The Truth About Jesus Alaihe salaam

8/8/2019 The Truth About Jesus Alaihe salaam

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THE TRUTH ABOUT

JESUS by

Dr. Maneh Al-Johani

Quotations from the Holy Quran

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

MARY

GLAD TIDINGS AND JESUS'S BIRTH

NOT THE SON OF GOD

JESUS'S MISSION

JESUS RAISED TO HEAVEN

POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED

THE POPE CONTRADICTS THE BIBLE

RELIGION VS. SCIENCE

EVIDENCES FOR THE QUR'ANIC ACCOUNT

REASONS HOLDING PEOPLE FROM ISLAM

ISLAM: THE NATURAL CALL

FURTHER READINGS ON ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

A LETTER FROM AN ENGLISH MUSLIM


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INTRODUCTION

WHY DO CHRISTIANS CLAIM THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD?

Quotations from the Holy Quran

Say: 'O People of the Book, come to common terms as between us and you: that weworship none but God; that we associate not aught with Him; and do not some of ustake others as Lords, apart from God. And if they turn their backs, say: 'Bear witness thatwe are Muslims. (3:64)

They say, God taken to Him a son.' Glory be to Him. He is all-sufficient; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth; you have no authority for this. Do yousay concerning God what you do not know? (10:68)

People of the Book! why do you disbelieve in God's signs, which you yourselveswitness? (3:70)

People of the Book! why do you confound the truth with falsehood and conceal the truthknowingly? (3:71)

Quotations from Hadith:

Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying, "I am the nearest of kin toJesus, son of Mary, in this world and the next. The prophets are brothers, sons of one

father by co-wives. Their mothers are different but their religion is one. There has beenno prophet between us". (Bukhari and Muslim).

Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as saying," By Him in whose handmy soul is, the son of Mary will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break crosses, kill swine and abolish the jizya (a tax payable by a community which accepts the

protection of a Muslim ruler but whose members do not embrace Islam), and wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it, and one sajda (the position inMuslims prayer where the forehead is placed on the ground), will be better than theworld and what it contains". (Bukahri and Muslim).

PREFACE

The controversy about the personality of Jesus Christ is the major difference betweenIslam and Christianity. This difference keeps the followers of the two religions apart.Muslims look at Jesus Christ as a great Prophet of God and love and respect him as muchas they love and respect Abraham, Moses and Muhammad. Christians on the other hand


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consider Jesus as God or son of God, a concept that Muslims cannot accept. Islamteaches that Jesus never made such a claim for himself. As a matter of fact all the cardinaldoctrines of Christianity that are rejected by Islam center around the personality of Jesus.Specifically these are:

1. The Trinity

2. The Divinity of Jesus

3. The Divine Sonship of Christ

4. Original Sin, and

5. Atonement.

It is clear that all these dogmas are the result of over-exhalting Jesus Christ above what

God wants him to be. These differences focusing on the personality of Jesus haveovershadowed the many similarities between Christianity and Islam. Some examples arethe moral system and the emphasis on human principles. They have even over shadowedthe beliefs that Muslims associate with Jesus Christ such as the Virgin Birth of Jesus,

being able to speak in the cradle, performing miracles, and the second coming of JesusChrist.

The following two articles aim at presenting a true picture of Jesus in Islam andexplaining why the Christians deviated from his original teachings. The first article alsoindicates that many scholars and thinkers, who are still within the fold of Christianity, aregradually coming to agree with the Islamic points of view about Jesus, in many cases

without realizing it. This corresponds to my conviction that the more scientific and biblical studies advance, the more they will agree with Islam. In other words, the Islamictruth is more evident with the passage of time. God in the Holy Quran hints to this in thefollowing verse:

We shall show them our signs in the horizons and in themselves, till it is clear tothem that it is the truth. (41:53)

M.J.

INTRODUCTION

The Islamic view of Jesus lies between two extremes. The Jews, who rejected Jesus as aProphet of God, called him an impostor. The Christians on the other hand, consider himto be the son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus as one of the greatProphets of God and respects him as much as Abraham, Moses and Muhammad. This isin conformity with the Islamic point of view of the oneness of God, the oneness of Divine


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guidance, and the complimentary role of the subsequent messages of Gods messengers.The essence of Islam, which is the willing submission to the will of God, was revealed toAdam who passed it on to his children. All following revelations to Noah, Abraham,Moses, Jesus and finally Muhammad were in conformity with that message in addition tosome elaboration to define the relation between Man and God, man and man, man and his

environment, and to live according to Gods instructions. Thus, any contradiction amongrevealed religions is viewed by Islam as a man-made element introduced into thesereligions. The position of Jesus in the three major religions: Judaism, Christianity andIslam, should not be an exception.

Although the Quran does not present a detailed life-account of Jesus, it highlights theimportant aspects of his birth, his mission, his ascension to heaven and passes judgementson the Christian beliefs concerning him.

MARYThe Qur'anic account of Jesus starts with the conception of his mother, Mary. The wife of Imran, Marys mother, vowed to dedicate her child to the service of God in the temple.Zacharia, who took charge of Mary, used to find food with Mary. When he asked her how she got it she answered that it was from God. The Quranic verses read:

When the wife of Imran said, 'Lord, I have vowed to you, in dedication, what iswithin my womb. Please accept it from me. you are the Hearer and knower'. And when she gave birth to her she said, 'Lord, I have given birth to her, a female...

And I have named her Mary end commend her to you with her seed, to protect

them from the accursed Satan.' Her Lord received the child with gracious favor,and by His goodness she grew up comely, Zacheria taking charge of her.Whenever Zacharia went to her in the Sanctuery, he found her provisioned.'Mary', he said, 'how comes this to you? ''From God', she answered. Truly God

provisions for whomsoever He will without reckoning. (3:95-7)

GLAD TIDINGS AND JESUS'S BIRTH

When Mary became a woman, the Holy Spirit (the Archangel Gabriel)

appeared to her as a man bringing her the news of a son. We read the followingdialogue in the Qur'an between Mary and the angels:

When the angels said, 'Mary. God gives you good tidings of a Word from Him whose name is Messiah Jesus, son of Mary; high honored shall he be in this world and the next, near stationed to God. He shall speak to men in the cradle, and of age, and righteous she shall be.'


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'Lord', said Mary, 'how shall I have a son seeing no mortal has touched me? 'Even so' he said, 'God creates what He will.' When He decrees athing He does but say to it, "Be", and it is.' (3:45-7)

Mary conceived the child miraculously and retired to a distant place where sheawaited her delivery. The Qur'an in a chapter entitled 'Mary tells us how Maryfelt and what the Jews told her when she brought the child home:

She conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place. And thebirth pangs surprised her by the trunk of the palm-tree. She said, 'would I had died before this. and become a thing forgotten.' The one frombelow her called to her, 'Do not grieve; see, your Lord has set below you a rivulet. Shake also toward you the palm trunk. and there shall come tumbling upon you dates fresh and ripe. Eat therefore, and drink,and be comforted; and if you should see any mortal, say. "I have vowed to the All-Merciful a fast, and today I will not speak to any man." Thenshe brought the child to her folk carrying him; and they said, Mary, you have surely committed a monstrous thing. Sister of Aaron, your father was not a wicked man, nor was your mother a woman unchaste.' Mary

pointed to the child. but they said, 'How shall we speak to one who isstill in the cradle, a little child?' He said, 'Lo, I am God's servant; God has given me the Book and made me a Prophet. Blessed he has mademe, wherever I may be; and he has enjoined me to pray. and to give thealms, so long as I live, and likewise to cherish my mother; he has not made me arrogant or wicked. Peace be upon me, the day I was born,and the day I die, and the day I am raised up alive.' (19:22-23)

NOT THE SON OF GOD

In the same chapter, following the above quotation, God assured Muhammadand the whole world that what was mentioned above is the truth about Jesusalthough the Christians might not believe it. Jesus is not the son of God. Hewas, obviously enough, the son of Mary. The verses continue:

That is Jesus, son of Mary, in word of truth, concerning which they aredoubting. It is not for God to take a son unto Him. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a thing. He but says to it "Be". and it is. (19:34-5)

After this strong statement about the nature of Jesus, God directed Muhammadto call the Christians to a fair deal: to worship the one God:


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Surely God is my Lord, and your Lord, so serve Him. This is the straight path.(19:38).

