In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Jesus or Isa in Arabic (peace be upon him) is of great significance in both Islam and Christianity. However, there are differences in terms of beliefs about the nature and life occurrences of Jesus. There are about 71 verses in the Quran that refer to Prophet isa (Jesus).
The fact that Jesus taught the same religion that had been presented by Moses and the other Prophets is supported even by the existing Gospels. For example, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declared in the Sermon on the Mount: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." (5: 17).
One of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, asked Jesus, "Which is the great commandment in the law?" He replied:
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And the second is like. unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and Prophets." (Matthew 22: 37-40).
On another occasion Jesus said to his disciples:
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not." (Matthew 23: 2-3).
Note 47 That is, "I have come to efface and abolish the superstitions of your ignorant people, the hairsplitting of your jurists, the religious austerities of your ascetics and the restrictive additions made in the Law of God under the non-Muslim domination; I will make lawful or unlawful for you only those things which God has made lawful or unlawful."
This shows that like all other Prophets, Jesus also based his teachings on the following three fundamentals:
- The Supreme Authority to which mankind should submit and surrender exclusively belongs to Allah (God) and all the social and moral systems should be built entirely on it.
- Being a representative of the same Paramount Power, a prophet must be obeyed unconditionally.
- God alone is entitled to prescribe laws and regulations for making things lawful or unlawful, pure and impure; consequently, all laws imposed by others must be abolished.
Thus, it is clear that Jesus, Moses, Muhammad and all other Prophets (God's peace be upon them all) had one and the same mission.
Those people who say that different Prophets were sent with different missions and to fulfill different aims, are gravely mistaken.
Anyone, who is delegated by the Absolute Master of the Universe to His subjects, cannot have any other mission than to prevent the people, from becoming disobedient to and independent of Him, and to forbid them to set others to rank with God as partners in His Authority in any way. For, they are sent to invite the people to surrender and submit and be loyal to the Almighty God and worship Him alone.
It is a pity that the existing Gospels do not present the mission of Jesus so precisely and clearly as it has been presented in the Holy Qur'an, as we will see in the next series of articles. Nevertheless, all the three basic things mentioned above are found scattered over in these Books. For instance, the fact that Jesus believed exclusively in the worship of God is clear from the following:
- "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Matthew 4: 10).
- Not only did he believe in this, but also made it the ultimate aim of all his activities and strove to make the people of the earth to submit to the revealed Law of God just as the whole universe submits to His physical Law.
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6 :10).
It will be useful here to bear in mind the fact that this whole discourse is meant to refute and correct the Christian belief in the God-head of Jesus.
Three main things were responsible for the prevalence of this belief among the Christians:
- The miraculous birth of Jesus.
- His concrete and tangible miracles.
- His ascension to heaven about which their Scriptures were explicit.
The Qur'an confirmed the first thing and made it plain that the birth of Jesus without a father was only a manifestation of the infinite powers of God. He can create anybody in whatever manner He wills. His miraculous birth, therefore, is no reason why he should be made a god or a partner in Godhead.
The Qur'an also confirms the second thing and even recounts the miracles performed by Jesus, but makes it clear that all those miracles were performed by him, as a servant of God, by His leave and not as an independent authority. It is, therefore, wrong to infer that Jesus was a partner in Godhead.
Now let us consider the third thing. If the Christian belief in "Ascension" had been wholly baseless, it could have been refuted by pointing out that the object of their worship, the so-called "Son of God", expired long ago and had become one with dust, and that they could see, for their full satisfaction, his grave at such and such a place. But the Qur'an does not declare this explicitly. On the other hand, it not only uses such words as give at least a vague suggestion of his "Ascension", but also denies that Jesus was crucified at all.1
All these important issues will be dealt with in this article and the following articles Through the presentation of the distinguished book that dealt with this serious issue in detail and the investigation is unrivaled, as is the habit of its author when dealing with a historical topic, this wonderful book entitled, “The Messiah Isa son of Maryam – the Complete Truth” by learned scholar and distinguished historian, his excellency Dr Ali Mohammed al-Sallabi who has delved into a topic considered among the most complex and controversial, even for Nasraanis (Christians) themselves.
But before we start presenting the chapters of this interesting book, it is better for us to get acquainted with the biography of the author first, so we say:
Dr. Ali Mohammad al-Sallabi
• Dr. Ali Mohammad al-Sallabi was born in Benghazi in Libya in 1963.
• A writer, historian and an Islamic thinker.
• The deputy secretary general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars.
• Gained licentiate from Dawa and Fundamentals of Religion College in Madina El Monawara in 1993.
