PROPHET
JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF MARY (PBUT)
Prophet
Jesus Christ, the son of Mary (peace be upon him), the last in the series of
messengers for the children of Israel 5:46 ).
Gospel
and Qur’an are unanimous on the apostolic mission of Jesus (peace be upon him): "Ye men of Israel 2:22 ).
Allah says: “The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger,
messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a
saintly woman. And they both used to eat (earthly) food. See how we make the
revelations clear for them, and see how they are turned away!”(Qur’an;5:75);“He
was no more than a servant: We granted Our favor to him (miracles, wonders and
signs) and We made him an example to the Children of Israel.” (Qur’an;43:59). Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him)
himself said: “I was not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel 15:24 ). Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) strictly forbade preaching to
Gentiles: “These twelve (disciples) Jesus sent forth, and charged them, saying,
Go not into any way of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the
Samaritans: but go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel.”(Mathew;10:5-6).
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “Think not that I
have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them
but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to
you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from
the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of
these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Pharisees, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven.”(Mathew;5:17-20). [Pharisees; was a Jewish sect,
extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the Law of Moses].
After Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), Paul, the self appointed 13th
disciple of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), deviated from the prophetic
mission and teaching of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) by systematically
canceling the Law of Moses, by declaring: “But
now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that
we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.”(Romans;
7:6). The message of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was altered, he was
declared as son of God, part of divine, one
of three in the doctrine of Trinity. The word Trinity does not exist in
Bible, the only verse in the whole of Bible which, is interpreted by the
supporters of Trinity is: "For there are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one."(The first Epistle of John;5:7,8). (in
some volumes this verse is changed as :
“There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree”. In the foot not of
this verse in ‘New International Version Bible’ it is written; ‘not found in any Greek manuscript before the
sixteen century. Dr C.I, Scofield, D.D. backed by eight other D.D.'s in
a footnote to this verse opine: "It is generally agreed that this verse
has no manuscript authority and has been inserted. "The fundamentalist
Christians still retain this fabrication whereas; in all the modern
translations including the Revised Standard Version (RSV) this pious deceit has
been unceremoniously expunged.
The terms ‘Father’ and ‘son of God’ have been
abhorrently misused to support the doctrine of Trinity and divinity of Jesus
Christ.
The
Hebrews believed that God is One, and had neither wife nor children in any
literal sense. The God has been
addressed as Father because he is the Creator: “Do you thus requite the LORD,
you foolish and senseless people? Is not he your father, who created you, who
made you and established you?”(Deuteronomy;32:6);“Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why
then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our
fathers?”(Malachi;2:10 ).
Like the Father, He has a concern and care for His creatures: “As a father
pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear him.” (Psalms;103:13).
Consequently it is obvious that the expression “son of God” frequently used in
Bible (both in Old & New Testaments) merely meant to them “Servant of God”;
one who, because of his faithful service, was close and dear to God, as a son
is to a father, as used for Prophet Jacob,
David & Solomon in the Bible. (2 Samuel 8:13-14,
Psalms;2:7,89:26-27: Job;1:6, Psalms 2:7, Luke;3:38, 4:41, 9:22, Hosea;1:10,
Jeremiah;31:9, Job;2:1,38:4-7, Genesis;6:2, Deuteronomy;14:1, Exodus;4:22-23).
The Christians who came from Greek and Roman background, later misused this
term. In their heritage, “son of God” signified an incarnation of a ‘god’ or
someone born of a physical union between male and female gods.
