Prophet JESUS (Peace Be Upon Him)

I thought of writing a note on theology/philosophy after a long pause. Since we're in the midst of all this politics , I felt it has hindered my motivation towards my spiritual side ! So this is a come back note, liberation from stagnation due to worldly matters... and i thought the dawn of Christmas should be the best time to post this !

Jesus A.S is a very important figure in theology, he is a milestone , not merely due to the supernatural phenomena associated to and with him, but also because today, he stands between Judaism and Christianity, and also Islam and Christianity , TRUE these three semitic religions have so many (but so little) differences, yet, what I'm talking about is, the substantial difference, that separates (ironically) and also unites these three Faiths (originated from the same root, God)

Man through out the history has managed to confuse the message of God, because at some point of time, some managed to alter or excaggarate the message of God and make people follow and believe what they wanted to believe !

The Bible, and The Qur'an both confirm this

"And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matthew 15:9)

"Such teachings often come from false teachers dressed in sheep's clothing who are really ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:13,14)

"Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from God," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby" (Qur'an 2:79)

This was always possible, when the message delivered by the respective prophets were not properly preserved !

Here I will be discussing what MUSLIMS believe about Jesus A.S (and probably might write about Christians and Jews perspective later, Insha Allah)

Maryam aka Mary A.S is introduced to us in ~Surah Ale Imran~

Behold! a woman of 'Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things. When she was delivered, she said: "O my Lord! Behold! I am delivered of a female child!"- and Allah knew best what she brought forth- "And no wise is the male Like the female. I have named her Mary, and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection from the Evil One, the Rejected.
Right graciously did her Lord accept her: He made her grow in purity and beauty: To the care of Zakariya was she assigned. Every time that he entered (Her) chamber to see her, He found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Mary! Whence (comes) this to you?" She said: "From Allah. for Allah Provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure."

***We consider Mary A.S to be one of the most respected women of Islam, A special Qur'anic chapter has been dedicated to her name***

The Birth of Jesus A.S is described beautifully in ~Surah Maryam~ chapter 19 of the Qur'an ,

Surah Maryam, starts with Kaf.Ha.Ya.'Ain.Sad four letters (Only Allah knows what they really mean) , and then we are introduced to the story of Zachariah A.S , who himself was a man of God, He was very old, and his wife was barren ,

The Qur'aan says

"Behold ! He (Zachariah) cried to his Lord in secret"
Praying: "O my Lord! infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head doth glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee! Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself,-
And God blessed Zachariah A.S with a child, named Yahya (JOHN THE BAPTIST)
"(His prayer was answered): "O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: on none by that name have We conferred distinction before."

So imagine, Prophet Muhammad S.A.W reciting these verses to his followers, where most of them were non-Christians, mostly from Jewish, and Pagan background ! The intial verses are about a MIRACLE , An old man, and a barren old woman begetting a healthy son ! Then the subsequent verses give a brief description about Yahya/John A.S and then we have the most beautiful, description of the introduction of Mary A.S , please read it, see how the 270-280 day experience has been described in a nutshell,

Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East

She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent 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 holy 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 (so) decreed."

So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place
And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: She cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"
But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;

And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: It will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into not talk with any human being'
At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

(The same incident is described (not dramatically) but briefly in Surah Ale Imran verse 43-51)

CONCLUSION: We believe in the immaculate conception of Mary A.S and the miraculous Birth of Jesus A.S with 0% doubt ! We believe it without proof ! ----------(1)

Then the Qur'an explains the subsequent situation, the issues Mary A.S had to face, naturally, when a virgin, who is not married, comes back with a baby, people tend to Question her, insult her, attack her, the people said

"O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste! "

People were telling that, her family was not reputed for such immoral acts, the people were puzzled as to how this good lady suddenly committed fornication (which she did not), then the most amazing thing happens

But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"

She points her finger at little Jesus A.S , like a small child pointing her finger at her parent, "let the child answer" now this may have sounded absurd, people would have laughed, admonished and also blooguarded her, when all these were happening, the little infant speaks

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا

"He said: "I am indeed a servant of God. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;
And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live;
(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;
So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (On the day of Judgement along with the other souls)!

Imagine ! An infant speaking to a people who were insulting his mother ! BANG ! He would have just foxed them ! remember, people saw this ! this is why people started believing in him, Jesus A.S was no ordinary humanbeing who just accumilated some followers by teaching a few good things !

CONCLUSION: We believed that he spoke as an infant ! And that he was a mighty messenger of Allah ----------(2)

But then God clearly says in the Qur'an in the following verse

"It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.

this statement is backed by The Bible ,

Job 25:4-6

"How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!"

