XIV. Eleven Facts about Jesus In Islamic Teachings

XIV. Eleven Facts about Jesus In Islamic Teachings

The Qur‘an does not present a detailed biography of Jesus (peace be upon him). However, it does highlight the important aspects of his birth, his miracles, his mission and his ascension. The Qur‘anic account of Jesus' ministry confirms most of his miracles mentioned in the Bible and identifies some not mentioned in the Bible. What we know about the prophet Jesus Christ can be divided into two

topics: his personality and his message. Eleven facts are detailed below.

What you should know about Jesus

1- The status of Jesus in Islam    

Islam teaches that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is one of the most respected prophets because of his efforts in spreading the Word of Allah. It displays a true spirit of love towards him and his mother Mary. There is not a single disparaging remark against the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) or any other prophet in the entire Qur‘an,

nor in other Islamic literature or Islamic history books. As an evidence of praise for Jesus (peace be upon him) is that the story of Jesus (peace be upon him) and his mother is 

mentioned in three places in the Qur‘an: Chapters 3, 4 and 19. In fact, Chapter 19, an entire chapter of the Qur‘an, is called ‗Maryam‘ (Mary) in her honour.46

Another evidence of praise is that the name of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is mentioned 25 times in the Qur‘an; this is in contrast to the mention of Prophet 

Muhammad (peace be upon him), whose name is mentioned only 5 times. This proves that Islam honours all prophets for the message they have in common; it did not discard one prophet with the advent of another.

Jesus (peace be upon him) is referred to in the Qur‘an with many titles, Ibn Maryam (the Son of Mary), the Messiah (the anointed one), ‗Abdullâh (slave of Allah), and Rasool Allâh (the messenger of Allah).

This praise and glorification agree with what Jesus (peace be upon him) is reported to have said in John 14:1647 describing the prophet that would succeed him: “He will glorify me.”

2. The Beginning of his Lineage

The Qur‘anic account of Jesus (peace be upon him) starts with the story of his mother, Mary. When she conceived her, the mother of Mary vowed to dedicate her child (Mary) to the worship of Allah and His service in Jerusalem.

When Mary grew up, she was very righteous. She dedicated herself to the worship of Allah and was supplied with provision from Allah. Therefore, it is no mystery as to why she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. The Qur‘anic verses read:

[Remember] when the wife of ‗Imrân [the mother of Mary] said: My Lord, I have vowed to you what is in my womb, devoted to your worship and service in Jerusalem. So accept this from me. Verily, you are the Hearer and Knower of all things.

Then, when she gave birth to her (Mary) she said: My Lord, I have given birth to a female child and Allah was well aware of what she had delivered and the male is not like the female; I have named her Maryam (Mary), and I seek Your protection for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast. So her Lord accepted her most

graciously and soundly nurtured her under the care of Zachariah (Zakariyya), whenever Zachariah visited her in her place of worship he would find her supplied with sustenance.48 He said: O Mary, from where have you got this? She said: From Allah; truly Allah gives without counting to whom He so wills. (Qur‘an 3: 35-37)

It is interesting to see that when the Mother of Mary conceived, she was a bit disappointed that she did not have a son. This was because she had always wished that her child be dedicated to the worship of Allah. However, little did she know that this very child would be extremely righteous, and end up being the mother of Jesus. This was better for her than a son. Hence, Allah‘s words: …and Allah was well aware of what she had delivered…

3. The Status of Mary

Mary is very highly respected in Islam. Allah says:

And when the Angels said: O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above all women. O Mary, worship your Lord devoutly and prostrate yourself and bow down [in prayer] with those who bow down. This is a part

of the tidings of the unseen which We reveal unto you by inspiration. (Qur‘an 3: 42-44)

4. The News about Jesus

(Peace be upon him)

When Mary approached adulthood, she was informed about the honour of bearing this noble son well before his birth. It was the angel Gabriel (peace be upon him) who appeared to her with this news. The following verses in the Qur‘an describe the dialogue between Mary and the angels:

And when the angels said: O Mary, verily Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and in the hereafter, and one of those brought near to Allah. He will speak to the people while in the cradle, and in maturity, and he is one of the righteous. She said: My Lord, how could I have a son when no man has touched me? He said: So it shall be; Allah creates

whatsoever He wills. If He decrees something, He says to it: Be! and it is. (Qur‘an 3: 45-47)

5. The Birth of Jesus

(Peace be upon him)

Mary conceived this child miraculously (the first miracle) and retired to a distant place where she waited for the birth of her child. This amazing story is related to us in chapter 19 of the Qur‘an, ‗Maryam‘ (Mary):

So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a far place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Would that I had died before this, forgotten and out of sight. Then he (Jesus) called to her from below her, saying: Do not grieve; your Lord has placed a rivulet beneath you. And shake the trunk of the palm tree towards you, causing ripe dates to fall down to you. So eat and drink and rejoice, and if

you see any human being, say: Verily, I have vowed a fast unto the All-Merciful, so I shall not speak to any human being this day. (Qur‘an 19: 22-26)

6. Subsequent Miracles of Jesus

(Peace be upon him)

Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was blessed with the ability to perform many miracles. This supported his claim that he was a prophet from Allah. Allah Almighty says in the Qur‘an:

We gave Jesus the son of Mary the clear signs, and supported him with the holy Spirit. (Qur‘an 2: 87)

Muslims do not hesitate to accept the fact that Jesus (peace be upon him) performed miracles. At the same time, Muslims do not elevate Jesus (peace be upon him) to the position of Allah or describe him as the ‗son of God‘, or consider him to be anything more than a divinely-

The same applies to all the prophets, since many of them were blessed with different miracles as well.

The First Miracle

The first miracle associated with Jesus (peace be upon him) was that he was born from a mother without any human intervention (father). Allah gave the divine command ‗Be‘ and he was created.

The Qur‘an mentions the miraculous creation of both Adam and Jesus (peace be upon him) in the following verse:

Truly, the likeness of Jesus in Allah‘s sight is the likeness of Adam, He created him from dust. Then, He said to him: Be! and he was. (Qur‘an 3: 59)

The Qur‘an mentions that Jesus‘ miraculous birth did not change the state of his humanness; that is, he did not evolve from a human being to become Allah or to be a son of Allah, because, rationally, if that is the case, then Adam would have a greater right to such an honour, since he was born without a human father or mother.

Another Miracle was that Allah gave Jesus (one of only three people that Allah chose for this) the ability to talk while still an infant, a blessing which helped save his mother from the harsh slander of her own community. This remarkable story is narrated in the Qur‘an:

Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said: O Mary, indeed you have committed something truly outrageous. O sister of Aaron, your father was not a man who committed fornication and adultery, nor was your mother an unchaste woman. So she pointed to him. They

said: How can we talk to someone who is a child in the cradle? He said: Verily, I am the slave of Allah. He has given me the scripture, and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and enjoined on me prayers and charity as long as I remain alive, dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me proud,

perverse or unblessed. And may peace be on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive. (Qur‘an 19: 27-33)

Subsequent Miracles

Other miracles performed by Jesus (peace be upon him) are also mentioned in the Qur‘an:

Allah will say [on the Day of Resurrection]: O Jesus, son of Mary, remember my favour to you and to your mother, when I supported you with the holy Spirit, so that you spoke to the people while you were in the cradle and in maturity,49 and remember when I taught you the scripture and wisdom,50 the Torah and the Gospel,51 and

remember when you fashioned birds out of clay by My permission, and after you breathed into it, it became a bird by My permission, and remember when you healed those born blind and the lepers by My permission; and remember when you brought raised the dead [to life] by My permission. And remember when I restrained the

children of Israel from you [when they decided to kill him but Allah raised him up] when you came to them with clear proofs, but the disbelievers said: This is nothing but evident magic. (Qur‘an 5: 110)

Indeed, the Islamic account of the miracles bestowed on Jesus describes more miracles than those known to Christians. Also, facts 10 and 11 below are two more miracles associated with Jesus and his role as the Messiah.

