A Tale of Two Prophets

A Tale of Two Prophets: Jesus and Muhammad
By Barbara LeMaster


The measure of a person’s greatness has been described as what he or she leaves behind. The term ‘great’ would then logically apply to both Jesus and Muhammad, both of whom have influenced billions of people living today. It is important to note, however, that neither of them actually originated religion. Their teachings grew out of existing religious ideas, or they changed and modified existing religious systems that had become unsatisfactory in one way or another.

Many major religions are based on mythology. In the cases of Islam and Christianity, the founders were both living, historical figures. That they existed and walked the earth is of no doubt. Historian Will Durant, writing in The Story of Civilization Part III: Caesar and Christ, testifies to Jesus’ historicity. Also, the first century Roman historian Suetonius in The Twelve Caesars. The historical personages of Adam, Noah, and Abraham are mentioned not only in the Bible (in the lineage of Jesus) but also in the Muslin holy book, the Qur’an (in at least 25 different surahs, or chapters). The term “Christian” refers to ‘one who is like Christ’ and the term Islam is significant for a Muslim, for it means ‘submission,’ ‘surrender’, or ‘commitment’ to Allah. The term ‘Muslim’ means ‘one who makes or does Islam.’

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in 2 C.E. and raised in Nazareth. He attended synagogue with his parents, Joseph and Mary. Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, c. 570 C.E. In English, the prophet’s name has various spellings (Mohammed, Muhammad, Mahomet) and most Muslims prefer Muhammad, even as the familiar ‘Jesus Christ’ is preferred over Yeshua. Muhammad practiced a form of worship of Allah that was centered in the Mecca valley, at the sacred site of the Ka’bah, a simple cube like building where a black meteorite was revered. Jesus practiced Judaism and attended synagogue with his parents. He went to Jerusalem, where the great temple was located, annually for Jewish festivals outlined in the law given to Moses.

However, both Jesus and Muhammad noted discrepancies in their respective belief systems. Muhammad was “disturbed by the idolatrous polytheism and animism, the immorality at religious convocations, and the drinking, gambling, and dancing that were fashionable.” (John Noss, Man’s Religions). Jesus, too, was upset at the way the Pharisees treated the common people. Twice he chased moneylenders out of the temple courtyard.

Jesus embarked on a public ministry at the age of 30, and Muhammad’s call to be a prophet took place when he was about 40. Gabriel, the angel who spoke to Mary and explained how she would give birth to Jesus, also commanded Muhammad to recite the name of Allah while Muhammad meditated in a mountain cave. Three times he was commanded to recite Allah’s name and then he began to recite the first of a series of revelations that constitute the Qur’an. The ‘new testament’ or the Greek scriptures of the Bible were written in koine Greek, or the language of the common people. Many Muslims believe that the Qur’an in Arabic is the purest form of the revelation; any attempt at translation is viewed as a dilution that involves a loss of purity. This concept is also seen in modern day Christianity with the books What Jesus Meant and Misquoting Jesus.

Muslim sources explain that upon receiving each revelation, Muhammad immediately recited it to those who happened to be near. These in turn committed the revelation to memory and recitation kept it alive. The revelations were written down by scribes on whatever primitive materials happened to be available, including palm leaves, wood, and parchment. Jesus quoted from the ‘old testament’ or Hebrew Scriptures repeatedly. He did not resort to cheap emotionalism or scare tactics when preaching. He used simple logic and parables, or illustrations, from everyday life. His famous Sermon on the Mount, which comprises three chapters of the gospel of Matthew, is an outstanding example of his teachings and methods.

Both Islam and Christianity were founded against great odds. The people of Mecca, even his own tribe, rejected Muhammad. He was persecuted and hated for 13 years before moving north to Yathrib. This emigration or hijrah in 622 C.E. is used as the starting point of the Islamic calendar. This date is also known as 8 A.H. (Latin, ‘anno hegirae’, year of the flight) rather than A.D. (Latin, ‘anno domini’, year of the Lord) or, as we have been using in this essay, C.E. (Common Era). Jesus, too, was hated and persecuted by his own people. Attempts were made on his life several times.

Muhammad eventually gained dominance when Mecca surrendered to him in January of 630 C.E. and he became its ruler. With the reins of secular and religious control in his hands, Muhammad cleaned the idolatrous images from the Ka’bah and established it as the focal point for pilgrimages to Mecca that continue to this day. Jesus, in stark contrast, refused to become involved in Roman politics even when the Jews wanted to make him their king. “My kingdom is no part of this world,” he repeatedly stressed. In the year 33 C.E., Jesus was arrested and put on trial by the Jewish religious authorities. The charge was blasphemy for calling himself the Son of God (Matthew 26:3,4). The Jews did not have the legal right to put him to death, so they sent him to the Roman rulers and raised false charges against him, stating that he forbid the paying of taxes to Caesar.

The Roman governor Pontius Pilate eventually sentenced Jesus to death on the insistence of the religiously inspired mob, which demanded the release of a criminal, Barabbas, in exchange for Jesus being executed. Jesus died in disgrace on a stauros (Greek for ‘stake’ or ‘pole’) and his body was placed in a tomb. The core belief of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus three days after he was put to death. The gospel writers Matthew, Mark and Luke all describe the resurrected Jesus appearing to his followers. About 22 years later, the apostle Paul (a former persecutor of Christians) wrote and explained how he came to believe that Jesus had been resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:3-7), and it included the testimony of some 500 eyewitnesses who had seen the resurrected Jesus in person.
The teachings of Jesus eventually spread ‘throughout the known world,’ according to Luke, who wrote the Bible book Acts of Apostles, which gives a historical account of the activities of first century Christians living under Roman rule.

Islam had spread as far as Afghanistan and Tunisia in North Africa within a few decades of the prophet’s death in 632 C.E. By the early 8th century, Islam was practiced in Spain and at the French border. Professor Ninian Smart writes: “Humanly, it was from him that a new civilization flowed. But of course for the Muslim the work was divine and the achievement that of Allah.” (Background to the Long Search). The prophet’s death provoked a crisis. He died without any male progeny and without a clearly designated successor. Jesus had designated all his followers to do proselytizing work, as he had done. On June 8, 632 C.E., Abu-Bakr was designated as Muhammad’s successor by an election.

The three major monotheistic religions of the world are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The principal teaching of Islam, is what is known as the shahadah or confession of faith: “No God but Alah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” This agrees with the Quranic expression found at Surah 2:163 (“Your God is One God”) and with what Jesus himself stated 600 years before Muhammad.