Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect

1 Peter 3:15

___________________________________________________

Jehovah and Allah.  Are they the same?

The two largest religions in the world (Christianity and Islam) claim to serve the only true God.  However, some followers of the Christian faith often conclude that both religions serve the same God.  Is this right?

It is has been reported by the Barna Group (California-based research and polling firm) at least 40% of Christians believe Christians and Muslims worship the same God.

Further, a great number of Christians believe either Allah or Jehovah can be followed into eternal life: ” According to the Barna analysis, 43 percent of Americans in general agreed with the following statement:

“It doesn’t matter what religious faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons,”

Statistics like these reveal that a large percentage of “Christians” have a  lack of understanding and knowledge about the character and teaching of both Jehovah and Allah.

No doubt there are similarities between Jehovah and Allah.  The Bible and Quran  each claim to hold universal truth and are similar in some ways, but vastly different on the points that reveal the genuine. Here are a few similarities:

*refers to the aspect of a god's nature and power which is wholly independent of the material universe, beyond all physical laws.
**knowing everything. ***present everywhere at the same time.  ****having unlimited power; able to do anything.

To further confuse the matter, leaders and preachers in the Christian faith proclaim from the pulpit and example this great error.  For example, the pope in his great desire to be the leader of the world’s religion has gone about to appease the followers of Islam, by bowing in the direction of Mecca and showing homage to Allah and his leaders.

 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

Exodus 20: 3

In a 2007 interview with Al Arabiya TV, President George W. Bush said this in response to the charge that the Arab world sees the president as anti-Islam:

“Well, first of all, I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God. That’s what I believe.”

___________________________________________________________

Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,

Isaiah 46:9

God (Jehovah) has made it clear in many such verses that there is no other (All others are false) and those who claim to be God are not “like (Him).”

In this study, we will look at several things about Allah that are “not like” Jehovah.

One who  has studied the Bible and had a personal relationship with the true God will understand the vast differences between Jehovah and Allah.

The intimacy factor is  a good place to start to demonstrate the differences.

________________________________________

Difference #1-Jehovah is personal. Allah is not

Allah is not truly personal, knowable, or approachable. The Quran depicts him more judgmental than gracious. He exists as a singular entity who has no “partners.” In fact, to call Jesus the Son of God is to commit the unpardonable sin, or shirk according to Islam.

Of the 99 names for God in the Quran, Father is not one of them. In Islam, it is considered blasphemous to “presume” that one can know God or claim any sort of close, personal fellowship with Allah. He reveals his will, not himself.

“The end result of the knowledge of the `arifin [- a term denoting “the knowers”] is their inability to know Him, and their knowledge is, in truth, that they do not know Him and that it is absolutely impossible for them to know Him.” 

F. Shehadi, Ghazali’s Unique Unknowable God, p. 37

Yahweh (Jehovah), the God of the Bible, also is depicted as is the transcendent Creator. He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and everywhere present. He knows us; but more than that, He is knowable and approachable. He invites us to know Him. He created us in His image – with personality, thought, and will – for the purpose of enjoying an everlasting, unbreakable, intimate relationship with Him. He exists as a Trinity in eternal relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In fact, God, desires us to know him so much that He came in the flesh as Jesus or Emanuel  (God With Us)

I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord. They will be My people, and I will be their God because they will return to Me with all their heart.

Jeremiah 24:7

No longer will one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying: Know the Lord, for they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them”-the Lord’s declaration. “For I will forgive their wrongdoing and never again remember their sin.”

Jeremiah 31:34

And each person will not teach his fellow citizen,and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them.

Hebrews 8:11

Then they asked Him, “Where is Your Father?” “You know neither Me nor My Father,” Jesus answered. “If you knew Me, you would also know My Father.”

John 8:19

This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent-Jesus Christ.

John 17:3

As seen in John 17:3 above, eternal life is for those who “know the only true God and the one He sent-Jesus.”  If a “Christian” doesn’t know Him, it is possible they will be lost even though they look like a Christian by their works:

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you.”

Matthew 7:22, 23

As we have seen in previous studies in this series, Jesus is God and part of the eternal Trinity.  Long before we existed, God knew that freedom of choice would give way to the slavery of sin and avarice.  Sin would blur the picture of the true God.  So, when the time was right or “full” (the time that was prophesied by Daniel), Jesus came on the scene.  It was through His life, that the picture of God was focused so all mankind could see through the sin and error because of the life, death, resurrection, and current mediator position of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.

Jesus proclaimed:

He who has seen Me has seen the Father;

John 14:9

This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.

