Jesus and Muhammad Compared

[أبو حفص الأيوبي]

The Impact of jesus and Muhammad
The mission of muhammad lasted 23 years, yet the ministry of jesus only lasted three years. jesus hardly made any impact on the world, the religion called “Christianity” was never founded by him (Matt. 5:17-20). He failed to change the world, he was rejected by his own people, and his enemies crucified him to prove he was false (Deu. 13:5, 21:23).
The Prophet muhammad had a stronger impact on humanity, and he left a legacy and revolution.
Along with this, he now appeared before his people as a unique philosopher, a wonderful reformer, a renowned moulder of culture and civilisation, an illustrious politician, a great leader, a judge of the highest eminence and an incomparable general. This unlettered Bedouin, this dweller of the desert, spoke with such learning and wisdom the like of which none had said before and none could say after him. He expounded the intricate problems of metaphysics and theology. He delivered speeches on the principles of the decline and fall of nations and empires, supporting his thesis by the historical data of the past. He reviewed the achievements of the old reformers, passed judgments on the various religions of the world, and gave verdicts on the differences and disputes between nations. He taught ethical canons and principles of culture. He formulated such laws of social culture, economic organisation, group conduct, and international relations that even eminent thinkers and scholars can grasp their true wisdom only after life-long research and vast experience of men and thing. Their beauties, indeed, unfold themselves progressively as man advances in theoretical knowledge and practical experience.
This silent and peace-loving trader who had never handled a sword before, who had no military training, who had but once participated in a battle and that also just as a spectator, turned suddenly into such a brave soldier that he did not even once retreat in the fiercest battles. He become such a great general that he conquered the whole of Arabia in nine years, at a time when the weapons of war primitive and the means of communication poorest. His military acumen and efficiency developed to such a high pitch and the military spirit which he infused and the military training which he imparted to motley crowd of Arabs (who had no equipment worth the name) wrought such a miracle that within a few years they overthrew the two most formidable military powers of the day and became the masters of the greater part of the then known world.
This reserved and quiet man who, for full forty years, never gave indication of any political Interest or activity, appeared suddenly on the stage of the world as such a great political reformer and statesman that, without, the aid of radio and wireless and press, he brought together the scattered inhabitants of a desert of twelve hundred thousand square miles, -a people who were warlike, ignorant, unruly, uncultured, and plunged in internecine tribal warfare-under one banner, one law, one religion, one culture, one civilisation, and one form of government.
He changed their modes of thought, their very habits and their morals. He turned into the cultured, the barbarous into the civilised, the evildoers and bad characters into pious, God-fearing, and righteous persons. Their unruly and stiff-necked natures were transformed into models of obedience and submission to law and order. A nation which had not produced a single great man worth the name for centuries gave birth, under his influence and guidance, to thousands of noble souls who went forth to far-off corners of the world to preach and teach the principles of religion, morals and civilisation.
He accomplished this feat not through any worldly lure, oppression or cruelty, but by his captivating manners, his endearing moral personality, and his convincing manners, his endearing moral personality, and his convincing teaching. With his noble and gentle behaviour he befriended even his enemies. He captured the hearts of the people with his unbounded sympathy and the milk of human kindness. He ruled justly. He did not swerve from truth and righteousness. He did not oppress even his deadly enemies who were after his life, who had pelted him with stones, who had turned him out of his native place, who had pitched the whole of Arabia against him nay, not even those who had chewed raw the liver of his dead uncle in a frenzy of vengeance. He forgave them all when he triumphed over them. He never took revenge from anyone for his personal grievances or the wrongs perpetrated on his person.
In spite of the fact that he became the ruler of his country, he was so selfless and modest that he remained very simple and sparing in his habits. He lived poorly, as before, in his humble thatched mud-cottage. He slept on a mattress, wore coarse clothes, ate the simplest food of the poor, and sometimes went without any food at all. He used to spend whole nights standing in prayer before his Lord. He came to the to the rescue of the destitute and the penniless. He felt not the least humility in working as a labourer. Till his last moments there was not the slightest tinge of kingly pomp and show or hauteur of the high and the rich in him. Like an ordinary man he would sit and walk with people and share their joys and sorrows. He would so mix up and mingle with the crowd that a stranger, an outsider, would find it difficult to point out the leader of the people and the ruler of the nation from the rest of the company.
