Jesus and Mohammed
Jesus
Jesus is believed to have been sent by God to the earth more than 2000 years ago. He became a human being and was born of a virgin, Mary, who was betrothed to a man named Joseph. Although Jesus lived like a man he never committed any sin. He performed a lot of miracles and wonders during his stay in the world and converted a lot of followers (Aron, 1962).
Jesus is believed to have died on the cross to save mankind and rose from the dead after three days. Those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and follow his ways are Christians.
The exact date in the contemporary world when Jesus was born is not evident. The current western style of recording date tries to count the years from when he is believed to have been born. The Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, talks of his birth as having taken place during the reign of King Herod. Herod died in 4 BCBCE. The Gospel of Luke indicates that he was born during the initial census of Syria and Judea. This is believed to have taken place in 6 ADCE. This is the reason why majority scholars assume that he was born between 6 and 4 BCBCE (Baugh, 1997).
Jesus grew in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. The earthly father of Jesus, Joseph, was a carpenter. This is why he is sometimes referred to as a carpenter because he assisted his father in his work. It is believed that he was thirty years when be was baptized by John the Baptist in River Jordan. It is believed that the baptism of Jesus was the beginning of his public ministry. After he was baptized, he went to the desert where he fasted for forty days and was tempted by the Devil three times. He never fell into the temptations for each time he answered the devil by quoting the scripture. Jesus spent most of his time here teaching about the kingdom of God, exorcising demons, and performing miracles. He healed the sick, the lame and the blind and also raised the dead. Some examples of those raised by Jesus from the dead were Lazarus and Jairus daughter, among others. He spoke in parables and aphorisms. Mark talks of Jesus giving his life as ransom for sinners. He came to bring the good news of the kingdom and for all those who believed in him to have eternal life (Baugh, 1997).
During his time on earth he won many followers, with twelve as his disciples. He speaks to them about the demands of discipleship and stated that they had to make sacrifices to follow him. Jesus was betrayed by one of his followers, Judas Iscariot, after a Passover celebration where he prophesied about his betrayer and ultimate death. During the Passover celebration Jesus took bread and wine, which symbolized his body and bread as a new covenant that his followers would drink and practice in his remembrance. Before his arrest he washed the feet of his disciples, talked about persecution of his disciples and the coming of the counselor (Aron, 1962). The councilor was the Holy Spirit who would give them courage and teach them Gods ways.
Jesus was arrested by temple guards who were ordered to do so by Sanhedrin and the high priest. The Jewish rulers took him to Pilate to be persecuted. Pilate was reluctant to persecute him, but his efforts were hindered by the public who chose Barabbas, a thief to be released instead of Jesus. Jesus was finally crucified with two thieves. He died and was buried but he rose after the third day. After his death and resurrection, he appeared to his disciples. He told them to go and wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit who would invest them with power. According to the gospels Jesus ascended to heaven after the appearances before his disciples. Before he ascended he talked to him about his second coming (Baugh, 1997).
Mohammed
Mohammed was born in Mecca between 570 and 580 AD. Mohammed is said to have heard the angel of God speak to him for the first time when he was almost 40 years. The angel who is identified as Gabriel revealed to him that there existed only one God and that it was wrong to revere idols. He also told him that the end of the world would be coming with the final judgment. Mohammed was active as a military attach, theorist, spokesman, mercantile, lawmaker, reformer, and military general (Andrae, 1960). He is believed by Muslims as an agent of divine faith. Mohammed was brought up by his uncle after the death of his parents. He worked as a merchant and shepherd. Mohammed married at the age of 25. He was dissatisfied with life and took refuge in the cave in the mountains to meditate and reflect. According to Muslims it is here at the mountains, in the month of Ramadan that he got his initial revelation from Allah. Three years after this took place Mohammed began to preach the revelations in public. He began proclaiming that God is one and that total surrender to him was the only way tolerable to him. He proclaimed to be the messenger and prophet of Allah (Archer, 1924).
In the beginning Mohammed gained few followers. He was opposed by Meccan tribes and he and his followers were treated harshly. To evade persecution, he sent some of his followers to Abyssinia. Later he and his other followers shifted to medina. This event is known as the Hijra and marks the start of the Islamic calendar. After eight years of conflicts with the Meccan tribes, the followers of Mohammed who had increased in number defeated Mecca. Mohammed died in 632, after coming back to medina after a farewell pilgrimage. By the time he died, Mohammed had most of the Arabian Peninsula to Islam. He had also converted the tribes of Arabia into a Muslim religious polity. The revelations that Mohamed reported to have gotten from the angel, comprise the verses of the Quran. The Quran is regarded by the Islamic religion as the Word of God, and it is the basis for the religion. The Quran does not blatantly show Mohammed as a miracle performer, but the supreme miracle of Mohammed is identified with the Quran itself (Andrae, 1960).
Impact of their death to their followers
Unlike with Jesus who preached mercy and forgiveness, the Islamic faith is associated with conflicts beginning at the time they fought to conquer Mecca. When Jesus was rejected by his opponents, he forgave them and persevered to the point of death. The final words of Jesus and Mohammed have impact on their followers. Jesus prayed for forgiveness for his persecutors for they did not know what they were doing, while Mohammed prayed a curse from God to Jews and Christians because they constructed their places of worship at the tombs of the prophets. After the death of Jesus his followers continued to preach peace, love and forgiveness, just as he had forgiven his persecutors. After the death of Mohammed there were conflicts as to who would succeed him as the leader of the Islamic community. They continued fighting to win followers and to defend their faith (Mohammed, 1998). While Mohammed was a self-fulfilling prophet, Jesus was prophesied before his coming and his second coming is also prophesied. In preaching about Jesus, Christians are urged to stay a sin-free life so that they can enjoy the everlasting kingdom with him and other righteous (Mohammed, 1998).
Ways of worship
Jesus was the only key to being a member of Gods family it is only though him that it is possible for the mankind to relate with God. It is only through the son that Christians can get to the father. He is believed by Christians to be a link between them and the father (Aron, 1962).
The life and traditions of Mohammed are upheld by the Islamic religion. Muslims consider Mohammed and other prophets with veneration. They add the phrase peace be upon him whenever they are mentioning their names. Mohammed is revered greatly in the Muslim faith with his mane populating their thoughts and poetry. The Quran refers to Mohammed as a mercy to the worlds. His birthday is celebrated as a major feast (Andrae, 1960).
Spreading of the religion to the world
Christians follow the teachings of the bible in preaching about Jesus, while the Muslims use the Quran. While there is no specific formula, although kneeling is sometimes used to show surrender to God, in Christianity, Muslims are supposed to pray five times a day facing Mecca. In Islamic faith men and women do not pray in the same place (Mohammed, 1998). Following the declaration of one God, the belief in Mohammed as a prophet is the main aspect of Islamic religion. Each Muslim proclaims in the Shahadah that Mohammed is the messenger of God. The Shahadah is the fundamental creed of Islam. It is the one through which the Islamic faith is passed over to people. It is the first thing a child hears after birth, is taught as soon as he can understand and is uttered when he is dead. They repeat the Shahadah in their call to pray and the prayer itself. Those who wish to convert to Islam are supposed to recite the Shahadah (Andrae, 1960).
Conclusion
Both Jesus and Mohammed are influential figures in their subsequent religions but they were different in every aspect of their life. Even today the followers of Jesus Christ preach peace, forgiveness and sacrifice in defense for their faith while the Muslims have no mercy when it comes to defending their faith. In fact the Muslim advocate jihad, holy war, to protect their faith.
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