JESUS
ISA (occasionally also spelled Esa or Eesa)
SON OF MARY

Gk: Iesous (), equivalent to Joshua, Hebrew Yehoshua (), meaning "God is Salvation" or "God saves".

Jesus is perhaps the most controversial character in Islam, and thus there is a tremendous amount of Islamic literature about Jesus. In general, while Muslims affirm that Jesus performed miracles and has special attributes that other prophets did not have, Muslims still believe that Jesus was no more than a prophet. Muslims believe that He ranks above other prophets, but below the status of Muhammad, despite Jesus having attributes that even Muhammad did not have.

The article The Muslim Jesus, known as ‘Isa is an excellent introcuction on the Islamic beliefs about Jesus in contrast to the Biblical record.

#### What is Jesus' Islamic Name? Isa, Esau or Yesu?

Muslims call Jesus "Isa". There have been various attempts to explain this rather bizzare connection. Ahmad Deedat wrote:

> "The Holy Quran refers to Jesus as "Eesa", and this name is used more times than any other title, because this was his "Christian" name. Actually, his proper name was "Eesa" (Arabic), or "Esau" (Hebrew); classical "Yeheshua", which the Christian nations of the West Latinised as Jesus. Neither the "J" nor the second "s" in the name Jesus is to be found in the original tongue - they are not found in the Semitic language.

> The word is very simply - "E S A U" - a very common Jewish name, used more than sixty times in the very first booklet alone of the Bible, in the part called "Genesis". There was at least one "Jesus" sitting on the "bench" at the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Josephus the Jewish historian mentions some twenty five Jesus' in his "Book of Antiquities". The New Testament speaks of "Bar-Jesus" - a magician and a sorcerer, a false prophet (Act 13:6); and also "Jesus-Justus" - a Christian missionary, a contemporary of Paul (Colossians 4:11). These are distinct from Jesus the son of Mary. Transforming "Esau" to (J)esu(s) - Jesus - makes it unique. This unique (?) name has gone out of currency among the Jews and the Christians from the 2nd century after Christ. Among the Jews, because it came to be the proper name of their God(?) - their God incarnate. The Muslim will not hesitate to name his son - "Eesa" - because it is an honoured name, the name of a righteous servant of the Lord." (Ahmad Deedat, Christ in Islam, Chapter 2)

Esau is Jacob's older twin brother, and his name in Hebrew means "hairy", because he was a man of much hair. He was also called Edom, which means "red", because he also looked red (Genesis 25:25). Jesus' name, however, means "God saves".

Deedat attempted to turn Esau into Jesus by stripping away the letters "J" and "s". In other words, he was playing on the spelling Esau <--> esu, a difference of only one letter. The reader, however, should be able to spot the fatal mistake of playing with English spelling rather than Hebrew. Secondly, Deedat completely forgot that he should be concentrating on the etymological connection between "Esau" and "Yehoshua", i.e., between "hairy" or "red" with "God saves". Given the difference in meaning between these two Hebrew names, the connection is not only less than tenuous, but downright mischievous. It is quite astonishing that Deedat should simply disregard the name Joshua, which is the Hebrew equivalent of Jesus.

Deedat was also very mischievous when he cites the example of Esau appearing more than 60 times (in Genesis) in the Bible to show that it was a common Jewish name. What Deedat failed to reveal to his readers is that every of the 81 occurrences in the Bible refers to Esau himself or to his descendents (as a nation). Deedat seems to think that the more times the same person is mentioned, there must mean more of such persons around. In fact, no other person was called Esau in the Bible! If we apply that same logic, Muhammad must have been an extremely common name, more common than other, since it appears so many times in the Qur'an.

By the way, can someone explain what Deedat meant by "(The name Jesus had gone out of currency). Among the Jews, because it came to be the proper name of their God(?) - their God incarnate"? How can a Jew do that? A slippage in his pen, perhaps?

A Muslim wrote over the internet that: "One explanation had it that Muhammad learned the name from unbelieving Jews in Medina. In their supposed hatred for the Christians, the Jews called Jesus Esau, the son of Isaac who lost his blessing to his brother Jacob (Gen. 27). Muhammad picked up the name without carrying with it the derogatory meaning the Jews intended. Jesus is mentioned 97 times in the Qur'an, 23 times [my note: or is it 25?] as Jesus son of Mary."

