Islam, Christianity, Judaism: Similarities and Differences

Explore God, prophets, revelation, Jesus, Tawhid, Trinity, and Sharia from the Islamic perspective

Created byMedhat Gadallah

Last updated 8/2026

English

What you'll learn

Understand the Islamic concept of one God, one religion, many prophets, and different Sharia
Explain the difference between the fundamental religion of submission to God and the detailed laws of Sharia
Understand the Islamic view of major prophets and the continuing message of worshipping God alone
Compare Tawhid and the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity in a simple and respectful way
Understand the Islamic view of the Tawrah, Zabur, Injil, Bible, and Quran and how these terms differ
Identify major similarities and theological differences between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

Course content

6 sections • 13 lectures • 1h 57m total length

Welcome: One God, One Religion, Many Prophets3:26
Welcome: One God, One Religion, Many Prophets
In this opening lesson, you will discover the central idea that will guide us throughout the course.
From the Islamic perspective, Islam did not begin with Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Allah sent prophets throughout human history with the same fundamental message: worship God alone and submit to His guidance.
You will learn the basic concept of:
One God → One Religion → One Core Message → Many Prophets → Different Sharia
We will also introduce an important question that we will explore throughout the course: if the original religion was one, why do we see different religious laws and beliefs today?
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the main perspective of the course and be ready to explore what the word Islam actually means.
What Does “Islam” Actually Mean?4:39
What Does “Islam” Actually Mean?
What does the word Islam really mean?
In this lesson, we move beyond Islam as simply the name of a modern religious community and explore its fundamental meaning from the Islamic perspective.
You will learn four important ideas:
Submission to God
Surrender to God
Obedience to God
Worshipping God alone
We will also introduce why Muslims believe Islam did not begin with Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Instead, the prophets before him also submitted themselves to the One God, even though some details of their Sharia were different.
By the end of this lesson, you will understand the difference between Islam as submission to God and the final Sharia brought by Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Religion vs Sharia: The Most Important Difference4:13
Religion vs Sharia: The Most Important Difference
What is the difference between religion and Sharia?
This is one of the most important concepts in the entire course.
In this lesson, you will learn that the fundamental religion is based on:
Worshipping God alone
Believing in His messengers
Obeying Him
Repenting to Him
Living morally
Believing in the Hereafter
You will also learn that Sharia refers to detailed laws and practical rules, such as dietary rules, acts of worship, permissions, prohibitions, and community regulations.
From the Islamic perspective, the fundamental religion remained one while some Sharia laws could differ between prophets and communities.
The key sentence to remember is:
The religion remained one. Some laws changed.

From Adam to Noah: The Beginning of Divine Guidance4:08
From Adam to Noah: The Beginning of Divine Guidance
Where did divine guidance begin?
In this lesson, we go back to the beginning of human history and explore Prophet Adam, peace and blessings be upon him, and Prophet Noah, peace and blessings be upon him, from the Islamic perspective.
You will learn that Islam presents humanity as receiving guidance from God from the very beginning.
We will also introduce an important pattern that appears throughout prophetic history:
Guidance → Deviation → Prophet → Return to God
The lesson explains why God continued sending prophets and why their mission was not to invent a new fundamental religion, but to call people back to the worship of the One God.
By the end of this lesson, you will understand why the story of divine guidance begins with humanity itself.
Abraham: Neither Jewish Nor Christian4:25
Abraham: Neither Jewish Nor Christian
Why is Prophet Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, so important when discussing Islam, Christianity, and Judaism?
In this lesson, we explore the Islamic understanding of Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, as a sincere worshipper who submitted completely to the One God.
You will learn why the Quran describes Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, as neither Jewish nor Christian, and why his life is a powerful example of the course's central idea:
Submission to God existed before later religious identities developed.
We will also see how Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, connects important prophetic lines leading to Prophet Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, Prophet Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, and Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
The key idea is:
Different generations. Different Sharia. One fundamental submission to God.
Moses: Prophet, Revelation, and Sharia4:30
Moses: Prophet, Revelation, and Sharia
What was the mission of Prophet Moses, peace and blessings be upon him?
In this lesson, we explore Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, from the Islamic perspective.
You will learn about:
His call to worship the One God
The Children of Israel
The Torah
Divine commandments
The Sharia given to his community
This lesson also reinforces one of the most important ideas in the course:
Different detailed laws do not necessarily mean a different fundamental religion.
According to Islam, Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, submitted completely to God and called his people to worship and obey Him.
The key idea is:
One God → One Fundamental Submission → Revelation → Sharia for a Specific Community
Muhammad ﷺ: The Final Messenger, Not the Founder of Islam4:47
Muhammad ﷺ: The Final Messenger, Not the Founder of Islam
Did Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, create a completely new religion?
In this lesson, we explore the Islamic answer.
You will learn about:
His mission
His call to Tawhid
The Quran
His connection to earlier prophets
The final Sharia
The finality of prophethood
This lesson explains why Muslims see Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, not as the founder of Islam, but as the final messenger in a long chain of divine guidance.
The key idea is:
Submission to God existed before Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The final Sharia came through him.

