Muslim concept of God
Muslims are monotheistic, they believe in one God whom they refer to as Allah. Allah is an Arabic name for God; he is One and unique in everything he had created. Allah has no gender. He is self-sufficient as His existence is not determined by anything. Muslims adore using the name of Allah is referring to God because it portrays the unique qualities of God.
Everything on earth was created and is sustained by God. He created everything with some purpose. God has also the power to destroy what He had created. In other words, God is responsible for everything that occurs on the surface of the earth. He wanted man to adore Him (11:16). To achieve this, God sent messengers to enlighten people. Among the messengers sent by God were Adam, Moses, and Mohammed. Noah, Abraham, and Jesus were also sent as messengers by God to fulfill the purpose for His creation of man. All the messengers preached the same message, they all affirmed that God was the creator and urged people to worship only Him. In chapter 112 of the Quran, Muhammad describes God as One God and the only God that is revealed to him directly by God. The Muslims believe that Muhammad’s prophesy cleansed all the wrong relations that existed between God and people. According to Muslims, Muhammad is responsible for the practice of monotheism religion.
Muslims believe that God is loving and merciful, which is clearly portrayed in chapter 114 of the Quran. In this chapter, the Muslims do not compare the love of God with anything; they believe that the love of God is more than the love a mother can give to her own child.
The Muslims believe that God is just. According to them, sinners must face the wrath of God, they have to be punished. The element of God as merciful affirms His quality of justice. The Muslims believe that the righteous people get different treatment from those involved in wrongs from God. They believe that those involved in the hardening of lives on the earth are entitled to punishment from God. According to the Muslims, a six-day creation is irreverent.
Muslims also believe that God is an absolute creature; they know and regard Him as an everlasting God. This is evident from chapter 23 of the Quran. This chapter explains that God exists by Himself only, He has no associate. The oneness of God is evidenced in chapter 13 of the Quran. According to this chapter, the false gods have no power of unveiling good or harm of any kind. This chapter also criticizes the worship of heavenly creatures.
For one to become a Muslim, he or she is supposed to believe in the existence of only one God that is the creator and sustainer of the whole universe. In addition, one should agree with the fact that it is only God who is supposed to be worshipped and refrain from worshipping all other types of gods. A true Muslim should not allow his or her belief to be altered by anything, one is supposed to constantly have faith in God.
Hindu’s concept of God
Hindus are polytheistic, they worship many gods. Some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods whereas others believe in the existence of more than a thousand gods. Surprisingly, some Hindus believe in 300 million gods. Conversely, well-versed Hindus believe in the existence of only one God. Such Hindus consider God as a Supreme Being that should be worshipped.
Hindus and Muslims possess one great difference in terms of the way they perceive God. Unlike the Muslims, the Hindus observe the philosophy of Pantheism which advocates for the worship of both the living and the non-living. Thus, the Hindus regard everything they see as God. On the other hand, Muslims believe in the existence of only one God. According to the Muslims, the worshipping of many Gods is ungodly.
Hindu scriptures provide diverse types of gods, for instance, chapter 7 of Bhagavad Gita expounds on the materialistic practices of people who worship demigods. Some Hindus refer to God as nirguNa Brahman. Such Hindus believe that God has no specific physical appearance; this is evident from Upanishads scriptures. Upanishads scriptures explain how it is impossible for a common human being to visualize the appearance of God. They also believe that God has no specific name to be referred to. However, some Hindus also believe that God can take a variety of shapes, depending on the perception of the human beings, which is considered as saguNa brahman. The forms in which God exists arrays from cool to vicious and yogic. Each form of God has got its importance.
The Hindus believe that human society is split into classes. Each class represents the people who came into being from Brahman. According to Hindus, Brahman came into being from the head of the Almighty, whereas Sudra had its origin from the Almighty’s feet.
Hindus also believe that people are reincarnated after death. According to them, the soul of the deceased (Atman) is reborn again and again. They argue that the rebirth of good people takes place among higher-class people whereas those of evil take place among lower-class people.
