Throughout the ages, people have considered, debated
and sought the answers to such questions as, 'What is the meaning of and
purpose behind life?' 'What happens after death?' 'What are heaven and hell
like?' 'How did everything come into being?' 'What is the origin of life?' 'How
can I come to know the superior Creator of all, myself included?' 'What does
the Lord want of me?' and 'What are good and bad, right and wrong?'
Philosophers and thinkers have developed their own theories on these subjects
and proposed various ideas. Yet the true answers to such questions lie not in
the teachings of philosophers, but in the divine religions. That is because
man's reason and knowledge are limited. In the absence of a divine guide it is
impossible to provide a true answer to those questions.
In fact, God
has given people guidance, by sending messengers at various times and sending
down His books. In that way, ever since the time of the first man, the Prophet
Adam, people have been aware of the existence of God and His commandments.
They have found the best and wisest explanations of all those matters they
needed in the divine religions.
We now need to consider one very important matter. Although the divine religions contain
different rules in the light of the climate and conditions in which they were
revealed, they essentially offer the same model of belief and morality.
They have all offered the same fundamental truths regarding such matters as the
existence, oneness and attributes of God, how He should be served, the kind of
behavior He finds pleasing, how one should live and behave, the concepts of
good and bad, right and wrong, how people should order their lives in this
world, and how one can obtain eternal life.
An
important part of the population of the world consists of the members of two of
the divine religions: Christians and Muslims. Also, a great deal of the knowledge Jews and
Christians possess about Islam consists of hearsay, as does much of what many
Muslims know about Christianity. To put it another way, such knowledge comes
from family and friends, various books and newspapers and the television. Yet
the attitude in question is one that generally leads people to erroneous
conclusions. There can be no doubt but
that the sources that people need to refer to are the Bible, the foundation of
Christianity, and that of Islam, the Qur'an.
God being
the Eternal
GOSPEL: He also says, "In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the
foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will
perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You
will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But
You remain the same, and Your years will never end. (Hebrews, 1:10-12)
QURAN: Everyone on it will pass away; but the Face
of your Lord will remain, Master of Majesty and Generosity. (Surat ar-Rahman, 26-27)
God being the Creator of all things:
GOSPEL: For from Him and through Him and to Him are
all things. To Him be the
glory forever! Amen. (Romans, 11:36)
QURAN: That
is Allah, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Creator of everything.
So worship Him. He is responsible for everything. (Surat-al-An'am,
102)
God being
the Giver of Form
GOSPEL:
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them,
just as He wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians, 12:18)
QURAN: It
is He Who forms you in the womb however He wills. There is no
god but Him, the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Surah Al 'Imran, 6)
God heeds the prayers of those who pray:
GOSPEL: Ask [from God] and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock
and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be
opened. (Matthew, 7:7-8)
GOSPEL: If you believe, you will receive whatever
you ask for in prayer. (Matthew,
21:22)
QURAN: Your Lord says, 'Call on Me and I will answer you. Those
who who are too proud to worship Me will enter hell abject.' (Surah
Ghafir, 60)
QURAN: If My slaves ask you about Me, I am near. I
answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me and
believe in Me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided. (Surat
al-Baqara, 186)
He who
obeys the messenger of God obeys God Himself
GOSPEL: [Jesus:] "... He who receives you receives me, and he who
receives me receives the One [God] Who sent me." (Matthew,
10:40; Mark, 9:37)
GOSPEL: [Jesus:] "... he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me
rejects Him [God] Who sent me." (Luke, 10:16)
QURAN: Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed
Allah... (Surat
an-Nisa', 80)
QURAN: Those who pledge you their allegiance pledge
allegiance to Allah. Allah's hand
is over their hands. He who breaks his pledge only breaks it against himself.
