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ISLAMIC VIEW OF JESUS
The
Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected
Jesus as a Prophet of God, called him an imposter. Modern day Christians on
the other hand, consider him to be the Son of God and worship him as if he
were the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth. Islam considers Jesus to be
one of the great Prophets of God. Muslims
hold Jesus in very high esteem, together with all of the prophets of God,
including Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad to name a few. This is in
conformity with the Islamic view of the oneness of God, the oneness of
divine guidance, and the complementary role of the subsequent mission of
God's messengers. The
essence of Islam - willing submission to the will of God - was revealed to
Adam, who passed it on to his children. All following revelations to Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and finally Muhammad were in conformity with that
message, with some elaboration to define the relation between man and God,
man and man, man and his environment. Thus, any contradictions among
revealed religions is viewed by Islam as a man-made element introduced into
these religions. The position of Jesus in
Judaism and Christianity is an example of this. Non-Muslims
may be surprised to find that Jesus is mentioned in the Quraan more than any
other prophet! The Quraan
highlights the important aspects of Jesus’s birth, his mission, his
ascension to heaven, and passes judgments on the Christian beliefs
concerning him. GRANDMOTHER OF JESUS The
Quranic account of Jesus, actually starts with the story of his grandmother,
the wife of Imran: “…
when the wife of Imran said: “O My Lord!
I have vowed to You what is in my womb to be dedicated for Your
services, so accept this from me. Verily,
You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knowing.
Then when she delivered her (child Mary), she said: “O My Lord!
I have delivered a female child, -- and Allah knew better what she
delivered, -- “And the male is not like the female, and I have named her
Mary (which means Maidservant of God), and I seek refuge with You for her
and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast.”
So her Lord accepted her with goodly acceptance…”
Quraan 3: 35-37 MARY AND THE ANGEL When Mary became a woman, the Angel Gabriel appeared to her as
a man, bringing her the news of a son. We read the following dialogue in the
Quraan between Mary and the angel: “…then
We sent to her our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all
respects. She said: “I seek
refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear
God.” he said: “Nay, I am
only a messenger from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a pure
son.” She said: “How shall
I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?” he said: “So
(it will be): Thy Lord saith,
‘That is Easy for Me’: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men
and a Mercy from Us. It is a
matter decreed.” Quraan
19: 17-21 MARY GIVES BIRTH There
is a chapter in the Quraan named after Mary, Surah Maryam.
In this chapter God tells us how Mary gave birth to her son, and how
the Jews accused her when she brought the child home: “Then
she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said, “O
Mary! you have surely done a
thing unprecedented. O sister
of Aaron, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother a woman
unchaste. But she pointed to
the child. They said, “How
shall we talk to one who is child in the cradle?”
He said, “I am indeed a servant of God.
He has given me revelation and made me a prophet.
And He hath made me blessed whosesoever I be, and hath enjoined on me
to prayer and to give the alms as long as I live.
And (made me) dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched
tyrant. And peace is on me the
day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive.”**
Quraan 19: 27-34 ** this
is one of the miracles of Jesus, that he spoke as a baby in the cradle… IS JESUS THE SON OF GOD? One
of the main differences that have arisen between Christianity and Islam is
the status of Jesus as the Son of God.
From the above verses it is clear that Muslims and Christians are in
agreement about the miraculous Virgin Birth of Jesus.
However, does a man being born from a virgin really mean that he is
the begotten son of the Creator? Jesus
is not the first man to be created without a father….
God says in the Quraan: "Truly
the likeness of Jesus in God's sight is the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then (He) said to him,”Be!” and
he was. (This is) the truth from your Lord, so be not of those who doubt.”
Quraan 3: 59-60 So
in God’s view, the Creation of Jesus is no different than the Creation of
Adam. When God wants to Create
something, He only needs to say “Be!” and it is.
Muslims could easily argue that Adam has more right to be called the
Son of God than Jesus, being that God Created Adam with no mother or father!
Also, God Created Eve, the first woman with no mother.
God Created Jesus with no father and God Created you and I with a
mother and a father. God can
Create anyway He pleases. God
asks a question: "Are
you more difficult to Create or is the heaven (above) that He (Allah)
constructed? On high has He
raised its canopy, and He hath Given it order and perfection."
Quraan 79: 27-28 In
this modern age we have space telescopes that can see farther than ever
imagined. The size and the
perfection of the universe is difficult for the human mind to comprehend.
God answers the question in another verse: “The
creation of the heavens and the earth is indeed greater than the creation of
mankind: yet most of mankind know not.” Quraan 40: 57 Think
about the Creation of the Heavens and the Earth, all those billions and
billions of stars, the perfection of which is truly amazing to anyone who
looks up on a clear night. We
can see that the creation of one man, without a mother, without a father or
with a mother and a father is a simple matter for the One who Created the
Heavens and the Earth! IS HAVING A SON BEFITTING OF GOD? The
rejection of the very idea of God having a son is stated clearly with strong
words: They
say: “The Most Gracious has betaken a son!”
Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous!
At it the skies are about to burst, the Earth to split asunder, and
the mountains to fall down in utter ruin.
That they attributed a son to the Most Gracious.
For it is not consonant with the majesty of The Most Gracious the He
should beget a son. Not one of
the beings in the Heavens and the Earth but must come to The Most Gracious
as a servant.” Quraan
19: 88-93 God
says in another verse: “Such
is Jesus, son of Mary (it is) a statement of truth, about which they doubt
(or dispute). It befits not
(the Majesty of) God that He should beget a son.