The rejection of the idea of God having a son is reported later in the samechapter with even stronger words:

And they say, 'The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son.' You haveindeed advanced something hideous. The heavens are well nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well nigh fall downcrashing for that they have attributed to the All-merciful a son; and it behooves not the All-merciful to take a son. None is there in theheavens and earth but he comes to the All-merciful as a servant.(19:88-93)

The Quran recognizes the fact that Jesus had no human father but this does notmake him the son of God or God Himself. By this criterion Adam would have

been more entitled to be the son of God because he had neither a father nor amother. So the Qur'an draws attention to the miraculous creation of both in thefollowing verse:

Truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust. then said He unto him, "Be", and he was. (3:59)

The Qur'an rejects the concept of the Trinity as strongly as it rejects theSonship of Jesus. This is because God is One. This is the essence of allmonotheistic revelations. Three, by reason and by simple arithmetic, are notone. The Qur'an addresses the Christians in the following verses in the chapter entitled "Women".

People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the Truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and aspirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not,'Three'. Refrain. better is it for you. God is only One God. Glory be toHim that He should have a son! To Him belongs all that is in theheavens and in the earth, God suffices for a guardian.

The Messiah will not disdain to be a servant of God, neither the angelswho are close to Him. Whosoever disdains to serve Him and waxes

proud. He will assuredly muster them to Him, all of them.


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As for the believers, who do deeds of righteousness, He will pay themtheir rewards in full, and He will give them more, of His bounty; as for them who disdain and wax proud, them He will punish with a severe

punishment, and they shall not find for them, apart from God, a friend or helper. (4:171-3)

The verses continue to draw the attention of people, all people, to the proof which Muhammad brought. God knows that people frequently inherit certainideas and beliefs which include, among other things, the mistakes andinterpretations of previous generations. They have no way of discovering suchmistakes for themselves. Thus God presents the Quran as a proof to such

people. He says:

O men, a manifest proof has now come to you from your Lord; we havesent down to you a clear light. As for those who believe in God, and hold fast to Him, He will surely admit them to mercy from Him, and bounty, and will guide them to Him on a straight path. (4:173-5)

The denial of Jesus' divinity (and for that matter Mary's divinity) is presented inthe Quran as a topic of dialogue at the Day of Judgement between GodAlmighty and Jesus. All the messengers and the nations will be gathered infront of God and He will ask the messengers how they were received by their

peoples and what they said to them. Among those who are going to bequestioned is Jesus:

And when God said, 'O Jesus son of Mary, did you say unto men, "Takeme and my mother as gods. apart from God? He said, 'To you be glory! It is not mine to say what I have no right to. If I indeed said it, you knew it, knowing what is within my soul, and I do not know what is within your soul. you know the things unseen. I only said to them what you did command me: "serve God, my Lord and your Lord." And I was awitness over them, while I remained among them; but when you did take me to yourself, you were yourself the watcher over them; you arethe witness of everything. If you punish them, they are your servants, if you forgive them, you are the Almighty, the All-wise.' God said, This isthe day the truthful shall be profited by their truthfulness. For them await gardens underneath which rivers flow therein dwelling forever, God being well-pleased with them end they well-pleased with Him; That isthe mighty triumph'.


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JESUS'S MISSION

Now one might ask: If the Qur'an denies the Trinity and the Sonship of Jesus,what was the real mission of Jesus according to the Qur'an?

Jesus was a link in a long chain of prophets and messengers sent by God to varioussocieties and nations whenever they needed guidance or deviated from the teachings of God. Jesus was especially prepared by God to be sent to the Jews who had deviated fromthe teachings of Moses and other Messengers. As he was miraculously supported by Godin conception, birth and childhood, he was also supported by numerous miracles to provethat he was a messenger from God. However, the majority of the Jews rejected hisministry. The Qur'an tells us about Jesus' mission in the following verses which are acontinuation of the verses quoted earlier in which the glad tiding was brought to Mary:

And He will teach him the Book, the wisdom, the Torah, the Gospel and makehim a Messenger to the children of Israel saying, I have come to you with a sign

from your Lord. I will create for you out of clay as the likeness of a bird; then I will breathe into It, and it will be a bird, by the power of God. I will also heal the blind and the leper and bring to life the dead, by the power of God. I will inform you tooof the things you eat, and what you treasure up in your houses. Surely in that is asign for you if you are believers. Likewise I will confirm the truth of the Torah that is before me, and to make lawful to you certain things that before were forbiddenunto you. I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so fear God, and obey me. Surely God is my Lord and your Lord; so serve Him. This is a straight path".(3:45-51)

In another verse of the Quran, Jesus confirmed the validity of the Torah which was

revealed to Moses and he also brought the glad tidings of the coming of a final messenger after him. This is clearly indicated in the following verse:

And when Jesus son of Mary said. 'children of Israel. I am indeed the Messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of aMessenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be the praised one (notethat this is translation of Ahmad which is Prophet Muhammads name). (61:6)

The messenger of whom Jesus gave glad tidings is referred to in both the old and newtestaments of the Bible. The old testament contains several prophecies that apply only tothe Prophet Muhammad. I quote only one of those which applies to none except Prophet

Muhammad. This prophecy which was addressed to Moses said that God will sendamong the 'brethren' of the Israelites, a prophet like Moses who will be a founder, aleader, and an exemplar of a community of believers. We read this in the followingverses of Deut. Ch. 18:

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And


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whoever will not give heed to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. (Deut. 18:18-20)

Any one who is familiar with Prophet Muhammad's life, can easily see that no one fitsthe above description better than Prophet Muhammad. It was Prophet Muhammad, not

Jesus, who like Moses was born from ordinary parents, got married, founded a faithfulcommunity, established a great law and died a natural death.

Careful study of the New Testament shows that this same prophet is referred to by Jesusin John 14:16,17:

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth.

Later in John specific description of this Spirit of Truth and his role is given as we read inJohn 16:13,14.:

When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me...

The terms of the prophecy do not warrant the conclusion usually attributed to this prophecy, namely that it refers to the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost explanation isexcluded by a previous verse in John which reads:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantages that I go away, for if I donot go away, the counselor will not come to you.

It is clear from the Bible that the Holy Ghost used to visit men before and during the life-time of Jesus. John was filled with the Holy Ghost before he was born and Jesus himself received the Holy Ghost in the shape of a dove.

The characteristics of this counselor, as can be derived from the prophecy,

are the following:

1. He will not come until Jesus leaves.

2. He will stay forever, with the believers.

3. He will glorify Jesus.

4. He will speak what he hears from God.

These characteristics are applicable only to Prophet Muhammad, as the


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following brief remarks show:

A. Prophet Muhammad was the only messenger that came after Jesus. Therewas a period of six centuries between them. Jesus' mission was limited tothe "lost sheep of the children of Israel, but Muhammad's was a universal

message. This explains the second characteristic.B. Only Prophet Muhammad's message was intended by God to be a universal andeverlasting message. This agrees with the statement that the counselor will stay

forever with the faithful.C. No other prophet glorified Jesus as much as Prophet Muhammad did. The Jews

called him an impostor and accused his mother of immorality. They tried tocrucify him. Prophet Muhammad considered Jesus as great Prophet and theWord of God". The Qur'an attributed to him miracles that are not mentioned inthe Bible. Mary is considered the most chaste woman and the best of all women in

paradise. Thus did Muhammad really glorify Jesus.D. The fourth characteristic also applies neatly to Prophet Muhammad. The Quran

was revealed to Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. When the angelfinished reciting the Quran, Prophet Muhammad used to convey verbatim to hiscompanions what he heard from the angel without adding, changing or forgettinganything. The Qur'an also describes Prophet Muhammad saying He does not speak out of his own fancy. He utters what is revealed to him." (53:4,5) . If we compare this with, "He will not speak on his own authority", we see thestriking similarity between the characteristics of the counselor and those of Prophet Muhammad. These and other prophecies in the old and new testaments

predict in unequivocal terms the advent of Prophet Muhammad who is rejected bythe Jews and Christians on the basis of misunderstanding and bias rather than onthe basis of careful study of the Bible, the Qur'an and modern findings in the field

of comparative religion.

JESUS RAISED TO HEAVEN

It is a sad fact of history that not many follow "the straight path", to which people werecalled by Jesus. He was followed by a few disciples who were inspired by God to supporthim. Not only that, but the non-believers plotted (as they did to Muhammad six centurieslater) to kill Jesus, but God had a better plan for him and his followers as the Qur'an tellsus in the following verses:

And when Jesus perceived their unbelief, he said, 'who will be my helpers in thecause of God? The Apostles said, 'we will be helpers of God.' We believe in God;be witness of our submission. Lord, we believe in that you have sent down, and we follow the Messenger. Inscribe us therefore with those who bear witness.'

