Zain Al-Abedeen Al-Rakabi
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Prophet Muhammad Presents His Brother Jesus To Mankind (Peace And Blessings Be Upon Them).
Introduction
Why Is He Loved?
Chapter One
Unity of the Basic Principles of Prophethood
Chapter Two
Prophet Muhammad Presents His Brother Jesus to Mankind
Chapter Three
Prophet Muhammad Presents Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Chapter Four
Prophet Muhammad Presents His Brother Moses
Chapter Five
Pioneer of the Greatest Awakening in Human History
(1) Beauty and Love in the Prophet’s Words and Actions
(2) Wishing for the Good and Happiness for All Humanity
(3) Pioneer of the Greatest Awakening in Human
History
Chapter Six
Muhammad: His Position with God and Status Among Muslims
If the largest and most successful
American and European public relations companies convened, cooperating
closely, dedicating themselves and utilizing all their human, technical,
and material resources to outline a profile of Prophet Jesus (peace be
upon him) and offer the most attractive picture of him to mankind, what
would the world community say about such an undertaking? How would it
describe this endeavor? Undoubtedly, it would describe it as a refined,
unbiased effort, and as devotion to the revered Messiah. Many other
positive and fitting adjectives could be used for it. If this should be
an imaginary proposal, then there is an actual accomplishment that
surpasses it by innumerable degrees in relation to the magnitude of its
presentation, depth of its content, sincerity of its style, intimacy of
its description and length of its duration. That religious, historical,
humanitarian, and ethical reality is that Prophet Muhammad (blessings
and peace be upon him) presented his brother, the Messiah, Jesus, son of
Mary, to the world community in a most superb image. That profile and
presentation was not a political campaign subject to the drawbacks and
inadequacies that characterize such efforts. In presenting his noble
brother, the Prophet of Islam followed a method that is not subject to
shortcomings and failings. That method is through the Qur’anic text,
which contains no falsehood and has been unaltered with time, and
teachings of the Prophet (blessings and peace be upon him), who did not
speak of his own accord. The duration of this presentation is not
limited to a week, month or year ,s time; rather it extends from the
time of its revelation to Prophet Muhammad in the sixth century until
the Day of Resurrection. The presentation of the Messiah is not through
an obsolete text, or an outdated document preserved in a library or a
museum. It is through the living Qur’an, which is recited in prayers,
taught at schools and universities, and heard on radio and television
day and night. It is the right of every intelligent reader and
researcher to ask intelligently, objectively and seriously about any
statement that could be seen as a mere claim, «What is the evidence and
proof supporting it?» The answer is as follows: First, there is
presentation and introduction of the Messiah in the Qur’an: Presentation
of the miracle of his birth: «Then she brought him to her people,
carrying him. They said, O Mary, you have certainly done a thing
unprecedented. O sister [i.e., descendant] of Aaron, your father was not
a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste. So she pointed to him.
They said, How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child? [Jesus]
said, Indeed, I am the servant of God. He has given me the Scripture
and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has
enjoined upon me prayer and charity as long as I remain alive and [made
me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. And
peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I
am raised alive.» (Surah Maryam, 19:27-33) Presentation of his beautiful
character: «[And mention] when the angels said, «O Mary, indeed God
gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the
Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary – distinguished in this world and the
Hereafter and among those brought near [to God].» (Surah Aali ‘Imraan,
3:45) Presentation of the miraculous nature of his prophethood and
mission: «God will say, O Jesus, Son of Mary, remember My favor upon you
and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit [i.e.,
the angel Gabriel] and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in
maturity. And [remember] when I taught you writing and wisdom and the
Torah and the Gospel; and when you designed from clay [what was] like
the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it, and it
became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind [from birth]
and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead
with My permission.» (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:110) Presentation of the fact
that Gospel revealed to him: «And We sent, following in their footsteps,
Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming that which came before him in the
Torah; and We gave him the Gospel, in which was guidance and light and
confirming that which preceded it of the Torah as guidance and
instruction for the righteous.» (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:46) Presentation of
his approach and message, which ordered the worship of God alone: «I
said not to them except what You commanded me – to worship God, my Lord
and your Lord.» (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:117) This approach also taught
people wisdom and pointed out to them the standard for settling
differences: «And when Jesus brought clear proofs, he said, I have come
to you with wisdom [i.e., prophethood] and to make clear to you some of
that over which you differ.» (Surah az-Zukhruf, 43:63) And there is
proof of it from the Prophet,s sunnah (his sayings and teachings).
Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him) said: «While I was
asleep, I was circumambulating the Ka‘bah and there came a brown man
with straight hair, between two men against whom he leaned, with water
dripping from his head. I said, Who is that? I was told, He is the son
of Mary.» Prophet Muhammad also described his brother, Jesus, son of
Mary, as «of medium height and ruddy as if he has just come out of a
bath,» which implies purity, brightness, and radiance. Prophet Muhammad
also said, «I am nearest to the son of Mary in this world and the
Hereafter. There is no other prophet between him and me. Prophets are
brothers from their father,s side, having various mothers; and our
religion is one.» He also said, «Whoever testifies that there is no
deity other than God, alone with no partner, that Muhammad is His
servant and messenger, that Jesus is God,s servant and messenger and His
word which He bestowed upon Mary and a spirit from Him, and that
Paradise is true and Hell is true – God shall admit him into Paradise
according to his deeds.» An-Nawawi, a well known Islamic scholar,
commented on this narration, saying, «This is a statement of great
significance; it is among the most comprehensive ones about belief.»
Second, there is presentation in the Qur,an of the disciples and
followers of the Messiah in an image of utmost grace, perfection and
spiritual refinement, for the presentation of the Messiah included the
presentation of his noble and righteous disciples: «But when Jesus felt
[persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, Who are my supporters for
[the cause of] God? The disciples said, We are supporters for God. We
have believed in God and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to
Him]. Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed
the messenger [i.e., Jesus], so register us among the witnesses [to
truth].» (Surah Aali ‘Imraan, 3:52-53) «O you who have believed, be
supporters of God, as when Jesus, the son of Mary, said to the
disciples, Who are my supporters for God? The disciples said, We are
supporters of God.» (Surah as-Saff, 61:14) In this verse Muslims are
invited to follow the example of the disciples in supporting the
prophets and upholding the way of truth. Similarly, the disciples
receive God,s praise in the Qur’an because they followed Christ in all
sincerity: «Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and
followed [them] with Jesus, the son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel.
And We placed in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and
mercy…» (Surah al-Hadeed, 57:27) Something closely connected to the
above and part and parcel of it is the Qur’an,s defense of the righteous
Christians who clung to their faith and were exposed to great harm but
remained steadfast in their religion. Among them are the young men of
the cave, after whom a chapter of the Qur’an is named. These were
upright Christian young men pursuing a sound course. The Qur’an praises
and commemorates them: «Or have you thought that the companions of the
cave and the inscription were, among Our signs, a wonder? [Mention] when
the youths retreated to the cave and said, Our Lord, grant us from
Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance. So We
cast [a cover of sleep] over their ears within the cave for a number of
years. Then We awakened them that We might show which of the two
factions was most precise in calculating what [extent] they had remained
in time. It is We who relate to you, [O Muhammad], their story in
truth. Indeed, they were youths who believed in their Lord, and We
increased them in guidance.» (Surah al-Kahf, 18:9-13) And among them
were are those burned in the trench, also a group of Christians. The
Qur’an commemorates them while condemning and denouncing their
persecutors: «Destroyed [i.e., cursed] were the companions of the trench
[containing] the fire full of fuel, when they were sitting near it and
they, to what they were doing against the believers, were witnesses. And
they resented them not except because they believed in God, the Exalted
in Might, the Praiseworthy, to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens
and the earth. And God, over all things, is Witness. Indeed, those who
have tortured the believing men and believing women and then have not
repented will have the punishment of Hell, and they will have the
punishment of the Burning Fire.» (Surah al-Buruj, 84:4-10) In summary,
we can say that evidence recurs and each proof supports the other in
confirming that Islam presents Christ (peace be upon him), his Gospel,
his method, his mission and his disciples in a perfect and most sublime
image. It also defends the persecuted Christian believers in a manner
that shows love for them and abhorrence for their tyrannical oppressors.
