6 Similarities Between Islam And Judaism
In a time of great division, let’s instead look at what people share in common
Let’s make one thing clear from the outset. All religion teaches people to be good. As someone who isn’t very devout, even I believe that. After all, religion generally serves as a foundation for the laws and social norms that keep our society safe and orderly today.
Religion teaches us to tolerate one another, to be kind to our fellow humans, and to conduct ourselves in an honest and peaceful manner. No matter what faith you belong to, these are among the most basic tenets of any religion.
Despite this, religion remains a highly sensitive and divisive topic. Whole wars have even been fought over religious differences, with innocent people on all sides being needlessly caught in the mayhem. It’s been like that for centuries and still seems to be that way now.
While people of different religious groups have always butted heads from the very time man was intelligent enough to understand the concept of faith, no two religions have appeared to be in as constant disagreement with each other as Islam and Judaism.
However, we aren’t here to talk about these divisive factors but, rather, the close similarities they share. Let’s take a look at 6 such similarities between these faiths to see how identical they actually are.
#6. Both Are Monotheistic Religions
The most obvious similarity between Judaism and Islam is that they are Monotheistic faiths. This means that both religions worship a single, all-powerful being regarded as the one true God.
This is unlike Ancient Greeks or Romans or mainstream Hinduism today, which believe in the existence of many Gods. Nor is it like the more spiritual or individualistic aspects of religions like Buddhism or the faiths that worship nature, animals or other people.
In fact, Judaism and Islam share more than merely the concept of a single God. By comparing the holy texts of both religions, it could be said that Jews and Muslims actually worship the same God, albeit with fundamental differences as to their interpretations of his message, rules and method of worship.
#5. Both Believe In Prophets And Similar Holy Scriptures
In both Islam and Judaism, there is a belief in the existence of Prophets. These are people who are chosen by God to spread his message to the masses. Unlike other religions that may view holy messengers as divine figures in their own right, Islam and Judaism both agree that the Prophets, albeit worthy of high praise, are not in themselves figures to be worshipped. Instead, both religions view Prophets as mere mortals bestowed with revelations and sometimes special abilities by God to spread his word.
Islam and Judaism also believe in holy scriptures that were passed by God through the Prophets. The Jews believe in the Torah that was revealed to Moses and the Muslims in the Quran that was revealed to Muhammad. While both faiths may disagree on who is the final messenger and what is the correct scripture, Islam nevertheless also shares the Jewish belief that Moses was in fact a messenger of God whose role it was to spread the word of the Torah.
In fact, both Muslims and Jews believe in the existence of many similar figures such as Moses, Jesus, David, Elijah, Ezekiel, Abraham, and several others. Both faiths also accept the existence of the Torah with the only difference being that Islam views the Quran as a more definitive and final scripture from God.
#4. Both Are Messianic Faiths
Like a number of other religions, both Islam and Judaism are messianic faiths. This means that both Jews and Muslims believe in the existence of a Messiah, a saviour who will lead the people towards salvation and unite the people under that particular faith.
Judaism, which is often viewed as the original messianic faith, believes the saviour to be a Jewish King descended from David. Islam, on the other hand, believes that Jesus is the Messiah who will descend upon the Earth, following the emergence of a figure known as the Mahdi, an Islamic leader who will gather the Muslims in preparation for Jesus’ return.
Although both faiths may disagree upon the identity of their respective saviours, there are a number of similarities as to the role of the Messiah in both, Judaism and Islam. Both religions agree that their saviour will purge evil from the world, restore everlasting peace, and unite everybody under their particular religion.
#3. Both Faiths Reject The Divinity Of Jesus
Islam, Judaism and Christianity are collectively known as the Abrahamic Faiths and are extremely similar. A prominent figure in all three religions is Jesus. While all three faiths believe in his existence, Islam and Judaism are more similar to each other, as neither accept Jesus as a divine figure.
In Christianity, Jesus is believed to be the Son of God and is worshipped by Christians. Jews and Muslims, while acknowledging the existence of Jesus, only consider him a mortal man. Muslims do acknowledge Jesus’ abilities to perform miracles but see them as gifts from God rather than as part of his own inherent divinity. This is because the belief in Jesus being a divine figure goes against the Islamic and Jewish belief in a singular God.
Jesus does not play as major a role in Judaism as he does in Islam but in both faiths, it is stated clearly that there is only one God and that he does not have a son. Thus, this shows another deeply shared similarity between Islam and Judaism.
#2. Both Faiths Observe Certain Dietary Restrictions
Another common practice that some religions adhere to are dietary restrictions. Hindus for example do not consume beef or pork, whereas other religions may stipulate certain days to avoid a particular type of food. While many religions offer a list of dos and don’ts regarding what you can or cannot eat, no two religious dietary restrictions are as similar to each other as are Islam and Judaism.
Muslims adopt a Halal diet and avoid food that is Haram or forbidden. These forbidden foods include pork, alcohol, blood and any meat not slaughtered in a way that is deemed proper in Islam. Similarly, Jews adopt a Kosher diet where pork and blood are also shunned. While Jews can drink certain types of alcohol, their food choices are even more limited than those of Muslims.
To keep Kosher, Jews also avoid shellfish and do not allow meat and dairy to be mixed. The way the meat is slaughtered, prepared and drained of blood is also very similar to the Islamic way of handling meat. Thus, due to these similarities most Kosher foods are automatically deemed to be Halal or safe for consumption by Muslims.
#1. Both Faiths Consider Jerusalem A Holy City
As the capital of modern-day Israel, Jerusalem is actually considered a holy city to all three Abrahamic faiths. Known to most as synonymous with Judaism, Jerusalem was believed to have been established by King David as his capital city and serves as the main holy site of Judaism. To this day, many Jews continue to make a pilgrimage to the Temple Mount and Wailing Wall every year.
While Muslims make their yearly pilgrimage to the city of Makkah, Jerusalem is also considered a holy city in Islam. The Quran mentions Jerusalem as the site that the Prophet Muhammad was taken from to briefly ascend to heaven for a single night. One of Islam’s most prominent mosques, the Masjid Al Aqsa is also located on the Temple Mount. It is because of this, that Muslims consider Jerusalem to be the third holiest site in Islam behind Makkah and Madinah.
Thus, it shows yet another similarity between the two faiths and highlights the importance of tolerance and coexistence so that people from all sides can safely visit and enjoy a site held so dearly by their religions.
That does it for this list. While I admit that religion is certainly a sensitive thing to talk about, we should be reminded that there are far more things in this world that unite us than drive us apart.
As divisive as religion can be — and even among religions that often seem to be divided against each other — common ground can still be found. Thus, let’s look at all the things that bring us together and remember that, regardless of our faiths, we have all been taught first and foremost to love one another.
