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What are the similarities between Islam and Judaism?

laura525

New Member
Embedded in every culture and in every religion is both the concept and prescriptive action of thankfulness. A Jew gives thanks for food, for seeing natural wonders, for the workings of the body. A Christian gives thanks for health and strength and family. A Muslim gives thanks for eyes to see, ears to hear and for healing when we need to be healed. A Buddhist offers gratitude for inner peace, compassion and love.
 
What are the similarities between Islam and Judaism?

Well , if Judaism means teaching of Prophet Moosa alisam then you can say no differene (only shria is different) the basis message is same. Both the Prophets bring us the commandments of Allah and commanded us to worship the only and only one Allah(GOD)

Quran says in SURAH 3

84: Say: "We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes,and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from theirLord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allahdo we bow our will (in Islam)."

The basis message of Quran, Torab, Injeel is the same.

If you are interested more in this topic you can study this article
Islamic Research Foundation - Introduction Judaism

Hope that help you
 

ZooGirl02

Well-Known Member
Well, they are both strictly monotheistic, right? If I have my facts right, the doctrine of both Judaism and Islamic doctrine believe that there is only ONE God with absolutely no other partners/sons/other gods/etc. I may be wrong though. I do know that there are many different sects of Judaism and Islam and that the different sects do not have exactly the same beliefs.

Anyway, here are to links to what I consider to be a very nice website which attempts to give the facts in an unbiased manner about both Judaism and Islam:

JUDAISM

The religion of Islam
 

Zardoz

Wonderful Wizard
Premium Member
Well , if Judaism means teaching of Prophet Moosa alisam then you can say no differene (only shria is different) the basis message is same. Both the Prophets bring us the commandments of Allah and commanded us to worship the only and only one Allah(GOD)...
Agreed. Both faiths are monotheistic and require personal commitment to G-d's revealed will, and feature frequent worship.
 
I almost see absolutely no theological difference between Islam and Judaism, save that the Message was given by a certain prophet.

Although while Judaism only accepts its particular prophets, Islam accepts a universality of prophets - that there have been many prophets in the past that taught monotheism, that God is One.

Otherwise, they seem to be theologically compatible; unfortunately Christianity has to be the awkward one in the Abrahamic fold...
 

xkatz

Well-Known Member
I almost see absolutely no theological difference between Islam and Judaism, save that the Message was given by a certain prophet

Actually there are two major theological differences I can think of. Those would be predestination (which is a major part of Islam, but not Judaism), and dualism (also major in Islam, but not in Judaism). There are probably other theological differences but otherwise, the theology and beliefs are pretty similar actually.
 

Levite

Higher and Higher
Both Judaism and Islam are strict monotheistic faiths: in other words, they both only believe in one God, who has no physical form, who is eternal and transcendant, and who alone created all things.

Both faiths are essentially law-based: in contrast to Christianity, or to Hinduism, which teach philosophies, but do not provide a legal framework for society, both Judaism and Islam have complex structures of religious law that govern many aspects of daily life and ritual practice. Ethics, theology, and considerable applied philosophy are all discussed within the frameworks of these systems of law.

Islam is essentially a daughter religion of Judaism and Christianity: it reinterprets the stories and teachings given in both Jewish and Christian sacred texts, shaping them to its own need. Islam, being originally a religion of Arabs, considers Abraham (Ibrahim) to be its original patriarch, via his son Ishmael (Ismail); the Jews also consider Abraham their original patriarch, via his son Isaac.

Both religions share certain similar philosophical traits, liturgical styles, and ritual practices, and indeed at certain points in history, syncretistic sharing from one to the other was fairly open.

They are very similar in many ways: much closer to one another than any other two Western religions.
 

Database

I respect all religions
Jews believe in Moses and Muslims believe in Moses too

but difference is Jews do not accept Muslims Prophet and their Holy Book
 

kai

ragamuffin
I almost see absolutely no theological difference between Islam and Judaism, save that the Message was given by a certain prophet.

Although while Judaism only accepts its particular prophets, Islam accepts a universality of prophets - that there have been many prophets in the past that taught monotheism, that God is One.

Otherwise, they seem to be theologically compatible; unfortunately Christianity has to be the awkward one in the Abrahamic fold...

I would say Judaism does not recognise Mohamed as a prophet therefore Islam as described by the revelation to him ,is nothing to do with Judaism.

