Difference between Muslims and Christians

Key difference: Essentially the main difference between Muslims and Christians is that Muslims follow the religion of Islam, whereas Christians follow Christianity. Christianity is a monotheistic religion that originated in Jerusalem in 33 A.D. Christians follow the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament, which consists of the teachings of Jesus. Islam also believes in the original texts of Judaism and Christianity, but believes that the modern texts have been corrupted.

Islam Essentially the main difference between Muslims and Christians is that Muslims follow the religion of Islam, whereas Christians follow Christianity. Both, Islam and Christianity are Abrahamic religions. Abrahamic religions are religions that attribute their origins to Abraham. These include Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All three are monotheistic, i.e. believe in and worship the one true God. Christianity had originally been a sect of Judaism, which then formed into its own religion. Islam, likewise, branched out of Christianity.

Christianity is a monotheistic religion that originated in Jerusalem in 33 A.D. Christians follow the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament, which consists of the teachings of Jesus. The Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God and the savior of humanity and was born through a virgin birth. They believe that Jesus is the Messiah that is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and that he suffered, died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead in order to grant eternal life to those who believe in him and trust him for the remission of their sins. A person can be admitted to the church through baptism.

Islam also believes in the original texts of Judaism and Christianity, but believes that the modern texts have been corrupted. Muslims believe that the after the corruption, Allah finally sent Muhammad to sum up and to finalize the word of God. Gabriel, the angel, delivered the Qur’an to Muhammad, the prophet and the messenger. They believe that on the Day of Resurrection, Jesus and Muhammad will rise on Earth to fight the false Messiah (the Anti-Christ), and to bring all the people under the true word of God (the Qu’ran).

Also, a major difference in their beliefs is that Christianity believes Jesus Christ to be the son of God, whereas Islam refutes this claim. Islam states that Jesus Christ is a human prophet of God and not the ‘son’ of God. Jesus Christ taught the word of God and then died and was accepted into heaven.

Both Christianity and Islam have a number of similar practices in fasting and giving alms to the poor. Both utilize prayer beads, and take pilgrimages to receive blessings from God. However, Islam dictates that the member should pray five times a day. It also prohibits foods including pork products, blood, carrion, and alcohol. All meat should be halal, i.e. come from an herbivorous animal slaughtered in the name of God by a Muslim, Jew, or Christian.

In modern times, Islam has been criticized for its strict traditional believes and its treatment of women. Even though this has been changing to some aspect due to modernization, there are some sects who force members to follow the traditional law and rules.

Some differences between the two religions:

	Islam	Christianity
Place of Birth	Mecca, Arabia	Jerusalem
Time of origin	7^th century AD	33 A.D. (1^st century AD)
Origin of name	From Arabic meaning “voluntary submission to God”.	From the Koine Greek word ‘Christ’, a translation of the Biblical Hebrew term, ‘Messiah’.
Place of Worship	Mosque	Church, Cathedral
Founder	Muhammad	Jesus Christ
Definition	Allah is the one and incomparable God and the purpose of existence is to love and serve Allah	Christians follow the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament, which consists the teaching of Jesus. Believes in the trinity, Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Believes Jesus Christ is the son of God.
Jesus Christ	Jesus is one of the highest-ranked prophets in Islam and is born through virgin birth. He was not divine and spoke only of God’s worship. Ascended to heaven.	Believed to the son of God and the Messiah. Born through virgin birth. Sacrificed for the sins of humanity.
Holy Text	Qur'an	Holy Bible in two parts; the Old Testament and the New Testament
Prophets	Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad	Jesus
Idols	Beads	Cross, saints, pictures, beads
Clothes	Head coverings	Only clergies are expected to dress in robes (Catholic & Orthodox)
Holy days/Official Holidays	Friday (day for prayer), Eid al-Fitr on the 1st of Shawwal, marking the end of the fasting month Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, coinciding with the pilgrimage to Mecca.	Sunday (The Lord's Day), Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost
Original Language	Arabic	Greek, Latin, Aramaic
Branches	Shia, Sunni, Sufi	Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox.
Reincarnation	Salvation or Damnation after death. No reincarnation.	Salvation or Damnation after death. No reincarnation
Beliefs	God is the true creator; Only Allah should be worshipped; Everyone should obey the commandments given by Allah. Trinity is blasphemy.	God is omnipotent; the trinity of God- the father, the son and the holy spirit; There is only one God and that he has revealed himself as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Salvation	Salvation is a gift achieved through belief in Allah and good works, thus personal righteousness must outweigh personal sin	Salvation is a gift from the Lord and comes by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ only.
Number of followers	Around 1.65 billion	Around 2.2 billion