Can A Christian Be A Muslim? Or A Muslim A Christian?
Bismillahi ar-rahmani ar-rahimi (In the name of God, Merciful and Compassionate),
I have been mulling over this question for some time.
Can a Christian follow Islam? Meaning, can a Christian believe that Muhammad is a true prophet from God, believe that the Qur’an is from God, and that Islam is true?
Secondly, can a Muslim follow Christianity? Meaning, can a Muslim believe that Jesus is the Messiah, that the Bible is from God, and that Christianity is true?
Can a Christian Follow Islam?
Can a Christian remain a Christian and yet believe favorably in the life of Prophet Muhammad and that God truly did speak through Muhammad and give him the Qur’an? First, would this in any way deny his own faith to believe this? If he did believe this, would Muslims want and/or require him to become Muslim? What would that say if he remained a Christian? Would he be considered a denier (kafir)? Or does Islam allow for Christians to remain faithful in their own religion?
To believe that Muhammad really was a prophet is intimately tied to the revelation that Prophet Muhammad received, the Qur’an. So really these two go together.
But lastly, there is the question of whether or not a Christian can believe that Islam (as a religious system) is true?
First, I want to argue, that yes, a Christian can remain a Christian and yet believe that Muhammad (saw) was a true prophet from God. And this then leads to the second part, that yes, the Qur’an is truly revelation from God. I believe this is possible because, if you look at what Arabia looked like before Prophet Muhammad (saw) there was idolatry, the family unit was being destroyed by greed for money, a new merchant class was arising that was undermining the traditional system of tribal relations and this was destroying family networks over money and wealth. Greed was the result, the lack of care for orphans, the poor, the widow also was prevalent. It was this scene upon which Prophet Muhammad came and brought the Qur’an. And the Qur’an has much to say against idolatry, greed, and the mistreatment of the less fortunate. It also has much to say about the value of family, about God’s Signs, and about the Prophets and Books that God has sent.
Also, in Arabia there were Jews and Christians. The Jews were corrupting what their holy book said. They weren’t corrupting the text, but instead were saying things about their text that was not true (It’s also possible that Christians were doing this too, but the Qur’an typically addresses the Jews in regards to this). This was done with their tongues, not with their pens. Secondly, the Christians present had some very strange beliefs indeed. They were talking about Jesus (as) and Mary (as) as second gods with Allah (swt). Their view of the Trinity was very strange compared to the Orthodox version which believes in only one God, not three. It seems to me that the Qur’an seeks to correct these deviations from the Straight Path (al-Siratul Mustaqeem).
Lastly, Islam itself. Can a Christian believe Islam is true? I say yes. The Qur’an says Prophet Abraham (as) was a Muslim, that the disciples (hawariyun) of Jesus were Muslim, etc. I think basically the only issue where Christianity might differ with some forms of Islam is in certain interpretations of what the Qur’an says and what some Hadith have said. Issues such as whether Jesus died on the cross being one of the most important. However, just because popular Islamic thought today says he didn’t die, doesn’t mean that the Qur’an necessarily teaches this. All one has to do is go back to the Qur’an in the original language of Arabic and read it for yourself. Secondly, to examine the various commentary (tafsir) on the subject and see what they say about the various verses (ayat) in question. It is evident that the verdict is not out on this question yet–even if popular Islam has already made up its mind (see the tafsir of Qurtubi, Razi, Tabari, and Qutb for example).
Can A Muslim Follow Christianity?
Can a Muslim remain a Muslim and yet believe in the Biblical account of the life of Messiah Jesus and that God truly did speak through Jesus and give him the Injeel (as revealed in the 4 Gospel accounts–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)? First, would this in any way deny his own faith to believe this? If he did believe this, would Christians want and/or require him to become a Christian? What would that say if he remained a Muslim? Would he be considered a denier (kafir)? Or does Christianity allow a Muslim to remain faithful in their own religious identity?
