بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
Praise
be to God the Creator of the world, the One Who exists without
beginning, without end, without location, without a "how" and Who does
not depend on time. Nothing resembles Him in anyway and He hears and
sees everything without organs. Whatever you imagine, God is different
from that. May the elevation in degree and preservation of his community
of what he fears for it, be granted to our master Muhammad Al-‘Amin,
the Honest One, who called for following Islam, the religion of truth,
the religion of all the Prophets: of the First, Adam, to the last
Muhammad.
Prophet
Jesus (`Isa) is cited in the Qur’ân many times. Jesus is the son of
Mary, who is the daughter of `Imrân, from the Children of Israel. The
name of Mary’s mother was Hannah (Anne), or Hamnah.
Lady Mary mother of Jesus Is Born
Once,
Hannah saw a bird feeding its children. She longed for a baby herself.
She asked God to give her a child. God fulfilled her request. When
Hannah felt the pregnancy she said: « O Lord, I vow that whoever is in
my womb be dedicated as a servant in the Holy House, worshipping You. »
Hannah had thought the child would be a boy. When she delivered, she saw
the baby was a girl. Hannah named the baby Mary (Maryam) and asked God
to protect her and her children from the devil.
Mary
grew up in a pious manner. As mentioned previously, Zacharias was her
custodian. From him, Mary learned the rules of Islam. Mary endeavored in
performing obedience, until she became the best woman in the world.
Before attaining the age of fourteen (14), she was already a highly
pious woman.
Ibn
Jarir and others narrated that one day, Mary ran out of water. She
asked her cousin, Joseph, the son of Ya`qûb (Jacob), the son of Mathan,
to go with her to fetch water. He was known as Joseph, the carpenter. He
said: « I have what is sufficient for me for tomorrow. » Hence, Mary
went by herself to fetch some water. [Mary liked Joseph because he was a
God-fearing believer, like herself. However, she was neither married to
him nor did she take him as a "boy friend" according to the
understanding nowadays]
At
the water, Mary found a man. She feared him, and she sought refuge with
God. This good-looking man was really Angel Gabriel. He told Mary: « I
am one of God’s angels. God sent me to give you a good child. »
Lady Mary is Pregnant with a Blessed, Fatherless Child
Mary
said: « How would I bear a child? I have not been touched by a man, and
I have never been a prostitute. » Gabriel said: « This was ordained by
God,and it is an easy matter to God. This child will be a sign to the
people and a mercy from God to them. This is a matter that has been
preordained. »
When
he said that, Mary submitted to God’s ordainment. Gabriel blew in the
collar of Mary’s dress. When Gabriel blew, the soul of Jesus went into
Mary’s mouth and into her womb. Gabriel left Mary pregnant, carrying
Prophet Jesus. Mary filled her container and went back home.
Mary’s
cousin, Joseph the Carpenter, was among the most worshipful people (of
course, this is a different "Joseph" from Prophet Joseph who had died
hundreds of years before).
As
days passed, Joseph saw the signs of pregnancy on Mary. Certainly he
saw this as a very serious matter. Joseph did not know how to explicate
her situation. When he thought to accuse her of fornication, he would
remember how pious Mary was. Yet, when Joseph wanted to declare that she
was innocent of this sin, he would see the signs of pregnancy on her.
Joseph decided to talk to Mary openly.
Joseph
said: "Thoughts come to me about you. I have been fighting and
rejecting them. However, I have reached the point that I am overwhelmed
by these thoughts. This is why I wanted to talk to you."
Mary
said: "Ask - but in a kind way that does not harm me." Joseph told her:
"Tell me, will plants grow without seeds?" Mary said: "Yes." Then
Joseph asked: "Will trees grow without rain?" Mary said: "Yes." Then
Joseph asked her: "Will there be a child without a male?"
Mary
said: "Yes. Do you not know that God made the plants emerge without
seeds the day He created them the first time? Do you not know that God
created the trees for the first time without rain? Do you not know that
God created both Adam and Eve without a male or a female?" Joseph said:
"Yes."
