What Quran says about Jesus AS
Introduction
Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (PBUH). No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (PBUH).
The Islamic view of Jesus (PBUH) lies between two extremes. The Jews,who rejected Jesus (PBUH) as a Prophet of God, called him an impostor. The Christians, on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus (PBUH) to be one of the great prophet of God and respects him as much as Abraham, Moses, and Mohammad. (Peace Be Upon Them All).
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 "Maryam" is named after Mary.
Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty-five places in the Quran, he is also addressed with respect as Ibn Maryam, (Son of Mary),Abdullah, (The servant of God); and as Rasul u Allah, (The messenger of God). He is spoken of as "The Word from God", as "The Spirit from God", as a "Sign of God" , as "Messiah" (Christ).
The Virgin Birth of Jesus:
The Quranic account of Jesus (PBUH) starts with the conception of Jesus (PBUH) mother, Mary, whose mother, the wife of Imran, vowed to dedicate her child to the service of God in the temple. When Mary became a woman, the Holy Spirit (the Archangel Gabriel) appeared to her as a man bringing her news of a son. We read the following dialogue in the Quran between Mary and the Angel:
"(And remember O Muhammad) When the angel said, "Mary, God gives you a good tidings of a Word from Him whose name is messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, high honored shall he be in this world and the next, near stationed to God. He shall speak to men in the cradle, and of age, and righteous he shall be, "lord" said Mary "How shall I have a son, seeing no mortal has touched me? "Even so, he said "God creates what He will".
When he decrees a thing He but say to it, "Be", and it is. (Al-Imran 3:45-47)
"Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing.
O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot.
Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet,
And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive,
And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (Qur'an (Mary)19:27-33)
The Miracles of Jesus (PBUH):
1. Spoke while he was only a baby.
2. Healed those born blind.
3. Healed the lepers.
4. Revived the dead.
5. Breathed life into a bird made of clay.
In the Quran God quotes Jesus, peace be upon him, as saying:
Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird by Allahs leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allahs leave. And I announce to you what you eat and what you store up in your houses. Lo! herein verily is a portent for you if you are to be believers.
And (I come) confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful some of that which was forbidden unto you. I come unto you with a sign from your Lord, so keep your duty to Allah and obey me. Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path. (Quran 3: 49-51).
Again, in the Quran God tells us about the situation on the Day of Judgment:
In the day when Allah gathers together the messengers and says: What was your response (from mankind)? they say: We have no knowledge. Lo! Thou, only Thou art the Knower of Things Hidden.
When Allah says: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favor unto you and unto your mother; how I strengthened you with the holy Spirit, so that you spoke unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught you the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how you did shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and did blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and you did heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission" (Quran 5:109-110)
Not all of these miracles are recorded in the canonical gospels, the four gospels contained in the Christian Bible.
The fact that Jesus (PBUH) spoke while he was yet a baby is not written anywhere in the Bible. This should not be surprising, because none of the Gospels can claim to recover every single event in the life of Jesus (PBUH). Instead, the gospel According to John seeks to emphasize that the events were too many to record.
Similarly, the miracle of breathing life into a bird made of clay is not attested by the Christian Bible. This too should not make us wonder. It is obvious that the writers of the gospels could write down only the tradition that was available to them. Furthermore, they could not write down everything they knew about Jesus for they were writing on papyrus material that were very limited in length.
What is worthy to notice here is that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was honest enough to promulgate this information about Jesus (PBUH). The religion taught by God through Muhammad (PBUH) would deny the divinity of Jesus (PBUH). Any human being, therefore, who wished to deny the divinity of Jesus (PBUH) would have tried to belittle Jesus (PBUH). Since Christians looked upon the miracles of Jesus (PBUH) as a proof of his divinity, we might expect that any human being who tries to deny the divinity of Jesus (PBUH) would not have informed people of miracles not previously known to them. He might have even tried to deny some of the miracles recorded in the canonical gospels. On the other hand, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) honestly conveyed the message delivered to him from Allah. (May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.)
Was Jesus God?