And they devised, and God devised, and God is the best of devisers. When God said, 'Jesus, I will take you to me and will raise you to Me, and I will purify you of those who do not believe. I will set your followers above the unbelievers till the


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Resurrection Day. Then unto Me shall you return, and I will decide between you,as to what you were at variance on. As for the unbelievers, I will punish themwith a terrible punishment in this world and the next; they shall have no helpers.' (3:52-6)

As the above verses indicate, Jesus was raised to heaven before he died.

This means that according to the Qur'an he was not crucified. It was the plan of

the enemies of Jesus to put him to death on the cross, but God saved him and

somebody else was crucified. This plot and the false accusation of Mary are

considered by the Qur'an to be some of the sins of the non-believing Jews. All

this is clear in the following quotation:

And for their unbelief, and their uttering against Mary a mighty calumny, and for their saying, We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God'...yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shownto them. Those who are at variance concerning him surely are in doubt regarding him, they have no knowledge of him, except the following of surmise; and they did not slay him of certainty... no indeed; God raised him up to Him; God is

Almighty, All-wise. There is not one of the people of the Book but will assuredly believe in him before his death, and on the Resurrection Day he will be a witnessagainst them. (4:156-9).

Who was the person crucified instead of Jesus? The Qur'an does not elaborate on this point nor does it give any answer to this question. The interpreters of the Qur'an havesuggested a few names. But all these are individual guesses not supported by the Qur'anor the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

This means that Jesus will come back before the Day of Judgement. Again the SecondComing is not clearly mentioned in the Qur'an. However, the explain of the Qur'anunderstood the last verse of the above quotation: there is not one of the people of the

Book but will assuredly believe in him before his death, and on the Resurrection Day hewill be a witness against them, to mean that Jesus will come back and all the Christiansand the Jews will believe in him before he dies. This understanding is supported by

authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad.

POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED

After reading this presentation a believing Christian might say "This is what the Muslims,whom we always considered as heathens or infidels, say about Jesus." But the point of


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view which the Qur'an presents deserves serious consideration, to say the least, by thosewho are really concerned about God, faith and even Christianity itself for the followingreasons:

1. The Quran is the last version of Gods revelation and what it says is the ultimate

truth. This might not mean much for those who do not believe in the Qur'an assuch. However, the history of the Qur'an, modern textual criticism and scientificresearch of the content of this scripture leave no doubt about the truth it contains.The frequently made statements that the Qur'an is the word of Muhammad whocopied his information from Jewish and Christian sources is made by people whodo not know the history of the world, the Qur'an or Muhammad. The first Arabictranslation of the Bible appeared two centuries after Muhammad's mission. If weadd to this Muhammad's illiteracy and the scarcity of religious books in anylanguage outside churches and temples in the sixth century we can understand theabsurdity of this allegation.

2. The oneness and universality of God's message requires that people accept all the

messengers of God. Rejecting one of them amounts to rejecting them all. TheJews reject Jesus's mission and Muhammad's mission; the Christians rejectMuhammad's mission; whereas the Muslims accept them all, but reject incorrecthistorical interpretations and human elements in these missions.

3. Because of the Qur'an, Muslims love and respect Jesus as they love and respectthe Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, the Qur'an reports some of Jesus's miracleswhich are not reported in the present gospel. For example, the Quran tells thatJesus spoke in the cradle and was able to tell people what they ate or treasured intheir houses, to mention just a few.

4. It is common knowledge that the divinity of Jesus was introduced by Saint Pauland his followers and was established on the dead bodies of millions of Christians

through history which evoked the Castillo's well-known remark "To burn a man isnot to prove a doctrine."5. The choice of the present four gospels was imposed in the conference of Nicea

325 C.E. under the auspices of the pagan Emperor Constantine for political purposes. Literally, hundreds of gospels and religious writings were consideredapocrypha, i.e. books of doubtful authenticity. Some of those books were written

by Jesus's disciples. If they were not more authentic than the four gospels theywere of equal authenticity. Some of them still are available such as the Gospel of

Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas which agree with the Quran.6. The Unitarian concept and the humanness of Jesus is not only held by Muslims

but also by Jews and by some early groups of Christianity such as the Ebionites,the Cerinthians, the Basilidians, the Capocratians and the Hypisistarians to nameseveral early sects. The Arians, Paulicians and Goths also accepted Jesus as a

prophet of God. Even in the modern age there are churches in Asia, in Africa, theUnitarian church, and Jehova Witnesses who do not worship Jesus as God.

7. Most serious studies of the Bible have shown that it contains a large portion of additions which neither Jesus nor the writers of the gospels said. The church, asHeinz Zahrnt said, "put words into the mouth of Jesus which he never spoke andattributed actions to him which he never performed." Those conclusions were


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arrived at by some members of the church. However, they are kept secret or available only to the specialists. One of those, who has shown that most of whatthe church says about Jesus is baseless is Rudolf Augustein in his book Jesus Sonof Man, (published in Germany 1972 and translated into English 1977).

8. The problem with present Christianity is the personality of Jesus which is

completely misunderstood. Jesus' nature, mission and claimed death andresurrection, are all challenged by studies in the field. One of those is a book entitled The Myth of God Incarnate which appeared 1977 (edited by John Hick)and written by seven theologian scholars in England. Their conclusion is thatJesus was "a man approved by God, for special role within the divine purpose,and the later conception of him as God incarnate is a mythological or poeticway of expressing his significance for us." The best George Carey could say in hisattempt to refute the findings of those theologians is that unless one takes Jesus asGod Incarnate one won't be able to understand Jesus' mission or explain its impacton people. This definitely is a very weak argument because all great prophets suchas Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad have had a tremendous impact on people

and none of them claimed that he was God or a son of God.9. The concept of the Trinity is not, of course, available even in the present Bible.There are statements which negate it such as "The Lord our God is one Lord(Math. 12:29) and many others.

10. It is worth noting that Jesus never claims divinity even in the present text of theBible. The expression "Son of God" cannot be said to have come from Jesushimself. Hasting in The Dictionary of the Bible says "Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful." In my reading of the Bible, I found only two instances inJohn Chapter 5 and 11 where Jesus uses "son of God" to refer to himself. Other instances were used by others. Even those are very limited. However, even if thetitle "son of God" was used by Jesus himself one should remember the following

points:

1. As a biblical scholar said, "Semitic usage would never have allowed literalsense even though such an expression would be interpreted literally in theHellenistic world of Jesus followers".

2. The New Testament Greek words used for "son" are pias and paida,which means 'servant' or 'son in the sense of servant, are translated son inreference to Jesus and servant in reference to others in some translationsof the Bible (Mufassir, P. 15).

3. The title "son of man" which is a self-designation of Jesus and occurs 81times in the gospels is the clearest description and emphasis by Jesus onhis humanity. The classical interpretation given to this title is that it is usedto emphasize the human side of Jesus. Now the question which suggestsitself is: Do contemporary Christians emphasize this aspect of Jesus?

THE POPE CONTRADICTS THE BIBLE


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The traditional Biblical account of Jesus' crucifixion is that he was arrested and crucified by the orders and plans of the chief priest and Jewish elders. This account was denied inthe 1960's by the highest Catholic Christian authority, the Pope. He issued a statement inwhich he said the Jews had nothing to do with Jesus' crucifixion. This definitely doescontradict the Biblical account. You might say: This is a political decree. This agrees

with what Muslims are saying: the church had introduced many elements intoChristianity and was influenced by many factors which made its view of Christianity notonly changeable but, by and large, contradict the early forms of Christianity.

RELIGION VS. SCIENCE

The religious views concerning God, the Bible, and Man s relation to God which thechurch presented forced people into an unfortunate choice: either science or God. Mosteducated people have come to the conclusion that one can't be a scientist or an educated

person and be a Christian. Thus many philosophers, scientists and the majority of the people lost hope of reconciling religion and science. This unfortunate understanding later on was generalized to include every religion as a result of the influence of westerncivilization, which was mainly Christian. This whole issue would not have rise in the first

place if the teachings of Jesus were not distorted or tampered with. This is because, asIslam views the matter, there is no contradiction whatsoever between religion andscience. Scientific facts are just one source of our knowledge of God. The other source isrevelation as it is contained in the original teachings of Jesus and in the present text of theQuran. Both religion and true scientific knowledge are from the same source: God. SoHe won't contradict Himself.

