Two Great Leaders: Jesus and Mohammed

Two Great Leaders: Jesus and Mohammed

Michael Peters

Axia College of University of Phoenix

Jesus and Mohammed are the central icons of two of the largest religions in the World: Christianity and Islam. Together, they have influenced the lives of more people in the last two thousand years than any other. Both are highly regarded figures amongst their followers. This paper will focus on comparing and contrasting the lives and influence they had on their respective religions. It will also trace their historic lives, compare the impact that each leader's death had on the religion, describe how each was and/or is worshipped, and explain how their teachings are being applied in the World today.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem sometime between 8 BC and 29 AD. Most Christians believe that Jesus was conceived divinely by the Virgin Mary, although she was married to Joseph the carpenter at the time. Not much is known about his early life except that he may have trained as a carpenter under his father in the small town of Nazareth (The Life of Jesus, 2004). According to the Gospels, Jesus was baptized when he was about 30 years old and then began his teachings that lasted between one to three years. The teachings were delivered through the use of parables (stories with metaphorical meanings) to large crowds in Galilee in Northern Israel and Perea in Western Jordan. He also recruited 12 close disciples to continue his work while he was away.

The Gospels depicted Jesus as performing a number of miracles including turning water into wine, walking on water, healing the sick, exorcising demons, and even raising a man from the dead (Jesus, 2006). Jesus was a preacher of the ideas of love, humility, forgiveness of sin, and realizing everlasting life in the kingdom of God. His teachings were very popular with most but they were considered subversive by Roman authorities and Jewish leaders. Ultimately, Jesus was arrested for blasphemy in that he claimed to be the Messiah. He was then turned over to the Roman authorities where he was put on trial and sentenced to death by crucifixion. It is a strong Christian belief that he was revived from the dead on the third day of the crucifixion and rose to Heaven.

Mohammed was born into a rather wealthy family in Mecca, located in present-day Saudi Arabia, in 570 AD. He never had the chance to get to know his father, as he passed away before he was born. He only knew his mother for a short time. She died when he was just six years old. After his mother died, Mohammed was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib, the leader of the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe, which Mohammed also belonged to (Muhammad, 2006).

Mohammed had the pleasure of travelling a lot with the trading caravans of his uncle during his growing up. Later, he married Khadija, a 40-year-old wealthy widow, when he was just 25. He spent a considerable amount of time meditating in the caves of Mecca. According to Muslim belief, it was there that Mohammed received the first revelation of the Qur'an through the angel Gabriel. At that time, he was a mere 40 years old.

Mohammed had declared that he had received the message of God and was himself a prophet. Only a small group of people, including his wife, believed him. Most others ridiculed his claim. As a result of this, Mohammed and his followers were prosecuted, forcing them to move to the northern town of Medina in 622 AD. It was in Medina that Mohammed laid the foundation of an Islamic state. His teachings were based on strict monotheism (only one God). Although he felt strongly about his teachings, he did not fail to recognize the other monotheistic religions of the time, which were Christianity and Judaism. His teachings eventually spread to the neighboring tribes of Medina. After a short while, he had organized a small army. This army ended up clashing with the Meccans, causing a number of wars that led to Mohammed's final march on Mecca in 630 AD, when the Meccans surrendered without a fight. Mohammed used the wars as a stepping stone to devote the rest of his life spreading his new religious teachings. At his death in 632 AD, at age 63, Islam had been established as a major social and political force and his teachings brought together most of the Arabian Peninsula.

The deaths of both of these great religious leaders had no impact on the growth of their respective religions. The death of Jesus was portrayed by the Gospels as an act of supreme sacrifice by the son of God to atone for the sins and salvation of mankind. Nearly all Christians hold true that Jesus' crucifixion saved mankind from eternal damnation, as all people were born flawed and had a tendency to sin.