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Jesus, son of Mary (part 1 of 5): Muslims Love Jesus too!
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Description: Jesus and his first miracle, and a brief account about what Muslims believe about him.
By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com)
- Published on 05 May 2008 - Last modified on 05 May 2008
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Category: Articles
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_-_Muslims_Love_Jesus_too_001.jpg) Christians often talk about developing a relationship
with Christ and accepting him into their lives. They assert that Jesus is much
more than a man and died on the cross to free mankind from the original sin. Christians
speak of Jesus with love and respect and it is obvious he holds a special place
in their lives and hearts. But what about Muslims; what do they think about
Jesus and what place does Jesus Christ hold in Islam?
Someone unfamiliar with Islam may be surprised to learn
that Muslims love Jesus too. A Muslim will not speak the name of Jesus without
respectfully adding the words – May peace be upon him. In Islam, Jesus is a
loved and esteemed man, a Prophet and Messenger calling his people to the
worship of the One True God.
Muslims and Christians share some very similar beliefs
about Jesus. Both believe that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and both
believe that Jesus was the Messiah sent to the people of Israel. Both also believe that Jesus will return to earth in the last days. However in
one major detail they are worlds apart. Muslims believe with certainty that
Jesus is not God, he is not the son of God and he
is not part of a Trinity of God.
In the Quran, God spoke directly to Christians when He
said:
“O people of the Scripture! Do not exceed the limits in your
religion, nor say of God aught but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary,
was a Messenger of God and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit
created by Him; so believe in God and His Messengers. Say not: ‘Trinity!’ Cease;
it is better for you! For God is One God, glory is to Him, Far Exalted is He
above having 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)
Just as Islam categorically denies that Jesus was God, it
also rejects the notion that mankind is born tainted by any form of original
sin. The Quran tells us that it is not possible for one person to bear the
sins of another and that we are all responsible, before God, for our own
actions. “And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden.” (Quran
35:18) However, God, in His infinite Mercy and Wisdom has not abandoned
mankind to their own devices. He has sent guidance and laws that reveal how to
worship and live according to His commands. Muslims are required to believe in,
and love all of the Prophets; to reject one is to reject the creed of Islam. Jesus
was but one in this long line of Prophets and Messengers, calling the people to
worship One God. He came specifically for the People of Israel, who had, at
that time gone astray from the straight path of God. Jesus said:
“And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Torah,
and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to
you with a proof from your Lord. So fear God and obey me. Truly! God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is
the Straight Path.” (Quran 3:50-51)
Muslims love and admire Jesus. However, we understand him
and his role in our lives according to the Quran and the traditions and sayings
of the Prophet Muhammad. Three chapters of the Quran feature the life of
Jesus, his mother Mary and their family; each reveals details not found in the
Bible.
The Prophet Mohammad spoke of Jesus many times, once
describing him as his brother. “I am the nearest of all the people to the
son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no
prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus).” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari) Let us follow the story of Jesus through Islamic sources and come to understand
how and why his place in Islam is of such significance.
The First Miracle
The Quran informs us that Mary, the daughter of Imran,
was an unmarried, chaste and pious young woman, devoted to the worship of God.
One day while she was in seclusion, the Angel Gabriel informed Mary that she
was to be the mother of Jesus. Her response was one of fear, shock, and
dismay. God said:
“And We wish to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy
from Us, and it is a matter decreed.” (Quran 19:21)
Mary conceived Jesus, and when the time came for him to
be born, she took herself away from her family and travelled towards Bethlehem. At the foot of a date palm tree Mary gave birth to her son Jesus.
When Mary had rested and recovered from the pain and
fear involved in giving birth alone, she realised that she must return to her
family. Mary was afraid and anxious as she wrapped the child and cradled him
in her arms. How could she possibly explain his birth to her people? She
heeded the words of God and made her way back to Jerusalem.
“Say: ‘Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (God)
so I shall not speak to any human being this day.’”
Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him.” (Quran 19:26-27)
God knew that if Mary tried to offer explanations, her
people would not believe her, so, in His wisdom, he told her not to speak. From
the first moment Mary approached her people they started to accuse her, but she
wisely followed God’s instructions, and failed to respond. This shy, chaste
woman merely pointed to the child in her arms.
