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JESUS (PBUH) THE MESSIAH

I assume you mean the Qur’anic teachings about the nature and mission of Jesus, upon whom be Allah’s blessings and peace. Since it requires a detailed treatment, I can only list below some salient points:

1) Jesus, according to the Qur’an, is a word from God and His servant and Messenger supported by His miracles. (See for references: Qur’an: 4:171; 2:253)

2) He was created miraculously; his creation is comparable to that of Adam; the latter was created without a father or mother, while Jesus was created without a father. (Qur’an: 3: 59).

3) He never claimed to be anyone other than a message bearer: he preached the same perennial message taught by all prophets and messengers from Adam to Muhammad: “You shall worship no other god but God and you shall renounce all false gods”. This is the message of liberation taught by all of them. Jesus was a perfect example of this self-surrender; and therefore he was a perfect Muslim. (Qur’an: 5:116; 5:46; 42:13; 16:36)

4) He lived to glorify God through his words and deeds; he never taught people to glorify him, rather to glorify God and God alone; he never claimed any power for himself independent of God (Qur’an: 3:49).

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5) Finally, Jesus, peace be upon him, came to restore the true spirit to the Laws that God had revealed to Prophets, peace be upon him, before him; for at the hands of their followers these laws had been reduced to dead letters devoid of any life-giving message.

 

As for the concept of Jesus coming as a savior to redeem the sins of mankind, such a concept is alien to Islam: To clarify this concept, let me cite here from one of my earlier answers:

“Firstly, Islam, unlike Christianity, does not teach a concept of “original sin”. Adam’s sin was his and his alone; and, according to the Qur’an (for the Qur’anic narration of the story of Adam and Eve, see: the Qur’an: 2: 30-39; 7; 19; 17: 61; 18: 5020: 116, etc.), God forgave both Adam and Eve when they turned to God in repentance; accordingly they were once again restored to divine mercy. Hence there is no concept of Adam passing on to his progeny an original sin, and therefore no need for stipulating a redeemer for such sins.

Secondly, as there is no original sin, everyone is born into a state of fitrah, a state of natural innocence; sin is acquired later by our own conscious and willful actions. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “Every child is born into a state of fitrah or natural state of innocence.”

Thirdly, Islam teaches that God is All-Compassionate, and All-Merciful; He is not bound by the rule of a blood sacrifice in order to forgive His servants. To assume that God can forgive only by accepting a blood sacrifice and therefore to state that Jesus or Muhammad died for our sins is not acceptable in Islam. Allah says: “O My servants, who have wronged against their souls! Dot not despair of Allah’s mercy! For Allah forgives all sins; for He is indeed Forgiving, Compassionate. Turn to your Lord repentant, and submit to Him before the torment overtakes you when you shall not be helped.” (Qur’an: 39: 53-54).

Fourthly, Islam teaches that every individual is responsible for his/her own salvation. Neither Abraham, nor Moses nor Jesus nor Muhammad can save us; they are only capable of saving themselves through God’s grace. In the words of the Qur’an: “Whoever commits a sin commits it only against himself. Allah is Knowing, Wise.” (Qur’an: 4: 111); “Allah does not charge a soul with more than it can beaer. It shall be requited for whatever good and whatever it has done.” (Qur’an: 2: 286); “Each soul earns only on its own account, nor does any laden (soul) bear another’s load.” (Qur’an: 6: 164) “He who is rightly guided, it is for himself; and he who goes astray, it is to his own detriment. No soul can bear another’s burden.” (Qu’ran: 17: 15)

Fifthly, everyone, male or female, can directly approach God without any intermediary of a prophet, saint or priest. God is closer to us than our own jugular veins. Allah says in the Qur’an: “We created man, and We know the promptings of his soul, and We are nearer to him than his own jugular vein” (Qur’an: 50: 16). “When My servants ask you about Me, tell them I am nigh, ready to answer the prayer of the suppliant when he/she prays to Me; therefore let them respond to Me and believe in Me, that they may be rightly guided.” (Qur’an: 2: 186).

So the entire concept of someone dying for our sins is inimical to the Islamic world view or understanding of nature of man and God. Islam beckons us all to respond to God’s message and receive His grace and salvation through faith, good works and leading a responsible moral and ethical life.

As for the return of Jesus, Islam also teaches the same; but he will not come as a new prophet; rather to reveal the truth about his true mission as a messenger of God. As for the specifics of such matters we are told not to speculate about them; for such matters belong to the realm of unseen realities that lie beyond the ken of reason and empirical observations. The reality of such matters will be revealed in due time as these prophesies are materialized.

Thursday, Jan. 01, 1970 | 00:00 - 00:00 GMT

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