Can Yahweh, the God of the Bible, and Allah, the God of the Qur’an, be the same God? From the facts discussed so far, it is clear that the God of the Bible and Allah possess entirely different moral qualities and characteristics, which should make it beyond doubt that the two beings cannot be the same person. It should be evident that Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is a God of love. Please also keep the following facts in mind.
When the God of the Bible sent Moses to lead His people Israel out of Egypt, Moses asked, according to Exodus 3:13:
“Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
God answered and revealed Himself to Moses as follows, in verse 14:
“And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “
The “I AM” is understood by His people as “Yahweh, the God who is, who was, and who will be.” The God who has always existed, who exists now, and who will always exist can be none other than the true and only God. Yahweh says through His prophet Isaiah to His chosen people Israel:
Isaiah 46:9–10: “Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’”
King David of Israel, who is recognised as a prophet in Islam, confirms this and says according to:
2 Samuel 7:22: “Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You,“
The true God has an eternal covenant with His chosen people, Israel, requiring them to worship Him alone and reject all idols. Therefore, He dealt firmly with Israel and often allowed severe hardship when they failed to keep their part of the covenant. This discipline was directed at Israel, not at other nations. God did act against other peoples, but only when they had become utterly corrupt and lost. One example is the cruel idolatry of certain Canaanite peoples who worshipped the idol Moloch by, among other practices, burning children alive as offerings. He also acted firmly against other nations when their actions threatened His plan of redemption and blessing for the world through His chosen people, Israel, as discussed in chapter 8.
The true God is worthy of worship. Those who worship Him are not threatened with violence to do so. They worship Him out of admiration and gratitude when they realise that He is God, that He is love, and that He desires to save humanity from eternal destruction. In the Bible, the Lord Jesus teaches according to:
John 4:24: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.“
It is noteworthy that this text simply teaches how God must be worshipped by those who choose to worship Him. It is not a threat demanding that all people worship Him. True worship, for the God of the Bible, is not an end but a means to enter His presence with gratitude and to participate in His Kingdom, where love, peace, and harmony reign.
For Allah, the worship of himself by all people in the world is the goal. He makes this clear in the Qur’an:
Sura 51:56: “I created the jinn (spirit beings) and humankind only that they might worship Me.” (Pickthall, 1997:379).
If they do not worship him: “Allah will punish them with a grievous penalty in this life and in the Hereafter:” according to Sura 9:74.
Sura 38:2–3: “But the Unbelievers (are steeped) in Self-glory and Separatism. How many generations before them did We destroy? In the end they cried (for mercy)- when there was no longer time for being saved!”
From what has already been discussed, it is clear that Allah expects his followers to ensure – at times through force – that all people in the world worship him.
It is well documented that Christians in certain Muslim-majority countries face persecution because of their faith in the Lord Jesus. It is also known that Muslims who leave Islam may face severe punishment in places where Islamic law is enforced, and some have been killed. This is evident from the quotations from Islamic sources discussed here. If this is denied, it would not only be untrue but also an admission that the Qur’an and Hadith are not being followed. Individuals must decide for themselves, which is worse, since lying is not necessarily considered a serious offence in Islam, whereas failing to follow prescribed religious duties may lead to serious consequences.
Foreign Christians are, in some of these countries, relatively safe if they do not attempt to share the Good News of salvation through the Lord Jesus. However, it is a fact that Christians in parts of the world dominated by Islam are tried, executed, or killed for apostasy. For the sake of Islam’s public image, these matters are not widely publicised. In cases where international attention arises, the bodies of murdered high-profile Christians are discovered, and the matter quietly disappears.
One example is the case of Mehdi Dibaj, an Iranian Christian leader who, after nine years in detention, was convicted of “apostasy from Islam” in 1993 and sentenced to death. Due to international publicity, the government denied this and unexpectedly released him in January 1994. Three days later, Bishop Haik Hovsepian-Mehr, who had publicised Dibaj’s case, disappeared, and eleven days later officials contacted his family with a photograph of his body for identification. Five months later, Dibaj’s body was found in a forest with rope marks around his neck and stab wounds. The injuries showed he had been tortured and then hanged. (Estabrooks, 1996, pp. 54–56). Christian mission organisations report that many similar – and worse – cases occur regularly.
In Western countries, which are predominantly “Christian” in culture, there is religious freedom, and Muslims can practise their religion without hindrance. Islam makes use of this freedom – freedom that Christians and other religions do not enjoy in Muslim-majority countries – to strive for what is described as peace, where all are submitted to Allah.
If Islam means “peace,” it is clear that peace, according to Islam, is reserved for those who are within Islam and worship Allah. Outside Islam, there is conflict. If one does not accept Islam and does not worship Allah, one is considered an aggressor against whom Islam may wage Jihad (war), so that peace can be maintained through force, as previously shown. Islam also strives for peace with other religions. Once these groups accept Islam, there is peace. If they have not accepted Islam, Islam continues to strive for peace through Jihad (war).
These facts may easily stir feelings of resentment, anger, or hatred in some people. If this booklet provokes such a reaction, it has not achieved its purpose. Non-Muslims do have reason to feel threatened. As already indicated, the God of the Bible expects a Christian not to hate anyone but to love all people, including their enemies:
Romans 13:8: “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
Praying for your enemy’s conversion to the true God, and refusing ever to use violence against him – except in cases where self-defence is unavoidable – is not an unloving act. This is therefore a test of the Christianity of anyone who calls themselves a Christian. It will not be easy, because emotions such as resentment, anger, and hatred are natural human reactions in certain circumstances, especially for those who believe they are in control of their own lives. However, when one is fully surrendered to God, one is under the guidance of His Holy Spirit, who enables loving (benevolent) behaviour toward all.
The Christian must trust God to give wisdom in every situation so that their actions will honour God and benefit their neighbour, including their enemy. The greatest blessing any person can receive is knowledge of – and salvation through – the Lord Jesus. Remember, firm action can also be good for someone. Consider a child who needs discipline. Discipline must be carried out in love and for the benefit of the person or group involved.
It is completely impossible that the true God, Yahweh, could also be Allah of Islam. Yahweh, the God of love, desires to save all people from the state of spiritual death into which all humans are born. He does not want anyone—including the person reading this – to be lost. He desires to reconcile every person to Himself.
1 Timothy 2:3–4: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
This desire of God for the salvation of all people – reconciliation with Him – is not something He forces through violence. The Bible is clear about how a person can be saved and reconciled to God.