Bentonious Allenium Tatomski- Political Leaders in Islam and Byzantine Cultures

Ben Tatom

12/12/2016

D block

There were many empires and religions founded in the early CE times. Two of those with some unexpected similarities between the political leaders are the Byzantine empire and the early years of Islam. The main leaders of Islam are the caliph, but there will also be mention of the founder of Islam, as well as the found of the Byzantine empire, and several emperors of the Byzantine as well. The similarities begin with the role of the leaders in each of the given groups.

In the Islamic side of the spectrum, there is the caliph, who’s the person that executes all the religious activity, and is usually called in to make a decision on an argument that spans across a certain amount of people under the Islamic religious group. Muhammad was the founder of the Islam, and founded it at the start of the 7th century. He wrote the Koran, and once he felt he was no longer fit to rule, he would assign a caliph to whomever he desired. The first five caliphs were considered to be “Rightly Guided,” as they were taught by Muhammad himself. The sixth was what caused the split between the Shi’a and Sunni. The Shi’a believe the descendants of Muhammad only should be caliphs, but the Sunni support any caliphs that are chosen. By the Umayyad Dynasty, beginning in 661, the split was so vast that they had physical conflicts betwixt themselves. Based all on whether or not someone was qualified if they were or weren’t taught by someone who had already been deceased.

The Byzantine Empire was somewhat similar, in a way. Being an emperor gives whoever leads the country the majority of political power, without going to the level of being a dictator. The emperor is the most important figure in any empire. Then there’s the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He hold precedent over any other bishop of the church. He is tasked with making the decisions for the church and being the final say on whatever issue he’s presented with. Constantinople was the founder of the empire, and renamed the city it was founded in from Byzantium to Constantinople, but kept the name Byzantium for the empire as a whole. Another important figure is Justinian, who created the Justinian code, which is still being used today, particularly as Louisiana's state constitution. He not only politically advanced the Byzantine empire, he also changed the national religion to Christianity, and became the first head of the Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church caused issues with the Catholic church, after not doing so for many years, by calling the use of icons religiously unethical, thinking they were like idols, and called the Pope an icon. The Pope then got frustrated and caused many miscommunications, causing almost a rivalry between the two churches.

As you can see, there are many similarities between the Byzantine and Islamic empire, including the role of the head of religion in each respective religious house, between the Caliph and the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The split was somewhat similar as well, with a certain group of people believing that someone who is in power does not belong in the position that said leader holds. For Islam, it was the Shi’a believing that any caliph should be a descendant of Muhammad, whereas for the Byzantine empire, the orthodox church believed that the Pope was an icon, and icons are unreligious, being a lesser version of an idol, and worshipping idols is forbidden. There are some differences, however, one of which being that one was a group of people living in a certain area, and the other was a religion spanning the entire civilized world. Another difference is that the Byzantine had several different leaders within one empire, as opposed to there being one major leader who is the final say in everything, as is the case with Islam, but that’s more of a direct result of one being a religion and the other an empire.

It’s obvious at this point that there are several similarities and differences between the Byzantine empire and islamic territories. There are other leaders, like Valentinian, Amalasuntha, and dozens of other caliphs, but they didn’t have nearly as big an impact on the given territories as the ones previously mentioned. The similarities in the split between the denominations of each religion are almost uncanny. There are probably even more differences than I missed between the political leaders and their effects on their respective cultures, but that’s just all the more reason to look into it on one’s own.



Citations:

Papayianni, Aphrodite. "Byzantine Empire." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1349403. Accessed 13 Dec. 2016.

Roberts, Walter E. “Valentinian | Emperor of Rome.” Family Card- Person Sheet. Emory University, 2012, http://homepages.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy2/ps15/ps15_238.htm Accessed 13 Dec. 2016

"Government and Society." Great Empires of the Past Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 13 Dec. 2016. <http://online.factsonfile.com/RecURL.aspx?did=63502>

Young, Mitchell. Islam. Religions and Religious Movements. Greenhaven Press. 2006.

