The session has just started. You are invited to join us with your questions.
After the session, you could view the whole dialogue in the recent sessions.
Yours,
Islamonline Live Dialogue Editing Desk..
Name
rayhana
- Canada
Profession
Question
salaam alaykoum Professor I would like to ask you two ?s. Can you please explain to me about Jesus #1 When is the birth of Jesus and #2 Who is the person that takes the place of on the cross. #3 Were there any last supper as what the Bible says. Please confirm it for me. Thank you. Wa assalamou alaykoum wa rahmatou allah wa barakatouhou
Answer
Hello Rayhana,
wa alaikumussalam.
Thank you for your questions.
First of all, we must understand that the only two sources of the story of Jesus are the Gospels and the Qur’an. Christians do not accept the Qur’an; and Muslims do not believe the Gospels to be completely reliable. However, the Muslims hold the Qur’an as God’s true Revelation and a perfectly reliable Criterion for judging the earlier scriptures.
We can see that neither the Gospel nor the Qur’an specifically gives the date of birth of Jesus. And Christian scholars now know that the date of birth of Jesus celebrated as “Christmas” by the Christians is incorrect; as it was based on a miscalculation by a Scythian monk called Dionysius Exiguus in 527, C.E.
All historical evidences point to the idea that Jesus was born some time between 4 B.C and 6 B.C. One scholar has this to say: “In reality we do not know when Jesus was born—neither the year, the month, nor the day. The chronology of our western calendar is based on mythology masquerading as theology” (James Veitch, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand)
Your second question is about the person who takes the place of Jesus on the cross. The answer is: We do not know. But some say it was Judas; some others say it was Simon the Cyrene. We know for certain what Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “but they killed him not, nor crucified him. Only a likeness of that was shown to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no certain knowledge. But only conjecture to follow,…”
As we have no certain knowledge and are full of doubts, should we follow conjectures? And what for? What we must necessarily know about Jesus, Allah tells us in His Qur’an.
Third question: There is no reference to a “Last Supper” in the Holy Qur’an. For one thing, the question of Last Supper (in the Christian sense) arises only if Jesus as God actually courted crucifixion “to save mankind from Original Sin”, which is a preposterous idea. The Christians need their God to be nailed to the cross to save their skin from hell fire. So they swallow all the pagan ideas imported by Paul and his tribe to corrupt the pure religion of Jesus, the Messenger of God sent to the Children of Israel. And Allah knows best.
Name
Maria
- Malaysia
Profession
Banker
Question
Assalamu 'Alaykum
Dear Shaikh
What does the terminology "Christ" connote? And how is this term translated in Arabic and is it recognised in the Qur'an.
Ive read that the name Jesus Christ was an elevated title that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was given by the Christians to make him recognised as God's son or one third. Or is Jesus Christ really Prophet Jesus' name?
Answer
Hello Maria,
As-salaamu alaikum.
Thank you for your question.
The word, “Christ” is the anglicized form of “Christos” in Greek. It means the same as “Messiah” or the Arabic “Masih”. The actual meaning of the word is “the anointed one”.
In the old days, it was customary for kings to be anointed by priests at the time of coronation. So the word means, a king. Remember: Jesus has been called the King of Jews. Indeed, the Jews were expecting a Messiah who would deliver them from the foreign yoke, and would rule them as their king. During the reign of Emperor Tiberius Caesar (B.C 42- C.E 37) Jesus came to Jerusalem claiming to be the expected Messiah. But most Jews did not accept him as the Messiah. Those who accepted him became his followers, and they were called “Christians” much after Jesus’ time. [This means that Jesus did not found a religion called “Christianity”]. Those who did not accept Jesus as the expected Messiah (the present day Jews) are even now expecting the Messiah.
Christian theologians of a later age gave a new meaning to the word, “Messiah”: ‘Savior’, to accommodate the Pauline idea of God dying to save man from sin. Muslims need not have any problem with the name ‘Christ’; because it means the same as “Masih” as Jesus is called Masih Isa ibn Maryam in the Holy Qur’an.
Question 2.