The men and women surrounding Mary looked at her incredulously
and demanded to know how they could possibly speak to a babe in arms. Then,
by the permission of God, Jesus, son of Mary, performed his first miracle. He
spoke:
“Verily! I am a slave of God. He has given me the Scripture
and made me a Prophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has
enjoined on me prayer, and alms, as long as I live, and dutiful to my mother,
and made me not arrogant, unblest. And peace be upon me the day I was born,
and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!” (Quran 19:30-34)
Muslims believe Jesus was the slave of God and a
Messenger for the people of his time. He preformed miracles by the will and
permission of God. The following words of Prophet Muhammad clearly summarise the
importance of Jesus in Islam:
“Whoever bears witness that there is no god but God
Alone, with no partner or associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and
Messenger, and that Jesus is His slave and Messenger, a word which God
bestowed upon Mary and a spirit created by Him, and that Heaven is real,
and Hell is real, God will admit him through whichever of the eight gates of Heaven
he wishes.” (Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim)
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Jesus, son of Mary (part 2 of 5): The Message of Jesus
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Description: The true status of Jesus and his message in the Quran, and the relevance of the Bible today in relation to Muslim beliefs.
By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com)
- Published on 05 May 2008 - Last modified on 11 May 2008
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We have already established that Jesus, son of Mary, or
as he is called by Muslims, Eissa ibn Maryam, preformed his first
miracle while cradled in Mary’s arms. By the permission of God he spoke, and
his first words were “I am a slave of God,” (Quran 19:30). He did not say
“I am God” or even “I am the son of God”. His first words established the
foundation of his message, and his mission; to call the people back, to the
pure worship of One God.
At the time of Jesus, the concept of One God was not new
to the Children of Israel. The Torah had proclaimed “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is One, (Deuteronomy: 4). However, God’s revelations had been
misinterpreted and abused, and hearts had become hardened. Jesus came to
denounce the leaders of the Children of Israel, who had fallen into lives of
materialism and luxury, and to uphold the law of Moses.
Jesus’ mission was to confirm the Torah, to make lawful
things that were previously unlawful and to proclaim and reaffirm the belief in
One Creator. Prophet Muhammad said: “every Prophet was sent to his nation
exclusively but I was sent to all mankind,” (Saheeh Bukhari). Thus, Jesus was sent to the Children of Israel.
God says in Quran that He would teach Jesus the Torah
and the Gospel, and the wisdom.
“And He will teach him the Book and the Wisdom, the
Torah and the Injeel.” (Quran 3:48)
In order to effectively spread his message, Jesus understood
the Torah, and he was provided with his own revelation from God – the Injeel,
or Gospel. God also endowed Jesus with the ability to guide and influence his
people with signs and miracles.
God supports all of His Messengers with miracles that
are observable and make sense to the people the Messenger has been sent to
guide. At the time of Jesus, the Children of Israel were very knowledgeable in
the field of medicine. Consequently, the miracles Jesus performed (by the
permission of God) were of this nature, and included returning sight to the
blind, healing lepers and raising the dead. God said:
“And you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My
leave. And behold! You bring forth the dead by My leave.” (Quran 5:10)
The Child Jesus
Neither the Quran nor the Bible refers to the boyhood of
Jesus. We can imagine, however, that as a son in the family of Imran, he was a
pious child devoted to learning, and eager to influence the children and adults
around him. After mentioning Jesus speaking in the cradle, the Quran
immediately recounts the story of Jesus moulding the figure of a bird from clay.
He blew into it and by God’s leave it became a bird.
“I design for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a
bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s Leave.” (Quran 3:49)
The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, one of a set of texts written
by early Christians, but not accepted into the tenet of the Old Testament,
also refers to this story. It recounts in some detail the story of the young
Jesus fashioning birds from clay and breathing life into them. Although
fascinating, this comparison serves only to illustrate why Muslims believe the
message of Jesus only, as it is recounted in the Quran and the traditions of
Prophet Muhammad.
Muslims are required to believe in all the
books revealed by God to mankind. However, the Bible, as it exists today, is
not the Gospel that was revealed to Prophet Jesus. The words and wisdom of God,
given to Jesus, have been lost, hidden, changed and distorted. The fate of the
texts of the Apocrypha, of which the Infancy Gospel of Thomas is one, is
testament to this. In 325AD, the Emperor Constantine attempted to unify the
fractured Christian Church by calling a meeting of Bishops from all over the
known world. This meeting became known as the Council of Nicaea, and its
legacy was a doctrine of Trinity that had not previously existed, and the loss
of somewhere between 270 and 4000 gospels. The council ordered the burning of
all gospels not deemed worthy to be in the new Bible, and the Infancy Gospel of
Thomas was one of them.
