Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?

Question

I'm not really sure where to go with this question, since it is a question regarding Christianity. Also, I'm seeking a Christian perspective on this rather than a Muslim one. So, I thought that this site would be the best place for this question.

Muslims claim that they worship the same god as Christians do. (Similarly, Christians claim to worship the same God as the Jews do.)

Are there any Christian doctrines that accept this claim? If so, what is the biblical basis for this claim?

Answer 1

The correct answer to this question is clearly … <err, not so fast>

You see that's just the problem. Christianity doesn't have a clear unequivocal answer to this question that is broadly agreed on across traditions. Islam has now been around for about 1400 years promoting its ideas about the nature of God – who they usually claim is the same God as worshiped by Jews and Christians in times past now rightly understood with his proper name Allah. In all those 1400 years Christianity has not posited a definitive answer to this question.

There are no shortages of answers given. Some say "yes". Others chant "no". You'll various groups take a stand on an answer – even rant and rave about it. Mind you all these groups profess to be Christian but end up arguing both sides.

• The argument for "yes" generally boils down to some variant of "if there really is only one God as monotheistic religions claim, whether known by a wrong name or through corrupted scriptures it must be the same being". This position and it's many variations is generally held by more liberal traditions, the far extreme end of which would be something like, "Muslims are our brothers in faith, call God whatever you like as long as you only profess one".

• The argument for "no" generally boils down to some variant of "given a contradictory set of attributes ascribed to God, they must logically be describing different beings". This position and it's many variations is historically more mainstream and is generally held by more conservative traditions, the far extreme of which would be very fundamentalist groups that would go so far as to say things like, "Muslims are the enemy, the god they worship is actually the devil in disguise".

Does this mean there is not a definitive answer?

No, actually it doesn't. There is a definitive answer but you have to ask the right question.

Interestingly, most major Christian traditions do not try to pronounce certain judgment on this issue. The notable exception are Catholics, who issued a statement in 1965 in the affirmative¹. While identifying Islam as a non-Christian religion they go out of their way with wording to claim common ground in the person of God. Meanwhile most Protestant traditions and even many major Christian cults steer away from any official doctrine stating "The being worshiped by Muslims is/isn't the same being we worship."

However, the history of cross-tradition disagreement here is not to say that their position on the real issue isn't quite clear. The reason there isn't unanimity on whether to answer this question with "yes" or "no" is that it's the wrong question to be asking. Frankly the answer isn't meaningful. What all major Christian traditions do give us in spades are descriptions of who the true God is and how he is to be worshiped.

The core theological problem lurking here is not whether the beliefs and practices of the God of the Muslims is a different being altogether or just a bunch of misunderstandings about the same being. The question that matters to Christianity is: How has the true God made himself known and how is he to be worshiped? To this question, Christianity has definitive answers. This question, if asked and answered early, provides solid ground for not even needing to ask much less answer the question asked here. With the answers to the right question in hand, we can in fact outright condemn all other beliefs and systems of worship without even resolving the origins or natures of those other systems.

Now for a clear answer to the right question.

Regardless of the nature of any "other" religion—whether they have the wrong God or whether they have the right God but worship him wrongly—the end result is the same. Blasphemy.

For further study, I highly recommend carefully reading a blog post from my friend Kevin Bywater entitled Do Muslims, Mormons, and Christians Worship the Same God? In it he makes the observation that "Worshiping God wrongly is tantamount to worshiping the wrong god(s)."² Christianity doesn't concern itself so much with what beings other religions do or don't worship, but it does concern itself with correctly identifying the true God's character and with following his commands. Even inside of Christianity, presumably with the true God in mind, one can be guilty of blasphemy by misidentifying his character.

The most salient point to make in reference to any other religion is, I think, well summarized by this quote from the same article:

Blasphemy is found in ascribing to the true God what is false and in falsely denying of God what is true.

_{1. Thanks to Peter Turner for pointing this out. I was previously unaware of this statement. (And am personally outraged by it as it is not an accurate representation of either Islam or historic Christianity, but my personal view isn't what this question is about.)}

_{2. Ironically this is a concept that my Muslim friends usually don't usually have a problem accepting.}

Answer 2

Muslims may not appreciate (or perhaps they would) this distinction. But Hilare Belloc claims in The Great Heresies, that Islam is a heresy of Christianity.

Therefore, if Mohammed had had a vague inkling of Christianity and claim the inheritance of Ishmael then yeah, of course they worship the same God.

However, we couldn't say they worship Him fully because they do not believe in the Trinity. They do not believe that Jesus could be God.

---

In response to Caleb's answer wherein he says that no Christian sect, except liberal traditions embrace Muslims as believing in the same God.

