Alaetiaj 1

Final Comparison Paper

World Religions
Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity
12/9/15
Jenan Alaetiaj

Alaetiaj 2

According to Dictionary.com religion is defined as, a set of beliefs concerning the cause,
nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman
agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a
moral code governing the conduct of human affairs. Throughout this course I have learned that
every religion tried to make sense of the world and human existence. I have chosen to compare,
contrast, and go into depth on Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity.
The first religion I am going to talk about is Islam. Islam is a monotheistic faith such as
Sikhism and Christianity. Muslims believe that Islam was revealed through Mohammed as the
prophet of Allah. Islam dates back to the seventh century. Muslims follow the teachings of the
Quran which is their holy book. The Quran is similar to the Bible that the Christians follow, and
The Guru Granth Sahib that the Sikhs follow. The angel who revealed the Quran to Prophet
Mohammed was Gabriel. The Quran was revealed throughout twenty-three years, thirteen in
Mecca and ten in Medina. The Quran contains thirty parts.
Prophet Mohammed is the creator of Islam, Guru Nanak is the founder of Sikhism who is
also considered a prophet in his religion, and the creator of Christianity is Jesus Christ. Prophet
Mohammed was born in Mecca in the year 570 AD. The prophets father Abdallah died before he
was born and his mother Amina died shortly after the prophet was born so he was left an orphan.
After his parents death the prophet was raised by his parental grandfather, when he died his uncle
Abu Talib took care of him. When Mohammed was twenty-five he received a marriage proposal
from a forty year old widow Kadijah, Mohammed accepted the proposal and married Kadijah.
Prophet Mohammed reported having his first revelation at age forty.
Muslims believe that Allah is the same God that revealed Judaism and Christianity. It is
also believed that prophet Mohammed was the last prophet to be sent down by Allah.

Alaetiaj 3

Mohammed died in 632 AD at age of sixty-five. Islam has been a religion for about 1400 years
now. In 2010 it was recorded that there was about 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. Islam is
the second largest religion in the world and according to many sources the fastest growing
religion in the world.
The second religion I am going to go into depth on is Sikhism. Sikhism has a lot of
similarities with both Islam and Hinduism. Sikhism started in India. The founder of Sikhism is
Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak was born in 1469 and he died in 1539. Guru Nanak is the first of the
ten Sikh Gurus. According to Religionfacts.com, One morning, when he was 28 years old,
Nanak went (as usual) down to the river to bathe and meditate. It was said that he was gone for
three days. When he reappeared, filled with the spirit of God, he said, There is no Hindu and no
Muslim. It was then that he began his missionary work and the religion of Sikhism was born
into the world.
The word Sikh means disciple or student. Sikhism is a monotheistic religion just as
Islam and Christianity. Sikhs have faith in the ten gurus, the Khalsa/Armit, and in the Guru
Granth Sahib. The Guru Granth Sahib is the Sikhs holy text. It is considered to be the holiest of
texts, revealed and unchangeable. The Sikhs believe that the Guru Granth Sahib answers all
concerns and questions. The Guru Granth Sahib is musical in nature. It is either sung or chanted
when being read.
There are four stages of Sikhood. Stage one is Manmukh. This stage is about being
egotistical and only being concerned with the material world around you. The second stage is
Sikh, this stage is a person who honors God. The third stage is Khalsa, this stage is about seeking
knowledge of God. And finally the last stage is Gurumukh, this stage is a person who is filled
with the power of God.

Alaetiaj 4

Sikhism was founded in the 15th century so it has been around for about 550 years.
Sikhism is currently the fifth largest religion in the world. There are approximately thirty million
Sikhs around the world. Sikhism is predominantly found in the Punjab region of India. The
largest population of immigrant Sikhs is in Canada, however there are also a lot of Sikhs found
in the United Kingdom as well.
The last religion I am going to talk about is Christianity. As I have stated before
Christianity is monotheistic as well as Islam and Sikhism. However Christianity is older than
both Sikhism and Islam. Christianity is about 2,000 years old. Christianity was founded by the
followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus Christ was born a Jew in about 7 BC. According to
Biography.com, Jesus is a religious leader whose life and teachings are recorded in the Bibles
New Testament. He is a central figure in Christianity and is emulated as the incarnation of God
by many Christians all over the world.
The Christian holy book is the bible. The bible is split up as The Old Testament and The
New Testament. The New Testament goes into depth on how God sent his only son, Jesus Christ,
to act as a salvation for humans. Salvation is an extremely important concept in the religion of
Christianity. The New Testament was written from 65-150 CE. The early Christians read the
Hebrew Scriptures. The Bible contains 66 books, divided among the Old and New Testaments.
There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament. Testament is
defined as a covenant or a contract. The Bible was written under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit by over 40 different authors.
There are four gospels who are Mark, Mathew, Luke, and John. Mark was the first
gospel, there are no stories of his infancy, beings with the adult, public life of Jesus. Then there
was Mathew (70-80 CE) who had a Jewish background. Third there was Luke. (85 CE) Luke

Alaetiaj 5

showed mercy, compassion, and a sense of wonder. Lastly there was John. (95 CE) John
elaborated on the Christian doctrine. He described the human life as a constant struggle of light
and darkness. He had a Zoroastrian influence.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world and it represents approximately one-third
of the worlds population. As of 2010 there has been an estimate of 2.2 billion Christians in the
world. Currently Christianity is most practiced in North America, South America, Europe, and
Russia.
Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism are all similar yet also extremely different. Muslims
believe that Allah is the same God that sent down Jesus of Nazareth and Moses. Islam, Sikhism,
and Christianity are all monotheistic religions. Sikhism and Islam also both have very similar
practices when it comes to worship (praying) and their belief in charity. The Christian
commandment, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind. Is similar to beliefs of Muslims and Sikhs.
Despite their similarities Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism are also very very different in
so many aspects. Sikhs have 10 gurus, Neither Islam nor Christianity recognize gurus. The
scared space of worship for Muslims is called a mosque, however Christians call their scarred
space a church, and Sikhs call their scarred space a gurudwara. Christians believe that Jesus
Christ was the son of God, however Muslims believe that God had no kin, they believe that Jesus
Christ was a prophet of the lord. Sikhs prophet was Guru Nanak, the first of ten gurus. The
Muslims prophet was Prophet Mohammed. Muslims follow the teachings of the Quran,
Christians follow the teachings of the Bible, and Sikhs follow the teachings of the Guru Granth
Sahib so each religion has different holy texts that they believe in and go to for guidance.

Alaetiaj 6

To conclude, Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism have their similarities although each
religion is unique with their own beliefs and practices. Although I do believe that each religion
has the same motive which is trying to make sense of this world and the life that we live. For
centuries humans have tried to understand why we exist and what the purpose of life is and
religion sort of fills in the answers that Science cant explain. Another thing that people try to
understand is death and what happens after we die, that is also another thing that religion
clarifies for people who are trying to understand such a difficult concept.

Alaetiaj 7

Work Cited:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/religion
http://f3y.com/7-major-eastern-religions/
http://www.gotquestions.org/Islam.html
http://www.religionfacts.com/sikhism/history
http://www.biography.com/people/jesus-christ-9354382