Of the many religions all over the world there are two that are often put side by side mainly because of their numerous similarities as well as their numerous differences; these are Catholicism and Islam.
These two religions, albeit having huge numbers of followers each, are often compared because of the diversity exemplified by each of these religions.However, the comparison between these two religions also serves to strengthen their followers and deepen their faiths because of the insights that comparing two of these religions have to offer. Knowing the similarities and differences in these two religions often help to make believers more aware and more knowledgeable of the religion they belong to. These two religions each have their basis in their respective holy scriptures.
Catholicism draws its documentary dimension from the Bible and Islam from the Quran.Both religions consider their documentary representations the definitive Word of God, that is, in Islam, the Quran is the word of Allah as it was passed on or revealed by the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad; (Hooker) in Catholicism, it is also the word of God revealed through Divine inspiration to the many prophets of both the Old and the New Testament. (Bidstrup) There are very similar incidents as mentioned in both the Quran and the Bible but Muslims are more zealous in perceiving their literary basis.Muslims consider translation of their Holy Book as blasphemy despite it having been translated into Turkish and Farsi in the past years for purposes of universal comprehension. (Hooker) Even then, these translations are barely tolerated by the Muslims. (Hooker) Catholics, on the other hand, in the context of ecumenism and unity, allows translation of the Bible, not only into various languages but even into regional dialects.
(Bidstrup) Catholics believe that translating the book would facilitate evangelization or the more efficient dissemination of the Word of God to other Catholics and prospect converts. Bidstrup) The Quran, according the Muslim belief is Allah’s speech as transcribed only by one prophet at a singular point in time in a span of 23 years (Hooker) while the Bible is God’s word as penned by various prophets at different periods throughout the history of Catholicism. In the tradition of Islam, the Quran is recited in various religious gatherings, Catholics on the other hand take various readings from the Bible during the Holy mass and some use it as a guide to daily life, (Bidstrup) drawing reflections and learnings from it.Another point of comparison between Islam and Catholicism is their perception of Jesus Christ. Catholics believe that Christ is the incarnation of God; Muslims, on the other hand consider Jesus to be one of the prophets in the long line of prophets that began with Abraham and ended with Muhammad. (Soundvision) Catholics believe that Christ is the Son of God but Muslims do not because they believe that God had not fathered anyone.
However, Muslims do believe that Christ was a messenger from God, he was born of a Virgin Mother, he had a miraculous birth, was able to speak in the cradle and performed miracles. Soundvision)They, however, do not subscribe to Catholic believe that Christ is God because Muslims are quite zealous in defending the existence of only one God and that is Allah. (Soundvision) An important component of Catholic belief in Christ is his crucifixion and resurrection; Muslims do not believe in this because the Quran states that Christ did not die, people only thought that he did, and that he was assumed into heaven as a living person. (Soundvision) The practices of both Catholics and Muslims are also diverse, almost belonging to extreme ends of a spectrum.For instance, Catholics respect the separation between Church and State or secularization, while Muslims consider religion an important part of governance and so Muslim law is tightly based on the teachings of the Quran.
In terms of prayer, both faiths consider this a means of communicating to God, but while Muslims have a prescribed hour of prayer and have exactly the same prayers anywhere in the world, Catholics do not. Muslims have a special day of worship which is Friday and Catholics do too, a Sunday.Both Catholics and Muslims also believe in the value of charitable works and certain ascetic practices such as fasting and abstinence. Pilgrimage, in Islam, is obligatory, (Gaudet, et. al.
