Jesus^as in Islam

Imam Sahib began his speech by saying that the topic of Jesus^as in Islam was a very delicate one. We have full respect for the views of Christians on Jesus^as. Islam requires Muslims to show the utmost respect and dignity for people’s views, even if the views are totally different to the Islamic views. The purpose of this talk today is not to offend or displease anyone. The purpose is to share views to understand what the differences are between faiths. Jesus^as was a historical person who lived 2,000 years ago and according to Muslims, a noble prophet of God. Imam Sahib read out several passages from the Holy Qur’an about Jesus^as.

“And remember when the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah has chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above the women of all peoples. ‘O Mary, be obedient to thy Lord and prostrate thyself and worship God alone with those who worship….When the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah gives thee glad tidings of a word from Him; his name shall be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honoured in this world and in the next, and of those who are granted nearness to God. And he shall speak to the people in the cradle and when of middle age, and he shall be of the righteous” (Al-Imran, 3:43-47)

 This quote shows that Jesus^as was born as a glad tiding and had a nearness to God.

 “She (Mary) said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me, neither have I been unchaste?’ He replied, ‘Thus it is.’ But says thy Lord, ‘It is easy for Me; and We shall do so that We may make him a Sign unto men, and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing decreed.’ So she conceived him, and withdrew with him to a remote place.” (Maryam, 19:21-23)

 Miracles (such as the miraculous birth of Jesus^as) are shown by prophets to prove the authority of God. Any miracles are from God, not that prophet. Jesus^as also showed miracles. For example, when the Bible talks about Jesus^as bringing people back to life, this means people who were spiritually dead being brought back to life, not people who were physically dead. Jesus^as also did not bring a new law as he came under the Mosaic Law. Jesus’s^as message was only to the Children of Israel and he always said there was only one God. 

“And the pains of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of a palm-tree. She said, ‘O! would that I had died before this and had become a thing quite forgotten!’ Then he called her from beneath her, saying, “Grieve not. Thy Lord has placed a rivulet below thee; “And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm tree; it will cause fresh ripe dates to fall upon thee. So eat and drink, and cool thy eye. And if thou seest any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to the Gracious God; I will therefore not speak this day to any human being.” (19:24-27)

 The Holy Qur’an points out a common mistake in the belief that Jesus^as was born in December. The verse mentions “ripe dates” on the palm tree. Dates are only ripe at the end of July or beginning of August, so Jesus^as was actually born in the summer. This fact is also accepted by many Christians.

 “He Jesus^as  said, ‘I am a servant of Allah. He has given me the Book, and made me a Prophet… And peace was on me the day I was born, and peace there will be on me the day I shall die, and the day I shall be raised up to life again” (Maryam, 19:31-34)

 This does not refer to the crucifixion and resurrection. When the verse says “raised” it means when on the Day of Judgement all people will be raised by God, back to life again.

 “And they say, ‘Allah has taken to Himself a son.’ Holy is He! Nay, everything in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. To Him are all obedient.” (al-Baqarah 2:117)

 This verse shows that Jesus^as was not the literal son of God. The Bible uses the term “son of God” 86 times in the new testament. Whenever this term is used it refers to a “beloved of God”. Muslims say that Jesus^as was definitely a beloved of God, but not literally the son of God. The concept of Trinity (3 gods, the father, the son and the holy ghost) is not mentioned anywhere in the new or old testament and this message was not given by Jesus^as. Jesus^as s only presented the unity of one God.

 “And when Allah will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary, didst thou say to men, ‘Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah?’”, he will answer, “Holy art Thou. I could never say that to which I had no right. If I had said it, Thou wouldst have surely known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy mind. It is only Thou Who art the Knower of hidden things. “I said nothing to them except that which Thou didst command me — ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them, but since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher over them; and Thou art Witness over all things.” (al-Ma'idah, 5:117-118)

  This verse again shows that Jesus^as never promoted the concept of any other God, other that the One Creator.

The whole philosophy of Christianity is based on the death of Jesus^as on the cross, so Jesus^as died for the sins of mankind. In the Holy Qur’an it says: 

“And their saying, ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it; they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert thisconjecture into a certainty” (al-Nisa, 4:158)

 Some Muslims wrongly believe that another person who looked like Jesus^as was put on the cross and crucified, whilst Christians believe Jesus^as himself died on the cross. The Holy Qur’an rejects both these beliefs and says Jesus^as was a noble Prophet who was saved from the cross. Jesus^as had in fact fainted whilst on the cross and become unconscious. However he did not die on the cross and was saved from crucifixion.

