Jesus in Islam

"Isa" redirects here. For other uses, see ISA.

Muslims believe Jesus (Arabic عيسى `Īsā) to have been a prophet of Islam. According to the Qur'an, he was one of God's (Arabic Allah) most beloved prophets sent specifically to guide the Jews.

In the Qur'an, many references are made to the life of Jesus. The Qur'an tells of his miraculous birth to Mary, the miracles he performed by God's permission, and his life as a respected prophet of God. The Qur'an also states repeatedly that Jesus was only a human messenger sent by God and not part of God Himself.

Muslims believe that Jesus was sent down as a messenger and to be the Messiah. Like Judaism, Islam holds that sin is an act and not a state of being and therefore it does not admit the idea of an Original Sin inherited to the descendants of Adam, so the Islamic meaning of Messiah is different than the Christian view of a 'Redeemer'. Islam does not accept any human sacrifice for sin. The Islamic understanding of forgiveness is that it is made on the basis of divine grace and repentance. According to Islam, no sacrifice can add to divine grace nor replace the necessity of repentance.

The Qur'anic verse below explicitly calls Jesus by the title Messiah. The verse says that God sent word to Mary about it, and it also calls him the Word of God. However, Muslims strongly disagree with the mainstream Christian belief that Jesus was divine himself as part of the trinity (Son of God), regarding it as a blasphemous denial of monotheism (tawhid). Therefore, he is not considered the Son of God but only human. (See below for relevant Qur'anic verses, and see also Trinity in Islam)

Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah;(^{[Quran 3:45]})

Muslims see Jesus's ministry as a continuation of a single divine message and faith system revealed over time by God to mankind. They regard not only Jesus, but earlier prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and David to have been Muslims, and see Jesus as the great precursor to the final prophet, Muhammad. Jesus received a Gospel (Arabic "Injeel") from God corresponding to the New Testament. However, Muslims hold that the New Testament present today has been changed and corrupted and does not accurately represent the original. It should be, however, noted that the Qur'an always calls the Bible a divine scripture and wants Jews and Christians to judge by and stand fast to their scriptures (e.g. ^{[Quran 5:45]}).

Basic Muslim beliefs regarding Jesus

• Jesus was one of God's highest ranked and most beloved prophets. He was sent specifically to guide the Children of Israel.
• He was neither God nor the Son of God, but rather a human messenger, one of many messengers sent over history to guide mankind. Isa's message to mankind was originally the same as all of the other prophets, from Adam to Muhammad, but has been distorted by those who claim to be its adherents.
• Isa was born miraculously without a human biological father by the will of God. His mother, Mary ("Maryam" in Arabic), is among the most saintly, pious, chaste, and virtuous women ever.
• Jesus was able to perform miracles, but only by the will of God. Besides his miraculous birth, his first miracle was when, although only a few days old, he spoke and defended his mother against accusations of adultery. The Qur'an mentions, among other miracles, that he raised the dead, restored sight to the blind, and cured leprosy.
• Jesus renounced all worldly possessions and lived a life of strict nonviolence.
• Jesus received a Gospel (Arabic Injeel) from God corresponding to the New Testament. However, Muslims hold that the New Testament Christians have today has been changed and does not accurately represent the original. Some Muslims accept the Gospel of Barnabas (part of the New Testament apocrypha) as the most accurate testament of Jesus. The authenticity and date of this text is disputed in Islamic, Christian and secular academic circles.
• Jesus was neither killed nor crucified; but God made it appear so to his enemies. Some Muslim scholars (notably Ahmad Deedat) maintain that Isa was indeed put up on the cross, but did not die on it, but was revived and then ascended bodily to heaven, while others say that it was actually Judas who was mistakenly crucified by the Romans.
• Jesus is alive in heaven and will return to the world in the flesh following Imam Mahdi to defeat the dajjal ("the deceiver", anti-Christ in Islamic belief), once the world has become filled with injustice.
• Islam does not admit the idea of an original sin transmitted to the descendants of Adam and in that sense neither is Jesus a Redeemer of mankind as many Christians believe he is.

Etymology

The name Jesus is derived from the Latin Iēsus, which in turn comes from the Greek Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs). The Greek is a Hellenized form of the Aramaic name Yēšua (ישוע), a short form of Hebrew Y^ehōšua (יהושע). Isa is also a given name for Arab Muslim men, equivalent to Jesus (a name given in many Christian cultures for male children). Y^ehōšua (יהושע) is the name by which Moses called his successor as leader of the Israelites, known in English as Joshua; it means 'the Lord is salvation', or literally 'Yahweh saves'. Some claim the Arabic name Isa is related to the biblical Esau. but it is also similar in the vowels to the Aramaic version of Jesus, viz. Eesho (Aramaic forms of the name, however, still have the voiced pharyngeal `Ayn consonant at the end of the name). (Many Arabic-speaking Christians refer to Jesus as Yasu`a, which is the same name as Joshua.)