I am pleased to offer these statements, supported by evidences, as a
gift to the Christians of the world. If there is a conclusion or
statement to be added, it is this: How can Islam be condemned when it
offers such a splendid portrayal of Christ? How can light be blamed for
being light? Why should the presenting of Christ as sublime and
dignified become a pretext to discredit Prophet Muhammad and his
religion? We believe in Christ as a prophet and a messenger of God. We
love and esteem him, and we follow the light he brought. If others do
not believe in our prophet – belief being a matter of free choice – let
them at least respect him. Such respect is not only morally
praiseworthy, but would also demonstrate a sensible attitude, for
reasonable people appreciate and respect those who respect the ones they
love and believe in. Now as in the past, the intolerance of Muslims and
Christians and exchanges of insults between them appears absurd. It can
only be instigated by small minded people when viewed in light of the
sound, sincere and honorable relationship between the two great men:
Muhammad and Jesus Christ. Do the Christians of the world know that
belief in the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, as a prophet and
messenger is one of the basic elements of belief for every Muslim? It is
even a condition for the soundness of every Muslim,s belief in Prophet
Muhammad in the sense that a Muslim,s belief in Prophet Muhammad is
unacceptable and rejected unless it is combined with belief that Jesus,
the son of Mary, was a prophet and messenger. Do the Christians of the
world know this fact? Some of them do, particularly Christians of the
Arab world who speak Arabic, for their knowledge of the language allows
them, for example, to consider this Qur’anic verse: «Say, [O believers],
We have believed in God and what has been revealed to us and what has
been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the
Descendants and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to
the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of
them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.» (Surah al-Baqarah,
2:136) Some Christians know this fact, but the majority do not. It is
most likely that, together with other factors, their lack of knowledge
of this fact has caused a great deal of misunderstanding in the way they
have responded to Islam. However, he who does not know cannot be an
authority over people who do know; rather, the opposite should be true.
Moreover, it is an obligation at all times to state openly that a
Muslim,s belief is unacceptable unless he believes in the prophethood
and mission of Jesus, the son of Mary. It is not permissible to withhold
this acknowledgment just because of some people,s hostility to Prophet
Muhammad. In this context a question might be raised: Why should Muslims
not resort to the same tactics as the people who disparage the status
of Prophet Muhammad and curse and slander him? The same tactics, of
course, means disparaging, cursing, and slandering Jesus, son of Mary.
But this is regarded in Islamic law as disbelief. Such an act would cast
the offender out of the religion of Islam. For Muslim believers there
is no difference between insulting or ridiculing Christ and insulting or
ridiculing Muhammad. None would differentiate between them except a
disbeliever in all the prophets and messengers. In fact, he would not be
a true believer in God. The Qur,an says: «Indeed, those who disbelieve
in God and His messengers and wish to discriminate between God and His
messengers and say, We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and
wish to adopt a way in between – those are the disbelievers, truly. And
We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment. But they
who believe in God and His messengers and do not discriminate between
any of them – to those He is going to give their rewards. And ever is
God Forgiving and Merciful.» (Surah an-Nisaa’, 4:150-152) The essence of
the above statements is that religious acceptance of all prophets
without any discrimination between them is the basis of moral tolerance.
The extent to which the mind, heart, and soul of an individual or a
nation is broad enough in capacity to accept the whole truth is an
indication of the extent of one,s tolerance. But individuals and nations
continue to exchange accusations against one another, each claiming to
be tolerant and accusing others of partiality. In most cases when doing
so, both sides are merely following their own whims and inclinations due
to lack of a sound criterion by which to judge, one which would put a
stop to such arguments and injustices. But what is the true criterion?
