Moral instructions and Road to Salvation

Islam and Judaism are Abrahamic faiths. The Quran is the primary book of religious instruction for Muslims all over the world. In addition to the Quran, there exist other books of both historical and spiritual significance to members of the Islamic community. The main religion for members of the Jewish community is Judaism. Judaism draws from the writings of the first portion of the Bible, the Old Testament.
The main book of religious instruction is the Torah. It is a book of laws and moral conduct. It should be stated at the onset that a belief in life after death is not very essential to Judaism. The Torah seems to focus entirely on man to man relations on earth. Since little attention is afforded to the afterlife, it is important that we understand Judaism in light of human relations and not life after death. All these books have points of convergence in their elucidation of religious dogma and instruction.
The Quran and the Old Testament share teachings on morality and salvation. They also differ in some aspects.  The brief of this essay is to interrogate and expose the moral instructions in the two religious books as well as determine how the two contrast in their teachings. Salvation and morality have occupied a central place in the mind of the believer.  Almost every religious ensemble has its notions of morality and salvation. It is important to remember that the two religions have different characters and mythologies surrounding the sources of the moral teachings. The road to salvation is also a journey for most believers professing the two religions. There are steps that one must undergo or complete to achieve a life of moral purity and safeguard their place in the afterlife. This is what is commonly referred to as salvation. One is absolved of sins and invited to receive the rewards of their loyalty.
Moral Instructions in both the Islam and Judaism
In Islam, the starting point is Muhammad’s message to Muslims regarding the nature of their relationship with Allah. According to the Quran, rewards and punishments are allotted to each and everyone according to how they lived their lives on earth. According to the Quran, Allah will not discriminate against anyone who appears before Him. Accordingly, the Quranic principles of Maruf and Munkar are supposed to guide every Muslim in his relationship with humankind. Maruf means “good” while Munkar stands for “bad”. According to the teachings of Muhammad, people from all walks of life are expected to abide by the ethical principles that provide the moral code of conduct (Khuluq). In verse 68: 4, the Quran teaches that human beings are expected to exhibit exemplary character while dealing with other people and all living creatures on earth.
The ethical code of the Quran is given an exalted place in the life of the Muslim. The Quran is categorical in Verse 5:8 that all believers should practice a collective code of morality. In this regard, Islam does not advocate for a life of denial to achieve salvation from Allah. Instead, the person is expected to lead a righteous life. The Quran has a term for collective good: Ist Ehsan. Muslims are supposed to observe the principle of moral goodness as a community.
It must also be remembered that Islam places a high premium on doing good to others than all else. Material wealth or worldly successes are not as highly placed as the commission of good deeds and the omission of evil deeds. In verse 33: 35 of the Quran, what constitutes righteous conduct is explained in detail. According to the verse, an individual is supposed to lead a modest life. The person is also required to obey, fast, give alms and tell the truth at all times. The Judaic teachings also place a high premium on good and bad. According to the Torah, people can distinguish between good and evil and thus act accordingly.
Morality in Judaism remains very relative. What is moral is affected by time and circumstances. In Genesis, for instance, God creates the world where all man had to do was to avoid eating the forbidden fruit. When man eats the fruit, he breaks the moral code and is thus punished by being excommunicated from the Garden of Eden. God’s (and Man’s) conception of morality in the Torah continues this slippery slope of relativity when God extorts (with the Jews celebrating) mass murder with the killing of firstborn sons of the Egyptians. The killed boys were clearly non-combatants in God’s fight with the Pharaoh.
However, as history progresses, Judaism comes to abhor the killing of innocents and non-combatants. Since the author does not revise the religious books, it is true to claim that the notions of good and evil are relative to the teachings of Judaism.  Modern Judaism holds that God cannot be expected to answer to his instructions, given the fact that He is omnipotent.
In the Torah (Exodus), God provides man with the Ten Commandments that are expected to be the guiding moral code for the Israelites. The Ten Commandments prohibit murder, theft, disrespect and command mankind to worship only Yahweh. In the book of Samuel I Chapter 15:3, God is essentially telling the Israelites to commit mass murder of the Amelikites to conquer them. God seems to be sending conflicting messages to His people. In Exodus, He commands them not to kill, only for Him to expressly order the killing of all Amelikites. The moral relativity of Judaism is further exposed through this contradiction. Islamic teaching on morality has remained unchanged throughout history. The morality is not as fluid as that of Judaism.
The Rabbinical teachings hold that morality is that which God tells you to do (O’Sullivan 67). The same holds true for Islam. In Islam, Muslims are expected to do all that that Allah expects of them. According to the Torah and Quran, one attains a strong relationship with God or Allah by obeying His commands. One such command is to respect the moral code that was given to Moses on Mount Sinai or that given to Muhammad by Allah. To this extent, there is a confluence of ideology. Muslims are expected to account for all their deeds on earth to Allah. Rabbinical followers are also supposes to account for all their deeds on the Day of Judgment.
In Islam, Morality covers not just petty personal relationships such as greetings but transcends beyond international relations. Morality covers every aspect of a Muslim’s conduct.  Prophet Muhammad wrote that Allah commanded him to “speak justly, forgive and do right” with his fellow human beings and living creatures. Islam is against the corruption of the individual, for this is the foundation of sin. A corrupt individual cannot receive the blessings of Allah. The object of man’s life is to obtain Devine Pleasure from God. Islam thus sets a high standard of morality, linking it with divine expectations.  Muslims are not only expected to live virtuous lives while at the same time eradicating vice.