However, copies of many Gospels survived and, although not in the Bible, are
valued for their historical significance.
The Quran Frees Us
Muslims believe everything Jesus said was revelation
from God, but he did not write down one single word; nor did he instruct his
disciples to write it down.
There is no need for a Muslim to try to prove or disprove the books of the
Christians. The Quran frees us from the need to know if the Bible we have
today contains the word of God, or the words of Jesus. God said:
“It is He Who has sent down the Book to you with truth,
confirming what came before it.” (Quran 3:3)
And
“And We have sent down to you the Book in truth, confirming
the Scripture that came before it and dominant over it. So judge among them by
what God has revealed.” (Quran 5:48)
Anything beneficial for Muslims to know from the Torah
or the Injeel is stated clearly in the Quran. Whatever good maybe found in the
previous books is found now, in the Quran.
If the words of today’s New Testament, agree with the words of the Quran, then
these words probably form the part of Jesus’ message that did not become
distorted or lost over time. The message of Jesus was the same message that
all the Prophets of God taught to their people. The Lord your God is One, so
worship Him alone. And God said in the Quran about the story of Jesus:
“Verily! This is the true narrative and, none has the right
to be worshipped but God, the One and the Only True God, Who has neither a wife
nor a son. And indeed, God is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Quran 3:62)
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Jesus, son of Mary (part 3 of 5): The Disciples
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Description: Another miracle of Jesus is described. The real significance of the miracle of the table, spread with food.
By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com)
- Published on 12 May 2008 - Last modified on 12 May 2008
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_-_The_Disciples_001.jpg) Chapter 5 of the Quran is named Al Maidah (or The
Table Spread with Food). It is one of three chapters in the Quran that deal
extensively with the life of Jesus and his mother Mary. The other chapters are
chapter 3 Al Imran (the family of Imran) and chapter 19, Maryam (Mary). Muslims
love Jesus, and honour his Mother, but they do not worship them. The
Quran, which Muslims believe to be the direct words of God, holds Jesus and his
Mother Mary, and indeed their whole family – the family of Imran, in very high
regard.
We know that Jesus lived amongst his people, the Children
of Israel, for many years, calling them back to the worship of the One True God
and performing miracles by the permission of God. Most of those around him
rejected his call and failed to heed his message. However, Jesus had gathered
around him a group of companions called, in Arabic, Al Hawariyeen (the disciples
of Jesus).
God said in the Quran:
“I (God) put in the hearts of Al-Hawariyeen to believe
in Me and My Messenger, they said: ‘We believe. And bear witness that we are
Muslims.’” (Quran 5:111)
The disciples refer to themselves as Muslims; how could
this be when the religion of Islam would not be revealed for another 600 years?
God must be referring to the general meaning of “Muslim”. A Muslim is anybody
who bows down to the One God with true submission; anybody whose allegiance and
loyalty is to God, above all else. The word Muslim comes from the same Arabic root
- sa la ma - as the words Salam and Islam and can be interpreted as the peace
and security that is inherent in the submission to God. Thus it can be
understood that all the Prophets of God and their followers were Muslims.
A Table Spread with Food
Jesus’ disciples said to him: “Jesus, son of Mary! Can
your Lord send down to us a table spread (with food) from heaven?” (Quran 5:112)
Were they asking Jesus to perform a miracle? Did
the disciples of Jesus, who called them selves Muslim, feel unsure about the ability
of God to provide miracles at will? It is unlikely, as this would be an act of
disbelief. The majority of scholars say that the disciples of Jesus were
asking not if it were possible, but rather if Jesus would call upon God,
at that specific time, to provide them with food. However, Jesus may have thought
otherwise, for he replied “Fear God, if you are indeed believers (Muslims).”
(Quran 5:112)
When they saw Jesus’ reaction his disciples tried to
explain their words. Initially they said “we wish to eat thereof.”
They may have been very hungry and wanting God to
satidfy their need. Asking God to provide us with sustenance is acceptable,
for God is the Provider, the One from Whom all provision emanates. Then disciples
went on to say “and to satisfy our hearts.”
They meant that their faith would become even stronger
if they saw a miracle with their own eyes, and this is confirmed by their
closing statement. “And to know that you have indeed told us the truth and
that we ourselves be its witnesses.”