The best and most precise criterion that can be put on the scales of
justice to measure the honesty of people, the correctness of their
ideology, the soundness of their thought and the superiority of their
moral standards is the extent to which their minds, hearts, and souls
accept the whole truth and revere and love upholders of truth at every
time and place. Only by this criterion can a person be described as
tolerant and another as biased. A person who is broad minded enough to
accommodate the whole truth, unaffected by a tendency to be selective,
and who acknowledges bearers of truth, regardless of when or where they
might appear, is a truly tolerant person. And needless to say, one who
is unable to do so will be intolerant. That is why it is one of the aims
and tenets of Islam that Muslims are obliged to accept in their hearts,
minds and souls the whole truth at all times and places. «[God] has
ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which
We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham
and Moses and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided
therein.» (Surah ash-Shuraa, 42:13) Those five great men, the true
leaders of enlightened human thought, who are addressed and mentioned in
this verse, are the messengers of resolute purpose. They belong to
different places and times as regards birth, residence, circumstances
and missions, and they cover the long span of human history from Noah
through Abraham, Moses and Jesus up to the time of Muhammad (peace be
upon them all). In spite of the diversity of locations and long
intervals of time between them, the truth they preached and advocated is
the same truth as is vividly expressed in the verse above. Thus, what
can be called the «line of truth» is a permanent one, continuously
extending into every time and place. Genuine affiliation is attachment
to truth and righteousness and to those who possess them. (This,
however, does not imply disregard of the importance of lineage or of
belonging to a homeland, for in Islam there is no conflict between these
affiliations.) We have not ourselves seen Prophets Idrees, Noah, Moses,
Jesus, his disciples or Elisha, but we love and revere them all. Why?
Because they were good, righteous people and they had noble souls and
high moral standards; and also because the truth and principles they
upheld are worthy of being adhered to, and make it commendable to be
associated with those great men. The beloved Jesus is a revered prophet
and messenger. Islam, both in its divine scripture and its prophetic
teachings, praises, venerates and exalts the position of Jesus.
Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, presented Jesus to the human community
in a most affectionate, dignified, generous and exceptional way. This is
the great rank of the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, as stated in the
Qur,an and in Prophet Muhammad ,s sunnah. In Islam, respect for him is
one of the basic elements of the creed. We testify that we believe in
the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, as a prophet and messenger. We also
testify that we love him because he is loved and was chosen by God,
because he embodied mercy, peace and love. He was blessed, dutiful to
his mother and a sign for the people of all times (peace be upon him). *
* * * * Jesus preached many values, precepts, concepts, and moral
principles. He persevered in his preaching to make sure these moral
values would flow naturally into man ,s consciousness and become an
inalienable part of his conscience and the life of his society. Some
examples of these values may be cited: Mercy, which is the first and
noblest characteristic of Christ,s personality and of his message, as
stated in the Qur,an: «We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy
from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.» (Surah Maryam, 19:21)
This characteristic was instinctively very clear in his mind, and
therefore he denied the existence of any vestige of haughtiness or
arrogance, the opposite of mercy, in his own nature: «And [God made me]
dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant.» (Surah
Maryam, 19:32) He is quoted in the Bible as saying, «Blessed be the meek
and merciful. Come to me all you who are tired and burdened and you
will find comfort, because my yoke is gentle and my burden is light.»
Peace, of which Jesus, the Messiah, was without doubt, an advocate. This
is not strange, for there was peace upon him from his birth to his
resurrection, as stated in the Qur’an: «And peace is on me the day I was
born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive.» (Surah
Maryam, 19:33) Correct belief, as he said: «O Children of Israel,
worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Indeed, he who associates others
with God – God has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire.»
(Surah al-Ma’idah, 5:72).
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