Such an attempt to smooth over the difficulty begs another question. Why should Muhammad use a name with such derogatory connotations, instead of his original name which has no such "historical" baggage. Muslims often alleged that Jews and Christians portray the prophets of God in a bad light (eg. by recording their sins in the Bible, which Muslims deny ever happened). In this case, however, not only did Muhammad failed to return the proper name to Jesus, he and all Muslims thereafter continued to give Jesus a name with derogatory connotations, and worse still, a name that bears no relation to Jesus at all, not even coming close in meaning.

A far more detailed discussion is found in the article, Is 'Isa the true name of Jesus?

#### The Conception of Jesus

This miraculous conception is recorded in the Bible simply as ``The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."'' (Luke 1:35). No sexual connotation was involved whatsoever.

In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead. The reader should be reminded that in Islam, the Holy Spirit does not necessarily refer to God, but instead refers to the angel Gabriel, who was supposed to have appeared to Muhammad. Thus, it is easy to understand how Muslims come to think that Christians believe that Jesus was conceived due to a union between Gabriel and Mary. The thinking reader will easily see that Christians will of course find such an assertion extremely offensive and blasphemous.

The Qur'anic passages dealing with this event are to be found in Maryam 19:19-21; at-Tahrim 66:12.

Al-Saddi's version of the miracle states the following:

> ``He took hold of her sleeve and breathed into her side, and it entered her breast and she conceived. Then Mary's sister, the wife of Zachariah, came to visit with and help her, and while she was assisting her she knew that Mary was pregnant and Mary mentioned her state to her.

> The wife of Zachariah said, "I find the child in my womb worships that which is in yours."

Another account relates that the breathing was in her mouth and reached her womb and immediately she conceived.''

Note: As in many other cases, the Qur'an does not identify the wife of Zechariah by name, but the Bible states that the wife of Zechariah is Elizabeth. The Bible says that she is Mary's relative (see Luke 1:5-56), while Al-Saddi said that she is Mary's sister. The son of Zechariah is of course John the Baptist. What is most interesting is that Al-Saddi said that John the Baptist worshipped Jesus while in the womb.

Al-Baidawi commented on the miraculous birth of Jesus,

> "That distinction sets Christ apart from other humans and messengers, because He was born without any human embrace or relationship."

This statement is rather significant in that it also meant that Jesus Christ was set apart from Muhammad and any other prophet.

Al Fakhr el Razi explained that "faultless" means first that Christ was without sin; second, that He grew in integrity, as it is said that He who has no sin is chaste and in the growing plant there is purity; and third, he was above reproach and pure. Even Muhammad was not sinless. See Muhammad for more details.

#### Death of Jesus

The death of Jesus is another very controversial topic in Islam.

According to Ibn Said, p. 244, Jesus lived 125 years:

> ... and there has been no prophet but he has lived half the life of the prophet preceding him. Jesus the son of Mary lived for one hundred and twenty five years, and this is the sixty second year of my life. He (prophet) died half the year after this.

However, no such evidence have been produced to support this theory.

The less than clear passages in the Qur'an dealing with the death of Jesus are Âl 'Imran 3:55; an-Nisa' 4:155-159; al-Ma'idah 5:110-117; Maryam 19:33. See also death of John (Maryam 19:15). The phrase "It appeared so to them" (shubbiha lahum in 4:157) is quite controversial:

> ``These verses are intended to be a rebuke to the Jews, and particularly to Muhammad's contemporaries in Medina for various acts of unbelief, and they only refer in passing to the story of the crucifixion. Within this context of an attack on the Jews for their opposition towards Muhammad as well as for other acts of unbelief, the reference to the crucifixion does no more than dispute the claim made by the Jews that they had disposed of the Christian Messiah and repudiated his claims to be an apostle of God by crucifying him.

> In particular, the phrases 'they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him' do not necessarily mean that there was no crucifixion, but that, even if there was, it was God who was responsible for all that happened during the last hours of the Messiah's life and that the Jews had done whatever they did only by permission of God's will. A similar figure of speech occurs in al-Anfal 8:17 in which the Muslim's actions at the Battle of Badr are attributed to God and not to their own volition; they did in fact and kill, but only by God's permission and direction.

