Islam
|
Catholic
|
Similarities
|
| Muhammad - Allah's
greatest prophet |
the
Pope - the vicar of Christ |
Autocratic Form of church Government
where the seat of authority resides in one person. |
| Islam salvation is a
combination of Allah's grace and Muslims' works. On the Day of Judgment,
if a Muslims good works outweigh their bad ones, and if Allah accept
their good works, then they may be forgiven of all their sins and
enter into Paradise. |
In Catholicism, God's
grace is infused into believers to enable them to do the necessary
good works to merit salvation on the day of judgment. |
The importance of good works to earn
salvation. |
|
The Muslims' understanding of good works is largely
determined by the performance of the Five Pillars of Islam. These
are:
- The recitation of the creed that there
is only one true God Allah and Muhammad his prophet
- Praying five times a day
- Fasting and abstaining from sexual
relations during the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan
- Alms-giving to the poor
- Pilgrimage to Mecca, if possible, at
least one in the life time
|
The Roman Catholic understanding of good works
is strikingly similar. Like the Muslims the Catholics:
- Recite the Apostles' Creed in their
church service.
- The recitation of prayers (especially
Ave Marias and Pater Noster, that is the Lord's Prayer).
- Fasting is recommended to Catholics,
especially as a form of penance to expiate sins confessed to
a priest.
- Alms-giving especially to minister
to orphans and the poor.
- Like the Muslims, Catholic are also encouraged
to make a pilgrimage to Rome, especially during the Anno
Santo, that is the Holy Year, which is now celebrated every
25 years.
|
Good works defined |
|
For Muslim the supreme intercessory role is
reserved for Muhammad. On the final day of judgment, the Prophet
will prostrate himself before God who, according to tradition,
will say to him: "O Muhammad! raise up your head, and speak,
it will be heard; and ask, it will be given; and intercede, and
it will be approved." The text continues indicating that
God will pull out of the Hell fire those for whom Muhammad will
intercede.
|
In Catholicism, believers pray to Mary and
the Saints to intercede with God on their behalf or on behalf
of their loved ones. The new official Catechism of the Catholic
Church, acknowledges that the Muslim "venerate Jesus as a
prophet, his virgin Mother they also honor, and even at times
devotedly invoke."
|
Human Intercessors |
| According to Islam, the
soul is extracted from the body by four angels, as death approaches.
Once the soul is extracted from the body, the angels take it to
one of three places: Paradise (the Gardens), Purgatory, or Hell. |
|
Immortality of the Soul - The
belief in the survival of the soul apart from the body at the moment
of death |
| In Islam the suffering
is inflicted as punishment for sins of omission. |
In Catholic teachings
the suffering of purgatory is needed to pay for the temporal punishment
of sins committed on this earth. |
Purgatory |
In Islam, "The fires
of hell are seventy times the intensity of terrestrial fire. The
wicked who will suffer in it throughout eternity, will forget that
they ever enjoyed any pleasure on this earth. Their tongues will
drag out and men will stamp upon them. They will suffer hunger and
when given food it will stick in their throats. They will be given
'hot water served to them, with iron hooks; and when it comes near
their faces it will scorch them, and when it goes into their bellies
will tear every thing there into pieces.' Scorpions as big as mules
and snakes like camels torment them; stinking rivers full of vile
creatures entrap them; the damned have black charred skins, huge
long tongues, mouths vomiting pus and blood, entrails filled with
fire; their bodies will be greatly enlarged so that they can more
adequately experience the torture. All suffer by fire, although
the degree of punishment differs according to one's sins. The damned
attempt to escape, but each time the guardians of the Fire seize
them and throw them down again."
|
|
Hell |
