Islam - Judaism Similarity Essay

There are approximately 7 billion people on Planet Earth. Out of these 7 billion people,

84% have faith or are religious. This illustrates that religions are continuing to spread across the

globe. Two of these widespread religions are Judaism and Islam. These religions have had major

impacts on the world, and they are huge parts of many people’s lives. Across the world, there are

1.6 billion Muslims (23% of the world’s population), and 14 million Jews (0.2%). These

religions also have different holy texts, different spiritual leaders, different gods, and the list goes

on and on. These facts may seem to separate the two religions from each other, but in reality,

Islam and Judaism share many of the same rituals and traditions.

To begin with, the followers of both Islam and Judaism pray to their god. The Jewish god

is known as Yahweh and the Islamic god is called Allah, which simply means “god” in Arabic.

Prayer is a daily activity for both Muslims and Jews. People who practice the Jewish faith will

pray in a synagogue. This would only happen during a public congregation. It’s the same case for

Muslims, as they will pray in a mosque, but only during public gatherings. Otherwise, prayer for

both religions occurs everyday in common households. All in all, both Muslims and Jews pray to

their respective gods daily.

Another similarity between Islam and Judaism is that they share many of the same

prophets. The two most important, being Abraham and Moses. Followers of both religions hold

Abraham very close to their hearts. Muslims send blessings on him and his family at least five

times a day in their set prayers. Jews, like Muslims, mention Abraham in their prayers when they

ask God to shield them. Abraham is seen as the father of the Muslims and the Jews, through his

two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. The story of Moses is one of the most widely known of all the
prophets of the different faiths. Moses is mentioned in the Qur’an more frequently than any other

prophet. His powerful life story is full of lessons, moral guidelines, and miracles. Miracles such

as the parting of the Red Sea and the burning bush are stories shared in the Jewish scriptures. In

Judaism, Moses is also regarded as the most important prophet, as a leader of the Children of

Israel. Moses is the only prophet, according to both Islam and Judaism, who God chose to speak

to directly. Moses is held in high respect and regard by both Muslims and Jews. On the whole,

both Islam and Judaism hold Abraham and Moses in high respect.

The most significant of the similarities between Judaism and Islam is that both religions

believe in an afterlife. Both religions holy texts, the Qur’an for Islam and the Torah for Judaism,

tell of a journey to the afterlife after death. Both scriptures teach that when we breathe our last

breath the soul will receive its reward and delight, while the body is returned to the dust from

where it came. The Torah simply states, “For you are dust and to dust shall you return”. The

Qur’an similarly reads, “Allah has brought you forth from the dust of earth. Afterwards He will

return you into the earth, and bring you forth”. It is clear that both of these texts believe that you

came from the Earth and that you shall return to it. Islam and Judaism also believe that death is

part of God’s plan. Their Gods both stated that this life is preparing them for the next. Both

religions live on the idea that paradise is rewarded after death, and that those who do good deeds

in their first life will find an eternal paradise waiting for them. This eternal paradise in

commonly known as Heaven, which Christians also believe in. Judaism and Islam also believe

that any person who sins may be punished after death and that fire (Hell) awaits those who fall

into sin. To summarize, both Judaism and Islam share many similarities in terms of the afterlife.
 Only about 0.2% of the world’s population consists of Jews, whereas 23% of the world’s

population is Muslim. Judaism and Islam seem very different at quick glance. However, once

you look deeper into the two religions, they clearly have many similarities. One similarity is that

they both pray to their god. An additional similarity is that they share many of the same prophets,

including Abraham and Moses. Lastly, and most importantly, both religions believe in an

afterlife after death. In conclusion, although Judaism and Islam appear very unalike, they

actually contain several similarities.

Sources

- http://www.infoplease.com/toptens/organizedreligions.html

- http://www.judaism-islam.com/similarities-between-judaism-and-islam/

- http://www.missingpages.co.uk/islamjudaism.php