Is Allah the Same God Christians and Jews Worship?

From the Islamic point of view, yes: Allah is the same God that Jews and Christians worship, the one Creator who spoke to Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The Quran tells Muslims to say to Jews and Christians, "our God and your God is one" (29:46). The three faiths differ, sometimes deeply, in how they understand that God, especially regarding the Trinity and Jesus.

Christians and Jews answer the question in more than one way, and the debate is long and sincere. This guide sets out the Islamic position, the shared ground, the real differences, and what major Christian traditions say, without pushing readers toward a conclusion.

Key takeaways

• The Quran instructs Muslims to tell the People of the Scripture, "our God and your God is one" (Quran 29:46).
• Muslims are commanded to believe in what was given to Abraham, Moses and Jesus without distinction between the prophets (Quran 2:136).
• The Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra Aetate (1965) states that Muslims "adore the one God," and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (841) repeats this.
• Some evangelical Christians reject the claim, as the 2015 controversy at Wheaton College in Illinois showed.
• The main point of difference is the Trinity: the Quran says "do not say, 'Three'" and affirms that "Allah is but one God" (Quran 4:171).
• "Allah" is the Arabic word for God, used by Arab Christians in their Bibles and prayers.

Is Allah the same God? The Islamic answer

Islam does not present itself as a new religion with a new god. The Quran describes its message as the same call to worship one God that every earlier prophet brought, and it addresses Jews and Christians as People of the Scripture (Ahl al-Kitab), communities who received earlier revelation.

The clearest statement comes in a verse about how Muslims should speak with them:

And do not argue with the People of the Scripture except in a way that is best, except for those who commit injustice among them, and say, "We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you. And our God and your God is one; and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."

— Quran 29:46

The verse does two things at once. It affirms that the God worshipped by Jews and Christians is the God of Islam, and it asks Muslims to discuss differences with courtesy. A second verse lists the prophets whose revelation Muslims accept:

Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allah and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."

— Quran 2:136

So for a Muslim, the question "is Allah the same God?" is settled at the level of who God is. The disagreement is about what God has revealed of Himself and how He should be worshipped.

Why do Muslims call God Allah?

Muslims call God "Allah" because it is the Arabic word for God, and the Quran was revealed in Arabic. It is not a special name reserved for Islam. Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews use the same word, and Arabic Bibles, such as the widely used Van Dyck translation, use it from the first verse of Genesis.

Muslims who do not speak Arabic often keep the word "Allah" anyway, partly from love for the language of the Quran and partly because it has no plural or gender, which suits the idea of one God. In English, "God" is a correct translation. Our article who is Allah explains the word's origin in more detail.

Allah vs God vs Yahweh: what is the difference?

These words belong to different languages and play different roles, so comparing them directly can mislead.

• God is the English word. It translates Allah in Arabic, Elohim in Hebrew and Theos in Greek.
• Allah is the Arabic word for God and, for Muslims, His proper name. It is related to the Aramaic Elah and the Hebrew Eloah.
• Yahweh is a scholarly reconstruction of the four Hebrew letters YHWH, the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible. Jewish tradition avoids pronouncing it and reads it as Adonai, "my Lord."

The Quran does not use the Hebrew name. It does, however, describe the same God who spoke to Moses: "And Allah spoke to Moses with [direct] speech" (Quran 4:164). For Muslims, Allah and the God called YHWH in the Torah are one and the same being, called by different words in different languages.

What do Muslims, Christians and Jews share?

The shared ground is wide, which is why scholars group the three as the Abrahamic religions.

• One Creator. All three affirm one God who created the universe from nothing, knows everything and will judge humanity.
• Abraham. All three honor Abraham as a model of faith. The Quran calls him "one inclining toward truth" who was "not of the polytheists" (Quran 3:67).
• Prophets and scripture. Islam accepts Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and many others as prophets, and holds that God gave the Torah to Moses and the Gospel to Jesus. See prophets in the Quran.
• Jesus. Islam honors Jesus as the Messiah, born of the Virgin Mary, a great prophet who performed miracles by God's permission. Our guide to Jesus in the Quran covers this in full.
• Moral law and the afterlife. All three teach accountability, resurrection and a final judgment.

The Quran invites the People of the Scripture to "come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him" (Quran 3:64).

Where do Islam and Christianity really differ?

Saying that the faiths address the same God does not mean they describe Him the same way. The differences are serious, and both sides acknowledge them.

