Is the God of Islam the same as the God of the Bible?

Allah is the Arabic name for God.  In Arabic translations of the Bible, they call God, Allah.  Indeed, Jesus would have spoken Aramaic, and the word for God is Allah, so it’s the actual word Jesus used.  But that doesn’t begin to answer our question.  Clearly, the significant point is what do people mean when they use the word Allah or God.  Are they the same God?

However, to avoid confusion about terminology, in the rest of the article the Islamic view of God we’ll use the word Allah, and the Biblical view we’ll use the word God.

1. Contradictory views on the nature of God

Islam believes Allah is a monad, that’s a single entity, existing entirely on their own.  The Bible teaches that God is Trinitarian, one God, three persons, beautifully existing in a perfect, intimate relationship with each other.  In contrast, Allah is singular, not dependent on anyone, or anything else.  But that creates a problem: 

The God of Islam is undivided and singular. He is the completely other creator and judge to whom humanity owes worship and submission. The result of such otherness is that God himself is unknowable in any intimate, relational sense. (Matthew Bennett - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/do-christians-muslims-worship-same-god/)

So, he can choose to love but he might not.  It’s not part of his essence, and this produces real problems and insecurity.  For example, you can’t trust Allah, he is described in the Qur’an as the Father of lies:

But they (the Jews) were deceptive, and Allah was deceptive, for Allah is the best of deceivers S. 3:54; cf. 8:30

In contrast, because the God of the Bible is trinitarian, one God three persons, that means he eternally exists in a beautiful, intense, loving, communicating perfect relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit. 

And when God created us in his image, he made us like him, able to love, communicate, and have relationships.  The God of the Bible is love, he doesn’t choose to love, it’s part of his essence.  The same can be said of all his character traits, compassion, just, merciful.  The God of the Bible IS all his attributes all of the time.  Whereas Allah isn’t – he chooses what he’ll be like at any given moment – there is no consistency or reliability inherently within Allah.

For more on this point do read this excellent article from Faithroots -

2. Contradictory views about Jesus

Christians and Muslims agree on much of the biographical details from Jesus’ life.  But beyond the superficial there is significant, and contradictory, views.  Islam sees Jesus as a key prophet, 2nd only to Mohammed.  He’s important but falls way short of what Christians believe about Jesus. 

It’s anathema for Islam to say that Jesus is God born as a man.  To claim that is heretical.  But that claim is made time and again in the Bible.  In fact, the only way to know God is to look at Jesus.  God is Spirit, but to see exactly what he is like, you look at Jesus:

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:3)

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:1; 14)

“The exact representation, the image, the Word was God who became flesh.”  The only way you can see truly see God is to look at the man Jesus Christ.  God himself born to reveal God to us.

3. Contradictory views on salvation

Of course, the Qur’an includes multiple descriptions of God’s activities that Christians would agree. Muslims believe that God is creator, ruler, judge, and that God forgives.  So far so good, but that just pushes us to a much bigger, more significant question.  Not whether God does those things, but how does he do those things.  How does he create, rule, judge?  And most importantly for us, how does God save?

Islam’s way of salvation from sin consists of works/righteousness. It is living a life that is in total submission to Allah and his commandments. Then, at judgment day, if the good works have outweighed the bad, then Allah will accept the person into heaven. 

However, Islam cannot offer anyone assurance of salvation in this life. It is only at the Judgment Day that people will discover whether they have been accepted by Allah. This of course, means that nobody can have any real security in this life as to where they will be in the next. (Don Stewart - https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/stewart_don/faq/islam/13-how-does-a-person-achieve-salvation-in-islam.cfm )

Simply put, you must submit, literally what the word Islam means, submit to Allah’s will and hope he’s in a good mood on the day you die.  It’s a works-based salvation with no assurance that you’ve made it.

This is totally contradictory to the Biblical view of salvation.  The Bible teaches salvation by faith alone in Christ alone.  We do nothing, God does everything.  Firstly, the Bible teaches we’re all sinners:

As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; (Rom. 3:10 NIV)

And, because we’re all sinners, we’re in a desperate situation.

For the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23)

So, a terrible situation for each of us.  But listen to the full verse for the glorious hope in the Bible.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

And how do we access eternal life.  Well, there is only one way.  It’s the ultimate unique selling point of Christianity.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Jn. 14:6 NIV)

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NIV)

Islam says salvation is dependent on how good you are, and even then, Allah may not let you into paradise.  Whereas the Bile says salvation has nothing to do with you, it’s entirely dependent on the Lord Jesus Christ.  God born as a man to reveal God to us and open a way for us have eternal life with God in his kingdom for eternity.

So, Is the God of Islam the same as the God of the Bible? 

No, they are contradictory religions, one leads away from God one towards God.

o   Work out which one you think is true!

o   But they both can’t be true!