As has already been made clear, “Christ” stands for the title, Masih, the Anointed One. ‘Jesus’ is the anglicized form of the name Yeshua in Hebrew. In Arabic the name is Isa. Most probably the Hebrew name of Jesus was Essau. But the Christians claim that it was Yeshua, meaning, “Salvation”. They are eager to establish a false claim they make on behalf of Isa ibn Maryam (alaihissalam), by this means. Only Allah knows whether Isa (alaihissalam) was originally called Essau or Yeshua by his own people.
And Allah knows best.
Name
lukman
-
Profession
Question
is it true that jesus will come back to earth, referring to Quran 43:61 ?
Does the translation meaning "he is sign of the hour"?
Answer
Hello Lukman,
Assalamu alaikum.
The Qur’an as well as the Hadiths indicate that Isa, alaihissalam will come back to the earth. This is the verse in Surah Zukhruf, which you referred to:
And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way. (Qur’an (Zuíhruf) 43: 61)
In the above translation by Yusuf Ali, we find the name Jesus given in brackets, as the Sign of the Hour of Judgment. This seems to be a correct interpretation of the verse, especially when we look at hadiths like the following:
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim quoted the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as saying: “Soon the Son of Mary will descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the pig, remove the Jizyah and the wealth will overflow to the extent that people will get disinterested in it, and until the prostration (sajdah) will be better than the world and whatever is in it. Then Abu Hurayrah said, 'Read if you wish, 'And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness on them."(An-Nisa' 4:159)
The eminent scholar Dr Muzammil Siddiqui has written:
“The second coming of Jesus is clearly a well- established fact, according to the Qur'an and authentic Sunnah. We Muslims should not have any doubt about this matter.”
And Allah knows best.
Name
Muslim
- Indonesia
Profession
Student
Question
Salamalaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatu.
Dear respected scolar.
Is it true that the disaster on earth at the end of world or we Indonesian call it "kiamat" will be happened when all the people on earth are imoral? If so, isn't that contradictory with the fact that not long before "kiamat" Jesus and Imam Mahdi will be succed to bring justice and the truth back on earth?
Salamalaikum wr wb.
Answer
Assalamu alaikum.
Thank you very much for your question.
There are a number of verses in the Qur’an as well as hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him, that describe the Qiyamah or the End Times. The Day of Judgment as well as admittance to Akhirah (the Hereafter) are future events and experiences which Allah (SWT) has destined for us and so have to necessarily take place at the appropriate time. Allah Almighty has said that only He has knowledge of the ghayb (=the Unseen World including knowledge of the Last Day):
“Say: None in the heavens or on earth, except God, knows what is hidden: nor can they perceive when they shall be raised up (for Judgment).” (27:65).
However the Prophet, peace be on him, has given us a few signs of the Hour. From these we get an idea as to whether we are near the Last Day or not. It is among these signs mentioned by the Prophet that we find the reference to a profusion of immoral practices among the people.
But you can also find that Islamic tradition speaks of a major war of the Muslims (who include those Jews and Christians who follow Jesus after his return) led by Imam Mahdi, against the non-believers led by the Antichrist. In this battle, Jesus will kill the Dajjal and thereafter, a peaceful government under Jesus will follow until his death.
In fact there is nothing self-contradictory here, as you can see.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Nizam
- Malaysia
Profession
Businessman
Question
How do you find reactions and actions of Christians when they discover that Muslims revere Prophet Jesus (pbuh) as a great servant of Allah Ta'ala and not an element of worship? What are the recommended steps one should take when informing Christians of Jesus' (pbuh) status in the Qur'an as it is such a sentisitive issue?
Answer
Hello Nizam,
As-salaamu alaikum.
Thank you very much for the question.
Many Christians have little idea of Muslims and their beliefs, except for some vague notions gathered from the malicious propaganda unleashed against Islam by their missionaries. Such people at first do not accept what we have to say of Jesus, as though we are trying to pull their leg. There are others who know somewhat of the Muslim position and are hostile to us, because they know that they have to reckon with the Truth of Islam, and have to bend over backwards to defend the patently untenable position they hold about God and his prophet, Jesus. These people try to put one over Islam by making terrible allegations against the Qur’an and personally vilifying Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him. You know, we cannot wake up those people who pretend to be asleep; rather we must concentrate our efforts on those who are really misguided, indeed those who do not know the facts. When open-minded people come to know the truth, they are at first dumbfounded, and then they realize that they cannot but accept the truth. And these people are well-guided to Islam.