Evans, James. The Emperor Justinian and the Byzantine Empire. Greenwood guides to historic events of the ancient world. Greenwood Press, 2005.

Evelyn Warren Islam vs Byzantine Culture

Evelyn Warren

D Block

December 12, 2016

Comparing Islamic to Byzantine Culture

The religious differences between Ancient Byzantine Christianity and Ancient Islam caused differences in their cultures. Though the religions do not differ an extreme amount, they differ enough to have a large impact on the culture of the people. Their cultures vary in many different ways from food to their core values. There a many different restrictions on women and they celebrate different holidays. The impact religion has on society is large enough to shape two different cultures.

Byzantine culture has some differences than Islamic culture. In ancient Byzantine Christianity there were many holidays celebrated. One of the most major holidays is Christmas. This is the time of Jesus’s birth and involves other holidays such as Advent, the lead up to Christmas, and Epiphany, a celebration of the the Magi bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. The next major Holiday was Lent, which was a holiday in honor of Christ’s 40 day journey through the desert. There is fasting from meat and meat by products. (Milk, butter, eggs, etc.) On fridays the fasting is more extreme with only one meal a day. The fourth major holiday is Easter Sunday, and this is a celebration of Christ’s eternal life. Sunday is the holy day and it is a day of rest. (Cosman).  Another aspect of Byzantine culture is Women. Many lower class women were not well respected because they had jobs as actresses or prostitutes. One women in particular, Empress Theodora came from the lower class, but she married Justinian and became empress.  She improved the legal status of actresses, and also gave inheritance rights to women. (Fulton). Even though there were improvements made for women, they are still beneath men. They are expected to follow their husbands commands and are not of an equal status as them.  One important part of Byzantine Christian culture was food. The quality of the meal depended on your social status, but typically families ate two meals together a day, Ariston (breakfast) and Deipnon (dinner). Depending on your class, Depinon could be an event where you invite guests, arrange a menu, and hire entertainment. There were also formal banquets, but these were exclusive to men. If a women attended she was not allowed to sit at the same table. An average family most likely did not have such  elaborate meals, it was usually just family gathered around eating together. Ancient Byzantine had a rather healthy diet consisting of meat, butter and cheese, wheat bread, vegetables, fruit, fruit puddings, honey pastries, and to drink wine and water. There were not many strict enforced food restrictions. (Rautman). The most important aspect of Ancient Byzantine is their core values, which is the Ten Commandments.  The Ten Commandments are;

1. I am the Lord thy God

2. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.

3. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.   

4. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain  

5. Remember the Sabbath Day, keep it holy

6. Honour thy Mother and Father  

7. Thou shalt not kill

8. Thou shalt not commit adultery

9. Thou shalt not steal

10. Thou shalt not bear false witnesses against thy neighbor

(“Ten Commandments”).

These Commandments really define what Byzantine Christianity was about, and what their  fundamental beliefs are.

Islamic culture has many differences than Byzantine Culture. In Islam there are two major holidays, Id al-Adha and Id al-Fitr. Id al-Adha is the feast of the sacrifice at the end of the hajj.  Id al-Fitr is the feast of breaking fast at the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is a month of fasting during daylight hours. Both holidays begin with special prayers in the morning, feasting, getting together with family and friends, and charity.  Friday is the Islamic holy day, but it is not a day of rest. (Campo). A second important part of Islamic culture is women. Women are not equal with men, and under the law men get more inheritance than women and in court a man’s testimony is more powerful than a females. Women are also forced to wear veils in the presence of a man, in order to keep men’s temptations at bay. Despite the cause of veiling, Islamic Women use vailing as a way of self expression and religious identity. There are four different types of scarves, Hijab, Niqab, Chador, and Burqa.  Scarves are important to women because in Islamic culture it is important to be modest. An immodest women brings shame to herself, her family, and her husband. One of the main origins of the different types of headscarves is social class. Rich women could afford to veil their whole bodies, but poor women working in fields could not afford the luxury. (Killian). Another important aspect of islamic culture is food. In food there is halal and haram. Halal is food allowed by islamic law and haram is food not allowed by islamic law.  Haram is either not allowed at all or not allowed at certain times. One example is wild game, wild game is usually halal, but on the hajj it’s haram. Examples of haram are intoxicating beverages, blood, and any food dedicated to a god other than Allah. And example is pigs meat. Pigs are considered unclean and unhealthy, and it is forbidden to eat meat from animals with cloven hooves. There are some exceptions to the rules of haram, such as if you are dying from starvation or thirst you may eat haram, but on any other occasion eating haram is an unforgivable act.  Breaking these rules involve penance fasting. (Beetz).  The most important aspect of Islamic culture is the Five Pillars of Faith. They are, Faith. “There is no god but Allah, and mUhammad is the messenger of Allah.” Prayer, Muslims must pray five times a day facing Mecca. Alms, giving back to the less fortunate. Fasting, during the month of Ramadan, islamic people fast from dawn to dusk. Pilgrimage, if the family is financially able they should perform the hajj. (Beck). The five pillars of faith are the core values of Islamic people and define their true values.

