Muslim Belief in Jesus (peace be upon him)
Muslim’s Belief of Jesus (peace be upon him)
Muslims believe that they are the
only true heirs of the prophets because they are the only ones who believe in
them all—unlike others who believe in some but deny others, or who do not
believe in any of them at all. They also believe that they are the closest to
Jesus, son of Mary (peace be upon him), for between him and the Seal of the
Prophets Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) there is no one. They believe
that Jesus will descend at the end of times, killing the Antichrist,
glorifying Islam, and honoring the nation of Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him), along with other reports of his life which Muslims were commanded to
follow.
Because of the abundance of what
has been mentioned about Jesus (peace be upon him) in the Qur’an and the Sunnah,
we highlight here some Qur’anic illuminations carrying insights from his
blessed life.
The Selection of His Noble Lineage
Allah chose the family of `Imran
above all people: {Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah,
the family of Abraham, and the family of ’Imrân above all people ˹of their time˺.} [Ali `Imran 3:33] Then He
chose the mother of Jesus, Mary (peace be upon her), above all women: And ˹remember˺ when the angels said, “O Mary! Surely Allah has selected
you, purified you, and chosen you over all women of the world.} [Ali `Imran 3:42]
Then He chose her son Jesus
(peace be upon him) as a messenger: {Allah
selects messengers from both angels and people, for Allah is truly All-Hearing,
All-Seeing.} [Al-Hajj 22:75] Then He elevated him above messengers by
making him among the Resolute
Messengers (Ulul 'Azm): {And ˹remember˺ when We took a covenant from the
prophets, as well as from you ˹O Prophet˺, and from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, son of Mary. We did
take a solemn covenant from ˹all of˺ them.} [Al-Ahzab 33:7]
Thus, he (peace be upon him) is
the chosen one, from a chosen one, from a chosen one, from a chosen one.
Glad Tidings About Him and From Him
Glad tidings surrounded the life
of Jesus (peace be upon him), both before and after his birth. Before
his birth, his mother Mary received the glad tidings: {˹Remember˺ when the angels proclaimed, “O Mary! Allah gives you
good news of a Word from Him, his name will be the Messiah,2 Jesus,
son of Mary.} [Ali `Imran 3:45]
Later, Jesus himself gave the
glad tidings of the coming of his brother, Ahmad (peace and blessings be upon him): {And
˹remember˺ when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O children
of Israel! I am truly Allah’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah which came before me,
and giving good news of a messenger after me whose name will be Aḥmad.” Yet
when the Prophet came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is pure
magic.”} [As-Saff 61:6]
His Miraculous Birth
His birth was a sign to humanity
of the power of Allah and a mercy to people by manifesting the truth of his
prophethood. He was born from a mother without a father: {She wondered, “How can I have a son when no man has ever
touched me, nor am I unchaste?” He replied, “So will it be! Your Lord says, ‘It
is easy for Me. And so will We make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from
Us.’ It is a matter ˹already˺ decreed.”} [Maryam 19:20–21]
Just like Adam (peace be upon
him), who was created without a father or a mother: {Indeed,
the example of Jesus in the sight of Allah is like that of Adam. He created him
from dust, then said to him, “Be!” And he was!} [Ali `Imran 3:59]
His Declaration of Servitude to Allah from Birth
From the very first moment of his
life, while still in the cradle, Jesus (peace be upon him) declared his
servitude to Allah, his prophethood, the laws that he was commanded, and his
noble character: { So she pointed to the baby. They exclaimed, “How can we talk to
someone who is an infant in the cradle?” Jesus declared, “I am truly a servant
of Allah. He has destined me to be given the Scripture and to be a prophet. He
has made me a blessing wherever I go, and bid me to establish prayer and give
alms-tax as long as I live, and to be kind to my mother. He has not made me
arrogant or defiant. Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and
the day I will be raised back to life!”} [Maryam 19:29–33]
No one with even a mustard seed
of faith and intellect could deny him after this great miracle, except those
upon whom the word of disbelief had been decreed.
