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o understand what outside aspects Islam incorporated into its own orthodoxy, we must first examine what Allah was before the prophesy of Muhammed. ... For example, the God of Islam is the same God of the Jews, and in fact, Muslims trace their heritage back to Abraham, i. ... So the monotheism of Islam is not without precursors in other religions, most notably later Judaism, and subsequent Christianity.
An unforeseen similarity to Christian tradition remains in the respect and praise of Muhammed as the prophet of God; in Judaism, this idea of a “holy man” does not exist, because they viewed the gift of prophecy as a temporary thing, and so the vessel, or prophet, was not to be overly recognized as a particularly special entity. However, in Christianity, the monastic tradition, whose rise in Egypt with Anthony, encourages the turning of the back on society to better serve as a vessel of God. Muhammed would not like to be considered a holy man in this sense, because he did not turn his back on society; however, in retrospect, it can be seen that the Islam tradition reveres him, not to the point of blasphemy, but most definitely as a special and singular type of “holy man,” which is more Christian in its manifestation.
Another similarity between Christianity and Islam is that Islam, as they consider their religion to be a completion of what Judaism and Christianity started and inadvertently corrupted, accepts and teaches the teachings of Christ. ... These pedestrian gods were used in all parts of daily life, and each had a particular function and niche to fill; Allah was the high God, before the advent of Islam, but he was only called upon when the believer was in danger, swearing an oath, or seeking revenge, and other such weighty issues.
Approximate Word count = 1332
Approximate Pages = 5.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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