The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus Christ, centered on his moral teachings. It is found in chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. The Sermon on the Mount is the longest piece of teaching from Jesus in one place and is considered first of the five discourses in Matthew. It is one of the most quoted discourses by Jesus by the Christians.
Devout Christians use the Sermon on the Mount to guide their spiritual lives.
The Sermon on the Mount can also be used by devout Muslims to guide their spiritual lives.
This should not come as a shock to anyone who knows that Jesus Christ (known as Isa in the Qur’an) is a highly revered Prophet in Islam. His teachings on the Sermon are entirely consistent with Islamic teachings as they appear in the Qur’an and Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad).
Whether the Quran’s teachings are based on Judeo-Christian subtext (influenced by Judeo-Christian tradition, as claimed by many secular and Biblical scholars), or that the Qur’an is the continuation of the Scriptural teachings from the same God is not the focus here. That may be a subject for another article.
I simply could not help but notice the striking similarities of the teachings of Jesus on his Sermon on the Mount with Islamic teachings.
Of course it is not the only place where we find the commonalities between the Christian and Islamic teachings, but the Sermon on the Mount is probably one largest single collection of teachings that could easily be taught at a Muslim congregation.
Here are some excerpts from the Sermon of the Mount, with parallel Islamic teachings. We need to look beyond the words and literalism, and focus on the underlying message to find the striking similarities. The passages are quoted topic by topic with little or no commentary.
Next Page: Side by Side comparison of the Sermon and Islamic Teachings
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In