Promoted post: Beauty in Nature as a Path to God: An Islamic Perspective

Common Ground in Faith and Values

Peace be with you, dear friends. As Protestants and Muslims, we share a deep belief in one loving God who created us and guides us. In the Bible, Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31). Similarly, the Qur’an calls people of faith to come together on what is common: “People of the Book, let us arrive at a statement that is common to us all: we worship God alone… and none of us takes others beside God as lords”​ archive.org. In both our traditions, loving God leads to loving others. We cherish compassion, honesty, charity, and justice as core moral values. Whether it’s the Bible’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) or the Qur’an’s command to “stand up firmly for justice… even against yourselves” (Qur’an 4:135), our scriptures urge us to uphold goodness and integrity. These shared values of worship and moral living form a natural bridge between us. Let us celebrate the faith we have in common – a faith that inspires us to be kind, to forgive, to care for the poor and vulnerable, and to seek a life pleasing to God.

Scripture and Faith: A Shared Love of God’s Word

You as Protestants uphold sola scriptura, the principle that Scripture alone is the highest authority for truth. We admire your devotion to the Bible as God’s Word. Muslims, too, are “People of a Book” – we hold the Qur’an as the final revelation from the same God of Abraham. The Qur’an itself honors the Gospel and the Torah, saying that this final Scripture was sent “with the truth, confirming the Scriptures that came before it, and with final authority over them”​archive.org. In fact, the Qur’an encourages Christians to be faithful to the Gospel (Qur’an 5:47) and emphasizes that all God’s revelations are meant to guide us toward Him. In this, we see a kinship with you: we all turn to God’s revealed Word for guidance.

We also know you treasure the doctrine of justification by faith alone – that our salvation is a gift of God’s grace received through faith, not earned by works. In Islam, we have a similar understanding that no one can “boast” of their deeds to attain Heaven; ultimately it is God’s mercy and our sincere faith in Him that save us. The Qur’an teaches that “All grace is in God’s hands… He singles out for His mercy whoever He will” ​archive.org​archive.org, and a saying of Prophet Muhammad echoes that even one’s good deeds alone would not enter them into Paradise without God’s grace. Like you, we believe faith is living and central – it must reside sincerely in the heart. The Qur’an often pairs “those who believe and do good deeds,” showing that righteous actions flow from genuine faith, much as the Bible says “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:17). Both our traditions unite faith and morality: trusting completely in God’s promise inspires us to obey Him out of love, not to earn salvation but to express our gratitude. In this way, we affirm together that faith in God is the foundation – a faith nurtured by God’s Word, and fruitful in love and good works by God’s grace.

A Personal Relationship with God

We greatly respect your emphasis on having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Islam likewise teaches that God is very near to each of us, accessible at any moment. In the Qur’an, God speaks to Prophet Muhammad, saying: “If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided.” ​archive.org This is a beautiful assurance that God hears every sincere prayer. Just as you pour out your heart to God in prayer and experience His presence in your daily life, Muslims also strive to remember God constantly (through personal prayers, called duʿā’ and dhikr) and to feel His guidance within. We have no formal priesthood in Islam – no person stands between an individual and the Lord. In fact, Islam upholds a principle akin to the “priesthood of all believers.” Any Muslim can lead prayer, and each of us is responsible for our own relationship with God. We confess our sins and ask forgiveness directly to God, just as you do, trusting in His mercy. The Qur’an warns against elevating religious leaders to near-divine status; instead it reminds us that “none of us takes others beside God as lords”​ archive.org. We see this as very much in harmony with the Protestant instinct that God alone is Lord of our conscience.

In our communities, both of us cherish the freedom to read Scripture personally and speak to God directly. You often speak of “walking with the Lord” and knowing Jesus as a friend; Muslims too aspire to love God as our dearest friend (the Prophet Abraham is called “God’s friend” in Qur’an 4:125) and to feel His love in return. Indeed, the Qur’an teaches that God “loves those who turn to Him” (Qur’an 2:222) and that He is “closer to [us] than [our] jugular vein” (Qur’an 50:16) – an intimacy that invites us into constant communion with Him. In both faiths, this personal bond means we can trust God with our joys and sorrows. When you sing hymns like “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” we smile in understanding, for we too rely on God as our intimate friend, guide, and protector. This shared belief in a direct, personal connection to the Almighty is a profound tie between us. It means we can pray together, each in our own way, knowing the One Lord hears us all.