• By his book “Moderation in Holy Qur’an”, he gained master degree from Fundamentals of Religion College in Omdurman Islamic University in 1996.
• By his book “Jurisprudence of Empowerment in Holy Qur’an”, he gained PHD degree in the Islamic studies from Omdurman Islamic University in Sudan in 1999.
• In his scholar march, he got disciplined by a group of scholars like Sheikh al Qaradawi, Sheikh Akram Dhiya’ al Omeri, Dr. Yasin al Khateeb, Salman al Awdah, Yasin Abdel Aziz, Mohammad Buhairi, Mubarak Ahmad Rahma, Ahmad Mohammad Jeeli, Sheikh Rashid al Ghannouci, Sheikh Mohammad al Harathi and other scholars.
• Since his early scholar formation, Dr. Ali al-Sallabi was interested in Holy Qur’an interpretation, Islamic history, jurisprudence of divine established ways (sunnah) and cultures rules.
• Famous for his books and concerns in Holy Qur’an science, jurisprudence, history and Islamic thought. • A member in the historical review committee and texts auditing committee for many drama actions like Omar Bin al Khattab, Abu Jaafar al Mansour, Imam al Hassan series and Others.
• He waged national initiatives politically and socially in Libya and was interested in national reconciliation project that lasted in writing his book titled “Justice and National Reconciliation; a Religious and Human Necessity”.
• Participated in the (national) reform project: Libya the Futuristic from 2005-2010. • He interfered to release the political prisoners by leading negotiations with Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and supervised the intellectual dialogues that were complemented by his book titled “Corrective Studies in Jihad, Numeracy and Judging People Concepts”.
• Writings of Dr. Sallabi exceeded seventy in history and Islamic thought with those following translated into English:
-Prophetic Biography
-Abu Bakr al-Seddiq
-Omar Bin al-Khattab
-Othman Bin-Affan
-Ali Bin Abi Talib
-Al-Hassan Bin Ali Bin Abi Talib
-Omar Bin Abdel Aziz
-Salahuddin al-Ayoubi
-Mohammad al-Fateh
-Isa Ibn Maryam (the Whole Truth)
Yet, with the Grace of God, Dr al-Sallabi was able to find that which he sought in the Holy Qur’an, which God descended as cure and mercy for all. The Qur’an was descended to reveal the truth about disagreements that occurred among past nations and the facts which past and present scholars have also disagreed upon.
God Says in Surat al-Nahl (39): {In order that He may manifest to them the truth of that wherein they differ, and that the rejecters of Truth may realize that they had indeed (surrendered to) Falsehood}.
Dealing with such complex and grand topics is not something alien to the writer who has coexisted with the Holy Qur’an in all its facets as both his Master’s and Doctorate dissertations were on subjective interpretation; this is in addition to his many useful writings on Prophet Mohammad’s life and on historical benchmarks which have aided him in completing this book – Nay, this great project! When the honor of scientific knowledge is due to the nobility of its topics, this book has earned two great honors, i.e., the subject matter of the book that gives prominence to one of the greatest prophets and messengers the world has witnessed.
This prophet is none other than our master Isa (“Jesus” in the bible) son of Maryam (Peace be upon them), who is also one of the five prophets of Inflexible Purpose, and one whose followers form the largest percentage among heavenly religions at almost 31%.
The second honor is that the Holy Qur’an is the source from which the author utilized the proofs for his book; this Book that has given unsurmountable prominence to all which is related to Prophet Isa to the extent that the third Surah in the Qur’an was named Aal-Imran (Imran’s Folk), which is the name of Prophet Isa’s family. Then another Surah is named after his mother, Maryam (Peace be upon her) and a third is entitled al-Maa’idah (the Repast) which Isa’s followers requested God to descend upon them. This is in addition to other holy verses mentioned in the Qur’an on the children of Israel and the family of Isa (Peace be upon him).
The kind author has invested his historical specialization in exemplifying the historical benchmarks of the homeland in which Prophet Isa was born, i.e., Palestine, and allocated information thereof in its first chapter along with the political, social and intellectual norms at the time.
In the second chapter, the author exhausted all instances of the Qur’an’s mention of Prophet Isa and deducted many bright and blessed conclusions therefrom. He also explained everything in well laid out format and organization that gives an independent and inclusive image of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him, pbuh).
I can say with conviction that not a single verse about or related to Isa or his near or distant family has not been mentioned and explained by the author, as well as having mentioned all opinions and meanings these may carry with total objectivity.
The book’s third chapter then covers all miracles performed by Prophet Isa (PBUH).
