There Is Only One God
Muslim prayer emphasizes the belief that God is one. Allah is understood as the only God, the source of all that is divine. His divinity is described as extraordinary: through His power the stars were set in their places and humanity was created from a clot of blood. Allah is perceived as mighty and majestic, and His primary name is Lord. Muslim prayer is an expression of devotion to this Lord. In prayer, the believer approaches God as a created being, filled with gratitude that Allah has revealed Himself as merciful and compassionate, since His power, without mercy, would be overwhelming for all creation.
The Incarnation of the Word
The culmination of Allah’s mercy and compassion is the revelation of the Qur’an. Many scholars have observed that the Qur’an holds in Muslim faith a role comparable to that of Christ, the Incarnation of the Word, in Christian faith. It is understood as a manifestation of divine guidance and will. Through the revelation given to Muhammad, Allah provided humanity with a path toward the Garden and away from the Fire. Yet devout Muslims, like devout Christians, seek more than reward or the avoidance of punishment. For them, the Qur’an is the most precious means through which divine presence is communicated. When its words are recited, the divine message becomes audible and experiential, deepening the believer’s spiritual life.
Muhammad Is Not the Incarnation of Allah
Muhammad is not understood in Islam as an incarnation of Allah. Muslims have consistently rejected attempts to attribute divinity to the Prophet. Allah is regarded as so transcendent in relation to the world and to humanity that it is inconceivable for anything created to share in His divine essence.
This strong affirmation of God’s oneness also shaped Islam’s response to other religious concepts. Just as it led to a rejection of pantheism, it also prevented acceptance of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Although Christians emphasize that the Trinity expresses belief in one God, Islamic tradition has generally interpreted Christian teachings about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as implying a plurality incompatible with strict monotheism. Similarly, Christian doctrines concerning the divinity of Christ and the Incarnation of the Logos are often difficult for Muslims to accept. The Qur’an emphasizes that God has no partners in His divinity and that the notion of God having a son, understood in a literal sense, is incompatible with divine transcendence.
Differences in Prayer
This understanding of monotheism has also influenced differences between Muslim and Christian prayer, particularly with regard to mediation and the use of images. Christian prayer has traditionally been open to sacramental practices. The belief that the Word of God became flesh has led many Christians to view the material world, including the human body, as a meaningful means of encountering God. Some scholars suggest that the iconoclastic controversies in Eastern Christianity were influenced in part by Jewish and Muslim ideas emphasizing divine transcendence. Under such influences, certain Eastern emperors regarded the veneration of icons as a form of idolatry. When those who defended the use of icons prevailed, Eastern Christianity affirmed its distinctive understanding of how the divine may be expressed through material forms, particularly through Christ.
Muslim Prayer and Its Focus
At the same time, Islamic practice demonstrates that complete rejection of symbolic expression is neither possible nor intended. Muslim prayer is centered on the Qur’an and on the prophetic role of Muhammad. Mosques were built as spaces that support prayer and contemplation and are often adorned with intricate non-figurative art. Muslim rituals involve the body and the senses, integrating physical movement, sound and rhythm. The recitation of Qur’anic verses and the calligraphic decoration of Qur’anic manuscripts represent highly developed art forms. In this sense, one may speak metaphorically of an “incarnational” dimension within Islamic theology and devotional practice, expressed through sound, language and form rather than through images.
Muslim Reverence for the Prophet
Non-Muslims have sometimes interpreted Islam’s rejection of Muhammad’s divinity as a lack of appreciation for the Prophet’s importance. This interpretation is misleading. Muslims have always held Muhammad in the highest esteem and have considered the protection of his honor a serious moral responsibility. Contemporary controversies surrounding portrayals of Muhammad, including reactions to Salman Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses, illustrate the depth of this reverence. Because the work was widely perceived as offensive, and because the author was raised within a Muslim context, reactions were especially strong. A partial parallel may be found in Christian responses to insults directed at Jesus, although Christian belief differs in affirming Jesus’ divinity. For many Muslims, the Prophet’s honor is closely linked to the honor of the Lord who chose him as a messenger, so that insulting the Prophet is experienced as an offense against God Himself.
Political Aspects
The political dimensions of the Rushdie controversy also have theological roots. Since Islam has traditionally not drawn a sharp distinction between the sacred and the secular, as many modern Western societies have done, some Muslims viewed legal or political responses as appropriate. Within this framework, offensive speech directed at what is sacred can be understood as a serious moral violation. Others, however, argue that God’s mercy allows time for reflection and repentance, emphasizing that human speech ultimately cannot diminish either Allah or His messenger.
For Christians, reflecting on these differences can be an opportunity to reconsider their own attitudes toward religious expression and offense. Some Christian commentators sympathetic to Muslim concerns have asked whether a relaxed approach to blasphemy in modern societies reflects tolerance, or whether it may also signal a form of indifference.
The authors of the book Prayer in the World’s Religions pose a question relevant to this discussion: Has the cost Christians have paid for tolerance and pluralism become greater than anticipated, or greater than many Christians are willing to acknowledge?
Reflections for Christians
The authors encourage Christians to reflect on the way in which, according to their faith, God chose to reveal divine presence. Drawing on the Old and New Testaments, Christians affirm that God chose vulnerability. In Jesus’ parables, particularly the parable of the prodigal son, God is portrayed as setting aside strict judgment so that compassion and reconciliation may prevail. In Jesus’ closeness to the Father and his emphasis on love, Christians perceive a transformation of how divine transcendence and authority are understood. God is presented as giving fully of Himself. Through suffering, God seeks to remove doubt about divine love and to invite complete trust. From this perspective, Christian prayer becomes an act of trust directed toward God, not because humanity is perfect or just, but because God is understood to be profoundly and unfailingly good.
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Sources: Denise Larder Carmody and John Tully Carmody, Prayer in the World’s Religions. Lithuanian translation by Egdūnas Račius, Vilnius, 2001
Annemarie Schimmel, An Introduction to Islam. Lithuanian translation by K. Seibutis, Vilnius, 2001