Is Islam Harder Than Christianity? The Bible's Prohibition on Wealth, Work, and Social Life
Many Christians think that Islam is more difficult than Christianity. Some of these Christians joke that Christianity is an easy religion — just believe and you will be saved — while Islam is referred to as a very difficult religion: five prayers a day, women wear the hijab, alcohol is forbidden, etc. Islam is even portrayed as being based on what is forbidden and what is permissible — do and don’t do — while Christianity is not a religion, it is not about do and don’t do, but rather it is just a relationship of love.
This accusation is based on extreme superficiality that indicates either the Christian’s ignorance of the truth of his religion, or that he is just maneuvering and laughing at himself before laughing at others, in an attempt to calm himself down and raise the feelings of simplicity in his religion.
Islam and Christianity Both Have Commands and Prohibitions
Accusing Islam of being a religion of do’s and don’ts is the same as what Christianity is. Christianity, like Islam, is built on commands and prohibitions — based on do’s (forgive people, give to the poor, honour your father and mother, believe in God, etc.) and don’ts (do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, etc.). These matters are in agreement between Islam and Christianity. Even in the divine commands in Islam that Christians object to, we find most of them present in Christianity.
Although prayer in Islam is five times a day so that the believer is constantly connected to God, the Old Testament shows that the prophets prayed three times a day — and of course three is not much less than five:
The prophets prayed three times daily — morning, noon, and evening.
The New Testament even mentions these same three hours of prayer:
References to the third, sixth, and ninth hours as times of prayer.
The New Testament further stipulates constant prayer:
“Pray without ceasing.”
By the way, prayer in Islam is about five minutes long, so the total of the five prayers in a day is about half an hour. Is setting aside half an hour every twenty-four hours for prayer, communication, and seclusion with God considered something shameful?
As for women’s hijab, the New Testament states that it is obligatory for women — and even goes further than Islam, stating that if a woman does not cover, she should cut her hair:
“For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short.”
Even worse than Islam — women in Christianity are ordered to be silent in church and do not even have the right to ask questions:
“The women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak… If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home.”
As for alcohol, Islam orders Muslims to leave it and not other drinks. When you go to a juice shop or a large supermarket, Islam tells you to drink everything except alcohol — and why alcohol? As the mother of all calamities, it is responsible for many rapes, murders, and assaults worldwide. It is enough that it is a protector of reason. There are even many texts in the Bible that indicate the harms of wine and the prohibition of drunkenness:
Biblical texts indicating the harms of wine.
Biblical texts prohibiting drunkenness.
Here we see that Islam and Christianity are not really very different — both teach do and do not do, these commands are somewhat similar, and thus it is difficult to say which is more difficult and which is easier. All these commands and prohibitions can be adapted to by man, as they are applicable and habituated to — especially the more his connection with God increases, the easier it becomes for him — and they do not burden him to the point of causing depression or crushing from the intensity of sadness.
But there is a special teaching in Christianity that brings a tragic life for the Christian. If we put all the teachings of Islam, Jewish teachings, and Christian teachings on one side, and put this one Christian teaching on the other side, we would find that the difficulty of this teaching exceeds all those teachings together — and that teaching is the prohibition of wealth, possession, and social isolation.
The Prohibition of Wealth in the New Testament
We all know the story of the rich man who came to Christ and asked him:
“Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
The question means: what are the good deeds that Christ considers necessary for a believer to be saved and delivered? Christ’s initial answer was positive — he advised him to follow the teachings of the Old Testament, which include avoiding adultery, murder, and theft, etc. All of these are virtuous deeds that any sane, well-mannered person can do. In this, Islam and Judaism share with Christianity. However, the difficulty of Christian life becomes apparent when we complete the words of Christ:
“Yet you lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
That is, the true believer who will be saved must get rid of all his money and possessions, and thus leave wealth and live poor — otherwise he will not taste eternal life. Without a doubt, such a difficult teaching will bring grief and sadness to those who follow it due to its extreme difficulty. Indeed, we find this feeling surrounding the young man directly:
“And he was grieved at the saying… And he went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions.”
This difficulty is clearly decisive — the rich man will not enter heaven unless he gives up all his possessions. Therefore Christ comments:
“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God!”
When the severity of this difficulty — which was almost impossible — appeared, Christ’s disciples were amazed and asked him the logical question:
“And those who heard said, ‘Who then can be saved?’”
Christ’s answer to their amazement was that it was indeed impossible, but nothing is impossible with God:
“What is impossible with men is possible with God.”