Jesus's birth

Muslims believe in the virgin birth of Jesus through Mary, which is reccounted throughout several passages in the Qur'an. In the Qur'anic story an angel appears before Mary to announce her the gift of a holy son. Mary was surprised and answered the angel that she is virgin. The angel replies "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us':It is a matter (so) decreed...when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is." (^{[Quran 19:21]}, ^{[Quran 19:35]}) The Qur'an rejects the idea that virgin birth implies divinity of Isa.

Other relevant verses from the Qur'an:

The similitude of Isa before God is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was. ^{[Quran 3:59]}

And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples. ^{[Quran 21:91]}

Behold! the angels said, 'Oh Mary! God gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Isa, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter, and in (the company of) those nearest to God. He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. ^{[Quran 3:45]}

Jesus as a prophet

Jesus is seen as the one of the prophets of Islam and not as God or part of the Trinity. Relevant verses from the Qur'an include:

• "He [Isa] said: 'I am indeed a servant of God. He has given me revelation and made me a prophet; He has made me blessed wheresoever I be; and He has enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live. He has made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable. So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)!' Such was Isa the son of Mary. It is a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. It is not befitting to (the majesty of) God that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is" ^{[Quran 19:30]}.

• "When Isa came with Clear Signs, he said: 'Now I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the (points) on which you dispute. Therefore, fear God and obey me. God, He is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him -- this is a Straight Way.' But sects from among themselves fell into disagreement. So woe to the wrongdoers, from the penalty of a Grievous Day!" ^{[Quran 43:63]}

• "Isa, the son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how God makes His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!" ^{[Quran 5:75]}.

• "And behold! God will say [on the Day of Judgment]: 'Oh Isa, the son of Mary! Did you say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God?' He will say: 'Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would indeed have known it. You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Yours. For You know in full all that is hidden. Never did I say to them anything except what You commanded me to say: 'Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I lived among them. When You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a witness to all things'" ^{[Quran 5:116]}

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Jesus performed his ministry with power of the Holy Spirit (2:253 en 5:110), by whom he could for example heal people born blind.

• Those apostles We endowed with gifts, some above others: To one of them God spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary We gave clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the holy spirit. ^{[Quran 2:253]}

• Then will God say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic.' ^{[Quran 5:110]}

Jesus neither God nor the Son of God

Muslims do not believe Jesus is God, nor was he the Son of God but only human; in this view they differ from mainstream Christians, who believe Jesus is both human and God.

Muslim theologians point out the figurative usage of the title "son of God" among Jews; for example Bible refers to earlier (non-divine) figures such as David (Psalm 2:7) or Israel personalized (Exodus 4:22-23, Deuteronomy 14:1, Hosea 11:1-2 etc.) as "son of God." However, according to Christian theologians the title of "son of God" in Psalm 2:7 for example, does not refer to David because David died and next verses in this Psalm mention that every nation will belong and shall give him honour to the person with the title "son of God".

The Qur'an states that although Jesus was born miraculously without a human biological father, this does not imply that he is the Son of God by nature since when God wills something he says to it "Be" and it is. Islam greatly separates the status of humans from the status of God and holds that it is not befitting to the majesty of God that He should beget a son.

O People of the Book, commit no excesses in your religion; nor say of Allah anything but the truth. The Messiah Isa son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not "Trinity": desist! It will be better for you: for Allah is One: Glory be to Him! (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. (^{[Quran 4:171]})

The similitude of Isa before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was. (^{[Quran 3:59]})

Other relevant verses from the Qur'an:

• “Isa disdains nor to serve and worship Allah…” (^{[Quran 4:172]})

• “… Say: "Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every - one that is on the earth? For to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He creates what He pleases. For Allah hath power over all things." ” (^{[Quran 5:18]})

• “They do blaspheme who say: “Allah is Christ the "son of Mary". But said Christ: Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. ...” (^{[Quran 5:72]})

• “…His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food.” (^{[Quran 5:75]})

• “…Say, "Bring your convincing proof: this is the Message of those with me and the Message of those before me." ….” , “No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers” (^{[Quran 21:24]}), (^{[Quran 18:5]}).

