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Critical Thinking Research Paper
Nevaya Drotz
Liberty University
D22: RLGN104
Professor Nathan Grooms
December 2 , 2022
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Critical Thinking Research Paper
In the Islamic religion, the origin of the universe is Allah. The world began and ends
with Allah. Muslims believe that Allah created the sun and moon, the earth and the heavens, and
everything that resides within the universe. The Qur’an describes human creation explaining that
“Man was created from clay, and is thus part of nature, not separate from it” (IslamOnline,
2021). Allah created Adam from clay and breathed his spirit into him.
“Followers of Islam aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah. They believe that
nothing can happen without Allah's permission, but humans have free will” (History.com Editors,
2018). Allah sent prophets to humanity to help people behave well so that the virtues that were
already ingrained in the original human nature could come to fruition. Muslims believe that both
humans and animals are to be treated with respect. Humans are responsible for the care and well-
being of animals (Suliman, 2021). In Islamic culture “…people are the noblest of God's
creatures, superior to the rest of nature” (Human nature and the purpose of existence, n.d.).
The purpose of humanity according to Islam religion is to love and serve God. “The very
name of the religion, Islam, means submission or obedience to God, and the Muslim submits or
surrenders to God and recognizes Muhammad as God's prophet” (Human nature and the purpose
of existence, n.d.). Muslims were created to obey and serve their God by surrendering to their
divine purpose. “He separated them from the rest of creation by giving them three divine gifts:
intelligence to distinguish the true from the false, a will that can freely choose between them, and
the power of speech to worship” (Human nature and the purpose of existence, n.d.). Humans
serve Allah by doing good deeds and following the instructions laid out in the Qur’an.
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The knowledge of right and wrong is a crucial part of Islamic belief. According to Muslim
teachings, people should be aware of which activities are beneficial and will alleviate the
suffering of others without having to be instructed about them. Fitrah is the name for this innate
morality. Muslims believe that the desire to live by Allah's commands is a natural urge present in
every human from birth (What does Islam say about the origin of evil? n.d.). Muslims generally
agree that having morals and good values requires having faith in God. Muslims in almost every
nation surveyed believe that a person's morality is correlated with their level of religious belief
(Wormald, 2022).
Muslims say that after death, a person's soul returns to its creator to await the Day Of
Judgment. Death is important in the Muslim community because it means reuniting with Allah.
Muslims are encouraged to ponder death daily (When someone dies in Islam, 2022). “The Quran
states that God will judge each individual by his or her deeds and that heaven awaits those who
have lived righteously and hell those who have not” (Wormald, 2022). There are seven levels to
heaven and Muslims are urged to strive for perfection in their service to Allah to reach the
highest level.
Compare and Contrast
Both Islam and Christianity are similar in a few ways. Both Muslims and Christians
believe that there is only one God. They believe in one powerful God who created all and knows
all. They believe God created everything before he created man. In both religions, humans are
more important than animals and people are instructed to watch over and care for God’s creation.
Christianity says that humans should love others and serve God by worshipping him. “We are to
know Him and make Him known by glorifying Him with our lives” (Compelling Truth, n.d.).
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This quote is from a Christian standpoint but can also be backed up by the Qur’an. Both
Christianity and Islam believe in heaven and hell. Their definitions look different, but the
principles are the same. They both believe in an afterlife and the second coming of Jesus Christ.
There are more differences between the Islamic religion and Christianity. The main
difference between these two religions is their Gods. Islam believes in Allah who created man
from clay and breathed his spirit into him. Christians believe in a God who created every human
being in His image (Genesis 1:26). Muslims believe that humans were created to please Allah
and serve him. They believe there are seven levels to heaven and the greater the deed they
perform, the higher the level they get into. Christians believe in a forgiving God who died for all
of mankind’s sins. No number of good deeds could get someone into heaven. Christians believe
in one all-inclusive heaven as long as they believe and accept that Jesus Christ was sent from
heaven to die for their sins. According to the Qur’an, the basic knowledge between right and
wrong is given to a believer at birth. But according to the Bible, “Jesus Christ decided right from
wrong from the very beginning. He then gave us the Bible to teach and instruct us how to steer
away from wrong. In Exodus chapter twenty, God gave us the Ten Commandments to point out
ten sins we should avoid” (Drotz, 2022).
In conclusion, Christians and Muslims have very different worldviews. Although they
both believe in one God, those Gods are very different.
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References
Bible Gateway. (n.d.). . BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions NIV
and 50 languages. https://www.biblegateway.com/
Compelling Truth. (n.d.). What does the Bible say about the purpose of man
(humanity)? CompellingTruth.org. https://www.compellingtruth.org/purpose-of-
man.html
History.com Editors. (2018, January 5). . Islam
HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/religion/islam#sharia-law
Human nature and the purpose of existence. (n.d.). Patheos | Hosting the Conversation on
Faith. https://www.patheos.com/library/islam/beliefs/human-nature-and-
the-purpose-of-existence
IslamOnline. (2021, October 30). Islam and the nature of the
universe. https://islamonline.net/en/islam-and-the-nature-of-the-
universe/
Suliman, L. (2021, July 12). . Islam and animal rights
EcoMENA. https://www.ecomena.org/islam-animal/
What does Islam say about the origin of evil? - The problem of evil and suffering. (n.d.). BBC
Bitesize. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zhsjscw/revision/6
When someone dies in Islam. (2022, October 28). Islamic Relief UK - A Muslim Charity Guided
by Islamic Values. https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/about-us/what-we-
do/islamic-inheritance/when-someone-dies-in-islam/#:~:text=Muslims
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%20the%20afterlife
Wormald, B. (2022, April 26). . Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Chapter 3: Morality
Life Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-
worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-