The Quran and Torah on Road to Salvation
To ascend to salvation in Islam, one is expected to observe a few spiritual guidelines. Some people’s fates seem pre-ordained, though. According to the Quran, a person must lead a life that is pleasing to Allah to be accepted into Paradise (the Muslim answer to Nirvana). At Puberty, an individual’s life is entered into a record of sorts, documenting all his/her (mis)deeds.  It is upon this record that the decision to admit one into Paradise is made. If a person has committed good deeds, then he/she will ascend to Paradise (also known as firdaws, Janna or simply as “The Garden”). The allusion to the Garden seems in consonance with the Christian Garden of Eden-which was stripped Adam and Eve in the Christian and Rabbinic faiths (Quran 39:20, Genesis 2: 15). There is mention of virgin companions known as “houris” (Quran 59: 17-19).  Janna is conceived of as a place exhibiting physical pleasures. Spiritual pleasures are also to be experienced in The Garden.
The Quran also makes mention of Hell. In the Islamic faith, Jahannam (the other name for Hell), is a place of suffering where those who “fall short of the glory” of Allah will endure endless pain. Kuffars, or those who are “ungrateful”, will be condemned to Hell. One can avoid Hell by repenting one’s sins and misdeeds before death. If one dies without seeking penance, there is a high likelihood of being condemned to Jahannam. To achieve salvation, a person needs both faith and good works (deeds) (Quran 2: 177).
In Judaism, people have the ability to commit good deeds because of man’s free will. The Torah teaches that sin can be controlled and dominated (Genesis 4: 7). Since Judaism dissociates itself from the doctrine known in theology as “Original Sin”, an adherent of the faith does not need salvation. They choose instead to focus on the individual observance of the laws given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Hillel the Elder, a Jewish Sage condenses the Judaic message thus: do not do unto others that which is repulsive to you. According to Judaism, Redemption, which is their closest idea to salvation, depends on the individual circumstances of the believer.
Salvation, as understood in Jewish religious mythology, relates to the future of Israel as “God’s Chosen People.” Personal salvation before the birth of Jesus in Israel was closely tied to the salvation of the nation of Israel from Exile (Berger 89). Salvation was from a political dominion, not a spiritual one. Indeed, historians associate the disappointment with the Messiah, which culminated in the crucifixion of Jesus, stemmed from the fact that the people of Israel wanted a political Messiah, not a spiritual one. These anecdotes provide us a glance into the Torah’s exposition of Redemption.  It is also an explanation for the collective punishment meted out on Israelites whenever they dishonored their pact with God.
  Final salvation would reunite the souls of dead Israelites with their bodies in a redeemed nation of Israel. Thus, the salvation of the individual is closely connected to the salvation of the entire nation of Israel. The Rabbinic faith denies the Christian insistence that for one to obtain salvation, he/she must approach God through Jesus. They hold that man was never estranged from Yahweh, thus negating the need for seeking salvation through Jesus, whom the Christians believe came to die for their sins to be redeemed.
Citing the case of King David, who was considered righteous by God despite committing a grave sin, the Judaic religion makes the case that sin does not separate one from God(1 Kings 15). The Islamic and Hebrew teachings on salvation differ significantly and sharply. For instance, whereas the Quran teaches that salvation can only be achieved through action and faith. According to the law given to Muslims, they are supposed to observe high standards of purity and obedience to obtain admittance into Paradise. According to a Judaism believer interviewed for this essay, salvation is not a crucial tenet of their faith. In her words, “we do not believe that we are born with Original Sin…the Torah teaches that we have the ability to dominate evil and that we are not spate from God, even when we do wrong. Upon repentance, one’s relationship with God is made even stronger.  We believe in obeying the laws given to Moses by Yahweh to maintain the relationship between us and Yahweh.”
While still on the subject of salvation, a Muslim interviewed for this interview had this to say: “As a Muslim, I take the invocations of Allah through Prophet Muhammad to lead a pure life so as to be looked upon favorably during Judgment Day. I pray five times a day, fast during the Ramadan, have made a pilgrimage to Mecca and gives alms to those in need of help. I believe doing good deeds and remaining steadfast in my faith…will improve my chances of going to Paradise.”
The sharpest point of divergence between Judaism and Islam is in the belief of the afterlife. Whereas Muslims believe that they will die and be judged by Allah, either being sent to Hell or Paradise, Judaism propounds that their idea of salvation is political and intertwined with the fate of the nation of Israel.  The sharp contrast between the two religions has made it difficult for interested parties to convert religions.
Conclusion
The teachings of the Quran and the Torah seem to intertwine at some points and diverge at others. The ideas about living a moral life are present in both religious books. The Torah places a lot of premium on the individual leading a life of good deeds and avoiding evil. The Quran puts a higher standard on the person preventing wrongful acts that are discouraged on the Quran (Ali 34-37). Accordingly, one should lead a life of modesty, repentance and doing good works to secure a place in Paradise.
The Rabbinic faith is less stressful on the afterlife, choosing to link individual redemption to that of the nation of Israel. In the Islamic religion, man will be judged based on a record kept since puberty. Some people’s fate can be pre-ordained. Judaism denies the idea of the Original Sin. Judaism believes that man is born without sin. Thus, all a person needs is to abide by the laws of Moses and do good deeds. This seems the biggest difference between the two Abrahamic religions.
















Works Cited
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. "The Holy Qur’an: Text, Translation, and Commentary, Sh." 2006. Print.
Berger, David. "Reflections on Conversion and Proselytizing in Judaism and Christianity." Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations 3.1 2011. Print.
O'Sullivan, Declan Patrick. "Inter-Faith Dialogue on How the Three Abrahamic Religions Perceive, Understand and Accept Each Other." Stamford Journal-Discontinued May 2014. Replaced by the ASEAN Journal of Management & Innovation. 5.1 2013. Print.