Christians, Jews and Muslims
When it comes to discussing the world’s major religions, the focus is often on division. What the three monotheistic religions have in common.
Jesus Christ is not just an important figure in Christianity. As a prophet, he also features in the Muslim faith - not to mention that he was Jewish. Because he came many years after the Abraham founded the Judaism.
Here are some known facts about what unites the three major religions.
Abraham: the founding father
Painting of the moment when God promises Abraham many descendants.
Abraham is another important figure uniting the three religions. That’s why Christianity, Judaism and Islam all are Abrahamic religions. Abraham belongs to the Aramaic people and is believed to be Patriarch of the Jewish people.
According to the Bible, he and his son are said to be the founding fathers of the Arabic people. But wait, there’s more. The Koran says that Islam was not a new religion, but a continuance of Abraham’s original religion.
2. Jerusalem: common holy city
The historic center of Jerusalem is home to members of all three religions. The Dome of the Rock is holy for Muslims, who worship it as the place from where Muhammad ascended into heaven to receive revelations from God. Jerusalem is also considered the spiritual and ancestral homeland of the Jews. Christians worship Jerusalem as the place where Jesus was buried and resurrected. Among the most important places of Christian worship there is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
3. Scriptures
The scriptures belonging to the three Abrahamic religions have similarities too. The Jewish holy book consists of the Tanakh and the Talmud. Christians adopted the Tanakh for their Bible#, but call it Old Testament.
The Koran.also tells the story# of Jesus’ crucifixion. Muslims believe it represents a spiritual, rather than actual event and that God intervened to save Jesus in what would otherwise have been his final moments (Quran, 4:157).
Singing songs
In the past, when churches were teeming with worshippers, a speaking voice alone couldn’t reach those seated in the back pew. The choral tradition of chanting and singing has its roots in the attempt to repair this acoustic deficit. Whether it’s church Gospel music, the chanting tradition in synagogues or the characteristic Muslim call to prayer, all these vocal traditions can be traced back to this primary need to get the message across.
6. The unspoken name
"Allah" in Arabic lettering in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
In all three religions, there are both common and specific names for “God”. Muslims use the Arabic word “Allah” #link:www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/15965/Allah:to refer generally to God#, as do Arabic-speaking Christians. But Muslims also use the term to speak #link:iichyderabad.org/article/who-allah-1:specifically about their god#. There is also a list with another #link:islam.about.com/od/godallah/a/asma_husna.htm:99 proper names#, each describing one aspect of his nature. A 100th name is also said to exist, but is unspeakable. A popular belief is that Jesus, the Messias (Mehdi), will come and reveal it to the people. Similarly, Christians and Jews also have a specific name for their god - Elohim or Yahweh. However, “#link:www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/651183/Yahweh:the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered#” and was therefore replaced by referring to him, not with a particular name, but using the general terms “Lord” or “God”.