Prophet Jesus
Muslims believe, that Jesus (peace be upon him) was one of the mightiest messengers of God that he was the Christ, that he was born miraculously without any male intervention (which many modern-day Christians do not believe today), that he gave life to the dead by God’s permission and that he healed those born blind and the lepers by God’s permission. In fact, no Muslim is a Muslim if he or she does not believe in Jesus (peace be upon him)!
What will also surprise the christians is the fact that the Muslim does not take the holy name of Jesus (peace be upon him), in his own language, without saying Eesa, alaihiassalam (“Jesus (peace be upon him).
MENTION IN THE QURAN
And that in the Holy Quran Jesus (peace be upon him) is mentioned twenty five times.
For example:
“We gave Jesus (peace be upon him), the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit” (Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 87)
“O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus (peace be upon him), the son of Mary…” (Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 45)
“…Christ Jesus (peace be upon him) the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of god…” (Qur’an, Chapter 4, Verse 171)
“…And in their foot steps we sent Jesus (peace be upon him) the son of Mary…” (Qur’an, Chapter 5, Verse 46)
“And Zakariya and John, and Jesus (peace be upon him) and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous.” (Qur’an, Chapter 6, Verse 85)
Other titles
Though Jesus (peace be upon him) is mentioned by name in twenty-five places in the Holy Quran, he is also addressed with respect as: Ibn Maryam, meaning “The son of Mary”; and as the Maseeh (in Hebrew it is the Messiah), which is translated as “Christ”. He is also known as Abdullah, “The servant of Allah”; and as Rasul u Allah, the messenger of Allah. He is spoken of as “The Word of God”, as “The Spirit of God”, as a “Sign of God”, and numerous other epithets of honor spread over fifteen different chapters. The Holy Quran honors this mighty messenger of God, and the Muslims have not fallen short over the past fourteen hundred years in doing the same. There is not a single disparaging remark in the entire Quran.
EESA OR JESUS (PEACE BE UPON HIM)?
The Holy Quran refers to Jesus (peace be upon him) as Eesa. Actually, his proper name was Eesa (Arabic), or Esau (Hebrew); classical Yeheshua, which the Christian nations of the West latinised as Jesus (peace be upon him). Neither the “J” nor the second “s” in the name Jesus (peace be upon him) is to be found in the original tongue – they are not found in the Semitic languages. The word is very simply “E S A U” a very common Jewish name, used more than sixty times in the very first booklet alone of the Bible, in the part called “Genesis”.
MARY HONORED
The birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) is described in two places of the Quran – chapter 3 and chapter 19. Reading from the beginning of his birth, we come across the story of Mary, and the esteemed position which she occupies in the House of Islam, before the actual annunciation of the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) is given:
“‘Behold’! the angels said: ‘O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee, and chosen thee above the women of all nations” (Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 42)
“Chosen thee above the women of all nations.” Such an honor is not to be found given to Mary even in the Christian Bible! The verse continues:
“O Mary! Worship thy Lord devoutly: prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.” (Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 43)
There is a Chapter in the Holy Quran, named Surat u Maryam, (Chapter 19) “Chapter Mary”, named in honor of Mary the mother of Jesus (peace be upon him) Christ, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; again, such an honor is not to be found given to Mary in the Christian Bible. Out of the 66 books of the Protestants and 73 of the Roman Catholics, not one is named after Mary or her son. You will find books named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul and two score more obscure names, but not a single one is that of Mary!
If Muhammed, salla Allah u alihiwasallam, was the author of the Holy Quran, then he would not have failed to include in it with Mary, the mother of Jesus (peace be upon him), his own mother Aamina, his dear wife Khadija, or his beloved daughter Fatima. But No! No! This can never be. The Quran is not his handiwork!.
DIVINE REVELATION
What is the source of this beautiful and sublime recitation which, in its original Arabic, moves men to ecstasy and tears? verse 44 below explains:
”That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad]. And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary. Nor were you with them when they disputed.” (Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 44)
So neither Muhammad (peace be upon him), the unlettered prophet nor his followers were aware of such tremendous and truthful information concerning all of the messengers, Mary, her mother, Zachariah and those who disputed with him regarding who would care for Mary. Nor were they aware of Zachariah winning charge of her after he had drawn lots with pens with his opponents. They did not know how Zachariah welcomed her and of who used to bring sustenance from God as a gift to her, which led Zachariah inspite of his old age and the barrenness of his wife to ask God to grant him righteous offspring. Neither Muhammad (peace be upon him) nor his followers were aware of this previously. It is not possible that you will be able to find such speech bearing the highest level of splendor and eloquence and which is nicely phrased and magnificiently presented in the Gospels or anywhere else. This shows that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not speak of his own whims, but rather that it was revelation revealed to him by the Lord of all creations.