> These verses, therefore, do not explicitly deny the Christian story of the crucifixion, for they refer primarily to Jewish claims against the Christians....'' (David Brown, The Cross of the Messiah, SPCK, 1969, pp. 31-32)

mutawaffi-ka used in this Qur'anic verse 'means to receive something as a whole and hence it could be used to indicate (i) To recieve an object or amount completely. (ii) To take one's soul at night during sleep. (iii) To take one's soul finally when a person has fully received the portion of his life' [Hasan, S: The Study of Al Quran: Lesson 14]

> "In Âl 'Imran 3:55, the phrase ‘I am gathering thee’, and in al-Ma'idah 5:117, the phrase "when Thou tookest me" are forms of the same Arabic word tawaffa.

> Both these verses refer to the return of Jesus to God at the end of his life, and the most straightforward interpretation of them is to suppose that they refer to a natural death of Jesus at the end of his earthly life. Tawaffa is often used in the Qur'an in the sense of bringing a soul to God at death, both when the subject of the verb is God (e.g., Âl 'Imran 3:193; Yunus 10:46), and when the subject is the angels (eg, an-Nahl 16:28; as-Sajdah).

> The word tawaffa, however, was originally used of a person receiving the full payment of his due or his rights, and when used of God in the Qur'an refers to men being called to pay their accounting in his presence, either at death, or in sleep when the soul comes to God but is returned to the body for a further term of life on earth....

> Thus the use of the word tawaffa in these two passages with reference to the Messiah, is ambiguous and its exact meaning must be determined by consideration of other verses in the Qur'an: it could mean that Jesus died a natural death, but it can also mean that he was taken to heaven without undergoing the experience of physical death." (David Brown, The Cross of the Messiah, SPCK, 1969, pp.29-30)

"I am gathering thee" in Arabic is Inni muta-waf-feeka which means death. Compare the similarity between what the Qur'an say was Jesus' words in Maryam 19:33 with John the Baptist's death in Maryam 19:15:

> "Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive!" (Sura Maryam 19:15, Pickthall)

> "Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (Sura Maryam 19:33, Pickthall)

Interestingly, no Muslim scholar contends that John the Baptist did not die, while they contend that Jesus did not die, despite the almost exact words in the Qur'an.

Al Muthanna says, quoting Abd Allah Ibn Salih, Muawiheh, and Ali Ibn Abbas, that Inni mutawaffeeka means "I cause you to die."

> ``It is significant that the early commentators were not agreed about the interpretation of these verses. It would appear that for several centuries there was considerable debate among Muslims about the crucifixion, and that many different answers were given by orthodox Muslims.'' (Colin Chapman, You Go and Do the Same, 1983, pp. 83)

In Sahih Bukhari, we have the following :

> Narrated Ibn Abbas:
> Allah's Apostle delivered a sermon and said, "O people! You will be gathered before Allah bare-footed, naked and not circumcised." Then (quoting Quran) he said:--

> "As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. A promise We have undertaken: Truly we shall do it.." (21.104)

> The Prophet then said, "The first of the human beings to be dressed on the Day of Resurrection, will be Abraham. Lo! Some men from my followers will be brought and then (the angels) will drive them to the left side (Hell-Fire). I will say. 'O my Lord! (They are) my companions!' Then a reply will come (from Almighty), 'You do not know what they did after you.' I will say as the pious slave (the Prophet Jesus) said: And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them. When You took me up. You were the Watcher over them and You are a Witness to all things.' (5.117) Then it will be said, "These people have continued to be apostates since you left them." (Sahih Bukhari 60.149).

The translator used the phrase, "When You took me up". However, in the context of that hadith, Muhammad was also refering to his death. And all Muslims are agreed that Muhammad did die and was not raised into paradise.

> 'The expression mutawaffi-ka used here means, I will protect thee from being killed by the people and will grant thee full lease of life ordained for thee, and will cause thee to die a natural death, not by being killed' [Zamakhshari, Imam Mahmud ibn 'Umar: Al Kashshaf' an Ghawamid lal Tanzil] He also mentions sleep and take as possible meanings.

Suyuti, in the popular Tafsir Al-Jalalayn, commented that mutawaffika was take you without death (p. 48).

