The Word of God

The Bridge Between Him, You and Us

Abstract

The common word means not only the acceptance of Divine Unity but also attachment to the One with our whole being and therefore including love of the One and moreover the love of His creation or the neighbor for the neighbor comes from the One and returns to It. Consequently, one can say that not only Divine Unity is a common word between us and you but that there is also a single kalimah or Logos in its principal reality in which we believe jointly except that for you the Word is identified with Christ and for us with the Qur‘an. It would bring us closer to each other if we realize that we are bound together not only by the doctrine of the One but also by the "doctrine of the Word". Needless to say different understandings of kalimah or logos have existed also within each tradition as we see in the formulation of different types of Christology and also different understandings of the meaning of the Qur‘an as Word of God. In this context of similarities and contrasts we each follow the teachings of a religion that claims to have a universal message for the whole of humanity. For the purpose of our present discourse in the same way that it is not necessary to enter into contentious theological discussions about the nature of God. To live fully as a Muslim or Christian does not require anything less of us than loving the neighbor, whether he or she be Muslim or Christian, and to ask not "is he or she one of us," but "is he or she one of His."