INTERFAITH

RT Oliveros: Theology and Action for Muslim-Catholic Youth
(Draft for Catechetics Publication)

FAITH: We all Believe in ONE-GOD, and other shared beliefs:
1. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are Abrahamic religions for they share ABRAHAM—as
the father of faith in the One True God. These 3 religions believe that God revealed Himself
to their people, and what are revealed are written in the Sacred Scriptures of each of these
three religions.
Mentioned in the Qur’an are from the OT are considered prophets in Islam: Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Others from OT mentioned in the Q. are: Isaac, Ishmael,
Aaron, David, Joseph, Solomon, Job, and Elijah.
2. About 700 years after the NT period, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad mentioned are:
Zechariah, John the Baptist, Jesus (Isa), and Mary (Maryam). Outside the Gospel and found
only in the Qur’an are Jesus and Mary are named; nowhere their names be found in the
sacred scriptures of ancient religions (e.g. Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism).
(1) the Virgin Birth in Luke are found in Surahs (suwar) 3 and 19th.
(2) Mentioned of the incarnation of the WORD from God is named Christ, Jesus the son of
Mary. (Q. 3:45)
3. Tawhid (Oneness of God) "There is no god but God, lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh ‫ َل إِ ٰله إِ َّل هللا‬--is the
sole basis of any authentic religion. It is not exclusive to Islam. Christianity and Judaism are
monotheistic religions, too. In fact, traditional Jewish monotheism is the basis for Christian
and Islamic monotheism. Judaism and Islam have asserted a strict monotheism while
Christianity adopts the Trinity which is a more complex form of monotheism. The Trinity is
the Christian doctrine of tawhid where the same attestation is recited in the first line of the
Apostle’s Creed Credo in unum Deum, I believe in one God. It takes into account what
Jesus himself says about his relationship, especially 'oneness' with the Father-- 'the Father
and I are one' (John 10:30), and to remain within a framework of God being one.
Mainstream Muslims, however, reject the Trinity since it goes contrary to the tawhid despite
the Catholic declaration “We believe in One God.” What Islam and the Muslims contribute
is its radical and uncompromising stand towards the Oneness of God.
4. Decreed or Decided by Allah or God’s Will (Thy Will be Done). .
The concept of divine decree in Islam (Arabic: ‫القضاء والقدر‬, al-qadāʾ wa l-qadar) means that
every matter, good or bad, is believed to have been decreed by God. Muslims often express this
belief in divine destiny with the phrase "Insha-Allah" meaning "if God wills" when speaking on
future events.
God’s Will in the Our Father: Abu-nan (Aramaic) / Aba-na (Arabic) The person who prays the
suscipe desires only to imitate the Christ who submitted totally to the will of His Father. The
total submission to the will of God is the integral to the kerygma of Jesus to proclaim the “Reign
of God”. God’s reign is absolute and to belong to God’s kingdom, one must submit to His will or
rule. Abu-nan, the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, after honoring and blessing God, stress
submission to the “Reign of God” when it states, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.” The same intensity of submission to God’s will is expressed in the Suscipe’s
surrender of one’s entire will. The “Our Father” is the very heart of the Suscipe. The prayer’s
ultimate desire is to obtain the love of God which solely is sufficient. This makes the Suscipe
radical for it is rooted in the Abu-nan, the perfect prayer as taught by Jesus.
5. The Islamic creed (aqidah) requires belief in six articles: God, angels, books, prophets, the
Day o Resurrection
(i) Allah has many attributed but the most known is Allah being ar-Rahman meaning
‘ang “Pinaka-Mapagkaloob”, and ar-Rahim meaning "Pinaka-Mapagpatawad”
which are invoked at the beginning of 113 out of 114 chapters (surahs or suar) of the
Quran.
Islam teaches that the creation of everything in the universe was brought into being by God's
command as expressed by the wording, “be, and it is” and that the purpose of creation is to
worship God. (Principle and Foundation)
(ii) Angels. Angels (Arabic:‫ ملك‬malak) are created to worship God. Gabriel and Michael
are mentioned by name in the Quran. Angels play a significant role in the literature
about the Mi’ray where Muhammad encounters several angels during his journey
through the heavens.
(iii) Sacred Scriptures (Holy Books)
The Islamic holy books are the records that Muslims believe various prophets received from God
through revelations, called wahy. Muslims believe that parts of the previously revealed
scriptures, such as the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospel).
(iv) Prophets.
Prophets (Arabic: ‫أنبياء‬, anbiyāʾ) are believed to have been chosen by God to receive and
preach a divine message. Additionally, a prophet delivering a new book to a nation is called
a rasul (Arabic: ‫رسول‬, rasūl), meaning "messenger". Muslims believe prophets are human
and not divine.
All of the prophets are said to have preached the same basic message of Islam – submission
to the will of God – to various nations in the past and that this accounts for many similarities
among religions.
(v) Day of Resurrection and Judgment
Muslims believe in the "Day of Resurrection" or Yawm al-Qiyāmah (Arabic:‫)يوم القيامة‬. Yawm
al-Qiyāmah is also identified in the Quran as Yawm ad-Dīn (Arabic:‫" يوم الدين‬Day of
Religion"); as-Sāʿah (Arabic:‫" الساعة‬the Last Hour"); and al-Qāriʿah (Arabic:‫" القارعة‬The
Clatterer").
The Quran emphasizes the resurrection of the body. On Yawm al-Qiyāmah (Arabic: ‫)يوم القيامة‬,
Muslims believe all humankind will be judged by their good and bad deeds and consigned
to Jannah (paradise) or Jahannam (hell).
DIFFERENCE in BELIEF. A major theological difference lies in Jesus, a prophet in
Islam, but embraced by Christians as truly human and truly divine. Islam, as a strict
monotheist religion, rejects this teaching.
ACTION: The Common Good

The 3-Pillars (of 5) are the core belief and practices of Islam:
(1) "There is no god but God, lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh ‫ – َل ِإ ٰله ِإ َّل هللا‬INSPIRES and LEADS to
Pillars 2 & 3 Pillars of Islam on the Common Good..
(2) Prayer (salat) as collective ACTION to pray for the common good. Forms, manner, and
content of prayer may differ BUT they all are directed to GOD, and towards good work
(3) Alms (Zakat ( ‫[ ;زكاة‬zaˈkaːt]) "that which purifies” is a form of almsgiving, often
collected by the Muslim Ummah is a religious obligation in Islam. By Quranic ranking it
is next to prayer (salat) in importance.
A Christian Convergence to Zakat rooted in James. Faith Without Works Is Dead

(James 2: 14-20, 22, 24)
14
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can
that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and
one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things
needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is
dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart
from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one.
Good! Even the demons believe—and (they ) tremble with fear! 20 Do you want to be shown,
you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 22 His (Abraham) faith and his
actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. … 24 You see that a
person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
NOTE: For a Shared RESPONSE to the ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS see the attached Power Point.

INTERFAITH

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INTERFAITH

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RT Oliveros: Theology and Action for Muslim-Catholic Youth

(Draft for Catechetics Publication)

ACTION: The Common Good

A Christian Convergence to Zakat rooted in James. Faith Without Works Is Dead

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