The Centrality of Tawheed in His Call
The greatest focus of Jesus’s
mission was pure monotheism (Tawheed).
Even during miracles, he attributed everything to Allah and declared his
servitude to Him: {And ˹make him˺ a messenger to the Children of
Israel ˹to proclaim,˺ ‘I have come to you with a sign from
your Lord: I will make for you a bird from clay, breathe into it, and it will
become a ˹real˺ bird—by Allah’s Will. I
will heal the blind and the leper and raise the dead to life—by Allah’s Will. And
I will prophesize what you eat and store in your houses. Surely in this is a
sign for you if you ˹truly˺ believe. And I will confirm the Torah revealed before me and
legalize some of what had been forbidden to you. I have come to you with a sign
from your Lord, so be mindful of Allah and obey me. Surely Allah is my Lord and
your Lord. So worship Him ˹alone˺. This is the Straight Path.’”} [Ali `Imran 3:49–51]
Jesus as the Test of Allah for Humanity
Allah made following the
monotheistic Jesus a mark of true belief: {The
Messiah would never be too proud to be a servant of Allah, nor would the angels
nearest to Allah. Those who are too proud and arrogant to worship Him will be
brought before Him all together.} [An-Nisa’ 4:172] Thus, people are
tested between affirming Tawheed and denying it.
His Honor and Support
Because of his miracles, Jesus
(peace be upon him) was honored among people, not rejected as the People of the Book claim: {˹Remember˺ when the angels proclaimed, “O Mary! Allah gives you
good news of a Word from Him, his name will be the Messiah, Jesus,
son of Mary; honoured in this world and the Hereafter, and he will be one of
those nearest ˹to Allah˺.} [Ali `Imran 3:45]
He was also continuously
supported through his life, by the Holy Spirit, Gabriel (peace be upon him): {And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs and
supported him with the holy spirit.} [Al-Baqarah 2:87]
The Call to Be Helpers of Allah Like Jesus Disciples
Allah commanded the believers of
this Ummah to imitate the disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him), promising
their triumph against their enemies: {O believers!
Stand up for Allah, as Jesus, son of Mary, asked the disciples, “Who will stand
up with me for Allah?” The disciples replied, “We will stand up for Allah.”
Then a group from the Children of Israel believed while another disbelieved. We
then supported the believers against their enemies, so they prevailed.}
[As-Saff 61:14]
Allah Protecting Him
Allah protected Jesus (peace be
upon him) from the plots of his enemies, raising him up to Himself and honoring
those who follow him until the Day of Judgment—namely, the Ummah of Islam: {˹Remember˺ when Allah
said, “O Jesus! I will take you and raise you up to Myself. I will deliver
you from those who disbelieve, and elevate your followers above the
disbelievers until the Day of Judgment. Then to Me you will ˹all˺ return, and I
will settle all your disputes.} [Ali `Imran 3:55]
His Disavowal of Shirk
Just as he lived upon Tawheed and
will die upon it, Jesus (peace be upon him) will disavow those who defied him: {And ˹on Judgment Day˺ Allah will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you ever
ask the people to worship you and your mother as gods besides Allah?” He will
answer, “Glory be to
You! How could I ever say what I had no right to say? If I had said such a
thing, you would have certainly known it. You know what is ˹hidden˺ within me, but I do not know what is within You. Indeed, You ˹alone˺ are the Knower of all unseen. I never told them anything except
what You ordered me to say: “Worship Allah—my Lord and your Lord!” And I was
witness over them as long as I remained among them. But when You took
me, You were the Witness over them—and You are a Witness over all things.}
[Al-Ma’idah 5:116–117]
For Further Reading:
- Book Review: The Bible and Colonialism: A Moral Critique
- Who are the Messianic Jews?
- The Two Decisive Phases of our Battle against Jews
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