In spite of his greatness, his behaviour with the humblest person was that of an ordinary human being. In the struggles and endeavours of his whole life he did not seek any reward or profit for his own person, not left any property for his heirs. He dedicated his all to Millat. He did not ask his adherents to earmark anything for him or his descendants, so much so that he forbade his progeny from receiving the benefit of Zakat (or poor-tax), lest his follower at any future time may dole out the whole share of Zakat to them.
The achievements of this great man do not end here. In order to arrive at a correct appraisal of his true worth one has to view it in the background of the history of the world as a whole. That would reveal that this unlettered dweller of the desert of Arabia, who was born in the ‘dark ages’ some 1400 years ago, was the real pioneer of the modern age and the true leader of humanity. He is not only the leader of those who accept his leadership but of those also who do not acclaim him as such: even of those who denounce him! The only difference being that the latter are unaware of the fact that his guidance is still imperceptibly influencing their thoughts and their actions and is the governing principle of their lives and the very spirit of the modern times.
It was he who turned the course of human thought from superstition-mongering, love for the unnatural and the inexplicable, and monasticism towards rational approach, love for reality, and a pious, balanced worldly life. It was he who, in a world which regarded only supernatural happenings as miracles and demanded them for the verification of the truth of a religious mission, inspired the urge for rational proof and the faith in them as the criterion of truth. It was he who opened the eyes of those who had been accustomed till then to look for the signs of God in the natural phenomena. It was he who, in place of baseless speculation, led human beings to the path of rational understanding and sound reasoning on the basis of observation, experiment, and research. It was he who clearly defined the limits and functions of sense perception, reason, and intuition. It was he who brought about a rapprochement between the spiritual and the material values. It was he who harmonised Faith with Knowledge and Action. It was he who created the scientific spirit with the power of religion and who evolved true religiosity on the basis of the scientific spirit. (Abul Ala Mawdudi, Towards Understanding Islam, pp. 50-51)
The Prophet muhammad is greater than Jesus:
jesus never married and so he could not become an ideal husband and father. He did not triumph over his enemies and so had no chance of showing how a victor should behave towards his vanquished foes who have spared no pains to annihilate him and his followers. He did not have his persecutors at his mercy and so had no occasion to show real forbearance and forgiveness. jesus did not rise to power to become the model of a benevolent and just ruler and judge.
We must turn to Prophet Muhammad, and not Jesus, if we want to see the picture of an ideally happy and pious married life and of a wise, just and benevolent ruler whom nothing could corrupt or divert from working for the material and moral amelioration of his people. Prophet muhammad witnessed both the phases of persecution and success. He showed rare patience, fortitude, courage and love for his foes as a persecuted preacher of religion and in the hours of deepest gloom, and unparalleled self-control and mercy when his bitterest foes were helpless before him.
jesus did not get the chance to put into practice many of his precepts and teachings. For instance, he advised his followers to sell their garments and purchase swords (Luke 22:36), but he could not demonstrate to them the right use of the sword. To resist violence and aggression sometimes becomes our highest duty – for instance, when helpless men, women, and children are being slaughtered and the freedom to believe and practice the religion of their own choice is denied to people by fanatics and tyrants. It was Prophet muhammad who showed how a true solider of God, the protector of the victims of intolerance and cruel violence, should behave on the battlefield and in moments of defeat and triumph.
The life of jesus runs parallel to the early life of the Prophet Muhammad, but jesus did not live long enough to give a practical shape to his teachings and work out the social implications of his message. He did not have the chance to enlarge his teachings to cover all the situations of life and to bring about the tremendous social reforms that Prophet muhammad did. The modern man, who has to lead a life as a son, a husband, a father, a poor worker, a citizen, a neighbor, a despised advocate of new ideas and ways, a victim of religious and political bigotry, a man with authority, a successful leader of man, a soldier, a business-man, a judge, and a ruler, will find Prophet muhammad as a perfect model for him in all situations and walks of life.