Important Note

As shown in previous verse, it was emphasized after mentioning each miracle that whenever Jesus performed a miracle, he informed the people that it was by Allah's permission. He made it clear to his followers that he was not doing the miracle by himself.

As Dr. Philips points out:

There are texts in the New Testament which confirm that Jesus did not act on his own. Jesus is quoted in John 5:30 saying: ―I can of mine own self do nothing.‖ ...In acts 2:22, Paul writes: "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know...‖52

7. Humanness of Jesus(Peace be upon him)

Islam forbids the deification of human beings (going to excess in the exaltation of humans—prophets or otherwise—to the point where they seem divine). Addressing both the Jews and the Christians, Allah says in the Qur‘an:

O people of the scripture,53 do not commit excesses in your religion nor say other than the truth about Allah. Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, was certainly no more than a messenger of Allah, His Word which He bestowed on Mary, and a

spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and do not say, ―Three‖. It is better for you to desist. Verily Allah is (the only) one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Guardian. The Messiah will never disdain to be a slave of Allah,54 nor the angels who are close to Him. Whosoever disdains

worshipping Him and is proud and haughty, He will certainly gather them all unto Himself. So, as for those who believed and did deeds of righteousness, He will give them their rewards; and more out of His bounty. But as for those that refused to worship Him and were proud, He will punish them with a painful punishment, and they will not find for themselves besides Allah any

protector or helper. O humankind, manifest proof has come to you from your Lord; We have sent down to you a clear light [the Qur‘an]. As for those who believed in Allah, and held fast to Him, He will surely admit them to mercy from Him, and bounty, and will guide them to Him on a straight path. (Qur‘an 4: 171-175)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned against the deification of humans. He said: <<O people, beware of going to excesses in religion, for verily people before you were destroyed for going to excesses in religion.

Being a human prophet, Jesus (peace be upon him) did not call people to worship him. Allah informs us in the Qur‘an that on the Day of Judgment he will gather all the nations in front of Himself and He will ask the Messengers how they were received by their peoples and what they said to them. Among those who are going to be questioned is Jesus (peace be upon him):

And when Allah says (on the Day of Judgment): O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people: Take me and my mother as gods besides Allah? He will say: Glory be to you! It is not for me to say what I have no right to. Had I indeed said it, you would surely have known it. You know what is in myself and I do not know what is in Yourself. Truly, You alone are the Knower of the hidden and unseen. Never did I say to them anything except what You

commanded me to say: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them

while I remained among them, but when You took me up to Yourself, You, Yourself, were the Watcher over them and You are the Witness over all things. If you punish them, they are your slaves, and if you forgive them, verily only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. Then Allah will say: This Day whereon the truthful benefit from

their truthfulness. They will have gardens under which rivers flow, abiding therein forever. Allah is well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him. That is the ultimate triumph. (Qur‘an 5: 116-119)

8. Jesus‟ Prophethood

The Islamic view of Jesus (peace be upon him) is a moderate one, as it lies between two extremes. The Jews rejected Jesus (peace be upon him) in his role as a prophet of Allah and called him an impostor. The Christians on the other hand, considered him to be the son of God (Allah), and ‗God-incarnate‘ in some cases, and began worshipping him. Islam considers Jesus (peace be upon him) as one of the greatest prophets of Allah.

Allah says:

Christ, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger, who was preceded by many

messengers, his mother was a woman attributed with full truth.56 They both ate food. See how Allah makes His signs clear to them, yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth. (Qur‘an 5: 75)

9. The Mission of Jesus

(Peace be upon him)

Now one might ask: what was the real mission of Jesus according to the Qur‘an?

