What Quran, Bible Have in Common
Christianity and Islam as two divine and Abrahamic faiths have many common tenets and teachings, particularly in the field of ethics, such as the emphasis on giving alms secretly. We read in verse 271 of Surah Al-Baqarah: “It is not bad to give alms in public. However if you give them privately to the poor, it would be better for you and an expiation for some of your sins. God is Well-Aware of what you do.”
The same teaching can be found in the Bible: “o when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)
The Quran refers to suppressing one’s anger and forgiving others’ mistakes as signs of the faithful and the pious: “(This reward will be for) those who keep away from major sins and indecency, who forgive when they are made angry.” (Surah Ash-Shura, verse 37)
We read in the Bible: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.” (Matthew 5:21-25)
Another example is rejection of trying to find faults in others: “Believers, abstain from most suspicion, some suspicion is a sin. Neither spy nor backbite one another would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Surely, you would loathe it. Fear Allah, without doubt Allah turns (in mercy) and He is the Merciful.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, verse 12)
The Bible says: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Mathew 7:1-5)