When
Mary told him these things, Joseph felt in his heart that this
pregnancy was something unusual given to Mary from God. He felt sure of
her innocence from sin.
It
is narrated that both Prophet Zacharias and Joseph were falsely accused
of making Mary pregnant. It is also narrated that Zacharias’ wife
Elizabeth and her sister Mary had their pregnancies at the same time,
with the former delivering John six months before the latter delivered
Jesus.
Prophet Jesus Is Born
The
length of Mary’s pregnancy is a case of difference in opinion. Some
said it was nine months long ; others said it was eight. Other lengths
were also narrated.
When
Mary felt the pains of delivery, she went east of Jerusalem. She
started her delivery while being under the branch of a palm tree in
Bethlehem (Bayt Lahm) in Palestine.
Mary
said: "I wish I had died before this", due to her dread of the people’s
reaction. She said: "I wish I had died and not a trace of me would have
been seen."
Angel
Gabriel called her from the lower end of the mountain saying: "Do not
feel sad. God made a small river run underneath you. Shake the palm tree
trunk, and dates will fall down to you."
That
palm did not bear fruit, yet when Mary shook its trunk, it turned green
and dates grew on it. Angel Gabriel said: "Eat, drink, and delight
yourself." Prophet Jesus was born.
As
a special endowment from God, Satan was not present at the birth of
Jesus and did not prick him (many times devils prick humans at birth,
making the baby cry). After forty days, Mary came to her people carrying
her son.
When
the people saw Mary they exclaimed: "O Mary, you have committed an
enormous sin." They told her: "O sister of Harun!" (This meant that Mary
had been known to be like a pious man among them named Harun). They
said: "Your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother a
prostitute. How did you do this?"
Mary
said: "As ordered, I have vowed not to talk to any human today." When
they still wanted to talk to her, she pointed at the baby indicating to
them to talk to him. They were angered.
They said: "How do we talk to one who is still in the cradle?" They thought she was mocking them.
Baby Jesus Speaks to the People
At
that point, God made Jesus speak. Baby Jesus said: "I am the slave of
God. God will reveal a Book to me and make me a prophet. There are
blessings wherever I am. God will order me with prayers and Zakah as
long as I am alive."
The
first thing Prophet Jesus uttered was his declaration that he was the
slave of God. This is a strong proof that Jesus is not God nor is he the
Son of God. [This is so because "a slave" is one who needs and submits
to the orders of someone else. On the other hand, the term "God"
indicates the existence of the One Who is not ordered and is free of
need. As for the term "Son of God", it does not make sense. A "son"
indicates the belief that someone is similar to God, as a son is to his
father. It does not make sense to the sound mind that two things could
both be God, because one of them would submit to the will of the other
in every issue. Hence, that one who submitted would not be God in the
first place]
Mary’s
people wanted to punish her when they first saw the child with her
because they thought she had committed fornication. However, after baby
Jesus spoke, the people refrained from punishing her and left her alone.
After
that astounding event, Jesus did not speak until he reached the age
when children normally speak. Mary took Jesus to Egypt. They stayed
there for a period of time. Then Mary and Jesus went back to the land of
ash-Sham, to a city known as Nazareth (an-Nasirah), in Palestine.
According to one saying of Islamic scholars, Jesus’ followers were
called Nasara, in reference to that city.
As
alluded to previously, it is not reported by trustworthy sources that
Mary married her cousin Joseph. This is the Christians’ story, and it is
not reliable. The reliable report is that Mary never married until her
death.
Some
scholars say that she will be married to a prophet in Paradise. Mary
was the best of all the Muslim women. It is blasphemy to say that she is
the "Mother of God," as some Christians say. Obviously, God does not
have a mother or a father.