Tawhid: The Message of Every Prophet4:49
Tawhid: The Message of Every Prophet
What is Tawhid, and why is it the foundation of Islam?
In this lesson, you will learn the simple meaning of Tawhid:
God is One, and He alone deserves worship.
We will connect this principle to the prophetic message of Prophet Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, Prophet Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, Prophet Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, and Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
You will also learn an important distinction between:
The Creator
and
Creation
The key idea of the lesson is:
Sharia could differ, but Tawhid remained the same.
By the end of this lesson, you will understand why worshipping the One God is the central message connecting the prophetic chain.
One God, Many Revelations4:36
One God, Many Revelations
Did Islam teach that the Quran was the first revelation from God?
No.
In this lesson, you will discover the Islamic belief in the revelations that came before the Quran.
We will introduce:
Tawrah — revealed to Prophet Moses, peace and blessings be upon him
Zabur — given to Prophet David, peace and blessings be upon him
Injil — revealed to Prophet Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him
Quran — revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him
You will learn why Muslims believe that divine revelation continued throughout prophetic history and why belief in God's earlier original revelations is part of Islamic faith.
We will also make an important distinction between an original revelation given to a prophet and questions concerning the form and transmission of texts that exist today.
The key idea is:
Different Revelations → Different Times → One Divine Source

If the Original Message Was One, Why Are Beliefs Different Today?21:16
If the Original Message Was One, Why Are Beliefs Different Today?
If divine guidance originally came from one God, why do we see major religious differences today?
In this lesson, we explore the Islamic explanation for how differences can develop over long periods of history.
We will discuss:
Passing of time
Human interpretation
Religious institutions
Theological debates
Cultural influences
Preservation and transmission
You will also be introduced to the Islamic belief that the Quran is the final revelation and criterion, confirming earlier divine revelation while clarifying and correcting beliefs that Islam understands as later developments.
The key idea is:
Similarities can point to a shared original source, while differences can develop through history, interpretation, and transmission.
Jesus: Prophet of God or God?24:03
Jesus: Prophet of God or God?
Who is Prophet Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him?
This lesson introduces one of the most important theological differences between Islam and mainstream Christianity.
You will learn that Islam understands Prophet Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, as:
The Messiah
A prophet and messenger of God
Miraculously born to Mary
A recipient of revelation
A performer of miracles by God's permission
A servant of God, not God Himself
You will also learn the basic mainstream Christian position, which understands Jesus as divine within the doctrine of the Trinity.
The goal is to understand both positions clearly while keeping the course's Islamic perspective.
The key difference is:
Islam honors Jesus as a messenger of God, while mainstream Christianity worships Jesus as divine.
Tawhid vs Trinity25:43
Tawhid vs Trinity
What is the difference between Tawhid and the Trinity?
In this lesson, we compare two fundamentally different understandings of divine oneness.
You will learn that Tawhid teaches:
God is One
He has no partner or equal
He is unique
He alone deserves worship
You will also learn the basic mainstream Christian understanding of the Trinity:
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
One God
The lesson explains why Islam rejects the Trinity while also representing mainstream Christian belief fairly: Christians do not generally describe themselves as believing in three gods.
The key idea is:
Both Islam and mainstream Christianity speak of one God, but they understand the nature of that oneness very differently.