God’s Nature and Our Moral Compass

At the heart of our faiths is God Himself – one sovereign, holy, and loving Creator. Christians and Muslims alike affirm that God is transcendent above creation, yet caring and involved in His creatures’ lives. We both believe God is Almighty and All-Knowing, yet also compassionate, desiring that we choose what is right. Throughout history, Christian and Muslim thinkers have used philosophical reasoning to understand God’s nature. We agree that there can ultimately be only one absolute Being who is the source of all existence and goodness. Just as the Bible proclaims, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the Qur’an also declares the pure oneness of God (Qur’an 112:1-4). It resonates with our reason that the universe was created intentionally, not by chance. We look at the majesty of the cosmos and see the signature of a single Intelligent Designer, a rational God who made a rational world.

God has given us not only scriptures, but also minds to reason with and consciences to discern right from wrong. In Christian thought, the concept of natural law or the law “written on our hearts” (Romans 2:14–15) suggests that everyone, even without scripture, has some innate moral compass given by God. Islam shares this idea through the concept of fitra, the natural disposition that God instills in every human soul. The Qur’an implies that all humans are born with an awareness of God and basic morality – though we might cloud it over time. Why then send prophets and books? Because we humans still need guidance and reminders. Our reason and conscience are wonderful gifts, but we can be forgetful or swayed by selfish desires. Out of love, God provided revelation to clarify His will and call us back when we stray. The Bible and the Qur’an are like divine reminders of the moral truths our hearts deep down recognize, and of higher truths about God that we could not know on our own. Both of us believe that God spoke – whether through prophets or through His own Son – to reveal His character and His expectations for us. We may express it differently, but we agree that revelation and reason work together. The Qur’an often appeals to our intellect, asking rhetorical questions and urging reflection: “Will you not use your reason?” it challenges (Qur’an 2:44). Similarly, God says in Isaiah, “Come now, let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18). Using our God-given minds to understand our faith is not only okay; it’s encouraged.

Because of this, a Protestant Christian and a Muslim can sit together, open their scriptures, and discuss thoughtfully – trusting that truth stands up to examination. We both believe God is Truth (John 14:6, Qur’an 22:6) and that He gave us the capacity to seek truth. Our moral conscience, when attuned to God, converges remarkably. For example, we both value honesty, fidelity, generosity, and self-control; we both recoil from murder, theft, abuse, and pride. It is heartening to realize that these moral convictions are not mere human customs – they reflect the character of our one God. When we follow our conscience, we are in a sense following God’s whisper within us. As C.S. Lewis (a Christian thinker much loved by Protestants) wrote, our universal moral law is like a clue to the meaning of the universe, pointing to a Divine Lawgiver. The Qur’an agrees, saying that even before scripture, God “taught man what he did not know” and endowed us with hearing, sight, and hearts so that we might give thanks (Qur’an 96:5, 16:78). In short, both faith and philosophy lead us to admire the nature of God: His oneness, His wisdom, and the way He planted moral truth in our souls.

The Signs of God in Creation

In our modern age of science, both Christians and Muslims find our faith enriched by the wonders of creation. We invite you to reflect on the marvels of the natural world as signs pointing to God. The Bible opens with “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), and it teaches that “since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities… have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). The Qur’an likewise urges people to look outward at nature and upward at the stars. It repeatedly says that in the creation of the heavens and earth, and in the order of night and day, “there are signs for those who use their reason” (Qur’an 3:190–191, 30:21–22). When we gaze at a distant galaxy or examine a leaf under a microscope, we are, in a way, studying God’s artwork. The laws of physics that you, as Protestants, might credit to a faithful Creator who sustains the universe, are the same laws that Muslims see as part of Allah’s design (Allah is simply the Arabic word for God). We both stand in awe of a cosmos so finely tuned to permit life. Many Christian scientists historically – from Isaac Newton to James Clerk Maxwell – were devout believers who saw their discoveries as uncovering God’s handiwork. In medieval Islam, scholars of astronomy, medicine, and mathematics were often inspired by the Qur’an’s encouragement to observe and reflect on creation.

