The following is a short synopsis of key beliefs that Muslims and biblical followers of Jesus differ on. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list. Nor is it meant to explain each concept in full.

The purpose of this list is to highlight the differences in belief between what the Bible teaches and what Islam teaches, and to show that because of the nature of these differences, the two beliefs and the practices that result from them are entirely incompatible.

An individual must choose between the two belief systems and decide either to accept the claims of Jesus Christ, or reject them and follow another interpretation of truth.

Concerning God

In Islam:

• God is the supreme Creator of the universe. he made everything (including mankind).
• God is the greatest and there are no other gods but He.
  
• God is All-Powerful. He may do whatever He wants whenever He wants and has no restrictions by anyone or anything. He may change His mind or do something contradictory to other notions of Him if He chooses. He plans the course of men's lives and everything follows His command.
  
• God is not immutable. He may change whenever He requires to do so, because He is all-powerful.
• God is all-knowing. He is omniscient and knows everything.
  
• God is infinite. He is eternal and everlasting.
  
• God is merciful. Like all the other attributes, this can be limited by His soveriegnty. He may or may not have mercy on a person. Mostly it depends on the person's merit before Him.
• God is just: He gives men what they deserve. Sometimes his justice is limited by His soveriegnty. In that case He chooses whether or not to give the fair punishment.

In the Bible:

• God is the Supreme Creator and Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, including mankind.
• God is Transcendent, meaning He is the highest and Greatest, and is past finding out by human minds (without the power of the Holy Spirit). (Romans 11:33-35)
• He is self-existent (created by Himself), and self-sufficient (needs no one and nothing to survive) (Psalms 50:9-1)
• He is immutable, meaning He cannot change (Mal. 3:6)
• He is Infinite, meaning He is eternal. He always was, always is, and always shall be (Psalms 102:12, 90:2-4)
• His is Imminent, meaning He is present everywhere at all times (Eph. 1:23, Jer. 23:23,Psa. 16:8)
• He is All-Knowing, meaning there is nothing that He does not know (Dan. 2:22, Psa. 147:5)
• God is Sovereign, which means He is in control of everything at all times (Rev. 11:15, Psa. 47:8)
• God is also loving: this means He has kindly affection (love) toward mankind (Romans 5:8, 1John 4)
• God possesses wrath and is Just (meaning He has the capacity to be angry at the wicked ones, and He does justly) (psa. 145:8, Job 8:3) He gives Perfect recompense for every thought, word, and action. He never dismisses or pardons sin without full payment. He demands blood to pay for sins.
• He is also Holy (perfect, sinless, whole), (Isa. 6:3, Psa 99:3) This means He is pure from defilement: the law of God is a result, as is Hell, the place for the defiled to be removed from God. For this reason the wicked cannot dwell with Him. Absolute perfection in moral character (goodness, righteousness, hate for sin and evil) He is pure from inconsistencies: which is the reason He never changes but is the same in the past, present, and future.
• He is good: merciful and full of grace (meaning He extends unmerited favor toward humankind) (Lam. 3:33-23, Psa 103:4) He gave us His blood to pay for our sins: while we were yet sinners, when we did not deserve it. We chose sin, He chose the cross
• He is faithful to His word, because He cannot change (Psalms 62:8)
• God is Triune, which means He is comprised of three equal parts: the Father (Yaweh), the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Each part of God has a body, soul, and spirit, yet He is One. Jesus Christ is one part of the trinity, who was sent to earth to be a sacrifice for man's sin.

About Man

In Islam:

• Man is created by God.
  
• Man is inherently good, but needs guidance and is fallible. Man is not created for a personal relationship with Allah, but only for His pleasure, whatever that may include.
  

In the Bible:

• Man is the creation of God, made in His likeness (see Gen. 1:26). This means that man is a triune being: He is made up of a physical body which will die and decay into dirt, a soul, which contains a mind, will, emotion, and desires, motives, and attitudes. He also has a spirit, which will live on eternally with the soul.
• Man sinned after being created perfect (see Gen. 3), and is now born with a sinful nature (Psalms 51:5). Man is exceedingly sinful to the core of His soul (Jer. 17:9), and thus deserves death, but can be saved from eternal death if He trusts Christ.

About Isa Al-Masih (Jesus Christ)

In Islam:

• Isa was a prophet, not a deity
• Isa was sent by God to promote Islam
• Isa did not die on the cross: he only appeared to die
• Isa may remain yet today on earth, hiding until the Last Day
• Isa will eventually come to earth and break all the crosses, kill all the pigs, and establish Islam.