The Prophet muhammad completed what was left incomplete by Jesus. Islam is the true religion of Jesus, revived by a fresh revelations and perfected to cover all aspects of human actions and relations and to give guidance to the people of all times and nations. It is, in short, a Universal Religion. It does not only respond to man’s devotional urges but to human life as a whole. It does not only give us infallible metaphysics, but also a comprehensive and sublime code of individual and social ethics, a sound economic system, a just political ideology, and many other things besides. It is not a solitary star, but a whole solar system, encompassing the whole and illuminating the whole” (Ulfat Aziz-Samad, Islam and Christiantiy, pp. 26-27)
Let us consider the following quotations:
"Muhammed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities." Encyclopedia Britannica
"The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammed. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than
he?"Lamartine, Historie de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol. 11 pp. 276-277
"I have always held the religion of muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion for from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today."
George Bernard Shaw, THE GENUINE ISLAM.
"My choice of muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level."
Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33.
"In little more than a year he was actually the spiritual, nominal and temporal rule of Medina, with his hands on the lever that was to shake the world." John Austin, muhammad THE PROPHET OF
ALLAH in T.P.'s and Cassel's Weekly for 24th September 1927.
"Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born at Mecca, in Arabia the man who, of all men exercised the greatest influence upon the human race... Mohammed"
John William Draper, M.D., L.L.D., A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, London 1875, Vol.1, pp.329-330
"People like Pasteur and Salk are leaders in the first sense. People like Gandhi and Confucius, on one hand, and Alexander, Caesar and Hitler on the other, are leaders in the second and perhaps the third sense. jesus and Buddha belong in the third category alone. Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Mohammed, who combined all three functions. To a lesser degree, Moses did the same."
Professor Jules Masserman
"Head of the State as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope's pretensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a police force, without a fixed revenue. If ever a man ruled by a right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the powers without their supports. He cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life." Bosworth Smith in 'Muhammad and Muhammadanism,' London, 1874.
According to the Bible, Jesus’ mission was a failure. Even contemporary historians say jesus failed his mission.
jesus had no foreknowledge of his failure and crucifixion. The Last Supper was a celebration with his closest disciples of his appearance as King and the imminent overthrow of the Roman power. After preparing himself by several nights of prayer on the Mount of Olives, jesus was convinced that "the day of the Lord" was close at hand, and he called together his disciples for a final strengthening of the bond between them before their crucial testing time. The atmosphere must have been extremely tense. They were about to embark on a great venture on which the fate of their country and the whole world would depend. But the special poignancy and drama of the Gospel accounts are the product of hindsight and of the myths that grew up later to explain Jesus's failure. (Hyam Maccoby, Jesus and the Jewish Resistance) [1]
Christianity was founded by Paul, not Jesus. The conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity was the failure of Jesus’ teachings, the Romans converted to the religion of Paul, and they were deceived by the Church for the exploitation of wealth and power. The Gospel of jesus does not exist; the Gospel of Paul is flourishing instead.
"Paul... did not desire to know Christ.... Paul shows us with what complete indifference the earthly life of jesus was regarded.... What is the significance for our faith and for our religious life, the fact that the Gospel of Paul is different from the Gospel of Jesus?.... The attitude which Paul himself takes up towards the Gospel of jesus is that he does not repeat it in the words of Jesus, and does not appeal to its authority.... The fateful thing is that the Greek, the Catholic, and the Protestant theologies all contain the Gospel of Paul in a form which does not continue the Gospel of Jesus, but displaces it." (The Quest for the Historical Jesus, Albert Schweitzer)