Thus, concepts like the Trinity, The Son of God, Original Sin, the Atonement etc.. whichwere the product of distortion and miss-understanding in the history of Christianity drove people away not only from Christianity but also from other religions, including Islam,which is not affected by these problems. This is due to the fact that many people think that because Islam is a religion (the meaning of the very word is limited in westernlanguages) it must be similar to Christianity. Very few people will have the interest andthe ability to discover the falsehood of this assumption.

EVIDENCES FOR THE QUR'ANIC ACCOUNT

This implicit assumption is one of the causes of hesitation and unwillingness of many people to accept the Qur'anic view of Jesus. This is in spite of the fact that this point of view is supported by:

a. The early history of Christianity which continued for three decades after Jesussdisappearance as a sect within Judaism.


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b. The practice of many Christian sects and scholars throughout the history of Christianity.

c. The findings of many Biblical scholars and scientific research which was appliedto the Bible.

d. The instinct of many people (some of whom think they are Christians) who

believe in the One God, but can't accept Jesus as God or The Son of God.

It is worth noting that the main differences between the Qur'anic account and whatmodern research and scholars have found is that the Qur'an said what it says now aboutJesus and his mission fourteen centuries ago and never changed its stand.

REASONS HOLDING PEOPLE FROM ISLAM

Some of the other reasons which might account for the rejection of the Qur'anic account

include:

a. The time-honored bias against Islam which was partly the product of the Crusadesand partly the product of the Arab-Israeli conflict in the Middle East.

b. Confusion. Many people although they do not accept Christianity, do not knowwhere the truth is.

c. Social Pressure and Academic Reputation. Many people were afraid to acceptIslam because they felt they would be mocked, alienated from their relatives and

peers if they openly rejected Christianity and accepted Islam. At the academiclevel, especially among orientalists, if one writes favorably about Islam and theQur'an no body will review his work, quote from it or even consider it a scholarly

work. He could be even destroyed professionally. The Washington Post (January5, 1978) reported that a University of Richmond Professor, Dr. Robert Alley lostthe chairmanship of the Department of Religion there because he holds the viewthat Jesus never claimed to be the son of God. After considerable research intonewly found ancient documents, Dr. Alley concluded that:

The (Bible) passages where Jesus talks about the son of God are later additions..... what the church said about him. Such a claim of deity for himself would not have been consistent with his entire lifestyle as we can reconstruct. For the first three decades after Jesus' death Christianity continued as a sect within

Judaism. The first three decades of its existence of the church were within the

synagogue. That would have been beyond belief if they (the followers) had boldly proclaimed the deity of Jesus.

ISLAM: THE NATURAL CALL


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Despite these factors, and some others which I did not mention, there have been many people who have submitted to truth. The Islamic point of view about Jesus and other major issues strikes those who get introduced to it as something which makes a lot of sense and something which they hold implicitly without knowing it. This, and other characteristics made Islam the fastest growing religion in the world throughout history. It

appeals even to faithful Christians because they discover that:

a. Islam does not abolish Jesus, it rather puts him in the right position in the longline of men who brought real salvation to humanity. In reality they are adding anew dimension to their understanding of God, prophet-hood, and revelation.

b. When Christianity and Judaism (or for that matter any religion) are looked at fromthe Islamic perspective they fit in neatly in the universal framework of theoneness of God and His plans for mankind. Moreover, one will understand clearlywhy there are some gaps or discrepancies in the Biblical account about certainissues.

c. Islam does consider itself the final link in the long chain of revelation. It promises

the followers of previous faiths great rewards if they add belief in Islam to their belief in their previous faith. The Prophet Muhammad said, "He who has believedin his religion then believed in what is revealed to me will be rewarded twice (byGod)." That is once for believing in his faith and the other for recognizing truthand believing in Islam.

To sum up, Islam considers Jesus as one of God's great prophets. His mission was to preach the Oneness of God and to lead man to his Lord. He never claimed to be other than a servant and a Messenger of God. The Qur'anic account of his life and mission issupported by overwhelming evidence. The Muslims do believe in and are awaiting theSecond Coming of Jesus. He will come back not as God to judge the non-Christians, but

as Jesus, God's servant. His coming is to correct the misconception which people havedeveloped about his personality and his mission. According to a saying of the ProphetMuhammad, he will stay for forty years which is going to be the happiest years of life onthis earth. At that time everybody will believe in him as the messenger, not the Son of God. However, what about those who will not be able to live till his second coming?They better do it now!

FURTHER READINGS ON ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY

1. M. M. Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'an T. B.2. Irving, et al., The Qur'an: Basic Teachings3. Hamuda Abdulati, Islam in Focus4. M. Qutb, /slam: The Misunderstood Religion5. B. A. Bawany, Islam: The First and Final Religion6. Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, The Qur'an and Science7. Maurice Bucaille, The Origin of Man8. Lordsale and Laura Ragg, The Gospel of Barnabas


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9. Muhammad Ata-ur-Rahman, Jesus: A Prophet of Islam10. Rudolf Augustein, Jesus Son of Man11. John Hick (ed), The Myth of God Incarnate12. S. S. Mufassir, Jesus in the Qur'an.

Some of these books and others about Islam can be obtained from:

World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY)

P. O. Box 10845

Tel. (01)4641663

Riyadh 11443, Saudi Arabia

Or the nearest Islamic Center in your part of the world.

A LETTER FROM AN ENGLISH MUSLIM

INTRODUCTION

The Islamic account of Jesus's life and mission is quite reasonable and puts Jesus in hisright place among the great messengers of God to humanity. Although the Islamic viewof Jesus agrees with what many people instinctively think, it is sometimes rejected

because this is what Islam says about him. However, those who come to Islam with an

open mind and free from bias will submit to the logic and believability of the Islamicaccount of Jesus. The Islamic position is especially appreciated by those who havestruggled with the various Christian dogmas that are centered around the personality of Jesus Christ.

The following is a letter which I received from one of the viewers who follow my program: ISLAM IN PERSPECTIVE, televised by the Saudi Arabian Television, SecondChannel. It is a response to a two-episode discussion of Jesus called: JESUS IN ISLAM.I include this letter here for the following reasons:

1. The writer is an expert on this topic as a student of religion and an objective

seeker of truth.2. The writer was a believing Christian who knows Christians' feelings and belief concerning Jesus Christ.

3. The writers explanation of how the Christians deviated from Jesus instructionsand mission is quite plausible and account for the present Christian belief aboutJesus.


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.I would like to thank the writer for her kind permission to include her letter in this publication.

M. J.

WHY DO CHRISTIANS CLAIM THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD?

Dear sir,

Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah

OPINION REGARDING THE DISCUSSION ON YOUR PROGRAM

I was very interested in your discussion on TV since this is a topic which I havediscussed many times, both as student of religion, and outside the learning environment,in many parts of the world.

As an English Muslim convert, now living in Saudi Arabia, I find the sharp contrast between societies, thought-provoking from many new points.

Focusing upon the nature of Jesus and Mary as explained in the Koran, and in the Gospelof the New Testament, we see two opposing views that of Christian teaching thatJesus is 'Son of God' and that of the Koran neglecting all such claims. It then, becomes

necessary to ask the question WHY was it necessary for the early Christians to make sucha claim about Jesus, when after all he never made any such claim himself?

It is my opinion that answer becomes clear if we study the basis for the religions of Islamand Christianity. As Muslims we base our faith upon God and upon Him alone, and uponthe Koran God's word to His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in whom we also believe

as a true Prophet of the one God. Muhammad (PBUH) is God's servant, faithfuland obedient and totally human he remains the instrument of God's purpose to leadHis people back to Him again.

Now, as a total contrast we turn to Christianity a religion built not around God, or His

book for there was no 'book' until 150 years after Jesus' death. Christianity became built around the personality of Jesus himself. By laying more and more stress upon themagnetic and wonderful personality of Jesus and unable and un-willing to describe theProphet's effect upon all who came to him in everyday terms more and more attributesare added to his reputation a man who could perform miracles, bring back the dead tolife, heal the leper, cure the blind all by Gods will, is indeed a wonderful man

blessed by God born by Gods will to do His service. But after his death, the 'magical' personality must be kept alive and 'Son of God' appears to suitably qualify all his actions.


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Living in a society, strongly flavored by the Greco-Roman gods, all 'super

human,' the educated early Christians must surely also have been influenced in

thought by their surroundings. Paul himself, one of the great teachers of Christianity, was

a Hellenized Jew, who never saw or met Jesus during his lifetime. Yet many of hisreported sayings show the influence of the times in which he lived. 'The Living Lord' wasvery real to him.