Now we clearly know who is MAN and who is SON OF MAN (Jesus A.S is mentioned as Son Of Man 83 times in the New Testament, and mentioned as SON OF GOD 13 times)

CONCLUSION: We do not believe that, Jesus A.S was the begotten son of God, we believe that the word son of God is used as a phrase of respect, the same was used to David A.S aswell, see Psalms 2:7 , Exodus 4:22 etc -----------(3)

We then goto the maturity stage of his life,

The Quran says in Surah Ale Imran verse 53 onwards

When Jesus found Unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be My helpers to (the work of) God." Said the disciples: "We are God's helpers: We believe in God, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.
Our Lord! we believe in what Thou hast revealed, and we follow the Messenger. then write us down among those who bear witness"

Jesus A.S preached the word of God, and whenever he saw disbelief, like every prophet, he questioned it ! He admonished the wrongdoers ! He rectified the mistakes !

But since Jesus A.S was sent to a people who always questioned the clear signs of God, Jesus A.S was blessed with many miracles , they being

1. Giving life to a clay bird (this is not even mentioned in the New Testament, but it has been recorded in a non canonical gospel)

“I create for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with God’s permission.” (Quran 3:49)

2. Healing The Blind And The Leper

"I also heal the blind and the leper.” (Quran 3:49)

3. Giving Life To The Dead (Lazarus)

“…and I bring to life the dead, by the permission of God.” (Quran 3:49)

4. Ability to tell what people had eaten

“I inform you too of what things you eat, and what you store up in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” (Quran 3:49)

5. Bringing down a table of Food

When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Is your Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to God, if ye are true believers. They said: We desire to eat of it and our hearts be at rest, and that We may know that you have spoken truth to us, and that We may be witnesses thereof. Jesus, son of Mary, said: 'O God, our Lord, send down for us a Table laden with food out of heaven, that shall be for us a recurring festival, the first and last of us, and a miracle from You. And provide us our sustenance, for You are the best of providers!” (Quran 5:112-114)

Now quoting from the Bible for a comparison

And Jesus said to him,

‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. (From the NIV Bible, Mark 10:18)"

"For of a truth against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou hast anointed...." (Acts 4:27 RSV)

"The God of Abraham, and of Isaac,.... hath glorified his servant Jesus." (Acts 3:13 RSV)

Ok that's enough to explain our stand, and back it with biblical proof, p.s If you feel this is quoted out of context, you can refer all the translations by visiting Biblegateway.com , So the next conclusion

CONCLUSION: We believe, Jesus A.S is a servant of God, just like Muhammad S.A.W or anyother prophet ! We believe he performed miracles , that he gave life to the dead, that he cured the blind etc etc, Just like Moses A.S separated the Sea, It was a blessing from God, And the Bible also says the same "I cast out devils with the finger of God" i.e with the leave of God -----------(4)

Then we come to the end of his journey on Earth, Jesus A.S preached the concept of God, but the ruler of then Jewish community, was a Roman, it should be pontius pilate/Herod if I'm not mistaken ! They did not like Jesus A.S, because, he rebelled against those who were into idol worship and worship of men and kings, especially the Roman empire ! So they plotted against Jesus A.S, let's see what the Qur'an has to say on this

Going back to Qur'an Surah Ale Imran aayah 54-55

"And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned (Against Jesus A.S), and God too planned, and the best of planners is God."

Behold! God said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute"

and then we all know what happens next, The crucifixion, The Qur'an gives a crystal clear, straight forward, no nonsense reply to this question ( What Happened To Jesus ? )

Qur'an Chapter Of Women, verse 157 says

"Waqawlihim inna qatalna almaseeha eesa ibna maryama rasoola Allahi wama qataloohu wama salaboohu walakin shubbiha lahum wainna allatheena ikhtalafoo feehi lafee shakkin minhu ma lahum bihi min AAilmin illa ittibaAAa alththanni wama qataloohu yaqeenan"

meaning

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah.;- 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:-

CONCLUSION: We believe he was attacked by the disbelievers, he was ill-treated, but We do not believe he was Crucified, According to Islam Jesus A.S was raised to God , at some point of tim, BEFORE he died ! How Did God Do That? GOD KNOWS BEST ! The Qur'aan clearly says 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 -----------(5)

And then, Qur'an tells us that Jesus A.S will return during the latter part of the end of days, plus the ahadeeths tell us that he will lead the muslims/believers against the Dajjal, better known as the anti christ ! he will then rule the world for few years, and it is said that those years will be peaceful and serene ! He will then die, and will be burried next to the prophet Muhammad S.A.W (correct me if im wrong http://www.jesuswillreturn.com/s2_e.html)

This is what we believe about Jesus A.S , Both Christians and Muslims are aware that December 25 is not the true birthday of Jesus A.S , it was due to some pagan intervention (probably influence of mperor Constantine) , but still , we can use today as a day to ponder over the life story of this great man, peace, SHALOM / SALAM !

God Bless You ! Muslims and Christians Unite Under The Flag , THIESM !

Prophet JESUS (Peace Be Upon Him)