Although mentioned last, being a witness to the truth, and
seeing the miracles that are its supporting evidence, are the most important
justification for their request. The disciples were asking Prophet Jesus to
perform this miracle by the leave of God, so that they could be witnesses
before all of mankind. The disciples wanted to spread the message of Jesus by
proclaiming the miracles they witnessed with their own eyes.
“They said: ‘We wish to eat thereof and to satisfy our hearts,
and to know that you have indeed told us the truth and that we ourselves be its
witnesses.’ Jesus, son of Mary, said: ‘O God, our Lord! Send us from heaven a
table spread (with food) that there may be for us - for the first and the last
of us - a festival and a sign from You; and provide us sustenance, for You are
the Best of sustainers.’” (Quran 5:113-114)
Jesus asked for the miracle. He prayed to God, asking
that a table spread with food be sent down. Jesus also asked that it this be
for all of them and that it be a festival. The Arabic word used by Quran is Eid,
meaning a festival or celebration that reoccurs, weekly or yearly. Jesus
wanted his disciples, and those that came after them, to remember the blessings
of God and be thankful.
We have much to learn from the supplications made by the
Prophets and other righteous believers. Jesus’ supplication was not just for a
table spread with food, but for God to provide them with sustenance. He made it
comprehensive because food is but a small part of the sustenance provided by
the Best of Sustainers. Sustenance from God encompasses all the necessary
requirements for life including, but not limited to, food, shelter, and knowledge.
God replied:
“I am going to send it down unto you, but if any of you after
that disbelieves, then I will punish him with a torment such as I have not
inflicted on anyone among (all) the worlds of mankind and jinn.” (Quran 5:115)
Knowledge Equals Responsibility
The reason why God’s response was so absolute is that, if
you disbelieve after being provided with a sign or miracle from God, it is
worse then disbelieving without seeing the miracle. You may ask, “but why?” It
is because once one has seen the miracle one has first hand knowledge and
understanding of the omnipotence of God. The more knowledge a person has, the
more responsibility he has before God. When you have seen the signs, the
obligation to believe and spread the message of God becomes greater. God was commanding
Jesus’ disciples, on receiving this table spread with food, to be aware of the
great responsibility that they had taken upon themselves.
The day of the table did become a feast day and
celebration for the disciples and followers of Jesus, but, as time passed, the
real meaning and essence of the miracle was lost. Eventually Jesus came to be
worshipped as a god. On the Day of Resurrection, when all of mankind will
stand before God, the disciples will bear the great responsibility of knowing
the true message of Jesus. God will speak to Jesus directly and say:
“O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say unto men: ‘Worship me and
my mother as two gods besides God?’ He (Jesus) will say: Glory be to You! It
was not for me to say what I had no right. Had I said such a thing, You would
surely have known it. You know what is in my inner self though I do not know
what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All Knower of all that is
hidden and unseen. Never did I say to them aught except what You (God) did
command me to say: ‘Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.’” (Quran 5:116-117)
Those of us who have been blessed with this true message
of Jesus, the same message spread by all of the Prophets, including the last
Prophet, Muhammad, will also bear great responsibility on the Day of Resurrection.
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Jesus, son of Mary (part 4 of 5): Did Jesus really die?
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Description: This article outlines the Muslim belief concerning Jesus and the crucifixion. It also repudiates the notion of a need of ‘a sacrifice’ to pay for the original sin on behalf of mankind.
By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com)
- Published on 12 May 2008 - Last modified on 12 May 2008
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The idea of Jesus dying on the cross is central to the
Christian belief. It represents the conviction that Jesus died for the sins of
mankind. The crucifixion of Jesus is a vital doctrine in Christianity; however
Muslims reject it completely. Before describing what Muslims believe about
Jesus’ crucifixion, it may be useful to understand the Islamic reaction to the
notion of original sin.
When Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree in
paradise, they were not tempted by a serpent. Satan deceived and cajoled them,
whereupon they exercised their free will and made an error in judgement. Eve
does not bear the burden of this mistake alone. Together, Adam and Eve
realised their disobedience, felt remorse and begged for God’s forgiveness. God,
in his infinite mercy and wisdom, forgave them. Islam has no concept of
original sin, each person bears responsibility for his own deeds.
“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden”. (Quran
35:18)
There is no need for God, or a son of God or even a
Prophet of God to sacrifice himself for mankind’s sins, in order to buy
forgiveness. Islam refuses this view entirely. The foundation of Islam rests
on knowing with certainty that there is no god but God. Forgiveness emanates
from the One True God; so, when a person seeks forgiveness, he must turn to God
submissively with true remorse and beg forgiveness, promising not to repeat the
sin. Then, and only then, will sins be forgiven.