Though certain aspects of each religion may be different, both religions do have some similarities. One being that they both have two major Holidays (Christmas and Easter and Id al-Adha and Id al-Fitr) and a fasting period. (Lent and Ramadan). They also both have a holy day (Sunday and Friday). In both societies women are not equal with men, though in Islam women are expected to veil themselves, and women in Byzantium got more inheritance rights. One other similarity is that in their core values the first one is that their God is the only God. They believe that they should only worship one God and that their God is the correct one. There are also some large differences. In Islam there are many food restrictions, and Byzantine Christians did not have these. In their core values, Islam’s focus a lot on charity, their pilgrimage, and fasting, while Byzantine Christian’s focus on keeping the face of the Lord pure, honoring your mother and father, and not killing, stealing, committing adultery, or bearing false witnesses against your neighbor. Christian's focus more on what not to do, and Islam’s focus more on what to do. These cultures have strong differences differences and strong similarities.

The impact religion has on society is strong enough to shape two different cultures with different holidays, treatment of women, foods, and core values. Both cultures have been shaped by the restrictions of their religion. So since their religions are different their cultures are different. Even though the basic beliefs of each religion are not extremely different, they are different enough to shape two different societies that have two distinct cultures.   

Works Cited

Beck, Roger B. World History Patterns of Interaction. Orlando, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Beetz, Kirk H. “Food and Diet in the Medieval Islamic World.” Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World, Facts On File, 2008, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/225631?q=islam food.

“Byzantine Empire.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 9 Oct. 2015. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/106111. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

Campo, Juan E. “Holidays in Islam.” Encyclopedia of Islam, Facts On File, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/218392?q=islamic holidays.

Campo, Juan E. “Divorce and Islam.” Encyclopedia of Islam, Facts On File, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/218155?q=islam marriage laws.

Cosman, Madeleine P  elner, and Linda G. Jones. “Holidays and Festivals in the Middle Ages.” Handbook to Life in the Medieval World (3 Volumes), Facts On File, 2008, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/239814?q=byzantine empire holidays.

Fulton, Gloria. “Theodora.” Great Lives from History: The Middle Ages. Ed. Shelley Wolbrink. Hackensack: Salem, 2005. n. pag. Salem Online. Web. 01 Dec. 2016. <http://online.salempress.com>.

Killian, Caitlyn. “A Brief History of the Veil in Islam.” Civic Dilemmas, Facing History and Ourselves, Aug. 2003, www.facinghistory.org/civic-dilemmas/brief-history-veil-islam#3. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

Rautman, Marcus. “Food in the Byzantine Empire.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO,2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1526445. Accessed 1 Dec. 2016.