To believe that Jesus (as) is the Messiah is already within Islam, even if nowhere in the Qur’an has that title been explained. So, basically, the more controversial part is whether or not a Muslim can remain a Muslim and yet believe that the Biblical account (4 Gospel accounts–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) is true and accurately represents the life of Jesus (Sunnah) and the teachings of Jesus (Injeel). It must also be stated that the Biblical account does explain what Messiah means so that is still an issue we will need to deal with.
But lastly, there is the question of whether or not a Muslim can believe that Christianity (as a religious system) is true?
First, I want to argue, that yes, a Muslim can remain a Muslim and yet believe that Jesus (as) was truly the Messiah (as explained in the Biblical account) from God. And this then leads to the second part, that yes, the Bible is truly revelation from God. Messiah (masih) in the Bible literally meant someone who is annointed. This type of annointing was specifically reserved for one who would be king. Prophet David (Dawood) (as) was annointed and he prophecied of one who would come after him from his own lineage and it would be this king whose rule on earth would last forever. This person was called the Messiah.
If you look at both the Qur’anic and Biblical accounts of Jesus’ life, is there ever a time where Jesus ruled as an earthly king? Not from what I can tell, and yet, he indeed was the Messiah, the annointed one in Prophet David’s lineage. I believe Christians and most Muslims also believe Jesus (as) will return at the Last Day and will inaugurate God’s rule on earth. The Bible also teaches that Jesus will rule as King on the earth at this time by God’s leave. He will act as God’s agent of rule . I believe the best Islamic description of this would be as vicegerent (khalifa).
Secondly, it was also prophecied that the Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of mankind. The Biblical account of Jesus’ life also documents his death on the cross, but also his resurrection and his current presence with God in heaven, awaiting the Last Day. So, basically for a Muslim to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, is to believe that he is the present and coming king who will rule the earth by God’s leave and that Jesus’ death and resurrection are God’s provision for humanity of power to live righteously as well as freed from the clutches of Satan (Shaitan) and his tools of fear and death.
Lastly, Christianity itself. Can a Muslim believe Christianity is true? I say yes, with some qualifications. Do we mean Christianity practiced in many of its current forms? Or do we mean the Way (al-Sirat), the actual Biblical account of what is faith and how that faith should be lived out? If we mean the latter, Can a Muslim believe that the Way of Jesus is true? I say yes.
In the Way of Jesus it is taught that Jesus is God’s Word (Kalimatullah), that he is also the Spirit of God (Ruh’ullah), and that he is the Messiah (masih). Jesus (as) is to be honored as one would honor God’s chosen king, God’s chosen prophet, as God’s chosen mouthpiece by which He most fully reveals Himself. Jesus (as) is also to be honored in a similar way that one might honor the Torah or the Qur’an, he is the only prophet to be called the Word of God. But nowhere should Jesus be honored or worshipped as a second deity with God or be called a literal Son of God–meaning that God had relations with his mother, Mary (Maryam) (as) and produced Jesus–this would be an abomination to either faith.
So, with these things said, any thoughts? Is this possible? And if it is possible, what might this mean?
Peace be upon you.
Firstly, it is worth noting that anyone including Christians who believes in God and the Last Day and submits to God are generally considered to be Muslims because Muslim means ‘one who submits’.
However, a “real” Muslim is considered to be within the teachings of Islam (Strict and Pure Monotheism -’Tawhid’) who submits Only to the Uniquely One God without partners or associates in divinity (no sons etc.)
In the Qur’an, God says that Jesus was not crucified. (4:157) Jesus’ teachings are Islamic teachings since all Prophets and Messengers brought the same basic truth and essential message of Monotheism and how to live our lives according to God’s will. (the Way Al-Sirat; so you’re right here)
Jesus brought the Injeel. Muslims believe that the original Bible/Gospel (Injeel) is lost since it is mixed up with all the scribes’ writings, opinions and sayings. Hence to say that the first four gospels are exactly Jesus’ words is incorrect. Further, it is known in Christianity scholarship that the gospels are named after the person who wrote it. For example, Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew but no one really knows who this person is (hence credibility too is lost)
However, it worth noting that if the attributed sayings of Jesus coincides with Islamic teachings, scholars say that it is highly likely that he had said it so muslims do not have a problem with it… for example Jesus was attributed to have said in Deuteronomy “Hear O Israel, your Lord is One Lord.” etc. This is highly regarded and accepted in Islamic scholarship.