Islam on the other hand claims all the Jewish prophets and revelations as their own, so from Adam to Muhammad, it has always been Islam. Nothing else is accepted.
 

Database

I respect all religions
I would say Judaism does not recognise Mohamed as a prophet therefore Islam as described by the revelation to him ,is nothing to do with Judaism.

Islam on the other hand claims all the Jewish prophets and revelations as their own, so from Adam to Muhammad, it has always been Islam. Nothing else is accepted.

yes agreed thanks for explanation :)
 

Caladan

Agnostic Pantheist
When I read the Qur'an for the first time, I followed the way it speaks about the People of Israel, the Israelite prophets, and specifically Moses.
Muhammad's Qur'an speaks about the earlier status of the People of Israel as God's chosen people and of the way God brought many prophets from the nation of Israel, it later goes on to call them People of the Book. Islamic texts describe the relations between Muhammad and the Jews in Arabia, the failed alliances, the political odds during the day of judgement between the Jews and the Muslims, and some would say that is an understatement, just as some Jews would say that the Hebrew Bible puts the Arab to be at odds with Israel through Biblical passages about Ishmael or the Ishmaelites.
Both Jews and Muslims hold to have ancestral relations to Abraham, Jews through Issac and Muslim Arabs through Ishmael.
Muhammad upon his attempt to settle the tensions between Arab tribes drafted the constitution of Medina in which he greatly preserved the original traditions of the Arab tribes, but has also introduced new religious rites, that are very similar to those of Judaism and of the Jews such as fasting and daily prayers.
The Jews, who have been able to preserve their tradition throughout history, also rejected Muhammad's revelations and status of a prophet out of practical political reasons, Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy was to be the new leader of Medina, and he was neutral to Jewish tradition, the Jews expected to guard and practice their way of life under his rule, but that has changed after Muhammad's arrival.
The literature of the Qur'an is very different from that of the Hebrew Bible and discusses many different issues.
The Hebrew Bible has existed many centuries before Islam and the Qur'anic tradition, and the Jews have been preserving it and studying it for centuries, I would say that for the Jews, they already had their celebrated holy text, which has also become a corner stone in Christian tradition a few centuries before the birth of Muhammad and the appearance of the Qur'an, the text and style of the Qur'an, where likely were not seen as relevant to the Jews of Muhammad's time, as it is in great part directed towards the Pagan Arab tribes, or what Islamic tradition would call the era of the Jahilliyah, where the Arabs were following heathen ways which corrupted their societies.
even Maimonides the celebrated Jewish scholar, and physician of Saladin's court- one of the most celebrated figures of Islamic history looked at Muhammad as a false prophet, and pointed out his illiteracy as one of the obstacles to his Prophethood.
In the greater time span of Jewish life in Islamic lands, Jews practiced their tradition, and no great efforts to convert them to Islam were made, as the Jews were considered and under the status of People of the Book. those Jews who have been converted under Islamic rulers, still held their Jewish heritage while now practicing Islam.
Despite the Jewish rejection of Muhammad's prophethood, Islam remains the closest religion to Judaism throughout history, both practiced by middle eastern Semitic people, who speak Semitic languages, and both trace their lineage and of each other to Abraham.
While Judaism has the Halacha (its system of laws), Islam has Sharia, and both religions put emphasis on oral tradition which can elaborate on the written law.
Many basic laws are also shared, from charity and fasting to dietary laws, or having the food Kosher and Halal. circumcision is mandatory in both religions. further more there is a body of Hadith which takes its origin from Jewish teachings.
Medieval Jewish thinkers wrote much about the similarity between Jews and Muslims in embracing the unity of God.
Today, the political tensions in the middle east, put Jews and Muslims at odds. however by studying each other's religion we can learn much about our own traditions and identity.
Judaism and Islam are of the most influential traditions in the world. the Jewish-Islamic history in the middle east region, in Spain and other places not only holds important historical importance but has a strong relevance to the realities of today, in Europe, in North America, and the middle east.
 
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Eihab

Journalist
When I read the Qur'an for the first time, .............. not only holds important historical importance but has a strong relevance to the realities of today, in Europe, in North America, and the middle east.
It's more than I expected.
Thanks Caladan, but still waiting your answer to other question. :)
 
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