Answer
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Please find part one of the answer to your question below. Find the second and final part at the link here.
Many misunderstanding or misquote verses from religious books by selecting a statement from a verse, or selecting a whole verse and interpreting it by itself.
To understand a statement or a verse, one needs to read the verses before and the verses after and understand the historical context.
Otherwise the meaning will be out of context. For example, “if my cat is pretty ugly” but I omit the word ugly and tell you: “my cat is pretty …” the result becomes completely opposite of the actual fact.
The Quran and the Gospel sometimes contain very short verses that cannot be interpreted properly unless the verses before and after are also quoted to give us the big picture.
There is a general claim that Jesus (peace be upon him) is God. This inaccurate conclusion is reached by misquoting the Quran and the Christian Gospel where it mentions some of the attributes of Jesus and referencing it to the attributes of Allah.
The first name quoted is Al-Haq, meaning the Truth, which is mentioned in John 14:6 from the King James Version:
[Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me]
I advise the reader to refer to John 14:1-21 for a complete picture about the meaning of this verse.
As a prophet sent from God, Jesus (peace be upon him) is telling us if you need to know God, you must come to me and I will tell you the truth about God; he is the way, meaning the messenger of God who will teach you the truth about all aspects of leading a God pleasing life.
Note that in the entire Christian Gospel, there is no mention that Jesus (peace be upon him) said that he is God, the creator, or the Beneficent, one of the attributes of God that is exclusive to Him.
The well-known Muslim scholar, Salman al-Oadah explains:
There are two words which are used exclusively as names for Allah. No one else may be called by these names under any circumstances, regardless of the context or grammatical usage, and regardless of whether the words are being used as names or descriptions.
They are the name “Allah” itself and the name “al-Rahman” (the Beneficent).
Allah says: {Say: Call upon Allah or call upon the Beneficent, by whatever name you call upon Him, (it is well): for to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.} (Surah Al-Isra’ 17: 110)
This is why no created being is ever called by these two names except that Allah has brought that person to disgrace … The rest of the words which are mentioned as names for Allah might possibly be used to describe others as well, in one way or another; for instance: “Seeing” and “Hearing”. Allah says: {Indeed we created the human being from a mixed drop of fluid to test him, so we have made him hearing, seeing.} (Surah Al-Insan 76: 2)
The same can be said for gentle, merciful, lofty, great, well-acquainted, and the other words which are used as names for Allah. However, there is a great difference in the connotation of these words when used to describe Allah and others – the difference between Creator and creation. The reality and attributes of the human being are in conformity with the nature of a created being.
So, when Jesus (peace be upon him) says that he is the truth that does not mean that he is God, our creator.
The second attribute of Allah that was again taken out of context is Al-Baith, the Resurrector. The Gospel verse that is referenced by this claim was John 11:25-26:
[Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?]
There is a big difference between the word “resurrection” and the word “resurrector”. Jesus (peace be upon him) is clearly explaining to us that the one who believes in his words which are from God, he shall never die; meaning his soul will live in bliss forever when he is resurrected by God, the Resurrector, the only One that can raise the dead from their graves and bring them back to life on the Day of Resurrection.
So, resurrection is the act of resurrecting while resurrector is the one who resurrects people. Obviously only God Himself is worthy of this attribute and none of His creation; not even the most loved prophets to Him.
According to the Free Online Dictionary:
Resurrection – The act of rising from the dead or returning to life.
Resurrector – Noun of the verb resurrect – To bring back to life; raise from the dead. This means the one who brings back to life.
While we know Jesus brought the dead back to life as a miracle, we also know that his was only by permission of Allah. All prophets came with miracle to prove to their people that they were true prophet of God. Allah says in the Quran:
{And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allah . And I cure the blind and the leper, and I give life to the dead – by permission of Allah. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.} (Quran 3:49) [emphasis added]
Jesus performed miracles that he only achieved as a proof to his people of his prophethood and only by the permission of God, not because he is God himself.
Continue reading Part 2 at the link here.
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