When the Church
cast aside its Hebrew foundations, it adopted the pagan concept of “son of
God”, which was entirely different from the Hebrew usage. Consequently, the use
of the term “son of God” should not be understood in the pagan sense of a
literal offspring of God, but from the Semitic symbolic sense of a “servant of
God” or near to God, In the Gospels, Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is
recorded as saying: “Blessed are the peace-makers; they will be called sons of
God.”(Mathew;5:9), “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the
sons of God.”(Romans;8:14). According
to the Bible of King James Version of 1611 : “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only ‘begotten’
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life”(John;3:16 ). The word
‘begotten’ used here (John;3:16)
has been expunged in the Bible- Revised Standard Version, being wrongly added
because word ‘begotten’ does not
exist in the original Greek script. In the Gospels Prophet Jesus (peace be upon
him) is reported to have repeatedly called himself “Son of man”(Mathew;9:6,
Luke;9:22 ).
At eighty five
places “Son of man” has been mentioned in New Testament. Prophet Jesus (peace
be upon him) even rejected being called “Son of God”: “And demons also came out
of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’
But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they
knew that he was the Christ.”(Luke;4:41 ).
God says: “Further to warn those who say "God has begotten a son."
They have no knowledge, nor do their forefathers. Dreadful is the word that
comes from their mouths. They speak nothing but a lie.”(Qur’an;18:4-5). Even
according to the Christian scriptures Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) never
claimed divinity. In fact there is not a single unambiguous statement in the
entire Bible where Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) himself says, "I am
God" or where he says, "worship me". Prophet Jesus (peace be
upon him) preached supremacy, obedience and worship of God: (John;5:30 ,
10:29 , 14:28 , Mathew;12:28 ,19:16 -17,
Luke;11:20 ); “..Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”(Mathew;4:10 , Luke;4:8).
The Jews often persecuted their prophets: “But they mocked the
messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the
wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” (2
Chronicles; 36:16 also Mathew;5:12 ).
They often imprisoned them (1Kings; 22:27 ,
Jeremiah; 32:2,37, 15-16), put them to death (1Kings;8:13 ,19:10 ,
Mathew;23:34 -37) and repeatedly
left without, on account of sin(1Sameul;3:1, Amos;8:11 -12). Instead of following to the teachings of Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him), the Jews rejected and humiliated him. Prophet Jesus
(peace be upon him) continued preaching and performed numerous miracles,
particularly the raising of Lazarus in Bethany (John;11:1-44).
During final days, he disputed with the chief priest. The
scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees (Jewish sects) questioned about his
authority, tribute to Caesar, and the resurrection. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem 11:47 -53);“Then
entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he
might betray him unto them. And they were glad, and covenanted to give him
money.”(Luke;22:3-5). A crowd led by Judas Iscariot was sent by the religious
authorities to arrest him in Gethsemane .
The supreme council of the Jews, the Sanhedrin condemned
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) to death for false accusation of blasphemy in
30 C.E. Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor of Judea
who ordered Christ's crucifixion) sent Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) for
judgment to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee
(4 BC–AD 39).
The alleged crucifixion and resurrection of
Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is a mystery, with divergent views
with in the disciples and the followers of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him).
Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was neither killed nor was he
crucified, as alleged by most of the Christians and the Jews, but that he was
Alive. Ahmed Deedat, the renowned authority on Bible, in his book ‘Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction’ has deliberated on this aspect through
references and internal evidence from Bible. Jesus was reluctant to die! since
he had worked out a strategy of defence to repel the Jews, because he wanted to
remain Alive! (Matthew 26:37-38). He beseeched God for help: With strong crying
and tears for God Almighty to keep him Alive!( Luke 22:44 Matthew 26: 37-39). God "Heard"
his prayers: Which means that God accepted his prayers to keep him Alive!
(Hebrews;5:7). An angel of God came to strengthen him: In the hope and belief
that God will save him Alive!(Luk;22:43 ).
Jesus was supposed to be on the cross for only three hours:
According to the system in vogue, no man could die by crucifixion in such a
short time which means that even if he was fastened to the cross — he was
Alive. The Jews doubted his death: They suspected that he had escaped death on
the cross — that he was Alive!(Matthew;27:62-64). Jesus ate food again and
again in his post ‘crucifixion’
appearances: Food is only necessary if he was Alive! (Luke;24:30), the spirit
is not in need of food. Jesus had himself foretold that his miracle will be the
miracle of Jonah: “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him (Jesus),
"Teacher, we wish to see a sign (miracle) from you. But he answered
them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign
shall be given to it except the sign (miracle) of the prophet Jonah. For
as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the
Son of man (Jesus) be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”(Mathew;38-40).