John 6:39

God the Father sent Jesus to demonstrate both the character of the true God and how we should relate to Him.  Notice too, that the hope of the Christian is the resurrection, both Jesus’ rising and our own  in the “last day.”  As we have seen in previous studies, it is the resurrected Christ that provides hope for us. Muhammad was not resurrected.  He died June 8th 632 AD from a high-fever. He died in the arms of his wife, Aisha.

For more information on the importance of the resurrection, click here:

How Important is the Resurrection?

________________________________________________________

Difference #2-The Origin of the Bible and the Quran

The Muslim believe Muhammad wrote the Quran through dictation from the angel Gabriel (Jibril) over a 23 year period.  The Holy Bible was written over a 1,500 year period by 39 men who wrote 66 books….all inspired by spirit of God and verifiable by history and historians.  All were eyewitnesses of what they wrote and heard along with others who were not writers of the canon of Scripture, but confirmed the events of the Bible.

“for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Peter 1:21

 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty

2 Peter 1:16

How many witnesses are reliable?  1 or 66+?

________________________________________________________________

Difference #3-Fulfilled Prophecy

God (Jehovah) provided  hundreds of prophecies in the Bible.  It is a study of these prophecies that convinced me that God’s word is true.  Many prophecies have been fulfilled and there are many yet to be fulfilled. This is a verifiable testimony to the omnipotence of God (Jehovah)

Allah has made no direct verifiable clear  fulfilled prophecy in the Quran, therefore there is no testimony to his omnipotence….only Muhammad’s word alone.  The followers of the Quran will often cite something  vague and interpret it to mean something today.  Here is an example of where followers force an interpretation on unclear language:

Muslims claim *Allah foresaw Generic engineering and plastic surgery in this passage from the Quran:

“They will alter Allah’s creation.” (4:120)

Another strange interpretation comes from the following statement: *…”centuries before the invention of dynamite, the holy Quran prophesied the blowing up and moving of the mountains.” Their source is from this passage:

“And when the mountains are made to move.” (81:4)

According to the Muslims “Air Traffic Systems were “prophesied.”  It is said, “*While prophesying about modern transport systems, Quran also foretold the air-traffic system which is an essential part of aviation.  A person living in desert 1400 years ago cannot talk about such advance technologies unless revealed to him by God Almighty.” Where is the prophecy for this?  Here it is:

“And by the heaven full of tracks (51:8)

There were other so-called “prophecies” by Allah about technology such as fingerprints, pollution, etc. (See reference and link below).  Just like the followers of Nostradamus, the passages are vague and the interpretations are forced out of very short passages

*Fulfilled Prophecies of the Quran-Ansar Raza, Canada

But, the true God Jehovah stated,

I am God, and there is none like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Isaiah 46: 9,10

“When all this comes true—and it surely will—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

Ezekiel 33:33

The Lord challenged the false gods to:

“Present your case,” says the Lord.
“Bring forth your strong reasons,…“Let them bring forth and show us what will happen;
Let them show the former things, what they were,
That we may consider them,
And know the latter end of them;
Or declare to us things to come.
 Show the things that are to come hereafter,
That we may know that you are gods;

Isaiah 41: 21-23

Allah and the Quran fail miserably on their claim of omnipotence as demonstrated through clear verifiable fulfilled prophecies, while Jehovah had hundreds of accurate prophecies interpreted within the Holy Scripture itself.

…knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

2 Peter 1:20

One of the most simple proofs of God’s ability to predict the rise and fall of kingdoms is the Daniel 2 prophecy.  This is a very basic prophecy we studied before.  Click below to see how God has predicted both the rise and fall of nations (confirmed by history and archaeology) and the 2nd coming of Jesus.

God Reveals the Future

The accurate and clear predictions of Jehovah are so numerous, one does not know where to start.  For continued reading on this topic, read:

Prophecies for our Time

In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

The two primary names of God in the Tanakh (The Old Testament) are ‘elohiym and Yĕhovah These names or some descriptive variation of these names were used most by the people of God in the Old Testament long before Muhammad and the appearance of Allah.

 The name used for God in the very first verse in the Bible is ‘elohiym.  For those of us who are English speaking, it is pronounced:  el·ō·hēm’

‘elohiym is used 2,606 times.  This name for God is in every book of the Old Testament except for Song of Solomon. .

 But, Yĕhovah, pronounced yeh·hō·vä‘  is used 6,519 times.  It means, “The Existing One.”  Yĕhovah or Jehovah is the Jewish national name for God. The name is so sacred that they felt they should not say his name using the vowels. So it became YHWH. Later vowels were added and it became the name many are familiar with today: Yah·weh

‘elahh (Aramaic). Pronounced el·ä’   Syrian dialect eventually  became the language of the Jews and then it (Aramic) was replaced by Arabic in the 7th century AD   Aramic shows up first in Ezra 4:24 Aramic is the language Jesus spoke while on earth as a man.

