Islamic View of Jesus

by Warren Vanhetloo @ http://www.sharperiron.org

^{Note: See other articles in the Islam series: Islamic Paradise, Islamic Ideology and Islamic Infrastructure.}

The typical Muslim estimation of Jesus of Nazareth is similar to the view of liberals or other nonbelievers generally but is also distinctive from most others. Mohammed could neither read nor write and probably had no direct contact with either the Old or the New Testament, only oral desert traditions. Yeshua is the Arabic name for Jesus; Isa is the name used in the Koran.

According to Islam, Jesus is listed as one of Allah’s special prophets. The most important prophets are Moses, David, Jesus, and Mohammed, for each was given a holy book to correct departure [1] from Allah: Moses the Pentateuch, David the Psalms, and Jesus the Gospels. The followers of Jesus corrupted the book Allah gave Him. Muslims consider Jesus to be a great prophet (Sura 2:253) but inferior to the other three for two reasons: (1) earlier prophets and Mohammed all had wives and children designated by Allah, and (2) His public ministry lasted only three years (Sura 13:38). Allah also sent many prophets to all the various nations, “And verily we have raised in every nation a messenger [proclaiming], Serve Allah, and shun false gods” (Sura 16:36). There have been no prophets or revelations since Mohammed. Of the prophets prior to Mohammed, “no difference do we make between them” (Sura 2:125-136).

According to Islam, Jesus was only a human, only a man, only a prophet (Sura 5:72-75). Jesus Himself, speaking from the cradle, called Himself a slave, not a son of God. “How can we talk to the one who is in the cradle, a young boy? He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the scriptures and hath appointed me a prophet” (Sura 19:29-30). Jesus’ limited ministry was to announce the messenger to follow: “Jesus son of Mary said . . . I am the messenger of Allah . . . bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One [Ahmad, a variant of Mohammed]” Sura 61:6).

According to Islam, Jesus had an ordinary but unusual physical birth. He was a human born of the virgin Mary by a special miracle. “O Mary! Lo! Allah hath chosen thee . . . She said, My Lord! How can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?” (Sura 3:42, 47). One Muslim commentator says the virgin conceived “when the angel Gabriel blew up her garment.” Allah especially created Jesus in the likeness of Adam. “Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him [Jesus] of dust, and then he said unto him: Be! And he is” (Sura 3:59). Fables about Jesus’ boyhood are declared to be true (Sura 5:110).

Muslims are confounded by the relationship between the Father and the Son in the Christian Godhead. How can Jesus, a man, be God? They think that Christians consider that somehow Jesus became God rather than that He eternally was God. Many Muslims mistakenly believe that the “Christian Trinity” consists of God, Mary, and Jesus. “And when Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? He saith: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right” (Sura 5:116). Teaching of a trinity is declared to be false (Sura 5:73).

Allah is unitary, without persons: “So believe in Allah and his messengers, and say not three – Cease! [it is] better for you! Allah is one God. For it is removed from his transcendent majesty that he should have a son” (Sura 4:171). Allah could never have a son (Sura 19:35, 90). “Say: he is Allah, singular. Allah, the absolute. He begetteth not nor was begotten. And to him have never been one equal” (Sura 112). Allah has no son, either in heaven or on earth. Though Jesus often called God “Father,” no devout Muslim would call Allah “father,” for Muslims consider Allah to be utterly transcendent and unknowable. Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock has an Arabic inscription in the ceramic tiles of the walls: “Allah has no son.”

Muslims recognize that the three-year public ministry of Jesus was unusual. Jesus was said to be faultless: “He [Gabriel] said, I am only a messenger of thy lord, that I may bestow on thee [Mary] a faultless son” (Sura 19:19). Jesus and others were considered righteous. “. . . John and Jesus and Elias. Each one [of them] was of the righteous” (Sura 6:86). Muslims recognize that Jesus was the Messiah, but they believe He was not God (Sura 4:171; 5:75-80). Jesus even performed miracles (which Mohammed never did). He healed the sick, raised the dead, and made a clay pigeon become alive – all done with Allah’s permission. “When Allah saith: O Jesus . . . thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird . . . Thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper . . . and didst raise the dead, by my permission” (Sura 5:110).