> ``The idea of a substitute for Christ is a very crude view of explaining the Qur'anic text. They had to explain a lot to the masses. No cultured Muslim believes in this nowadays. The text is taken to mean that the Jews thought they killed Christ, but God raised him unto him in a way we can leave unexplained among the several mysteries which we have taken for granted on faith alone." (Kamal Husein, City of Wrong, p. 222)

Actually, many Muslims, cultured or not, believes in this theory.

Regarding the theory of substitutional death, Parrinder gave the following bit of information about early Christians:

> `There early arose in some Christian circles a reluctance to believe that Jesus, as a divine being and Son of God, could really die. Ignatius, writing about AD 115, said that some believed that Jesus 'suffered in semblance'. The apocryphal Gospel of Peter in the second century said that on the cross Jesus was silent, since he 'felt no pain', and at the end 'the Lord cried out, saying, "My power, my power, you have left." And when he spoke he was taken up...' The apocryphal Acts of John, about the middle of the second century, said that Jesus appeared to John in a cave during the crucifixion and said, 'John, unto the multitudes below in Jerusalem I am being crucified and pierced with lances and reeds, and gall and vinegar is given to me to drink. But unto thee I speak.' And later it said, 'Nothing, therefore of the things which they will say of me have I suffered... I was pierced, yet I was not smitten; hanged and I was not hanged; that blood flowed from me, and it floweth not.'" (Geoffrey Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur'an, p.109)

Khalifites believed that Jesus' soul was taken up into heaven before the Jews could crucify him and that he is now dead. They quote an-Nisa' 4:171, al-Ma'idah 5:75,117 as evidence.

There is circumstantial evidence that early Muslims believed that Jesus did die. At the death of Muhammad, one of companions, Umar Faruq, drew his sword from the sheath and threatened to behead anyone who dared announce that Muhammad had died. He maintained that he 'had ascended to heaven as Moses had gone to his Lord for a time and would return to punish the hypocrites.'

On hearing this, Abu Bakr recited the Quranic verse Âl 'Imran 3:145 and declared: 'Those amongst you who worship God, let them know that God is alive and will remain alive. But those amongst you who worshipped Muhammad, let them know that Muhammad has passed away' (Sahih Bukhari 59.733).

With these words, Abu Bakr convinced the early Muslims that Muhammad had died like all other prophets before him. Had the son of Mary been alive, Umar could have argued that if the son of Mary could ascend to heaven and still be alive, why not Muhammad? The fact that Abu Bakr managed to convinced the other early Muslims indicate that the early Muslims did believed that Jesus did die.

#### Jesus' command over angels

When the religious authorities came to arrest Jesus, one of his disciples used a sword and cut off one of the ears of the enemies.

> "Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" (Matthew 26:52-54)

Jesus' command over angels indicated that Jesus has authority over them. If Jesus was a human only, this biblical assertion would be rather puzzling.

#### Second Coming of Jesus in Bible, Qur'an and Islamic Tradition

The Qur'an alludes to the second coming of Jesus in only one verse: az-Zukhruf 43:61, YA:

> And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.

i.e. (the second coming of) Jesus will be a sign that the end of the world and the judgment of God is imminent. However, this verse immediately turns the attention from Jesus to the obedience to Muhammad. Only later Islamic tradition makes the return of Jesus a prominent issue. This topic is discussed in detail by M.N. Anderson in his series Jesus The Light And The Fragrance Of God.

#### Son of God

Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Most of the time, Muslims continually misunderstand the title in a biological manner which is abhorent to both Muslims and Christians alike. Often Muslims quote John 3:16 and say that the Bible talks of God begetting a son. This is not just a misunderstanding. The Greek word translated "only begotten" in KJV is monogenes which means one and only, unique. It is used of Jesus Christ in John 1:14,18, John 3:16,18, Hebrew 11:17 and 1 John 4:9.

#### Word of God

The Qur'an gives Jesus titles like "Word from God", "illustrous in this world and hereafter", "Messiah" (Âl 'Imran 3:45), "sign for all peoples" (al-Anbiya' 21:91)

Imam Abu Al Su'ud, commenting on the phrase "confirm a word from Allah," states that John the Baptist was the first to believe in Jesus and to support His being the Word of God and a spirit from Him.

Al-Saddi writes that the mother of John inquired of Mary,

> "Mary, have you felt my pregnancy?" Mary answered, "I too am pregnant." John's mother then replied, "I find that what is in my belly worships what is in your belly."