• “… Glory to Him! they are (but) servants raised to honour. They speak not before He speaks, and they act (in all things) by His Command. He knows what is before them, and what is behind them, and they offer no intercession except for those who are acceptable, and they stand in awe and reverence of His (Glory).” (^{[Quran 21:26]})

• “…Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him.” (^{[Quran 2:116]})

• “They [The unbelievers] take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of God, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him).” (^{[Quran 9:31]})

• “How could it be that (Allah) should have a child without there ever having been a mate for Him - since it is He who has created everything, and He alone knows everything?” (^{[Quran 6:101]})

• “They say [The unbelievers]: "God hath begotten a son!" - Glory be to Him! He is self- sufficient! His are all things in the heavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! say ye about God what ye know not?” (^{[Quran 10:68]})

• “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.” (^{[Quran 112:1]})

• “And behold! God will say: "O Isa the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of God'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship God, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.“ (^{[Quran 5:116]})

• “They say: "((Allah)) Most Gracious has begotten a son!" Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, That they should invoke a son for ((Allah)) Most Gracious. For it is not consonant with the majesty of ((Allah)) Most Gracious that He should beget a son. Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to ((Allah)) Most Gracious as a servant. He does take an account of them (all), and hath numbered them (all) exactly. And everyone of them will come to Him singly on the Day of Judgment.“ (^{[Quran 19:88]})

Jesus neither crucified nor killed

That they said (in boast) "We killed the Messiah Isa 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.
No, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.(^{[Quran 4:157]})

The Ahmadi hold an entirely different view: see Yuz Asaf. Matthew 28:12-15 provides the reasoning behind such beliefs:12When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan,they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13telling them,"You are to say,'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14If this report gets to the governor,we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.[1]

The passage above together with the quotes attributed to Muhammad is interpreted that Jesus was not killed or crucified, but instead was raised into Heaven and remains there awaiting the time appointed by God to descend back to earth and live out his natural life. A minority interpretation of the verse holds similarly that Jesus was not executed by his enemies, but only appeared to be so, and that he was subsequently "raised" (i.e., in status and honor) by God. In this minority interpretation, no ascent to Heaven by Isa is ascribed to the Qur'an,(see above). This position is similar to the docetic Christology, and, again, that of the Ahmadi.

Jesus to return

Most Muslims believe that Isa will descend back to earth after ad-Dajjal appears. Muslims believe Isa is alive in heaven and will return to the world in the flesh after Imam Mahdi to defeat the ad-Dajjal (the False Messiah, which is the Muslim equivalent of the Anti-Christ), once the world has become filled with injustice.

A hadith in Abu Dawud (Template:Abudawud) says:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace be upon him). He will descent (to the earth). When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.

After he slays al-Masīh al-Dajjāl (literally "the Deceiving Messiah," loosely the Antichrist; often referred to simply as "Dajjāl") at the Gate of Ludd in Palestine, Muslims believe he will marry, die and be buried in the Masjid al Nabawi. During his life, he would have revealed that Islam is the true word of God.

A hadith in Sahih Bukhari (Template:Bukhari-usc) says:

How will you be when the son of Mary descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Qur'an and not by the law of the Gospel.

Very few Islamic scholars reject all the quotes attributed to Muhammad (Hadith) that mention the second return of Isa, the Dajjal and Imam Mahdi believing that they have no Qur'anic basis. These scholars believe that the verb “mutavafika” in verse ^{[Quran 3:55]} implies that God caused bodily death of Isa, thus (3:55) should read as “O Isa, I terminate your life, raise you to Me.” Others disagree with the implication of termination of Jesus’ life (for example Yusuf Ali’s translation reads: “O Isa! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself”). Verses ^{[Quran 4:157]} imply that Isa was not killed; Verse ^{[Quran 19:33]} implies that Jesus will die someday. The majority of Muslims believe that the bodily death of Isa will happen after his second coming. Many classical commentators such as Ibn Kathir, At-Tabari, al-Qurtubi, Suyuti, al-Undlusi (Bahr al-Muhit), Abu al-Fadl al-Alusi (Ruh al-Maani) and many others clearly mentioned that verse ^{[Quran 43:61]} of Qur'an refers to the descent of Isa before the Day of Resurrection, indicating that Isa would be the Sign that the Hour is close.

"And (Isa) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour)..." (^{[Quran 43:61]})

The scholars that reject the second coming of Isa, argue that the knowledge of the Hour is only with God and that the Hour will come all of a sudden and that if the second coming of Isa is true, whenever it happens, billions of people would be certain the Hour is about to come.

