Beyond The Surface

            From the above discussion, it does not seem necessary to argue that there are no similarities between Islam and other religions. It is certainly unfair and inaccurate to say so. All divine revelations proceeded from the One Universal God of all. Even with human distortions throughout history, some parallels are bound to exist.

            It is important to point out, however, that there are many essential differences that further refute the "Judaeo-Christian origins" thesis. Such differences cover a wide spectrum of topics including the concept of "original sin", the necessity of blood sacrifice, atonement of one's sins by someone else, the question of intermediary between man and God, the necessity and authority of a religious hierarchy. The concept of Sabbath, the concept of prophethood, essential information about previous prophets, the presence of or absence of inherent conflict between material and spirit, body and soul, the conception of man's role on earth, and the meaning of "religion" and whether it is basically a spiritual aspect of man's life or the totality of man's life. Discussion of such differences could extend to almost any length. For brevity, however, a few citations from the Bible and the Qur'an on one essential topic, the Concept of God, may help shed some light on such differences.

A. The Biblical Concept Of God

1. God is depicted in human form. In the book of Genesis we read: "And God said, Let us make a man in our image, after our likeness"[29].
   
   
2. He is described as one who gets tired of work and who needs to rest: "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made"[30].
   
   
3. He is described as one who walks in the garden, one from whom one may hide, and one who needs to search for what he is looking for. Narrating what happened after Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree the Bible states: "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where art you?" And he said, 'I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and hid myself'. He said, 'who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you not to eat?'"[31].
   
   
4. He is described as One who becomes sorry for making certain decisions which may imply either that he was not aware of the future repercussions of his decisions or that he is subject to different moods. In the Bible we read: "And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him to his heart"[32].
   
   
5. He is described frequently as the God of Israel and as one who is jealous. In the Book of Exodus we read: "For you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God"[33].
   
               Although the Bible describes god as the Creator of heavens and earth, there is far less emphasis on Him as the Universal god of all nations and more emphasis on Him as the "God of Israel". Children of Israel are frequently depicted as "His people".
   
   
6. In general, He is depicted as one who is subject to human-like limitations, as one who has nostrils and a mouth[34], that he dwells in thick darkness [35].He is described as one who needs man's guidance as it is clear in his instructions for the Israelite's flight from Egypt[36]. He is described as one who worries about man's power and unity. The following citation document this latter point:"And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; and nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for the, Come, let us go down; and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech'. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of the earth, and they left off building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord Scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth"[37].

B. The Qur'anic Concept Of God

1. In contrast to the conception of God in a human form we read in the Qur'an:“ Say He is God, The One and Only God, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is non like unto Him”[38]. Also:“ …there is nothing comparable to Him!”[39].
   
   
2. In contrast to the conception of God as One who gets tired and needs rest, we read in the Qur'an:“ God, there is no god except Him, the Living, the Eternal. Slumber does not overtake Him, nor does Sleep” [40].
   
   
3. In contrast to the conception of God as One who walks, resides in the clouds or in the temple of Solomon, the Qur'an indicates that God is not subject to the limitations of time and space. We read in the Qur'an:“ The East and West are God's. Wherever you may turn, there is God's countenance. God is so Ample, Aware”[41]. “ And He is God in the heavens and on earth. He knows what you hide, and what you reveal…”[42].
   
   
4. In contrast to the conception of God as One who discovers the consequences of his decisions as time goes on, the Qur'an emphasizes that God's knowledge are as eternal and as infinite as His Presence. We read in the Qur'an:“ …He knows what is before them and what is behind them and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He pleases…”[43]. “ He holds the keys to the unseen; only He knows them! He knows everything on land and at sea; no leaf drops down unless He knows it, nor any seed in the darkness of the earth, nor any tender shoot nor any dry (stalk) unless it is in a plain book”[44].
   
   
5. In contrast to the conception of god as the Jealous God of Israel, one fails to find a single verse in the Qur'an in which God is described as the God of Qurashites, the God of Arabs, or the God of Muslims. On the contrary we read in the Qur'an:“ Praise be to God, Lord of the Universe...”[45]. “ …We have sent you [O Muhammad] as a messenger to mankind: God suffices as a witness”[46].

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[29] Genesis 1:26, See also Gen.9:6.

[30] Gen. 2:2, See also Gen. 2:3 and Exodus 20:11. For forgetfulness see Gen. 8:1 and Exodus 2:24.

[31] Gen. 3:8-11.

[32] Gen. 6:6, See also Judges 2:18 and Exodus 32:14.

[33] Exodus 34:14, See also Exodus 20:5.

[34] 2nd Samuel 22:9-15.

[35] 1 Kings 8:12, See also Numbers 11:25.

[36] Exodus 12:13.

[37] Gen.11:5-9, See also Gen.3:22-24.

[38] Qur'an 112:1-4.

[39] Qur'an 42:11.

[40] Qur'an 2:255.

[41] Qur'an 2:115.

[42] Qur'an 6:3.

[43] Qur'an 2:255.

[44] Qur'an 6:59.

[45] Qur'an 1:1.

[46] Qur'an 4:79.