The miraculous nature of Jesus' birth, also could help to give credence to the idea of Jesusidentity as son of God. But it is child-like in its 1 + 1 = 2 type philosophy, i.e., God blewinto the womb of Mary Mary had Jesus, therefore God is Jesus' father and Jesus is Hisson.

What Christians fail to see, and to understand is that in Jesus' birth and conception we seea touching and wonderful revelation of the Kindness of God.

We are told by both Koran and Christian writings that Mary was a young woman of exceptional purity of both mind and body, brought into the world already pledged asGod's servant, blessed by God, while in His service in the synagogue so that she herself could produce small 'miraculous' occurrences by God's will. How natural then, that God,having chosen her to be the vehicle by which His new, Prophet should be born on earth

chooses a means by which none of her blessed purity is touched. She serves her God, but in so doing He in His infinite kindness preserves her precious purity. Surely thisneeds no embellishment no claims to 'Sonship' of God. God's creation yes, but not Son

by Paternity. That is obviously not the intention.

The fact that so much time elapsed before any of the sayings of Jesus or his teachingswere written, also allows for the "Oral tradition', by which they were passed on, to havesubstantially changed the original. And yet through the three synoptic gospels (John

being written last and obviously full of religious dogma) Mathew, Luke and Mark despiteany alteration a picture of Jesus as a quiet, yet magnetic personality a Prophetinspired by God, with a great love of all humanity, sent to sharpen out awareness of God,in all the aspects of life; Jesus tries to open our eyes and our hearts to a greater awarenessof God an unselfish appraisal of ourselves from our thoughts, to our actions, and toenlarge Faith and Trust in God. Only by so doing by the simple Faith and Trust of a childis God's Kingdom to come on Earth this idea is repeated many times in many of hisreported sayings. His closeness to God was evident from the strength that he drew from

prayers, and the power he was given by God, to perform miracles. Yet in all this power and in the performance of God's wonders NEVER does he proclaim himself Son of God.In Jesus sense of the word 'Son" we are all children of God, His sons and daughters, hereon earth, and as such Jesus taught the people to pray to 'Our Father, which art in Heaven'.

Of the actual volume of words he spoke or must have spoken in his teachings only a pitiable few, and not all reliable, have been recorded. Jesus seemed to be primarilyconcerned with the poor, the oppressed, the outcast, the sick and not tolerant of the


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sanctimonious and meaningless religious 'cant' of the so-called "pious. His call was tothe hearts of men, and his theme was humanity and love. Did he mean to establish achurch? I believe he did but not in the sense we see the church today Jesus was

practical as well as spiritual. I believe he wanted to create a society of people whose Faithin God bound them to one another regardless of race or creed, in a family-type caring

relationship under God's guidance. It is not really evident from his teachings that he sawhimself as a great shining light in this process. He tended more to regard himself as a toolin the hands of God.

By raising him up to unbelievable heights, the early Christian followers brought uponthemselves the endless problems of theoretically explaining the crucifixion and fromthis comes the doctrine of the suffering servants, raised from the Jewish ancient texts spoken of in Isaiah, the doctrine of Sacrifice for the sins of man, and the consequentialexclusiveness of Jesus which is very important to the early Christians. A pagan could

be equally faithful to many gods' but in Christianity this could not be ONLY byfaith in Jesus can the Christian hope to gain salvation ONLY by accepting his death

for the sake of man's sin and ONLY by belief in his resurrection (for as son of God,God must lift him up again) can the Christian hope to gain Paradise. Any other path isdeath although this places Jesus absolutely between God and His people a positionhe never occupied in his life on Earth.

Doctrine on doctrine becomes intertwined, and we find in the history of the church,endless meetings, theories and arguments as to the Nature of Jesus he has becomenow, in fact, less a tangible reality, and more an unearthly semi-spiritual being, wrappedin endless doctrine and dogma far indeed from the simple, gentle personality, in whomGod placed so much power, in order that he could bring awareness to His people. Has notthe church then defeated Jesus' own objective simplicity?

We find in the "Trinity" Father Son and Holy Ghost, perhaps the culmination of the efforts of people struggling for a 'Supremacy' in religious expression and achieving anenigma, few Christians can adequately explain today,

God's spirit is as real in the days of Moses and Abraham as it is in the time of ProphetMuhammad (PBUH). It does not need to be held in the confines of a "man-made"triangle. Nor did Jesus associate himself with any theory of this kind.

It is sad, that in the coming of Islam, Christians felt they saw the coming of the 'fake prophet' or Anti-Christ told of in the Book of Revelation to John (New Tes). It is evensadder that the noble who organized the 2nd Crusade against the Muslims was offered acopy of a translated Koran to read and cast it aside. It is sad because it reflects anattitude to Islam seen even until today kept alive in the history of the Crusades, andfounded on a total ignorance. It is for Muslims, now to assert their faith and for Christiansto at least be willing to be made aware of the meaning of Islam. I am sure that to manyIslam and its teachings will be as a mountain stream in the desert, to the parched souls of many searching for truth.


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Wassalam.

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, theCompassionate

Christ in Islamby Ahmed Deedat

Chapter One : Christian Muslim Responses

Debate on TV

At the end of the debate - "Christianity and Islam" - which appeared on the SABC-TV program "Cross Questions" on Sunday 5th June 1983, the Chairman, Mr. Bill Chalmerscommented: "I think it can be said from this discussion that there is, at present, somewhatmore accommodation on the Islamic side for the founder of Christianity than there is onthe Christian side for the founder of Islam. What the significance of that is, we leave it toyou, the viewer, to determine, but I do think you will agree that it is a good thing that weare talking together."

"Bill" as he is popularly addressed, without any formalities, on all his programs, by all his panelists, is extremely charming and stupendous in his humility. He is a picture of whatthe Holy Quran portrays of a good Christian:

"...And nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say: 'We areChristians': because among these are men devoted to learning and men who haverenounced the world. And they are not arrogant." (The Holy Quran 5:82)


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Jesus - His Status

Were the Muslims on the panel trying to placate the viewers out policy, deceit or diplomacy? Nothing of the kind! They were only articulating what God Almighty hadcommanded them to say in the Holy Quran. As Muslims, they had no choice. They had

said in so many words: "We Muslims believe, that Jesus was one of the mightiestmessengers of God that he was the Christ, that he was born miraculously without anymale intervention (which many modern-day Christians do not believe today), that he gavelife to the dead by God's permission and that he healed those born blind and the lepers bygod's permission. In fact, no Muslim is a Muslim if he or she does not believe in Jesus!"

Pleasant Surprise

Over 90% of the people who witnessed this debate must have been pleasantly, butskeptically, surprised. They might have not believed their ears. They must have surmisedthat the Muslims were playing to the gallery - that they were trying to curry favor with

their fellow Christian countrymen; that if the Muslims would say a few good words aboutJesus, then in reciprocation the Christians might say a few good words about Muhammed(may the peace and the blessings of God be upon all His righteous servants, Moses, Jesus,Muhammed...etc.); that I scratch your back and you scratch my back - which would be asham or hypocrisy.

Hate Cultivated

We cannot blame the Christians for their skepticism. They have been so learned for centuries. They were trained to think the worst of the man Muhammed, salla Allah ualihi wa sallam , and his religion. How aptly did Thomas Carlyle say about his Christian

brethren over a hundred and fifty years ago: "The lies which well-meaning zeal hasheaped round this man (Muhammed) are disgraceful to ourselves only." We Muslims are

partly responsible for this. We have not done anything substantial to remove thecobwebs.

Ocean of Christianity

South Africa is an ocean of Christianity. If Libya boasts the highest percentage of Muslims on the continent of Africa, then the Republic of South Africa would also beentitled to boast the highest percentage of Christians. In this ocean of Christianity theR.S.A. - the Muslims are barely 2% of the total population. We are a voteless minority -numerically, we count for nothing; politically, we count for nothing; and economically,one white man, as Oppenheimer, could buy out the whole lot of us, lock, stock and barrel.

So if we had feigned to appease, we might be excused. But no! We must proclaim our Master's Will; we must declare the Truth, whether we liked it or not. In the words of Jesus: "Seek ye the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32).