“Ten Commandments (Ca. Sixth Century BCE).” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/574819. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

Islam and Byzantine Laws, Rules, and Customs

Islam and Byzantine were important contributors in the foundation of the ancient world. They both made great accomplishments in their time and made groundbreaking discoveries and achievements that are still applied to daily life today. The laws, rules, and customs established by these communities are important to understand so that we can recognize how the use of them can be applied today. Islam, in this frame of time, and Byzantine existed between 330 and 1453 AD. They were both greatly known and valued in this time, and despite the differences between them, they were more alike than they probably knew.

Byzantine and Islam had many commonalities between the two of them. One of them, was in their values. Both of the societies were prompted and encouraged to live a fulfilled, ethical, and responsible life. (Campo) Also, both societies mutually made an effort to bring their people together as a whole. One way this was done in Islam was through the Hajj, which is when many muslims travel to a town called Mecca together. This helps them to grow in their faith and to come together with others who share their same beliefs. (Five Pillars of Islam) In the Byzantine empire, people came together in church on the day of the sabbath. (The Ten Commandments) This united them and reminded them that they all stood together under the same god. Another thing, for Islam being the five pillars, and for Byzantine being the Justinian Code and Ten Commandments, that these factors of their communities framed their lives. Every day, perhaps without them realizing, their lives were centered around the rules, regulations, and customs listed in these works. Another commonality, prestated, is that these two societies have highly influenced life today. These communities have a lot in common, which makes it clearer when comparing the two as a whole.

Although these two have a lot in common, there are also many differences between them. In Islam, they base their lives on the Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are the rituals and customs that shape Islamic life. They consist of the Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and the Hajj. The Shahadah is the pure devotion to Allah and Muhammad. It is also a promise that they will follow the Five Pillars every day. The Salat states that all muslims are to pray five times a day. This helps them grow closer to their god and have stronger faith. The Zakat is giving a portion of one's wealth to those less fortunate. The Sawm is a period of fasting, this only occurs during daylight hours. The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It promotes equality among the masses, and is made in hopes that people will realize the value of life. The purpose of the Five Pillars is so that muslims can live a fulfilled life, grow closer to God, and appreciating the gifts that have been given to them. (Five Pillars of Islam) Much of Islam is dedicated to and promoting equality. They truly wish for everyone to feel equivalent to each other. This is because they view that everyone is viewed as equal under the eyes of their God, Allah. (Mitchell Young) Understanding the Five Pillars helps to understand Islam as a whole because they are a major part of Islamic faith.

In regards of Byzantine, their lives mostly revolved around the Justinian Code and the Ten Commandments. The Justinian Code consists of many different laws for the Byzantine empire. It was created by Justinian and was a compilation of past Byzantine laws. The Justinian Code consisted of many different parts and sections. Some of them were the digests, code, institutes, and novella. The digest was a summarization of all Byzantine laws. The code went into more detail about laws and went over the legislation. The institutes was a textbook for students studying law, it summarized the digest and gave useful information that could benefit their future careers. The novella was a later installment, not made by Justinian, was an updated version of all the laws, and summarized Justinian’s constitution as a whole. (Roman Legal Tradition…) The Ten Commandments related more to the official faith of Byzantine, Christianity, rather than laws created by Byzantine itself. The Ten Commandments were ten official rules and regulations that were made for all Christians to follow. (The Ten Commandments) They lead to a healthy, pure, devoted life. Together these created a civilized Byzantine life.

Islam and Byzantine were very successful empires in their time. One of the main reasons for that is because they had a good foundation, which laid within their laws. The laws created by these two societies created the framework for their time, and without them, they probably would not have prospered as much as they did. The laws kept people centered, in order, and made sure that everyone was safe. They were truly made in order to better the people in these communities and the communities as a whole. That is why these Islam and Byzantine were truly great societies and are still remembered today.

Works Cited

Campo, Juan E. “Islam.” Encyclopedia of Islam, Facts On File, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/218510?q= 5 pillars of islam.

"Five Pillars of Islam." BBC, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/fivepillars.shtml. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

"Roman Legal Tradition and the Compilation of Justinian." Berkely, 2007, www.law.berkeley.edu/library/robbins/RomanLegalTradition.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

"The Ten Commandments." The Ten Commandments, 2007, www.the-ten-commandments.org/the-ten-commandments.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

Young, Mitchell. Islam. Farmington Hills, Greenhaven Press, 2006.

