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Christianity
Jesus was born in Palestine, probably around 6 CE and his life was lived
in close communication with God, whom he called ‘Abba’, a familiar
term for father. Despite the Christmas stories, which link the birth of
Jesus to Bethlehem and the lineage of King David, little is actually known
of his life. It is recorded that he was baptized in the River Jordan by John
the Baptist. There he had a vision of the heavens opening and heard the
voice of the Father proclaiming
Thou art my beloved son; with thee I am well pleased.
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This heralded the beginning of his ministry. First he withdrew into the
wilderness to contemplate this role and to face the temptations it might
bring. Subsequently he taught in parables and preached the coming of the
Kingdom of God, that the will of God should be followed on earth. He
performed healing and other miracles, such as the feeding of the five
thousand. His main teaching was given in the ‘Sermon on the Mount’
which included the Beatitudes and the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. Jesus lived a simple
life, dependent on God for his needs and preached accordingly,
‘Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil
nor sin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which
today is alive and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will he not much
more clothe you, O men of little faith? Wherefore be not anxious,
saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What
shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek these things; and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom
and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.’
[Matthew 6:28–33]
Religious and Spiritual Experience
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He travelled with 12 disciples, chosen from among his countrymen and
his ministry lasted for about 3 years before he arrived in Jerusalem. There
he was arrested, tried by Pontius Pilate and crucified at the time of the
Feast of the Passover. According to the Gospels, Jesus had previously
indicated his acceptance of his fate. After his death his followers had
extraordinary experiences convincing them that Jesus had been raised
from the dead. They seemed to meet him and he reassured them that he
was still with them. The disciples then had the experience of Pentecost,
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one
place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty
wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there
appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one
of them. And they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
in other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2: 1–4)
They then went outside to preach. At the time there were people from
many different countries in the city, and everyone, whatever their own lan-
guage, was able to understand what the disciples were saying. The apostles,
or early followers of Jesus, began worshipping and preaching Jesus as the
risen Messiah, the Christ, meaning ‘the Anointed One’. He was seen as the
Son of God and his death a sacrificial act on behalf of humanity,
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever
believes in him may have eternal life. [John 3:16]
As the word was spread, notably by St Paul, the movement grew away
from Judaism and the Christian Church was established. Accounts of
these early days and the life of Jesus were eventually written down as the
Gospels within the New Testament as a continuation of the Hebrew Scrip-
tures to make the Bible.
The faith became the official religion of the Roman Empire in 381 CE
and eventually spread worldwide. It later split into three main branches,
Roman Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox.
Islam
Muhammad is considered by Muslims to be the last of the prophets of the
Bible, beginning with Adam right through to Jesus. Muslims believe that
Muhammad was sent by God to rectify misunderstandings of followers in
this line, and so he is revered as the seal of the prophets.
Major Religious Traditions
37
Born in Makkah (Mecca) around 570 CE, Muhammad lost his father
before he was born and his mother when he was six years old. He was
cared for first by his grandfather then his uncle. He worked for and later
married Khadija, a widow some fifteen years older. It was she who helped
and supported Muhammad when he had doubts about his revelations.
Muhammad used to go into a mountain cave to meditate and it was
when he was about forty years old that he began having visions. On what
became known as ‘the Night of Qadr’ (Power or Glory), recorded in
Surah
(Section) 97 of the Qur’an,
We revealed this on the Night of Qadr. Would that you knew what the
Night of Qadr is like!
Better is the Night of Qadr than a thousand months.
On that night the Angels and the Spirit by their Lord’s leave come
down with each decree.
That night is peace, till break of dawn.
He had a vision of the Angel Jibril (Gabriel), who instructed him to
‘Read’ or ‘Recite’ (
Qur’an
means recitation). This is recorded in Surah 96
of the Qur’an, which begins,
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Recite in the name of your Lord who created – created man from
clots of blood.
Recite! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who by the pen taught
man what he did not know.
According to Muslims, Muhammad was illiterate, but the word of
God was imparted directly to him. It was a message to Jews and Chris-
tians as well as to the pagan polytheists of Arabia, to bring them back to
the essential message, to the worship of God alone. He received the
Qur’an
over a period of 23 years, committing it to memory. It was not
written down until after Muhammad’s death when it is generally held
that Abu Bakr compiled the surahs, arranging them by length, beginning
with the shortest.
For 12 years Muhammad taught the supremacy of the all-powerful,
merciful creator Allah, establishing Islam, which in Arabic means ‘sub-
mission’ (to the will of Allah). There was much hostility to his teachings
and in 622 CE, in what is known as the
Hijra,
Muhammad moved to
Yathrib, later known as Al-Madinah an-Nabi (the City of the Prophet),
then simply Madinah (Medina). However, in 630 he returned and
conquered Makkah, which eventually became the main site of the
Hajj
Religious and Spiritual Experience
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(pilgrimage) which all Muslims are enjoined to undertake as one of the
Five Pillars of Islam. The other four are the instruction to pray five times
a day in the direction (qibla) of the
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