Home > Religions and beliefs > > The differences between Islam and Christianity
Comparative table of the two religions: God, Jesus, salvation, the Scriptures, Mary, with the real points of agreement and what each divergence changes in the believer's life.
Islam and Christianity share the God of Abraham, the honour of Jesus and Mary, and many values. The essential differences: the nature of God (absolute oneness against the Trinity), the nature of Jesus (prophet against incarnate God), salvation (repentance and direct forgiveness against redemption by the cross), the Scriptures (Quran final message against Bible alone), and original sin (denied by Islam, Quran 6:164). The table below summarizes, then each divergence is explained.
Contents:
Updated on 17 October 2026 at 9:55 PM
📖 3 min read| Theme | Islam teaches | Christianity teaches |
|---|---|---|
| God | An absolutely one Creator, without person or associate (Quran 112) | One God in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit (Trinity) |
| Jesus | Prophet and messenger, Messiah, born of Mary, servant of Allah (Quran 5:75) | True God and true man, only Son, God incarnate (CCC, par. 464) |
| Adam's sin | Denied as inherited sin: each answers for his deeds (Quran 6:164) | Original sin transmitted to all humanity, redeemed by the cross |
| Salvation | Faith, repentance and Allah's direct forgiveness (Quran 39:53) | Redemption by Christ's death and resurrection |
| The Scriptures | Torah and Gospel of divine origin; the Quran final guardian message (Quran 5:48) | Bible alone complete inspired word (with tradition according to the Churches) |
| Mary | Virtuous, chosen by Allah, mother of Issa, human creature (Quran 3:42) | Virgin, mother of God according to the flesh, often venerated and invoked |
| The crucifixion | Denied: Issa was raised alive (Quran 4:157-158) | Central historical event of salvation |
| The end times | Return of Issa, Judgment, paradise and hell | Return of Christ, Judgment, heaven and hell |
The divergences must not hide a real proximity. The two religions believe in the same Creator of Abraham, in life after death, in judgment and paradise. The Quran honours Jesus and Mary, makes Issa's birth a miracle, and calls Christians and Muslims to a common base: worshipping Allah alone (Quran 3:64).
It even describes Christians as the People of the Book closest in affection to the believers (Quran 5:82).
On morality: regular prayer, fasting, almsgiving, respect for parents, chastity, justice, mercy toward the poor, the two traditions teach the essential together.
These differences are real, argued, and deserve to be known on both sides without caricature. Islam forbids coercion in religion (Quran 2:256), proposes dialogue "in the best manner" (Quran 29:46), and leaves everyone responsible for his choice before Allah. If your path leads you to the question of faith, the becoming a Muslim silo answers the practical questions, from the testimony to the first prayer.
No: the two confessions pronounce doctrinally on the nature of God and of Jesus, and their answers exclude each other. But that excludes neither respect, nor the respectful mixed family, nor dialogue: Islam forbids coercion (Quran 2:256) and honours Christians (Quran 5:82).
The nature of God. If God is one without person (Islam) or one in three persons (Christianity), everything else follows: the status of Jesus, the cross, salvation, the authority of the Scriptures. That is why the Quran concentrates the disagreement on this point (Quran 4:171).
On practical morality, much convergence: regular prayer, fasting, almsgiving, honouring parents, chastity, mercy. The Quran's surah of Mary and the Gospel narratives of Mary share a remarkable devotion to her.