God: The Islamic view of God is strictly monotheistic (belief in one God). To Muslims God, who is called Allah, is omniscient (all knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (all pervading “everywhere”). Allah is infinite in all his Being and hates evil. Allah is self-existent, eternal, and transcendent over all his creation. If Allah so desires, he can interact with creation through his providence and miracles. Likewise he can choose to show mercy or not show mercy as he pleases.
Humanity: Humans in the Islamic worldview are creations of Allah and are subject to him. All of mankind was created by God but are not created in the image and likeness of Allah. Mankind was created to live in unconditional surrender to the will of Allah.
Salvation: In Islam, salvation from eternal damnation is only achieved through believing in the teachings of the Koran and obedience to Allah’s commands and will. People must “atone for their own sins by sincere confession and good works.”
Authority: The central authority for Muslims is the Koran (Qur’an) which is the holy book of Islam. The Koran is the divine revelation of Allah given to Muhammad his prophet over a period of 23 years in the Middle East during the 5th Century.
Time: Most Muslims assert that time was created by Allah. Time is finite and it is linear. Other words there was a beginning point for all time and there will be and end point for all of time. There is a past, present and future. History is headed towards a final Doomsday.
Jesus Christ: According to the Koran Jesus was a prophet of Allah who came to proclaim that Muhammad was on his way a few hundred years later. In Sura 61:6 is says:
“And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary said: ‘Oh Children of Israel! I am the apostle of God [sent] to you confirming the Law [which came] before me, and giving glad Tidings of an Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Muhammad.’”
In short, to Muslims, Jesus was just a prophet among a whole list of prophets from Allah who came before the Great Prophet Muhammad (other prophets being Abraham and Moses). Muslims will even say that Jesus was the Messiah, but in this form they define Messiah as simply prophet. Furthermore Muslims believe that Jesus will return in the end times and kill the Antichrist and destroy everyone who doesn’t believe in Allah and the prophet Muhammad. However, Muslims do not believe Jesus to be the Son of God, nor do they believe He resurrected – Jesus was simply a prophet of Allah and His teachings have been distorted by Christians to this very day.[2]
[1] Information on Islam in this section comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2006). Chart 9 and Chart 44
[2] Information in this paragraph, and the Koran quote, about Jesus comes from: Yeats, John and John Blase. Worldviews: Think For Yourself About How We See God. (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2006) pg 112
“And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary said: ‘Oh Children of Israel! I am the apostle of God [sent] to you confirming the Law [which came] before me, and giving glad Tidings of an Apostle to come after me, whose name shall be Muhammad.’”
In short, to Muslims, Jesus was just a prophet among a whole list of prophets from Allah who came before the Great Prophet Muhammad (other prophets being Abraham and Moses). Muslims will even say that Jesus was the Messiah, but in this form they define Messiah as simply prophet. Furthermore Muslims believe that Jesus will return in the end times and kill the Antichrist and destroy everyone who doesn’t believe in Allah and the prophet Muhammad. However, Muslims do not believe Jesus to be the Son of God, nor do they believe He resurrected – Jesus was simply a prophet of Allah and His teachings have been distorted by Christians to this very day.[2]
[1] Information on Islam in this section comes from: House, H. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2006). Chart 9 and Chart 44
[2] Information in this paragraph, and the Koran quote, about Jesus comes from: Yeats, John and John Blase. Worldviews: Think For Yourself About How We See God. (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2006) pg 112