The Status of Jesus in Islam
All of the nations are in agreement that God alone is the One who created this universe with its heavens and earth, as well as everything that lies between them and within them, such as the angels, jinn2 and mankind.
And they acknowledge that He is the One who governs and administers this universe, and that everything in existence is subjected to His Will and Power, but yet in spite of this, He maintains it with Gentleness, Mercy and Wisdom.
He has entrusted every sane adult with worshipping Him and obeying His commands. And it is for this reason that He created them, as He says:
"And I did not create mankind or the jinn except to worship Me. I do not seek any provision from them nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong." [Quran 51:56-58]
So He provided them with the necessary tools they would need to carry out this responsibility - of worshipping Him - such as upright innate natures and rational and conscious intellects. And He subjected the heavens and the earth to serve them.
And He sent them noble messengers every time the Devil and his helpers diverted them away from the objective for which they were created, such as towards polytheism, the worship of him (i.e. the Devil), and the abandonment of God's Straight Path.
At the head of these noble messengers were those who possessed strong will and determination, and they were: Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Noah, may God send the best of His peace and blessings on them.
Allah says:
"He has ordained for you the same religion that He ordained for Noah and which We revealed to you (O Muhammad) and ordained for Abraham, Moses and Jesus - that you should establish the Religion and make no divisions in it. Intolerable for the polytheists is that which you call them to. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and guides unto Himself those who turn to Him in repentance and obedience." [Quran 42:13]
So all of the messengers - especially those who were mentioned above - their religion was one, and it was Islam; there being no religion besides it that they ascribed to.3 Allah says:
"Verily the only Religion acceptable in the sight of Allah is Islam." [Quran 3:19]
And He says:
"And whoever desires other than Islam as his religion, it will never be accepted from him and in the Hereafter, he will be from among the losers." [Quran 3:85]
And He says:
"O Messengers! Eat from the good lawful foods and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am Well-Acquainted with what you do." [Quran 23:51]
And Allah says:
"Verily, this nation of yours is one (Muslim) nation, and I am your Lord, so worship Me alone." [Quran 21:92]
The word "nation" here refers to religion. So this means that their religion is one and it is Islam, which consists of making one's worship sincere and solely for God, the One and Indivisible.
All created beings are servants of God, and amongst these created beings are the noble messengers, which include those messengers of strong will and determination: Muhammad, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Noah. So they are in fact God's servants - He created them so that they may worship Him and call the people to worship Him.
Therefore, God is the Lord and Creator, and He is the One deserving of being worshipped. No created being from amongst all of His creations shares, partakes in or assists Him in even the smallest aspect of this universe, whether with respect to its creation, sustenance, bringing to life (of things) or causing things to die. Nothing commingles with Him in any of His Attributes of Lordship and Divinity and His Perfect and Most High descriptions.
"Say: He is Allah, the One (Indivisible). Allah is the Self-Sufficient (in need of nothing). He begets not nor was He begotten. And there is no one co-equal or comparable to Him." [Quran 112:1-4]
After having made this introduction, our objective here is to clarify and explain the condition of the noble messenger of God, Jesus, son of Mary, and his status in Islam.
This honorable prophet holds a great position in Islam, which the Jews and Christians are either unaware of or purposely neglect in their daily lives, beliefs and writings.
Islam has substantiated his great role, which has been confirmed in the best, most complete and just of manners in several clear verses of the Quran. Every pure and uncorrupt intellect should not accept anything except that which Islam has affirmed for this Prophet, whilst rejecting everything that contradicts that, such as what the Jews affirm from slander against him and his mother, and what the Christians affirm from exaggerating about him and deifying him at times by considering him to be the son of God or God (Himself) or part of a divine trinity, and at times by debasing and mutilating him (i.e. on the Cross), all of which indicates misguidance and deviation in the religion and mind.
God has related to us the best and most marvelous of stories concerning Jesus and his mother, from the beginning of their ordeal going through the various stages of their lives, clarifying it in depth. So the believers from among the followers of Muhammad believed in all of this and gave Jesus and his mother the status they deserved and welcomed them with the highest level of honor.
