OUR REVERENCE FOR JESUS CHRIST – ONE OF THE PROPHETS OF MUSLIMS

OUR REVERENCE FOR JESUS CHRIST
ONE OF THE PROPHETS OF MUSLIMS

The Quran idealizes both mother and son

Jesus Christ with thorn crown
Jesus Christ with thorn crown

Prophet Abraham is the forefather of the Judeo-Christian-Muslim traditions, and all the Prophets of the lineage not only deserve but get love and esteem from every Muslim in the world. The name of Jesus Christ is treated in reverence by all Muslims. To deny Jesus Christ is to deny the command of Allah.

Jerusalem was sacked twice and everything burnt in it. Nebuchadnezzar is held responsible for this crime too. In this process, not only sacred buildings, and relics were burnt, but the Torah and the Bible suffered the same fate. Years later (centuries in fact), priests reconstructed the burnt books from their memory as well as their interpolation. The result brings in the differences between nations for the corruption of the sacred text.

Jesus Christ on engraved stone
Jesus Christ on engraved stone

Allah sensed all that, and when the Quran was revealed to our prophet Muhammed (PBUH), Allah promised that this time, no one would be able to corrupt the Divine text and Allah assumed responsibility for the text of the Quran itself. A novel innovation was that Allah constructed the Quran in a way that it could be memorized by people in whole. Hazrat Umar sensing this Royal command, had perhaps 500 Hafizs memorize the Quran and sent them away to far nooks and corners of the world. The attempt was to preserve the text. And the text is preserved to this day and to the final day of humankind, not even a comma less or more. And the Quran tells us details about both Moses and Jesus Christ, found nowhere else.

The Quran speaks of Jesus Christ with love and esteem. However the Quran presents the Law of Mukufat, or Retribution. For every good done the result is good, for every bad, the result is bad.  The concept that one can get away with every wrong for Christ died for them on the cross is anti Quranic in concept and no Muslim can accept that in any way. There is no responsibility in such a concept and it is a priest generated idea.

Jesus Christ legendary
Jesus Christ legendary

The other clear concept in the Quran is that Jesus Christ was in the end not crucified and lived and died a normal death. The Ahmadiyah community has coined a phrase in their book that ‘Jesus died in Kashmeer’, but that is there own assertion. Others speak of the Station in Murree being the place where Bibi Maryiam (Mary) actually died, and some have dug the grave for research. These are obviously speculations which cannot be proved one way or the other. The Quran says that Jesus Christ lived and died a normal death is something which all Muslims believe and we cannot deny that assertion.

To expect professional priests to save religion is impossible, I feel it is more for researchers in America and Europe to undo the historical wrongs. Many American scholars are some of the best in the world and boldly write about things, regardless of the affronts they receive from a small group of vested interests. The research abilities of USA are praise worthy in all ways.

Detail of the ceiling of Dura Europos synagogue (3rd century AD), Damascus National Museum, Syria
Detail of the ceiling of Dura Europos synagogue (3rd century AD), Damascus National Museum, Syria

The teachings of Jesus Christ are values which we all accept and nurture in our way of life. In the evolution of values, with each Prophet, the values reached a new stage of existence. The finality of our Prophet-hood led to the finality of the evolution of Divine values. The rest of the values were given to us with the premise that we have the ability, through consensus, to change whatever we like to do. That is democracy and its true spirit.

This is to wish our Christian brethren in the world a VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR from us all. Following Jesus Christ is very Muslim in character. May the actual teachings of Jesus Christ based on both love and rejection of exploitation prevail in the world! Amen.

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