I just read this in Huffpo.
Now I would very much like to have a better understanding of Islam, in terms of actual belief, rather than practices, in the same way I asked about Judaism.
Thank you in advance for the education.
There are three great Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. All worship the same God. One followed the others, so although Moses is thought of as a “Jewish” figure, he is known and respect in all three religions. In the same way, Jesus, Essa in Arabic, is thought of as a “Christian” figure, he is known and respected by Muslims.
But your question is too general for anything but a very general answer.
If you’re really interested in Islam I would suggest reading the Koran and Karen Armstrong’s short book Islam.
Short answer, Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet but not the literal son of God.
A prophet, but not the last or best prophet.
Both Moses and Jesus would be considered Mulsim by Muslims. Infact not just Muslims but prophets of Islam.
In Islam Jesus is an important prophet and considered to be the Messiah, but he is not considered to be the ‘Son of God’ or part of the Holy Trinity.
This is, IIRC, the position of the Mormons also, no?
I highly recommend reading the Qu’ran and Islam in a Nutshell. I read them both in October and learned a lot about the religion and while Islam does use Judaism and Christianity as part of its basis for its religion, the stories do not actually jive with the other religions and there are quite a few differences.
In fact, in the book Islam in a Nutshell, it talks about Mohammed’s journey to Jerusalem where he talked with and then was subsequently mocked by Jewish elders who said that his knowledge of the Torah was wrong. The interesting part was that until then, Muslims would worship in the direction of Jerusalem and that after that, Mohammed change the location to Mecca.
Can you explain what a Messiah is, if not the savior? Because if it IS “the savior”, then why wouldn’t Muslims consider him their savior?
And Larry: I’m not “really” interested enough to read the Koran or even a book. I’m interested enough, but it’s one of those things that fall under “idle” curiosity - if the answers don’t come, life will not change.
I’m just a very curious person about lots of things.
BTW, you can make a case that the Bahá’í Faith should be included. It probably qualifies as an Abrahamic religion, and claims enough followers in enough countries to generally make the lists of the world’s “major religions”. Having started in the 19th century, maybe it’s “too new” …
No, this is not at all what Mormons believe.
Stoid, this is such a basic question about Islam that no book purchase is necessary. Just read the Wikipedia entry on Islam.
My understanding was that he was the messiah for his particular circumstance – the messiah of the Jews, in other words – but that god’s work was left incomplete and he had to send more prophets. In the view of Islam, all prophets preceding Muhammed were imperfect in some way or another.
In Judaism, the Messiah is a human being who will bring about certain things that are required for the end of times to begin. He’s not the savior by any means.
Yes, the Jewish concept of the messiah is completely different from the Christian idea.
I think Marvin Harris has asserted that, originally, the prophecy of the messiah was about a military/political/revolutionary leader who would establish a free Jewish state, not someone who would be sent to ensure the delivery of souls to heaven.
No, this is not what the Latter-day Saints believe. Check out Articles 1, 3, and 4.
This wiki entry seems to sum up the Muslim position fairly well and in short. As mentioned upthread, Jesus is not considered the son of God by Muslims as the Qur’anic teaching is that God cannot have a literal son, and that Jesus is one of the prophets in a line beginning with Moses and ending with Muhammed. The idea that Jesus is the incarnate son of God is considered to be a corruption of the Gospel or revelation to Jesus.
First, the term Messiah in Jewish scriptures meant the annointed one. Most Jews traditionally believed that the Messiah would be a leader who would liberate Israel, defeat Israel’s enemies, and restore the the Temple in Jerusalem. However, there was no consensus on the relationship of the Messiah to all other nations.
Second, the Prophet Mohammed did not have the entirety of the four gospels or the rest of the New Testament. We don’t know exactly what sources he did have concerning Jesus Christ, though there have been attempts to reconstruct his sources based on what he wrote. Not surprisingly, much of what Mohammed wrote about the birth and life of Jesus contradicts the New Testament.
As far as how the Koran relates to Jewish and Christian beliefs, I like to describe the Koran this way: 70% about how anyone who doesn’t believe the Koran will be punished for eternity, 20% about how great God is, 5% Bible stories rewritten by Mohammed, and 5% rules–most of the rules are about divorce and property division. The rewritten Bible stories are generally dumbed down to fit Mohammed’s ‘us v. them’ mentality. For example, in the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis, Joseph is in the right and his brothers in the wrong. However, most folks would agree that Joseph is less than a paragon of compassion. After gaining power in Egypt, he sometimes acts like a total jack*** and treats his brothers like crap. It is, as many have noted, a quite realistic portrait of the psychological changes that often occur once a person is elevated to a position of authority. In Mohammed’s version, all that subtlety is gone. Mohammed simply declares that Joseph his perfect and his brothers suck.
Islamic prophets begin with Adam –
Adem (Adam)
Idris (Enoch)
Nuh (Noah)
Hud (Eber)
Saleh
Ibrahim (Abraham)
Lut (Lot)
Ismail (Ishmael)
Ishaq (Isaac)
Yaqub (Jacob)
Yusuf (Joseph)
Ayyub (Job)
Shu’ayb (Jethro)
Musa (Moses)
Harun (Aaron)
Daud (David)
Sulayman (Solomon)
Ilyas (Elijah)
Al-Yasa (Elisha)
Yunus (Jonah)
Dhul-Kifl (Ezekiel)
Zakariyya (Zechariah)
Yahya (John the Baptist)
Isa (Jesus)
Muhammad
Actually some of the above are “messengers” but not “prophets.”
The Muslims seem to be running out of reasons not to have anything to do with the Holiday Season.
Thanks, both, particularly Monty for the linky. Ignorance fought.
Hey, this Muslim is perfectly A-OK with the Holiday Season and is celebrating it too! 
There’s also “Islam for Dummies” and “The Koran for Dummies”, as well as “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Islam”. 
How many people are prevented by pride from buying a book with the title ending “for dummies”? I know I am.