The religions of Judaism and Islam are known to have some striking similarities,
including the lineage of prophets, certain acts that are forbidden,
and the belief in one God. However, there are some big differences that can be found in
these religions. Hey guys, welcome back to FTD Facts, my name is Leroy Kenton, and this episode
is actually intended to clear up any confusion or understanding of certain concepts and beliefs,
and encourage understanding of these two religions. So, let's begin. We're counting down from 10
to number 1. At number 10, we have the name. The name of the religion. When it comes to Islam, "Islam"
is an Arabic word meaning submission. And in the religious context, it means submission to
the will of God. Islam is derived from an Arabic word, literally meaning, peace. Now, for Judaism,
the word can be broken down as "Judah-ism." The English term Jew or Judah, originates in the
Biblical Hebrew word "Yehudi" meaning, "From the kingdom of Judah," or in a more religious sense,
"Worshipper of one God." Moving on to number 9 - their holy book. It's a big difference here. For
Judaism, the Hebrew scripture is referred to by the Christians as the Old Testament,
are called the "Tanakh" which is a Hebrew acronym for the three different parts, and it's divided
up like this: There's the Torah, which is the first 5 books of the Old Testament, or the Pentateuch.
Then there is the "Nevi'im," which are the books of the prophets. And then the "Ketuvim," which refers to
the writings. When it comes to Islam, the source of all authority in Islam is the Quran. Muslims
believe that it is the verbatim word of God, who they refer to as "Allah," and God dictated this to
Muhammad, the prophet in the Arabic language. The Quran is divided up now into chapters or
"Surahs," and the Quran contains 114 Surahs. And the Surahs are further divided into Verses called "Ayahs."
Next up we have other traditions for Islam. There is the "Hadith," which is a collection of traditions
and sayings of the prophet Muhammad, and the Hadith actually functions as a supplement to the Quran,
giving guidance to Muslims for daily living. Judaism has the "Talmud," which is an oral tradition,
that explains and interprets the Tanakh. It includes the "Mishnah," which is a code of Jewish law.
The next difference is a difference in prayer. When it comes to Islam, there are five daily obligatory
prayers that form the Second Pillar of Islam. And it's observed 5 times a day, at certain
prescribed times. And, we have the "Fajr," which is observed at dawn. The "Zuhr" prayer is done at noon.
Then there's the "Asr" prayer which is done in the afternoon. The "Maghrib" prayer is observed at
dusk, and the "Isha" prayer is observed after sunset. Now in Judaism, Jews are actually supposed to pray
3 times a day - morning, afternoon, and evening. There is also a Jewish prayer book. It is known
as the "Siddur," and it actually has special services that are set down for this. Praying regularly helps
a person get better at building their relationship with their God. There's also a massive difference
when it comes to the population of Muslims and Jews. So, let's look at Islam first. It's estimated
that there's 1.8 billion or closer to 2 billion by some estimates, Muslims in the world. And when you
calculate that, that's more than 24% of the world's total population who identify as Muslim. Islam is
the official religion in 26 countries in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and the Middle
East. Islam is also growing faster than any other religion in the entire world. And when it comes to
Judaism, the world population is a lot smaller. The population of Jews stands at 14.7 million,
according to a report by Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. The world Jewish population reached a
total of 16.6 million, but this was right before the start of world war ii back in the year 1939.
So the Jewish population has dipped since then. Alright guys, so we looked at 5
differences between Islam and Judaism. We have five more to look at, but before we get into the last
5, just gotta let you know of our video of the 10 similarities between Islam and Judaism. I think
you guys will really enjoy that one. We go very in-depth into some of these striking similarities.
I'll link to that video down below, so you can watch it after this one. Okay, continuing to number
5, we have Mary. In Islam, Mary or Maryam, receives a lot of admiration and is a very significant
person. She's said by the prophet Muhammad to be one of the 4 best women that God has ever
created. There's even a Surah or Chapter in the Quran called "Maryam," which is dedicated to Mary.
