LESSONS FROM JESUS CHRIST
Prophet of God
WE find from the Quran and Hadith that a large number of God’s messengers were sent to different nations and regions. The majority of these prophets are unknown from the historical point of view. It is because the books written by the contemporaries of the messengers make no mention of them or their work. To these chroniclers the prophets and the incidents connected with them were not worthy of being mentioned.
Without doubt, the prophets are examples of the loftiest human character. But because of the unscientific methods of history-writing which prevailed in their times, only events connected with kings, royalty and generals were considered worthy of being recorded, thus depriving posterity of the precious details of the lives of the prophets. The Quran opened this chapter for the first time in history.
God has instructed us not to differentiate between the
prophets as they essentially brought the same message to mankind.
But to what end? It might seem that a recital of the facts relating to the life and mission of the Prophet of Islam would have sufficed. But there was a very good reason for making frequent mention of these prophets individually, and also testifying to their having received God’s guidance, a blessing which exalted them above all other creatures. It was so that the Prophet of Islam and his ummah (followers) might learn valuable lessons from the ways in which these prophets dealt with their circumstances and the situations in which they found themselves.
In the Quran(6:90), the Prophet of Islam is thus addressed:
‘These are whom God guided aright, so follow their guidance.'
Every one of them was an upright man guided by God along a straight path and as such was superior to all others. Chapter 6 mentions a number of these prophets by name. They are: Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishaaq (Issac), Yaqub (Jacob), Nuh (Noah), Dawood (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ayyub (Job), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), Haroon (Aaron), Zakariya, Isa (Jesus), Ismail (Ishmael), Yahya (John the Baptist), Yunus (Jonah), and Lut (Lot).
God has also instructed us not to differentiate between the prophets as they essentially brought the same message to mankind. (THE QURAN 2: 285).
Prophet Muhammad was instructed by God to follow the guidance of the Prophets before him. By extension, all the followers of Prophet Muhammad must also seek guidance from the lives of the other prophets. By this, it is meant that each one of us must evaluate the situation he faces and then whilst examining the lives of other prophets, determine in which prophet he can find a similar example. His response to the situation should be the same as that of the prophets in whose example he found the similarity.
Prophet Muhammad was instructed by God to follow the guidance of the Prophets before him. By extension, all the
followers of Prophet Muhammad must also seek guidance from the lives of the other Prophets.
For example, from Prophet Abraham we can learn what should be our behaviour towards unbelieving parents. 'If your parents are unbelievers, obey them until doing so contradicts God’s commands. Give them the message of God in a gentle, kind hearted and reasonable manner, but if they choose to disbelieve, do not force them'.
Prophet Ismail’s example shows us what should be our behaviour towards believing parents. 'Follow your parents and seek guidance from them. Assist them in their work.'
The lesson from Prophet Yusuf’s example however is: 'Do not stand against the rulers and confront them in the political field. Accept their position and avail of the opportunities that arise in other non-political spheres.'
LESSONS FROM JESUS CHRIST
The Quran repeatedly mentions Christ. In Jesus’ life we have many lessons of guidance. Some of these lessons are presented below:
Unilateral Good Character:
Jesus Christ says:
‘‘But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you”. (Luke 6: 27-30).
The same teaching is echoed in the Quran:
And good deeds and evil deeds are not alike. Repel evil with good and he who is your enemy will become your dearest friend. (41: 34)
This is a practical code of conduct for us in society that shows us the way to live in peace and harmony.
Duty Consciousness
The people asked Jesus what they should do under the oppression of the Romans ruling over them. He said:
Give to king what is due to the king. And give to God what is due to God.
This was in the time when there were kings and people were subjects. If the kings want wealth or taxes, give it to them and then you are free and at peace to do whatever you want.
This is the same situation with us now days; if we give to the government whatever is our obligation to them—taxes and abide by the law, then we can do whatever we want in the countless other fields.
A similar Hadith (sayings of the Prophet of Islam) from Bukhari:
Give the ruler his rights. Ask for your rights from God.
Peace under all circumstances
Similarly Jesus says:
To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back.
According to the Quran: ‘Reconciliation is the best’ (4: 128).
This message of peace preached by all the messengers of God is the answer to the mindless violence that we witness throughout the world in the present day. o