But as for him who fulfils the contract he has made with Allah, We will pay him
an immense reward. (Surat al-Fath, 10)
Prophets
do not speak of their own desires, but spread the revelation of God
GOSPEL: Jesus
answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him [God] Who
sent me." (John, 7:16)
GOSPEL: So Jesus said, "... then you will know that I am the one I
claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what God has taught
me." (John, 8:28)
QURAN: Nor does he speak from whim. It is nothing
but Revelation revealed. (Surat
al-Najm, 3-4)
QURAN: [I am] transmitting my Lord's Message to you and
giving you good counsel, and I know from Allah what you do not
know. (Surat al-A'raf, 62)
God loves
those who obey His messenger
GOSPEL: Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my
teaching. My God will love him... He who does not love me will not obey my
teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to God Who sent
me." (John, 14:23-24)
GOSPEL: [Jesus:] "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is
the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my God, and I
too will love him..." (John, 14:21)
QURAN: Say, 'If you love Allah, then follow me and
Allah will love you and
forgive you for your wrong actions. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'
Say, 'Obey Allah and the Messenger.' Then if they turn away, Allah does not
love the unbelievers. (Surah Al 'Imran, 31-32)
Believers
being tested by difficulties
GOSPEL: [Jesus]
"... Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and
falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me [for God's
sake]. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven [in
the hereafter], for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you." (Matthew, 5:10-12)
GOSPEL: ... "We must go through many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God [paradise]" they said. (Acts, 14:22)
QURAN: Or did you suppose that you would enter the
Garden without facing the same as those who came before you? Poverty and illness afflicted them and they
were shaken to the point that the Messenger and those who believed with him
said, 'When is Allah's help coming?' Be assured that Allah's help is very
near. (Surat al-Baqara, 214)
Everyone
being tested only as much as he can bear
GOSPEL: No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is
faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But
when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up
under it. (1 Corinthians, 10:13)
QURAN: ... We impose on no self any more than it can
bear; that you are equitable
when you speak–even if a near relative is concerned; and that you fulfil
Allah's contract. That is what He instructs you to do, so that hopefully you
will pay heed. (Surat al-An'am, 152)
QURAN: ...
Call two upright men from among yourselves as witnesses and they should carry
out the witnessing for Allah. This is admonishment for all who believe in Allah
and the Last Day. Whoever has fear of Allah–He will give him a way out. (Surat
at-Talaq, 2)
Selling one's
self and property for God
GOSPEL: Large
crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: "If
people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives,
children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they
cannot be my disciples." (Luke, 14:25-26)
QURAN: Say: 'If
your fathers or your sons or your brothers or your wives or your tribe, or any
wealth you have acquired, or any business you fear may slump, or any house
which pleases you, are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving
in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His command.Allah does not
guide people who are deviators.' (Surat at-Tawba, 24)
Faith
being built on sound foundations
GOSPEL: [Jesus:] "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The
rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But
everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is
like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the
streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with
a great crash." (Matthew, 7:24-27)
GOSPEL: [Jesus:] "I will show you what he is like who comes to me
and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a
house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood
came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well
built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into
practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.
The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was
complete." (Luke, 6:47-49)
QURAN: Who is better: someone who founds his
building on fear of Allah and His good pleasure, or someone who founds his
building on the brink of a crumbling precipice so that it collapses with him into the fire of
hell? Allah does not love wrongdoers. (Surat at-Tawba, 109)
Abundance
being bestowed on those who migrate for the sake of God
GOSPEL: "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one
who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or
fields for me [for the approval of God] and the Gospel will fail to receive a
hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers,
sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the
age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the
last first." (Mark, 10:29-31)
QURAN: Those who migrate in the Way of Allah will
find many places of refuge on the earth and ample sustenance. If anyone leaves his home, migrating to Allah
and His Messenger, and death catches up with him, it is Allah Who will reward
him. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisa, 100)
Not
storing up possessions
GOSPEL: Do not store up for yourselves treasures on
earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven [for the hereafter], where moth and rust do not
destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew, 6:19-21)
QURAN: Who has amassed wealth and hoarded it! He
thinks his wealth will make him live for ever. No indeed! He will be flung into the
Shatterer. (Surat al-Humaza, 2-4)
Not making
helping the poor a matter of show
GOSPEL: So when you give to the needy, do not
announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do... to be honored by men. (Matthew, 6:2)
QURAN: You who believe! Do not nullify your charity by demands for
gratitude or insulting words, like him who spends his wealth, showing off
to people and not believing in Allah and the Last Day. His likeness is that of
a smooth rock coated with soil, which, when heavy rain falls on it, is left
stripped bare. They have no power over anything they have earned. Allah does
not guide disbelieving people. (Surat al-Baqara, 264)
Believers
help the poor even if they are in need themselves
GOSPEL: As
he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.
