94 of 105 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Journey of Discovery, May 9, 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities (Paperback)
Dr. Mark Gabriel will take you on a journey of discovering Jesus and Muhammad in a way that few others can-as an insider, a believer, and a scholar of both faiths.
Born in Egypt, he grew up as a devout Muslim. He memorized the Quran, earned a Ph.D. in Islamic studies at Al Azhar University, and faithfully followed the laws of Islam. Yet the more he learned, the more disillusioned he became. He abandoned Islam at the age of 34.
After a year of searching for God, he opened a Bible for the first time one night. As he read the life of Jesus from the book of Matthew, he mind automatically compared it to the life of Muhammad. When morning came, he chose to follow Jesus. With the same zeal that he used to follow Muhammad, he has followed Jesus for the past 12 years, earning a Ph.D. in Christian education.
His perspectives on Jesus and Muhammad will give you new insight into these men. You will walk through their lives, discovering amazing similarities between their childhoods, their public ministry, and their teachings. At the same time, deep differences become obvious-in their attitudes toward people, their missions, and their views of God.
Rather than relying on secondary sources, Dr. Gabriel focuses on the core books of each religion--the Gospels of the New Testament, the Quran, and the correct books of hadith. Any reader can access this material in English and check the information for themselves.
In addition, Dr. Gabriel adds stories from his personal life about his experience of following Muhammad's example and then following Jesus. The result is a book that is both easy to read and profound. I highly recommend this book.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Honesty sometimes hurts, July 13, 2008
This review is from: Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities (Paperback)
I took a post graduate level class from Dr. Gabriel this year and I think that I can clear up a few misconceptions on his background and purposes. During the class when answering questions he always quoted the Quran from memory in Arabic. Then he would provide a quick English translation and have us find the verse in one of our translations. From this I can say that he did indeed have the entire Quran memorized, and hence that substantiated many of his biographical details. Also a local Egyptian gentleman visited the class, and they talked about their former homeland, Egypt.
Secondly, he repeatedly expressed his love for all Muslims, and encouraged the class to continue to pray for them. Clearly, anyone who thinks that Dr. Gabriel "hates" Muslims is using that word in a different sense than that with which I am familiar.
The book itself is a fair account of the differences between Jesus and Muhammad. I would suggest that many people need to actually read the Bible to see what it says about Jesus. I suggest that they start with the Gospel of John. Next I suggest that some of the critics of Dr. Gabriel's work should actually read the Quran and see what it teaches on various subjects. Most people in the west will be surprised.
Next, read a biography of Muhammad. Get a feel for the kind of person he was. The earliest biography of the prophet is Islam is by Ibn Ishaq and can be found in translation on the web. Follow that by searching through the collections of hadith on the USC-MSA website. Type in a few search words such as "Jew," or "Jihad." Be inventive in your research. If you enter the search with as few preconceptions as possible you will be amazed at what you can learn. Good luck and may God bless your search.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Accurate, January 3, 2007
This review is from: Jesus and Muhammad: Profound Differences and Surprising Similarities (Paperback)
The author does a nice job comparing and contrasting Jesus and Muhammad. Although the book is set up in almost a textbook like format, it is an easy read. This is a great book if you are interested in learning about either Jesus or Muhammad.
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