8. Is Islam a mixture of Judaism and/or Christianity?

Islam is an original tradition:
Just as milk is made of water, kasein and lactose, and becomes something distinct and valuable of its own, equally does Islam have 'ingredients' from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

Islam did not originate in a vacuum, but it is the end-product as molded in its divine form by the Prophet of Islam, the Messenger of Allah   and as such it became the vehicle on earth for man's purification , spiritual guidance and salvation.

Islam is not to be conceived as something completely new or alien, as it encompasses the essence of all the previous divine traditions since the appearance of the species of man on earth, thus preserving the continuity of the eternal tradition, which cristallized in the last of the revealed religions, and is the best proof of authenticity and truth of Islam.

So when finding in Islam some word, concept or rite etc. reminiscent of an earlier tradition, the question is not, whether or not Islam 'borrowed' this from somewhere else or not, but to discover the meaning of it and where and how Islamic worship employs this word, concept or rite etc. and with what spiritual consequences. And if you wish to go further then try to find out if you can do something to give life its meaning.