Jesus Follows the Torah Before Receiving a New Book
Jesus,
peace be upon him, studied the Torah in school and memorized it. Those
who followed the Torah in those days were Muslims, not Jews. Jesus was
never a Jew, although he was a Semite. A Semite is a person who comes
from Shem (Sam), Noah’s son. Jesus and many millions of others come from
Shem, but are not Jews. The term "Jew" in this text refers to someone
who rejected the Prophethood of Jesus, and refused to follow the new
book God gave him. [Some people define "a Jew" as one from a certain
lineage no matter their belief. That is not the definition used in this
text]
Jesus
followed the Torah until he received the Revelation from God at the age
of thirty (30) years. At that time, God made him a prophet and
messenger. Jesus told the people of his Prophethood. God gave him a new
book, the Injil. The Injil abrogated some of the rules that were in the
Torah. When Prophet Jesus announced that he was a prophet and that he
had received a new book, many of the people following the Torah did not
like this. They wanted to stay with the Torah and refused to give up
following its rules to follow the rules in the Injil. Those who did not
accept the Prophethood of Jesus and the new Holy Book, and instead they
clung to the Torah, are called the Jews.
God
gave Jesus many miracles. At Jesus’ hands, God created the cure of many
with leprosy and other severe diseases. Jesus also made the dead become
alive - by the Will of God - to defeat those who objected to and
opposed him. God gave Jesus these types of miracles, because the people
of Jesus’ time were famous for their medical skill. Thus, they would
appreciate the magnitude of such works, for despite their medical
skills, by God’s Will, they could not replicate what Jesus did.
Jesus
was circumcised and did not eat pork. Christians used to know these
facts. They would admit Jesus was circumcised and did not eat swine.
However, a long time after Prophet Jesus was raised to the second
heaven, some deviant monks came together and changed these two rules to
encourage others to embrace their perverted religion.
Also,
Jesus did not drink wine - although Christians claim he did. They
asserted this lie as an excuse for them to drink. None of the prophets,
including Jesus, drank even a drop of alcohol throughout their entire
lives.
Jesus’
complexion was fair. He wore clothing made out of thick, unspun wool.
Jesus used to eat raw green vegetables, like endive (hindaba’) and
mulukhiyyah, green vegetables from the Sham area.
Jesus
was extremely detached from the world. He did not have a house of his
own. He used to sleep wherever the night fell upon him. If the night
fell when Jesus was in the place of prayer, he would sleep there (during
Jesus’ time, there were specific places dedicated for prayer. Although
they were not called ‘masjids’ as we call them today, these specific
places were present). Jesus did not get married during his first stay on
Earth.
The Story of the Food Spread from the Sky
Prophet
Jesus had ordered al-Hawariyyun (literally, "the Supporters" who were
the best of his people genuinely believing in and following him at that
time) to fast thirty (30) days. Upon the completion of the thirty (30)
days, they were with Jesus in a desert. When Prophet Jesus traveled,
thousands of people would follow him. Some of them were Jesus’
Companions, and others were sick, wanting a cure. Additionally, an evil
group of people followed to mock and belittle Jesus.
The
Hawariyyun asked Prophet Jesus if they could have a spread of food
descend on them from the sky to confirm to them that God accepted their
fast. They wanted to have something special to eat on the day they broke
their fast. They also asked that the spread would be enough for all of
them, both rich and poor alike. Prophet Jesus was fearful for the
Hawariyyun, thinking that they might not thank God properly if He gave
them this endowment. Moreover, they had seen many miracles, so why did
they want more?
When
Prophet Jesus addressed them with his concern, their answer was that
they wanted the blessings that would accompany this spread of food.
After their insistence, Prophet Jesus went to his usual praying spot,
placed a cloth made from unwoven wool, and cried out piously. Then Jesus
made supplication that the Hawariyyun’s request would be answered.
God
accepted Prophet Jesus’ supplication, and a spread of food descended
from the sky between two clouds. One cloud was above it, and one was
below. Around it, there were angels. Slowly it neared the ground, and
during its descent Prophet Jesus continued making supplication to God -
asking Him to make this spread of food a mercy for his people, bringing
peace and blessings, not as an affliction.
The
spread of food landed near Prophet Jesus. It was covered with a cloth.
Prophet Jesus took this cloth away while saying, "In the name of God,
the best Sustainer."
Once
the spread was uncovered, the people could see seven big fish, seven
loaves of bread, vinegar, salt, honey, pomegranates, and other fruits.
