Who Should I Trust, Paul or Muhammad?
Both Jesus Christ and Paul the Apostle lived in the 1st century AD.
They lived in the same historical period and within the same cultural and religious environment.
Muhammad lived in the 7th century, about six hundred years after Jesus.
Jesus was a Jew.
Paul was also a Jew, from the tribe of Benjamin.
Muhammad was an Arab from Arabia.
Jesus spoke Aramaic and Greek, the common languages of the Jews at that time.
Paul spoke Aramaic and Greek, the languages widely used in the region during the first century.
Muhammad spoke Arabic, which was not the language of Jesus or the early Jewish disciples.
When we compare teachings, Paul’s message aligns with the teachings of Jesus and Jesus’ disciples. Paul preached the same Christ that the apostles preached.
Muhammad’s teachings introduced ideas that contradict what Jesus and His disciples taught, as well as a new god and a new religion.
When we look at their lifestyles, we see differences as well.
Jesus did not marry and did not own slaves.
Paul also did not marry and did not own slaves.
Muhammad had multiple wives, including a child of six years old, and owned slaves.
Jesus never kept slave women for sexual purposes.
Paul also did not.
Muhammad, according to Islamic historical sources, kept slave women for sexual purposes and allowed his companions to have sex with female slaves.
Jesus did not pursue political power, fame, or wealth.
Paul also did not seek power, fame, or riches.
Muhammad eventually became a political and military leader and pursued wealth.
Jesus never killed anyone who rejected Him or mocked Him.
Paul also did not harm those who opposed him.
Muhammad fought wars and, according to historical Islamic sources, some people who openly mocked him were executed on his orders.
Paul, after his conversion, did not kill anyone. Instead, he suffered persecution for the message he preached.
Paul was beaten, imprisoned, and persecuted for preaching the gospel of Christ. In the end, he was executed for his faith.
Muhammad, on the other hand, became the leader of a growing political and religious movement, fought many wars, and killed many people.
Paul died as a martyr for the message of Christ.
So the question remains:
If one man lived in the same century as Jesus, preached the same message as Jesus’ disciples, suffered for that message, and died for it…
And another man came six centuries later with a different message…
Who should I trust more?