Laura Kate Evans

Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Byzantine and Islamic Empires

Religion played a major role in the beliefs and practices of ancient societies like the Byzantine and Islamic Empires. Both regimes had strong religious views, and these set a basis for what is still practiced today. The foundations of these two religions were set by their respective prophet, with Jesus as the Christians’ and Muhammad as the Muslims’. Both created guidelines for their religion, although these were vastly misinterpreted. The ancient diversity and conflict between Islam and Christianity remains a great controversy, and the first developments of both give an insight into how they relate to or contradict each other.

Unlike most ancient empires, the Byzantine regime comprised two main religions: Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox. The denominational division between the two was gradual, yet it still caused many problems within the Byzantine Empire. Prior to the Fourth Crusade, the only reason for the Byzantine church split was simple misunderstandings and different interpretations of The Old Testament (Stalcup, The Crusades). However, the differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy became more pronounced with time. At first, the two coexisted peacefully and avoided conflict with each other. It was not until the Schism of 1054 when the division became finalized. The east tried to strengthen relations with the west, but their efforts were for naught (Eastern Orthodox). While there were few distinctions between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, the little they had were enough to cause conflict. Western Catholics believed the Pope held authority over the emperor, priests should not be married, and divorce should not be permitted. In contrast, Eastern Orthodox Christians believed the emperor retained authority over all Patriarchs and Bishops, priests could marry, and divorce could be allowed in certain circumstances (Beck 305). Orthodox Christians also believed against the concept of monophysitism, instead suggesting Jesus had both natures of divine and human (Eastern Orthodox). Although these differences seem rather drastic, the two religions still shared similarities. Both religions were based off the gospel of Jesus and The Old Testament. While their leadership structures were different, they each had priests and bishops. Furthermore, both Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy were adamant about converting others into joining their religion, and each had forms of baptism. Overall, the Byzantine Empire had two powerful religions that had unique beliefs, with both overlaps and contradictions of each other (Beck 305). During the rise and split of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire, Islam was making religious revelations of their own.

Islam is not only a geological location, but also a religious belief. Those who follow the Islamic practice are referred to as Muslims. This religion was derived from the teachings of Muhammad, who believed himself to be the last prophet. He taught monotheist concepts, claiming that Allah was the only God and that no other gods were to be worshipped (264). According to Janice J. Terry, “As Muhammad became increasingly religious he began to meditate…” (Terry). Muhammad valued honesty along with meditation, and also believed the Qur’an was the holy book of Allah (Cook). Before his death, Muhammad wrote The Pillars of Islam to ensure that his principles remained. There were five pillars, all of which are still practiced today. The first pillar states that Allah is the only God and that Muhammad is his prophet. The second pillar describes the concept of prayer, the third clarifies that everything belongs to Allah, the fourth introduces the practice of Ramadan, and the fifth pillar commemorates Muhammad’s migration to Mecca by requiring Muslims to walk seven times a day and to sacrifice an animal. The fourth pillar, or Ramadan, requires that Muslims spend the ninth month of their calendar fasting from sunrise to sunset to demonstrate discipline. On top of these pillars, Muhammad also required women to be covered at all times, as a sign of purity (Whitters). These religious traditions differed drastically from those of Christianity.

