Open your mind for a moment and try to rid yourself of any prejudices that you might have attached to the words "Christian" and "Muslim". Even if you feel that you have those prejudices for good reason, cast them aside briefly and focus only on people. No labels, just people living in various parts of the world.
Now try and imagine the time just before the coming of Christ. There was no symbol of the cross. There were no images of Him. None of His words had ever been heard. The name Jesus (or Yeshua) didn't mean anything to a single soul on the planet yet. There were just some people in turmoil who had some vague prophecies of the coming of a Messiah but nobody knew exactly what to expect of them even if they thought they did.
Suddenly, out of nowhere and in an environment with no accurate expectations, a Man arose from the rest and made the most stupefying claim that He was sent by God, the Creator of the universe, to save the people. Something about this Person made the most incredible impression upon some of those people who then went on to spread that impression upon the people of the world.
Now think of the time just before the arrival Muhammad. Nobody had ever heard of Islam or the Qur'an. Mecca and Medina were just two cities on the map. Saying "Allah Akbar" would have gotten you strange looks. There were just some people living in the desert and in this case dealing with some especially savage turmoil.
Suddenly, out of nowhere and in a savage environment with no expectations, a Man arose from the rest and made the most stupefying claim that He was in direct contact with God and was sent with a Message to lead the people out of the darkness they were in. Something about this Person and the Message made the most incredible impression upon some of those people who then spread that impression upon the people of the world.
The important thing here is to wonder what it was that caused these people to be so moved by what they experienced that they saw through every man-made obstacle had no problem in defying what was expected by the status quo. Was it not the same thing? Is a force this strong not worthy of respect by all people? It would be hard to argue against the fact that the element that produces the conviction of belief in the heart of a person who embraces Islam is the very same element which produces it in the heart of a person who embraces Christianity. Why then would either of them reject one and not the other?
Now try and imagine the time just before the coming of Christ. There was no symbol of the cross. There were no images of Him. None of His words had ever been heard. The name Jesus (or Yeshua) didn't mean anything to a single soul on the planet yet. There were just some people in turmoil who had some vague prophecies of the coming of a Messiah but nobody knew exactly what to expect of them even if they thought they did.
Suddenly, out of nowhere and in an environment with no accurate expectations, a Man arose from the rest and made the most stupefying claim that He was sent by God, the Creator of the universe, to save the people. Something about this Person made the most incredible impression upon some of those people who then went on to spread that impression upon the people of the world.
Now think of the time just before the arrival Muhammad. Nobody had ever heard of Islam or the Qur'an. Mecca and Medina were just two cities on the map. Saying "Allah Akbar" would have gotten you strange looks. There were just some people living in the desert and in this case dealing with some especially savage turmoil.
Suddenly, out of nowhere and in a savage environment with no expectations, a Man arose from the rest and made the most stupefying claim that He was in direct contact with God and was sent with a Message to lead the people out of the darkness they were in. Something about this Person and the Message made the most incredible impression upon some of those people who then spread that impression upon the people of the world.
The important thing here is to wonder what it was that caused these people to be so moved by what they experienced that they saw through every man-made obstacle had no problem in defying what was expected by the status quo. Was it not the same thing? Is a force this strong not worthy of respect by all people? It would be hard to argue against the fact that the element that produces the conviction of belief in the heart of a person who embraces Islam is the very same element which produces it in the heart of a person who embraces Christianity. Why then would either of them reject one and not the other?
are at the disposal of Allah and the Messenger: So fear Allah, and keep straight the relations between yourselves: 
