Judaism and Islam

Basic Background

Judaism

• Religion began 4000 years ago with Hebrew People
• Abraham is the father of the religion
• His descendants are the Israelites
• Holy Book is the Torah

Islam

• Islam means submission to God
• Centered around belief in one God (Allah)
• Has many prophets
• All of them preach of one God and kindness to humanity
• The last prophet was Muhammad
• His main messages were the oneness of God and that people should live in a way that pleases Allah

Basic Beliefs

Judaism

• Believe in the Torah as the laws given to the Israelities
• Believe they must follow God’s laws
• This governs daily life
• Moses was a Hebrew was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew people
• God gave Moses the laws which guide jews today
• Laws were called the Ten Commandments

Ten Commandments

• Worship no other God but me
• Do not make images to worship
• Do not misuse the name of God. Observe Sabbath Day
• Keep it Holy
• Honor and respect your father and mother
• Do not Murder
• Do not commit adultery
• Do not steal
• Do not accuse anyone falsely, Do not tell lies about other people
• Do not envy others possessions

Islam

• There is one incomparable God
• God has no son or partner
• No one is worthy of worship but him
• God does not need any of his creations and is all knowing
• Believe Jesus to be a prophet or messenger of God
• Believe in many Angels of God

Islam

• Angel Gabriel brought down the Quran to prophet Muhammad
• Muhammad is the last of the prophets to come with new information
• Believe all older holy books such as the Bible and Torah to have information for the people of that time
• The teaching of the Quran are for the people of now and forever
• Does not believe god rested on the seventh day of creation

Story of Creation

Judaism

• The word of God brought all things into being
• Includes heaven, earth, mountains, rivers, and all living things
• God first called heaven and Earth into existence
• The world has shaped by him in six days
• On the first day he said let there be light
• On the second day God made the sky and called it heaven
• On the third day the seas and mountains as well as plants and animals were created

Judaism

• On the fifth day the seas and skies were filled with life
• On the sixth day all other animals were created
• Human was given a soul, made from clay
• Humans were granted high mental ability
• God placed all power in control of the humans
• By the seventh day all had been created and was in order

Islam

• Before time only God existed
• When God wants to create he says “Be” and it becomes
• God said let there be light and there was light
• He created all types of creatures that could swim, fly and walk
• He created Angels, the moon, and the sun
• The Quran says he poured down rain which allowed crops to grow
• Angels brought 7 types of soil to God
• He breathed life into is and Adam the first human was created

Islam

• The first woman Eve was created from Adam's side
• Adam and Eve were placed in a garden in Paradise
• They could have all they wanted accept for a forbidden fruit
• They were tempted by evil to eat it
• God was merciful and sent them to Earth to survive
• It is taught that those who submit to God will be able to forever live in Paradise
• Everything was created to serve people and those people serve God

Purpose of Text

Judaism

• Provides believers with an understanding of what took place before them, and how they and the world around them came to be
• Shows how God is the one creator and master of everything
• Because of the story Jews believe they are to work 6 days and rest on the seventh
• Seventh day is called Shabbat, blessed and deemed holy
• By performing Shabbat day they show belief in God as the world's creator

Islam

• The story of creation gives Muslims their ultimate aspiration in life; to submit to the will of God so that they may enter Paradise
• The word Islam it self mean submission to god
• It is what their religion centers around; doing as God has commanded in order to elevate themselves to heaven or Paradise
• The Islamic story of creation serves as a cautionary tale and teaches Muslims how they should be living their lives

Literary Style and Structure of the Text

Judaism

• The story is given chronologically or in an order and sequentially structured
• It day by day goes through the creation and shaping of our world
• It is written in an informational style and is straight to the point
• The writing is very formal; no contractions or slang is used nor are any light hearted phrases used
• It is very straight forward in communicating each step of the process of creation
• It gives the day and proceeds to list what was created that day, and gives little description except for stating what was created

Islam

• Islams story of creation is structured as a descriptive piece
• It runs through the different creations of God and what he intended for them
• It is clearly informational intending to inform the reader of Gods process in the worlds creation and why things are as they are
• The story is very straightforward and to the point
• It directly states what happens without any room for interpretation, and it is done without much description

Work Cited

• Isaacs, Jacob. “Creation of the World.” Judaism, 29 Dec. 2004, www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246605/jewish/Creation-of-the-World.....
• “Islam: Basic Beliefs.” URI, 2019, uri.org/kids/world-religions/muslim-beliefs.
• “Judaism: Basic Beliefs.” URI, uri.org/kids/world-religions/jewish-beliefs.