At first glance, however, Islam and Christianity seem to have nothing in common; As you go beyond the surface, they seem to have many similarities such as their beliefs in God, their beliefs in life after death, their holy scriptures and prayers. These religions, although two completely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, they both claim to be the one and only true path to God. In order to truly see and understand their similarities, one must go back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout this essay, I will compare the many facets that show the similarities between these two growing religions. Although Islam and Christianity differ in major ways, they also share some similarities in their belief in God. First of all, Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions; worship one God. Although both believe in the same God, He is called by two completely different names. He is called “Allah” by Muslims and “God” by Christians. The basic creed of Islam is brief: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.” Islam teaches that there is only one God: the creator and sustainer of the universe, who is compassionate and just. He calls everyone to believe in him and worship him. When someone disobeys the Lord, he can be forgiven if he sincerely repents. In Christianity, the first and most important of the Ten Commandments states: “I am the Lord your God. You will have no other gods before me.” Just like Muslims, Christians also believe that their God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. The Bible begins with God creating the Earth in seven days. Another similarity between these...... middle of paper ......es, Trevor. The Kingfisher Book of Religions: Festivals, Ceremonies and Beliefs from Around the World. New York: Kingfisher, 1999. Dirks, Jerald. The Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam: similarities and contrasts. Beltsville, Maryland: Amana Publications, 2004. Ibrahim, IA. A brief illustrated guide to understanding Islam. 2nd ed. Houston: Darussalam, 1997. The Holy Bible: giant print; containing the Old and New Testaments translated from the original languages; and with the ancient translations carefully compared and revised, by special order of His Majesty, authorized version of King James; words of Chris. Giant reference print ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 1994. “What is Islam? (All parts) – The religion of Islam. » The religion of Islam. http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/6/viewall/ (accessed February 19, 2011).