Jesus in the Quran
Christian artists down through the centuries have shown
Jesus surrounded by fluffy clouds or angels. Around his head a golden halo of
light shines, while little children and lambs are always at his feet.
On the cross, this artistic Jesus is shown suffering
terrible agonies on behalf of others, asking always that his enemies be
forgiven. The “gentle Jesus, meek and mild” of the Christian hymn books, the
blue-eyed Jesus with curly flowing hair, is the Jesus that sits in the popular
imagination.
Maybe it is because Islam has always discouraged depictions
of human beings in art that Christianity has managed to win the publicity prize
for its portrayal of Jesus (peace be upon him).
In addition to art, the Christian Church chose four of the
many Gospels that were written to describe the life of Jesus. Saint Luke’s is
perhaps the most beautiful, being a Gospel of prayer, of the poor, and of
women. The way in which Luke crafts his words makes Jesus so appealing.
Islam, on the other hand, has no artists to elevate Muhammad
(peace be upon him) to the rank of a deity. It has no Gospel writers and no
Paul to use their words to make Muhammad anything more than human. The Quran
was revealed to a man who could neither read nor write. He simply recounted
what was said as it was told to him.
The Jesus which God tells about in the Quran is quite
different from the Gospel Jesus, although there are some similarities.
Especially at Christmas time, when the depictions of Prophet Jesus are at their
most florid, we need to remind people who Jesus really was. In the Quran we
read what means:
{He [Jesus] said: “I
am indeed a servant of God. He has given me revelation and made me a prophet;
He has made me blessed wheresoever I be; and He has enjoined on me prayer and
charity as long as I live. He has 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 (again)!”
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.} (19:30–35)
In other words, according to Islam, Jesus was a prophet of
God. He belonged to a long line of prophets, calling people throughout history
to the worship of One God. These include such names as Abraham, Moses, David,
and Solomon (peace be upon them all) and, like them, he is revered and honored
by all Muslims. Whenever they mention the name of Jesus, Muslims will always
say, “Peace be upon him.”
Like the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the
Quran shows that Jesus’ birth was miraculous:
{Behold! the angels said, “Oh Mary! God gives you glad
tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary,
held in honor in this world and the Hereafter, and in (the company of) those
nearest to God. He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. He
shall be (in the company) of the righteous… And God will teach him the Book and
Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel.”} (3:45–48)
Not only did Jesus have a miraculous birth, but the Quran
also tells us that he was born of a virgin mother and that he spoke in the
cradle, that he performed miracles, and that he did not die on the cross, nor
was he raised back to life after three days.
God sent
messengers down through the ages to bring men and women back to Him. It is part
of our human nature, isn’t it, that we constantly forget, and need to be called
back to the straight path?
Different messengers were sent with different gifts, as they
needed to speak to their own people in a way that would attract them and help
them to understand. It was the special gift of Prophet Jesus that he could
perform miracles:
{I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make 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. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and I
raise the dead by God’s leave.} (3:49)
Being able to perform miracles didn’t make Jesus equal to
God. Everything he did was by God’s leave, to teach the people of Israel about
God Himself. Even these miracles, though, were not enough to convince them.
It is the belief of Islam regarding Jesus that we should
never confuse the message with the messenger. His message was to speak about
God and to show the power of God in this world and the next, but the message
didn’t make him equal to God. His miracles were his way of conveying the
message.
In fact, the Quran is quite clear about this:
{Christ, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many
were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of
truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how God makes His signs
clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!}
(5:75)
Jesus and his mother both had to eat food. They were human
beings, like you and I. Jesus was given the loftiest of tasks in being called
to speak God’s message to the world, but he remained just that: a man who ate
food.
Out of an exaggerated love for Jesus, many of his earliest
followers, encouraged by the writings of Saint Paul, began to see Prophet Jesus
as something more than human, a god.
They confused the beautiful message he brought with the One
who sent it. They saw his gift of being able to calm the winds and the seas, or
his gift of curing the sick, as indicating that he was more than just a man.
The Quran is quite clear about that, Jesus was a great prophet, but he was no more than
that. He did not die on the cross, nor was he raised to life after three days,
but he was a man.
One of the greatest men, yes. A man with very special gifts,
yes. A man whom they revere as a great prophet, yes, but not a god. There is no
God but Allah.
In summary of all this, the Quran tells us what God will say
to Jesus n the Last Day, when He Almighty calls all people to Himself:
{And behold! God will say [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.”} (5:116-17)
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About Idris Tawfiq
Idris Tawfiq was a British writer, public speaker and
consultant.He became a Muslim around 15 years ago.For many years, he was head
of religious education in different schools in the United Kingdom.Before
embracing Islam, he was a Roman Catholic priest.He passed away in peace in the
UK in February 2016 after a period of illness.May Allah (SWT) have mercy on
him, and accept his good deeds. Ameen.
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