Our scriptures even intersect with scientific wonder. The Qur’an, for example, describes how God “made every living thing from water” (Qur’an 21:30) and spread out the earth, and how the birds stay aloft “by nothing but His grace” (Qur’an 16:79). Such verses echo the amazement we feel when learning, for instance, that the human body is 60% water, or when watching a bird ride the wind. These are not “proofs” in the modern sense, but invitations to ponder. Natural laws (gravity, electromagnetism, etc.) reflect a rational order; in our view, that order comes from the mind of God. When you study the beauty of a sunset or the complexity of DNA, we Muslims believe you are appreciating signs (āyāt) of the same God we worship. Both of us reject the idea that science and faith must conflict. On the contrary, scientific discovery can deepen faith. King David sang, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1), and the Qur’an agrees, stating that “on the earth are signs for those of sure faith – and in yourselves too; do you not see?” (Qur’an 51:20–21). Together, let us marvel at creation and protect it as stewards, seeing nature as a common sacred trust God gave humanity. By studying and honoring the natural world, we follow both the biblical and Qur’anic mandate to recognize God’s wisdom in everything around us. Our shared awe at the universe can bring us closer together in worship of its Maker.

God’s Sovereignty, Grace, and Judgment

Another profound area of commonality is our understanding of God’s character and His ultimate authority. Both Protestants and Muslims proclaim that God is sovereign – He is the King of the universe, all-powerful and all-knowing, in control of history and our lives. “God is King” (Psalm 47:7) could just as well be a verse from the Qur’an, which frequently calls Him Al-Malik (The King). We both find comfort in knowing that nothing happens except by God’s will or permission. This sovereignty also means that we owe our allegiance and submission to God above all. The very word Islam means “submission to God,” an idea your own tradition echoes in the call to submit to God’s righteousness (James 4:7). We jointly affirm that God’s plan ultimately prevails – human powers and problems are secondary to His decree. This gives us hope and courage, for if God is for us, who can be against us?

Hand in hand with God’s power is His grace and mercy. Protestants famously cherish grace – “By grace you have been saved, through faith…it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Muslims wholeheartedly agree that God’s favor is an unearned gift. Every chapter of the Qur’an (except one) begins by invoking God’s mercy: “In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy.” The Prophet Muhammad taught that God’s mercy exceeds His wrath, and the Qur’an reassures even the despairing sinner: “Do not despair of God’s mercy. God forgives all sins – He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.” (Qur’an 39:53). In your own walk with God, you know the relief and gratitude of experiencing His forgiveness through Christ; we know that feeling too, when we repent and God wipes our slate clean. Grace means that God is always ready to receive a contrite person. As Muslims, we don’t believe in the cross as atonement, but we do believe in a God who forgave Adam and Eve when they erred, who showed mercy to David after his sin, and who continues to forgive us today not because we are good, but because He is Good. In truth, we both depend entirely on God’s compassion. This humility is central to both our faiths: we are saved by God’s kindess, not our merit.

Yet, alongside mercy, we both uphold God’s perfect justice and holiness. We agree that God does not take sin lightly. You believe, as we do, that there will be a Day of Judgment when each person stands before God’s throne. The New Testament says “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10), and the Qur’an vividly describes the Last Day when “God will judge between them regarding their differences” (Qur’an 22:17). On that Day, wealth, status, and ancestry won’t matter – only the truth of one’s faith and the record of one’s life. This shared belief calls us to repentance and moral striving. It’s why we both preach against complacency in sin. Paul asks, “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1-2), and the Qur’an similarly cautions believers not to abuse God’s forgiveness or “exceed the limits” of His law (Qur’an 2:229). Out of love, God corrects His children. We may differ on the mechanism of atonement, but we both know that God’s grace is not cheap – it transforms us and calls us to holiness. We stand in awe of God’s balance of justice and mercy. As the Psalms say, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You” (Psalm 89:14). In the Qur’an we find a similar expression: God is “strict in punishment, yet Full of Mercy” (Qur’an 5:98).