How was it that John the Baptist in the womb worshipped Jesus, if as Muslims argue, was only human?

Concerning Âl 'Imran 3:45, the Muslim scholar, Al Sheikh Muhyi Al Din Al Arabi writes, "The word is Allah in theophany. . .and is the one divine person, not any other." He also said that the word is a divine person (Fusus al Hugm, Part 2, pp. 13).

Compare this with the Bible's statement:

> "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh." (John 1:1,14)

#### Worship of Jesus

> On coming to the house, they [Magis] saw the child [Jesus] with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

We have also seen that the hadiths say that John the Baptist worshipped Jesus while in the womb.

Note: Muslims believed that Jesus spoke from the cradle when people accused his mother of unchastity, yet isn't it odd that we do not find Jesus condemning the Magis for worshipping him, if indeed Jesus is human as Muslims believed.

Articles examining the issue of the worship of Jesus:

- The New Testament on the Worship given to Jesus: Its Significance and Implications for the Deity of Christ
- Worship of the Lord Jesus
- N O W H E R E does Jesus say "I am God, worship me."

- ascended unto Allah, Âl 'Imran 3:55.

  > Compare with the Bible: "... I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." (John 20:17f)

  Note the phrases "my Father" and "my God" as opposed to "your Father" and "your God". Jesus never did once say "our Father" except when showing his disciples how to pray to God.

- and Holy Spirit, see Holy Spirit.

- and sword.

- annunciation, Âl 'Imran 3:45-50; Maryam 19:16-21

- authenticate Old Testament, Âl 'Imran 3:48; al-Ma'idah 5:48

- bears witness on Resurrection Day, an-Nisa' 4:159

- birth of, Maryam 19:22-37; al-Anbiya' 21:91; al-Mu'minun 23:50

- birth, death, raising, Maryam 19:33

- birthplace of,
  A hadith authenticated by both Ibn Hajar Haythami and Ibn Hajar Asqalani states that on the night of Isra' and Mi'raj, Muhammad was ordered by Angel Jibril to pray two rak'ats in Bayt Lahm (Bethlehem), and Jibril asked him: "Do you know where you prayed? When the Prophet asked him where, he told him: "You prayed where 'Isa was born."

- Christians asked not to deify, an-Nisa' 4:171

- Christians say that Jesus is Son of God, at-Taubah 9:30-31
  This verse is actually quite puzzling, for it attributes to the Jews as saying that Ezra is the son of God.

- creates, al-Ma'idah 5:110.

  The Qur'an states that Jesus was able to impart life to the bird shaped from clay.

- creation of, Âl 'Imran 3:45-49; Maryam 19:22

- deity of Jesus, Was Jesus denying that He is God when saying "Only God is good"?

- denial of deity of Jesus, an-Nisa' 4:171; Yunus 10:68

- description of Jesus according to hadith: a man of medium height and moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors and of lank hair.

- disciples of, the twelve, Âl 'Imran 3:52-54; al-Ma'idah 5:111; as-Saff 61:14

- divergent views about, az-Zukhruf 43:65

- faultless, Maryam 19:19

- followers of Jesus above others on Resurrection day, Âl 'Imran 3:55

- Gospel bestowed on him, al-Ma'idah 5:46,78,110

- given clear proofs, al-Baqarah 2:87,253

- healing of blind, lepers, raising the dead, Âl 'Imran 3:49; al-Ma'idah 5:110

  Concerning the phrase "I raise the dead," Wahab ibn Minabbeh relates that while 'Isa was playing with boys, a youth sprang on one and killed him, then threw him bleeding into the arms of 'Isa. Onlookers accused 'Isa, then seized him, took him to a judge, and said, "This boy 'Isa has killed another boy." The judge questioned him and 'Isa replied, "I do not know the one who killed him, neither am I one of his friends."

  When they wanted to strike 'Isa He said to them, "Bring the boy to me," and they asked Him, "Why?" He replied, "I will ask him who killed him." They asked, "How can he speak to you if he is dead?" Then they took Him to the dead boy and 'Isa began to pray for him, and Allah restored him to life.

  This story is to be traced to the apocryphal Infancy of Jesus Christ.

