Some Differences in Jesus and Muhammad
1) Their Sin:
Firstly, Jesus, according to the Biblical record, was sinless whilst Mohammad, according to the Koranic record, was sinful. In Mecca Muhammad received a command about his sin: Then have patience (O Muhammad). Lo! the promise of Allah is true. And ask forgiveness of thy sin and hymn the praise of thy Lord at fall of night and in the early hours.”(Surah 40:55)
2) Their dealing with sexual sins:
In Surah 24:2 Mohammad says:
“The fornicatress and the fornicator, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their punishment. [This punishment is for unmarried persons guilty of the above crime (illegal sex), but if married persons commit it (illegal sex), the punishment is to stone them to death, according to Allah’s law.”
Muhammad as portrayed within the Koran and within the Hadiths paints a rather brutal scene, yet we see a vast difference with Jesus. Firstly, Jesus explains why there are vices such as adultery. In the Sermon on the Mount, regarding the sins of adultery and lust, he says:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matt. 5:27-28)
3) Their Violence:
Jesus sets a very high standard for his followers to emulate if they are to “take up his cross and follow” him (Matthew 16:24). When Jesus was interrogated by the authorities he says:
“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” (John 18:36)
Muhammad paints for us an altogether different picture as, which the Koran attests to, he committed assassinations, as well as threatened to murder over ten people. These threats stemmed from the fact these people offended him in some way, some, for example, wrote satirical poems about him. In Surah 33:60-61 Muhammad says:
“If the hypocrites, the sick of heart, and those who spread lies in the city [Medina] do not desist, We shall arouse you [Prophet] against them, and then they will only be your neighbors in this city for a short while. They will be rejected wherever they are found, and then seized and killed.”
4) Their religious freedom:
Jesus says: “If anyone comes after [follows] me” . . . (Matthew 17:24). Jesus let people decide for themselves, if they refuse to follow him then so bet it. The word “if” implies freedom in choosing to either accept the way of Jesus or to reject it. Unlike Muhammad there was no army or power that tried to force people to believe.
Whereas Muhammad forcefully imposes his will, we read in Surah 9:5:
“Then, when the months made unlawful for fighting expire, kill the mushriks [polytheists] wherever you find them, and seize them, and besiege them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, establish Salat [prayer five times a day] and pay the Zakat dues [charity tax], then let them go their way.” (Maududi, The Meaning of the Qur’an, vol. 2, p. 175; insertions mine).
5) Jesus condemned stealing: “Thou shall not steal” (Matthew 19:18), whereasMuhammad permitted stealing from unbelievers: “The people felt hungry and captured some camels and sheep (as booty)” (Bukhari 44:668).
6) Muhammad permits lying (Sahih Muslim 6303, Bukhari 49:857) whilst Jesus does not: “Thou shalt not bear false witness” (Matthew 19:18).
7) Jesus never owned slavers, or traded them, whereas Muhammad did: “Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Sell him to me” (Sahih Muslim 3901).
8) Whereas Jesus preached forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-22, 5:38), Muhammad did not. We saw above that he assassinated those who mocked or ridiculed him.
9) Muhammad taught revenge: “If then anyone transgresses the prohibition against you, Transgress ye likewise against him” (Koran 2:194), whereas Jesus did not: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39).
10) Their personal and private relationships differed greatly. Jesus was celibate, whereas Muhammad Married 13 wives and kept sex slaves (Bukhari 5:268, Koran 33:50).
