Islam is one of the few monothiestic religions on earth, and one of the largest. It teaches the existence and omnipotence of one God, and it tells us that the Qur'an is the one true source of knowledge about him.

The Bible, though it also presents one true God, has many differences on the topic of God when compared to the Qur'an. We must take a careful look at these differences and what they mean to our personal beliefs and their applications.

Concept of God

What do we mean when we talk about concept of God? The picture that comes to your mind automatically as a result of pre-programming immediately after you hear the word God in your language is your concept of God.

As believers in Jesus, we can list several things that come right away to our minds: these beliefs correspond with one another and lead on like a chain of events.

1. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
   
2. God is the Creator of mankind as is supreme over all. Therefore He has the right to make us obey His laws: He told Adam and Eve that they could not eat from the fruit of a certain tree in the Garden.
   
3. God is holy and will not have anything to do with sin or those who do it. God is also Just and will not allow someone to sin and not have the punishment for it. He specifically told Adam and Eve that the consequence of this sin would be death.
   
4. Man decided not to obey God’s laws while in the Garden of Eden. There the first man and woman sinned against God by eating what God had specifically told them not to eat.
   
5. Because of His love for us, God made a covenant with Abraham, choosing him and his descendants as his special people through whom he would send a Messiah to save the world from the deathly consequence of sin.
   
6. After many generations from Abraham, Jesus was born. He lived a perfect life and died on the cross to pay for man’s sin.
   
7. Personal relationship with God where we love Him (thereby fulfilling the greatest law) and we receive his love for us, comes through the acceptance of that payment of Jesus’ on the cross for our sins, and cure for our sinful nature.
   
8. On judgment day, God will judge each person on whether or not they accepted Jesus’ blood as payment for their sin and cure for their sin nature.

Muslims think along the same lines until they get a few steps down:

1. God is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent
   
2. God, as Creator of mankind has a right to make laws and cause His people to obey them: though Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, God was not required to punish them unless he felt like it.
   
3. Man is basically good in nature, but (according to those who subscribe to Folk Islam, if not Orthodox Islam) is born with a jinn (evil spirit) in him that causes him to desire evil.
   
4. God hates man because he is prone to sin. God will judge each man and woman one day. He is already weighing each deed on a scale: all the good things he puts on one side, all the bad things he puts on another side.
   
5. Good Muslims should try not to do too many bad things: they should try to do enough good things that the scale is even between the good and the bad.
   
6. God sent prophets all throughout history, to warn men of the coming judgment. These included Abraham, Ishmael, Jesus, and Muhammad.
   
7. Muhammad finally revealed the last revelation of warning man to do more good than bad. He was given the words of the heavenly Qur’an to write down for all the world to know them. They teach specifically how to do more good than bad.
   
8. In the end, God will not really use the scales of good and bad deeds to determine heaven or hell for a person: he will send some perfectly evenly-balanced Muslims to hell and some Muslims with a bad deed balance to heaven. It depends on how he feels that day (his will). All non-Muslims will go to hell.
   

Again, you can see here that the major distinction between beliefs is twofold: first, in the inherent depravity of man. Second, in the Deity of Jesus Christ. These two points are what make Christianity unique from any other religion in the world.

So are Jehovah and Allah one and the same? As the Caner brothers (converts from Islam to Jesus Christ) put it “no, of course not.” They differ in one major way: nature. Their natures are as different as can be: only "different" does not suffice for a definition: Allah and Jehovah, in nature, are polar opposites.

Do Muslims, then, worship the God of the Bible, be it in ignorance, or in error? If so, we can easily lead them to the truth about the God they already love and know. If not, we must introduce a new God to them, which (judging by their monotheistic beliefs in Allah and previous encounters), they would not appreciate.

Islamic Concepts of God vs. Biblical Concepts

There are seven basic attributes that Muslims assign to Allah.

1. The first is his existence: he is eternal, and had no beginning nor ending.
   
2. Second is his Omniscience: he knows all things, and can never forget.
   
3. Third is his Sovereignty: Allah is all powerful and mighty.
   
4. Fourth is his will: he is able to do whatever he desires. No laws govern his actions. Good and evil exist by his will. “If a man is pious, it is because of the will of Allah. If a man is an unbeliever, it is due to the will of Allah” 3
   
5. Fifth, Hearing. Allah can hear any sound, without ears.
   
6. Sixth, Seeing. Allah sees all things, no matter how dark or well-camaflouged. He sees without eyes.
   
7. Lastly, speech: he speaks, but without a tongue.
   

Muslims believe that Allah is absolutely monotheistic. He is one God and does not have any other parts to himself. Muslims constantly repeat the Arabic words, Allahu akbar, which means “God is Greatest” all the time. They believe that God is the greatest and nothing can be compared to him “To the Muslim it means that no matter what a man can think of, God is greater than that.” 4 Another belief that Muslims emphasize about God is his unity. Muslims believe that associating Allah with any other god is the greatest sin (the sin of shirk).

