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The Quran teaches that Allah is closer to us than our own jugular vein (Qs 50:16). The Bible also teaches this, that Allah is close to His people. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Zabur, Psalm 139:7).
However, the two religions interpret this closeness very differently. In Islam, the closeness between Allah and His people is compared to the relationship between a master and his servant. Even though a master and his slave might live under the same roof, they are far away from each other!
But the Taurat and the Injil teach that Allah’s relationship with His People is much more than this! So how do they describe it? Let’s study these descriptions together.
Allah is a Father Who Loves His Children
Allah’s followers call Him “Abba Father.” Abba is from the Aramaic language, meaning “daddy.” In this relationship, Allah’s children can sit on His lap and talk with Him. They can share their hearts and make requests. “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15).
Allah is a Shepherd to His Lambs
The Zabur describes a Christian’s relationship with Allah as sheep and Shepherd. The prophet Dawud called Allah His Shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing” (Zabur, Psalm 23:1). Allah’s people are described as sheep because they tend to wander off and get lost. As the Good Shepherd, Allah is willing to look for them, even if it costs Him His life! When teaching a parable about this, Isa Al-Masih said, “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it” (Injil, Luke 15:4)?
Allah is a Friend to His People
Allah also calls His people “friend.” “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me” (John 15:15). The prophet Ibrahim was called a friend of Allah. “… ‘Abraham [Ibrahim] believed God, …,’ and he was called God’s friend” (James 2:23). Ibrahim was a faithful friend to Allah. He loved Him completely. He even obeyed Allah’s command to sacrifice his own son.
In the same way that Ibrahim loved Allah and was willing to sacrifice his son, Allah loved us and sacrificed Isa for us! Allah did this because He loves us. The Bible teaches, “But to all who believed him [Isa] and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God” (Injil, Apostle John 1:12). Allah wants to call you His child. But the only way He will do so is if you accept and believe in Isa Al-Masih as your Sacrifice.
Isa clearly said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Injil, John 14:6)
SOME QUESTIONS FOR THE COMMENT SECTION BELOW
We encourage our readers to comment on the article above. Please start a dialogue with us by focusing on one of the following questions:
1. How do you describe your relationship with God?
2. How do Christians describe their relationship with God?
3. Do you feel that you need to have a close relationship with God? Please give your reason.
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