In the same manner, they welcomed all of the other prophets and messengers and believed in them. In fact, Islam has established believing in them as being one of the major pillars of Faith. And furthermore, it holds that whoever belittles any of the prophets in any manner, has committed disbelief and leaves from the fold of Islam. So what about those who disbelieve in them or even one from among them?! God has praised Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary, in many chapters of the Quran. We will mention some examples from some of these chapters. He says in Chapter 3 of the noble Quran:
1. "Allah indeed chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of 'Imraan over mankind (of their time). Offspring, one of the other, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Remember) when the wife of 'Imraan said: 'O my Lord! I have vowed to You that the child in my womb will be dedicated to Your services, so accept this from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All- Knowing.' Then when she gave birth to her daughter (Mary), she said: 'O my Lord! I have given birth to a female child' - whereas Allah knew better what she delivered - 'And the male is not like the female. I have named her Mary and I seek refuge in You for her and for her offspring from the outcast Devil.' So her Lord accepted her (supplication) with a good acceptance, and He caused her (Mary) to grow up in a good manner and put her under the care of Zachariah. Every time he would enter her room to visit her, he would find that she had (already) received sustenance. He said: 'O Mary! From where did you get this?' She said: 'This is from Allah.' Verily, Allah provides to whom He wills without limit. At that time Zachariah invoked his Lord saying: 'Grant me from You a good offspring. You indeed are the All-Hearer of invocations.'" [Quran 3:33-38]
The story of Mary begins with this great connection of mentioning those whom God chose over mankind, which included the family of 'Imraan, who were the parents of Mary. This is done in order to make it clear that Mary came from a righteous and noble family, and that she was part of the offspring of chosen prophets, and that her mother was a pious woman. An example of her piety and righteousness was that she vowed to offer what was in her womb to the services of God. She was hoping that it would be a boy, but instead she gave birth to a girl. So she returned this matter back to God, seeking His pardon and asking Him to protect her daughter and her offspring from the outcast Devil. So her Lord answered her supplication and warmly accepted Mary, causing her to be raised in a good manner and placing a righteous and merciful prophet, Zachariah, in charge of caring for her. This shows that the mother of Jesus had a tremendous upbringing.
Allah then continued to grant her more of His Bounty and Generosity, as He informs us about this in His saying:
2. "And (remember) when the angels said: 'O Mary, verily, Allah has chosen you and purified you and selected you above all of the other women amongst mankind. O Mary! Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord and prostrate yourself and bow down (in prayer) along with those who bow.' This is part of the news of the Unseen, which We reveal to you (O Muhammad). You were not with them when they cast lots with their pens to determine which of them should be charged with the care of Mary, nor were you with them when they disputed." [Quran 3:42-44]
So neither Muhammad, the unlettered prophet,4 nor his followers were aware of such tremendous and truthful information concerning all of the messengers, Mary, her mother, Zachariah and those who disputed with him regarding who would care for Mary. Nor were they aware of Zachariah winning charge of her after he had drawn lots with pens with his opponents. They did not know of how Zachariah welcomed her and of who used to bring her sustenance from God as a gift to her, which led Zachariah in spite of his old age and the barrenness of his wife to ask God to grant him righteous offspring. Neither Muhammad nor his followers were aware of any of this previously. It is not possible that you will be able to find such speech bearing the highest level of splendor and eloquence and which is nicely phrased and magnificently presented in the Gospels or anywhere else. This proves the truthfulness of Prophet Muhammad and that he was truly a messenger of Allah, and this shows that he did not speak from his own whims, but rather that it was revelation revealed to him by the Lord of all creation.
Then Allah continues with the story of the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus, the servant and messenger of God, saying:
3. "(Remember) when the angels said: 'O Mary! Verily, Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word from Him (which was 'Be' and Jesus was formed). His name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter. And he will be one of those near to Allah. He will speak to the people while (still) in the cradle and during his (years of) manhood. And he will be one of the righteous people.' She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He (Angel Gabriel) said: 'So it will be, for Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He need only say: Be, and it is. And He will teach him the Book and the Wisdom, as well as the Torah and the Gospel.' And He will make him a messenger to the Tribe of Israel, saying: 'I have come to you with a sign from your Lord - that I design for you out of clay a figure like that of a bird, then breathe into it and it will turn into a bird, by God's Permission. And I will heal those who are born blind and the leper, and I shall bring the dead to life, by God's Permission. And I will inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely therein is a sign for you if you truly believe. And I have come confirming that which was sent before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you part of what was (previously) forbidden to you. And I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allah and obey me. Truly, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him alone. This is the Straight Path.'" [Quran 3:45-51]
These verses talk about the beginning of Jesus' affair and the manner in which God created him. It also talks about his being sent as a messenger to the Tribe of Israel and the great manners that God granted him, which proves the truthfulness of his being a messenger and of him and his mother being free from what the Jews accused them of. It is from the common practice of God when creating humans and animals that the process of reproduction and childbirth occur by way of two parents - a male and a female. However before this, He had created Adam, the father of mankind, from clay, i.e. he did not have two parents. And He created Eve, the mother of mankind, from a male, without a female - from the rib of Adam. All of this was from God's magnificent signs, which no one in the earth or the heavens is capable of doing. So after a long time had passed with mankind's existence on earth, God again wanted to show mankind a new sign that would prove His great Ability - and that was in the creation of Jesus, whom He created from just a female without any male involved. Mary found news of this strange matter hard to believe, so the angel Gabriel told her: "So it will be, for Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He need only say: 'Be, and it is.'"