In the Bible:

• Isa is part of and from His Father, God. He is a deity and must be revered as such
• Isa was sent by God to die for the sins of the world, providing the payment God requires for sin
• Isa did die on the cross, was buried, and rose again from the grave
• Anyone who comes to God in the Name of Isa Al-Masih will be saved by the repentance and remission of sins by His blood
• Isa is coming back to take from the world those who trust in Him for the forgiveness of their sins. He will take them to heaven to dwell with He and His Father eternally.
  

About Divine Revelation

In Islam:

• The first and perhaps most important belief that Muslims have is that the Qur'an is the Word of God. The Qur'an is not only inspired by God, it was directly handed down to Muhammad by him, with no middle man and no earthly or human corruption or input.
• The Qur'an has more validity than the Bible because it was directly dictated from God to man.The difference between the Bible's inspiration and the Qur'an's revelation is that God did choose to use human middle men to convey His message to mankind. The Muslims, however, believe that the Bible was given to each of the prophets of Allah (such as Moses, Abraham, David, etc.) but was changed by the Christians. They think there were actually 104 of these sacred books. One hundred of them were given to Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Abraham, but these men lost them. The only four that are left are the books of Moses (the Pentateuch), the Psalms, the Gospels (called the injeel), and the Qur'an.

In the Bible:

• The Bible is the inerrant, perfect Word of God.
• It was revealed to man through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as He spoke to men who recorded it.
• The Bible contains the complete Word of God to man. It contains everything needed for life and godliness.

About Man's Purpose

In Islam:

• Man is created for the pleasure of God. His purpose in life is to do his will and be what Allah has predestined him to be.
• God is too far away and too great for a mere man to commune with. The concept of a personal relationship with Allah with love as the foundation is unheard of: one worships him not for pleasure but out of duty and fear of hell. Another motivation for worship is the knowledge that God deserves it. A Muslim does not always derive joy from giving it, either

(NOTE: This is generally embraced by Orthodox Muslims: However, there is a mystical sect of Islam who are called the Sufis, and who do stress the importance of a relationship with Allah. However, they see a mystical means to this end. Also, there is an importance put on the mystical aspect of God: that union with him would actually (at its highest point) allow disciples to say "I am God," because they have been absorbed by him.)

In the Bible:

• Man is created for the good pleasure of God. His main end in life (the purpose God had in creating him) is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.
• A personal relationship with God made possible by the blood of Jesus Christ is the purpose and meaning in life. It is both the means and the end for which man was made by God: to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Luke 10:27) This is both the first and great commandment, the greatest joy of life, and the very purpose for which man was created.

About Sin:

In Islam:

• Sin is doing what is prohibited by the Qur'an, or not living up to the six pillars of Islam.
• The greatest sin is blasphemy against God, which includes any type of idolatry.
• Most Muslims do not see sin nearly as severe as the Bible claims it is. God can and will forgive "little" sins, and if He chooses not to, there is nothing to be done about it anyway.
• The sinful nature is not a part of Islamic belief.
  

In the Bible:

• Sin is action of falling short or disobeying God's law, or His commands, as written in the Holy Bible.
• The Ten Commandments make sin especially clear as they outline it in its various forms: idolatry (putting anything or anyone above God in man's heart and life), blasphemy against God, dishonoring or disobeying parents, murder, adultery and any kind of sexual activity outside of marriage or even the thought of it, stealing, lying, covetousness. (see Exodus 20) The result of sin is death. God will not look over even one small sin unless it is paid for with blood not tainted with sin (only the blood of Jesus).

About Salvation:

In Islam:

• God weighs each bad deed and good deed before Him on a scale in heaven.
• Man will perish eternally in hell if their good deeds do not outweigh their bad ones. God’s mercy may or may not tip the balances (it is arbitrary and uncertain).

In the Bible:

• Man was condemned to eternity in hell by his sin, and every human being born since that time is bound for hell as well, because none are sinless.
• God choose, in His mercy, to give Himself as the punishment for sin, and sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross. When Jesus died He took the punishment for all of man's sins, and then rose from the dead, making a way for His followers to have eternal life in Heaven with Him.
• Man must believe on Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, that He is the only way to God, and cry out for Him to forgive their sins and surrender themselves wholly to Him, body, soul, and spirit. (see Romans 10:9-11)

"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not."Jeremiah 33:3

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9, 10, 13)

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