This food spread had a wonderful smell, which the people around it had
never smelled before.
The
news of the feast reached the Jews. They came to look at this unusual
and extra-ordinary occurrence, and they felt sad that it had happened.
Prophet
Jesus ordered the Hawariyyun to eat from the spread of food, but they
replied by saying, "We will not eat from it until you have eaten from
it." Prophet Jesus told them, "You are the ones who asked for it. You
eat from it." Still they refused. At that, Prophet Jesus ordered those
who were poor, ill, diseased, handicapped, and blind to eat from it.
Their number was close to 1,300. They all ate from it.
The
blessing that resulted from this great miracle was that all those who
ate from it, whether they were handicapped or had a sickness, were all
cured. Furthermore, the poor among them became rich. As a result, those
who first refused to eat from it regretted their refusal.
The
number of people who wanted to eat from this feast became so huge that
Prophet Jesus made them take turns. Days passed. Each person, from the
very first to the very last, ate until they were full. It was cited that
everyday 7,000 people ate from the food spread.
Forty
days after the food spread had been among them, God revealed to Prophet
Jesus to allow only the poor people, and not the rich, to eat from the
feast. Prophet Jesus warned the people to be honest and for the rich
people to stay away from it, as they had been ordered.
Jesus
also ordered the poor people who ate from it not to store any of its
food. They could not take food away with them and save it for the next
day. However, the people did not obey Prophet Jesus. Many rich people
ate from the food spread, and many took away food wanting to store it.
As
a result, the food spread was lifted. This was a great hardship for
many people. The hypocrites among the followers of Prophet Jesus used
this as an excuse to shed doubt about the truthfulness of Prophet Jesus
and spread it among the people. God revealed to Prophet Jesus, "I will
torture those who blaspheme."
Thirty-three
people who had blasphemed woke up the next day to discover that they
had been transformed into ugly pigs. As pigs, they ate and slept on the
dirt and filth from the trash piles - after they had been eating good
food and sleeping on comfortable beds.
When
the people saw this, they gathered around Prophet Jesus and cried. The
pigs also came, hanging their heads in shame and crying. Prophet Jesus
knew who those pigs were. Jesus said to them, "Are you not so-and-so?"
and each one shook his head up and down, unable to speak.
The
people who blasphemed remained pigs for several days. Then Prophet
Jesus made supplication to God to take their souls out of their bodies.
They disappeared, and it was unknown whether the earth swallowed them or
whether something else happened to them.
The
people talked about this miracle. Consequently, many people embraced
Islam. Likewise, the faith and belief of those who were already Muslim
increased. The account of the food spread is cited in the Holy Qur’an in
Surat Al-Ma’idah, verses 112-115.
Prophet Jesus Is Raised to the Heavens
When
Prophet Jesus was thirty-three years old, the Jews wanted to kill him.
However, God saved him from them. God, the Only Creator, made one of
Jesus’ students look like him, and that student was killed in his place.
Ibn
Abi Hatim and An-Nasa’iyy narrated that Ibn ^Abbas said: "Jesus was
with twelve of his Companions in a house. Prophet Jesus said, ‘Among you
there will be those who commit apostasy after being believers.’ Then
Jesus said, ‘Who among you volunteers to be made to look like me and
killed in my place? He will be my Companion in Paradise.’
The
youngest man among them stood up and said, ‘It is I.’ Prophet Jesus
said (kindly), ‘Sit down.’ Prophet Jesus repeated his question. This
youngest follower stood up again and said, ‘It is I.’ Jesus again said,
‘Sit down.’ Then Jesus repeated this question a third time. That
youngest person said, ‘It is I.’ At that, Prophet Jesus said, ‘You it
is.’
That
volunteering person was made to look like Jesus. When people came to
capture Jesus they thought this student was Jesus. They took that
student and crucified him. Before this crucifixion, Prophet Jesus was
raised from a window in the upper corner of the house. Normally people
used this window to get to the roof. Prophet Jesus was raised through
it." This is from a sahih hadith (a certified saying of Prophet
Muhammad).
