Hello All,
I can answer the question posed here very simply, no! The Muslim god is a pagan deity, a moon rock of sorts.
Godspeed,
Gill Rapoza
Veritas Vos Liberabit
Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?
by Pastor Larry for Spiritual Discernment
Some Christians naively and mistakenly equate that because Christianity and Islam are monotheistic faiths (belief in one God), Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Any differences between the two religions are viewed to be only apparent, not actual. Only the names are different. Muslims call Him Allah, while Christians address Him as Lord. The singleness of God is thought to be an ecumenical rallying point, a basis for mutual understanding, if not spiritual unity, between the two religions.
Unfolding acts of terrorism committed in the name of Allah against the “Christian” west however, strategically challenge thoughts of unity. While medieval history reveals a mutant and violent strain of Christianity, a faith far removed from the peaceful non-violence Jesus advocated (Matthew 5:39; 26:51-53), terrorism ought to give Christians pause and cause them to ask, “Is the God of The Quran really the same as the God of The Bible?” Numbers of Christian scholars have studied the question and conclude that essential differences exist between the way the sacred writings of the two religions portray God in the essence of His being.
Of His being, the New Testament declares, “God is love” (1 John 4:8, 16). Love defines the essential nature of God out of which His actions emanate. Loving is not just one divine activity, but rather the genius and root of all that He does! Because He is love, God creates, rules and judges. In all of this, God loves personally, this heavenly love being mirrored in the most sensitive of human relationships–the earthly love of a family. Whether to Israel or the church, God is pictured as either married or betrothed to His people (Isaiah 54:5a; Revelation 19:7; Ephesians 5:25-32). Believers are His “children” and His “sons.” As the Apostle declares, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!” [i.e., Papa! Daddy!] (Romans 8:14-15).
In contrast, The Quran does not present Allah to be a loving father. Having studied Islam for several years, Marvin Olasky once noted that the “father-son” relationship existing between God and Christians is unknown to Muslims. Islam means “submission,” and the Islamic model of the divine-human relationship is therefore that of “master-servant”.[1] Such a conception of God affects how Muslims view society and the world. The Muslim religion is one of will, not emotion, of action, not affection. Believers are to submit to Allah. A century ago a scholar/missionary to Muslims noted:
The human heart craves a God who loves; a personal God who has close relations with humanity; a living God who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities and who hears and answers prayer. Such a God the Koran does not reveal.”[2]
Samuel Zwemer (1867-1952) took this theology one step further by noting that, “A being who is incapable of loving is also incapable of being loved.”[3]
While Allah has servants, he does not have children. Therefore, Islam expects veiled women to submit without equivocation to their husbands and the state. This impersonal theology also demands the same from society and the world at large, and if submission is not yielded, fanatical devotees might then attempt to coerce it. Absent love, all that remains is for Allah is to intimidate and demand, things that engender naked fear in human hearts. For the most part, the dynamic between the human and the divine appears devoid of compassion–though one of Islam’s 5 pillars is Zakah (giving of alms)–and this deficiency can be traced back to the religion’s concept of God. Ideas have consequences, and never more so than when ideas define the essence and genius of God. The God of Christianity is of a wholly different character than Islam, and given that difference, no real theological rapprochement between the two religions is possible.
Meanwhile, Christians should receive God’s love, and by His enabling, extend that love back to their Father and other human beings (Romans 5:5). But, reconciliation between Islam and Christianity cannot be realized because of John the apostle’s affirmation,
We are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This [The demonstrative pronoun “this” refers to its nearest antecedent, Jesus Christ.] is the true God and eternal life. Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:20-21)
In contrast to orthodox Christians, no Muslim would ever confess “Jesus is Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:3) and worship Him (John 20:28). Therefore Muslims, as well as Jews, do not worship the same God as Christians. We worship the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:9-11).
The best we can do therefore, is peacefully agree to disagree, unless one religion fanatically believes it can nowise tolerate or abide with the other. But as one of Christianity’s sacred writings informs its believers, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men [i.e., those without the Christian faith], especially unto them who are of the household of faith [i.e., those within the Christian faith]” (Galatians 6:10).
FOOTNOTES
[1] Marvin Olasky, “Brutality and dictatorship: How Islam affects society.” World, Special Issue, November/December, 2001, 19. The whole issue was devoted to the religion of Islam.
[2] S. M. Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God (New York: American Tract Society, 1905) 111.
[3] Ibid.
Gill Rapoza
Veritas Vos Liberabit
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