) while in Catholicism, pilgrimage is optional. Both Catholics and Muslims also celebrate the advent of the birth of their respective prophets, Muslims hold this on the 12th of the Rabbi Awal and Catholics on December 25th, Christmas day. Muslims do not have a church hierarchy unlike Catholics and are also not required to remain celibate.Muslim actions are guided by specific rules such as “haram (forbidden), halal (allowed), fard (obligatory), and sunnah (following the ways of the Prophet Muhammad)” (Gaudet, et.
al. ) actions. Catholics are only required to act guided by the Ten Commandments and according to the image and likeness of God. Other very interesting differences in Muslim and Catholic practice include the eating of swine which is forbidden in Islam but not in Catholicism and the consumption of alcohol; (Gaudet, et. al.
in Islam, alcohol consumption is forbidden, while in Catholicism, it is allowed but alcohol intoxication is forbidden. (Gaudet, et. al. ) Catholic and Muslim practices show distinct differences but are also punctuated by similarities.
The similarities are due largely to the fact that both the Quran and the Bible contain strikingly similar details. The Quran, however, has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, while the Bible has had numerous additions, revisions, and exclusions. (Gaudet, et. al.
This is the primary reason why Muslims do not believe in the Bible; they claim that because there are no checks and balances in place in the compilation of the books of the Bible, such is not an accurate record of the divine history of the faith which then results to faulty practices which are based on it. (Gaudet, et. al. ) The belief of Muslims and Catholics in the existence of life after death is, however, very similar.
Muslims believe in the existence of the spirit which lives on after death, as well as the presence of a heaven and a hell.Catholics, however, have an added post-death destination which is Purgatory, a place where minor sinners are sent to be purified before they are finally sent to heaven. (Gaudet, et. al.
) Both Muslims and Catholics subscribe to the idea that angels are sent down to earth to assist the dead in their journey to heaven after death. In relation to their respective prophets, Muslims believe that Muhammad had already died and is buried in Saudi Arabia (Soundvision) while both religions concede in the matter of the Ascension of Christ who went to heaven as a living person.An added detail in the context of death and the afterlife that should be considered is the belief in judgment. Catholics believe that judgment occurs immediately after death and the end of days is reserved for judging those who are still alive when it occurs and those who are still on earth.
(Gaudet, et. al. ) Muslims, on the other hand, subscribe to the idea of a temporary glimpse of the eternal damnation or reward that awaits the individual in the grave; the final decision comes on judgment day. (Gaudet, et.
al. Therefore, when a Muslim dies, he/she is not yet judged because Muslims claim that on Judgment Day God will judge all from Adam and Eve to the generations that still exist. (Gaudet, et. al. ) In effect, the grave concept allows the soul a window to the afterlife that he/she will have but does not permanently put the soul in that state yet, until the final judgment day. This is called the barzakh and may be regarded as the Islam equivalent of the Catholic Purgatory.
(Gaudet, et. al. ) The similarities between Catholics and Muslims are numerous.Both the Quran and the Bible are strikingly similar in the accounts that they record.
There are many incidents in the Quran that are exactly the same as that of the Bible. Islam and Catholicism are most similar in their scriptural basis as well as in their concept of the faith being something that should be practiced in daily life to be worthy of eternal life in Heaven. These two religions are most similar in the way faith is perceived to be a matter of consideration when eternal rewards are put into context. The most distinct difference between these two religions is the concept of aggression.Muslims believe that there is such a thing as holy aggression, hence, the jihad or the Holy War.
(Gaudet, et. al. ) This particular concept is also the best illustration of how Muslims tend to blend religion and governance. In fact, Muslims have what is known as the Sharia or the Muslim court which settles lawful disputes using a combination of the Quran and existing Muslim laws. (Gaudet, et.
al. ) Catholics firmly believe in the separation of church and state and so does not have a concept of aggression that involves religion. Catholics do not attach aggression to religion as opposed to Muslims who do.This basic difference between Catholics and Muslims is the reason for the increasing gap between Muslim and Catholic communities all over the world; because of the concept of aggression, Muslims are always in the position to challenge the beliefs and perspectives of Catholics, whereas Catholics shun away from such challenges because of Catholic views on peace and humility. This, however, is not to say that either religion is bad or good because in this world, there is religious freedom and such freedom respects the practice of all religions in particular, not only Catholicism and Islam.
