The Lord's Prayer- in Islam

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The Lord's Prayer - in Islam

Joan Booso

Central to Christian worship both personal and in congregation, across almost all denominations, is the recitation of the Lord's Prayer; also known as the 'Our Father'. It is the prayer that Jesus (upon him be peace) reportedly taught to his disciples as the foremost way in which they should address God (Great and Glorious be He) in prayer. The prayer originates from the new Testament of the Bible. It is a source of debate as to whether the specific Biblical passages concerned  relate to a complete prayer to be repeated verbatim or whether it was meant simply as a guide to worship.

Islam is a religion which started with Adam (upon him be peace) and therefore accepts all the prophets of the Jews and Christians as it's own. It also thereby accepts the previously revealed monotheistic holy Books ie the Bible, the Psalms and the Torah, but considers that they have become corrupted over time either by accident or on purpose; hence requiring the final revelation of the Glorious Qur'an. The Qur'an calls itself 'Muhaiman' - the Guardian - the guardian over previous scriptures. In keeping with all the aforementioned, therefore, when we look closely at the message conveyed by the Lord's Prayer, it can be clearly seen that is in keeping with worship of the One God-as in Islam.

There are differing variations (versions) as to the exact wording, some utilizing more archaic language with others attempting to put it into modern terminology. I learned a fairly representative version as a child, which is as follows:


Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, the Power and the Glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

One may consider this prayer line by line and see the parallels of this Christian doxology with Islamic principles.

Our Father, who art (is) in Heaven: The opening address of,' Our Father' can be viewed from two distinct perspectives; the first being a literal acceptance of the term 'father' or it can be taken as a figurative expression as referring to the fountainhead and Lord of all. Those who believe that Jesus (upon him be peace) was the literal son of God who lived as a human on earth, then the former may apply when they use the term ( it can be said that there is quite an amount of allegorical and metaphorical use in Christian writings). The latter applies to those who assign no physical attributes and are seeking to venerate God as being the ultimate, supreme, ethereal, omnipotent authority, alone without partner, equal or progeny- as in Islam. However, Islam does consider that God exists in the Heavens as well as existing throughout the created Universe and indeed beyond.

Hallowed (holy, respected, revered) be Thy name: Muslims do not take the name of God lightly in their speech or writings. They are discouraged from using the name of God to swear oaths, although this can regrettably happen, and they are encouraged to treat the holy name with the utmost  respect.

Thy (your) Kingdom come: Muslims understand that this transitory life will pass and then they will be brought before God to be judged according to their worldly behaviour. They will be sent to Paradise (heaven) if their deeds are deemed worthy of this eternal bliss, and to the Hell-fire for their sins or transgressions. In either event the existence of the Hereafter belongs to God and we are subject to His rulings on our past actions.

Thy (your) will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven: Islam teaches us that all our lives are pre-destined by God and that He has perfect knowledge of all our actions from birth to death. Man has free will to react to situations in life but everything is in accordance with God's predestined decisions. It can therefore be said that God's will is being done on earth. Man has trust in God's will because of the qualitative attributes He possesses of Omnipotence, Omniscience, Wisdom, Mercy and Justice.  In the heavens, the Angels spend all their time glorifying and praising God; by His leave they are able to question God but all their actions are again in perfect accord with God's will and they never disobey Him in any way.

Give us this day our daily bread: In Islam we are taught that our sustenance comes from God and that man must search for and earn this sustenance. There are two conditions for this provision from God, one is that it should be made available to man by God, secondly that man must search in the right manner to achieve this endowment of 'daily bread'. It is a most valid point to highlight that man's provision in life is not always outwardly fair and just from his Lord. If the world was fair then the pious would be wealthy and lead trouble-free lives and the sinful would be impoverished; but so often in life the reverse happens. The realm of all justice and fairness lies with God in the Hereafter. Muslims therefore gratefully pray to God to thank Him and to receive His blessings, but need never be concerned that what they have is either not enough or be jealous or envious of anothers' portion; because their full reward will await them in the final abode of the Hereafter.

And forgive us our trespasses (sins, wrongdoings - some say debts), as we forgive those who trespass against us: We know God to be the Most Merciful and we seek His Mercy in all our works, but conversely we should also be merciful and forgiving to others because this in turn merits Divine Mercy being showered on us. We are told to show kindness to someone who owes us a debt and cannot repay; this characteristic enables us to be suitable for God's blessings on our worldly relationships.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: The Qur'an tells us that if we are given the grace of faith then we will be tested; indeed this world is completely a trial and testing ground from start to finish. We seek refuge in God, in our most fervent prayers, from the evil that exists to tempt us into sinful behaviour. We pray for the strength of God's care and protection to bring us out of all difficulties that we encounter in this life. We should always show patience in adversity, pray for guiding help and wait for the difficulty to pass.

For thine (yours) is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, forever and ever: As Muslims we believe that this life and the one after this all belong to God. Man has identified many names and titles by which  God can be identified; demonstrating His infinite perfection, power and consummate majesty; as the glorious creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between. Among many other names  He is called the Tremendous, the Great, the All-Powerful and the Everlasting. This physical/material world in which we live is ephemeral, transient but God's divine realm is eternal and never ending.

Amen: This is the concluding statement in all Christian hymns and prayers, but is also used in Judaism and Islam. In Arabic it means 'so be it' or 'verily, truly' and it has its origins dating from the earliest Aramaic scriptures; it may even date back to the times of ancient north Africa. Saying the 'amen' brings to an end our conversation  with and veneration of our Lord.

In conclusion, one can find no incongruity in the text of this prayer with regard to Islamic teachings. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all derived from the same theological root, with certain ideological and doctrinal differences which set them apart. The Muslim seen prostrating to God in the Mosque shares so much common ground with the Christian to be found kneeling in the Church; yet outward appearances would seek to differentiate them one from another. The One God of Islam is the same Lord God of the Christian and Jews; a unifying bond exists because we are from God and to Him do we return. Our lives should be one of worship and praise until we die and stand before our Lord for judgment in the Hereafter.

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