The Big Picture: One Religion, Many Prophets, Different Sharia6:48
The Big Picture: One Religion, Many Prophets, Different Sharia
In this final lesson, we bring the entire course together.
You will review the prophetic chain:
Adam → Noah → Abraham → Moses → Jesus → Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon them
We will summarize what, according to Islam, never changed:
One God
Worship God alone
Follow His revelation
Obey His messengers
Repent
Live morally
Prepare for the Hereafter
And what could change:
Dietary rules
Particular rituals
Community laws
Specific permissions and prohibitions
Details of worship
Social regulations
The course closes with its central message:
One God → One Religion → Many Prophets → Different Sharia → One Continuing Message

Requirements

No previous knowledge of Islam, Christianity, Judaism, or comparative religion is required
Only curiosity and an open mind are needed — all important concepts are explained from the beginning
The course uses simple English and is designed to be accessible to non-native English speakers

Description

Have you ever wondered why Islam, Christianity, and Judaism share so many prophets, stories, moral teachings, and ideas — yet differ on some of the biggest theological questions?

This beginner-friendly course explains these similarities and differences through the Islamic perspective using simple, clear English.

The central idea of the course is:

One God. One fundamental religion. Many prophets. Different Sharia. One continuing message.

We begin by exploring what the word Islam actually means and why Muslims believe submission to God did not begin with Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

You will then follow the prophetic story from Prophet Adam, peace and blessings be upon him, through Prophet Noah, Prophet Abraham, Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus, and finally Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

Throughout the course, you will learn the important difference between the fundamental religion of submission to God and Sharia — the detailed practical laws that could differ between prophets and communities.

We will explore:

• Tawhid and the Islamic understanding of the absolute oneness of God
• Why prophets could receive different laws while teaching the same fundamental message
• Prayer, fasting, charity, repentance, and moral life
• The Tawrah, Zabur, Injil, Bible, and Quran
• The Islamic understanding of Prophet Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him
• The major difference between Tawhid and the mainstream Christian doctrine of the Trinity
• Why religious beliefs and interpretations developed differently over time
• Why Muslims believe the Quran is the final revelation

This course does not assume that you already know Islamic terminology or comparative religion.

Important concepts are explained step by step in accessible English, making the course suitable for beginners and non-native English speakers.

The course presents the Islamic perspective clearly while describing mainstream Christian beliefs respectfully and accurately where comparisons are necessary.

Whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, from another background, or simply curious about religion, this course will give you a structured introduction to one of the most important theological conversations in history.

You do not need to agree with every claim to understand what Islam teaches.

Understanding comes first.

Join the course and explore the big picture.

Who this course is for:

Beginners who want to understand Islam and its relationship with Christianity and Judaism
Non-Muslims who want a clear introduction to the Islamic understanding of God, prophets, Jesus, and revelation
Muslims who want a simple framework for understanding similarities and differences between these traditions
Students interested in comparative religion, theology, Abrahamic history, or interfaith discussions
Anyone looking for a respectful, beginner-friendly explanation of Tawhid, Trinity, Sharia, prophets, and scripture

Islam, Christianity, Judaism: Similarities and Differences

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

One Religion From the Beginning2 lectures • 8min

One Religion, Different Sharia1 lecture • 4min

The Chain of Prophets4 lectures • 18min

What Never Changed2 lectures • 9min

Where Did the Major Differences Come From?3 lectures • 1hr 11min

The Final Revelation1 lecture • 7min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: