From Moses to Muhammad

The Shared Origins of Judaism, Christianity and Islam (Illustrated Edition)

“From Moses to Muhammad” is the first book to compare the stories of the Bible to similar stories in the Quran, the holy scripture of Islam, showing how much the three Abrahamaic faiths have in common. For example, the book highlights the astonishing parallels between Judaism, Christianity and Islam, including the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, and Moses; and in the case of the Qur'an, the narratives about Jesus and his mother, Mary. In addition, Dr. Isbouts describes how each of these three traditions borrowed from the cultural context in which they originated. For example, he explores the story of Joseph as a typical Egyptian novella, as well as the use of Mesopotamian literary motifs in Genesis; the adoption of Greco-Roman iconography, as well as the Roman basilica form, by early Christianity; and the retention of pre-Islamic practices by early Islam, such as the circumambulation around the Ka’bah, the holy shrine in Mecca. “From Moses to Muhammad” has received numerous favorable reviews. Prof. Bruce Chilton (“Rabbi Jesus”) wrote, “With sweeping narrative and vivid analysis, Jean-Pierre Isbouts shows that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are rooted in common sources of revelation.” NYU’s Prof. Francis E. Peters (“The Children of Abraham”) calls the book “an exciting and scrupulously fair book,” and a “trustworthy guide throughout a perennial minefield.” And Rabbi David Rosen said that the book “makes a most important contribution to help overcome negative stereotypes.”