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Jesus in Islam

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

category: Prophethood

source: Islam-QA.com

reads: 9733

... continued from Page 1

"It befits not (the Majesty of) Allaah that He should beget a son (this refers to the slander of Christians against Allaah, by saying that 'Eesa (Jesus) is the son of Allaah). Glorified (and Exalted) be He (above all that they associate with Him). When He decrees a thing, He only says to it: "Be!" and it is."

"('Eesa (Jesus) said): 'And verily, Allaah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the Straight Path. (Allaah’s religion of Islâmic Monotheism which He did ordain for all of His Prophets).’"

"Then the sects differed (i.e. the Christians about 'Eesa (Jesus)), so woe unto the disbelievers (those who gave false witness by saying that 'Eesa (Jesus) is the son of Allaah) from the Meeting of a great Day (i.e. the Day of Resurrection, when they will be thrown in the blazing Fire)" [Maryam 19:34-38]

When the Children of Israel deviated from the Straight Path and overstepped the limits set by Allaah, they did wrong and spread corruption on earth, and a group among them denied the resurrection, Reckoning and punishment. They indulged in their desires and in physical pleasures without expecting to be brought to account. At that point, Allaah sent to them 'Eesa ibn Maryam as a Messenger, and taught him the Tawraat and Injeel as He says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And He (Allaah) will teach him ('Eesa (Jesus)) the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Tawraat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)."

"And will make him ('Eesa (Jesus)) a Messenger to the Children of Israel." [Aal 'Imraan 3:48]

Allaah revealed to 'Eesa ibn Maryam the Injeel (Gospel) as guidance and light, confirming that which had come before it in the Tawraat:

"...and We gave him the Injeel (Gospel), in which was guidance and light and confirmation of the Tawraat (Torah) that had come before it, a guidance and an admonition for Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)." [al-Maa’idah 5:46 – interpretation of the meaning]

'Eesa (peace be upon him) foretold the coming of a Messenger from Allaah after him, whose name would be Ahmad. This is Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And (remember) when 'Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), said: 'O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allaah unto you, confirming the Tawraat ((Torah) which came) before me, and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’ But when he (Ahmad, i.e. Muhammad) came to them with clear proofs, they said: 'This is plain magic.’" [al-Saff 61:6]

'Eesa (peace be upon him) called the Children of Israel to worship Allaah alone, and to obey the rulings of the Tawraat and Injeel… He started to dispute with them and to explain the error of their ways. When he saw how stubborn they were and how the signs of kufr were manifest among them, he stood among his people, saying, Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allaah? The disciples believed in him, and their number was twelve. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Then when 'Eesa (Jesus) came to know of their disbelief, he said: 'Who will be my helpers in Allaah’s Cause?’ Al-Hawaariyyoon (the disciples) said: 'We are the helpers of Allaah; we believe in Allaah, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we submit to Allaah).’"

"Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger ('Eesa (Jesus)); so write us down among those who bear witness (to the truth, i.e. Laa ilaaha illallaah — none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah)." [Aal 'Imraan 3:52-53]

Allaah supported 'Eesa with great miracles which remind us of the power of Allaah, lift the spirit and promote faith in Allaah and in the Last Day. He made something like the shape of a bird from clay, and blew into it, and it became a bird, by Allaah’s leave. He healed the blind and the leper, and brought the death back to life by Allaah’s leave. He told the people what they were eating and what they were storing in their houses. So the Jews to whom Allaah had sent 'Eesa became hostile towards him and tried to the people away from him, so they disbelieved in him and accused his mother of immorality.

When they saw that the weak and poor believed in him, and were gathering around him, they formed a plot to kill him. So they provoked the Romans against him, and they made the Roman governor think that the call of 'Eesa contained a threat against (Roman) power. So he (the Roman governor) issued orders that 'Eesa should be arrested and crucified. But Allaah caused a hypocrite who had betrayed him to the Romans to look like 'Eesa. The soldiers arrested him, thinking that he was 'Eesa, and crucified him. But Allaah saved 'Eesa from the cross and from death, and Allaah tells us about the Jews (interpretation of the meaning):

"And because of their saying (in boast), 'We killed Messiah 'Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allaah,’ — but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them the resemblance of 'Eesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that 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 (i.e. 'Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)):"

"But Allaah raised him ('Eesa (Jesus)) up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allaah is Ever All Powerful, All Wise." [al-Nisaa’ 4:157-158]

So Eesa (peace be upon him) did not die, rather Allaah raised him up to Himself, and he will descend before the Day of Resurrection and will follow Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He will prove the Jews to be wrong in their claim to have killed 'Eesa and crucified him. And he will prove the Christians to be wrong who exaggerated about him and said that he was God, or the son of God, or the third of three. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the son of Maryam will descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the jizyah, and money will become so widespread that there will be no one who will accept it." [Agreed upon; narrated by Muslim, no. 155]

When 'Eesa comes down before the Day of Resurrection, the People of the Book will believe in him, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him ('Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allaah and a human being) before his ('Eesa (Jesus) or a Jew’s or a Christian’s) death (at the time of the appearance of the angel of death). And on the Day of Resurrection, he ('Eesa (Jesus)) will be a witness against them." [al-Nisaa’ 4:159]

'Eesa ibn Maryam is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger. Allaah sent him to guide the Children of Israel and to call them to worship Allaah alone, as Allaah says to the Jews and Christians (interpretation of the meaning):

"O people of the Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah 'Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, ('Be!’ — and he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by Him; so believe in Allaah and His Messengers. Say not: 'Three (trinity)!’ Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allaah is (the only) One Ilaah (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 Allaah is All Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs." [al-Nisaa’ 4:171]

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