Chapter Four of the book complements the most important aspects related to Prophet Isa’s followers as it details the debate that occurred between Najran’s Nasraanis and Prophet Mohammad (pbuh).
The chapter also discusses the dialogue among the four Bibles on an objective-scientific level and utilizes hundreds of sources and references that have enriched the book with much insight.
The Book is a Comprehensive Truth
All who read this great work shall reach an unembellished truth that it has provided a cohesive, inclusive and balanced image of Prophet Isa (pbuh) in accordance with the Jurisprudence of Balances. This is because it relied on proofs from the Holy Qur’an which: {No falsehood can approach it from before or behind it: It is sent down by One Full of Wisdom, Worthy of all Praise} (Surat Fussilat: 42), and on the words of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) who God Says of them: {Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him} (Surat Fussilat: 3-4). Accordingly, the Holy Qur’an, along with its interpretation, has revealed the complete truth about our Prophet Isa son of Maryam (pbuh) so as to clear any disagreements about that truth. The verifying author states that the most important conclusion his investigative book has achieved is: “There exists no Book on Earth that has given the Messiah (pbuh), his Virgin Mother and her family such honoring and reverence more than the Holy Qur’an. This reverence undoubtedly surpasses that of the currently existing Torah and gospels. In addition to this honoring, the Holy Qur’an corrected mistakes, accusations and baseless allegations that were directed at Prophet Isa and his pure mother by Jews and even Christians themselves.”
The author was able to identify the meticulous and detailed Qur’anic information considered “among the miraculous facets of informing, accounting for, educating and scientifically detailing the many incidents of renewal in the life of God’s prophet and servant, Isa son of Maryam (Peace be upon them).
The author also based his book on the understanding of Qur’anic imagery from the confirmed Sunnah of Prophet Mohammad; this is in addition to the acknowledged sources of Tafseer (interpretation), explanation, investigation of meanings, auditing of linguistic usage and the facets of textual miracle.
The Jurisprudence of Balances
That revealed in the Holy Qur’an about Prophet Isa and his mother Maryam is based on Qur’anic balances concerning the Creator and His creations which reveal facts that agree with common sense and righteous minds. The jurisprudence balance of The Almighty Creator is that He exists and is not created, enacted, born, in need of anyone, eats, drinks, excretes or the like. The balance of God’s creations is that mankind is a creature enacted through God’s Will from a void, who is born and in need, and for who He set a meticulous system to follow.
Hence, we notice how the Holy Qur’an has focused of these balances and described the creation of Prophet Isa (Jesus) from its onset.
The Qur’an first mentions how Imran’s wife made a vow: {Behold! a woman of Imran said: “O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things.”} (Surat Aal-Imran: 35). This holy verse shows that Isa (pbuh) is a creation born of his mother Maryam, who was in turn born out of her mother, as means of emphasizing that Isa is no different from any other man except in two matters:
First: A breath from God created Isa without a father’s seed. Second: That Isa was a messenger of God, created through God’s Word (be!), was blessed with the ability to perform great physical miracles and who was described by the Almighty as possessing great traits. The wording of the Qur’anic verse on Maryam, above, shows that she was a created being and in need, and that her mother had beseeched God that Maryam and her offspring be saved from Satan. The words on how Zakariya then looked after her, along with all the blessings God bestowed upon her are to emphasize that Maryam was a creation and not a god. As the mother was definitely not a god, the Qur’an brings forward conclusive intellectual proofs that her son too was not a god. Accordingly, the Holy Qur’an accentuates Isa as the son of Maryam, a born creation, not a creator nor a god in any facet of creation or divinity. Qur’anic proofs clarify this through the instance when the angels conveyed the blessed news to Maryam: {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} (Surat Aal-Imran: 45). Hence, the Creator is of mandated existentialism, ancient and preceded by neither person nor matter.
If there exists any abnormality in that Isa has no father, the Almighty has shown that this was due to His Ability of doing much more than that, for if God wants anything to exist, He would Order it to (be!) so and it would materialize.
The fact that Prophet Isa was born out of no seed from a physical father, and that he is a Word from God, in no way means that Isa is a god as such a fatherless creation does not deny him being a creation. Also, describing Isa (pbuh) as “God’s Word” or “A Word from God” is meant to show that God created Isa by merely uttering His Wish without the existence of the natural reasons for creation, i.e., the seed created by male semen and female ovary. Accordingly, the creation of Isa was similar to that of Adam who God created from dirt without the presence of a father or even a mother for that matter. God says (p5&6). Hence, God is Able to create anything or anyone He wishes from a complete void, rendering the creation of a man without a physical fatherly seed so much easier. God Says: {The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.} (Surat Aal-Imran: 59). When God is able to create from nothingness, it is much easier for Him to create a man without a father. God Says: {It is He Who begins (the process of) creation; then repeats it; and for Him it is most easy} (Surat al-Roum: 27). Also, Prophet Isa was a foetus in his mother’s womb, a child in cradle, a young man and then a mature man. He was persecuted and tortured by the Jews and others, lived a turbulent life of humans who are influenced by events and who influence others, whose circumstances changed with the temporal changes surrounding him, and who transformed from young age to an older one. All of these are conclusive proofs agreeable to the mind and eye that Isa was a creation affected by events, not a god as claimed by the vast majority of Nasraanis.
