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The Person of Christ in the Gospel and the Qur'an

Christ In Islam

Christ is mentioned 93 times in 15 verses of the Qur'an. Muslim thinking reverts to these verses whenever the Person of Christ comes under discussion.

Most of the time Muslim theologians resorted to the Christian text in their interpretation of these verses. They accepted from this text only that which seemed to agree with Muslim thought and always refused any attempt to find agreement between the Gospel and the Qur'an due to the differences between the basic beliefs and traditional stories set forth in the two books. In their endeavour to uphold the validity of the Qur'an, they allege the alteration (corruption) of the Gospel whenever its text contradicts the Qur'an.

In this discussion I will try to show Qur'anic thought in its gradual development when it opposes the Christian doctrines. It is possible for me to begin with the statement that anyone who investigates the text of the Qur'an will notice that the first Qur'anic verses from the Meccan period were very sympathetic to Christianity and were favourably disposed to Christ and His followers, to clergymen and monks. By the end of Muhammd's period in Medina the verses had bacome harsh, being hosile to Chistians and rejecting the deity of Christ completely. Muhammad saw in the dogma of the Trinity that which conflicts with the unity of God which Islam proclaims and on which its message is based. There are a number of verses in the Qur'an which criticise severely the doctrine of the Trinity, accuse the Christians of Polytheism, of associating partners with God and of exaggeration in their religion.

Perhaps Muhammad was disturbed by the Trinity held by some heretical Christian sects which were scattered throuthout the Arabian peninsula, which consisted of God, His partner Mary and her son 'Isa. Even though no true Christian has ever stated such an idea, the Muslims have made a great issue of it which they have never abandoned inspite of all the explanations given by Christians on every possible occasion.

There is also another deep-rooted problem. The reason for this is a verse in the Qur'an which says: Remember 'Isa, Son of Mary, said 'O: children of Israel! Lo! I am the Emissary (Apostle, Ambassador) of Allah unto you, confirming that which is in My Hands from the Torah, and proclaiming good tidings of an Emissary who cometh after Me whose name is Ahmad (the Most Praised One).' Yet when He came to them with proofs they said 'This is pure magic' (Sura al-Saffat 37:6).

In a conversation Abu Jaafar al Tabari quoted from Muawiyeh ben Salih and Sa'id ben Suwaid and Al Ala bin Hilal al Sulami and I'rbad bin Sariah, saying:

I heard the Emissary of Allah say, 'With God I am foreordained to be the seal of the prophets. Really Adam is mixed with the earth. I will inform you first that my father Abraham prayed and 'Isa also proclaimed about me and there was the vision which my mother saw. Likewise the mothers of the prophets saw that when my mother bore me, a great light issued from her, enough to light the palaces of Damacus.'

Muslims take this statement literally, and as the Gospel is devoid of any indication of a prophecy concerning Muhammad or any statement that Christ spoke of him, they say the Injil is corrupted.

There is a third difficulty. The reason for it is the belief of Christians in the Gospel account of Christ's suffering and his crucifixion as a basic truth of their religion. The Qur'an denies the crucifixion because it says the following about the Jews: Because of their saying 'We slew the Messiah, 'Isa the Son of Mary' - they slew him not nor crucified him but it appeared to them as if it was so, and lo! those who disagree concerning him are themselves in doubt about him; they have no knowledge of him other than the following of an openion; they definitely did not slay him, but Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever mighty, wise (Sura al-Nisa' 4:157).

There is a fourth difficulty: The Christians belief that Christ is the Son of God. The Qur'an has condemned this belief in a series of verses which I will mention in their appropriate places in this booklet, along with the interpretations and comments of scholars.

Distinctive Characteristics Of Christ In The Qur'an

In spite of the opposition of Islam to the basic Christian doctrines the Qur'an acknowledges that Christ's attributes and dignity put him on a higher level than human beings. These characteristics were manifested in his way of life and conduct, his message and his person. When we compare these characteristics with those of the prophets and apostles in the Qur'an, we see that it does not give any of them, (not even Muhammad himself those special characteristics pertaining to Christ).

  1. His Miraculous Conception

    We read in the Qur'an, And Mary, daughter of Imran, whose womb was chaste, therefore We breathed therein from Our Spirit. And she put faith in the words of the Lord and His Scriptures, and was from the obedient (Sura al-Tahrim 66:12. See also Sura al-Anbiya' 21:91.).

    Al Fakhr al Razi says, We breathed therein of our Spirit means in 'Isa, as 'Isa was in her abdomen. There is disagreement over who breathed. Some say the breathing was from Allah - as Allah says, We breathed therein of Our Spirit. Others say that the one who breathed was Gabriel, because it is said in a statement attributed to Gabriel, I grant to you.

