Ḥāshiya

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?

1 min readQuestions on Islam

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If both religions trace themselves to Abraham, is the God they worship the same God?

The short answer

Muslims hold that there is only one Creator, so Jews, Christians and Muslims all intend the same God. The disagreement is not over which being is meant but over what is truly said of Him, above all whether God has a son or is three persons.

Contents
  1. What the Qur’an says
  2. Where the disagreement lies
  3. So, the same God?

What the Qur’an says

The Qur’an tells Muslims how to speak to Jews and Christians, and it begins from common ground:

وَإِلَٰهُنَا وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ ۝٤٦

…and our God and your God is one; and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.

QUR’AN 29:46Sahih International

The verse does not say the two communities believe the same things about God. It says the one they address is the same.The quotation is the end of a longer verse that begins with an instruction about how to argue with the People of the Book.

Where the disagreement lies

The Qur’an’s criticism of Christian doctrine is a criticism of description, not of address. Calling God three, or ascribing a son to Him, is what the Qur’an names shirk: associating partners with God.

So, the same God?

In intention, yes: there is no second Creator to worship. In description, Muslims hold that Christian doctrine says things of God that are not true of Him. Both statements are needed for an honest answer.