Surah Maryam is the 19th chapter of the Quran, and it contains 98 Ayahs or verses. And when it comes
to Judaism, the belief in Mary actually does not apply to the religion at all. She plays no
role in the Jewish tradition or religion. Other than historically, they would acknowledge that
someone named Mary did in fact exist. But while we're looking at the difference in Mary, let's
also look at the differences in Jesus. In Judaism, Jesus is not viewed as the Messiah, nor is the virgin
birth acknowledged. This is largely due to the belief that Jesus, if he ever existed according to
Jewish belief, didn't fulfill the scriptural requirements that the Messiah was supposed
to fulfill. And for some Jews more recently though, they have adopted the belief that Jesus was simply
a good Jewish teacher. But, in Islam, the belief in Jesus is much different. Islam, though similar to
Judaism, does not teach that Jesus was divine or that he died for the sins of the world. However, in
Islam, Jesus is identified as the Messiah as well as, his virgin birth is mentioned in the Quran.
And Jesus is also regarded as one of the mightiest messengers of God, and did many miracles among his
people. Number 3 brings us to differences in this Sabbath. When it comes to Islam, the Quran
affirms that Jews are supposed to observe the Sabbath, and God however ordered Muslims to make
every effort to drop all of their business and attend the congregational Friday prayer.
Muslims can also then go and continue on their regular activity for the rest of the day. And,
this is actually referenced in the Quran, Surah 62, Verse 9. But in Judaism, the Jewish Sabbath or
Shabbat from the Hebrew word "Shavat," which means "to rest," is observed throughout the year
on the seventh day of each week - Saturday. According to biblical tradition, the Sabbath commemorates the
original seventh day on which God rested after creating the Earth. Now, the Sabbath is a day of
rest for the Jews, and its observance begins on Friday sunset up until Saturday sunset.
Number 2 brings us another huge difference. Who was the son that was to be sacrificed?? In Judaism,
they teach that at some point in Isaac's youth, his father Abraham took him to Mount Moriah, and at
God's command, Abraham was to build a sacrificial altar and sacrifice his son Isaac on the altar. But
after he tied up his son and the altar was ready, he was ready to draw the knife to kill his son.
But at the last moment, there was an angel from God that prevented Abraham from doing so, and
instead, he was then directed to sacrifice a nearby ram that was stuck in the bushes. But
in Islam, the story goes a bit different. Muslims hold the belief that Abraham was told to sacrifice
his son Ismail, also known as Ishmael. Although, the Quran does not actually mention the name of the
son to be sacrificed. And as it goes, as Abraham attempts to slay Ishmael or Ismail, an angel
appears to prevent the death and God tells Abraham that he has fulfilled the command. And finally, we
made it to number 1. The biggest difference in this episode when it comes to Judaism and
Islam. And this is the status of their religion. So, let's look at Judaism first. Jewish people believe
that there is only one God who has established a covenant or special agreement with them. And their
God communicates to believers through prophets, and rewards good deeds, while also punishing evil deeds.
Most Jews, with the exception of certain groups, believe that their Messiah still has not come yet,
but one day he will come. Judaism does not believe that other people must adopt it's own religious
beliefs and practices in order to be redeemed. They believe that it is by your deeds, not by
creed, that you're judged. When it comes to this, in Islam though, the status of their religion,
well, the Quran refers to Islam as the religion of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, as well as all
the other prophets. And it's simply the last of the divine messages to reach humankind
through the prophet Muhammad, who was chosen by God as the bearer of this final revelation.
It's an all-encompassing revelation for the entire world, not just for the Muslims. Now, conversion by
Muslims to other faiths is actually forbidden under most interpretations of Sharia Law, and
converts are considered apostates. Now, non-muslims however, are allowed to convert into Islam. So, there
you have it guys. This was a look at the 10 biggest differences between Islam and Judaism.
Really hope this video was insightful and eye-opening, and taught you a little bit more
about these two great religions. Definitely let me know your thoughts and comments down below. Also,
don't forget to check out the recommended video that I mentioned. I'll link to it below as well, so
you can take a look at it right now, because I'm out of here. And I'll see you guys in the next
episode.
you