The Trinity

Mainstream Christianity teaches that the one God exists eternally as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Islam rejects this and holds that God is one in every sense. The Quran addresses it directly:

O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.

— Quran 4:171

The divinity of Jesus

Christians worship Jesus as God the Son, incarnate. Muslims love and honor Jesus as a prophet but do not worship him. The Quran records Jesus as saying, "worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord" (Quran 5:72).

How God is known

Christians understand God as fully revealed in the person of Jesus. Muslims understand God as revealed through His word, sent to prophets and preserved finally in the Quran. Judaism centers on God's covenant with Israel and the Torah. These different starting points shape everything else.

What do Christians say about whether Muslims worship the same God?

Christian views fall into a few broad positions. Each is held by serious believers and scholars.

"Yes, the same God, understood differently"

The Catholic Church takes this view. The Second Vatican Council's declaration Nostra Aetate (1965) says of Muslims that "they adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself," and notes that they revere Jesus as a prophet though not as God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 841) restates this, saying Muslims profess the faith of Abraham and adore with Christians the one, merciful God.

The Protestant theologian Miroslav Volf of Yale argued a similar case in his book Allah: A Christian Response (2011): that Christians and Muslims refer to the same God even though they describe Him in partly different ways.

"No, a different God"

Many evangelical Christians answer no. Their reasoning is that because Muslims deny the Trinity and the divinity of Christ, the God they describe is not the God revealed in Jesus. In December 2015, Wheaton College, a leading evangelical school, placed political scientist Larycia Hawkins on leave after she wrote that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. The college said the statement raised questions about its doctrinal convictions, and she later left the college.

"Same referent, different description"

Some philosophers of religion separate the question in two. Do Muslims and Christians refer to the same being, the one Creator of Abraham? And do they describe Him correctly? On this view, one can say both faiths point to the same God while still holding that one description is more accurate.

What Jewish thinkers have said

Jewish tradition has generally regarded Islam as strictly monotheistic. The medieval philosopher Maimonides, who lived much of his life under Muslim rule, held that Muslims are not idol worshippers and that they affirm the unity of God properly. Jewish discussion of the question has usually been less contested than the Christian one, since both Judaism and Islam reject the Trinity.

Comparison: Islam, Christianity and Judaism on God

For a fuller side-by-side treatment of beliefs and practices, see Islam vs Christianity, and for how the two scriptures relate, Quran vs Bible.

How the Quran speaks to Jews and Christians

The Quran's tone toward the People of the Scripture mixes respect, invitation and critique. It praises the sincere among them, calls them to shared worship, and disputes particular beliefs. Our article on Christians and Jews in the Quran collects the main passages.

You can read Surah al-Ankabut 29:46, Surah Ali Imran 3:64 and Surah an-Nisa 4:171 on Quran Universe with word-by-word meaning and Tafsir Ibn Kathir, to see the verses in their context.

Frequently asked questions

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?

Islam teaches that they do: the Quran says "our God and your God is one" (29:46), and Muslims see Allah as the God of Abraham and Jesus. The Catholic Church agrees in Nostra Aetate. Many evangelical Christians disagree because Islam rejects the Trinity. Everyone agrees the two faiths describe God differently.

Why do Muslims call God Allah instead of God?

Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, and the Quran is in Arabic. Arab Christians and Jews use the same word. Many non-Arab Muslims keep it out of love for the Quran's language and because the word has no plural or gender. In English, "God" is an accurate translation and Muslims use both.

Is Allah the same as Yahweh?

Muslims believe the God who spoke to Moses, whose personal name in the Hebrew Bible is written YHWH, is Allah. The words come from different languages: Yahweh is a reconstruction of a Hebrew name, while Allah is the Arabic word for God, related to the Hebrew Eloah. Jews and Muslims both affirm God's strict oneness.

What is the difference between Allah and God?

In language there is no difference: Allah is the Arabic for God. The differences that matter are in belief. Muslims understand God as strictly one, without a Son or Trinity, known through prophets and the Quran. Christians understand God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, revealed in Jesus. The word itself is shared.

Do Jews and Muslims worship the same God?

Most Jewish and Muslim thinkers have said yes. Both religions teach strict monotheism, honor Abraham and Moses, and reject the Trinity. The medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides held that Muslims are true monotheists and not idol worshippers. Differences lie in scripture, law and the status of Muhammad as a prophet.