JESUS IN THE ISLAMIC SCRIPTURE
The Messiah
A MAJOR portion of the Quran is dedicated to the exemplary lives of the prophets. Jesus—one such prophet—is frequently mentioned in the Quran as “The Messiah,” “A Mercy,” “Prophet,” “Messenger,” “Word from God,” “Spirit,” “A Sign,” “One brought near (to God),” “Upright,” “Servant,” “Eminent,” “Blessed,” “A Witness,” and “A Parable.”
As such, he is honoured everywhere by Muslims. The Prophet Muhammad during his Night Journey to Heaven, saw Jesus and described him as “a man of medium height, red complexion, curly hair and broad chest.” Mary, the mother of Jesus, described in Quran as “one exalted above all womankind,” has a whole chapter of the Quran (number 19) named after her, which tells of the miraculous birth of Jesus. The story begins with an angel announcing the birth of a holy son to Mary, who, being a chaste woman, was quite distraught at this news. But the angel reassured her that this was the will of God, that it was not a difficult thing for Him and that it was a sign and a blessing to all humankind.
When Mary gave birth to Jesus and brought him to her people, they all pointed their fingers at her. But she was told by God to remain silent and to point to the baby. As the people were wondering how they could talk to a child in the cradle, the baby Jesus performed his first miracle by saying these fine words: “I am God’s servant. He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving throughout my life. He has made me dutiful toward my mother, and He has not made me arrogant or wicked. Blessed was I on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day I die and the day I am raised to life again.” (19: 30-33)
When Jesus attained manhood, God bestowed upon him “scriptures and wisdom, along with the Torah and the Gospel.” He was also given the power to perform a number of miracles, such as fashioning a living bird out of clay; giving sight to the blind; healing a leper and raising the dead to life; he also had the wisdom to inform people what they ate and stored up in their houses.
The Quran also mentions the day when his disciples demanded that he bring down from the sky a table spread with good things. Jesus prayed for this, but warned them of God’s wrath, if they disbelieved in Him afterwards, His prayer was then answered and his disciples happily had their feast.
Yet, despite these clear signs, the Israelites rejected him, accusing him of sorcery. They made clear their outright disbelief in him when he said to them, “I am sent to you by God, confirming the Torah that came before me and bringing good news of a messenger to follow me, whose name will be Ahmad.” (61: 6) (Ahmad is another name of the Prophet Muhammad, meaning “The Praised One”).
They even tried to kill Jesus, but God saved him at the last minute by raising him up to the sky: “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it only seemed to them [as if it had been so].” (4: 157)
Mary, the mother of Jesus, described in Quran as “one exalted above all womankind,” has a whole chapter of the Quran (number 19) named after her, which tells of the miraculous birth of Jesus.
The Quran further clarifies that his creation was no different from that of the first human being: “Jesus in the sight of God is like Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was.” (3: 59)
Jesus taught no false worship, but only preached the unity of his Creator. On the Day of Judgement, God will question him: “Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to people, ‘Take me and my mother as two deities besides God?’”
Jesus will disclaim this, saying: “Glory be to You! How could I ever say that to which I have no right?” (5: 116) And he will add: “I told them only what You commanded me to, ‘Worship God, my Lord and your Lord.’” (5: 117)
The Quran mentions: “Of the People of the Book there are some who stand by their covenant; they recite the word of God during the night and prostrate themselves before Him, who believe in God and the Last Day, who enjoin justice and forbid evil and vie with each other in good works. These are righteous men.” (3: 113-14) The Quran welcomes them to a common faith, saying: “People of the Book, let us come to a word common to us that we shall worship none but God and that we shall associate no partner with Him and that none of us shall take others, besides God, for lords.” (3: 64)