Contemplating the verses in the Qur’an on God’s Prophet, Jesus son of Mary, one finds the story of his birth truly amazing. Jesus lived a normal life; he had all the natural desires of a human being. As the Qur’an puts it, “The Christ, son of Mary, was but an apostle: all other apostles had passed away before him; and his mother was one who never deviated from the truth; and they both ate food like other mortals. Behold, how clear We make these messages unto them.” (5:75)
The source of some people’s confusion about Jesus is his birth from a mother without a father, and this has been used to defame his prophethood. Yet, this is actually not different from the birth of the father of all mankind, Adam, who was created with no father or mother. Whoever believes in God knows that He is the Creator, the Evolver, the Fashioner, who is capable of everything. Nothing is impossible for Him. God Almighty says, “Verily, in the sight of God, the nature of Jesus is as the nature of Adam, whom He created out of dust and then said unto him, ‘Be’–and he is.” (3:59)
The Qur’an always reminds us of the truth about Jesus and his mission, and of the fact that he is a Messenger from God, sent to call the Children of Israel to follow the true religion and to respect His commands. In God’s words, “Behold, We have inspired thee, O Prophet [Muhammad], just as We inspired Noah and all the prophets after him–as We inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and their descendants, including Jesus and Job, and Jonah, and Aaron, and Solomon; and as We vouchsafed unto David a book of divine wisdom.” (4:163)
To support his prophethood God gave Jesus miraculous signs to prove the authenticity of his mission. Amongst these miracles were his revival of the dead, healing the sick, especially those with incurable illnesses such as blindness and leprosy, in addition to other miracles that are mentioned in God’s words, “O Jesus son of Mary, remember the blessings which I bestowed upon thee and thy mother - how I strengthened thee with holy inspiration, so that thou couldst speak unto men in thy cradle, and as a grown man; and how I imparted unto thee revelation and wisdom, including the Torah and the Gospel; and how by My leave thou didst create out of clay like the shape of a bird, and then I breathed into it, whereupon it became a bird; and how thou didst heal the blind and the leper by My leave, and how thou didst raise the dead by My leave; and how I prevented the Children of Israel from harming thee when thou camest unto them with all evidence of the truth.” (5: 110)
And amongst Jesus’ miracles is God’s response to his prayer to bring down a table full of food from the sky at the request of the disciples for them to trust his prophethood more; elaborating on this miracle, the Qur’an states, “And lo, the disciples said, ‘O Jesus son of Mary, could thy Sustainer send down unto us a repast from heaven?’ Jesus answered, ‘Be conscious of God, if you are truly believers!’ Said they, ‘We desire to partake thereof, so that our hearts might be set fully at rest, and that we might know that thou hast spoken the truth to us, and that we might be of those who bear witness thereto!’ Said Jesus son of Mary, ‘O God, our Sustainer! Send down upon us a repast from heaven: it shall be an ever-recurring feast for us–for the first and the last of us– and a sign from Thee. And provide us our sustenance, for Thou art the best of providers!’” (5:112-114)
Jesus was not spared from his enemies’ mistreatment, to whom he was sent as a guide; they even conspired to kill him, then they decided on a fabricated lie, which was subsequently refuted and denied by the Qur’an, and proved another fact which many have been unaware of, namely that Jesus was not crucified, but raised by God to Him after he was interchanged with someone who looked like him–it is said that he was from his companions, and it is said that he was from his enemies–so they crucified him in the belief that he was Jesus. “And they boast, ‘Behold, we have slain the Christ, Jesus son of Mary, who claimed to be an apostle of God!’ However, they did not slay him, and neither did they crucify him, but it only seemed to them as if it had been so; and, verily, those who hold conflicting views thereon are indeed confused, having no real knowledge thereof, and following mere conjecture. For, of a certainty, they did not slay him: nay, God exalted him unto Himself–and God is indeed Almighty, Wise.” (4:157-158)
The Qur’an has Jesus vigorously denying any claims of godhood, “And lo! God said, ‘O Jesus son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, ‘Worship me and my mother as deities beside God?’ Jesus answered, ‘Limitless art Thou in Thy glory! It would not have been possible for me to say what I had no right to say! Had I said this, Thou wouldst indeed have known it! Thou knowest all that is within myself, whereas I know not what is in Thy Self. Verily, it is Thou alone who fully knowest all the things that are beyond the reach of a created being’s perception. Nothing did I tell them beyond what Thou didst bid me to say: worship God, who is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer.’” (5:116(.
And God Almighty wanted His noble Prophet Jesus to be one of the great signs of the end of time, thus he will descend from the heavens to the earth, where he will join those who surrender themselves to God and adhere to the teachings of self-surrender unto God, and will put an end to the ongoing arguments between the three major faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
With this Qur’anic narration of Jesus, every Muslim has a clear image of his personality, easy to understand and absorb. These can be summarized in simple words: except that Jesus’ birth was a miracle from a mother and without a father, he is similar to the other Prophets. He is a human being who was sent from God to the Children of Israel to call them to the truth; the Bible was revealed to him, and he was supported by signs and miracles to be a proof and confirmation for the truth of his Prophethood, and evidence against those who opposed him and deviated from his message. “Such was, in the words of truth, Jesus the son of Mary, about whose nature they so deeply disagree.” (19:34)
موضوع: Jesus: The Son of Mary Jesus: The Son of Mary 
الإثنين أبريل 22 2013, 18:01