Allah is a spirit being. Muslims do not believe that Allah has a physical or spiritual body. Thus the last three of the seven beliefs about Allah pertain to his form. Allah is self-existent and eternal. He has always been, and will always be.

Below we look at a few of the main characteristics of Allah and how they pertain to or differ from the biblical perspective of God.

• Absolute Sovereignty

“En sh’Allah”—God wills it. This is perhaps one of the most spoken exclamations that Muslims around the world use.

Allah is the cause of all things, including evil. “We first send a definite order to those among them who are given the good tings of this life to transgress, so that the word is proved true against them: then it is We destroy them utterly.” (surah 17:16) He causes man to sin and makes other men to do good. No one has any say in what they do. It is all predestined by Allah. “According to what God had engraved on a preserved tablet by His pen of fate, nothing comes to pass, whether good or bad, except by the divine will. A Muslim believes that God is not limited by any consideration whatsoever, moral or otherwise. He chooses whether He will forgive or damn a person.” 3

This presents quite a problem when we contrast Allah’s ability to do as he pleases to the God of the Bible’s righteousness. Since Allah is absolutely sovereign and has not limited himself with righteousness or goodness, he is a god of both good and evil. “...not only the moral and material good of the world, but also its moral and material evil are his creation. So when Muslims speak of the unity (tawhid) of Allah, they combine in that unity some creative activities that cannot be reconciled.... Allah creates all man’s acts, both good and evil, and allows man only the power to appropriate the acts that he has created for him. This appropriation is not even a free acceptance on man’s part, to which he can say, ‘I don’t want to act thus.’ Man’s every thought and act, his every intention and purpose, are created by Allah. Man creates nothing, neither though nor action (see surah-of the Qur'an- 37:96)” 4

• Righteousness and Holiness

Because Allah is a god of good and evil both, he is not righteous. Unlike the God of the Bible, Allah does not “only do wondrous things” (Psalms 72:18). “In Islam there is no law of righteousness in the being of Allah. The Qur’an states that Allah does as he pleases; he guides men aright and he leads men astray. In twenty passages of the Qur’an, Allah is said ‘to lead men astray.’ He created a multitude of spirits and men specifically for the purpose of torturing them in hell: ‘that I will fill hell with jinn and mankind together.’ (surah 32:13). Even true believers have no sure hope of not spending time in hell, for surah 19:71 says, ‘There is not one of you but shall approach it.’” 5

• Omnipresence

Allah, of course, is Omnipresent. But that is not in a personal, relational sense (as it is for Christians), but in a physical sense. Physically, Allah is closer even than the juggler vein (see surah 50:16). “Unto Allah belong the East and the West, and withersoever ye turn, there is Allah’s countenance. Lo! Allah is All-Embracing.” (surah 2:115)

No Muslim would ever think of God as a close, loving, and personally intimate father. "Even the most faithful and devout Muslim refers to Allah only as servant to master; Allah is a distant sovereign."7

• Transcendence

Muslims also believe one key thing about Allah: he is transcendent and cannot be known by a person. Muslims believe that God holds himself aloof from man, and that he is unknowable by us. Any contact Muslims have to God is out of duty because of fear of him, and the essence of love that is found in the Bible is gone from Orthodox Muslim’s beliefs.

• Justice and Mercy

In the Qur'an, Allah is the ultimate judge of mankind: but how can he be a judge of mankind if he himself has predestined their actions? There is nothing he can judge them for if they are merely puppets on his preconceived strings. They sin or do good only at his will.

The Qur'an also teaches that Allah keeps scales in heaven for record-keeping of man’s good and bad deeds. If the good is even with or supercedes the bad, then the Muslim can have hope of going to heaven. If bad is stronger than good on the scales, the Muslim will go to hell. We see two problems with this belief:

1. First, how can the ultimate judge let any sin into heaven at all? If Allah were completely holy, he would not let even the slightest bit of sin dwell in his presence. But he cannot be holy: for he created evil and predestined men to do evil. Besides this, he is unfair, unjust, and has the tendency to lead more men astray than to the right. If Allah were a holy god, he could not allow a person to heaven to dwell with him unless there were absolutely no bad deeds, and the very exact right amount of good deeds. And what if they are equal? If they are equal you go to hell, for goodness is our duty.
2. Secondly, there is no fairness in Allah’s ability to forget the scales altogether and allow a “bad” Muslim (whose scales are tipped ultimately to the bad) into heaven, or a “good” Muslim go to hell! However, Allah does indeed have the right to do so, if he wills. It all depends on the will of Allah. Because Allah is not holy (or righteous at His moral base), he can deceive, ensnare, torture, and pardon anyone at will.
   

