Are the good commandments of loving God and one’s neighbour common to all religions?

Yes. To love God with all one’s heart and one’s neighbour as oneself are good commandments, and all good commandments are shared by the religions, because they come from the same God.

For many Christians two commandments sum up everything. One should love God with all one’s heart and one’s neighbour as oneself. Islam agrees with this wholeheartedly. These are good commandments, and good commandments are common to all religions.

The reason is simple. If the religions originally come from the same God, then their core must be alike. The first verse above names Noah (as), Abraham (as), Moses (as) and Jesus (as) and makes clear that God entrusted the same teaching to all of them.

In the Holy Qur’an, too, the two commandments stand close together. Whoever serves God should be good to parents, to relatives, orphans and the needy, and to the neighbour, whether related or a stranger. Love for God shows itself in how one treats His creatures.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) made this very concrete. Whether someone truly believes shows in whether he wishes for others the same good he wishes for himself. And the neighbour has such great rights that one might think he belongs to the family.

That is why it is good for Christians and Muslims to look first at what unites them. Whoever loves God and does good to people stands on common ground, where it is easy to talk with one another.