- his holy inspiration, al-Baqarah 2:87,252; an-Nisa' 4:163; al-Ma'idah 5:110

- his likeness is as Adam's, Âl 'Imran 3:59.
  A hadith concerning how this verse came about is as follows:

  > Al Qisam, Ibn Jaraij, and A'krama reported, ``We hear that the Christians of Najran sent a deputation to Muhammad, among them Al Aquib and As Sayyid, who said, "O Muhammad, why do you revile our Friend?" He replied, "Who is your Friend?" They said, "'Isa (Jesus), Son of Mary. You allege He is a servant," to which Muhammad replied, "Truly, He is a servant of Allah and His Word, bestowed on Mary and a Spirit from Him."

  > Then they were angry with him and said, "If you are truthful show us a servant who can raise the dead and heal the blind and the leper and who, creating from clay the form of a bird, will breathe into it so that it becomes a bird -- isn't He Allah?" Muhammad said nothing until Gabriel came to him and said, "O Muhammad! They have blasphemed who said that Allah is Christ the Son of Mary." Then Muhammad replied, "O Gabriel! They asked me to tell them to whom 'Isa (Jesus) is similar," and Gabriel said, "'Isa is just as Adam."''

  This story is interesting in that (i) Muhammad did not know how to answer the Christians, and (ii) the answer provided by this supposed Gabriel in this story failed to answer the questions raised by the Christians either. The Christians of Najran wanted to know if there was another person who can raise the dead, heal the blind and the leper, etc. Notice also that according to this story, these Christians believed in the apocryphal stories concerning Jesus at his young age, which is conspicuously absent from the Bible. However, it is never asserted in the Qur'an or the hadiths that Adam performed the type of miracles as Jesus (in the same quantity and quality). Thus, this Gabriel's supposed answer raises more questions.

  Secondly, the context of this verse shows clearly that this verse has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. Many Muslims, however, use this verse to say that the Jesus was created just like Adam. This is in spite of the fact that Adam was created fully grown, while Jesus was born the infant of a virgin. Adam was created without the use of any other human being, whereas Jesus was borned through a women. There is a difference in the way Adam and Jesus came into this world.

- intercessor, see mediator, under Jesus

- is a mercy from God, Maryam 19:21

- is a revelation for mankind, Maryam 19:21

- is a servant of God, Maryam 19:30-32
  Compare this with the Bible in Isaiah 52, 53, and 43.

- is the means to know Judgement Day, az-Zukhruf 43:61

- Jews boast of killing ("slew him not, nor crucified him"), an-Nisa' 4:157

- mediator, Âl 'Imran 3:45

  The title Messiah (al-Masih) in Hebrew means anointed. Al Jalalan observed, "Illustrious in the world by the ministry of prophecy and in the hereafter by intercession and position and being one of those brought near unto Allah."

  Al Badawi contended that "According to some, what was intended here was the high place that Jesus was to have in Paradise. . . and in the Society of Angels."

- miracles of, al-Baqarah 2:87; al-Ma'idah 5:110-117

- Muslims believed in the Gospels (Injil), al-Baqarah 2:136. Unfortunately, Muslims usually do not read the Gospels for themselves in order to learn about Jesus.

- no agent used in revelation of Gospel, al-Ma'idah 5:46.
  Compare that with the "revelation" that Muhammad had. A being claiming to be Gabriel brought these "revelations" to him.

- not God according to al-Ma'idah 5:17,72,116.
  Compare with the above qualities that show that Jesus is definitely no ordinary human. In fact, in the Qur'an and Islamic literature, Jesus is described with qualities that place Him in a class on His own when compared with the other prophets, one that Muhammad cannot even aspire to.

- only an apostle, an-Nisa' 4:171-172; al-Ma'idah 5:75; Maryam 19:30

- only seemed slain and crucified, an-Nisa' 4:157

- Rabbi, the,

  > "[Jesus said:] But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers." (Matthew 23:8)

  Jesus, however, allowed his disciples and others to address him as Rabbi (eg: Matthew 26:25). Jesus therefore acknowledged implicitly that he is their Master, different from them since they are just brothers.

- raised up to God (but not resurrected at that time, since he supposedly has not yet died), an-Nisa' 4:158

- return during last days, see also MAHDI.