Christ always taught his followers to get rid of everything they owned:
“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.”
And not to keep anything for themselves, even pennies:
“Do not acquire gold or silver or copper in your belts.”
Therefore, when a poor crippled man asked Peter to give him alms, Peter answered:
“I have neither silver nor gold.”
Likewise, if they went out of their homes — in addition to carrying no wallet or money — they were not to have any extra clothing, food, or provisions:
“Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.”
It is forbidden for a Christian to acquire or save money. Therefore, Christians today who save their money in banks are not true Christians according to the New Testament:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Why? Because wealth and collecting money are against the worship of God:
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
A person should not only sell his property and distribute all his money, but if he has a right to some money that someone owes him, he should not ask for it — because asking for his money is considered greed:
“One of the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.’ And he said to him, ‘Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?’ And he said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for when a person has much, his life does not consist in the things that he possesses.’”
While Christ considered demanding one’s rights as greed, he recommended in return that the oppressed give his oppressor more than he had wronged him:
“And if anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.”
While Christ explains to those who want to seek his help in demanding their right to inherited money that he is not a judge — yet when the Jews were buying and selling in the temple, he became angry with them and took a whip and made himself a judge over them by expelling them and overturning their tables. Meaning: everything that involved a request for money, even if it was a right, Christ stood against it — and everything that involved abandoning money, Christ supported.
After the text in which Christ forbade the man from claiming his right to the inheritance, we find him completing his speech with the example of a rich man who had a fertile farm and many fruits and enjoyed that money and those good things, then death came to him suddenly. What did he benefit from that abundant money? Therefore, there is no need to hoard or accumulate money:
The parable of the rich man whose farm yielded abundantly — and who died the same night.
Since wealth is considered greed, and greed is one of the evils that come from within and defile a person:
“All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
In this text, Christ places greed alongside adultery, murder, theft, malice, deceit, fornication, pride, and blasphemy:
“For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.”
Of course, if wealth is considered greed and greed is compared to murder, theft, adultery, and blasphemy, then those who are greedy must be boycotted:
“If anyone who calls himself a brother is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, do not associate with him, and do not even eat with such a person.”
In fact, boycotting a rich man who does not give away all his money until he becomes poor is only a small problem in the face of his life’s destiny. For example, in this life: when one of the early Christians — whose name was Ananias — decided to keep some of the money from the land he sold (which was his own land), even though he gave the rest to Christ’s disciples, Peter became angry with him and the man died immediately. His wife also died because she participated with him in what was called embezzlement, although it was their own property:
The account of Ananias and Sapphira, who kept back part of the proceeds of their own land and died for it.
This was the divine punishment for them because they did not follow Christ’s command to sell all their property as other Christians did:
“All who owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the sales and laid them at the apostles’ feet.”
“No one said that any of the goods he possessed was his own.”
This is about this life — that the rich man who does not give all his money will be boycotted and may die. But on the last day he will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, as happened with the rich young man. So woe to him, as Christ said:
“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.”
And in the same vein James says:
“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you… Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire.”
And the example that Christ mentions about the rich man and the poor man named Lazarus, who both died — the poor man was in Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man was in torment:
“Being in torments… he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.’ And Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things.’”
The Prohibition of Social Life in the New Testament
Money was not the only thing that a Christian had to abandon — he also had to abandon social life in general. There were obvious social priorities that Christ taught his followers to abandon:
“And he said to another, ‘Follow me.’ And he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Yet another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”
If there is a prevention for the son from attending his father’s burial or from saying goodbye to his family when he leaves them, then there is isolation between this son and his parents — which may reach the point of estrangement and discord:
“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!… Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
As is clear from the previous statement, the Christian must leave all his money and likewise his family — even without saying goodbye. And in return for that leaving, there is encouragement: as soon as he gives up his land, his house, his fields, his brothers, his parents, his wife, and his children, he will receive a hundred times more in return in this life and the next:
“Who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time… and in the age to come eternal life.”
From here we understand Christ’s position towards his own mother and brothers when they were outside one day calling him, and Christ refused to speak to them:
“Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.”
And just as it was encouraged to abandon social relations with relatives, social relations with non-relatives were also cut off. It was even forbidden to greet people on the road, except in the case of a house receiving them to spend the night and eat and drink with them:
“Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’… And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide.”
It appears from the above that Christianity calls for the Christian to leave all his money and reject wealth — so that he neither saves nor accumulates money — and also to live his life preaching the Gospel in isolation from his family, from people, from work and jobs, boycotting almost everything, to the point that he only greets those who help him in the mission of preaching.