    There is also disagreement over the manner of this breathing. There is the saying of Wahb that Gabriel breathed into her breast and it reached her womb. Another version is that he breathed into the hem of her garment and she conceived. Al Saddi said, He took hold of her sleeve and breathed into her side, and it entered her breast and she conceived. Then Mary's sister, the wife of Zachariah, came to visit and help her, and while she was assisting her she knew that Mary was pregnant, and Mary mentioned her state to her. The wife of Zachariah said 'I find the child in my womb worship that which is in yours.' Thus the statement (believing in the Word of Allah). Another version holds that the breathing was in her mouth and reached her womb and immediately she conceived.

    Ibn Abbas said, Gabriel opened the inner garment with his fingers and breathed inside. The saying, whose body was chaste means she kept herself chaste and maintained her virtue, and, We breathed therein of our Spirit means the breathing was into the opening of her garment. It is also said, We (i.e., Allah) created whatever appears in it (womb of Mary).

    Mu'qatil, in his explanation of the words, She believed in the words of her Lord, said they mean, in 'Isa. And Hasan, when reading the Qur'an, indicated this by substituting Word of the Lord, for Words 'Isa is called the Word of Allah in a number of places in the Qur'an.

  2. His Miraculous Birth

    The Qur'an mentions this conversation between the virgin Mary and the angel of the Lord when he came with the announcement of Christ's birth. He said, 'I am a messenger of the Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless boy;' she said 'How can I have a boy when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste.' He said, 'So it will be.' Thy Lord says, 'It is easy for me. And we will make him a revelation to mankind and a mercy from us, and it is a thing ordained' (Sura Maryam 19:19-21).

    Al Baidawi has commented on the miraculous birth of Jesus saying, That distinction sets Christ apart from other humans and messengers, because he was born without any human embrace or relationship.

    But Al Fakhr al Razi comments on the subject thus:

    1. Concerning the words, I bestow on thee a faultless boy, he said, Faultless means three things: first, that he is without sin; second, that he grew in integrity, as it is said that he who has no sin is chaste and in the growing plant there is purity; third, he was above reproach and pure.

    2. We make him a revelation for mankindmeans his birth is a sign to mankind, as he was born without a father. A mercy from Us means mankind will be blessed by the manifestation of these signs for they will be overwhelming indications of his truthfulness and will make the acceptance of his word more likely.

    Al Imam Abu Jaafar al Tabari said in explanation of the words faultless boy, basing it on the saying of Abu Amr, the chaste boy is pure from sin. Thus the Arabs say, a youth pure and chaste, outstanding and excellent.

  3. He was Blessed of God

    We read in Sura Maryam these words as spoken by Christ, He hath made Me blessed wherever I may be (Sura Maryam 19:30).

    Al Tabari, quoting Yunus ibn Abd al Ala and Sufyan said the explanation of hath made Me blessed means He hath made me a 'teacher of good.'

    Suleiman bin Abd al Jabbar, quoting Muhammad bin Yazid bin Hunais al Makhzoumi, said, I heard Ibn al Ward, a slave of the Bani Makhzoum say, A scholar encountered another more learned than himself and, after greeting him, said What should be manifested from my knowledge? He said The doing of good and the refraining from the forbidden. This is the religion of Allah, which he sent through his prophets to mankind. Scholars have agreed on the saying of Allah He hath made Me (i.e. 'Isa) blessed, wheresoever I be.

  4. He was supported by the Holy Spirit

    We read in Sura al-Baqara 2:253, We gave 'Isa, son of Mary, clear proofs and we supported him with the Holy Spirit.

    Ibn Abbas said, The Holy Spirit is the name by which 'Isa was raising the dead. Abu Muslim said, The Holy Spirit by whom he was supported was probably the pure Spirit, which Allah breathed into him, and by which he distinguished him from whose whom he created in a normal manner from man and woman.

    We read in Sura al-Nisa' 4:170, The Messiah, 'Isa, son of Mary, is a messenger of Allah, and his Word which he conveyed unto Mary and a spirit from him. So believe in Allah and his messengers.

    The substance of these verses is that Alllah gave 'Isa a spirit in his person and this spirit supported him in his personality. But Muslim scholars have differed in the explanation of the Holy Spirit by whom he was supported.

    Ibn Ines said, He is the Spirit which was breathed into Christ. Allah related him to himself, honouring him (Christ) and setting Him apart. The 'Holy' is God, and the saying 'We breathed in him of our Spirit' is indicative of this.

