Introduction What is the universal spirit of Islam? References to Multiple Religions Ancient Messengers from God The Abrahamic Tradition Judaism Christianity People of the Book Universal Truths from the Koran

slide 2 of 9 What is the universal spirit of Islam? "O ye messengers...verily this your religion (community) is one religion (community) and I am your Lord, so keep your duty unto Me." —Koran 23:52 "Islam presents many different faces to the West. It is well beyond our scope to examine the wide spectrum of beliefs that fit under the over-arching umbrella of Islam, including what is often termed traditional Islam, or fundamentalist Islam, or terrorist Islam. This book collects passages that demonstrate how the earliest and incontestable sources of Islamic scripture view other religions, thus providing an unbiased picture before centuries of political conflicts and theological embellishments confused the issue. These quotations allow Muslims and non-Muslims to set aside all preconceptions and examine what authentic Islam actually says about Christianity and Judaism, indeed all other religions. "Any Muslim who believes that Islam is the best religion for everyone in the world—or that other religions are inherently inferior to Islam—needs to ponder the weight of this irrefutable authority. These teachings also allow non-Muslims to realize that their fundamental religious beliefs are not in opposition with Islam, but rather share the same universal truths." —Judith and Michael Fitzgerald