What are the similarities in the Qu'ran and the Talmed/Torha?

Question

I would truly like folks who have done the research, studied, and who can give answers that have some basis in theological comparison. My knowledge is so minimal on both books. Just from reading some of the citations from the Qu'ran, the Torah/Talmed, and the Old Testament, they all sound shockingly similiar. The most drastic difference in all three texts is the question of Jesus Christ being the Son of God, and His resurrection. Am I correct in that?

Answer 1

As the Torah and the Old Testament are the same thing, they should sound similar. The Jewish faith was first, and put together the 39 books which form the Torah. One of the themes of the Torah is that of a coming messiah who would save mankind.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ is/was that Messiah, who appeared about 400 years after the Torah ended . In fact the word "Christ" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word "Messiah". The Christians would add another 27 books, called the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus and his followers and include instructional letters written by his followers.

Muslims believe that while Jesus was a prophet, he was not THE prophet. They hold that Muhammed, who would appear about 600 years after Jesus, was THE prophet of God (or Allah). In the Qu'ran, Muhammed retells many of the early Old Testament stories, as he was Arab, and shared a common ancestor (Abraham) with the Jewish people. Many of the accounts in the Qu'ran vary greatly for the accounts in the Torah. Muslims explain this by saying that men had altered the Torah and corrupted it, and that Muhammed's accounts are correct.

So there are many similarities in the three religions. And you are right that the number one issue that divides them is the question of who Jesus Christ is. Jews hold that he was a good man who took many of their teachings to the rest of the world, but reject him as the Messiah. Christians hold that he is the Son of God (meaning God in human form) who gave his life to redeem mankind. Muslims believe that he was a prophet who taught some good things, but that he was never crucified, so he could not have raised from the dead, and was not and never claimed to be the son of God.

I would recommend that if you want to know more, you read the Gospel of John in the Bible. It is one of four accounts of the life of Jesus written by a person who actually knew him, travelled with him, heard his words first hand, and touched him after his resurrection.

If you have any questions after that, I will be glad to try to answer them for you.