It is not difficult for God to do anything he wants. He can create a child with both human parents or only one.No miracle is beyond His power. After all, He had created Adam (PBUH) from neither a man nor a woman. He created the rest of us from both man and woman. What is so hard if God decides to create a human being from a woman only? He only commands Be! and it occurs.
Some people think that since Jesus (PBUH) had no human father then God must be his father. The Quran rejects this view. The position of Jesus with God is comparable to the position of Adam with God. Just because Adam had no human parent does not mean we should call him the Son of God.
"Lo! the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is. (Quran 3:59)
"And behold! God will say [i.e. on the Day of Judgment]: 'Oh Jesus, the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God?' He will say: 'Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours. For You know in full all that is hidden. Never did I say to them anything except what You commanded me to say: 'Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I lived among them. When You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a witness to all things'" (Qur'an 5:116-117)
Was Jesus Son of God?
"Say: "God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!" (Quran 112:1-4)
The Quran also states:
"Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, Be' and it is" (Quran 19:34-35).
"And they say:the Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a Son. Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing, whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall to ruins, that ye ascribe to the Beneficent a son, when it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should chose a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave". (Quran 19:88-93)
They say: God hath begotten a son! - Glory be to Him! He is self- sufficient! His are all things in the heavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! say ye about God what ye know not? Say: Those who invent a lie against God will never prosper. A little enjoyment in this world!- and then, to Us will be their return, then shall We make them taste the severest penalty for their blasphemies. (Qur'an 10:68-70)
Concept of Trinity:
God says in the Quran regarding the Trinity:
"People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: God is a Trinity. Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. God is indeed just One God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. God is sufficient for a guardian" (Quran 4:171)
They do blaspheme who say: God is Christ the son of Mary. They do blaspheme who say: God is one of three in a trinity: for there is no God except one God Allah. If they do not desist from their word of blasphemy, verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them. Christ the son of Mary was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. (Qur'an 5:72-73, 5:75)
Was Jesus Crucified?
That they (Jews) said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of God"; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: Nay, God raised him up unto the himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise.(Qur'an 4:157-158)
His Teachings:
"When Jesus came with Clear Signs, he said: 'Now I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which you dispute. Therefore, fear God and obey me. God, He is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him -- this is a Straight Way. But sects from among themselves fell into disagreement. So woe to the wrongdoers, from the penalty of a Grievous Day!" (Qur'an 43:63-65)
Second Coming of Jesus (PBUH):
Muslims believe that Jesus will return at a time close to the end of the world. The Qur'anic verse allude to as an indicator to Jesus future return is as follows:
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.(Qur'an 43:61)
According to Islamic tradition which describes this graphically, Jesus descent will be in the midst of wars fought by the Mahdi ("the rightly guided one"), known in Islamic eschatology as the redeemer of Islam, against the Antichrist (Dajjal, "false messiah") and his followers.Jesus will descend at the point of a white arcade, east of Damascus, dressed in yellow robes - his head anointed. He will then join the Mahdi in his war against the Dajjal. Jesus, considered in Islam as a Muslim, will abide by the Islamic teachings. Eventually, Jesus will slay the Dajjal, and then everyone from the people of the book (Jews and Christians) will believe in him. Thus, there will be one community, that of Islam.
After the death of the Mahdi, Jesus will assume leadership. This is a time associated in Islamic narrative with universal peace and justice. Islamic texts also allude to the appearance of Ya'juj and Ma'juj (known also as Gog and Magog), ancient tribes which will disperse and cause disturbance on earth. God, in response to Jesus prayers, will kill them by sending a type of worm in the napes of their necks.Jesus rule is said to be around forty years, after which he will die. Muslims will then perform the funeral prayer for him and then bury him in the city of Medina in a grave left vacant beside Muhammad, Abu Bakr, and Umar (companions of Muhammad and the first and second Muslim caliphs respectively).
Saying of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger as saying: "The satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him with the exception of Mary and her son whom Satan tried to touch but failed, for he touched the placenta-cover instead".Sahih Muslim (Vol 4, pg 1261)
"If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshiped but God alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, and that Jesus is Gods 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."
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