Islam, besides Christianity, is the only major world
religion that recognizes Jesus. A Muslim’s belief is incomplete without
Jesus. Prophet Muhammad said:
“If anyone testifies that none has the right to be
worshipped but God alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His servant
and His Messenger, and that Jesus is God’s servant and His Messenger and His
Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him, and that Paradise is
true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which
he has done even if those deeds were few.” [1]
In other words, without sound belief in Jesus, one can
never earn God’s Paradise. As with other prophets of God, Muslims add to
his name, alai his-salam, which means, ‘Peace be upon him.’ [2]
Even though Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you,”
[3]
in the Gospel, Christians rarely use any honorific term but ‘Christ’,
and this as part of his name. Though this may be due to the idea that the
Christian does not pray for him, but to him, it shows that Muslims have a great
deal of respect for him despite not sharing such a viewpoint.
Quran is the sacred scripture of Islam, and in it,
more than ninety verses spread across fifteen chapters of the Quran discuss
Jesus. Three chapters of the Quran are named after their reference to
Jesus: the third chapter of Quran, ‘The Family of Imran,’ is named after
the father of Mary; the fifth chapter, ‘The Table,’ is likely named after
the last supper. Lastly, the nineteenth chapter is named after Mary.
His Name in the Quran
In Arabic, Jesus is known as Eesa. In
sixteen of the 25 places in the Quran where Eesa is used, he is called
“the son of Mary” (Ibn Maryam). Since he had no father, he was
named so after his mother. [4]
The Descriptive Titles of Jesus in the Quran:
(1) The Messiah
Prior to the appearance of Jesus, belief in the coming
of the Messiah has been a basic and fundamental part of traditional
Judaism. It is part of Maimonides’ Thirteen Articles of Faith which are
considered the minimum requirements of Jewish belief. [5]
In the Shemoneh Esrei prayer[6],
recited three times daily, modern Jewry prays for the Messiah who will be their
king from the line of David to come and restore the glories of its golden
age. In Hebrew, ‘Messiah’ means the ‘anointed one.’ It is
interesting to note that the Old Testament prophecy emphasizes the humanity of
the Messiah by referring to him as the “son of man” (Daniel 7: 13) [7]
and not God.
The ideology of the Messiah has a central position in
Christian theology. According to the Bible, Jesus claimed to be the
expected Messiah of the Jews (John 4:25-26) [8],
but they rejected him. Therefore, Christians apply ‘Christ’ - the
Greek word for ‘Messiah’ - to Jesus. In addition, they also maintain the
Messiah will be the son of God.
The Quran corrects Jews and Christians in their
excesses. It considers the Jews to be in the right in believing the
Messiah to be human, but equates their rejection of Jesus to disbelief,
“And (We cursed them) for their disbelief… and their boastful claim:
Indeed, we have killed the [so-called] Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the
messenger of God. And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him.”
(Quran 4:156-157)
On the other hand, the Quran agrees with the
Christians who identify Jesus to be the Messiah, but considers their insistence
that the Messiah is the son of God to be blasphemy:
“Indeed, they are unbelievers who say, ‘God is the Messiah, the son of
Mary.’” (Quran 5:72)
The truth, according to the Quran, is that:
“The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger; messengers
before him had indeed passed away.” (Quran 5:75)
Furthermore, the Quran states
that the Messiah called to the worship of “the true God” like all the prophets
before him:
“But the Messiah said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your
Lord.’” (Quran 5:72)
The Quran refers to Jesus as the Messiah (al-Maseeh)
at least nine times. [9]
One of the explanations given by Muslim lexicographers is that Jesus was
the Messiah because he anointed the eyes of the blind to cure them (Quran 3:43;
Mark 6:13; James 5:14), or because he used to lay hands on the sick.
(2) Sign
The Quran describes Jesus to be a ‘Sign,’ an aayah
in the Quran. In the terminology of the Quran a miracle is a ‘sign’ of
God to display divine might and unrestricted ability to do acts outside the
chain of cause and effect. In this sense, the virgin birth of Jesus is a
miracle; a wonderful show of God’s mighty power to do as He pleases.
Therefore, Jesus is a ‘sign’ not only to the Israelites but to the entire world:
“And We made the son of Mary and his mother as a Sign.” (Quran 23:50)
“…We may make him a sign to men...” (Quran 19:21)
“and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.” (Quran 21:91)
In addition, the Quran declares Jesus’ second coming
to be a ‘sign,’ an announcement that the Judgment Day is coming close, “And
indeed, Jesus will be a sign for the Hour (of Judgment), so have no doubt about
it, and follow Me. This is a straight path.” (Quran 43:61)
(3) “Word” from God
Jesus is referred to as a “Word” from God in three
passages in the Quran. No other prophet has been described with such a
title.
“…O Mary! Behold, God gives you good news of a word from Him, who
shall become known as the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary...” (Quran 3:45)
“…The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of God, and His
word which He conveyed unto Mary...” (Quran 4:171)
“…God gives you good news of (a son whose name is) John, (who comes) to
confirm a word from God…” (Quran 3:39)
Christians believe that in the first chapter of the
Gospel of John, Jesus is identified as “the Word” (logos in Greek)
incarnated, or made flesh. “In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, full of grace and truth...”
