For the average non-Muslim, Islam often appears mysterious. In countries where Muslims are a minority, they generally live peacefully. They are usually experienced as courteous, friendly, and helpful people. In Western nations, however, interaction between non-Muslims and Muslims is mostly limited to business settings, where the non-Muslim is the customer and the Muslim the business owner. Muslims are also frequently perceived as a close-knit community in which friendships with non-Muslims and meaningful social interaction are relatively rare.
Despite numerous acts of terrorism around the world in which Muslims have been involved, Muslim leaders repeatedly assure the public that Islam is, in fact, a peaceful religion. At times they even condemn certain acts of terrorism and express sympathy for those who have suffered. This often reassures the average non-Muslim and leaves them with a more positive impression of Islam. Nevertheless, there remains a significant amount of violence carried out by individuals who identify as Muslims across the world.
A few examples include: the destruction of the World Trade Center buildings in New York on 11 September 2001, where thousands of innocent civilians were killed; the violent killing and torture of more than a thousand civilians in Israel on 7 October 2023; and the attacks carried out by groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis -supported by the regime in Iran – against Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, in an openly declared effort to destroy Israel completely. Many European countries, as well as the United States, have also seen increasing incidents of violence involving individuals who identify as Muslim. From the reactions of certain Muslim leaders, one sometimes gets the impression that these acts are not regarded as terrorism but rather as legitimate acts of war. How thousands of unsuspecting, unarmed civilians going about their daily lives can be considered “enemies” who deserve to be killed as an act of war is not at all clear to thoughtful non-Muslims.
Many more examples could be listed, but it is unnecessary. Anyone who follows global events knows that these examples are only the tip of the iceberg. With the situation in the Middle East (2026), it is difficult to understand how some people still believe that Islam is peaceful. The same applies to the problems of violence and other crimes involving illegal immigrants – many of whom are Muslim – in numerous Western countries. Sadly, there are also thousands of non-Muslims who, out of ignorance or deliberate intent, excuse or justify violence committed by Muslims.
The scale of violence in the world involving Muslims is unmistakably evident. Only those who are completely uninformed about global events – or who refuse to acknowledge them – continue to believe that Islam is peaceful and non-violent. This uncertainty exists even among Muslims themselves, many of whom are not fully aware of what their sacred texts teach. People whose faith is built on what they hear in mosques, from religious leaders, and within their communities are often unsure.
On the other hand, Muslims also struggle at times to make sense of the behaviour of non-Muslims, especially Westerners, whom they generally regard as Christians. In the name of Christianity, Muslims were killed during the Crusades. Muslims living in Western countries also see daily how people who identify as Christians—and who claim that Jesus bore the punishment for their sins – commit serious sins such as sexual immorality, substance abuse, violence, and more. Understandably, this does not make sense to them: how can someone deliberately continue in sin while claiming that Jesus paid the price for that sin?
Not everyone who is regarded as a Christian, or who passes as one, is necessarily a true Christian-believer. Many of these individuals do not know the God of the Bible and do not live in wholehearted surrender to Him, as true Christians should. This is not an attempt to make excuses; it is simply fact, and it is good for Muslims to be aware of it. What can be said is that the more devoted a person is to the God of the Bible, and the more fully he or she lives in surrender to Him, the more loving that person becomes. The God of the Bible is love, and this will be demonstrated from Scripture. Anyone who promotes or justifies violence, hatred, or immorality cannot be a true Christian, even if they claim to be one.
The question that must be answered is: Is Allah a God of love? We will therefore examine the Qur’an and Hadith to see what Allah and his prophet Muhammad teach about love, violence, war, sin, forgiveness, punishment, and related matters, and how these teachings shape the lives of Muslims. On that basis, we can determine whether Allah is a God of love. We will then compare these findings with the statements made by Yahweh, the God of the Bible. It should then become clear whether Yahweh, the God of the Bible, and Allah, the God of the Qur’an, are the same being – and if not, which one is truly God.
So, what is the nature of Allah’s love for human beings?