Matthew 4:8-10; Genesis 1:1-2, 6; John 1:1-4, 6; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 John 5:7; Ephesians 4:6
L. John Bost
September 13, 2026
Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? It is believed by many that Christians worship God, or, as He is referred to in the Old Testament, Jehovah, whereas Muslims worship Allah. Whether they are the same or different God's will become apparent as we continue. But, actually, as Dave Miller writes, "'Allah' is simply the Arabic word for God, like its equivalent Old Testament Hebrew term Elohim, a general term for deity that was used by the Jews to refer both to the one true God [Known as Jehovah in the Old Testament, and God in both Testaments], as well as to the false deities of their pagan neighbors" (The Quran and the Trinity[1]). So it is necessary for us to look further than mere terminology to answer the question under consideration.
Our approach shall be to compare Allah, the deity worshipped by Muslims, with the God of the Bible, the deity worshipped by both Jews and Christians. The primary sources used will be the Quran and the Bible.
Angels Commanded To Worship Created Man
Allah, The Deity Of The Muslims
Both the Bible and the Quran agree that man was created by God (Surah 15:26-28;). After the creation, the angels, according to the Quran (Surah 15:28-39, were commanded by Allah, "And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration." (Surah 15:29). The angels obeyed and "prostrated" themselves (Surah 15:30. Interestingly, the only angel who refused to worship man was Iblees (Or Iblis - Satan). He was cursed for his failure to do so (Surah 15:32-34).
The God of Christianity, the God of the Bible
The God of the Bible never told the angels, or anyone else, to worship men. In fact, worshipping of men is forbidden. In Acts110:25-26, when Peter and Cornelius met, Cornelius fell down at Peter's feet and worshipped him. Luke tells us, " But Peter raised him up, saying, 'Stand up; I too am just a man.'" (Acts 10:26; See also Acts 14:8-15). In Revelation 19:10, John fell down to worship at the feet of the angel that spoke to him. The angel responded, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God." (Revelation 19:10; See also Revelation 22:8-9).
In Matthew 4:8-10, Satan promised Jesus he would give Him all the kingdoms of the world if he would fall down and worship him. Jesus did not respond that it would be wrong for Him to worship Satan specifically; rather, he said, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’ (Matthew 4:10). Jesus said worship was for God alone!
Rather than commanding the angels to worship man, God created man lower than the angels. In Hebrews 3:6-9, Paul quotes Psalm 8:4-5, “What is man, that You remember him? Or the son of man, that You are concerned about him? 7You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor," Note that angels were not below man so that it would be appropriate to worship him. But, on the other hand, man was made a little lower than the angels so that it was not appropriate for him to worship them either (Revelation 19:10; See also Revelation 22:8-9).
The Trinity
Allah
Allah clearly rejects the idea that there is a trinity. He specifically denies that Jesus is God. He says in Surah 4:171:
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.
Allah declares in Surah 5:72-73:
They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.
These verses do refer to Jesus as "Messiah" (Christ). But they deny that He was God's son, or the second member of the Godhead or Trinity (See also Surah 25:2; 19:91-92).
The Quran does not consider the Holy Spirit to be a member of a trinity with God, but the same as the angel Gabriel. According to Surah 2:97, Say, "Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel - it is [none but] he who has brought the Qur'an down upon your heart, [O Muhammad], by permission of Allah , confirming that which was before it and as guidance and good tidings for the believers." So, the Quran (holy writ) was "brought down" by Gabriel. But Surah 16:102 says, "Say, [O Muhammad], 'The Pure Spirit has brought it down from your Lord in truth to make firm those who believe and as guidance and good tidings to the Muslims.'" So Allah refers to the angel Gabriel as the "Holy Spirit."
In Summary, Allah, according to the Quran, does not consider Jesus or the Holy Spirit to be divine members of a Trinity. Jesus, according to the Quran, was the son of Mary, but not of God. The Holy Spirit was no more than the angel Gabriel.
God
The Old Testament begins with the words, "In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). The latter part of the next verse reads, "…the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters" (Genesis 1:2). According to Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness..." Notice the plural pronoun, our. Who was the second divine person involved in the creation of man? Remember Genesis 1:2 mentions the "spirit of God." So, God was assisted in the creation by the Spirit of God.
Please read John 1:1-3. Here John affirms (1) the "Word" was present from the beginning and was God. (2)All things were made by the Word. According to John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." So John affirms that the only begotten of the Father, God's Son (See John 3:14-17; Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:13-16; 1 John 4:10) is God (See 1 Corinthians 8:5-6).
When Jesus gave the Great Commission (Math. 28:18-20) He told the Apostles, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. " (Matthew 28:19). So Jesus put the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit on an equal plane of authority! Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." John writes in 1 John 5:7-8. Note that these inspired writers put the three- God, Jesus (the Son), and the Holy Spirit- in a Trinity (3), or Godhead. The Bible does not present the three as three separate deities; rather, it puts them on an equality. They are three yet one (1 John 5:7) - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They agree as one. They have the same power. They have the same authority. As Dave Miller puts it, "However, the Bible also clearly depicts God as a triune Being - three distinct persons within the one essence - with a triune nature" (Quran and Trinity[2]).
Conclusion
Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God. As Dave Miller writes:
Allah says and does things that the God of the Bible did not and would not say or do. The Quran's representation of the sovereignty of God (like Calvinism) contradicts the character of God by attributing actions to Him that are unlike deity...The Quranic depiction of God ordering Iblis/Satan to worship Adam is a serious breach of divine propriety and a further indication of the Quran's conflict with the Bible[3] (Allah vs. God).
Allah's denial of a Trinity, or Godhead, consisting of three divine beings which are one with God, also puts him in conflict with the God whom Christians worship and serve. Paul writes, "There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (Eph. 4:6; See also Deuteronomy 4:35). He is the God who created all things (Genesis 1:1), sent His Son to give man a means of escape from the consequences of sin by dying to take away our sins (1 John 3:5), and gave us the words whereby we might be saved (John 6:13; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Further Reading
Allah vs. The God Of The Bible.
The Quran and the Trinity.
The One Real God.
APRIL 2015 BIBLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.