How does this translate into our lives together? It means we both value repentance, forgiveness, and moral renewal. A Protestant might speak of being “born again” by God’s grace; a Muslim speaks of turning back to God in tawba (repentance) and having one’s sins forgiven as if newborn. In both cases, the result is a person eager to do good and to warn others of judgment while also offering the hope of mercy. God’s sovereignty assures us that evil will not triumph; God’s justice assures us that wrongdoing will be set right; God’s mercy assures us that the truly penitent will not be cast away. We can take each other’s hands and agree: “Our God is a God of love and holiness, of grace and truth.” He is not one or the other – He is both, in perfect harmony. This profound common faith can encourage us to trust each other and work together, knowing we are under the care of the same gracious Lord.

Moving Forward in Friendship and Dialogue

Dear friends, considering all these common threads, we hope you feel – as we do – that we are not strangers, but fellow seekers of God. The Qur’an addresses Christians (and Jews) respectfully as “People of the Book,” recognizing the special bond between us through the scriptures and prophets we share. It even says that among Christians are devout people marked by humility and kindness: “you are sure to find that the closest in affection towards the believers are those who say, ‘We are Christians,’ for there are among them people devoted to learning and ascetics. These people are not given to arrogance.”​archive.org. We see this in you – a devotion to God, a love for Scripture, and a humble desire to live by His will. This Qur’anic verse reassures us that God intended Muslims and Christians to be close allies, with mutual love and respect. In that spirit, we reach out to you in friendship. We are eager to learn about your experiences with God, the insights you draw from the Bible, and the way you live out the teachings of Jesus. In turn, we invite you to discover what the Qur’an actually says – perhaps you will find echoes of your own faith and also some new perspectives that enrich your understanding of God.

Let us have deeper dialogue about our differences, too, in a frank but loving way. We won’t hide that Muslims and Protestants have real disagreements – about Jesus’s role, about the path to salvation, and more. But we propose discussing these differences as family, not as enemies. The Qur’an encourages us to debate in “the kindest way” (Qur’an 16:125) and to say to one another: “Our God and your God are one and the same; we are devoted to Him.”​ archive.org Even when we cannot fully agree, we can still affirm that we worship the same Almighty God and seek to do His will. We can pray side by side for guidance, trusting God to lead us into all truth in His good time. After all, the Qur’an says that ultimately “you will all return to God and He will make clear to you the matters you differed about.” ​archive.org Until that Day, it is our duty to keep learning and speaking to each other with honesty and kindness.

Most importantly, we can cooperate right now in living out the values of the faith we share. The world around us is in desperate need of the light of God. Together, as believers, we can be “salt and light” (Matthew 5:13-16) in our communities – feeding the hungry, comforting the hurting, standing up for moral truth in an age of confusion. Imagine churches and mosques coming together to tackle homelessness in our city, or to defend the sanctity of life and the dignity of the family. We might not agree on every doctrine, but we surely agree that loving our neighbor and caring for those in need is our sacred responsibility. By working side by side, we live out Jesus’s teaching “By their fruit you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16) and the Qur’an’s teaching that “Whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it [with God]” (Qur’an 99:7). In doing good together, we also build trust and dispel misconceptions. How powerful our witness could be if a Protestant and a Muslim, in mutual respect, exemplify the peace and love of God’s Kingdom together.

In closing, we extend our hand to you in friendship and faith. We invite you to ask questions about Islam, to read a bit of the Qur’an (perhaps starting with the chapters about Mary and Jesus, or the beautiful prayers of guidance it contains), and to share with us your insights from the Bible. Let’s promise to support one another in prayer – you pray for us and we’ll pray for you – asking God to bless and guide us all. We believe this kind of sincere, open-hearted engagement is pleasing to God. It doesn’t mean anyone is abandoning their convictions; rather, it means we are secure enough in God’s love to reach across old divides.

Thank you for listening to this invitation. We truly see you as our brothers and sisters under the one God. May we continue to deepen our understanding and friendship. As the Qur’an says, “Say, ‘People of the Book, let us come to a common word between us…’” ​archive.org – let that common word be love of God and love of goodness. We pray that God Almighty (whom we call Allah) blesses you and your families with health, joy, and ever-increasing faith. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you” (Romans 16:20) and “the peace and mercy of God be with you” (Qur’an 2:285) – amen.

With sincere respect and salaam (peace),

Your Muslim Friend