Anthropological Principles of Nearness to God in Islam and Christianity

Happiness and perfection in the Abrahamic religions is equal to nearness to God the Almighty. Closeness to God can be examined from different aspects such as the position of closeness to God in religion, its impact on worldly and afterworld lives, different ways of achieving closeness to God, and so on. What is important in this regard are the oundations and infrastructures of this approximation. In Islam and Christianity, nearness o God is based on a series of anthropological and theological foundations. Some of these oundations are common in Islam and Christianity like man has covenant with God, man is n the way of becoming, man is in pursuit of absolute perfection; man is the vicegerent of God and Christ. Although, given the fundamental differences between theology and anthropology of Islam and Christianity, based on Paul's writings, some of the foundations of nearness to God are different in these two traditions. Islamic specific foundations are man as the carrier of divine trust, man’s clean nature, and his ability to attain perfection. Christian specific foundations are the infected nature of man and his inability to save himself and achieve closeness to God except through the grace of God and Christ’s atonement.