From the documents of Vatican II (not just something a talking head says):

The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth, who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

Nostra Aetae - From the Documents of Vatican II

With reference to Muslims, it states these few things which are common to our faith and conveniently takes a distant reference from Abraham which is a common point on worshiping same God. It makes no reference to Mohammad though he is the epitome of this religion. Again, no recognition of Muhammad, the Qur'an, and the correctness of what Muhammad taught. So, as becomes clear in other Church documents, whatever truth there may be in what Muslims believe must come either from the universal truths that God has always made accessible to the minds and hearts of all people, or else by transmission from the divine revelation granted to the Jews and Christians.

So, yeah, even though this questions wasn't directed at Catholics in particular, it is true that most Christians (and the entire Communion of Saints) believe that Muslims attempt to worship same God, but they do so in severe error.

and, just so no one thinks this is out of context, the document says of Islam and other non-Christian religions

The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.

My pastor explained it pretty succinctly to a Religious Ed. class who was doing some Q&A with him. He said it's like a theatre where everyone's looking at the same play but quite a few people (non-Catholics and non-Christians) have for whatever reason decided to watch the play from awful seats instead of getting the front row seats that they could have had, had they only desired them. That's why I said above, they do not worship Him fully, but they do worship Him.

Answer 3

Clearly not

I do not think either a Christian or Muslim would hold to that. The only people who would like to think so are Universalists, but that is not really the orthodox position.

John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Answer 4

Both Christians and Muslims claim to worship the God of Abraham, so in that sense, we worship the same God.

However, Christians believe that Jesus was God incarnate, while Muslims do not. So Christians worship Jesus and Muslims do not. So in that sense it's not fully accurate to say we worship the same God.

Answer 5

I read in an early grade book written for Muslim children that "God has no son." Since the god they worship does not have a son, then we are not worshiping the same God, for the Christian God has the Son, Jesus Christ.

Answer 6

Muslims believe Jesus as a prophet and that Mohammed is God's last prophet, but do not believe in the Trinity or the divinity of Christ.

Since the God Mohammed describes is completely different than the God described in my Christian bible, no, they are not the same God.

Even though Muslims claim to worship the God of Abraham the Qur'an does not line up at all with either the Old or New Testament. And God says Himself that he never changes.

Answer 7

No, Christians and Muslims do not worship the same god. Worship is based on a set of core defining beliefs. The Scriptures from the Hebrew and the Greek do not match up with what is spoken about in the Koran.

Also, the name of the Almighty spoken about in each religion is different. For Christians, the Scriptures clearly define the name of the Almighty as YHWH/Yahuweh. Muslims and the Koran claim the name of the almighty is Allah. The same uncreated creator of Heaven and earth doesn't have two (or more) names.

Psalms 83:18 The Scriptures 1998+ (18) And let them know that You, Whose Name is יהוה, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Psalms 135:13 The Scriptures 1998+ (13) O יהוה, Your Name is forever, O יהוה, Your remembrance to all generations,

Answer 8

To get a clear answer, Judaism should be accounted. If Christians claim they worship the same God of Judaism, the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses, the God Who does not change, then easy to say, Muslims and Christians worship the same God. If answer is no for the God of Judaism, then it is same for the Muslims.

A answer in Judaism.SE may help- http://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/14501/1712

Update: As the OP himself has questioned about the substance matter of this answer, I feel to clarify my answer adding few more words.

We can see, from this page of answers, that the answer to the question "whether Christians and Muslims worship the same God" has a dual nature. At one side, the answer is yes, it is the same God they worship because they both claim to worship the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses. On the other hand, a negative tone emerges because the overall idea of the God in this two religions are fundamentally different. Christians believe in Trinity, while Muslims stick to strict monotheism.

Now, the question is, why the difference in idea or concept of God? As both claim to worship God of past righteous prophets- Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses, a question can be raised- what was these prophets' concept about God? Is it possible that, the concept of God can be changed? Because, The God Himself claimed-"I do not change". Here comes Judaism. Because, they also claim to worship the same God, the God of those prophets. And Christians and Muslims agree that, upto a certain period, before the time of Jesus, this was the true religion of God. So, what is their concept of God? How do they see the concepts of God in the Christianity and Islam? And then I supplied a link to an from a sister SE site regarding the the opinion of Judaism about the concept of God in Islam, which reflects their idea of God also. If someone needs an answer, this should help.

Hope I am clear now.

Answer 9

Every individual person on earth has their own "image" of God in their head. None of them are completely accurate. Some are more accurate than others.

Islam vs Christianity, there are many similarities and many dissimiliarities.

For instance Christians believe God exists in three forms, the Trinity. Muslims do not. Same God? no.

On the other hand, Christians and Muslims both believe God created the Universe and that He is all powerful. Same God?, yes.

You could argue the same for Catholic vs Baptist.