Common Beliefs and Values Shared by Muslims and the People of the Book
Christian and Muslim beliefs have many aspects in common. Judaism too shares many beliefs with Islam. In the Qur’an, God relates that Muslims share the same faith with the People of the Book and that they say to them “We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him.” (Qur’an, 29:46)
All true adherents of these three great religions:
- Believe that God has created the entire universe out of nothing and that He dominates all that exists with His omnipotence.
- Believe that God has created man and living things in a miraculous way and that man possesses a soul granted him by God.
- Believe in resurrection, heaven and hell and angels, and that God has created our lives with a certain destiny.
- Believe that God sent many prophets such as the Prophet Noah (pbuh), the Prophet Abraham (pbuh), the Prophet Isaac (pbuh), the Prophet Joseph (pbuh) and the Prophet Moses (pbuh) throughout history, and they love all these prophets.
In one verse, that Muslims make no distinction among prophets is related as follows:
The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him by his Lord, and so do the believers. Each one believes in God and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. We do not differentiate between any of His Messengers. They say, “We hear and we obey. Forgive us, our Lord! You are our journey’s end.” (Qur’an, 2:285)
The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims, not only in terms of faith-related issues, but also of moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, drug addiction and a model of egoism and self-seeking cruelty have grown widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share the same virtues: Honour, chastity, humility, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and unconditional love.
Even though such concepts like “The End of History” and the “Clash of Civilisations” started to be popular from the 90’s onwards, one fact looms in these harsh times; these concepts have no validity whatsoever and they fail to deliver any solutions. Experience has taught us that we cannot build bliss upon the misery of others. This being the case, we need to find the way of binding up these wounds together and “recovering” as soon as possible. One means to this is to understand the value that the Qur’an attaches to the People of the Book.