Jesus referred to Jehovah as His Father and taught his followers to refer him as such, thereby demonstrating the close relationship of redeemed man with His Creator.

In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Matthew 6:9

But there was another name that God preferred.  It was an important name demonstrating his omnipotence.

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’

Exodus 3: 14-15

I am the Lord (Jehovah), that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,

Isaiah 42:8

______________________________________________

Allah was the god of the local Quraish, Muhammad’s tribe, before Islam was invented to lead his people out of their polytheism..  Muhammad smashed the idols but kept the black stone which is still kissed today by Muslims.  He kept, too, the name Allah for the god of Islam (its sign was the crescent moon) in order to appeal to his own tribe..

According to the Encyclopedia of Religion,  Allah corresponded to the Babylonian god Baal that the followers of the true God were instructed to avoid, and Arabs knew of him long before Mohammed worshiped him as the supreme God. Before Islam the Arabs recognized many gods and goddesses, each tribe had their own deity. There were also nature deities.

Allah was then known as the Moon God, who had 3 daughters who were viewed as intercessors for the people into Allah. Their names were Al-at, Al-uzza, and Al-Manat, which were three goddesses; the first two daughters of Allah had names which were feminine forms of Allah. Hubal was the chief God of the Kaaba among the other 360 deities. Hubal was a statue likeness of a man whose body was made of red precious stones whose arms were made of gold. (Reference Islam George Braswell Jr.)

“Historians like Vaqqidi have said Allah was actually the chief of the 360 gods being worshiped in Arabia at the time Mohammed rose to prominence. Ibn Al-Kalbi gave 27 names of pre-Islamic deities…Interestingly, not many Muslims want to accept that Allah was already being worshiped at the Ka’ba in Mecca by Arab pagans before Mohammed came. Some Muslims become angry when they are confronted with this fact. But history is not on their side. Pre-Islamic literature has proved this.” (G. J. O. Moshay, Who Is This Allah? (Dorchester House, Bucks, UK, 1994), pg. 138).

The name Allah is not found in the language of the people of God in the Bible.  Allah is the name of the god of the Quran.  Many people, including Christians, assume Jehovah and Allah are the same God. But, this is both incorrect and misleading.

___________________________________________________________

Difference #6 -The Trinity

The Bible teaches that God is one, and yet there are three persons in the Godhead: God the Father, God the Son, who came down to earth as Jesus Christ, and God the Holy Spirit. The three are described in both the old and new testaments. This is  topic in itself.  Here are a few verses that point to the trinity:

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”

Genesis 1:26

Notice the application of the plural. Let’s re-read the verse above with Genesis 1 and use the Hebrew words for God.

“In the Beginning, Elohim (plural) created (singular) the heavens and the earth…And Elohim (plural) said, Let us (plural) make (plural) man in our image (singular),

Genesis 1;1 and Genesis 1:26

The Trinity occurs in the very first chapter of the Bible, which was written by Moses shortly after creation and long before the advent of Islam!

Later in the New Testament, we find that Jesus is identified as the Creator.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1: 1-4, 14

Notice the names given to Jesus:

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

The writers of the Bible had no problem accepting the trinity of God.

T he Quran teaches against the Biblical teaching of the trinity.  It states that Allah is “above having a son.”

“O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, “Three”; desist – it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.”

Surah 4:171

A fair conclusion is Jehovah logically can be love as the Bible claims in 1 John 4:8, but Allah cannot. Love is a transitive verb. Allah had no one to love in eternity past (and he was not troubled by his lack of company), and therefore, love cannot be his fundamental attribute.

So we can see there is a distinct difference in the teaching of the Bible and the teaching of the the Qran on the trinity.

_________________________________________________

 Difference #7 Heaven or Paradise

Next time, we will talk about the vast difference between what the Christians call Heaven and the Muslims call Paradise or the Garden.  As we will see, the Garden appeals to the carnal nature and seems to be a bribe for men e.g. virgins, wine, servants, and all the meat they can eat.

This has been a difficult post to write.  As stated in the opening verse, I am instructed by the Lord to give the hope that is within me, but to do it with gentleness and respect.  As I read the Quran, I thought of the many gentle Muslims who are faithful to their religion.  But, faithfulness to something that was conjured up is not as important as seeking truth regardless of where our heritage might have landed us.

I also thought of the beauty of the opening chapter of the Bible with the creation of the world and the introduction of a God that loves His creation.  The opening chapters of the Quran is all about threats and judgments to the unbeliever.

The great stories of Moses, Jacob, David, Samuel and the journey of the people of God is missing in the Quran.  It is mostly a book about religion while the Bible is about the character of God and His great desire to save his people from the tragedy of sin.

Blessings my friends until next time.

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

2 Peter 1:16