Islam is more legalistic than Christianity but less so than Judaism. In many instances, Islam straddles the middle ground between Christianity and Judaism. Thus Islam is both like and unlike Christianity and Judaism. Islam has common elements to both Christianity and Judaism and yet there remain subtle and sometimes not-so subtle distinctions.

One saying of Prophet Muhammad is very similar to Christ’s teaching. Muhammad said, “Whoever wants to be drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, let him die while believing in God and the Last Day (of Judgment), and do for the people what he likes them to do for him.”

Other quotes from Prophet Muhammad that express similar sentiments are:

“No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”

“You will not enter paradise until you have faith. And you will not complete your faith until you love one another.”

“Verily, God is compassionate and is fond of compassion, and He gives to the compassionate what He does not give to the harsh.”

“The best richness is the richness of the soul.”

Judaism, Christianity and Islam claim a common father figure – Abraham. I am attaching file that shows the lineage of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad and how they all trace to a common father – Abraham. Muslims sees Judaism and Christianity as earlier versions of Islam. Muslims view Islam as the final revelation of the Abrahamic traditions.

The Islamic tradition recognizes many of the Jewish and Christian prophets, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (although he is not considered to be the son of God). For Muslims, the Quran has the same reverence as Jesus does to Christians. Muhammad himself is not divine, but a prophet chosen by God to deliver his message and an example of good character to emulate.

Jews and Christians are specifically mentioned in the Quran as “People of the Book,” reinforcing their spiritual connection to Islam. The Islamic legal tradition has upheld the rights of Jews and Christians to maintain their beliefs and practices within their communities in Islamic lands, and this policy of tolerance has generally been upheld.

CLICK HERE to see a brief table that compares side-by-side some of the issues of belief and practices among the Abrahamic faiths.

CLICK HERE to see a chart showing lineage of major prophets and messengers.