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Assignment: Muhammad and Jesus Paper. Submit a 1250 to 1500-word paper in which you compare and contrast the lives of Muhammad and Jesus in relation to each perspective religion Complete the following steps in your paper: Trace the lives of Muhammad and Jesus historically Compare what impact the death of each had on their perspective religion Describe the way each individual was or is worshipped Explain how their messages are being carried out in the world today Introduction Muhammad and Jesus of Nazareth are two of the most religiously influential people of the world today.
Their impact and contributions to the religions of Islam and Christianity has affected many aspects of our everyday lives; for some this impact is direct and for others the repercussions of their impact is indirect. To say these two men were mere contributors says very little of their livelihood, they were religious leaders, messengers, and teachers of two of the largest and oldest religions still in practice. As we know, these two men were mission by God; the interpretation of their mission is what leads their cause in disparate paths.
Jesus is known by the devout Christians followers as the son of God, the messiah, and is worthy of worship. Muhammad is believe by devout Muslims as the last prophet mission by Allah, and his message or instructions to his followers were delivered directly to him by Allah through the angel Gabriel. The purpose of my paper is to demonstrate my knowledge of both the religion of Islam and Christianity through comparison and contrasting the lives and history of Muhammad and Jesus of Nazareth.
Within this paper I will discuss the impact of the deaths of both Muhammad and Jesus and its affect on their perspective religions, describe the manner in which each individual was or still is worshipped and provide insight as to how their messages are being carried out in the world today. The historical account of Jesus of Nazareth As Fisher writes in the article, “Christianity; Jesus Christ is Lord”, there s no true evidence as to when Jesus was exactly born to Mary and Joseph or where in fact his birth took place, however, Fisher offers a few interpretation or explanations on the birth of Jesus from the perspective of Christian followers and as well what is written within The Gospel (Fisher pg. 285-289). One such report states that Jesus was born over 2000 years in Palestine (Fisher pg. 285). As reported by the Gospels (Good News), the first four books of the New Testament, Mary while a virgin, was said to have been impregnated by the Holy Spirit (Fisher pg. 88). Mary’s impregnation was later termed the Immaculate Conception, and is one of the four dogmas in the Roman Catholic Mariology. It is also stated within the Gospel that Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph had travelled there as ordered by the Roman Emperor who mandated all families to return to their ancestral hometown for the purpose of conducting a census. Upon arrival into the city, there were no vacancies within the local Inns so they sought shelter in the stables among the animals.
It is within these stables that Mary bore her child and named him Jesus, which means “God Saves” (Fisher pg. 288). The Gospel further states that angels visited poor shepherds, informing them of the Saviors birth. The shepherds and the likes of Zoroastrians, known as the three wise men that travelled from the Far East, came to Bethlehem in order to pay their respects, with them they brought gold gifts, frankincense and myrrh, which confirmed the divine kingship of baby Jesus (Fisher pg. 288). After Jesus’ conception, nothing further is reported or written within the Gospel on his life until twelve years later.
The account of this story is that while travelling with his parents to the city of Jerusalem for Passover. Jesus was inadvertently left behind and was later found among rabbis within a temple having an in-depth conversation over the Torah. It is said that even as a boy, Jesus was gifted with immense knowledge and understanding of Jewish traditions, and a well had established a personal connection with the God. An example of this connection can be witness in his reference through pray to God as “Abba”, which is an Aramaic and Hebrew term for the word Father (Fisher pg. 89). No further reports are made within the Gospel on the life of Jesus until eighteen years later, at which point, it is stated that Jesus appears before John the Baptist on the Jordan River seeking baptismal. At that time, John was calling people to the River for the purpose of repenting their sins and become sanctified and through immersion in the river they would become spiritually purified. John was reluctant to perform this ceremony on Jesus, under the premise that he (Jesus) is believed to be without sin; however, it was Jesus that insisted.
One interpretation behind this, as Fisher explains, is that this was seen as Jesus’ “consecration to God as the Messiah” (Fisher pg. 290). An additional theory offered, is that he (Jesus) was undergoing this ceremony of baptismal on behalf of all mankind. Lastly, is it said that the baptism was performed publicly as a platform for John to announce Jesus as the Messiah (Fisher pg. 290). As reported by the Gospel writer, when Jesus came up from the water, he witness the gates of Heaven opening and the heavenly spirit falling upon him like a dove, and a voice was heard saying “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased” (Fisher pg. 90). It was at this point in which Jesus took retreat into the wilderness of the desert, fasting for a period of forty days. As written in the Gospel, it was there that Jesus was tempted by Satan, however ultimately refusing such acts (Fisher pg. 290). Upon his return, Jesus began his teaching and the gathering of his disciples. The lessons Jesus taught to followers were on the wealth in spirituality rather than that of worldly treasures. He taught of faithfulness to God, forgiveness, repenting, humility and was an example on how to live and adhere to the ten Commandants.
His disciples were advised to relinquish both earthly and human attachments and to pay closer attention to their spiritual life. The disciples had to learn to put God first in their lives, over that of “physical comfort and wealth” (Fisher pg. 290). Jesus and his group of disciples traveled throughout the land spreading the word of their Father, God, to all that would listen. It is within these travels that Jesus is reported to have exercised such miracles as “turning water to wine, curing the ill, and casting out devils” (Fisher pg. 291). As Fisher writes, these stories of miracles performed are of symbolic meaning rather than literal ones.
For example, the reference to bread within the Gospel signifies life-giving sustenance rather than the literal sense of a physical loaf (Fisher pg. 291). Among his followers or flock, Jesus characterized himself as the “good shepherd”, stating a willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity (Fisher pg. 299). The subsequent death of Jesus would mark a “new covenant”, and his “blood would be poured for the forgiveness of sins for many” (Fisher pg. 299). Jesus taught for period of less than three years before he was sentenced to death by the High Priest Caiaphas on charges of blasphemy