Islam and Christianity had many radical differences, but they had an extremely significant similarity. When Muslims said “Allah”, they were referring to the same God as Christians, but just in a different language. However, the two religions differed in many other different ways. Christians believed in baptism, the act of submitting oneself to a religion, while Muslims did not (Yannoulatos). Muslims belief against baptism is derived from the Qur’an, as it states, “Our religion is the Baptism of Allah: And who can baptize better than Allah? And it is He Whom we worship” (The Qur’an, Yusuf Ali, 2:138). Furthermore, Muslims’ use The Pillars of Islam as their religious practice is drastically different from The Ten Commandments, which appears in The Hebrew Bible. The Ten Commandments were derived from God and explained what Christians should not do. In contrast, The Pillars of Islam were derived from Muhammad and explained how Muslims should behave. However, both suggested that there is only one God and that honesty and love are of the utmost importance. While both religions’ basic foundations were similar to each other, some members of both religions believed the other to be faulty. According to Yannoulatos, a practicing Muslim, Christians believed their religion to be based off fact rather than interpretation, and believed the practice of Islam was completely contradictory of the “facts” (Yannoulatos). With that said, it is common knowledge that there were also Muslims who resisted the Christian beliefs. Altogether, the religions were extremely diverse from each other and had a variety of different approaches to theology.

Ancient Empires were highly focused on developing strong religious systems, and their theological discoveries formed much of the same faith people follow today. Religion was particularly important to the Islamic and Byzantine Empires, as it created conflict, peace, passion, and community. Although the Islam and Christianity differed on many different accounts, they did have many values in common. The two societies simply had contrasting interpretations of theology, and they each approached their beliefs differently. Overall, religion was the basis of both Byzantine and Islam and instilled the beliefs and practices that are still relevant today.

Works Cited

Beck, Roger B., Ph.D., et al. World History: Patterns of Interaction. United States, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.

Cook, Michael. Muhammad. Oxford, Oxford UP, 1983.

“Eastern Orthodoxy.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 1 Sep. 2016. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/106196. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.

Emmons, Jim Tschen. “Catholicism.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/583666. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.

Gearon, Eamonn. “Arab Invasions: The First Islamic Empire.” History Today, vol. 61, no. 6, June 2011. History Today, www.historytoday.com/eamonn-gearon/arab-invasions-first-islamic-empire. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

The Qur’an. Quran.com. The Noble Qur’an, Quran.com, quran.com/search?q=baptism. Accessed 9 Dec. 2016.

“Roman Catholicism.” Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 27 Oct. 2016. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/109699. Accessed 2 Dec. 2016.

Stalcup, Brenda. The Crusades. San Diego, Greenhaven Press, 2000.

Terry, Janice J. “Muhammad.” Encyclopedia of the Medieval World: 600 to 1450, Facts On File, 2016, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/215341?q=Muhammad.

Tschen-Emmons, James B. “Eastern Orthodox Church.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/669561. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.

Whitters, Mark F. “Pillars of Islam.” Encyclopedia of the Medieval World: 600 to 1450, Facts On File, 2016, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/215301?q=practices of ancient islam.

Yannoulatos, Anastasios. “Byzantine And Contemporary Greek Orthodox Approaches To Islam.” Greek Orthodox Theological Review 55.1-4 (2010): 63-88. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

Laura Kamelchuk

Laws and Rules Within The Byzantine and Islamic Empires

Rules and laws give religions structure, especially for Christianity and Islam. Christianity’s main set of rules are the Ten Commandments, while Islam’s are the Five Pillars. These two sets of laws are very different. Islam’s Five Pillars are very detailed and very strict, while Christianity’s Ten Commandments are more generalized, which allows more freedom to interpret.  On the other hand, Islam and Christianity are not complete opposites. Both have similar beliefs, but the rules and laws within the beliefs are what differentiate  them from each other.