Christ’s Command for Christians to Leave Their Jobs
Since a Christian cannot work to collect money — because in doing so he will become a servant of money instead of God — we understand why Christ commanded his disciples to leave their jobs. When he saw Peter and his brother Andrew fishing in the sea, he ordered them to leave their work and follow him:
“Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”
He did the same with James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were helping their father — he ordered them to leave their work and their father:
“Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”
As long as work was stopped, the source of income for Christians was in one of two ways:
First: By the rich giving them everything they owned. I do not know of any Christian today who can live in this way — that is, giving all his money to the church, and in return other Christians leave their work to wait for that charity.
Second: By miracles. I also believe Christians today cannot live in this way or they will die of hunger. When the tax collectors in Capernaum asked Christ to pay two drachmas as a government tax, neither Christ nor his disciples had money, but he asked Peter to fish in the sea — the first fish he caught would have some drachmas inside it, and thus the tax was paid for Christ and Peter with those drachmas:
“Go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”
Accordingly, if a Christian today wants to depend on the money of the rich, he will not find any of those rich people who will give all their money in charity. So this Christian who adheres to his Gospel must begin by performing miracles to bring him some money to pay his rent, his children’s education costs, and feed his family. This is an impossible life, as is clear. Rather, Christ asked his followers not to care about those concerns when they follow him and leave their work:
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.”
“And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.”
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Christ even considered that whoever does not leave his work and live on miracles like the lilies of the field that grow without toil or spinning has little faith:
“And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin… But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
And of course, as long as this is the Christian’s way of life, he will live in severe hardship and distress:
“In the world you will have tribulation.”
He will not be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven until he tastes those hardships:
“Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
Islam and the Old Testament: A Balanced Approach to Wealth
I did not mean here to deny the importance of sacrifice for the sake of God. But what I mean is that Christianity is much more difficult than Islam and Judaism. Although there are clear laws for Islam and Judaism — and vague laws for Christianity — it is much easier than telling every Christian to leave all his money and family or else end up in Hell. And of course, most Christians cannot live in this narrow way of life. Therefore, Christ was aware of the impossibility of salvation in general — as we read in the story of the rich young man — and Judas Iscariot is not far from us: when he was tired of the life of poverty imposed on him, he sold Christ for only thirty pieces of silver, although he loved his Lord Christ with the greatest love, to the point that he committed suicide because of that. Perhaps a man would not betray the one he loves for a few dirhams except to satisfy his hunger. And therefore, also from Christ’s awareness of this difficult life, he said:
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
The Old Testament — the book of the Jews — did not forbid wealth for the believer, but rather forbade three things:
First: That wealth be obtained by oppressing people:
“Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice.”
Second: Using wealth as a means of arrogance and tyranny:
Prohibitions against boasting in riches and against the tyranny of the wealthy over the poor.
Third: That wealth be a reason for forgetting God:
“If riches increase, set not your heart on them.”
Wealth is considered one of the blessings that God bestowed upon some of His believing servants, such as Solomon and the father of the prophets, Abraham:
God granted Solomon riches beyond all other kings; Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.
Islam is in complete agreement with these principles of the Old Testament. The rich man has his right to his money as long as he has not stolen it or wronged anyone with it. This rich man should remember God more than he remembers his money, and always thank God for this blessing. Of course, neither Islam nor Judaism has forgotten the poor — they have obligated the rich believers to pay obligatory alms (zakāh) to comfort the poor. However, instead of obligating the rich man to leave all his money as in Christianity, he is obligated to pay a small portion of all his money: 10% in Judaism and 2.5% in Islam.
As is clear, what Christians today do by giving 10% of their income is following the Old Testament and violating the New Testament:
The Old Testament tithe — a tenth of one’s produce and income.
They have chosen the wide gate that leads to destruction instead of the narrow gate that Christ recommended.
Therefore, as stated above — the most important legislations found in Islam are found in Christianity, almost similar to them. Indeed, all of these legislations together are not comparable to Christianity in its prohibition of wealth, possession of money, and a life of seclusion. Islam does not ask a believer to give up all his wealth, abandon his family without farewell, quit his job, and live off miracles. It asks him to worship God, pay a small obligatory portion to the poor, remember God in the midst of his prosperity, and not let wealth make him forget his Lord. That is a religion built for the world as it is — not an impossible standard that its own adherents cannot meet.