"The Christianity which the nations claim to follow is the religion of Paul, who is admittedly the chief and almost the only theologian that the Church recognizes. Because of his betrayal of the Master's teachings, the vision of true Christianity has been so dimmed that men have been able to defend war and a host of other evils, such as flesh eating and slavery, on the authority of the Bible." (Christ or Paul? Rev. V.A. Holmes-Gore)

"My long-time view about Christianity is that it represents an amalgam of two seemingly immiscible parts--the religion of jesus and the religion of Paul. Thomas Jefferson attempted to excise the Pauline parts of the New Testament. There wasn't much left when he was done, but it was an inspiring document." (Letter to Ken Schei [author of Christianity Betrayed [1]
jesus failed to change the structure of his own society, he was persecuted like any other Prophet, but according to the Jews, he was killed on the cross (the most humiliating death) over false charges. Yet the Quran teaches that jesus was a true Prophet, he was not crucified (4:157), and God raised him to Heaven (3:55). In comparison, the Prophet muhammad changed the world in 23 years; he completely restored the religion of Abraham. There is no other religion that spread as rapidly as Islam, within one hundred years the Light of Islam reached far-away continents. The mission of Prophet muhammad was a complete success, regardless of whether a Christian acknowledges this fact or not. Also, jesus was not a husband, father, or statesman. How can jesus be the “greatest man who ever lived”, only the Prophet muhammad is testified to be the most profound individual.

Jesus and muhammad on Respect
During the end of Muhammad’s prophethood, he raised his eyes to the skies and said “O Allah, be a witness”. He taught the qualities of respecting parents and elders. The Quran is very clear on the issue.

Your Lord has decreed that you should worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, My Lord! bestow on them Your Mercy as they cherished me in childhood. (Quran 17:23-24)


Serve Allah, and join not any partners with Him; and do good- to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, those in need, neighbours who are near, neighbours who are strangers, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (ye meet), and what your right hands possess: For Allah loveth not the arrogant, the vainglorious;- (Al-Quran 4:36)

Say: "Come, I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from": Join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents; kill not your children on a plea of want;- We provide sustenance for you and for them;- come not nigh to shameful deeds. Whether open or secret; take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: thus doth He command you, that ye may learn wisdom. (Al-Quran 6:151)

And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. (Al-Quran 31:14)

We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam." (Al-Quran 46:15)

"O my Lord! Forgive me, my parents, all who enter my house in Faith, and (all) believing men and believing women: and to the wrong-doers grant Thou no increase but in perdition!" (Al-Quran 71:28)
The Hadith are especially clear on respecting the mother and father:


"God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but He looks into your hearts and observes your deeds."
[The man asked] "Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man said. "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man further said, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your mother." The man asked for the fourth time, "Who is next?" The Prophet said, "Your father." [1]

Jesus, on the other hand, showed disrespect towards his mother. He never greeted his mother with a decent salutation; he always referred to his mother by the title “woman”.

jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. (John 2:4)

When jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! (John 19:26)

The Greek word for woman is Gunhv, and it’s the same word jesus used for the prostitute:

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. jesus stood up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" (John 8:3-10) [1]

Instead, jesus showed respect to strange woman, he called the bleeding woman ‘daughter’ and not ‘woman’.
She said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment. (Matthew 9:21-22)
Strangely, jesus showed respect to the unclean woman, yet dishonors his own mother.


jesus despised his mother but another woman praised her.

As jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you." (Luke 11:27)

Blessed is the mother who gave birth to Jesus? Yes indeed, but jesus never acknowledged this fact. The Bible says those who dishonor the parents are not successful.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12)

'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:3)

"There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; (Proverbs 30:11)


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الموضوع الأصلي : Jesus and Muhammad Compared     -||-     المصدر : مُنتَدَيَاتُ كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءِ الدَّعَويِّة     -||-     الكاتب : أبو حفص الأيوبي