The Christian idea of the logos is completely
different from the simple Islamic understanding of the ‘Word.’ The idea
of the Greek logos may be traced back at least to the 6th
century BC philosopher, Heracleitus. He proposed that there was a logos
in the cosmic process analogous to the reasoning power in man. The Greek
speaking Jewish philosopher, Judaeus Philo of Alexandria (15 BC - 45 CE),
taught that the logos was the intermediary between God and the cosmos. The writings of Philo were preserved and cherished by the
Church, and provided the inspiration for a sophisticated Christian
philosophical theology. “The identification of Jesus with the logos…
was further developed in the early church but more on the basis of Greek
philosophical ideas than on Old Testament motifs. This development was
dictated by attempts made by early Christian theologians and apologists to
express the Christian faith in terms that would be intelligible to the
Hellenistic world and to impress their hearers with the view that Christianity
was superior to, or heir to, all that was best in pagan philosophy.” [10]
Islam provides a clear explanation of how Jesus was a
“Word” from God. But first the process of human procreation must be
understood. The Might of God is behind everything. Whenever God
decides to do something, like giving life or causing death, He says the word
“Be” and it happens,
“It is He who gives life and causes death; and when He decrees a
matter, He but says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Quran 40:68)
The first step in human procreation is the biological
union between male and female reproductive cells in addition to the will
of God. Since Jesus was born without a father, he was not conceived by
the male sperm cells. Instead his creation, similar to Adam, is solely
attributed to the Word of God, ‘Be.’ God says:
“Indeed the likeness of Jesus to God as the likeness of Adam; He
created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.” (Quran 3:59)
The Quran gives details of Jesus’ conception.
Mary was not impregnated by a man. Angel Gabriel, referred to in the
Quran as the Spirit, brought the soul of Jesus – his soul was created by God
like other human souls - to breathe it into Mary. On seeing the angel,
she expressed with surprise,
“‘My Lord,’ said Mary, how shall I have a son when no
man has ever touched me?” (Quran
3:47)
The angel answered,
“Thus it is: God creates what He wills: When he
decrees a matter, He only says to it: ‘Be,’ and it is.” (Quran 3:47)
Gabriel then blew the soul of Jesus into Mary, “so
We blew into it (her womb) through Our angel.” (Quran 66:12)
In essence, Jesus is God’s ‘Word’ because he came into
existence by God’s Word - ‘Be’ - as the Quran describes in another passage,
“His word which He conveyed unto Mary...” (Quran
4:171)
(4) “Spirit” from God
In the Quran, God attributes certain creations to
Himself as a means of respect and honor. For example, God calls the sacred
mosque in Mecca “My House” as a means of veneration. God says:
“And We enjoined Abraham and Ishmael saying: ‘Purify My House
for those who circumambulate (it), and those who abide (in it) for devotion,
and those who bow down (and) those who prostrate themselves.” (Quran 2:125)
The Quran describes Jesus to be a ‘Spirit’ proceeding
from God:
“We breathed into her (Mary) from My Spirit.” (Quran 21:91)
“…a Spirit created by Him.”(Quran 4:171)
“We blew into (her womb) through Our angel.” (Quran 66:12)
Jesus was a spirit, or more correctly, a soul created
by God, brought by Gabriel, a mighty angel of God, and breathed into Mary:
“We blew into (her womb from her garment) through Our
angel.” (Quran 66:12)
Jesus was not a ‘part,’ ‘person,’ or ‘activity’ of God
that separated and dwelled inside Mary. He is called a ‘Spirit’ from God
as a symbol of respect and honor, not divinity.
Likewise, God also gives Adam this characteristic of
being His spirit. God said when He ordered the angels to prostrate to Adam upon
his creation.:
“So, when I have fashioned him (Adam) completely and breathed into him
(Adam) the soul which I created for him, then fall down prostrating yourselves
unto him.” (Quran 38:72)
Indeed Jesus is given an honored status in the Quran
and is has been given certain titles and descriptions not given to other
prophets, but this in no way should cause a person to believe that Jesus was
anything other than mortal. This can be summarized in the following verse in
which God says:
“O People of the Book (the Jews and the Christians)! Do not exceed the
limits in your religion, and do not speak (lies) against God, but (speak) the
truth; the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is only a messenger of God and His
Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him; believe therefore in God
and His messengers, and say not, ‘Three’. Desist, it is better for you; Indeed
God is only one diety; far be it from His glory that He should have a son, To
Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, and God is
All-Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.” (Quran 4:171)
[2] This is the ‘literal’ meaning. The
most knowledgeable scholars have interpreted it to mean, ‘may God keep him
safe from all evil ’.
[4] The Bible refers to Jesus as the ‘son of
Mary’ as well (Mark 6:3): “Is not this the
carpenter, the son of Mary…”
[5] “12. I firmly believe in the coming of the
Messiah; and although He may tarry, I daily hope for His coming.” The Jewish
Encyclopedia
[6] “Give us understanding, O Eternal, our God,
to know Thy ways, and circumcise our hearts to fear Thee; and do Thou pardon us
that we may be redeemed. And remove from us bodily pain; and fatten us with the
fertility of Thy land; and our dispersed ones from the four corners of the
earth do Thou gather together; and they that go astray against the knowledge of
Thee shall be judged; and upon the evil-doers do Thou lift up Thy hand: but may
the righteous rejoice in the building of Thy city, and in the refounding of Thy
Temple, and in the sprouting up of a horn unto David Thy servant, and in the
preparing of a light for Jesse's son, Thy Messiah. Before we call Thou wilt
answer. Blessed be Thou, O Eternal, who hearest prayer”. The Jewish
Encyclopedia (http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com).
[7] “I saw in the night visions, and, behold,
one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient
of days, and they brought him near before him.”
[8] “(6) The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’
(called Christ) ‘is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’
(7) Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am he.’ ”
Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.
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