems today in the religious sense.

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That is very true. It is because we do worship the same God(swt) and are so similar we have so much trouble understanding each other.

Because of our similarities when, any of us differ, we see that one as being blasphemous etc. the slight differences bring out major concerns and often anger.

All of us are guilty of that. It is a hard thing to control.

Woodrow said:

That is very true. It is because we do worship the same God(swt) and are so similar we have so much trouble understanding each other.

Because of our similarities when, any of us differ, we see that one as being blasphemous etc. the slight differences bring out major concerns and often anger.

All of us are guilty of that. It is a hard thing to control.

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True. It sometimes seems like the closer a religion is to your own, the more bitter the disputes are. I'm a Catholic Christian, and the most angry debates I have ever been involved in were between Protestants and Catholics. And we're in the same religion! And yet we can talk to a buddhist or an atheist quite civilly.

Hey August.


Maybe you'd like to check this link out to get a better answer to your question:

http://beconvinced.com/en/main.php



Peace.

August said:

True. It sometimes seems like the closer a religion is to your own, the more bitter the disputes are. I'm a Catholic Christian, and the most angry debates I have ever been involved in were between Protestants and Catholics. And we're in the same religion! And yet we can talk to a buddhist or an atheist quite civilly.

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I grew up as a Catholic and I do recognize the beauty of Catholochism. When I was growing up the Mass was still the old Gregorian style and in Latin. When the changes to english and the dropping of the Gregorian Chants took place in the 1950s I felt it was no longer the same Church.

I have found that although there were many problems in the past between Catholics and Muslims (Crusades, Inquisition etc) that on an individual basis Catholics and Muslims were and are mutually tolerant of each other. I also notice that the mainstream Protestants are also more tolerant of Islam. Like you, us Muslims catch the most flak from the Evangelical fundamentalists.

Aaron85 said:

Christian God never revealed Himself to Muhammad, so i guess that we don't believe in the same God.

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That is sad to hear. Perhaps one day you will find that there is one true monotheistic God(swt) and He(swt) is the one worshiped by true Christians, Jews and Muslims.

I can understand it is difficult to give up Pagan beliefs, but search and you will find God(swt) if you do not turn a blind eye to Him(swt)

Woodrow said:

Like you, us Muslims catch the most flak from the Evangelical fundamentalists.

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Also too true. In fact, many of them say that if I believe that Muslims and Catholics (they don't consider Catholics Christian) worship the same God, then I am really worshiping the devil. They would say that if a Muslim denies the divinity of Christ, then they can't be worshiping the same God. Any sign of respect granted Islam is, in their minds, respecting the devil. There just isn't any reasoning with some people. sigh...

Hey.


If someone worships the Messiah son of Mary, then i don't agree with that.

However, if we all worship our Creator and Sustainer Alone, and the God of Abraham - then i agree, we probably do. But we differ on the way He should be worshipped, and this is when we believe that we should worship the Most Compassionate Alone without any intermediarries, rather all worship should be for Him Alone directly. That was the way of all the Prophets of God, so we should follow their example.


The issue of Prophethood is a totally different subject though, so maybe that could be discussed later.



Regards.

Keltoi said:

I wouldn't make a blanket statement like that. Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. That is why all three religions have such a hard time getting along, because all three believe they know the right way to worship or pray to God. If all three religions were completely different and focused on a different God than the other, I have a feeling we wouldn't be having these problems today in the religious sense.

Click to expand...

Ok ok i understand your way of thinking, and i dont want to offend our muslim friends, but as you can see saying that christians and muslims worship the same God brings some difficulties.
- For example, in your opinion, if muslims believe in the same God as we, will muslims be saved ? (why not if they believe in the same God)?
- You know well that for christians God is One in Trinity, so in your opinion muslims worship Trinity, but they dont know it ?
-If muslims believe in the same God as we, could you pray to islamic Allah in mosque?, (just like you can pray easily to biblical God in Orthodox or Catholic or Protestant church)?
And last think, don't you think that Allah differs bit from biblical Yahwe? Allah is completely transcendental, without any human features, while biblical God created humans to his similarity, He feels love, compassion and anger.

Keltoi said:

I wouldn't make a blanket statement like that. Jews, Christians, and Muslims worship the same God. That is why all three religions have such a hard time getting along, because all three believe they know the right way to worship or pray to God. If all three religions were completely different and focused on a different God than the other, I have a feeling we wouldn't be having these problems today in the religious sense.

Click to expand...

Well you're right to an good extent. Another reason why there is hostility between Christianity and Islam is because both religions are competing to get the most converts. Christians and Muslims want to "save" disbelievers from Hellfire.

Hey Aaron.


The issue of comparing God to the creation is at two extremes, some people went to the extreme where they said that God is actually like a human with similar human features etc. whereas there was the other extreme of the philosophers who said that God has no form whatsoever.


We as muslims are in the middle since Islaam is the middle way. If you've read the Qur'an, at the beginning of every chapter in the Qur'an, minus one - the Chapter starts off with: In the Name of Allaah. Most Gracious, Most Merciful. We don't need 'god' to die for us to show us His Mercy, rather we can repent to Him for our wrongdoings and be forgiven by Him. Nor is God in three parts - rather He is the One and Only God. Your Lord is One, and none is worthy of worship except Him.


