Jesus Christ and Muhammad, the Word made flesh and the last Prophet sent by God. Both have lived exceptional lives. They have gained a following, a significant amount in that. To state as a matter of fact, Christianity and Islam are two of the largest religions in the world today. Those who believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ are called Christians while the followers of Muhammad are called Muslims (Pentecost, 1981; Armstrong, 1992). Jesus and Muhammad gaining a huge following may be a good thing. But then again, such fact is what led them to be seen as a threat to the religious and government leaders, respectively.
Both of them have suffered persecution and mockery in the pursuit of preaching the good news to all of humanity (Pentecost, 1981; Armstrong, 1992). Christianity and Islam are monotheistic religions. They all believe in one divine entity. He is God to the Christians and he is Allah to the Muslims. From West Asia, the religions they founded transcended physical boundaries the world over (Pentecost, 1981; Armstrong, 1992). Six hundred years in between, their followers have established significantly contradicting beliefs and ideologies.
In terms of lineage, Jesus and Muhammad both have Abraham as their ancestor (Pentecost, 1981; Armstrong, 1992). The Life Jesus Lived Jesus or Immanuel means God the Savior or God is with us (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost, 1981). The Virgin Mary gave birth to him in the year 4 BC in a manger at Bethlehem (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). Jesus was raised in Nazareth by Mary and his adoptive father, Joseph, a carpenter (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). Christians regard Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the Holy Family.
This is the kind of family, they are trying to emulate (Pentecost, 1981). Throughout his life, Jesus has preached more than 300 scriptures in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). He used parables to spread the good news. The teachings of Jesus Christ were always about love. The love of God is the reason for salvation (Pentecost, 1981). He gained a following by teaching the Word of God. But there were some whom He personally picked to preach the goodness with Him. The chosen ones where called the 12 Apostles.
Simon Peter, one of the 12 was given the name “Cephas,” by His master, Jesus Christ, because of the latter’s firm faith in God. Matthew and John are two of Jesus’ apostles who authored two of the four Gospels found in the New Testament of the Bible (McBirnie, 2008). Jesus also healed the sick. The sick, meaning not just those who are suffering physical pains but spiritual pains as well (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). He even performed miracles. The first of which is his transformation of water to wine at one wedding held at Cana.
His mother was a witness to this. The most profound of all the miracles that have happened in Jesus’ lifetime was when He rose from the dead on the third day, to fulfill the promise of salvation (Pentecost, 1981). There has been no record of Jesus being married. He has lived his life free from sin. In fact, whenever he asks for forgiveness, he asks not for himself, but for others (Let Us Reason Ministry, 2007). Jesus, as a Prince of Peace has not waged any war in his lifetime. He offered His own life to die on the cross to fulfill his mission on earth.
His mission is the salvation of men from sin and death (Let Us Reason Ministry, 2007). Jesus founded Christianity, a religion of love, mercy and truth. He preached that the kingdom of God is not on this earth but in heaven. Christians are known for their love and compassion for their neighbors (Let Us Reason Ministry, 2007). The Life Muhammad Lived Muhammad which is also spelled as Muhammad or Mohammed means the praised one (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). He was born in the year 570 A. D. in Aminah, Mecca to the Quraysh tribe. He was the son of Abd Allah and Halima.
His life is accounted in the Qur’an (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). Unlike Jesus Christ, Muhammad was an orphan. His father and mother died before he was born and when he was aged 6, respectively. It was Abu Taleb, his uncle who raised him to live the merchant life. It is the only kind of livelihood that makes sense for an orphan like him (Armstrong, 1992). He has sailed through the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. He got married to a wealthy widow by the name of Khadijah. She was 40 years his senior. She bore him, four daughters and two sons.
Out of their six children, the two sons were unable to survive childhood (Armstrong, 1992). Muhammad only spoke one language that is Arabic. He authored the Qur’an, the book which was believed to be his miracle. He did not perform any miracles in his lifetime. Nor did he drove demons away or healed the sick (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007). If Jesus Christ moved to Capernaum, Muhammad was brought to Medina by the rejection he suffered for preaching the good news to the people. He was not sinless like Christ, whenever he prayed, he also asked for forgiveness for his own sins (Let Us Reason Ministries, 2007).