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JESUS IN
ISLAM
Muslims believe that Jesus (peace be upon
Him) is one of the Prophets of Allah (God), who had been sent to guide the
Children of Israel with a new scripture. In fact, belief in all of the Prophets
and Messengers of Allah is a fundamental article of faith in Islam. The Holy
Book of Muslims, the Qur’an, declares: “Say (O Muhammad): ‘We believe in Allah,
and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham (Ibrahim),
Ishma’el, Isaac (Ishaq), Jacob (Yaqub), and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given
to Moses (Musa), Jesus (Isa), and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no
distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will
(in Islam).” (Qur’an, 3/84).
Jesus (Isa) is seen in Islam as a precursor
to Muhammad, and is believed by Muslims to have foretold the latter’s coming.
In fact, according to the Islamic creed, the original religion taught by all
these prophets is and was always Islam, which means peaceful submission to the
One and Only God.
Another verse in the Qur’an (5/46) affirms
that Jesus follows the line of Prophets like Moses before Him: “And We sent
after them (the previous messengers) in their footsteps Jesus, son of Mary,
verifying what was before him in the Torah and We gave him the Gospel in which
was guidance and light, and verifying what was before it in Torah and a
guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing.”
Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty- five
places in the Qur’an. He is also addressed with respect as “son of Mary;
messiah; servant of Allah; messenger of Allah.” He is also spoken of as “the
word of God”, “the spirit of God”, a “sign of God”, and numerous other epithets
of honor spread over fifteen different chapters
jesus was given the ability to perform
miracles to aid him in his quest, all by the permission of God. “I have come to
you, with a sign from your Lord, in that 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 those born blind, and the lepers, and I bring the dead into
life, by God’s leave; and I declare to you what you eat, and what you store in
your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if you did believe. (I have come
to you) to attest the Torah which was before me. And to make lawful to you part
of what was (before) forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign from your
Lord. So fear God, and obey me. It is God Who is my Lord and your Lord; then
worship Him. This is a way that is straight.” (Qur’an, 3/49-51).
Was Jesus a God or the Son of God?
Muslims do not view Jesus as the Son of God
or a God but consider him as an ordinary human being who, like other prophets,
had been divinely chosen to spread Allah’s message to his people, the people of
Israel. Islam forbids the association of partners with God, emphasizing the
notion of God’s divine oneness. The Qur’an declares: “There is nothing like
unto Him.” (Qur’an, 42/11); and, “He begets not, nor was he begotten.” (Qur’an,
112/3).
Was Jesus Crucified?
Trinitarian Christians believe that Jesus was
God Himself, or part of God, came to earth, and was crucified on the cross to
purify our sins and then resurrected and ascended to heaven until he will come
back again to earth.
Muslims believe that Jesus did not die on the
cross at all. Allah saved him, and someone else was crucified in his place. The
Qur’an states: “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of
Mary, the Messenger of Allah’; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but
so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of
doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a
surety they killed him not: rather, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah
is Exalted in Power, Wise.” (Qur’an, 4/157-158).
There is a difference of opinion as to the
exact interpretation of this verse with regard to the following statement:
“They (the Jews) did not kill Jesus, but Allah raised him up to Himself.” Some
hold the view that Jesus did not experience the usual human death, but still lives
in body and flesh in heaven. This is the widely accepted view by Muslims.
Others hold that he died, but not on the cross, and being “raised up” to Allah
means that Allah saved him from the hands of those who wanted to kill him.
Did Jesus Die for Our Sins?
Most Christian denominations hold the belief
that the sin of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God is passed on to their
descendants and thus the whole of mankind is accursed with that Original Sin,
from which no salvation is possible unless one believes in the atoning death on
the cross of the Son of God.
Muslims believe that Jesus did not die for
the purification of our sins and for our forgiveness. In contrast to the
Christian teaching that human nature is basically evil (due to the original
sin), Islam teaches that all humans are innocent by birth and they become
sinful only when they consciously commit a sin. Therefore, there is no original
sin in Islam.
The Islamic concept of sin is grounded on the
belief that one man’s sin cannot be transferred to another; nor can the rewards
of good deeds. Every individual is responsible only for his or her actions, for
God is never unjust. The Qur’an (17/15) makes clear that every individual is an
independent person who is responsible for his or her actions alone. There is no
need for salvation from sin, for there is no original burden.
This article is taken from the website of The Presidency of
Religious Affairs. To see it, check the link:
https://diniyayinlar.diyanet.gov.tr/Documents/Hz-Isa-Peygamber-Ingilizce.pdf
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