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Chapter Two : Jesus in the Quran

Christians Unaware

The Christian does not know that the true spirit of charity which the Muslim displays,always, towards Jesus and his mother Mary spring from the fountainhead of his faith - theHoly Quran. He does not know that the Muslim does not take the holy name of Jesus, inhis own language, without saying Eesa, alaihi assalam ("Jesus, peace be upon him")

The Christian does not know that in the Holy Quran Jesus is mentioned twenty five times.For example:

"We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit"(The Holy Quran 2:87)

"O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be ChristJesus, the son of Mary..." (3:45)

"...Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of god..." (4:171)

"...And in their foot steps we sent Jesus the son of Mary..." (5:46)

"And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks of the righteous." (6:85)

Jesus - His Titles

Though Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty-five places in the Holy Quran, he is alsoaddressed with respect as: Ibn Maryam , meaning "The son of Mary"; and as the Maseeh(in Hebrew it is the Messiah ), which is translated as "Christ". He is also known as

Abdullah , "The servant of Allah"; and as Rasul u Allah , the messenger of Allah.

He is spoken of as "The Word of God", as "The Spirit of God", as a "Sign of God", andnumerous other epithets of honor spread over fifteen different chapters. The Holy Quranhonors this mighty messenger of God, and the Muslims have not fallen short over the past

fourteen hundred years in doing the same. There is not a single disparaging remark in theentire Quran to which even the most jaundiced among the Christians can take exception.

Eesa Latinised to "Jesus"

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


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latinised as Jesus. Neither the "J" nor the second "s" in the name Jesus is to be found inthe original tongue - they are not found in the Semitic languages.

The word is very simply "E S A U" a very common Jewish name, used more than sixtytimes 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 (Acts 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. Amongthe Jews, because it came to be a name of ill - repute, the name of one who blasphemedin Jewry; and among the Christians because it came to be the proper name of their God.The Muslim will not hesitate to name his son Eesa because it is an honored name, thename of a righteous servant of the Lord.

Chapter Three : Mother And Son

Mary Honored

The birth of Jesus Christ is described in two places of the Quran - chapter 3 and chapter 19. Reading from the beginning of his birth, we come across the story of Mary, and theesteemed position which she occupies in the House of Islam, before the actualannunciation of the birth of Jesus is given:

"'Behold'! the angels said: 'O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee, and chosenthee above the women of all nations" (3:42)

"Chosen thee above the women of all nations." Such an honor is not to be found given toMary even in the Christian Bible! The verse continues:

"O Mary! Worship thy Lord devoutly: prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) withthose who bow down." (3:43)

Divine Revelation

What is the source of this beautiful and sublime recitation which, in its original Arabic,moves men to ecstasy and tears? verse 44 below explains:


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"This is part of the tidings, of the things unseen, which We reveal unto thee (OMuhammad!) by inspiration: Thou wast not with them when they cast lots with arrows,as to which of them should be charged with the care of Mary: nor wast thou with themwhen they disputed (the point)." (3:44)

Mary's BirthThe story is that the maternal grandmother of Jesus, Hannah, had hitherto been barren.She poured out her heart to God: If only God will grant her a child, she would surelydedicate such a child for the service of God in the temple.

God granted her prayer and Mary was born. Hannah was disappointed. She was yearningfor a son, but instead she delivered a daughter; and in no way is the female like the male,for what she had in mind. What was she to do? She had made a vow to God. She waitedfor Mary to be big enough to fend for herself.

When the time came, Hannah took her darling daughter to the temple, to hand over for temple services. Every priest wanted to be the god-father of this child. They cast lots witharrows for her - like the tossing of the coin - head or tail?eventually she fell to the lot of Zakariya, but not without a dispute.

The Source of His Message

This was the story. But where did Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam , get thisknowledge from? He was an Ummi , Arabic for "unlettered". He did not low how to reador write. He is made by God Almighty to answer this very question in the verse above, bysaying that it was all by divine inspiration . "No!", says the controversialist. "This is

Muhammed's own concoction. He copied his revelations from the Jews and Christians.He plagiarized it. He forged it."

Knowing full-well, and believing as we do, that the whole Quran is the veritable Word of God, we will nevertheless agree, for the sake of argument, with the enemies of Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam , for a moment, that he wrote it. We can nowexpect some cooperation from the unbelievers.

Ask him: "Have you any qualms in agreeing that Muhammed was an Arab?" Only anignorant will hesitate to agree. In that case there is no sense in pursuing any discussion.Cut short the talk. Close the book!

With the man of reason, we proceed. "That this Arab, in the first instance, was addressingother Arabs. He was not talking to Indian Muslims, Chinese Muslims, or NigerianMuslims. He was addressing his own people, the Arabs. Whether they agreed with him or not, he told them in the most sublime form, words that were seared into the hearts andminds of his listeners that Mary the mother of Jesus, a Jewess , was chosen above thewomen of all nations. Not his own mother, nor his wife nor his daughter, nor any other


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Arab woman, but a Jewess! Can one explain this? Because to everyone his own mother or wife, or daughters would come before other women.

Why would the prophet of Islam honor a woman from his opposition! and a Jewess atthat! belonging to a race which had been looking down upon his people for three

thousand years? Just as they still look down upon their Arab brethren today."

Sarah and Hagar

The Jews learn, from the Bible, that their father, Abraham, had two wives Sarah andHagar. They say that they are the children of Abraham through Sarah his legitimate wife;that their Arab brethren have descended through Hagar, a "bondwoman", and that assuch, the Arabs are an inferior breed.

Will anyone please explain the anomaly as to why Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam , if he is the author, chose this Jewess for such high honor? The answer is simple,

he had no choice he had no right to speak of his own desire. "It is no less than aninspiration sent down to him." (53:4)

The Chapter of Maryam

There is a Chapter in the Holy Quran, named Surat u Maryam "Chapter Mary", named inhonor of Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him;again, such an honor is not to be found given to Mary in the Christian Bible. Out of the66 books of the Protestants and 73 of the Roman Catholics, not one is named after Maryor her son. You will find books named after Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul andtwo score more obscure names, but not a single one is that of Mary!

If Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam , was the author of the Holy Quran, then hewould not have failed to include in it with Mary, the mother of Jesus, his own mother Aamina, his dear wife Khadija, or his beloved daughter Fatima. But No! No! This cannever be. The Quran is not his handiwork!.

Chapter Four : The Good News

" 'Behold!' the angels said: 'O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him:his name will be Jesus, the son of Mary; held in honor in this world and the hereafter; and(of the company of) those nearest to Allah." (3:45)


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"Nearest to God," not physically nor geographically, but spiritually. Compare this with"And (Jesus) sat on the right hand of God." (Mark 16:19). The bulk of Christendom hasmisunderstood this verse as well as many others in the Bible. They imagine the Father (God) sitting on a throne, a glorified chair, and His Son, Jesus, sitting on His right handside. Can you conjure up the picture? If you do, you have strayed from the true

knowledge of God. He is no old Father Christmas. He is beyond the imagination of themind of man. He exists. He is real, but He is not like anything we can think of, or imagine.

In eastern languages "right hand" meant a place of honor, which the Holy Quran morefittingly describes as "In the company of those nearest to Allah." The above verseconfirms that Jesus is the Christ. and that he is the Word which God bestowed uponMary. Again, the Christian reads into these words, a meaning which they do not carry.They equate the word "Christ" with the idea of a god-incarnate; and the "Word" of Godto be God.

"Christ" Not a NameThe word "Christ" is derived from the Hebrew word Messiah , Arabic Maseeh . Root wordmasaha , meaning "to rub", "to massage", "to anoint". Priests and kings were anointedwhen being consecrated to their offices. But in its translated Grecian form, "Christ"seems unique: befitting Jesus only.

Christians like to translate names into their own language; like Cephas to "Peter" ,Messiah to "Christ". How do they do that? Very easily. Messiah in Hebrew means"Anointed". The Greek word for anointed is Christos . Just lop off the 'os' from Christ os ,and you are left with "Christ"; a unique name!

Christos means "Anointed", and anointed means appointed in its religious connotation.Jesus, peace and blessing be upon him, was appointed (anointed) at his baptism by Johnthe Baptist, as God's Messenger. Every prophet of God is so anointed or appointed. TheHoly Bible is replete with the "anointed" ones. In the original Hebrew, he was made aMessiah . Let us keep to the English translation "anointed."

Not only were prophets and priests and kings anointed ( Christos -ed), but horns, andcherubs and lamp-posts also.

"I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar ..." (Genesis 31:13)

"If the priest that is anointed do sin ..." (Leviticus 4:3)

"And Moses... anointed the tabernacle and all things that was therein..." (Leviticus 8:100)

"..the Lord shall...exalt the horn of his anointed " (I Samuel 2:10)

"Thus saith the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus..." (Isaiah 45:1)


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"Thou art the anointed cherub..." (Ezekiel 28:14)

There are an hundred more such references in the Holy Bible. Every time you comeacross the word "anointed" in your Bible, you can take it that that word would be christosin the Greek translations, and if you take the same liberty with the word that the

Christians have done, you will have Christ Cherub, Christ Cyrus, Christ Priest and ChristPillar, ...etc.