Hafiz brother,
Peace be upon you as well.
Thank you for your kind words and thoughtful response to my post. I hope it will be okay for me to respond to your message. I do so with utmost respect for you, your community, and the history of faith that you were born into.
As I read your post I realized that I should clarify one point of mine. I am a follower of the teachings of Nabi Isa (as). However, if I identify myself as a Christian, it is with some hesitancy since that word means different things to different people and communities.
There were two types of Christians addressed in the Qur’an ul-Muqadus (see Sura Aal-E-Imran 3:113-115 or al-Maeda 5:65-66 for two examples), just as today there are different peoples who claim to be Christian.
This conflict is actually very similar to Islam today. We have many people claiming to be Muslim, but doing or believing very un-Islamic things. This doesn’t mean we throw out the term Muslim, but it does mean in conversation, it becomes more difficult to explain who we are and who we are not.
To be Christian doesn’t necessarily mean that we have ascribed partners to Allah (swt) or that we are not just as strict in our monotheism as Islam is. Actually, early Jewish Christians who followed the teachings of Nabi Isa (as) were not ascribing partners to Allah (swt) and continued to say the Jewish creed called the Sh’ma.
So, in actuality there are many Christians who affirm not only the Last Day, believe in God and submit to Him, but also would affirm God’s oneness (tawhid) and that He indeed does not have any partners or associates. I am one of these and I know many more that believe and live in this manner because this was the way Christianity was from the very beginning.
I am willing, if you are interested, in talking about the “son of God” passages that are found in the Zabbur and Injeel if you’d like, but I will say that its original use in the Holy Books was a figurative term meaning the coming king or messiah, but was never meant as a term of deity as some use it today.
Regarding the Holy Books, I think much of classical Sunni tafsir would actually disagree with the interpretation that the Holy Books themselves have been corrupted, but rather that the corruption occurred via what was said about the Holy books.
This alleged corruption was also predominately associated with the Jews, but rarely referenced towards the Christians in the Qur’an. I can email you an important article I got off of the Muslim World Journal by a Muslim scholar, Abdullah Saeed, who wrote “The Charge of Distortion of Jewish and Christian Scriptures.” He does a great job showing that these accusations of corruption are misdirected and need to get back to what the Qur’an actually says—that the corruption was from the tongue, not the pen.
Thirdly, you mention in 4:157 that Islam teaches Jesus was not crucified. Islamic tafsir has differed greatly on what this passage actually means. Did someone else die in Jesus’ place? Did God give the Jews a delusion where it only appeared that Jesus died? Yet there are difficulties with all of these interpretations because of the character of Allah (swt). Would Allah (swt) allow a large group of the hawariyun (Nabi Isa’s (as) disciples) to believe that he actually did die on the cross? Why would God allow such a delusion to occur over people who were of the believers? If God did allow a substitute in place of Isa (as), who was it? And would this also be considered a travesty of justice? Well, as many Muslims suggest, if it was the traitor Judas, then God’s justice remains intact and an evildoer is punished for his wrongdoing. The only problem that still remains is, why would God allow so many of His faithful followers to believe that Isa (as) died and not Judas? In order for this to work properly, it should have been common knowledge that Judas died not Isa (as). But this just isn’t the case. This is the argument that al-Razi brings up in his tafsir regarding this passage.
But if we know the context of this ayat, it is clear that during the Prophet’s (saw) lifetime, Jews in Arabia were boasting to Muhammad (saw) that they had killed Jesus (as) probably as an attempt to undermine Muhammad’s (saw) claim to prophethood. It is my understanding that Allah (swt) in this passage is telling the Prophet (saw) that the Jews are wrong. They didn’t kill Jesus (as), it only appeared that they had. And I think this is true for two reasons:
One, the Jews didn’t kill Jesus (as) because if they had it would have been by stoning. This is how people from a Semitic background carried out capital punishment in those days. It was actually the Romans that carried out capital punishment through crucifixion and it was actually the Romans who killed Jesus’ (as) body.