According to the ‘Book of Jonah’, Jonah was Alive, when
we expected him to be ‘Dead’; similarly when we expect Jesus to be DEAD, he
should be Alive. Hence the internal evidence from Bible conforms to the
Qur’anic narrative. Allah says: “And (then Children of Israel) plotted and
planned and Allah too planned and the best of planners is Allah.(Qur’an;3:54 ). “That they said (in boast)
"We killed Jesus Christ the son of Mary the Messenger 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 Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is
Exalted in Power Wise. (Qur’an;4:157,158).
Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him) is the only messenger of God who has been raised to
the level of divinity by most of his followers. The real message, which he
preached, has been distorted and corrupted, the authenticity of the four
Gospels (claimed to contain his teachings) remains questionable even among many
Christians. Lot of mysteries and controversies
exists about his life, preaching and departure. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon
him) was prophet for the Israelites and not gentiles. The new doctrines of
Original Sin and Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three, part of One God)
were evolved much later and the Law of Moses was cancelled to make the new
faith acceptable to the pagans of Greco-Roman world, a separate subject of
detailed study.
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) said; “I can of myself do
nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not
mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.”(John;5:30 ); “Thy will be done”.(Mathew; 6:10 ,26:42). Hence Prophet Jesus
(peace be upon him) is a Muslim because by definition the; ‘Muslim is a person
who submits his will to God’. Muslims worship the same one God, worshiped by
Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), they are required to offer obligatory
prayers (salah), keep fast (saum) and spend on charity (zakah)
practice humility which was also practiced and preached by Prophet Jesus (peace
be upon him)(Mathew;17:21, 23:23-24, 26:36, 1 Peter;4:8). Muslims are
circumcised as was Jesus (Luke;2:21 -24),
they greet in the same manner as Jesus (peace be upon him) greeted in Hebrew; ‘Sholam
alay kum’(Luke;24:36), the
Islamic greeting in Arabic is also same: “Assalaamu alai kum” both
meaning ‘Peace be on you’. Muslims also do not eat pork nor indulge in
intoxicants. Attire and appearance of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) with a
beard is same as of faithful Muslims.
Mary (Allah be pleased with her), the mother of Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him) is highly respected by Muslims. Allah accords her
highest status among women: “AND LO! The angels said: "O Mary! Behold, God
has exalted you, purified you, and preferred you for His service over all the
women of the world.”(Qura’n;3: 42 );
“We made her and her son a sign for the whole world.”(Qura’n;21:91). While she
is cursorily mentioned in Bible, Qur’an names Chapter Number 19 after her and
mentions her by name at least thirty three times. In the Christian iconology she is seen
modestly dressed with her head covered, the Muslim women and Christian nuns are
also dressed modestly like Mary. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was the last
Hebrew prophet, who was sent by God to preach the implementation of the Law of
Moses to the Jews (Mathew;5:17-20) and
make lawful some of that which was forbidden to them(Qur’an;3:49,50).
Muslims believe in Prophet Jesus (peace be upon
him) as messenger of God (Acts;2:22), his miraculous birth without father
(Qur’an;19:16-40, Matthew;1:18-25 & Luke;1:28-35) and the miracles
performed by the will of God (Qur’an;3:49, Mathew;4:23,9:35, Luke; 4:22, 9:11,
3:8 and Acts:4:16). They further believe in the revelations (scripture) he
received from God, who saved him and raised him up to Himself, to be sent back
to this world before the end of time. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him)
prophesized the advent of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.(John;14:16 , 15:26 ,16:7,12-14, Qur’an;6:20 ). According to Bible Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him) said: “Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven (Islam: Surrender to will of God). On that day many will say to
me, ‘Lord, Lord’, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your
name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them,
‘I never knew you; depart from me,
you evildoers’.”(Methew;7:21-23).