• Love

The biggest difference between Yaweh and Allah is in the love that Yaweh has for His people. The Bible says continually that God is a God of love “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Allah, however, is constantly presented as a hateful god: his hitlist is very long and varied:

• transgressors (surah 2:190)
  
• the ungrateful sinner (surah 2:276)
  
• those who do wrong (surah 3:57)
  
• the arrogant or vainglorious (surah 4:36)
  
• Infidels who do not believe in Allah
  

“Throughout Muslim thought, hell always seems much nearer than Paradise. People are continually reminded of Allah’s wrath and the slippery slope toward eternal punishment.” 10

A follower of Isa who came from a Muslim background said that she would go up to the roof of her house in the Middle East and weep her heart out from the pain and misery of her life. “While I was there,” she said, “I would cry out to Someone.... not Allah, but Someone, to help me, to love me.” When asked if she ever felt that she could find that love in Allah, she said, “No, never. He did not love me. He was like an angry judge.”

The love of the God of the Bible is the greatest thought any human being could ever think. His love is far beyond our understanding! God's love is infinite as all His other attributes are.

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:19)

• His love is unconditional and can never be earned. Nothing that we could do could make us worthy of it! Nothing could ever make Him love us more; or less, for He is unchangeable. Nothing we do could prevent Him from loving us more or less. Nothing outside of us or from inside of us could make His love go away: "Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39)
  
• His love for us means that He does what is very best for us. It also means that He gives Himeslf for us. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Ephesians 5:2) "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16)
  
• God’s mercy in sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sin was motivated by love. “ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9) “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God...” (1 John 3:1)
  

Four Major Differences

Four major differences between Allah and Jehovah, the God of the Bible—that of holiness, justice, mercy, and love—are the four that are directly related to salvation and relationship to man. They are perhaps some of the most important of His attributes. They are laced together in the most intricate and beautiful tapestry of God’s being that can be beheld. They are so important because they relate directly to mankind.

The God of the Bible's Uniqueness in Nature from Allah of the Qur'an

Is Allah the same as Jehovah?

This is a question that is very difficult to answer, put just like that.

Yet it is one of the most important questions in the whole issue of Islam and the Bible. It is a question that deserves utmost and most carefuly thought.

First, very little in the Qur'an agrees with the Bible. Second, though the Qur'an tells us that Muhammad, the messenger of Allah is the last and most important prophet, the Bible never tells us to look out for another prophet: it warns us of those who would try to add to the revelation of the Bible: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Rev. 22:18-19 "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8

Also, in light of the differences in nature between God and Allah above, we would have to say that they are much, much different when it comes to what people believe about them.

Though both the Qur'an and the Bible claim to be teaching the absolute truth about the God of Abraham, their portrayals of the nature of God differ greatly. They also contradict each other concerning the actions of God in history, the human messengers he sent to humankind, and on the beliefs about Jesus Christ, Isa Al-Masih.

In light of that, we would have to answer "Is Allah the same God as Jehovah, the God of the Bible?" with a resounding "NO!" They are not the same, of course (all Muslims and Christians, and followers of Isa as revealed in the Bible, agree on that), but does that mean that Allah- the God of the Qur'an, is then a false god, or an idol? Should we say that Allah is actually a demon that Muslims knowingly worship? We have heard this said before, and would have to disagree with it.

We believe that Allah in Islam is the God of the Bible, but what Muslims believe about Him is wrong. Therefore they cannot worship Him in Spirit and in truth. The first and most foundational thing that Muslims believe about Allah that we believe is wrong, is that He has authored the revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad. We believe, rather, what the Bible says about divine revelation, and that, in its course, determines what we believe about the nature of Allah.

In summary, what Muslims and those who believe in the Bible disagree on is not that there is one true God. They both believe they are worshipping that one true God in spirit and in truth. They disagree not on His existence nor on mankind's responsibility to acknowledge and worship Him, but in divine revelation and how He has chosen to reveal Himself. That is the core of the disagreement. Muslims chose to believe that the Qur'an through Muhammad was God's choice of revelation. All of history, they claim, through many prior prophets, God was preparing and announcing Muhammad's arrival as the last and most relevant messenger. People of the Book (the Bible, that is), however, believe that God began at first to reveal Himself through the prophets and the nation of Israel, in preparation for His most relevant and final revelation, that of Himself in the Great Prophet, Jesus Christ. All that is written of Him in the Scriptures, both before and after the Injeel (in the 66 books of the Bible), is absolutely true and the most relevant Word of God.

| To the Top | For more information about Islam from a biblical perspective, download this free pdf file, look at the resources and links page, or Contact Us.

To continue with these articles about Islam from a biblical perspective, click on the links below:

| Understanding Islam's God | Differences between Biblical and Qur'anical thought and practice | News and Prayer Alerts for the worldwide Muslim population | Links and resources for more information about Islam |