According to the beliefs of Hindus, reincarnation and rebirths lead to new souls reuniting with Brahman in a process, which is called Moksha. The reuniting of Atman with Brahman leads to a man changing into God.
In regards to Hindu beliefs, there is a god responsible for creation (Brahma), a god responsible for preservation (Vishnu), and a god responsible for destruction (Siva). Of the three gods, Vishnu is the most common one. Vishnu is associated with human beings at some time in the human life span in a process known as Sanskrit avatar.
Hindus have also a belief that twenty percent of human beings are part of God. They believe that the difference between God and human beings is only at the surface appearance.
Christian concept of God
The Christian concept of God is described in the Bible. Their concept is known as classical theism. Christians consider God as Supreme Being. The study of theism originated from the Western World. According to Christians, God has no physical parts that can be touched and felt. Christians also believe that God is the creator and sustainer of everything that dwells on earth. They believe that He is the one who created both the living and the non-living things that exist on earth. He has got power over everything. No creature can compete with Him in terms of it.
Christians also term God as omniscient; God has the knowledge of everything that coexists on earth. God exists everywhere on earth and beyond earth. He is above the earth and at the same time, He is with us. According to Christians, God does not undergo any change, He is immutable. He has maintained his appearance; He will remain to be the same now and forever. Christians also believe that God is the only God to be worshipped. They believe that He is the one who listens to and answers human prayers and supports in difficult life situations.
According to theists, God is an individual being who has all the qualities of a perfect person. For instance, in the book of Genesis chapter 17 verse 11, God is described as a self-conscious God. He is a God of love and He created the best things for His creatures. God also communicates directly with his creatures; He unites with human beings via prayers. God knows everything, Christians seek knowledge from God. God is also spiritual in nature. God is not like human beings who have one body. He has diverse appearances. In the book of John chapter 4 verse 24, God is described as a Spirit.
God is the creator and protector of all living and non-living things. According to theists, all living things coexist because of the power of God. He is the one who decides on the life span of organisms. All living things continue to exist because of God’s command. God cannot be compared with the ancient gods. He created the earth and everything on it from nothing. On the other hand, according to ancient beliefs, the gods created the universe from the preexisting elements. In addition, all living things on earth depend on the mercies of God. This is evidenced in the book of Acts chapter 17 verse 25 and Hebrews chapter 11 verse 3.
God is omnipotent. He has the power of controlling everything on earth. He has the power of controlling all living things that coexist on the earth. In the book of Isaiah chapter 46, verse 10, God is portrayed as a God of keeping promises. In addition, Jesus Christ who is portrayed as a son of God and who is also powerful, says that everything is possible if we seek His support. Although God has the power of doing everything, He cannot lie or lead His creatures into problems.
God is omnipresent, He is everywhere at any time. There is no place an individual can hide because God resides everywhere. God coexists as a spirit hence enhancing His presence everywhere. In the Bible, He provided support to the prophets in terms of spirit. God also appeared to Moses in form of light on their way to Canaan, hence He is everywhere.
God is omniscient, He knows everything. He is the creator of the universe and He is aware of all that happens. There is nothing that can be hidden from Him because He already has insight into all that exists. He knows about everyone on earth even before they are born. He has plans for everything and designed everything in His own way. This means He has a count of all because all belongs to Him and that nothing can be hidden from Him. This is evident in the book of Genesis. He confirmed to Jeremiah during his call that He was aware of his existence even before his conception.
Works cited
Koslowski, Paul. The concept of God, the origin of the world, and the image of the human in the world religions. New York: Springer, 2001. Print.
Piamenta, Moshe. The Muslim Conception of God and Human Welfare: A Reflected in Every Day Speech. New York: Brill Archive, 1983. Print.
Raven, Charles. Evolution and the Christian Concept of God: Delivered Before the University of Durham at Armstong College. New Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, November 1935. New York: Oxford University Press, 1936. Print.