In the light of Islam’s understanding of original sin
and forgiveness we can see that Muslims believe Jesus did not come to
atone for the sins of mankind; rather, his purpose was to reaffirm the message
of the Prophets before him.
“.. None has the right to be worshipped but God, the One and
the Only True God…” (Quran 3:62)
Muslims do not believe in the crucifixion of Jesus, nor
do they believe that he died.
The Crucifixion
Jesus’ message was rejected by most of the Children of
Israel and by the Roman authorities. Those who believed formed a small band of
followers around him, known as the disciples. The children of Israel plotted and conspired against Jesus, and formulated a plan to have him assassinated.
He was to be executed in public, in a particularly gruesome manner well known
in the Roman Empire and called crucifixion.
Crucifixion was considered a shameful way to die, and
“citizens” of the Roman Empire were exempt from this punishment, designed to
not only prolong the agony of death, but to mutilate the body. The children of
Israel planned this humiliating death for their Messiah – Jesus, the
messenger of God. God, in his infinite mercy, prevented this abominable event
by putting the resemblance of Jesus on somebody else and elevating Jesus alive,
body and soul, to heaven. The Quran is silent about the exact details of just
who this person was, but we know and believe with certainty that it was not
Prophet Jesus.
Muslims believe that the Quran and the authentic
traditions of Prophet Muhammad contain all the knowledge mankind needs in order
to worship and live according to God’s commandments. Therefore, if small
details are not explained, it is because God in His infinite wisdom has judged
these details to be of no benefit to us. The Quran explains, in God’s own
words, the conspiracy against Jesus, and His plan to outwit the Children of
Israel and raise Jesus to heaven.
“And they plotted to kill Jesus and God planned too. And God
is the Best of the planners.” (Quran 3:54)
“And because of their boasting, "We killed Messiah Jesus,
son of Mary, the Messenger of God." But they killed him not, nor crucified
him, but the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man, and those who
differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge; they
follow nothing but conjecture. For surely, they killed him not. But God raised
him Jesus up unto Himself. And God is Ever All Powerful, All Wise.” (Quran
4:157)
Jesus Did Not Die
The children of Israel and the Roman authorities were
not able to harm Jesus. God says clearly that He took Jesus up to Himself and
cleared him of the false statements made in Jesus’ name.
“O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear
you of the forged statement that Jesus is God’s son.” (Quran 3:55)
In the previous verse, when God said He “will take”
Jesus, he uses the word mutawaffeeka. Without a clear understanding of
the richness of the Arabic language, and knowledge of the levels of meaning in
many words, it may be possible to misunderstand God’s meaning. In the Arabic
language today the word mutawaffeeka is sometimes used to denote death,
or even sleep In this verse of Quran, however, the original meaning is used
and the comprehensiveness of the word denotes that God raised Jesus to himself,
completely. Thus, he was alive at his ascenscion, body and soul, without any
injury or defect.
Muslims believe Jesus is not dead, and that he will
return to this world in the last days before the Day of Judgement. Prophet
Mohammad said to his companions:
“How will you be when the son of Mary, Jesus
descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not
by the law of Gospel.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
God reminds us in the Quran that the Day of Judgement is
a Day that we cannot avoid and cautions us that the descent of Jesus is a sign
of its nearness.
“And he, Jesus, son of Mary shall be a known sign for the Hour.
Therefore have no doubt concerning it. And follow Me! This is the Straight
Path.” (Quran 43:61)
Therefore, the Islamic belief about Jesus’ crucifixion
and death is clear. There was a plot to crucify Jesus but it did not succeed;
Jesus did not die, but ascended to heaven. In the last days leading up to the
Day of Judgement Jesus will return to this world and continue his message.
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Jesus, son of Mary (part 5 of 5): People of the Book
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Description: An overview of some of the terms the Quran use for Jesus and his followers from before the advent of Muhammad: the “Bani Israeel”, “Eissa” and the “People of the Book”.
By Aisha Stacey (© 2008 IslamReligion.com)
- Published on 12 May 2008 - Last modified on 12 May 2008
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After reading and understanding what Muslims believe
about Jesus, son of Mary, there may be some questions that come to mind, or
issues that need clarification. You may have read the term “People of the Book”
and not been completely clear about what this meant. Likewise, while exploring
the literature available about Jesus you could have come across the name Eissa
and wondered if Jesus and Eissa were the same person. If you are
considering investigating a little further or perhaps reading the Quran, the
following points may be of interest.