Glory be to Him, when He decrees a thing, He only says to it.
“Be”, and it is.” Quraan
19: 34-35 THE CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY The
Quraan rejects the concept of the Trinity:
God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - as strongly as
it rejects the concept of Jesus as the son of God. This is because GOD IS
ONE. Three cannot be one. God
revealed: “They
disbelieve who say: God is one
of three (in a trinity) for there is no god except One God…”
Quraan 5: 73 In
another chapter: “Say:
He is Allah, the One. Allah,
the Eternal, Absolute. He
begetteth not, Nor is He begotten. And
there is nothing like unto Him.” Quraan
112: 1-4 Also:
“And your God is One God: There
is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.”
Quraan 2:163 WHO IS JESUS? God
has stated clearly in the Quraan, who exactly Jesus is: “O
People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about
God accept the truth. The
Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of God and His word
which He directed to Mary and a soul (created at a command) from Him.
So believe in Allah and His messengers.
And do not say, “Three”; desist - it is better for you.
Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted
is He above having a son. To
Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.”
Quraan 4: 171 In
yet another verse: “The
Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; (other) messengers have
passed on before him. And his
mother was a supporter of truth. They
both used to eat food. Look how
we make clear to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.
Say, “Do you worship besides Allah that which holds for you no
(power of) harm or benefit while it is Allah who is the Hearing, the
Knowing?” Quraan 5: 75-76 JESUS ON THE
DAY OF JUDGMENT The
denial of Jesus’s divinity (and, for that matter, of Mary's divinity) is
presented in the Quraan in the form of a dialogue between the Almighty and
Jesus which will take place on the Day of Judgment.
All the messengers and their nations will be gathered before God and
He will ask the messengers how they were received by their people and what
they said to them. Among those who will be questioned is Jesus: “And
(beware the Day) when God will say, “O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to
the people, ‘Take me and my mother as deities besides God?’
He will say, “Exalted are You!
It was not for me to say that to which I have no right.
If I had said it, You would have known it.
You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within
Yourself. Indeed, it is you who
is Knower of the unseen. I said
not to them except what You commanded me - to worship God, my Lord and your
Lord. And I was a witness over
them as long as I was among them; but when you took me up, You were the
Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.
If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You
forgive them - indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
Quraan 5: 116-118 REAL MISSION OF JESUS What,
according to the Quraan, was the real mission of Jesus? The answer is that
Jesus was a link in a long chain of prophets and messengers sent by God to
various nations and societies whenever they needed guidance or deviated from
His teachings. Jesus was especially prepared by God to be sent to the Jews,
who had deviated from the teachings of Moses and other messengers. As he was
miraculously supported by God in his conception, birth, and childhood, he
was also supported by numerous miracles to prove that he was a messenger
from God. The Quraan attributes to Jesus miracles not mentioned in the
Bible. However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry. “And
(make Jesus) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (who will say),
‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for
you from clay (that which is) like the form of a bird, then I breathe into
it and it becomes a bird by permission of God.
And I cure the blind (from birth) and the leper, and I give life to
the dead - by permission of God. And
I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses.
Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.
And (I have come) confirming what was before me of the Torah and to
make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you.
And I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and
obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord
and your Lord, so worship Him, That
is the straight path.” Quraan
3: 49-51 THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS It
is a sad fact of history that not many are following the “straight path”
to which people were called by Jesus. He was only followed by a few
disciples inspired by God to support him. The non-believers plotted, but God
had a better plan for him and his followers, as the Quraan tells us: “But
when Jesus felt (persistence in) disbelief from them, he said, “Who are my
supporters for (the cause of) God?” The
disciples said, “We are supporters for God.
We have believed in God and testify that we are those who are
submitting to His will**. Our
Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the messenger
(i.e. Jesus) so register us among the witnesses (to truth).”
And they (i.e., the disbelievers) planned, but God planned.
And God is the best of planners.”
Quraan 3: 52-54 ** The word “Muslim” means one who submits himself to
God’s will. CRUCIFIXION As
the above verses indicate, Jesus was taken and raised to heaven. He was not
crucified. It was certainly the plan of the enemies of Jesus to put him to
death on the cross, but God saved him and someone else was crucified: “And
for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander, And (for)
their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary,
the messenger of God.” And
they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but (another) was made to
resemble him to them. And
indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it.
They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption.
And they did not kill him, for certain.
Rather God raised him to Himself.
And ever is God Exalted in Might and Wise.”
Quraan 4: 156-158 DOUBLE REWARD Countless
Christians have embraced Islam after reading the Quraan and the life of
Prophet Muhammad. What they
found is that they didn’t have to give up their belief in Jesus to become
a Muslim. The Prophet Muhammad explained this: Three
persons will have a double reward, (the first of which is) A Person from the
people of the scriptures who believed in his prophet (Jesus or Moses) and
then believed in the Prophet Muhammad (i.e. has embraced Islam). Sahih Bukhari 1:97A ENTER HEAVEN WITH ONLY A FEW DEEDS… The
Prophet Muhammad said, "If anyone testifies that none has the right to
be worshipped but Allah Alone, Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His
Slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah's Slave and His Apostle and
His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that
Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with
the deeds which he had done even if those deeds were few." (Junada, the
sub-narrator said, " 'Ubada added, 'Such a person can enter Paradise
through any of its eight gates he likes.' ")
Sahih Bukhari 4:644
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