So every creation no matter how big or small - from God's Throne to His footstool to the heavens and the earth and the mountains and oceans and what lies in them, not to mention outer space and what it contains such as the sun, the moon and the stars - all of these are brought into existence by God's Desire and Will and by His merely saying: "Be!" So Glorified and Exalted is He. This is from a great Lord that is All-Able and All- Overpowering. Nothing can resist or hold back from His Desire nor can anything escape from His Desire. So whatever He wills comes to pass and whatever He doesn't will doesn't come to pass.
God granted Jesus knowledge, wisdom, the (divine) message, and miraculous signs as part of the virtues which He grants to all of His prophets and messengers. So the creation of Jesus' with the Word of God, "Be", from only a female, was one of His miracles that indicated His great Ability. However, this was preceded by a miracle far greater than it, which was the creation of Adam, without any male or female, and the creation of Eve from the rib of Adam, without any female. All of this proves the magnificence and great Ability of God to the believers with intellects and leads them to thank, love, glorify, sanctify, honor and direct all forms of worship to Him alone.
The people who best comprehend this aspect, implement it in their lives and call others to it are the noble prophets, at the head of whom were the five prophets with strong will and determination, which includes Jesus. This is asserted in the Quran as well as in the preserved revelations that came before it, like the Gospels, before they were altered and changed.5
Jesus affirmed and clearly stated that he was a servant of God and that he was created and brought up (from childhood). And he affirmed that God was his Lord, Master and Creator as well as the Lord, master and Owner of all other creatures. So first, he affirmed all of this, then he called the people to worship this great Lord, Master, Creator of all that exists and Owner of all creation, as he said: "Truly, Allahis my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him alone. This is the Straight Path." And before that, he said: "So fear Allah and obey me."
So God alone is the One who deserves to be feared and obeyed. All of the prophets including Jesus called to this, and God assisted them with amazing miraculous signs as proof for the truthfulness of what they brought. So mankind had no choice after all of this except to answer the call of the messengers and obey them in that which they conveyed from God from His revelation, which consisted of the command to believe in only Him and make all the worship strictly for Him alone (apart from false gods).
1 Translator's Note: Allah is the proper name for God, the Creator of everything that exists. When reading the name Allah throughout this essay, notions of an idol, statue or human being should not come to mind. God has referred to Himself as Allah in the Quran, and it is by this name that the Muslims call Him. So it refers to the Creator, Sustainer, and Administrator of everything in existence, and not a man, concept or idol. The words Allah and God will be used interchangeably throughout this essay when appropriate to make for easier reading for Non-Muslims who are not accustomed with the name Allah.
2 Translator's Note: The jinn are a separate species created by God from a smokeless flame of fire. They are part of the Unseen and information concerning them has been revealed to us in the Quran. In fact, the Devil, is one from among the jinn. Contrary to western beliefs, the Devil is not a "fallen" angel, but rather a jinnee (singular of jinn), who refused to obey God in humbling himself before His creation of Adam, and was thus cast out and rejected. God created the angels to obey Him, as He says: "They do not disobey Allah in what He commands of them, and they do what they are ordered to do." [Quran 66:6]
3 Translator's Note: Islam is an Arabic word that means to surrender and submit one's will. This is what the Religion of Islam entails in that when one adheres to Islam as a Muslim, he submits his will to the Will of the one true God, Allah. So whatever God requires of him, he abides by it without doubting it or fighting against it. A Muslim has two sources from which his religion is derived - 1. The Quran, and 2. The teachings of Prophet Muhammad, known as the Sunnah. As a Muslim, one must follow the Commandments and avoid the Prohibitions mentioned in these sources of revelation, thus submitting to the Command of God.
4 Translator's Note: It is a well-documented fact amongst historians and researchers that Muhammad was an illiterate man. In fact, he even remained in this condition until his death. He would receive revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel and dictate God's words to his scribes who would record it for him. The Muslims of that time would also memorize the revelation by heart. This is another miracle of God in that He chose an unlettered man to carry His Message, proving beyond doubt that it would be impossible for Muhammad to forge the Quran on his own. This is since the Quran contains the highest level of literature, accurate historical facts, amazing scientific facts that have only been discovered in recent times, and many other amazing aspects that would make it impossible for a man in his position and time to have produced a magnificent book like the Quran on his own.
5 Translator's Note: Allah says in the Quran: "Do you (faithful believers) think that they will believe in your religion in spite of the fact that a party of them used to hear the Word of God, then change it knowingly after they understood it?" [Quran 2:75] And He says: "So woe be to those who write the Book with their own hands, then say: 'This is from God' - to purchase with it a small price." [Quran 2:79] This shows that the revealed books were changed and altered after their respective messengers had passed on. This was the case with the Jews, who changed the Torah after Moses died to conform to their whims, and the Christians, who changed the Gospels after Jesus was raised unto God. Proof for this is as evident as the moon on a clear night, for one only needs to refer to the various editions/translations/versions of the Bible that exist in circulation today, not to mention the contradictions that can be found in the Bible, as documented by even major Christian theologians.
