Introduction
In this paper I will be tracing the lives of both Jesus and Mohammed. Each of these great individuals had a major impact on their respective religion. Jesus was known as the Messiah although he often denied this title. This paper will break down the impact the teaching of Jesus had on Christians. It will also explain what happened after Jesus and Mohammed died and how his teachings are carried on today. In this paper I will describe how each of these important figures was worshiped. Both Jesus and Mohammed where very humble people and even though they were in a great position they did not use it for self gratification. Both Jesus and Mohammed tried to help others understand that we are all brothers and sisters and we should love and take care of each other as such. You will see how Jesus and Mohammed where both like divining rods for God. They were messengers of God trying to help people understand things that they could not. Everyone interprets the word of God in different ways but these two figures were trying to help people understand it the way God intended.
Life of Jesus Christ
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in a barn from Marry who was a virgin at the time of conception. Many people came from the east to give Jesus gifts because they adored him. There is no more information about Jesus until he was 12 years old. When Jesus turned twelve he was suppose to go with his parents to Jerusalem but, they forgot him. When his parents returned they found Jesus in a temple talking about the Torah with rabbis. The rabbis and his parents were amazed that he knew so much and already had a close relationship with God.
There is not much information about Jesus until he was 30 and asked John to baptize him in the river. John was not sure why it was necessary to baptize Jesus because he was the son of God. The other thing was that everyone thought of Jesus as being free from sin. Jesus was like the Pope compared to John. I believe Jesus was baptized to show everyone that it is the right thing to do. I also believe he was showing people that in the human form even he is not perfect. According to Fisher (2005 pg 290) “he accepted baptism on behalf of all humans.” Right after Jesus was baptized God said he was very pleased with him.
After Jesus was baptized he went into the desert for 40 days. During this spiritual retreat Satan tried to convince Jesus to use his powers for the wrong reasons but, Jesus did not go for it. After this Jesus went on to find his first disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus let them know that before they followed him they must leave behind everything worldly. He did that because he did not want them worrying about physical possessions. He wanted them to think more about their spirituality.
Jesus traveled and continued spreading the word. While on his journey he would heal the sick and walked on water. All these miracles he performed showed people that he was the real messiah and gave proof of Gods existence. Jesus taught people to love one another and even to pray for your enemies. Jerusalem at the time was full of political conflicts however; he was not going to miss Passover. Jesus had the famous last supper and prayed for several hours until the guards showed up with Judas one of his disciples that betrayed him. Judas brought Jesus to be put on trial for Blasphemy. The punishment was death for this crime but, the law said they could not sentence someone to death. So they bought Jesus to the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate who sentenced him to death by crucifixion. Jesus was torched for several hours being wiped and a crown of thorns was placed on his head. Then they nailed Jesus and two thieves on separate crosses to die. When Jesus died Arimathea wrapped his body in cloth and put him in a cave then put a big rock in front of the opening. 3 days later his followers went to the tomb to get his body ready for a ceremony. They found the Rock was rolled away and the body was gone. According to Fisher (2005 pg. 301) “Angels then appeared and told them that Jesus had risen from death.”
The death of Jesus changed Christians forever. Many more people became Christian because he was living proof of God. He gave people faith by performing several miracles and teaching about the word of God. The lives of the people that Jesus touched gave Christianity longevity. Paul for example helped many Jews convert by showing them that Jesus was the Messiah mentioned in the Old Testament.
Life of Mohammad
Mohammad was born in Israel, Fisher (2005) said “into a poor clan of the most powerful of the tribes.” (pg.362) Mohammad’s dad was not alive when he was born. Later his mother and his grandfather died then he had to go live with his uncle. When Mohammad was a teen he went to Syria with his uncle. In Syria a Christian Monk showed him that he carried the mark of a prophet. When Mohammad was older he worked for a lady named Khadijah, taking care of her caravans. At the age of 25 Mohammad married Khadijah who was 40 and she supported him in his spiritual responsibilities. When Mohammad was 40 during the last month of the Islamic calendar he went on a spiritual journey. While Mohammad was on his journey he was visited by an angel named Gabriel. Gabriel wanted him to speak out loud but Mohammed said he could not. So finally after the angel repeated himself 3 times Mohammed gave in. The angel then influenced Mohammed’s words and they became the first words in the Qur’an.
When Mohammed got back home he was worried about the new responsibilities he was given. After that Mohammed continued to get these eye opening messages from Allah. Mohammed told only the people that would believe him about the revelations. Three years after the revelations started he got one that told him he must spread the word publicly. He was stoned by some stoned by some people but, continued to obtain followers. The followers would have to deal with being ridiculed and punished because they believed Mohammed was a prophet. Some even say that Mohammed and his followers were sent to a place for 3 years and had very little food or water.
Then they were told they could come back to Mecca; however the Qurayshites still did not believe he was a prophet and thought they should worship the old gods. 15 years into being a prophet his wife and uncle died. Because they stuck up for him so much he was being ridiculed more with them gone. It was during this time that Mohammed acended to the heavens and saw paradise, hell, and spoke with Jesus and Abraham. Pilgrims in the north wanted Mohammed to come to their town and help with their problems. Mohammed then moved to Yathrib and brought his followers with him. The town of Yathrib was eventually renamed Medina and was said to be a place where enemies of the Meccans lived.
Mecca declared war on the town of Medina and Mohammed lead the first raid and they won because God was on their side. Later the Muslims built up such a large army that the Meccans did not want to fight anymore. Mohammed went to Jews and Christians and tried to explain to them that their faith is the same. The Jews and Christians did with Mohammed. After winning in battle against the Meccans Mohammed went back to Medina. He then sent his followers all over to spread the word of the Qur’an.
Mohammed emphasized that we are all one big family and being different does not mean you should be treated differently. Mohammed then went to the last pilgrimage to tell them about the Qur’an and his revelations. When he got back home he got very sick and later died without telling anyone who would come after him. After Mohammed’s death the Muslim religion began to grow and grow. His followers continued to preach about the great prophet Mohammed. Today he is known by the Muslim community as the greatest teacher.
Conclusion
When Jesus died his followers carried on his legacy by spreading the word of God and his teachings. When Jesus was resurrected his followers had no doubt in their minds that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. Christianity grew more than it ever after the death of Jesus. His death fulfilled Prophecy from the bible which Christians the support they needed to prove their religion. When Mohammed died the same thing happened. His followers continued to spread his teachings and the religion grew like wild fire.
Many people did not believe Mohammed was a prophet until after he died just like Jesus. Jesus and Mohammed both taught us to be humble as they were even in their positions. Both Jesus and Mohammed were worshipped by their followers. Their followers worshipped them by standing by their sides and listing to their teachings. When Jesus was a baby he was brought many gifts. Mohammed was not worshipped as a child because he was not yet proclaimed to take his responsibility as a prophet. Today the Message of Jesus Christ is carried out daily in church and on the streets.
Christians try to bring the community together and spread the word in congregation. The teachings of Jesus are in the bible just like Mohammed’s teaching are in the Qur’an. The messages of Mohammed are spread primarily by word of mouth just like the teaching of Jesus. Both of them did not put their teaching in the Holy text instead it was added by their followers.
Reference
Fisher, M. P. (2005). Living Religions (6th ed.). : Prentice-Hall. Retrieved: January 31, 2010