He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the
truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the
others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she
out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." (Luke,
21:1-4)
QURAN: Those
who were already settled in the abode, and in faith, before they came, love
those who have migrated to them and do not find in their hearts any
need for what they have been given and prefer them to themselves even if they
themselves are needy. It is the people who are safe-guarded from the avarice
of their own selves who are successful. (Surat al-Hashr, 9)
Not
showing off when worshiping
GOSPEL: "And when you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, for they love to pray standing... on the street corners to be seen
by men. I tell you the truth,
they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room,
close the door and pray to your God, Who is unseen. Then your God, Who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew, 6:5-6)
QURAN: Who are neglectful of their prayers, Those who show off and
deny help to others... (Surat al-Ma'un, 5-6)
QURAN: The
hypocrites think they deceive Allah, but He is deceiving them. When
they get up to pray, they get up lazily, showing off to people, and only
remembering Allah a very little. (Surat an-Nisa, 142)
It is fear
of God that draws people close to God, not the flesh of sacrificed animals
GOSPEL: ...
Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such
food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their
conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not bring us near to
God... (1 Corinthians, 8:7-8)
QURAN: Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah
but your heedfulness does
reach Him. In this way He has subjected them to you so that you might proclaim
Allah's greatness for the way that He has guided you. Give good news to the
good-doers. (Surat al-Hajj, 37)
Not
forgetting oneself when warning others
GOSPEL: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in
your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can
you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the
time there is a plank in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew,
7:3-5; Luke, 6:37-42)
GOSPEL: Then
Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: "... So you must obey them
and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they
do not practice what they preach." (Matthew, 23:1-3)
QURAN: Do you order people to devoutness and forget
yourselves, when you recite
the Book? Will you not use your intellect? (Surat al-Baqara, 44)
The
blinding of the eyes and ears of deniers
GOSPEL: This
is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled
the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will be ever hearing but never
understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's
heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have
closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with
their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal
them. (Matthew, 13:13-15)
GOSPEL: Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears
but fail to hear? (Mark,
8:18-19)
QURAN: We created many of the jinn and mankind for hell. They have
hearts they do not understand with. They have eyes they do not see with. They
have ears they do not hear with. Such people are like cattle. No, they
are even further astray! They are the unaware. (Surat-al-A'raf, 179)
QURAN: Allah has sealed up their hearts and hearing
and over their eyes is a blindfold. They
will have a terrible punishment. (Surat al-Baqara, 7)
Responding
to evil with good
GOSPEL: [Jesus:]
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those
who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke,
6:27-28)
GOSPEL: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of
everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for
it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty,
give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his
head. "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans,
12:17-21)
QURAN: A
good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with
something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else,
he will be like a bosom friend. (Surah Fussilat, 34)
QURAN: They
will be given their reward twice over because they have been
steadfast and because they ward off the bad with the good and give
from what we have provided for them. (Surat al-Qasas, 54)
Extending
greetings on entering a house
GOSPEL: When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to
this house.' If a man of peace
is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to
you. (Luke, 10:5-6)
QURAN: You
who believe! Do not enter houses other than your own until you
have asked permission and greeted their inhabitants. That is better
for you, so that hopefully you will pay heed. (Surat an-Nur, 27)
Saying 'if
God so wishes'
GOSPEL: Now
listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not
even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that
appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If
it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (James,
4:13-15)
QURAN: Never say about anything, 'I am doing that tomorrow,' without
adding 'If Allah wills.' Remember your Lord when you forget,
and say, 'Hopefully my Lord will guide me to something closer to right guidance
than this.' (Surat al-Kahf, 23-24)
Keeping
one's word
GOSPEL: Again,
you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break
your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' (Matthew,
5:33)
QURAN: Be true to Allah's contract when you have
agreed to it, and do not break your oaths once they are confirmed and you have made Allah your
guarantee. Allah knows what you do. (Surat an-Nahl, 91)
