Islam vs. Judaism
Angel Turner
Comparing and Contrasting Islam and Judaism
Similarities
General Differences
- Both Judaism and Islam teach strict monotheism: that there is only one God.
- Both believe in prophets, and share many of the same prophets, such as Moses.
- Both trace their ancestry to Abraham
- Both religions have strict dietary laws with many similarities, such as a prohibition against eating blood and certain species of animals.
- Both religions teach the existence of angels and a Satan (though Jewish views of Satan are vastly different than Muslim Views).
- Both believe that God cannot father offspring with a human woman.
- Both have a tradition of praying in the language of their ancestors.
- Mosques and synagogues have the same 3 basic functions: house of study, house of prayer, and house of assembly.
General Differences
- Orthodox Jewish law requires Jewish men (only) to pray 3 times a day, and 4 times on Shabbat and certain holidays. Islam requires all Muslims to pray 5 times a day.
- Dietary laws are LESS strict for Muslims than they are for Jews, in the area of meats and food mixing.
- Dietary laws are MORE strict for Muslims than they are for Jews, in the area of alcohol.