Who is Eissa?
Eissa is Jesus. Perhaps because of the
difference in pronunciation, many people may not be aware that, when they hear
a Muslim talking about Eissa, he is actually talking about Prophet
Jesus. The spelling of Eissa may take many forms – Isa, Esa, Essa, and
Eissa. The Arabic language is written in Arabic characters, thus any
transliteration system tries to reproduce the phonetic sound. No matter what
the spelling, all indicate Jesus, the Messenger of God.
Jesus and his people spoke Aramaic, a language from the
Semitic family. Spoken by more than 300 million people throughout the Middle East,
North Africa and the Horn of Africa, Semitic languages include, among others,
Arabic and Hebrew. The use of the word Eissa is actually a closer translation
of the Aramaic word for Jesus – Eeshu. In Hebrew this translates to Yeshua.
Translating the name Jesus into non Semitic languages
complicated things. There was no “J” in any language until the fourteenth
century, so consequently,
when the name Jesus was translated into Greek, it became Iesous, and in Latin,
Iesus. Later, the “I”
and “J” were used interchangeably, and finally the name transitioned into
English as Jesus. The final “S” on the end is indicative of the Greek language
where all male names end in “S”.
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Aramaic
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Arabic
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Hebrew
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Greek
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Latin
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English
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Eeshu
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Eisa
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Yeshua
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Iesous
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Iesus
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Jesus
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Who are the People of the Book?
When God refers to the People of the Book, He is talking
mainly about the Jews and the Christians. In the Quran, the Jewish people are called
the Children of Israel or Bani Israeel. These distinctive groups follow,
or followed, the revelation of God as it was revealed in the Torah and the
Injeel. You may also hear the Jews and Christians referred to as “the People
of the Scripture”.
Muslims believe the divinely revealed books before the Quran
have been lost in antiquity, or changed and distorted, but they also recognize
that the true followers of Moses and Jesus were Muslims, who worshiped One God
with true submission. Jesus, son of Mary, came to confirm the message of Moses,
and to guide the Children of Israel back to the straight path. Muslim’s believe
the Jews (Children of Israel) denied Jesus’ mission and message, and the Christians
incorrectly raised him to the status of a god.
“O people of the Scripture! Exceed not the limits in your
religion other than the truth, and do not follow the vain desires of people who
went astray in times gone by, and who misled many, and strayed from the Right
Path.” (Quran 5:77)
We have already
discussed in previous parts how the Quran deals extensively with Prophet Jesus
and his mother Mary. However, the Quran also includes many verses where God
speaks directly to the People of the Book, particularly those who call
themselves Christians.
The Christians and Jews
are told not to criticise the Muslims for no reason other than believing in One
God, but God also draws attention to the fact that Christians (those who follow
Christ’s teaching) and Muslims have much in common, including their love and
respect for Jesus and all of the Prophets.
“.. and you will find the nearest in love to the believers
those who say: ‘We are Christians.’ That is because amongst them are priests
and monks, and they are not proud. And when they listen to what has been sent
down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the
truth they have recognised. They say: Our Lord! We believe; so write us down
among the witnesses.” (Quran 5:83)
Like Jesus, son of Mary, the Prophet Muhammad came to
confirm the message of all the Prophets before him; he called the people to
worship the One God. His mission, however, was different from the earlier Prophets,
(Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others) in one respect. Prophet Muhammad came
for all of mankind while the Prophets before him came specifically for
their own people. The advent of Prophet Muhammad and the revelation of the
Quran completed the religion that had been revealed to the People of the Book.
And God spoke to Prophet Muhammad in the Quran and
beseeched him to call to the People of the Book by saying:
“Say O Muhammad ‘O people of the Scripture (Jews and
Christians): Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship
none but God (Alone), and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none
of us shall take others as lords besides God.’” (Quran 3:64)
Prophet Muhammad said to his companions, and thus to all
of mankind:
“I am the nearest of all the people to the son of
Mary, and all the Prophets are brothers and there is none between me and him.”
And: “If a man believes in Jesus and
then believes in me he will get double reward.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Islam is a religion
of peace, respect and tolerance, and it applies a just and compassionate
attitude towards other religions, particularly in respect to the People of the
Book.
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