Jesus and Mohammed
Later on it was revealed that the Messiah was Jesus. Jesus is said to be one of the components of the holy trinity God, God the son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the second trinity and so he is God the Son. The people who believe in Jesus and his religion are known as Christians. Jesus just like Mohammed is also believed to be the messenger of God and referred to as Jesus Christ. Christians also believe that Jesus is incarnate. The Muslims believe that Jesus is one of the Messiah but Mohammed is the last one, however, Christians do not believe in Mohammed (Sochottroff. 2002).
Mohammed was born in the year 570 in Mecca. He was born of Aminah and Abdullah. He lost his parents when he was at a very tender age and so he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. He was from the Quraish tribe of the Banu Hashim Clan. Mohammad married at the Age of 25 to a wealthy and noble widow who was 40 years of age 15 years his senior. Mohammed had the habit of retreating in the mountains for meditation. One day Angel Gabriel appeared to him during his meditation and revealed to him that he was the chosen one. Three years after the Angels visit, Mohammed gained courage and started preaching Allah and that all should total surrender to him. Jesus on the other hand is said to have lived between the years 5BCE 30CE. He was born of Mary and Joseph. Unlike Mohammed, Jesus grew up with his parents. But just like Mohammed, little is known of his life except that his parents lived a humble life (Amstrong. 2002).
Christians believe that Jesus was born of his virgin mother Mary. Contrary to Islam religion where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed, in Christianity, the Angle Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mary mother of Jesus and told her not to worry since she was pregnant with the son of God, despite the fact that at the time she had not consummated her relationship with Joseph her fianc. Therefore, Christians regard Mary as a holy mother since she was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus birth was received with hostility by King Herold, who had heard that the King of the Jews was born, and so he sent out his subjects to kill all the male children who were two years and below. His family was compelled to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt (Sochottroff. 2002).
Christians believe that the family was protected by God and so Jesus got to live until he was of age. Mohammed on the other hand was met with hostility particularly from his tribes men who were the custodian of the Kaaba (shrine of idols). By this time he was in his 40s. Mohammed therefore fled to Medina to seek protection. The Islam religion refers to Mohammeds fleeing for safety as Hijra which is very significant in the Islamic calendar. His presence in Medina was very fruitful as he is said to have united the tribes who were in conflict and above all his number of followers grew. As a result they unanimously conquered Mecca (Amstrong. 2002).
Mohammed died a few months after his pilgrimage. He died from illness. By the time of his death, he had united most of the Arabian Peninsula and also Islam religion had spread widely. The Islamic faith is outlined in the Quran, commonly referred to as the word of God. Mohammed lived a virtuous life which made him earn the title the faithful one. After his death the Islam lived according to his life and traditions which they refer to as sira and sunnah. The literature that was written by those who knew him is referred to as Hadtih (Masqsood. 1995). Jesus on the contrary died a very painful death as he was crucified to death by Pontius Pilate who accused Jesus of Blasphemy. For Christians, this death signifies forgiveness of the original sin. Christians believe that the first man and woman ate the forbidden fruit and that this original sin was transferred to man. The work of Jesus on earth was to take away this sin from man. And so in order to do this he had to die for their sins (Amstrong. 2002).
Jesus is also said to have lived a virtuous life. His life is narrated in the Holy Bible, a book which outlines the history of Christianity as well as a guideline of how they should live. In the Bible Jesus is described to have had a lot of wisdom and to have spoken in parables for purposes of effective communication (Dowley. 2006).
Mohammeds name is mentioned in Quran only four times since he is referred to as the Prophet, he is also referred to as the messenger of Allah, the bearer of good tidings and other titles that indicate that he is indeed admirable. The Quran also distinguishes Mohammed to have excelled above other prophets, while the Surah describes him as the Seal of the Prophets (Amstrong. 2002).
At the age of 12, Mohammed accompanied his uncle to a caravan trade journey to Syria where they met a Christian monk named Bahira who foretold Mohammed as the last prophet of God. Not much is said about Mohammeds youthful life, however, his uprightness was so distinct and it drew Khadija to him. However, when Khadija died after 25 years of their blissful marriage, Mohammed is said to have married 13 wives by the time of his death. Khadija bore Mohammed four daughters and two sons. Similarly at the age of 12, Jesus is said to have walked away from the parents and went to preach to adults. The parents panicked but after a long search they found him. On cautioning him he asked them if they did not know he was supposed to be serving his father (Masqsood. 1995).
The Quran preaches that Islam is the total submission to Allah and thus urges Muslims to submit to Allah and respect Prophet Mohammed. In the Quran Man is responsible for preserving creatures. Muslims also believe in life after death and that there will come the Day of Judgment whereby those who did not live by the doctrine of the Quran will be sent to hell by Allah while the good will live eternally in heaven. The Muslims are required by the word of Allah to believe in him, reject sin, and ask for forgiveness of sin, fast during Ramadan, and pray without seizing. Christians believe that fasting and praying to God expedites Gods response to their needs. They also believe in life after death and the judgment day, and that sinners will go to hell while good Christians will enjoy eternal life in heaven (Dowley. 2006).
Historians say that Mohammed experienced opponent of Islam religion when he attacked adoration of idols, polytheism most favorable religion of his forefathers at the time. Mohammed was offered wealth and beautiful girls in exchange of his faith but he denied. He was therefore mistreated alongside his followers some of whom lost their lives as a result. There are no records where Jesus reckoned with idol worshipers, however, in the Old Testament, one of his ancestors Moses who was entrusted with the 10 commandments that Christians subscribe to is said to have been angered by idol worshipers. The idol worshipers were destroyed by God.
Jesus private life is not effectively documented. There are no authentic documents on Jesus private life, however, if he would have married, it would have been one wife since he preached monogamy. However, Mohammed is said to have married a total of 13 wives during his life time on basis of giving favors or attaining favors. Quite a number of his wives were widows, and so they needed a shoulder to lean on. As a result Christians are monogamists while Muslims are Polygamists (Masqsood. 1995).
Today there have been controversies on both the Islamic religion and the Christian religion. For Muslims, there have emerged various schools of thought that have resulted to two branches of Muslims the Shia and the Sunni. Both Shia and Sunni believe in Mohammeds preaching and the Quran, however the Shia have expounded on Mohammeds traditions (Masqsood. 1995). The Sharia Law has particularly been the centre of controversy on the issue of taking away someones life as a punishment for sin as well as the holy war. Christians have equally had their share of conflict and as a result there has emerged so many denominations with diverse traditions. But most importantly, they all subscribe to the teaching of the Holy Bible. The major controversy amongst the Christian is the belief in the Holy Eucharist and the presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist as well as the vow of celibacy amongst the Roman Catholic among others (Amstrong. 2002).
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