Concerning Jesus Christ

When the Quran and tradition present their picture of Jesus Christ they give him a high place among the prophets and affirm his sinless-ness and power to work miracles but all this does not distinguish His person in any way as to its nature from the other prophets who came before him. His pre-existence and his atonement are denied. What do we make of such a meagre picture? Dr. Zwemer puts it like this: “Not want of opportunity, but want of sympathy and compatibility kept him aloof from the religion of Christ. His first wife introduced him to her Christian cousin; one of his later wives had embrace Christianity in Abyssinia; and the most favoured of his wives was a Christian from the Copts of Egypt. He was acquainted with ascetic monks and had dealings with Bishops of the Orthodox Church. In those days the reading of the Holy Scriptures in the public services of the Catholic Church was already authoritatively enjoined and universally practised; if he had wished thoroughly to acquaint himself with them he could have easily done so. But having no adequate conception of the nature of sin and man’s fallen state, he also lacked the faculty of truly appreciating the remedy for it which was offered in the gospel.”

We list below some examples of hadiths which show the status and role that Jesus Christ has in Islam.

Jesus not touched by Satan

> “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: No child is born but he is pricked by the Satan and he begins to weep because of the pricking of the Satan except the son of Mary and his mother. (Muslim Book 30, Number 5837)

> “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: The mother of every person gives him birth according to his true nature. It is subsequently his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Magian. Had his parents been Muslim he would have also remained a Muslim. Every person to whom his mother gives birth (has two aspects of his life) ; when his mother gives birth Satan strikes him but it was not the case with Mary and her son (Jesus Christ). (Muslim Book 33, Number 6429)

Jesus speaks from the cradle

> “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying: None spoke in the cradle but only three (persons), Christ son of Mary, the second one the companion of Juraij. Juraij had got constructed a temple and confined himself in that. His mother came to him as he was busy in prayer ……….……  (Muslim Book 32, Number 6188)

The descension of Jesus from heaven

> “Narrated Abu Herbaria: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 Jazzy (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. (Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425)

> “Narrated Abu Herbaria: 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 Jazzy tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts). (Bukhari Volume 3, Book 43, Number 656)

> “Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it.” Abu Huraira added “If you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): ‘And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him (i.e. Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness Against them.” (4.159) (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 65)

> “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. (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 658)

Jesus, like Muhammad is the slave and apostle of Allah

> “Narrated ‘Omar: I heard the Prophet saying, “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle.” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 654)

> “Narrated ‘Ubada: The Prophet said, “If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His Slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s Slave and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he had done even if those deeds were few.” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 644)

> “Narrated Ibn Abbas Allah’s Apostle said, “You will be resurrected (and assembled) bare-footed, naked and uncircumcised.” The Prophet then recited the Divine Verse: “As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it: A promise We have undertaken. Truly we shall do it.” (21.104). He added, “The first to be dressed will be Abraham. Then some of my companions will take to the right and to the left. I will say: ‘My companions! ‘It will be said, ‘They had been renegades since you left them.’ I will then say what the Pious Slave Jesus, the son of Mary said: ‘And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them; when You did take me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if you forgive them, You, only You are the All-Mighty the All-Wise.’ ” (5.117-118) (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 656)

< ” It is narrated on the authority of Ubadah b. Samit that the messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: He who said:” There is no god but Allah, He is One and there is no associate with Him, that Muhammad is his servant and His messenger, that Christ is servant and the son of His slave-girl and he (Christ) His word which He communicated to Mary and is His Spirit, that Paradise is a fact and Hell is a fact,” Allah would make him who affirms these truths enter Paradise through any one of its eight doors which he would like. (Muslim Book 1, Number 43)

Jesus only in the second heaven

> “Narrated Malik bin Sasaa: That the Prophet talked to them about the night of his Ascension to the Heavens. He said, “(Then Gabriel took me) and ascended up till he reached the second heaven where he asked for the gate to be opened, but it was asked, ‘Who is it?’ Gabriel replied, ‘I am Gabriel.’ It was asked, ‘Who is accompanying you?’ He replied, ‘Muhammad.’ It was asked, ‘Has he been called?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ When we reached over the second heaven, I saw Yahya (i.e. John) and Jesus who were cousins. Gabriel said, ‘These are John (Yahya) and Jesus, so greet them.’ I greeted them and they returned the greeting saying, ‘Welcome, O Pious Brother and Pious Prophet!;’ ” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 640)

The closeness of Jesus and Muhammad

> “Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “I am the nearest of all the people to the son of Mary, and all the prophets are paternal brothers, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus).” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 651)

> “Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: I am most akin to the son of Mary among the whole of mankind and the Prophets are of different mothers, but of one religion, and no Prophet was raised between me and him (Jesus Christ). (Muslim Book 30, Number 5834)

Jesus observes a thief but does he have defective eyesight?

> “Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, “Jesus, seeing a man stealing, asked him, ‘Did you steal?, He said, ‘No, by Allah, except Whom there is None who has the right to be worshipped’ Jesus said, ‘I believe in Allah and suspect my eyes.” (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 55, Number 653)

Description of Jesus and the Anti Christ

> “Narrated Abdullah bin Umar: Allah’s Apostle said, “Today I saw myself in a dream near the Ka’ba. I saw a whitish brown man, the handsomest of all brown men you might ever see. He had the most beautiful Limma (hair hanging down to the ear lobes) you might ever see. He had combed it and it was dripping water; and he was performing the Tawaf around the Kaba leaning on two men or on the shoulders of two men. l asked, “Who is this?” It was said. “Messiah, the son of Mary.” Suddenly I saw a curly-haired man, blind in the right eye which looked like a protruding out grape. I asked, “Who is this?” It was said, “He is Masiah Ad-Dajjal.” (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 72, Number 789)