Of all the great religious leaders in history, there are none that made a bigger impact than Jesus and Muhammad. They are responsible for establishing the world’s two largest religions. Although they are similar in many ways, their differences are far greater, and these differences are still affecting our world to this very day. Born in 570 A.D. in Mecca, Muhammad lived as any child would until the age of 6, when he lost both of his parents. Muhammad remained an orphan until age 8, when he began being cared for by his uncle, Abu Talib. Up until the age of 25, Muhammad had joined the ranks of merchants to make a living. It was at this time that he met a wealthy widow, Khadijah, and was soon married to her. As fate would have it, the two had several children, six of which died in infancy. Not much more is known about this, however, it is known that throughout Muhammad’s life that he had a total of eleven wives. He was known to be a very gentle and kind soul that loved children and animals as well. When Muhammad turned 40, it is said that he was visited by the Archangel Gabriel and was delivered a message that he was Gods one and true Prophet. Muhammad, continued to receive visions for several years, but could not but doubt his sanity. After, many experiences, and ever increasing doubt, they one day ceased. This troubled Muhammad even more, and it is said that he contemplated suicide on many occasions. Finally, after a time, the revelations resumed, and it was it this time that Muhammad became accepting of himself as Gods prophet. Muhammad began to spread the word of his revelations to the masses, and due to the fact that he was illiterate, had to recite them orally. It was not until after his death that they were compiled in writing which would later become the Qur’an. As time passed, Muhammad developed a passion for the great god Allah, and eventually began to spread the word of his revelations by force. Muhammad, up until this time, had lived in peace with the Jewish people, but as they had rejected Muhammad’s views and ideals, had made Muhammad extremely angry. Muhammad drove many Jews into exile, and executed yet others, and the women and children were often sold as slaves. In 632, Muhammad passed away. By the end, he had conquered all of Arabia. Ten years after his death, Muslims had conquered much of the Middle-East as they had taken Palestine, Iraq, Persia, Egypt and Syria.
Today, Muhammad is revered as Allah’s one True Prophet.
In 4 B.C, Jesus was born in the city of Bethlehem. He was said to be born of the Virgin Mary in a time when many Jews were seeking and awaiting the “Promised Messiah”. Jesus lived a very simple and pure life, and worked as a carpenter in a town called Nazareth. His morals and ethics were said to awe not only his friends but his enemies as well. When Jesus turned 30, he began preaching the word of God to the public. It is said that he would perform “Nature-Defying” miracles such as healing the sick, walking on water, returning sight to the blind, and raising the dead. These miracles attracted huge crowds allowing Jesus to spread the word of God at an alarming rate. Jesus spoke with such profound wisdom, that all who heard his words were captivated by them and could not but help to adhere to them. The masses accepted and loved Jesus, but there were many Jewish leaders that were very jealous and were constantly trying to catch Jesus breaking the law in order to justify removing him from the power he was rapidly obtaining. Jesus never did break the law, in fact his life was above reproach and pure. He never bragged about himself, and he was always extremely humble, although he exonerated great courage and strength. Jesus condemned all that was considered religious hypocrisy, and never backed down to the Jewish and Roman leaders that felt he was a threat to their power and control. It was during this time that although he spoke boldly, he