Based on the above, the claim by the majority of Nasraanis that Isa is a god or the son of a god within the Trinity contradicts with intellect and proofs, and a claim where each of the three contradicts with the other. Christians acknowledge that Maryam was pregnant with Isa, that he had a childhood and was tortured, and that he was even crucified and killed – which the Holy Qur’an refuted – so how can such a “man” be a god?!
Most Nasraanis, except those Unitarians among them, deem that the god of the Trinity is but one, i.e. the Father who is creator and owner of all, the son born of and equal to the Father in essence, and the Holy Spirit. They consider that these three are united in essence and will but that they do not form one self, but rather three selves and a trinity where each is a completely independent god. On this premise, Isa (pbuh) is a god in the form of a man but who is also a god. Accordingly, the scales here have become misguided, confused and utterly contradictory.
Many scholars and intellectuals have refuted these claims and stated that such a notion was one of the Roman civilization and that recognized gospels do not distinctly reference the Trinity. Some scripture in these gospels states that when Prophet Isa performed a miracle, he would first pray to the Almighty via supplication, praise and then thank The Almighty for His grace. The gospel of Mark (2:28) states that (Jesus Christ) was a man and son of a man. The gospel of Luke (2:52) states that he was a man who was born and raised. The gospels of Luke (7:34-35 & 6:12) and Mark (1:35) state that he ate and drank like all humans, prayed and supplicated most of the day and night. The gospel of Luke (4:42-43) states that he was sent as a prophet, messenger and teacher to the children of Israel.
In this regard, Clyde Tarns states, “The name the Messiah called himself by was (the son of man), and all that which the Bible reported to us of him was that he was a man who lived like one and who had all physical traits of one. The Messiah grew up, felt physical pain, cried, slept and died. All these trials testify to Jesus’s humanity.”
The Old Testament (Torah) clearly indicates that prophets were not gods and that they had no ability to perform miracles except through the Will of the Almighty.
The verses in the Holy Qur’an on Maryam and Isa (pbut) are proof of the balance of miracles that is based on exceeding norms and reason through The Almighty’s Ability.
It is also clear that the balance of Divine revelation is not influenced by that which occurs within the prophet’s psychology and his followers. Despite the presence of a struggle between them and Nasraanis, and all the disagreement and doubts Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) received from most of them, the Holy Qur’an still spoke of Prophet Isa, his mother and grandmother with much kindness, and attributed to them many great traits.
So, these are many clear proofs that the Holy Qur’an was descended by The Almighty God; not from the Prophet, whose human feelings would have otherwise been reflected in its verses. In conclusion, this book “Isa Peace be upon him – the Complete Truth” is a great endeavour that truly brings forward the complete truth about our prophet Isa (pbuh) and his truthful mother Maryam through the holy source, i.e. the Qur’an. It is a comprehensive and inclusive book that is greatly beneficial and insightful for Muslims, Christians and all other truth seekers as it answers those questions which have torn apart the fabric of Christian unity – since the Nicaean Council of 325 AD. The author has listed all verses of the Holy Qur’an related to Prophet Isa, his mother and her family in a framework that is based on scientific balances and deep understanding of jurisprudence.
Accordingly, I strongly recommend that this book be published at the widest scale possible and translated into the world’s most important languages so that all people, especially Nasraanis, may learn of the Holy Qur’an’s stance regarding the truth about our great prophet, Isa (pbuh). 2
In the next article, God willing, we will review the introduction to the aforementioned book to take an overview of its contents, until then, God bless you.
1. Jesus in the Quran BY: SYED ABUL ALA MAUDUDI SOURCE: ISLAMICITY DEC 24, 2021
2. From Introductory words for the book “Isa son of Maryam, the Complete Truth” By Professor Ali al-Qaradaghi Secretary General of the International Association of Muslim Scholars
Note: Most of this article is an excerpt from the interesting introduction that Dr. Ali Al- Qaradaghi made to Dr. Ali Al-Sallabi's book