Believers must
not fall into disagreement
GOSPEL: I appeal to you, brothers... that all of you
agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you
may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians, 1:10-11)
QURAN: Obey
Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel among yourselves lest
you lose heart and your momentum disappear. And be steadfast. Allah is with the
steadfast. (Surat al-Anfal, 46)
There is
ease in religion
GOSPEL: [Jesus:] "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you [for the approval
of God] and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew,
11:28-30)
QURAN: 'But
as for him who believes and acts rightly, he will receive the best of rewards
and we will issue a command, making things easy for him.' (Surat
al-Khaf, 88)
QURAN: Strive
for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has selected you and not
placed any constraint upon you in the religion–the religion of your forefather
Abraham... (Surat al-Hajj, 78)
The
transitory nature of the life of this world
GOSPEL: Do not love the world or anything in the
world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of God is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings
of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and
does—comes not from God but from the world. The world and its desires
pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1
John, 2:15-17)
GOSPEL: ... Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear [of God]. For you know that
it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that
you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your
forefathers. (1 Peter, 1:17-18)
QURAN: Allah
expands provision to anyone He wills and restricts it. They rejoice in
the life of this world. Yet the life of this world, compared to the hereafter,
is only fleeting enjoyment. (Surat ar-Rad, 26)
QURAN: There is the enjoyment of this world. Then
they will return to Us. Then
We will let them taste the terrible punishment because they
disbelieved. (Surah Yunus, 70)
The sharpness
of sight in the hereafter
GOSPEL: Now we see but a poor reflection as in a
mirror; then [in the hereafter] we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as
I am fully known... (1 Corinthians, 13:12-13)
QURAN: [On
the Day of Threat, they will be told,] 'You were heedless of this so We have
stripped you of your covering and today your sight is sharp.' (Surah
Qaf, 22)
The dwellers in hell ask believers for water:
GOSPEL: In hell, where he was in torment, he looked
up and saw Abraham far away
[in paradise], with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him... 'Abraham, have
pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' (Luke, 16:23-24)
QURAN: The companions of the Fire will call out to
the companions of the Garden, 'Throw down some water to us or some of what
Allah has given you as provision.' They
will say, 'Allah has forbidden them to the unbelievers.' (Surat
al-A'raf, 50)
Deniers
will never believe, not even if the dead speak
GOSPEL: He
said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they
will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' (Luke,
16:31)
QURAN: Even
if We sent down angels to them, and the dead spoke to them, and We
gathered together everything in front of them right before their eyes, they
would still not believe unless Allah willed. The truth is that most of them
are ignorant. (Surat al-An'am, 111)
The fate
of past peoples being cited as a warning
GOSPEL: These things happened to them as examples and were written down
as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. (1
Corinthians, 10:11)
QURAN: In this way We give you news of what has gone
before and We have given you a
reminder direct from Us. (Surah Ta Ha, 99)
The creation of the first human being:
GOSPEL: ... From one man He [God] made every nation
of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth. (Acts, 17:26)
QURAN: O
mankind! Have fear of your Lord Who created you from a single self and
created its mate from it and then disseminated many men and women from the two
of them. Have fear of Allah in Whose name you make demands on one
another and also in respect of your families. Allah watches over you
continually. (Surat an-Nisa', 1)
One day in
the Sight of God being a year
GOSPEL: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a
day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (2
Peter 3:8)
QURAN: They
ask you to hasten the punishment. Allah will not break His promise. A day
with your Lord is equivalent to a thousand years in the way you count. (Surat
al-Hajj, 47)
Not
attaching importance to line of descent
GOSPEL: As
I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may
command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to
devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies
rather than God's work—which is by faith. (1 Timothy, 1:3-4)
QURAN: Those who disbelieve filled their hearts with fanatical
rage–the fanatical rage of the Time of Ignorance–and
Allah sent down serenity to His Messenger and to the believers, and bound them
to the expression of heedfulness which they had most right to and were most
entitled to. Allah has knowledge of all things. (Surat al-Fath, 26)
Hypocrites'
external appearance being deceptive
GOSPEL: Woe
to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like
whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are
full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the
outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of
hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew, 23:27-28)
QURAN: When
you see them, their outward form appeals to you, and if they speak you
listen to what they say. But they are like propped-up planks of wood.They
imagine every cry to be against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them.