The
story which some tell, that a Jewish man was paid a great deal of money
to disclose the place of Prophet Jesus is false. The story says that
then this man guided them to the house, went inside before them, and
when they followed him ; they thought he was Prophet Jesus. It says they
took him. Again this is false. Another incorrect story tells that the
leader of the Jews was the person who was killed. Ibn Abbas’ narration
is the correct one.
Prophet Jesus Is Still Alive and Will Come Back to Earth
Jesus,
peace be upon him, is now alive and present in the second heaven. He
shall descend before the Day of Judgment. His descent will be one of the
great signs of the nearing of the Day of Judgment.
Abu
Dawud and others narrated that Prophet Muhammad said, "Jesus, the son
of Mary, shall descend among you. Know him. He is a man of average
height. His hair is smooth, not curly. He is neither thin nor heavy. He
will remain on Earth for forty years. All religions will be destroyed
except the Religion of Islam." This is a sahih hadith by unanimous
agreement of the scholars of hadith.
After
Prophet Jesus comes down to Earth, there will be a time when no
blasphemous human being will live on the face of the Earth.
As
Jesus comes back to Earth, he will be wearing two yellow garments.
Prophet Muhammad said that Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary, would descend
and rule justly. He shall perform Hajj and travel to Prophet Muhammad’s
grave with the purpose of saluting him. Prophet Muhammad will return
Jesus’ salutation.
When
Prophet Jesus returns, his breath will reach as far as his sight
reaches. If someone at that time still refuses to believe Jesus and be
Muslim, he will die if the breath of Prophet Jesus reaches him. Indeed,
after Jesus returns to Earth, eventually, and for some time, all human
beings will either become Muslim or die.
However,
before that victory and after Prophet Jesus’ return, the people of Gog
and Magog (Ya’juj and Ma’juj) will rampage the Earth, doing many evil
deeds. Instead of fighting them, Prophet Jesus will take the believers
away from them to Mt. Tur (Sinai) where they will make supplication to
God.
Gog
and Magog will be incredibly numerous. Hence, if the breath of Jesus
from one direction killed some, another group may attack believers from
another direction. This is why, instead of killing them with his breath,
Jesus takes all the believers away from Gog and Magog. In this way,
some of Gog and Magog will not kill the Muslims.
After
the Muslims ask God for help, God will send worms to the people of Gog
and Magog that will go inside of them and kill them. After all of them
die, God will send a heavy rain to wash all of their corpses into the
sea. After that, the Muslims will live in peace, comfort, and safety.
There
will be so much peace that the wolf will graze with the sheep and not
kill them. The baby will play with the snake without being harmed by it.
Money will be in great surplus, so much so that no one will take it. At
that time, the Earth will bring up the gold inside of it. People will
want to pay Zakah (an obligatory payment to deserving people) but they
will not find a deserving or poor person to receive it.
The
Earth will be ordered to bring forth fruits that are blessed by God. A
whole group of people will be able to eat from one pomegranate. God will
bless milk so that the milk of one cow will be sufficient for an entire
tribe. The milk of a sheep will be enough for one branch of a tribe.
When
he comes back to Earth, Prophet Jesus will marry and have children. He
is a man with needs ; he never said that marriage is improper for a holy
man.
After
all of this occurs, Prophet Jesus will die as all men do. The Muslims
will perform the funeral prayer for him and bury him.
The
Prophet’s great Companion, ^Abdullah Ibn Salam, said that in the
original Torah given to Prophet Moses, it was written that Prophet Jesus
would come back to Earth and after his death he would be buried next to
Prophet Muhammad (in fact, the Muslims left an empty spot for Prophet
Jesus on one side of Prophet Muhammad’s grave).
From
this, as well as the Qur’an, Sunnah (sayings of Prophet Muhammad), and
consensus of the Islamic scholars, it is known that Prophet Jesus did
not die yet. Indeed, about 2,000 years ago, God raised him from Earth to
the heavens while he was awake.
A
verse of the Qur’an means that God raised Prophet Jesus from this Earth
while he was alive. Eventually, Prophet Jesus will come back to Earth,
live here, and then die. God saved Prophet Jesus from the people who
blasphemed and wished to kill him. This is the interpretation of
^Abdullah Ibn ^Abbas, the great explainer of the Qur’an.
