There’s been a lot of talk about ‘the three Abrahamic religions’ in the last couple of decades, fostered by ‘Dialogue & Dawa’ events, so let’s have a closer look.
Mohammed began having revelations at age 40. This frightened him, he thought he might be mad or a poet, both of which he despised. His wife’s Christian cousin was asked for help, and the cousin said that Mohammed must be a prophet.(i)
Afterwards, Mohammed declared that the biblical prophets - Abraham, Noah, Moses etc. and Christ (Isa) were all born Muslim and that Mary, mother of Christ, was also the sister of Aaron. He said that Christ was never crucified – that another was crucified in his place. This is not consistent with Judeo-Christian tradition.
During Mohammed’s night journey to Jerusalem he was shown heaven, passing by Christ on the 2nd level and progressing to the highest 7th heaven.(ii) Mohammed also had a glimpse of hell, which he said contained mostly women who were ungrateful to their husbands.
At first, Mohammed was not critical of Jews but after the migration (hijra) to Medina that changed.
The 3 Jewish tribes of Medina (half the population) did not accept Mohammed as prophet – within 5 years all 3 tribes were exiled or killed. Of the last tribe 6-700 men were beheaded in a single day, the women and children taken as captives and slaves. (iii)
Mohammed said that Christians and Jews, ‘people of the book’ corrupted their own scriptures, and that is what is taught to this very day. Mohammed sometimes granted them ‘dhimmi’ status – the right to pay a special tax called the ‘jizya’ and imposed many restrictions on them. If they paid it and felt themselves subdued, they were able to keep their lives
A few examples:
K2:159 Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture, those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse
K5:51 Oh believers, do not take the Jews or Christians as friends. They are but one another’s friends. If any one of you take them for his friends, he surely is one of them
K3:54 …Allah is the best of schemers
Perhaps more significant than similarities in the doctrine, are the differences. Christians and Jews study the old and new testaments and genealogies of the Bible. Islam uses the Koran and Sunna of Mohammed, the genealogy is questioned (iv).
The example of Christ as recorded in the gospels, and that of Mohammed described in the Sira and Hadith, are diametrically opposed. For Islam, ‘Believers’ excludes those who do not follow Sharia, the way of Mohammed and Allah.
Only Islam endorses and funds jihad through mandatory collection of zakat.
Only Islam says that Christ will return to destroy all religions except Islam.
Dawa events are meant to gain converts and support for Islam (v)
Look for original sources that have not been bowdlerized. They’re a little tougher reading, but well worth the effort.
Sources:
(i) Guillaume, Alfred. 'The Life of Muhammad: a Translation of Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah' p106-107 (#153-154), Oxford University Press, 1967 (Ibn Ishaq 700-767CE) https://archive.org/details/history-ibn-ishaq-sirat-rasul-allah-the-life-of-muhammad/page/n7/mode/2up
(ii) ibid p181-186 (#263-271)
(iii) ibid p464 (#690-693)
(iv) Amari, Dr. Rafat ‘Is Mohammed a descendent of Ishmael?’ from ‘Islam in Light of History’ https://web.archive.org/web/20231203080127/http://rrimedia.org/Resources/Articles/ArtMID/1379/ArticleID/53/Is-Mohammed-a-Descendant-of-Ishmael#_ednref14
(v) Siddiqi, Shamim, “ Methodology of Dawah Elallah in American Perspective” Islamic Works Pub. 1989 http://www.dawahinamericas.com/bookspdf/MethodologyofDawah.pdf
Video:
Koran 2:59 https://legacy.quran.com/2/59
Koran 2:159 https://legacy.quran.com/2/159
Koran 3:54 https://legacy.quran.com/3/54
Koran 3:67 https://legacy.quran.com/3/67
Koran 4:157 https://legacy.quran.com/4/157
Koran 5:51 https://legacy.quran.com/5/51
Koran 8:12 https://legacy.quran.com/8/12
Koran 9:29 https://legacy.quran.com/9/29
Koran 9:60 https://legacy.quran.com/9/60
Koran 19:28-34 https://legacy.quran.com/19/28-34
Koran 27:76 https://legacy.quran.com/27/76
Hadith (Bukhari 304) https://sunnah.com/bukhari:304
Hadith (Dawud 4324) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4324
Hadith (Dawud 2140) https://sunnah.com/abudawud:2140
Hadith (Muslim 2659a) https://sunnah.com/muslim:2659a
Hadith (Muslim 2405) https://sunnah.com/muslim:2405
Sharia (Reliance of the Traveller h8.17, o9., o11.) Umdat al-Salik trans by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amana Publications 2015 https://archive.org/details/relianceofthetravellertheclassicmanualofislamicsacredlaw
Koran 13 verses forbidding friendship: https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/13-verses-reveal-muslim-not-friend-kafir/
Koran 89 verses to follow Mohammed: https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/number-times-koran-commands-muslims-imitate-mohammed/
Anti-Jew text in Islamic texts: https://www.cspii.org/learn-political-islam/methodology/statistical-analysis-political-islam/anti-jew-text-trilogy/
Photo: Islamic Museum Melbourn Australia - genealogy on window, incomplete bio of Mohammed poster.