    Al Suddi and Kaab said, The Holy Spirit is Gabriel, and his support of 'Isa consisted in being his companion and friend, helping and accompanying him wherever he went, until he was taken up into heaven.

    Ibn Jubair said, Spirit of the Holy is the supreme name for Allah and by it 'Isa was raising the dead.

    Al Qashani said, Allah purposed to cleanse the body of 'Isa from inherent impurities and he was an incarnate spirit in an ideal and spiritual body. He (Allah) cleansed his spirit and purified him from being influenced by natural instincts and environmental characteristics, so that he could be supported by the Holy Spirit in whose form he was.

    Ibn A'ta said, The most excellent plants are those whose fruits are like 'Isa, the Spirit of God.

    Ibn Abbas said, As it was, the Spirit which was breathed into him and the Holy One is Allah, so he is the spirit of Allah.

  5. His Ascension at the time of His Death

    We read that, Allah said, 'O 'Isa, lo, I amd gathering You and causing You to ascend to me and am cleansing You of those who disbelieve' (Sura al Imran 3:55).

    Al Fakhri al Razi said, There are many interpretations of this verse, of which we quote two.

    1. The meaning of 'I will cause you to ascend' is that Allah would take him to the place of his honour, and make that ascension honour and exaltation to 'Isa.

      Similar to this is the saying I go to My Lord, which is taken from the Gospel.

    2. The interpretation of 'causing you to ascend unto me' means that Allah was raising him to a place where no one could judge him, for on earth men pass various kinds of judgement on one another, but in heaven there is no true or omniscient Judge except Allah.

  6. The Infallibility of His Message and His Way of Life

    Some people imagine that infallibility of message is definitely linked with infallibility of conduct, but the verses of the Qur'an contradict this idea. We read many verses which make it clear that the prophets' lives were not without blame, neither before nor after their message. But in the Qur'an Christ's life was infallible, as was his message. The angel witnessed to that when he said to his mother, I am the messenger of your Lord and I bestow on you a faultless child. Al Baidawi said in his comments on the word faultless that 'Isa advanced intellectually from year to year.

  7. Signs proved the uniqueness of His message

    As his message was made unique by the support of the Holy Spirit so it was also unique in the multiplicity and character of the signs attending it, which exceeded those given to any other messenger. We read, We gave 'Isa, son of Mary, clear proofs (Sura al-Baqara 2:253). The proofs were the miracles.

    Al Baidawi said, Allah bestowed on him a special assignment and made His miracles a reason for his preference above other messengers. They were clear signs and great wonders unequalled in number by any other.

  8. His Omniscience

    The Qur'an says, When the Son of Mary is quoted as an example, your people alienate themselves from Him. Surely he is a sign for the hour (i.e., Day of Judgement) (Sura al-Zukhruf 43:57,61).

    Al Jalalan said in his explanation of the phrase 'a sign for the Hour': seeing as 'Isa was a Sign for the hour, he know when it (the day of Judgement) would come. When we remember that people generally recognize that Allah is separate from his creation in that he alone knows the times, we comprehend the distinction which the Qur'an assigns especially to Christ.

  9. He is the Mediator near to Allah

    The Qur'an confines the work of intercession to Allah alone, when it says: Unto Allah belongs all intercession. (Sura al-Zumat 39:4) Another verse of the Qur'an hints that intercession is also one of the privileges of Christ when it says, Remember when the angel said, 'O Mary, lo, Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, 'Isa, Son of Mary, an outstanding personality in the world and in the hereafter, and one of those brought near' (Sura al Imran 3:44).

Al Jalalan said in explanation of this verse, Outstanding in this world by the ministry of prophecy, and in the hereafter by intercession and position and being one of those brought near unto Allah.

Al Tabari, quoting Ibn Humaid and Salama and Ibn Ishaq and Muhammad bin Jaafar, said, 'outstanding in the world' means possessor of dignity and living close to Allah in the world. The words 'in the hereafter and among those brought near' mean that he is one of those whom Allah brings near to himself on the Day of Resurrection, and who will dwell close to him.

Al Razi said concerning 'Isa, He was outstanding in the world because he obeyed the call of Allah and raised the dead, healed the blind and the leper, and will be outstanding in the hereafter because Allah will make him an intercessor for his people.

However the saying one brought near has various viewpoints.

First, that Allah had made the position of being near to him a great privilege for the angels and would admit 'Isa to their rank and dignity. Second, this description is an announcement that he would be raised to heaven and associated with angels.

Third, not every outstanding person in the hereafter would be close to Allah, because those in paradise are of various ranks and degrees.

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