(Say
ye: We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to
Abraham, Isma`il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to
Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord:
we make no difference between one and another of them: and we bow
to Allah (in Islam).)
(Al-Baqarah 2:136)
(Behold!
the angels said: O Mary! Allah giveth Thee glad tidings of a Word
from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in
honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of)
those nearest to Allah.)
(Aal `Imran 3:45)
We
believe in all the prophets and messengers of Allah. We respect and
honor all of them without any discrimination. We believe that all
prophets preached the message of tawheed (oneness of Allah)
and all of them invited human beings to worship Allah alone and to
live righteous lives.
We
believe that all prophets preached the message of tawheed. |
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Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was not the only prophet
of God, but he was the last and final prophet of God. Prophet
Muhammad was not the founder of Islam; all prophets submitted to God
(Muslims) and followed the way of submission to God (Islam). We
believe that Jesus was one of the great prophets of God.
In
the Qur'an, Jesus is called `Isa. He is also known as Al-Masih (the
messiah) and Ibn Maryam (son of Mary). He has many other honorable
names and titles in the Qur'an. He is a highly respected religious
figure. Every Muslim believes in him, honors him, and loves him. His
mother Mary is also highly respected, loved, and honored. There are
hundreds of thousands of Muslim men all over the world who feel
proud and blessed to have the name `Isa, and there are thousands of
Muslim women who feel honored and blessed to be called Maryam.
There
is a big controversy going on all over the world at this time about
Dan Brown's novel, The Da Vinci Code. This novel is a big
thriller, and until now, more than 45 million copies have been sold.
Today, a movie based on this novel will be released. Many
Christians, especially Catholics, are outraged with this novel. In
several countries, Christians are protesting and asking their
governments to ban this novel and its movie. Some bishops and
cardinals referred to the Danish cartoons against Prophet Muhammad
and said that if Muslims were angry with a few cartoons, we should
be even more angry with this book. Some Muslims and non-Muslims are
asking for our reactions to this book.
We
as Muslims do not want to be known as people who react only when
something wrong is done to the blessed name of our Prophet Muhammad.
We stand for the respect of all religious figures of all religions.
Furthermore, Jesus (peace be upon him) is also a blessed prophet for
us. We believe in him and honor him. We also have something to say
about this novel and movie.
The
Da Vinci Code is a novel, a fiction. It has not presented
facts about Jesus’ life in a serious and respectful manner.
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There
are two things that I would like to say about The Da Vinci Code.
One is positive and the other is negative. The positive thing is
that it says that for the first four centuries, Jesus was known only
as a prophet of God, and not God. At the Council of Nicea around the
year 325 CE, the Emperor Constantine and some bishops changed the
true teachings of Jesus.
The
Da Vinci Code also says that Jesus
(peace be upon him) married one of his female disciples, Mary
Magdalene, and had children and that his descendants still exist
today. Although the Qur'an does not say anything about Jesus's
marriage, his wife, or his children (neither does the New
Testament), there is nothing wrong, from the Islamic point of view,
if he were married and had children. Allah says in the Qur'an, (We
did send Messengers before thee, and appointed for them wives and
children: and it was never the part of a Messenger to bring a Sign
except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each period is a Book
(revealed))
(Hud 13:38).
Some
Christians consider this story about Jesus to be blasphemous.
According to them, to say that Jesus was married means that he is
not God. Although they say that God had a son, they say that Jesus
could not have had a son. However, as Muslims, we say that just
because Jesus wasn't married doesn't make him God. Prophet Yahya
(John the Baptist), who was Jesus' contemporary, was not married,
yet no one considered him to be divine.
Celibacy
does not make any person divine. If Jesus were married, then this
does not take away his honor because there were many prophets who
came before and after him who were married and had offspring. It is
interesting to see a number of books produced today by Christian
writers that also say that Jesus was not crucified and that he never
claimed to be the Son of God. This is what the Qur'an said a long
time ago.
Muslims
should use this opportunity to inform others about Islamic
position about Jesus.
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There
is, however, a negative side of The Da Vinci Code, that we as
Muslims should criticize. The Da Vinci Code is a novel, a
work of fiction. It does not present facts about Jesus's life in a
serious and respectful manner. It has fictionalized his life and
story, and in this sense, it has downgraded this great messenger of
Allah.
The
author of The Da Vinci Code took some historical facts and
then spun a mystery story to thrill and chill his readers. Allah's
prophets and His messengers should not be treated in this manner.
They are entitled to receive utmost honor and respect from us. It is
for this reason that Islam forbids making pictures of Allah's
prophets and messengers and also forbids creating fictitious stories
and movies about them. Islam teaches us that we should present the
prophets' life stories with great care, respect, and the utmost
authenticity. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Convey
from me even if it is one verse. Speak about Bani Israel without any
hesitation; but whosoever tells a lie about me, let him prepare his
place in Hell" (Al-Bukhari 3202).
We
hope that more and more truth will come out about the life and
teachings of Jesus (peace be upon him). We totally reject those who
abuse his person through fiction and falsehood. We as Muslims should
use this opportunity to inform others about the Islamic position
regarding Jesus (peace be upon him). Ameen.