The Five Pillars, collectively known as the Ibadat, are given rules used as guidance within the Islamic religion (Campo). These set of rules were practiced during the Islamic Empire, and still are to this day. The Five Pillars consist of the Shahadah, Salat,  Zakat, Sawm, and the Hajj (Leeming).The Shahadah states that “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God” (Sachiko). This is the first of the Five Pillars, and is the basic statement of Islamic faith. Muslims are required to to recite the Shahadah, and when done, “Muslims not only state that Allah is the only God and that Muhammad is his messenger, but they personally accept it as true and agree to obey all commitments of Islam in their life” (Campo). The second pillar, the Salat, is known to all Muslims as a call to prayer. They are required to pray five times a day; at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, during sunset, and in the evening. Everyone who prays must face Mecca, and before doing so, must go through ritual cleaning  (Salat: Daily Prayers). This ritual cleaning is also known as Wudu. Muslims are required to go through ritual washing because they need to be both spiritually and physically pure before each prayer. The payment of the Zakat is the third pillar. Each year, Muslims give 2.5% of their fortunes to charity. By doing this, they obey Allah and practice self discipline. It also allows freedom from the love of possessions and the love of oneself. The fourth pillar is known as the Sawm. The Sawm occurs during Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar (Leeming). During Sawm Muslims are restricted from eating, drinking, and smoking during daylight hours. This encourages Muslims to obey Allah and to grow spiritually stronger (Sawm: Fasting). Without the distraction of these vices, Muslims have more time to pray and appreciate God’s gifts. The last pillar is the Hajj. The Hajj occurs once a year, and all Muslims are required to participate in it at least once during their lifetime. During the Hajj, all people stand before the Kaaba, which is “the holiest shrine of Islam” (Macaulay-Lewis). This event takes place during the 12th month of the Islamic calendar, and everyone is reminded that they are equal in the eyes of Allah .

Moses received a set of laws at Mount Sinai from God. These set of laws were known to Christians as the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, originally from Judaism, were adapted by Christianity and carried on through both Judaism and Christianity. Furthermore, in reality, there is practically no difference between the Ten Commandments during the Byzantine empire and the Ten Commandments today. During the Byzantine Empire, the first, second, and fourth commandments were, and still are the most decisive and foundationally important in Christianity. The first commandment states that there is no other God than God himself. This is the base of Christian faith, which is why it is the very first commandment. The second commandment states, “You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it” (What are The Ten Commandments?). By having no idol, one understands that nothing is perfect, and that God made them the way they are for a reason. It also creates emphasis on the first commandment; that God is the only God. It is perceived by Christians that idolizing someone or something can turn into worshiping their idol more than their one and only God. This is essential to Christians because if they bow down to a worldly man made image, their love for God above anything else can be forgotten. Lastly, the fourth commandment insists that “You shall remember and keep the sabbath day holy” (What are The Ten Commandments?). This is extremely important to Christians because it is known that God made the earth in six days, and that he rested on the seventh day; the sabbath day. This day reminds Christians to rest, as did God on the very same day. Sunday, also known as sabbath day, is the day when most Christians go to church, in which they worship God and thank him. In the Old Testament, working on sabbath day was forbidden, but when Jesus came he changed this. Jesus informed Christians that when God is working, they can work. It is still known as the sabbath day, the day of rest, but Jesus brought a new meaning to the term.

Islam and Christianity are two very different religions, but they do have similarities. Both religions have drastically different laws and rules. Though, in a whole, both religions have many similar beliefs. For example, both believe in one God. This is stated in the first pillar of Islam, the Shahadah, and the first commandment of Christianity. This allegation is placed first in both set of laws because it is the most important statement in the two religions. Without accepting that there is only one God, both religions would have no foundation. On the contrary, Muslims believe that Muhammad is the messenger of God, while Christians believe that Jesus is the messenger of God. This is a significant difference between the two, and is the primary reason why Islam differs from Christianity. Muslims believe that Jesus ascended into heaven without being crucified, and Christians believe that he was crucified and resurrected from the dead. Additionally, Christians do not believe that Muhammad was a prophet, while Muslims believe that he was the last prophet. Even so, both Islam and Christianity believe in Jesus, which is another similarity of the two faiths. Despite their differences, Christianity and Islam do have their similarities. These similarities are what tie the religions together.

Laws and rules are what define and differentiate Christianity and Islam. Both religions began with similar beliefs, some remaining to this day, but the guidelines within the religions are what individuate them. With this in mind, there are still many resemblances of the two that will never leave. This is exemplified by the combined belief in Jesus and the conjoined belief in one God. By having somewhat similar beliefs, both Christianity and Islam's’ differences are enhanced. These differences make the religions unique, and contribute to the diverse world we have today.

Works Cited

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