The second reason why I think God gave this ayat to the Prophet (saw) is that Jesus (as) isn’t dead anymore, he is alive with God in heaven (jannat). If Jesus (as) is alive in heaven, then it really only appeared to the Jews that they had succeeded in killing Jesus (as) when in fact they had not.
Hafiz brother,
The biggest question I think we both hold is, when Judgment Day arrives and we are standing before Allah (swt), will He let us in to heaven or will He send us to Hell?
After reading the Qur’an during the last Ramadan, I realized that Allah has sent many Signs pointing to His way to righteousness. Allah provided Garments of Righteousness to cover over Adam (as) and Hawa (as)’s shame. They tried to cover themselves but their human attempt was futile, only God’s provision saved.
Remember Nabi Nuh (as) and how God gave him the Sign of the Ark? Nuh (as) builds it and he and his family are saved from the flood that Allah (swt) sends, except for Nuh’s (as) son who tries to save himself by climbing the tallest mountain. But only Allah’s way provides salvation, Man’s attempts to save himself are futile.
For Nabi Ibrahim (as) God provided a Momentous Sacrifice instead of Ibrahim’s son. This substitution saved Ibrahim’s son’s life and I know that this is what Eid ul-Zulha is all about. Here again, it is God’s provision that saves.
For Nabi Musa (as) God gives him many signs, but the last sign, The Great Sign, does the job of changing the Pharaoh’s heart to allow the Jews to leave Egypt. The Great Sign is when each Jewish family slaughtered an unblemished goat or lamb and spread its blood over their doorposts. That night an Angel (farishta) of death covers the land and kills the firstborn child of all those who do not have blood over their doorposts. This is commemorated every year by the Jews and it’s called, The Passover. It’s when the Angel passed over their homes. After this sign occurred, the Jews were allowed to leave Egypt.
There is also the Sign of Yunas (as). Nabi Yunas (as) was in the belly of a whale for 3 days and 3 nights before he repented and God made the whale spit him out. What’s interesting about this Sign is that Isa (as) also mentions this Sign to the Jews. They are asking for a Sign, and the only Sign Isa (as) is willing to give them is the Sign of Yunas (as). What might Isa (as) mean?
Lastly, the Qur’an says that Isa al-Masih (as) is himself a Sign from Allah (swt). Masih in arabic means anointed or to smear. That is what the Jews did when they inaugurated a new king. They anointed him. The Messiah was something more than just a prophet, it meant that Isa (as) was the final king in Jewish history who once he was enthroned, he would bring the Jews as well as the world unto the worship of the one true God, Allah (swt).
But, Isa (as) was never able to be enthroned as king because the Jews orchestrated his killing by the Romans. Isa (as) was in the belly of the tomb for 3 days and 3 nights before Allah (swt) resurrected him from the dead and confounded the evil Jews who had not believed in Isa (as)’s message. Isa (as)’s sacrifice is the ultimate qorban (sacrifice) for all of insaniyat (humanity). Through mine and other’s faith in God’s provision of Isa (as) we are able to be counted as righteous by God. Our salvation comes through faith (iman), not through good deeds (sawab–or the attribution of doing good deeds).
Does this mean we are allowed to do evil after we have faith? No. Our salvation by faith leads to deeds of righteousness. We are given a new mind and a new heart. It is actually hard work to do what is wrong because God’s Law is operating from the inside. Not sure if that makes sense…please let me know and I can explain it in other ways.
Lastly, we both know that Isa (as) will return at the Last Day to bring the world back to Allah (swt) so that event has not happened yet but will in the future. It is my hope that Muslims and Christians and the whole world would know what exactly he taught so that if there are any areas missing in their and our faith and understanding, we/they might have an opportunity to know him before he returns on Judgment Day.
Anyhow, not sure if this has been helpful, but now you may understand better how I view the Qur’an and Islam and how I’m living out my faith in the one true God, Allah (swt).
May Allah keep you and bless you and make His face to shine upon you,
-Salaammaker
Salam. Thank you for the thought-provoking post. I really appreciate it. You are not far from the Kingdom of God. God bless you always!