|
Christmas holidays come and go each year with a lot of shopping, hustle
and bustle, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, decorations and lights. The
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus (PBUH). In this article, we will
address the following questions relying mostly on quotations from the Holy
Qur'an:
What are the origins of Christianity?
Was Jesus born without a father?
Is Jesus a son of God?
Did Jesus speak as a baby?
Was he crucified?
The origins of Christianity
Historical facts reveal that Jesus (PBUH) did not use the word
Christianity. He and his followers used to worship in the temple which
other Israelites used. The message of Jesus was to call people back to the
religion of Abraham and Moses from which they had gone astray. After the
disappearance of Jesus, Paul declared that belief in Jesus sufficed for
salvation. The Jewish scholars of that time called the followers of
Prophet Jesus the misguided sect of Nazarene or Galilaens! In 43 C.E.,
when Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch to preach, they were ridiculed and
were called Christians by the masses. The ones who were called Christians
felt that if they are being given a name in reference to Jesus, there is
nothing wrong in accepting it. A present day analogy may be the case of
Muslims being called Mohammedans in the West and Muslims giving in to the
name.
Paul Altered the Message:
At the beginning, Paul was a staunch opponent of Prophet Jesus (PBUH) and
remained so for many years after his ascension. When he did join the
followers of Jesus later on, he initiated many alterations in the
teachings of Jesus in hopes of winning over the Gentiles (non-Jewish
people). He introduced the following concepts into Christianity:
1. The concept of Jesus as son of God;
2. Jesus died on the cross to wash eternal sins of Adam's children through
his blood; and
3. The Law of Torah was renounced. He eliminated all regulations
concerning food and abrogated the injunctions of circumcision.
The real followers of Jesus opposed these blatant misrepresentations of
the message of Jesus. Their struggle to reject the notion of Divinity of
Jesus continued for about two hundred years. Since these alterations were
very appealing to the Gentiles, the true believers were unable to stop the
misguidance.
Emperor Constantine Adopts Paul's Christianity:
In 325 CE, a council of Christian leaders met at Nicaea and officiated
Paul's beliefs as their religion. Roman Empire declared Paul's religion as
the religion of the State and all those books which denied these beliefs
were banned. In 367 CE, the State announced a list of books acceptable to
it and fifteen years later, a council held under the presidency of Pope
Damasius gave its approval to these books. At the end of the fifth
century, Pope Galasius published a list of unauthorized books (Apocryphal)
to further conform with Paul's religion of Christianity.
Jesus (PBUH) born without father:
The true story of Jesus' birth from Mary is told in the Holy Qur'an. We
are told that he was born without a father by the command of God. Mary was
single and a chaste woman. Allah (SWT) said: "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."
(21:91) He also said "Relate in the Book (the
story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them: then We sent to her Our
angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: 'I
seek refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost
fear God.' He said: 'Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to
announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.' She said: 'How shall I have a
son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?' He said:
'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.' So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote
place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree:
she cried (in her anguish):'Ah! would that I had died before this! Would
that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!' But (a voice) cried
to her from beneath the (palm-tree): 'Grieve not! for thy Lord hath
provided a rivulet beneath thee; and shake towards thyself the trunk of
the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. So eat and
drink and cool (thine) eyes. And if thou dost see any man, say, `I have
vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no
talk with any human being.'" (19:16-26)
Jesus (PBUH) spoke as a baby:
Allah (SWT) said: "At length she brought the
(babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: 'O Mary!
truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! O sister of Aaron! thy father
was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!' But she pointed
to the babe. They said: 'How can we talk to one who is a child in the
cradle?' He said: 'I am indeed a servant of God: He hath given me
revelation and made me a prophet; and He hath made me blessed wheresoever
I be, and hath enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live; (He)
hath 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) Jesus 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. Verily, God is
my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a way that is
straight. But the sects differ among themselves: and woe to the
unbelievers because of the (coming) Judgment of a momentous Day!'"
(19:27-37)
Allah (SWT) begets not!
We note that the Holy Qur'an refers to Jesus as 'Jesus ibn Maryam', i.e.,
Jesus son of Mary. It is in contrast to the common usage in which children
are referred to by their father's name and not by their mother's name. He
is not a son of God. The following chapter from the Holy Qur'an explains
the position of Islam in absolute terms: Allah (SWT) said:
"Say: God is Unique! God, the Source [of
everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is
nothing comparable to Him!" (112:4)
Jesus was not crucified:
The Holy Qur'an also rejects the claim that Jesus was killed on the cross.
Allah (SWT) said: "That they (the Jews) said (in
boast), 'We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of God'; 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, God raised him up unto Himself; and God is Exalted in Power,
Wise. And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him
before his death; and on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness against
them." (4:157-159)
Based on the statements of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Muslims believe that
Prophet Jesus (PBUH) will return to earth at a time when Muslims will be
in a dire need of a leader. He will not initiate a new religion but rather
obey the Holy Qur'an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and lead
Muslims to victory over the disbelievers.
We hope that this short essay will help our viewers understand the origins
of Christianity and Islam's position on Jesus (PBUH). We encourage
everyone to read the Holy Qur'an to obtain a better understanding of Jesus
and Islam. The Holy Qur'an also gives a detailed account of the mission
and lives of Prophets like Abraham and Moses (PBUT). Altogether,
twenty-five prophets are mentioned by name in the Qur'an. |