Some Titles Exclusive

Although, every prophet of God is an anointed one of God, a Messiah, the title Maseeh or Messiah , or its translation "Christ" is exclusively reserved for Jesus, the son of Mary, in

both Islam and in Christianity. This is not unusual in religion. There are certain other honorific titles which may be applied to more than one prophet, yet being made exclusiveto one by usage: like "Rasulullah" , meaning "Messenger of God", which title is applied to

both Moses (19:51) and Jesus (61:6) in the Holy Quran. Yet "Rasullullah" has become

synonymous only with Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, among Muslims.

Every prophet is indeed a "Friend of God", but its Arabic equivalent "Khalillullah" isexclusively associated with Father Abraham. This does not mean that the others are notGod's friends. "Kaleemullah" , meaning "One who spoke with Allah" is never used for anyone other than Moses, yet we believe that God spoke with many of His messengers,including Jesus and Muhammed, may the peace and blessings of God be upon all Hisservants. Associating certain titles with certain personages only, does not make themexclusive or unique in any way. We honor all in varying terms.

Whilst the good news was being announced (verse 45 above) Mary was told that her

unborn child will be called Jesus, that he would be the Christ, a "Word" from God, andthat...

"He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of thecompany) of the righteous." (3:46)

"At length she brought the (babe) to her people carrying him. They said: 'O Mary! truly astrange thing has thou brought!'. 'O sister of Aaron!, thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!' " (The Holy Quran 19:27-28)

Jews Amazed

There is no Joseph the carpenter here. The circumstances being peculiar, Mary themother of Jesus had retired herself to some remote place in the East (19:16). After the

birth of the child she returns.

A. Yusuf Ali, comments in his popular English translation of the Quran:


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"The amazement of the people knew no bounds. In any case they were prepared to think the worst of her, as she had disappeared from her kin for some time. But now she comes,shamelessly parading a babe in her arms! How she had disgraced house of Aaron, thefountain of priesthood!

"Sister of Aaron": Mary is reminded of her high lineage and the unexceptionable moralsof her father and mother. How, they said, she had fallen, and disgraced the name of her progenitors!

What could Mary do? How could she explain? Would they, in their censorious moodaccept her explanation? All she could do was to point to the child, who, she knew, was noordinary child. And the child came to her rescue. By a miracle he spoke, defended hismother, and preached to an unbelieving audience."

Allah azza wa jall says in the Quran:

"But she pointed to the babe. They said: 'How can we talk one who is a child in thecradle?' He (Jesus) said: 'I am indeed a servant of Allah (God) : He hath given merevelation and made me a prophet: 'and He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, andhath enjoined on me prayer and charity as long as I live. '(He hath made me) kind to mymother, and not overbearing or unblest; 'So Peace is on me the day I was born, the daythat I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life again)'!" (19:29-33)

His First Miracle(s)

Thus Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, defended his mother from the gravecalumny and innuendoes of her enemies. This is the very first miracle attributed to Jesus

in the Holy Quran that, he spoke as an infant from his mother's arms. Contrast this withhis first miracle in the Christian Bible which occurred when he was over thirty years of age:

"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus wasthere: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when theywanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine. Jesus saith unto her,'Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.' His mother saith untothe servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six water potsof stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkinsapiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to

the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, andknew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth setforth good wine; and when men have well drunk , then that which is worse: but thou hastkept the good wine until now." (John 2:110)


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Since this miracle, wine has flowed like water in Christendom. Many reason that whatwas good for the Master is good enough for them. Jesus was no "kill-joy" they say. Didn'the make good potent wine, that even those "well drunk", those whose senses had beendulled could make out the difference ? "That the best was kept for the last.". This was no

pure grape juice. It was the same wine that, according to the Christian Bible, enabled the

daughters of Lot to seduce their father (Genesis 19:32-33).It was the same wine which theChristian is advised to eschew in Ephesians 5:18 - "And be not drunk with wine..."

It is that innocent (?) 1% potency that eventually leads millions down into the gutter.America has 10 million drunkards in the midst of 70 million "born-again" Christians!The Americans call their drunkards "Problem Drinkers". In South Africa, they are called"Alcoholics"; drunkard is too strong a word for people to stomach.

But the Prime Minister of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, does not hesitate to call a spadea spade. He says, "I am not prepared to lead nation of drunkards", referring to his own

people who drink intoxicants.

Whether the water "blushed" or not "seeing" Jesus, we cannot blame him or his disciplesfor the drinking habits of his contemporaries. For he had truly opined, "have yet manythings to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12). Mankind had notreached the stage of receiving the whole Truth of Islam. Did he not also say "You cannot

put new wine into old bottles"? (Matthew 9:17).

"Mother" or "Woman"?

According to St. John, in the fourth verse above, describing the marriage feast at Cana,we are told that Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, behaved insolently towards his

mother. He calls her "woman," and to rub more salt into the wound he is made to say"what have I to do with thee?" What connection is there between you and me, or whathave I got to do with you? Could he have forgotten that this very "woman" had carriedhim for nine months, and perhaps suckled him for 2 years, and had borne endless insultsand injuries on account of him? Is she not his mother? Is there no word in his languagefor "mother"?

Strange as it may seem, that while the missionaries boast about their master's humility,meekness and long-suffering, they call him the "Prince of Peace" and they sing that "hewas led to the slaughter like a lamb, and like a sheep who before his shearer is dumb, heopened not his mouth", yet they proudly record in the same breath, that he was ever ready

with invectives for the elders of his race, and was always itching for a showdown i.e. if their records are true:

"Ye hypocrites!"

"Ye wicked and adulterous generation!"

"Ye whited sephulcres!"


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"Ye generation of vipers!"

and now to his mother: "Woman..."

Jesus Defended

Muhammed, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam , the Messenger of God, is made to absolveJesus from the false charges and calumnies of his enemies.

"And He (God Almighty) hath made me (Jesus) kind to my mother, and not overbearingor unblest" (19:31).

On receiving the good news of the birth of a righteous son Mary responds:

"She said: 'O My Lord! how shall I have a son, when no man hath touched me?"

The angel says in reply:

"He said: 'Even so: Allah (God) createth what He willeth: when He hath decreed a matter He but sayth o it 'Be,' and it is! And Allah (God) will teach him the Book and Wisdom,the Torah (Law) and the Gospel," (3:47-48).

Chapter Five : Quranic and Biblical Versions

Meeting the Reverend

I was visiting the "Bible House" in Johannesburg. Whilst browsing through the stacks of Bibles and religious books, I picked up an Indonesian Bible and had just taken in hand aGreek - English New Testament, a large, expensive volume. I had not realized that I was

being observed by the supervisor of the Bible House. Casually, he walked up to me.Perhaps my beard and my Muslim headgear were an attraction and a challenge? Heinquired about my interest in that costly volume. I explained that as a student of

comparative religion, I had need for such a book. He invited me to have tea with him inhis office. It was very kind of him and I accepted.

Over the cup of tea, I explained to him the Muslim belief in Jesus, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. I explained to him the high position that Jesus occupied in the Houseof Islam. He seemed skeptical about what I said. I was amazed at his seeming ignorance,

because only retired Reverend gentlemen can become Supervisors of Bible Houses inSouth Africa. I began reciting from verse 42 of chapters 3 of the Holy Quran:


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"'Behold!' The angels said: 'O Mary, Allah hath chosen thee...'"

I wanted the Reverend to listen, not only to the meaning of the Quran, but also to themusic of its cadences when the original Arabic was recited. Rev. Dunkers (for that washis name) sat back and listened with rapt attention to "Allah's Words".

When I reached the end of verse 49, the Reverend commented that the Quranic messagewas like that of his own Bible. He said, he saw no difference between what he behaved asa Christian, and what I had read to him. I said: "that was true". If he had come acrossthese verses in the English language alone without their Arabic equivalent, side by side,he would not have been able to guess in a hundred years that he was reading the HolyQuran. If he were a Protestant, he would have thought that he was reading the RomanCatholic Version, if he had not seen one, or the Jehovah's Witness Version or the Greek Orthodox Version, or the hundred and one other versions that he might not have seen; buthe would never have guessed that he was reading the Quranic version.