MIRACULOUS BIRTH AND ABSOLVING OF VIRGIN MARY FROM SLANDER
“Then We sent to her Our spirit, and he appeared before her in a form of a man in all respects.” This refers to angel Gabriel. So at the time this (miraculous) event took place, this pure and chaste woman had set out to devote herself to worshipping God, and she had placed a screen in front of her for this purpose in order to protect her honor and chastity and so that she can establish her worship. Then lo and behold, a human that was well-proportioned in his form and beauty suddenly appeared before her. So she demonstrated the signs of her chastity and modesty in this instance, saying: “Verily, I seek refuge in the Most Gracious (Allah) from you, if you do fear Allah.”
Then the noble messenger Gabriel gave her news that caused her fear to be removed and her heart to find tranquility: “I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son.” So she replied in amazement: “How can I have a son when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste ?” So the angel informed her: “So it will be. Your Lord said: ‘That it is easy for Me. And We wish to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us.’”
So this spirit blew (the life of Jesus (peace be upon him)) into her. So she conceived Jesus (peace be upon him), and withdrew with the baby in her womb to a far away place. There she gave birth to her child and was faced with the problem that any chaste and honorable woman like her would feel, so she wished she was dead. Then there came that removed her fear and anxiety: “(The baby Jesus (peace be upon him)) cried out to her from below her, saying” ‘Grieve not, your Lord has provided a water stream under you.’”
These were the signs and miracles that increased her reliance, tranquility and faith in the fact that God would protect her, demonstrate that she was free from any claims of fornication, and manifest her honor and nobility. So all she needed to do was to point to this infant that the slanderes used as a means to accuse her of fornication. This child said from the cradle: “Verily, I am a slave of Allaah. He has given me the scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I may be. And He has enjoined on me prayer and giving of charity for as long as i live. And (He has enjoined me) to be dutiful to my mother, and He has not made to be arrogant and wretched. And peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I shall die, and the day I will be raised alive.”
…. Adam also was born miraculously
Does the miraculous birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) make him a God or a “begotten” son of God? No! says the Holy Quran:
“The similitude of Jesus (peace be upon him) before Allah (God) is that of Adam; He created him from dust then said to him: ‘Be’, and he was.” (Qur’an, Chapter 3, Verse 59)
If being born without a male parent entitles Jesus (peace be upon him) to being equated with God, then, Adam would have a greater right to such honor.
CRUCIFIED?
Contrary to Christian beliefs, Muslims believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) was not crucified, but rather that someone else was made to resemble him and crucified instead of him. The Qur’an states that he was raised up to the heavens where he will await until the day when he will be sent back to earth towards the end of time. Allah says: “And because of their (Jews) saying boastfully: ‘We killed the Messiah, Jesus (peace be upon him), son of Mary, Messenger of God.’ But they killed him not nor did they crucify him, but rather the resemblance of Jesus (peace be upon him) was put in 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. Rather, Allah raised him up (body and soul) unto Himself. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, Most Wise. And there is none of the people of the Scripture (i.e. Jews and Christians), except that he will surely believe in Him (that he was really a messenger of God) before his (Jesus (peace be upon him)’) death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.” (Qur’an, Chapter 4, Verse 157-159)
DESCENT OF JESUS (PEACE BE UPON HIM), SON OF MARY
Jesus (peace be upon him), son of Mary will be returning to this world before the Day of Resurrection. He will return to become a leader of the Muslim nation.
“And he [‘Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)] shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour (Day of Resurrection]. Therefore have no doubt concerning it (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). And follow Me (Allah) (i.e. be obedient to Allah and do what He orders you to do, O mankind)! This is the Straight Path (of Islamic Monotheism, leading to Allah and to His Paradise).” (Qur’an, Chapter 43, Verse 61)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has prophesised that Jesus (peace be upon him) will return and judge mankind with justice. He will descend by the white minaretin the east of Damascus, placing his hands upon the wings of two angels, and will fight against the Antichrist (Dajjaal) until he reaches the gate of Ludd (present-day Israel), where he will kill him.