Jesus (peace be upon him) propagated the message of Monotheism, the Worship of Allah alone in the way prescribed in the Gospels. He worked hard to propagate this message, and talked to everyone about it. Allah says:

And he speaks to the people while in the cradle and in maturity, and he is one of the righteous. (Qur‘an 3: 46)

The prophecy of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a successor to Christ was a part of Jesus‘ message. Allah says in the Qur‘an:

And when Jesus, the son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel, I am the messenger of Allah

sent unto you, confirming the Torah before me, and giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.57 But when he (Muhammad) has come to them with clear proofs, they said: This is mere magic. (Qur‘an 61: 6)

Though the Bible has been altered a great deal, it contains remnants of the original true message revealed to Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him). In this regard, the messenger of whom Jesus (peace be upon him) gave glad tidings and prophecies is still referred to in both the old and new testaments of the Bible. (See chapter XV of this book, ‗Muhammad in the Bible‘)

Jesus (peace be upon him) was a link in a long line of prophets and messengers sent by Allah to various civilizations and nations whenever they needed guidance or deviated from the teachings of Allah. Jesus (peace be upon him) was sent by Allah especially to preach to the Jews, who had deviated from the teachings of Moses (peace be upon him) and other messengers. Just as he was supported by Allah miraculously in his conception, birth

and childhood, he was also supported by numerous

miracles to prove that he was a messenger from Allah. However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry.

It must be realized that Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, was the last in the line of prophets sent to the Jewish people. (See chapter XV)

10. Jesus‟ Ascension

Jesus‘ ascension is the last Miracle which was given to Jesus (peace be upon him) when he was on earth. The Jews attempted to kill him. Allah replaced him with another person who looked like him. Jesus (peace be upon him) was not killed or crucified but raised to Allah. In fact, it was this other person that was killed. To this day, it is thought by Christians that Jesus himself was the one who was killed.

Allah says in the Qur‘an:

And they said: We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, Messenger of Allah, but they did not kill him or crucify him, but that is how it appeared to them. Verily, those who disagree with this matter are in doubt and have no knowledge of it; they follow speculation. They certainly did not kill him. Certainly, Allah raised him up; Allah is All-Mighty and All-Wise. (Qur‘an 4: 157-158)

11. The Second Coming of Jesus

(Peace be upon him)

 In Islamic teachings there is clear evidence indicating the second coming of Jesus (peace be upon him) before the Final Hour and this is an additional and final miracle

for Jesus (peace be upon him). He will come back not as God, as the Christians believe, but as Jesus, Allah‘s messenger and slave, as he always been. The purpose of his coming will be to correct the misconceptions surrounding his message and mission. According to a statement of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he will stay for forty years, and these will be the happiest years of life on this earth. At that time, those who had

misconceptions about him will correct their understanding and believe in him as a messenger, not as the son of God (Allah). It is narrated by Abu Hurayrah58, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: <<By the one in whose hand is my soul, it will not be long before the son of Mary descends amongst

you, a just judge and ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine and abolish the tribute paid by Jews and Christians. Money will be so plentiful that no one will accept it. At that time a single prostration will be better than this world and everything in it.

Abu Hurayrah then said, ―Read if you wish (the following verse of the Qur‘an),

And verily there is no one from among the people of the scripture60 except that he will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness over them. (Qur‘an 4: 159)‖

In another narration Abu Hurayrah said, ―Among the things which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was recorded to have said regarding Prophet Jesus' return is the following: <<There will be no prophet between me and Jesus, and he will return. When he does, you will know him. He will be a well-built man of ruddy complexion and he will descend wearing a two-piece

garment. His hair will look wet, though no water touched it. He will fight people to establish Islam and he will break

the cross, kill the swine and cancel the jizyah.62 During his time, Allah will destroy all religions except Islam and the Antichrist63 will be killed. Jesus will remain on earth for forty years, and when he dies, Muslims will pray the funeral prayer for him.

Jesus' return will be one of the signs of the coming of Day of Judgment. It is the last miracle to be given to him before he dies.