The Christian would be reading here, in the Quran, everything he wanted to hear aboutJesus, but in a most noble, elevated and sublime language. He could not help beingmoved by it.

In these eight terse verses from 42 to 49 we are told:(a) That Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a virtuous woman, and honored above thewomen of all nations.(b) That all that was being said was God's own Revelation to mankind.(c) That Jesus was the "Word" of God.(d) That he was the Christ that the Jews were waiting for.(e) That God will empower this Jesus to perform miracles even in infancy.

(f) That Jesus was born miraculously, without any male intervention.(g) That God will vouchsafe him Revelation.(h) That he will give life to the dead by God's permission, and that he will healthose born blind and the lepers by God's permission, ... etc.

"Chalk and Cheese"

The most fervent Christian cannot take exception to a single statement or word here. Butthe difference between the Biblical and the Quranic narratives is that between "chalk andcheese". "To me they are identical, what is the difference?" the Reverend asked. I knowthat in their essentials both the stories agree in their details, but when we scrutinize them

closely we will discover that the difference between them is staggering.

Now compare the miraculous conception as announced in verse 47 of the Holy Quranwith what the Holy Bible says:

"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this wise: When as his mother Mary was espousedto Joseph, before they came together , (as husband and wife) she was found with child of the holy ghost. "(Matthew 1:18)


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Master Dramatizer

The eminent Billy Graham from the United States of America dramatized this verse infront of 40,000 people in King Park, Durban, with his index finger sticking out andswinging his outstretched arm from right to left, he said: "And the Holy Ghost came and

impregnated Mary!" On the other hand St. Luke tells us the very same thing but lesscrudely. He says, that when the annunciation was made, Mary was perturbed. Her naturalreaction was :

"How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34) meaning sexually.

The Quranic narrative is:

"She said: O my Lord! how shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" (3:47)meaning sexually.

In essence there is no difference between these two statements "seeing I know not a man"and "when no man hath touched me". Both the quotations have an identical meaning. It issimply a choice of different words meaning the same thing. But the respective replies toMary's plea in the two Books (the Quran and the Bible) are revealing.

The Biblical Version

Says the Bible:

"And the angle answered and said into her : 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee , andthe power of the Highest shall overshadow thee " (Luke 1:35)

Can't you see that you are giving the atheist, the skeptic, the agnostic a stick to beat youwith? They may well ask "How did the Holy Ghost come upon Mary?" "How did theHighest overshadow her?" We know that literally it does not mean that: that it was animmaculate conception, but the language used here, is distasteful. Now contrast this withthe language of the Quran:

The Quranic Version

"He said (the angel says in reply): 'Even so: Allah (God) createth what He willeth: whenHe hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is!' " (3:47)

This is the Muslim concept of the birth of Jesus. For God to create a Jesus, without ahuman father, He merely has to will it. If He wants to create a million Jesus' withoutfathers or mothers, He merely wills them into existence. He does not have to take seedsand transfer them, like men or animals by contact or artificial insemination . He willseverything into being by His word of command "Be" and "It is".


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There is nothing new in what I am telling you, I reminded the Reverend. It is in the veryfirst Book of your Holy Bible, Genesis 1:3 "And God said..." What did He say? He said"Be" and "It was". He did not have to articulate the words. This is our way of understanding the word "Be", that He willed everything into being.

Choice for His Daughter "Between these two versions of the birth of Jesus, the Quranic version and the Biblicalversion, which would you prefer to give your daughter ?" I asked the supervisor of theBible House. He bowed his head down in humility and admitted "The Quranic Version."

How can "a forgery" or "an imitation", as it is alleged of the Quran, be better than thegenuine, the original, as it is claimed for the Bible? It can never be, unless this Revelationto Muhammed is what it, itself, claims to be viz. The pure and holy Word of God! Thereare a hundred different tests that the unprejudiced seeker after truth can apply to the HolyQuran and it will qualify with flying colors to being a Message from on High.

Like Adam

Does the miraculous birth of Jesus make him a God or a "begotten" son of God? No! saysthe Holy Quran:

"The similitude of Jesus before Allah (God) is that of Adam; He created him from dustthen said to him: 'Be', and he was." (3:59)

Yusuf Ali, comments in his notes in the Quran translation:

"After a description of the high position which Jesus occupies as a prophet in the preceding verses we have a repudiation of the dogma that he was God, or the son of God,or any thing more than man. If it is said that he was born without a human father, Adamwas also so born. Indeed Adam was born without either a human father or mother. As far as our physical bodies are concerned they are mere dust.

In God's sight Jesus was as dust just as Adam was or humanity is. The greatness of Jesusarose from the divine command 'Be': for after that he was more than dust a great spiritualleader and teacher"

The logic of it is that, if being born without a male parent entitles Jesus to being equated

with God, then, Adam would have a greater right to such honor, and this no Christianwould readily concede. Thus, the Muslim is made to repudiate the Christian blasphemy.

Further, if the Christian splits hairs by arguing that Adam was "created" from the dust of the ground, whereas Jesus was immaculately "begotten" in the womb of Mary, then let usremind him that, even according to his own false standards, there is yet another persongreater than Jesus, in his own Bible . Who is this superman?


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Paul's Innovation

"For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God... Without father,without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life..."(Hebrews 7:1,3)

Here is a candidate for Divinity itself, for only God Almighty could possess thesequalities. Adam had a beginning (in the garden), Jesus had a beginning (in the stable);Adam had an end and, claim the Christians, so had Jesus "and he gave up the ghost". Butwhere is Melchisedec? Perhaps he is hibernating somewhere like Rip Van Winkel (a fairytale character who slept for many ages.)

And what is this "Hebrews"? It is the name of one of the Books of the Holy Bible,authored by the gallant St. Paul, the self appointed thirteenth apostle of Christ. Jesus hadtwelve apostles, but one of them (Judas) had the Devil in him. So the vacancy had to befilled, because of the "twelve" thrones in heaven which had to be occupied by his

disciples to judge the children of Israel (Luke 22:30).

Saul was a renegade Jew, and the Christians changed his name to "Paul", probably because "Saul" sounds Jewish. This St. Paul made such a fine mess of the teachings of Jesus, peace blessings be upon him, that he earned for himself the second most coveted

position of "The Most Influential Men of History" in the monumental work of Michael H.Hart: The 100 or The Top Hundred or the Greatest Hundred in History . Paul outclasseseven Jesus because, according to Michael Hart, Paul was the real founder of present dayChristianity. The honor of creating Christianity had to be shared between Paul and Jesus,and Paul won because he wrote more Books of the Bible than any other single author,whereas Jesus did not write a single word.

Paul needed no inspiration to write his hyperboles here and in the rest of his Epistles. Didnot Hitler's Minister of Propaganda Goebbels say: "The bigger the lie the more likely it isto be believed'? But the amazing thing about this exaggeration is that no Christian seemsto have read it. Every learned man to whom I have shown this verse to, seemed to beseeing it for the first time. They appear dumbfounded, as described by the fitting wordsof Jesus:

"...seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." (Matthew13:13)

The Holy Quran also contains a verse which fittingly describes this well cultivatedsickness:

"Deaf, dumb and blind, will they not return (to the path)." (2:18)

The Sons of God


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The Muslim takes strong exception to the Christian dogma that "Jesus is the only begotten son, begotten not made". This is what the Christian is made to repeat fromchildhood in his catechism. I have asked learned Christians, again and again as to whatthey are really trying to emphasize, when they say: "Begotten not made".

They know that according to their own God given (?) records, God has sons by the tons:

"...Adam, which was the son of God ."(Luke 3:38)

"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair... And when the sonsof God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them..." (Genesis 6:2,4)

"...Israel is My son , even My firstborn:" (Exodus 4:22)

"...for I (God) am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn." (Jeremiah 31:9)

"...the Lord hath said unto me (David): 'Thou art My son : this day have I begotten thee."(Psalms 2:7)

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God ." (Romans 18:14)

Can't you see that in the language of the Jew, every righteous person, every Tom, Dick and Harry who followed the Will and Plan of God, was a "Son of God". It was ametaphorical descriptive term commonly used among the Jews. The Christian agrees withthis reasoning, but goes on to say: "but Jesus was not like that". Adam was made by God.Every living thing was made by God, He is the Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer of all.

Metaphorically speaking therefore God is the Father of all. But Jesus was the "begotten"son of God, not a created son of God ?

Begotten Means "Sired"!

In my forty years of practical experience in talking to learned Christians, not a single onehas opened his mouth to hazard an explanation of the phrase "begotte

The Truth About Jesus Alaihe salaam

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