What is the status of Jesus in Islam?
What is the status of Jesus in Islam? Do Muslims accept his prophethood?
Belief in Jesus (peace be upon him) is a command of Islam. Each Muslim believes in the prophethood of Jesus and honors him as they honor all prophets
Belief in the prophets is one of the six basic articles of faith in Islam. A person who denies the prophets, even one of them, is not regarded as a Muslim. So, Muslims do not only believe in the prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but also believe in and respect all the prophets from Nabi Adam to the last prophet Muhammad (pbuh) without any discrimination as ordained in the Quran;
“The Prophet (Muhammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in God, His Angels, His Books, and His prophets. (They say,) ‘We make no distinction between one another of His prophets...’” (Quran, 2: 285)
However, though all prophets are honored, respected and regarded as sacred and the most superior of humans, they are still considered as “mankind” and the “perfect servants of God” in Islam. God is the only one to be worshipped. This is the point that differentiates the Islamic view at Jesus from the Christianity.
“Say thou: "I am but a man like you: It is revealed to me by Inspiration, that your God is one God: so stand true to Him, and ask for His Forgiveness." And woe to those who join gods with God.” (Fussilat, 41:6).
“He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet” (Surah al Maryam, 30)
In Muslim belief, each prophet; despite living in different eras and different regions; conveyed the same main beliefs such as tawheed (oneness of Allah (swt)) and the Day of Resurrection and they performed the same basic worships such as praying and fasting. There are differences just in details and methods in accordance with their times.
Jesus in Islam
Jesus is one of the greatest prophets who were sent to the Children of Israel. His name is mentioned in the Quran. He is the fifth of the six “Ululazm Prophets” who are the highest of all prophets. His mother is Hadrat Mary. Allah created him “fatherless.” He was born in Jerusalem. He was appointed as a prophet at the age of 30. He was sent the holy book “Bible.” He was ascended to heaven at the age of 33 and he will come back to the earth in a close time to doomsday.
In contrast to Christians, Muslims believe that Prophet Jesus was not crucified; He was directly ascended to heaven. This takes place in the Quran in the 157th and the 158th verses of Surah al-Nisa:
“And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah's messenger - they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.”
“But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise.”
Besides, in the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, it is declared that: “Jesus has not died. He will return to you before the day of judgement. (Doomsday)” “I’m the closest one to Jesus the son of Maryam in the world and in the hereafter.” “There is not a prophet between me and Jesus.”
When Jesus was ascended to the heaven after his 3 years’ prophet hood; (upon Jesus’s will) his disciples dispersed around and preached the Christianity. It took 80 years for this right religion to be spread. But then, after a while, the Bible was changed and three different opinions emerged which contrast with the initial faith of Christianity. They are “Jesus is God”, “Jesus is the son of God.” and trinity; the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead; which do not fit into the attributes of Godhood as mentioned before.
However, He (may Allah be pleased with him) was one of the most blessed prophets of Allah (saw) and performed miracles as a necessity of the holy prophethood task. They can be classified in 9 types:
1. Prophet Jesus spoke when he was a baby in the cradle. (Maida, 110)
2. He brought the dead to life. (Maida,110)
3. He healed the lepers and those born blind. (Surah al Maide, 110)
4. He informed his people what they ate and what they stored in their houses. (Al-I Imran, 49)
5. When he made out of the clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and he breathed into it, and it became a bird and flew. (Maide, 110)
6. The Disciples of Jesus offered him to ask Allah for sending down a table spread with food. When Jesus prayed, a table was sent down. (Surah al Maida,114)
7. Jesus knew what has been going on and what was being spoken nearby while he was asleep.
8. Whenever he wished and prayed, food and fruits were sent to him at that moment.
9. He knew the secret words and states of the Children of Israel.
Jesus in the Holy Quran
“(Remember) when the angels said: "O Mary! Verily, Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word from Him, his name will be the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allah.” (Surah Al-I Imran, 45)
“He will speak unto mankind in his cradle and in his manhood, and he is of the righteous.” (Surah Al-I Imran, 46)
“And Marium, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We breathed into her of Our inspiration and she accepted the truth of the words of her Lord and His books, and she was of, the obedient ones.” (Surah al Tahrim, 12)
Miraculous Birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) is stated in Surah al Maryam as following:
16. And mention Marium in the Book when she drew aside from her family to an eastern place;
17. So she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man.
18. She said: Surely I fly for refuge from you to the Beneficent God, if you are one guarding (against evil).
19. He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I will give you a pure boy.
20. She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?
21. He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed.
22. So she conceived him; then withdrew herself with him to a remote place.
23. And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten!
24. Then (the child) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you;
25. And shake towards you the trunk of the palmtree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates:
26. So eat and drink and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent God, so I shall not speak to any man today.
27. And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Marium! surely you have done a strange thing.
28. O sister of Haroun! your father was not a bad man, nor, was your mother an unchaste woman.
29. But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle?
30. He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet;
31. And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live;
32. And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed;
33. And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.
34. Such is Isa, son of Marium; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute.
35. It beseems not Allah that He should take to Himself a son, glory to be Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it "Be," and it is.
36. And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.
Miracles of Prophet Jesus are stated in the 110th verse of Surah al Maida:
“When Allah will say: O Isa son of Marium! Remember My favor on you and on your mother, when I strengthened you I with the holy Spirit, you spoke to the people in the cradle and I when of old age, and when I taught you the Book and the wisdom and the Taurat and the Injeel; and when you determined out of clay a thing like the form of a bird by My permission, then you breathed into it and it became a bird by My permission, and you healed the blind and the leprous by My permission; and when you brought forth the dead by My permission; and when I withheld the children of Israel from you when you came to them with clear arguments, but those who disbelieved among them said: This is nothing but clear enchantment.” (Surah al Maida,110)