The understanding in Islaam is that God is only similar in attributes in the linguistic sense, i.e. There is none like God, yet He is the All-Hearing, All Seeing. What does that mean? It doesn't mean that He has human features - rather it means that He also Sees and Hears - but these attributes are only similar in regard to language, yet His Eyes are not like human eyes since 'there is none like unto Him' [Qur'an Chapter (of sincerety) 112.] And Allaah knows best.



Regards.

Aaron85 said:

Ok ok i understand your way of thinking, and i dont want to offend our muslim friends, but as you can see saying that christians and muslims worship the same God brings some difficulties.
- For example, in your opinion, if muslims believe in the same God as we, will muslims be saved ? (why not if they believe in the same God)?
- You know well that for christians God is One in Trinity, so in your opinion muslims worship Trinity, but they dont know it ?
-If muslims believe in the same God as we, could you pray to islamic Allah in mosque?, (just like you can pray easily to biblical God in Orthodox or Catholic or Protestant church)?
And last think, don't you think that Allah differs bit from biblical Yahwe? Allah is completely transcendental, without any human features, while biblical God created humans to his similarity, He feels love, compassion and anger.

Click to expand...

Do I believe Muslims will be saved? I certainly hope so, but you are correct in that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation from the Christian perspective. I have faith in the fairness and mercy of God, so of course I would never pretend to know the state of another's salvation. I worry about my own.

Do Muslims worship a Trinity and not know it? No, that is easily answered.

Would I pray in a mosque to Allah? Since Allah means "God", and the early Christians didn't see a significant problem with allowing Muslims to pray in a church, and vice versa, then I wouldn't see a problem with it.

As for the character of God from the Christian perspective as opposed to the Muslim one...yes I see a difference. However, I would by no means suggest that God in the Q'uran doesn't feel love, compassion, or anger. From what I've read of the Q'uran, God does seem to be a more distant and unreachable than He does in the Bible, but that could be just my mistaken understanding.

Aaron85 said:

Ok ok i understand your way of thinking, and i dont want to offend our muslim friends, but as you can see saying that christians and muslims worship the same God brings some difficulties.
- For example, in your opinion, if muslims believe in the same God as we, will muslims be saved ? (why not if they believe in the same God)?
- You know well that for christians God is One in Trinity, so in your opinion muslims worship Trinity, but they dont know it ?
-If muslims believe in the same God as we, could you pray to islamic Allah in mosque?, (just like you can pray easily to biblical God in Orthodox or Catholic or Protestant church)?
And last think, don't you think that Allah differs bit from biblical Yahwe? Allah is completely transcendental, without any human features, while biblical God created humans to his similarity, He feels love, compassion and anger.

Click to expand...

Have you ever read the KJV in Arabic? Word god is not used in it once. Allah(swt) is called Allah(swt) in it. there are Arabic Christians and many of them do use the KJV in Arabic.

Christians did not use the word god until about the 14th Century. It is an interesting word with some interesting roots. How and why the English changed Allah(swt) to God(swt) I do not understand.

It seems that if Allah(swt) was good enough for Jesus(as) it should have remained good enough for English speakers.

Keltoi said:

Do I believe Muslims will be saved? I certainly hope so, but you are correct in that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal salvation from the Christian perspective. I have faith in the fairness and mercy of God, so of course I would never pretend to know the state of another's salvation. I worry about my own.

Do Muslims worship a Trinity and not know it? No, that is easily answered.

Would I pray in a mosque to Allah? Since Allah means "God", and the early Christians didn't see a significant problem with allowing Muslims to pray in a church, and vice versa, then I wouldn't see a problem with it.

As for the character of God from the Christian perspective as opposed to the Muslim one...yes I see a difference. However, I would by no means suggest that God in the Q'uran doesn't feel love, compassion, or anger. From what I've read of the Q'uran, God does seem to be a more distant and unreachable than He does in the Bible, but that could be just my mistaken understanding.

Click to expand...

Ok thanks for answer, but don't you see the danger of sayings that we all worship the same God? Isn't this close to saying that all people worship the same God, but in different ways? For example, buddhists, hindus,sikhs etc etc. Isnt this watering the christian belief? One could ask , if muslims believe in the same God as christians so why should i stay with christian faith??? If praying in mosque is as allright as praying in church, isn't this crossing the line too much? We know well that those two faiths contradicts each other completely.If islam is true, our faith is wrong, and vice versa.Maybe sometimes it's better to show the differences than to show how we are all the same.

Woodrow said:

Have you ever read the KJV in Arabic? Word god is not used in it once. Allah(swt) is called Allah(swt) in it. there are Arabic Christians and many of them do use the KJV in Arabic.

Christians did not use the word god until about the 14th Century. It is an interesting word with some interesting roots. How and why the English changed Allah(swt) to God(swt) I do not understand.

It seems that if Allah(swt) was good enough for Jesus(as) it should have remained good enough for English speakers.

Click to expand...

Absolutely. The early Christian church used the word "Allah" for God long before Muslims did. The word "God" is a fairly recent addition to the lexicon. Of course by "recent" I mean in historical terms.