 “And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign, and gave them refuge on an elevated land of green valleys and springs of running water.” (al-Mu'minun, 23:51)

 This verse shows that Jesus^as recovered from being put on the cross and travelled East to Kashmir, with his mother Mary and some disciples. His purpose was to search and preach to the lost sheep of Israel. If Jesus^as had not done this, he would not have fulfilled his mission which he clearly stated was to preach only to the 12 tribes of Israel.

 Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (A, who was the Promised Messiah and founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, stated he was raised similarly to Jesus^as. He stated:

 “I have seen Hadhrat ‘Isa [Jesus], on whom be peace, several times in my dreams and have met him several times in a state of vision. He has eaten with me on the same table. Once, when I saw him, I asked him about the trial which had befallen his people. He was overwhelmed with awe and recalled the Greatness of Allah the Almighty, and started proclaiming His Glorification and Holiness. He pointed to the earth and said: ‘I am from the earth and am innocent of the allegations attributed to me.’ In short, I found him a courteous and humble man.” [Nurul-Haqq, part 1, p. 41, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 8, pp. 56–57]

  “Of the wonders which God has bestowed upon me, one is that I have met Jesus the Messiah [as] several times in a state of perfect wakefulness which is called a vision. I have talked to him and have ascertained from him the nature of his real claim and teaching. A major point, which is worth attention, is that Jesus the Messiah [as] is so disgusted with the doctrines of Atonement, Trinity, and Sonship, as if these are the great impostures that have been fashioned against him.” [Tuhfa-e-Qaisariyyah, p. 21, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 12, p. 273]

 A question and answer session then took place, with the first question being, what is the difference in Islam between Jesus^as and the Holy Prophet (saw)? Imam Sahib explained that in some respects there was no difference as both were prophets of God. However, one difference was that of status. It is not humans who determine the status of prophets, but God alone. Humans must believe in all prophets. Jesus^as mentioned himself in the Bible the coming of a great prophet, when he said the spirit of the truth will come (John, 14:17). This prophet was the Holy Prophet who brought the message of Islam for all mankind and for all time.

 The Holy Qur’an describes the Holy Prophet as:

 “Khatamun Nabiyyeen” (al-Ahzab, 33:41) which means “Seal of the prophets”.

 Hence the Holy Prophet (saw) was not an ordinary prophet but a global messenger, not just to Arabia, but his message was eternal and to all people. Therefore his status is unique and he is the greatest prophet of all. The Holy Qur’an is complete and better than other books. It is the perfect book for all time.

 Another question was what happened when Jesus^as died? The Islamic view is that Jesus^as did not die on the cross but was miraculously saved. When the Governor, Pontus Pilate was approached for the body of Jesus^as he was very surprised to hear that he was already dead (Mark,15:44). Pilate, an experienced governor who had seen many crucifixions, had deliberately delayed proceedings, so Jesus^as was only put on the cross on Friday afternoon. After only about 2/3 hours, Jesus^as had to be taken down due to the start of the Sabbath at Friday sunset. A young man of 32/33 could not have died so quickly on the cross. Jesus^as survived the cross and died a natural death around the age of 120. He was buried in Srinagar in Kashmir. There is a lot of research supporting these claims. Even the BBC have a documentary about Jesus^as which led them to Kashmir. There is a German author, Holger Kersten who wrote the book “Jesus Lived in India ” (1994).

Another question asked, can you interpret the Holy Qur’an without knowledge of Arabic? Imam Sahib explained that this is impossible without understanding Arabic. Compare trying to interpret the Bible without knowledge of Hebrew. A pious man who has knowledge and understanding of Arabic can interpret the Holy Qur’an. One person asked how everyone be resurrected on the Day of Judgement from death, when our bones will decay into dust? The reply was, the same God who created us all from nothing in the beginning will be able to raise us.

 A topical question was received about the Turin shroud. Imam Sahib stated the Pope has recently visited the Shroud in Turin, Italy, where it is back on display for the first time in over a decade. Some believe Jesus^as was wrapped in this cloth after being taken down from the cross. There are many books which argue that this cloth is fake or genuine. There was once a fire in the church storing the shroud (in 1532 in France) and the cloth was damaged. Some cloth experts were then given this shroud to repair and they patched it up. Then (in 1988) when carbon dating tests were performed on the cloth, the sample given was a repaired patch which showed the cloth was around 1200 years old (which was the age of the patch). However one separate thread from the original shroud proved to be 1,970 years old. So it has yet to be seen if this cloth is authentic or not.

 An image of the Turin Shroud

 The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by Councillor Alison Firth and then a silent prayer. Dinner was then served. 39 non-Ahmadi guests were present.