At first glance, however, Islam and Christianity appear to have nothing in common; as you go beyond the surface, they seem to have many similarities such as their belief in God, their belief in life after death, their holy scriptures, and their prayers. These religions, although two completely different beliefs, share a similar origin. Like many other religions, both claim to be the one true path to God. To truly see and understand their similarities, one must trace back to the rise and birth of Christianity and Islam. Throughout this essay I will compare the many facets that show the similarity between these two growing religions. Although Islam and Christianity differ in many ways, they also share some similarities in their belief in God. First of all, Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions; worship one God. Although both believe in the same God, he is called by two completely different names. He is called "Allah" by Muslims and "God" by Christians. The fundamental belief of Islam is short: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah.” Islam teaches that there is only one God: the creator and sustainer of the universe, who is compassionate and just. He calls all the people to believe in Him and to worship Him. When someone disobeys the Lord, he can be forgiven if he sincerely repents. In Christianity, the first and most important of the Ten Commandments states: "I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me." Identical to Muslims, Christians also believe that their God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. The Bible begins with God's creation of the Earth in seven days. Another similarity between these... middle of paper... Ex, Trevor. The Kingfisher Book of Religions: Festivals, Ceremonies, and Beliefs from Around the World. New York: Kingfisher, 1999. Dirks, Jerald. The Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam: similarities and contrasts. Beltsville, Maryland: Amana Publications, 2004.Ibrahim, IA. A short illustrated guide to understanding Islam. 2nd ed. Houston: Darussalam, 1997. The Holy Bible: Giant Print; containing the Old and New Testaments translated from the original languages; and with the preceding translations diligently compared and revised, by special command of His Majesty, the Authorized King James Version; Chris's words. Reference to the giant print ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Pub. House, 1994. "What is Islam? (All Parts) - The Religion of Islam." The religion of Islam. http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/6/viewall/ (accessed February 19, 2011).