Traditionally, Muslim interpreters consider that Allah would not allow a devoted prophet like Jesus to suffer and die, for Allah delivers true prophets. “Then shall we save our messengers and the believers, in like manner as of old” (Sura 10:103). “The Messiah Jesus son of Mary . . . They slew him not nor crucified, but it appeared so unto them” (Sura 4:157). They believe someone else was crucified instead of Jesus, and Allah secretly raised Jesus to himself. Jesus did not actually physically die, they say. Allah took Jesus directly to paradise without experiencing death, as he had done with Enoch and Elijah. “But Allah took him unto himself” (Sura 4:158).

According to Islam, Jesus is unable now nor in the future to function as an intercessor. “Allah’s apostle said, ‘Allah will gather all people on the day of resurrection and they will say, “Let us request someone to intercede for us with our lord” . . . They will go to him [Jesus], and he will say, I am not fit for this undertaking, go to Mohammed’” (Hadith 8:570). Jesus will, however, return to earth and judge people by the law of the Koran and establish Islam as the only religion of the world. He will thereafter die a “normal” death.

Many Muslims believe that Jesus will return from paradise and punish Jews and Christians for their failure to accept Mohammed as the prophet, and He will help establish Islam as the only religion of the world. “By him of whose hands my soul is, son of Mary [Jesus] will shortly descend amongst you people [Muslims] as a just ruler and will break the cross and kill the pig” (Hadith 3:425). “Allah’s apostle said, ‘How will you be when the son of Mary descends amongst you and he will judge people by the law of the Koran and not by the law of the gospels?’” (Hadith 4:658).

According to Islam, Jesus has not and cannot die for the sins of another. Each person is born good but weak. “Allah would make the burden light for you, for man was created weak” (Sura 4:28). Sin is an offense against a deity, but Allah has no attributes, no moral character to offend. None can have fellowship with Allah; no human error hinders a relationship to him, for none is possible. Muslims can make mistakes, but they do not sin.

According to Islam, each person is fully responsible for his acts. Blame cannot be transferred to another. No one can die to erase the mistakes of another. “Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another’s load” (Sura 6:164). Allah can forgive by an act of will; the death of Jesus can have no significance. Allah sends to hell whomever he wishes. Such is solely of his will; neither demons nor men are there because they deserve it. “That I will fill hell with jinn (demons) and mankind together” (Sura 32:13). Only Muslims will ever be released from hell and taken to paradise. Men here can only hope for a shorter time of suffering by performing faithfully the five “pillars” of Islam. Allah alone wills who will be transferred from hell to paradise and when. The One who is the way, the truth, and the life, who alone gives eternal life, is both rejected and opposed.

__________

^{1. “When the teaching of a prophet is distorted by people, Allah sends another prophet to bring humans back to the straight path. The chain of prophets began with Adam and included Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, David, and Jesus; the final prophet was Muhammad . . . Muslims maintain that Allah wrote the Christian Scriptures, but human writers, such as Luke, John, and Paul, changed and corrupted them. The original Scriptures must be considered lost.” - David Goldmann, Islam and the Bible (Moody, 2004), pp. 61, 65).}

Warren Vanhetloo has A.B., B.D., Th.M., Th.D., and D.D. degrees. He served three pastorates in Michigan, taught 20 years at Central Baptist Theological Seminary (Plymouth, MN), taught 23 years at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary (Lansdale, PA), and is listed as adjunct faculty at Calvary. Retired, he lives in Holland, Michigan. Since the death of his wife a year ago, at the urging of fellow faculty and former students, he sends an email newsletter called “Cogitations” to those who request it.

Jesus Christ According To The Qu"ran - A Denial of The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

posted by Bartimaeus @ http://reformation-truth.blogspot.com

In November of 2006 Pope Benedict XVI removed his shoes and entered the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul. This was the second visit to a mosque by a Roman Pontiff. John Paul II had visited a mosque in 2001. The Pope made the visit to placate Muslim outrage about remarks he made in Germany about Mohammed. What is remarkable that this ‘so called” leader of Chrisendom would join together with Muslims in prayer as if Christians and Muslims worshipped the same God. You will hear from those in the media; from our vote hungry politicians and weak kneed Christian leaders that Jews Christians and Muslims worship the same God. But Christians fail to realize Islam is a missionary religion. They are actively seeking converts. Jihad is the means to struggle or strive with ones adversaries. Jihad is often referred to as the 6th pillar of Islam. In Islam ther are six types of Jihad. Two types of jihad are

Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is a struggle of good against evil waged by writing and speech, such as in the form of Dawah (proselytizing), Khutbas (sermons), et al. It is one weapon in the jihadi arsenal.

Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.

In Islamic theology is to bring the entire world under Islamic domination and control. According to Muslim theologians the world is divided into seven regions. For our purposes we will examine two classifications or divisions.

Dar al-Islam literally house of submission) is a term used to refer to those lands under Muslim government(s). In the conservative tradition of Isalm the world is divided into two components: dar al-Islam, the house of submission and dar al-Harb, the house of war

Dar al-Harb "house of war") is a term used to refer to those areas outside Muslim rule. The term traditionally refers to those lands administered by non-Muslim governments. The exact definitions of these territories can vary widely according to the viewer's concept of who is and is not a Muslim, and which governments are or are not Muslim in practice. The inhabitants of the Dar al-Harb are called harbis.
The sole reason for the existence of Islam is a struggle against Christianity. On a human level if there was no Christianity there would be no Islam. Islam would have no reason to exist. Those who claim that Christianity can live in peaceful coexistence with Islam are at best incredibly naïve and at worst downright dishonest. When one reads a biography by even Muslim scholars on the life of Mohammed one readily see that Mohammed was a man of the sword. The very word Islam means submission. The Qu’ran is full of instructions on various ways of how to conduct warfare. The Qu’ran is a polemic against the Christian faith. The person and work of Christ is emphatically denied throughout the Qu’ran. The following are number of verses from the Qu’ran that speak of the Islamic concept of the nature of God and of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. To be sure that the Qu’ran will honour Jesus ad a great prophet. But the Christians must uderstan that Islam affirms that Mohammed was the greatest of all the prophets (greater than Jesus) and seal of all prophets confirming all that had had come before. The Qu’ran uses the term “Jesus son of Mary” though acknowledging the virgin birth is a direct refutation of the Christian claim that Jesus was the Son of God

The Qu’ran Denies the Triune God.

James White in his book the Forgotten Trinity defines the Triune God as “within the one being that is God, there exist eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Many Christians today have a fuzzy idea about the Trinity. Belief in the triune God is essential to salvation. If one denies the Trinity they are outside the pale of Christian orthodoxy and can be under no circumstances considered fellow believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. A correct understanding of exactly what the Trinity is s just more evidence why theology matters. A fuzzy understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity has led to tragic consequences. The prime example historically is the coming of Islam. Consider the following verses in the Qu’ran and ask yourself that Mohammed have a correct understanding of the Trinity. At the same time keep in mind that the Qu’ran claims to be divine revelation and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah.

O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah. 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.

Surah 4:171

They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One Allah. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them

Sura 5:73


And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah.?" 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.

Sura 5:116

.

They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One Allah. there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him).

Surah 9:31

Now let me interject at this when you read these verse from the Qu’ran; do you get the impression that Mohammed may have misunderstood the doctrine . Mohammed’s conception of the Trinity seems very much like that tri-theistic Mormons. Note to who comprise the Trinity to Mohammed understanding Allah Mary his wife and Jesus the son of Mary
The Qu’ran Denies Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of God

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.
Surah 112:1-4


For the devout and pious Muslim this surah is the first thing he wants to hear when hie is born and the last thing he wants to hear when he dies. This again begs the gwustion; what did Mohammed understand when about Jesus being the only begotten?

The Qu’ran Denies Jesus was crucified.

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus 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:-
Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-
Surah 4:157 & 158

There the Qu’ran denies that Jesus was ever crucified Muslims assert that Jesus was taken up to heaven before the crucifixion and another was crucified in His place. Isalmic scholars differ who this may have been some will argue for Judas and others for Simon of Cyrene . The problem with the argument that Muslims have witth the argument of the crucifixion are the eye witness accounts of the actual events as opposed to the events as recorded in the Qu’ram six hundred years later. The disciples were with Jesus when he was arrested. John was at the foot of the cross and Jesus spoke directly to Mary his mother and to mother.

Jesus came to do the will of His Father. The will of the Father for Jesus was he lay down his life for the sheep. The will of the Father was that He (Jesus) would save His people (the elect) from their sins. The will of the Father for Jesus was that He (Jesus) give His life a ransom for many.