Another relevant verse from Qur'an:

"And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death" (^{[Quran 4:159]})

As an example of a Qur'anic verse that is considered to refer to the end time events:

"Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (given to Moses): My servants the righteous, shall inherit the earth." (^{[Quran 21:105]})

Jesus' physical appearance

Certain hadith give a picture of Jesus' physical appearance:

"While I was sleeping, I saw myself (in a dream), performing Tawaf (circumambulation of the House of God in Makkah). I saw a reddish-white man with lank hair, with water dripping from his head, I asked, "Who is this?" They replied, "The Son of Maryam (Mary)..." (Bukhari, Muslim)

"I saw near the Ka’bah (House of God), a person who was whitish-red and lank- haired, resting his hands upon two men, as water dripped from his head. I asked, "Who is this?" The people replied, "He is I`sa u, Ibn Maryam ," or they may have replied, "He is the Messiah, son of Mary." (Bukhari, Muslim, Imam Hanbal)

Jesus' miracles

Jesus is believed to have performed many miracles. However, Muslims believe these were performed only by the will of God. These include:

1. Speaking while he was only a baby
2. Healing those born blind
3. Healing the lepers
4. Reviving the dead
5. Breathing life into a bird made of clay

• Speaking during infancy:

"They said:

How can we talk to one who is a child, in the cradle?

He (The baby) said:

I am a slave of Allah [i.e. created by God and belong to Him], He has given me the Scriptures and made me a Prophet; And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat (giving alms to the poor) as long as I live. And dutiful to my mother (i.e. made me kind and good to my mother) and made me not arrogant, unblest. And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I shall be raised alive (i.e. on The Day of Judgment and Resurrection)! " (^{[Quran 19:29]})

• Making live birds out of clay, curing blindness and leprosy, and raising the dead:

And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): '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 Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe... (^{[Quran 3:49]})

See also

• Islamic eschatology
• Virgin Mary in Islam
• The Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement, an Asian-based offshoot from mainstream Islam, believes that, after crucifixion, Isa went east and reached Kashmir where he was known as Yuz Asaf, married, had children and was entombed in the Rozabal shrine of Srinagar. Mainstream Muslims, however, consider these views heretical.
• Jesus
• Muhammad
• Names and titles of Jesus
• Gospel of Barnabas
• List of founders of major religions
• Prophets of Islam
• Similarities between the Bible and the Qur'an

External links

• Surah Maryam (Chapter Mary) Flash
• Isa and The Virgin Mary in Islam
• Isa in the Qur'an
• Islam vs. Christianity
• Prophets Stories
• The Noble Qur'an
• Isa' importance in Islam
• Status of Isa in Islam
• The Qur'an on Isa' divinity
• Isa' second coming in Islam
• Isa the prophet of Allah
• The Gospel of Barnabas
• Jesus in Quran

References to Jesus in the Qur'an

• Appraisal of Mary, daughter of Imran: 3:37, 3:42, 3:43, 3:45, 5:75, 23:50, 66:12
• Purity and virginity of Mary: 3:47, 4:156, 19:20, 21:91, 66:12
• Appraisal of Jesus: 2:136, 3:45, 3:48, 4:163, 4:172, 6:85, 19:19, 19:21, 19:30, 19:31, 19:32, 19:33, 19:34, 23:50, 43:59, 43:63, 57:27
• Pregnancy of Mary and birth of Jesus: 3:45, 3:47, 3:59, 21:91, 66:12
• Jesus as. Kalimat Allah dan RahmatNya: 3:45, 4:171, 21:91
• Jesus spoke while he was still a baby: 3:46, 5:110, 19:29, 19:30, 19:31, 19:32, 19:33
• Jesus was helped by the Holy Spirit (Arabic Ruh al quds): 2:87, 2:253, 5:110
• Jesus' miracles: 3:46, 3:48, 3:49, 5:110
• Jesus' attributes: 3:45, 3:46
• Jesus was sent to the Israelites: 3:49, 3:50, 5:46, 5:78, 5:110, 43:63, 43:64, 61:6, 61:14
• The followers of Jesus asked for table's spread: 5:112, 5:113
• Plans to murder Jesus: 4:157
• Jesus was raised: 3:55, 4:158
• Jesus will return at the end of the world: 4:159
• Christians worshipped Jesus as God: 5:17, 5:72, 5:77, 5:116, 9:31, 43:58, 43:65
• Jesus is clean from the people's bad behavior: 5:72, 5:75, 5:116, 5:117, 43:59
• Suggestion not to follow the Christians: 2:120, 2:145, 3:105, 5:51, 57:16
• Antipathy between Christians and Jews: 2:113, 2:145, 5:14
• The Gospel was revealed to Jesus: 2:87, 2:253, 3:3, 5:46
• Mentions of the Gospel: 3:3, 3:48, 3:65, 5:47, 5:66, 5:68, 5:110, 7:157, 9:111, 48:29, 57:27