  Muslims believed that Jesus will come again during the last days. Some traditions attribute that Jesus will be a just ruler. Some identify Jesus with the Mahdi, while others that he will be a follower of Imam Mahdi. see MAHDI.

  In Islam, it is not clear what the status of Jesus is at the present moment in heaven. It is said that the sign of his coming is the moon and sun eclipsing in the same month of Ramadan. Ahmadis believe that it happened to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian in 1894. [We certainly need astronomers to confirm this.]

  > Narrated Abu Huraira:
  > Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in 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 and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts. (Sahih Bukhari 3.425, also Muslim, Bab: Bayan Nuzul 'Isa; Tirmidhi, Abwab-al-Fitan: Bab: Fi Nuzul 'Isa; Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Huraira)

  > Narrated Abu Huraira:
  > Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts). (Sahih Bukhari 3.656, also Sahih Bukhari 4.657, and Ibn Majah, Kitab-ul-Fitan al-Dajjal)

  > Narrated Abu Huraira:
  > Allah's Apostle said "How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and he will judge people by the Law of the Quran and not by the law of Gospel (Fateh-ul Bari page 304 and 305 Vol 7) (Sahih Bukhari 4.658)

  > Abu Huraira reports that the Apostle of Allah observed: "What will you be like when the son of Mary shall descend among ye and a person among ye will discharge the office of Imam (leader in Prayers)." (Sahih Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith Anbiya, Nuzul Isa; Muslim, Nuzul Isa; Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat Abu Huraira)

  Khalifites do not believe that Jesus will come back again. They reasoned that since no prophets is supposed to come after Muhammad (al-Ahzab 33:40) and that Jesus is a prophet, therefore Jesus will not come back after Muhammad. Other Muslims believe that when Jesus comes again, he will not be in a prophetic role, but is simply a follower. Also, some argue that Muhammad is the seal of the prophets, not the last prophet.

  There are some hadiths that say that when Jesus comes back, he will change some laws.

  > Narrated Abu Huraira:
  > Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in 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 and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). Then there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts. Sahih Bukhari 3.435.

- resurrection foretold, Âl 'Imran 3:55; Maryam 19:33

- soul taken to heaven,

  Rashid Khalifa taught that an-Nisa' 4:158 taught that Jesus' soul was taken to heaven before the Crucifixion. Khalifites do not believe that Jesus will come back to earth during the last days, as is the belief of most Muslims. Using al-Mu'minun 23:100, they claimed that the soul taken to heaven cannot return to earth.

- spoke from cradle, Âl 'Imran 3:46; al-Ma'idah 5:110; Maryam 19:29, Sahih Bukhari 4.645.

  This supposed miracle was not recorded in the Bible. This story is to be traced to the apocryphal Gospel of Infancy. Al Razi says that when Zechariah came to Mary during a debate with the Jews concerning the birth of Jesus, he said to Jesus, "Speak for yourself if you have been commanded so to do." And 'Isa said, "I am the Servant of Allah. He has given me wisdom and made me a prophet."

  > The following accounts we found in the book of Joseph the high-priest, called by some Caiaphas: He relates, that Jesus spake even when he was in the cradle, and said to his mother: Mary, I am Jesus the Son of God, that word which thou didst bring forth according to the declaration of the angel Gabriel to thee, and my father hath sent me for the salvation of the world. (from the 5th cenutry compilation of The first Gospel of Infancy of Jesus Christ Âl 'Imran 3:1-3, or Injil Al-Tufuliyyah, also quoted by Tisdall, p. 169-170)

- strengthened by Holy Spirit, al-Baqarah 2:87,253. see GABRIEL

- Teacher, the,
  In the Bible, we read:

  > "[Jesus said:] Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ." (Matthew 23:10).

  Jesus, however, used the title of "Teacher" for himself:

  > "He replied, 'Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, `The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.`'" (Matthew 26:18).

  thus, claiming that He is also the Christ or Messiah.

- truth about him will be realized when people die, an-Nisa' 4:159

- word of God conveyed into Mary, an-Nisa' 4:171, see also Qur'an. see also Jesus, titles like....

- Maryam 19:30-34; al-Anbiya' 21:91; al-Mu'minun 23:50; al-Ahzab 33:7; ash-Shura 42:13; az-Zukhruf 43:57; al-Hadid 57:27; as-Saff 61:6,14,

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