May Allah destroy them! How they are perverted! (Surat al-Munafiqun,
4)
Hypocrites
using their families as an excuse for not striving on the path of God
GOSPEL: Still another said, "I will follow you... but first let me
go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No
one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the
kingdom of God [His paradise]. (Luke, 9:61-62)
GOSPEL: Another disciple said to him [Jesus], "... first let me go
and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let
the dead bury their own dead." (Matthew, 8:21-22)
QURAN: And a group of them said, 'People of Yathrib, Your position is untenable
so return!' some of them asked the Prophet to excuse them, saying, 'Our
houses are exposed,' when they were not exposed; it was merely that they wanted
to run away. (Surat al-Ahzab, 13)
How
hypocrites say what is not in their hearts
GOSPEL: You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: 'These
people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They
worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by
men. (Matthew, 15:7-9; Mark, 7: 6-7)
QURAN: And (it
is) so that He would know the hypocrites. They were told, 'Come and fight in
the Way of Allah or at least help defend us.' They said, 'If we knew how to
fight, we would certainly follow you.' They were closer to disbelief that
day than to faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And
Allah knows best what they are hiding. (Surah Al 'Imran, 167)
QURAN: O Messenger! Do not be grieved by those who rush headlong into
disbelief among those who say 'We believe' with their tongues when
their hearts contain no faith'... (Surat al-Ma'ida, 41)
Those who
espouse the religion of their forefathers against God's commandments
GOSPEL: ...
[They] asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to
the tradition of the elders..." He replied... You have let go
of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the
commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" (Mark,
7:5-9)
GOSPEL: Then
some... came to Jesus... and asked, "Why do your disciples break the
tradition of the elders?... Jesus replied, "And why do you break
the command of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Matthew,
15:1-3)
QURAN: When
they are told, 'Follow what Allah has sent down to you,' They say, 'We are
following what we found our fathers doing.' What, even though their fathers did
not understand a thing and were not guided! (Surat al-Baqara,
170)
QURAN: Whenever they commit an indecent act, they say, 'We found our
fathers doing it and Allah commanded us to do it too.' Say: 'Allah does not
command indecency. Do you say things about Allah you do not
know?' (Surat al-A'raf, 28)
Believers
being one another's family
GOSPEL: Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside,
wanting to speak to you." He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and
who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are
my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my God... is my
brother and sister and mother." (Matthew, 12:47-50)
QURAN: Noah
called out to his Lord and said, 'My Lord, my son is one of my family and Your
promise is surely the truth and You are the Justest of Judges.' He said, 'Noah,
he is definitely not of your family. He is someone whose action was not
righteous. Do not, therefore, ask Me for something about which you
have no knowledge. I admonish you lest you should be among the
ignorant.' (Surah Hud, 45-46)
Believers
being compared to seeds sown in fertile ground
GOSPEL: "Listen then to what the parable of the
sower means: When anyone hears
the message about the kingdom [paradise] and does not understand it, the evil
one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown
along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the
man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no
root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of
the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among
the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the
deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who
received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and
understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times
what was sown." (Matthew, 13:18-23)
GOSPEL: Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you
understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer
sows the word. Some people are
like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it,
satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed
sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since
they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution
comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown
among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of
wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others,
like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a
crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown." (Mark,
4:13-20)
QURAN: Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are fierce to the unbelievers,
merciful to one another. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Allah's
good favour and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces, the traces of
prostration. That is their likeness in the Torah. And their likeness in
the Gospel is that of a seed which puts up a shoot and makes it strong so that
it thickens and grows up straight upon its stalk, filling the sowers with
delight–so that by them He may infuriate the unbelievers. Allah has
promised those of them who believe and do right actions forgiveness and an
immense reward. (Surat al-Fath, 29)