Verse
157 of Surat An-Nisa’ explicitly indicates that Prophet Jesus was
neither crucified nor killed. While knowing the Holy Qur’an says this,
he who rejects this verse becomes a blasphemer. Such a person would need
to correct his belief and say the two Professions of Faith to reenter
Islam. He must declare, "I profess that no one deserves to be worshipped
except God, the Creator, and I profess that Muhammad is the Messenger
of God", or its equivalent.
Jurayj, the Pious Follower of Prophet Jesus
After
Prophet Jesus was raised to the second heaven, his Muslim believers
were following the Injil and teaching Islam. These Muslims were
persecuted frequently. Hence, they left the towns and lived in isolated
areas in the mountains to avoid the harm of the disbelievers.
One
of these followers was named Jurayj. Once, Jurayj was praying an
optional prayer when his mother called him. Although it was permissible
to interrupt such a prayer, Jurayj did not respond to her call. Instead,
he continued with his prayer. His mother was upset and said, "May you
not die until you see the faces of the prostitutes."
Jurayj
was known for his piety. Some evil people wanted to tempt Jurayj to see
him fail in his quest to obey God. They got an idea to send a
prostitute to him. They wanted him to fall into her trap so he would be
discredited.
The
woman got dressed up and went to the secluded, small hut of Jurayj.
When she proposed the sin of fornication to Jurayj, he immediately
rejected her and sought refuge with God. When this "lady of the night"
found that she could not seduce Jurayj, she did the evil sin with a
shepherd whom she had seen.
This
whore got pregnant from that debauched shepherd. When she gave birth,
she continued sinning by claiming that the baby was from Jurayj.
When
the people of the city heard that, they now had their alleged reason to
discredit Jurayj. First, they terrorizingly went to his small hut and
destroyed it. Then they recklessly began to drag him through the
streets. They were proclaiming he was not really pious and instead that
he was really a fraud.
Jurayj
asked to pray two rak^ahs (cycles) of prayer. The people granted him
that. After doing that, Jurayj asked the newborn baby who his father
was. God made the newborn baby speak clearly. The baby said, "The
shepherd is my father."
When
the people heard this, they stopped accusing Jurayj of this act. They
offered to rebuild his house out of gold. Jurayj humbly said, "No, just
rebuild it as the same simple hut that it was."
Teachings of Prophet Jesus Are Unrightfully Changed
Immediately
after his ascension, the followers of Jesus went to various lands
teaching the Injil to the people. However, some evil people started to
change the Holy Book, step by step. Although the Injil was revealed
after the Torah, it became perverted first. The book called the Bible is
not at all the Injil. The Injil was the real Holy Book given to Prophet
Jesus by God. The real Injil is not present on Earth anymore.
About
200 years after Jesus ascended to the heavens, false teachings were
spread about him saying that he was the "son of God" and claiming that
Jesus called God his "Father."
If
the man named "Paul" really existed and actually taught what is in the
present "Bible", then he is one who unrightfully changed the true
teachings of Prophet Jesus. The ruler Constantine also established a
false doctrine about Jesus, and many followed it.
Those
who followed that false doctrine were called Christians, but they did
not really follow Jesus (we do not object to the title "Christ", with
that simply meaning a person anointed with oil. Anointing with olive oil
is recommended for Muslims).
Throughout
the years leading to the Prophethood of Muhammad, some people continued
to have the correct belief about God, i.e., not believing that Jesus is
"the Son of God." Five years before God gave the first Revelation to
Prophet Muhammad, the last person on Earth to have the right belief
about God died.
When
we say "the last person" we mean, of course, other than Prophet
Muhammad and Prophet Al-Khadir. This gives an idea of how corrupt the
people on Earth were when Prophet Muhammad started calling them to
Islam. Prophet Muhammad revived calling the people to Islam - as all the
other prophets, including those mentioned in this book, had called to
Islam. God’s peace and blessings be upon all of them!
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