The basic beliefs of both Christians and Muslims are practically the related. Both the Christian and Islamic religion believes that a God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit, and Mary exist ("Basic Beliefs"). In addition, both religions believe and agree on the life of Abraham and the stories of Jesus, David, and Moses.
The religious history of the two mainly revolves around one person, Abraham. Abraham was the first Father or ruler of the Hebrew people. Abraham was also seen as "Abram" in the earliest citations. According to Genesis, "Abram" means the "father of love" or and exaltation of the father. Abraham, if he existed at all, lived sometime between 2100 and 1500 B.C. in Ur, Mesopotamia in present day Iraq. At this time, especially in Ur, people believed in multiple gods, polytheism. "How Abraham's thinking evolved into monotheism?thereby [putting him into the position of becoming the first ruler] of both the people of Israel and the Arabs?is speculative" (Life 17-18). According to the Bible, Abraham's people journeyed all the way to Ramat al-Khilil, Arabic for "Heights of the Friend," Allah's friend was Abraham (Life 17-18). At one point God vowed to Abraham that if his people stayed faithful to him, then they would be granted Canaan, modern day Palestine. It would be their "everlasting possession [Gen. 17:4-9]." Both Genesis and Muhammad's stories are basic accounts of Allah's words in the Qur'an. Both agree on whom Abraham was and what it was that God promised to him. God also tested his faith by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham was about to do so atop Mount Moriah when God extended his hand to give him a ram to sacrifice instead. He wanted Isaac to grow, ...