If Christian is the one who follows the
teachings of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him), then Muslims are more
Christians than those who call themselves Christian. Most of the present
Christians have nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ (peace be upon
him), they follow the doctrines of Paul. Islamic and Christian traditions are
synonymous that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) will return in this world
again before end of time. According to Islamic traditions, Prophet Jesus Christ
(peace be upon him) will dispel all the controversies about him in his second
coming. He will rule the world as just ruler according to Shari’a (Islamic law)
and die natural death. Allah says: “Every human being is bound to taste
death..”(Qura’n;3:185).
Development after Prophet Jesus Christ (PBUH):
Christianity was originally a movement of Jews who
accepted Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be
upon him) as the prophet and messiah, but the movement
quickly became predominantly Gentile (non-Jewish)
with change in the doctrine acceptable to the Greco-Roman pagans. The early
church was shaped by St. Paul and other Christian missionaries and theologians;
who declared Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon
him) to be the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, that God's
love for the world is the essential component of his being, and that Prophet
Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) died to redeem
humankind from the Original Sin (sin committed by Adam by disobeying God).
Those who followed the teachings of Prophet Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) were persecuted and marginalized. The
Christians were persecuted under the Roman Empire
but by winning over Constantine Constantinople
(now Istanbul Rome
Jews
after Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him):
After Pontius Pilate, Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod
I the Great was appointed the king of Judea
(41-44 C.E) by Roman Emperor. He displayed great acumen in conciliating the
Romans and Jews. Herod Agrippa II , a great-grandson of Herod I the Great, was
the king of Chalcis Lebanon Syria province
of Judea Palestine Samaria Galilee ,
and elsewhere. The Jews were successful in an early engagement against the
governor of Syria Judea was reduced in three
campaigns, which ended with the fall of Jerusalem Temple
After the destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews, deprived of
the Temple school of Jamnia Jerusalem Judea proper the Jews seem to
have been virtually exterminated, but they survived in Galilee .
Tiberias in Galilee became the seat of the
Jewish patriarchs. No Jew was thenceforth allowed to set foot in Jerusalem Jerusalem
While this ban was officially still in force as late as the
4th century C.E, there is some evidence that Jews visited the city at certain
festival times. About the time the Bar Kokhba revolt was crushed (135 C.E),
Hadrian (Emperor of Rome Jerusalem Temple
of Jerusalem Galilee .
The Jews have flourished financially all over the Christendom for centuries,
however they were ill treated as hated community branded as killers of Prophet
Jesus (peace be upon him) and money lenders. They were confined to ghettos.
Jews enjoyed freedom in the Islamic world, especially in the Muslim Spain, till
expelled by Christians only to be welcomed again by Muslims in Ottoman
Turkey.
With the conversion of Constantine I to
Christianity early in the 4th century C.E, a new era of prosperity began for Palestine Bethlehem Jerusalem Palestine Jerusalem Palestine
There was a revolt of the Jews in Galilee in 352 C.E, which was suppressed by the Caesar
Gallus. Under Marcian (reigned 450-457 C.E) and again under Justinian I
(reigned 527-565 C.E) the Samaritans revolted. Palestine Syria Egypt Palestine
Apart from these disturbances the country
enjoyed peace and prosperity until 611 C.E, when Khosrow II, king of Persia Jerusalem Palestine Jerusalem Jerusalem
Under Muslims, Jerusalem Ottoman Empire
ended in 1917, and the city became the capital of the British mandate of Palestine Israel Israel Palestine Israel
Read more:
http://bible-christianity.blogspot.com
- Christianity
- The Bible
- Ben Israel to Ben Ishmael
- http://www.ncccusa.org/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revised_Standard_Version
- RSV Bible
Jesus-Birth: http://wp.me/PCgrB-ct
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