Mostly the Christians are taught to have a “very personal relationship” with Jesus (who is always depicted as an innocent man suffering and dying to save sinners). For them it may be initially a really painful experience to know that after all Jesus did not die for them. They find it extremely difficult to accept that the beautiful image of Jesus they hold dear to their heart is a false one. So the task of a Muslim da’ee is a delicate one, as you have indicated. We must patiently quote the Holy Qur’an, especially those verses in Surah Maryam where the birth of Jesus is described in a touching manner and bring home to their heart the truth of the matter. Similarly we must appeal to their faith in the Commandments of God given in the Old Testament about the Oneness of God, and how the belief in Trinity breaks the First of the Ten Commandments reiterated by Jesus himself in Mark 12:28,29 for instance.
We should also demolish the “arch apostle” Paul, who entered the fold of Christendom to corrupt it from within.
All this is possible only if we learn the Christian scriptures and somewhat of the history of the development of the Christian dogma. So we need to study, ponder over what we study and approach our brothers in Christendom out of a real desire to lead them to the Truth of Islam.
May Allah guide us and help us in our efforts in His Way!
Name
Aziz
-
Profession
Question
I read in an article that there is one Muslim scholar who DOES say that Jesus was in fact crucified. How true is this?
Answer
Dear Aziz,
As-salaamu alaikum
Thank you very much for your question.
I can only quote the Qur'an in answer to your question:
"That they said [in boast]: “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah”, but they killed him not, nor crucified him. Only a likeness of that was shown to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no certain knowledge. But only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- No! Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise" (An-Nisaa’ 4:157-158).
In this verse Allah Almighty says: "...they killed him not, nor crucified him.."
Whoever that scholar may be, he has to do a great deal of intellectual acrobatics to defend his position that is evidently contradicting the above verse!
May Allah guide us all along the Right Path!
Name
Abdul
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
When Jesus returns near to the end of this world will the Christians reject their teaching that he is God follow him as we Muslims will.
Answer
Hello Abdul,
As-salaamu alaikum
Thank you for your question.
As has been pertinently pointed out by Dr Jamal Badawi in one of his talks, one of the purposes of Jesus's Second Coming is to correct the misguided Christians. When Jesus himself comes and corrects them, they cannot but accept him. So we may expect that most Christians will become Muslims (=those who surrender to God) then. But of course, we need not be very optimistic, as he (as in the case of other prophets too) had failed to convince his own people once before. As the Gospel says: "He (Jesus) came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John 1:11)
So we cannot rule out the possibility that some of them may still cling to their false doctrines, even by denying Jesus Christ!
Allah knows best.
Name
Khalid Jan
- Canada
Profession
Consultant
Question
Respected Professor,
Assalam Alaikum,
I am currently working on a documentary on the topic of 'Mary and her Jesus in the Qur'an.'
My research work, which is very exhaustive is all done. I started this project last year for the purpose of educating the non-Muslims on the status of Mary and Jesus (as) in Islam, but now I added another section that deals with the issue of Jesus' ascension, and an extensive analysis of the words 'Tawafee' and 'raffa' used in this context. I would greatly appreciate your comments or suggestions, if any.
Wassalam,
Khalid Jan
Answer
Hello Khalid Jan,
As-salaamu alaikum.
Thank you very much for your question.
Allah in the Qur’an, says how He cleared Jesus of the disbelief of his people:
"[And remember] when Allah said: O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself, and cleanse you of those who disbelieve; and I will make those who follow [you] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to me you will [all] return, and I will judge between you as to that wherein you used to differ. And as for those who disbelieve I will punish them with severe torment in this world and the Hereafter; and they will have no helpers." (Aal `Imran 3:55-56)
Thus, Allah raised Jesus up to Heaven, and so he was saved from an accursed death on the cross, in contrast to what his enemies and even his self-styled “followers” alleged. It was the plan of the enemies of Jesus to crucify him, but Allah foiled their plan. So to believe in his death by crucifixion means to believe that those unbelievers were successful against God’s plan. But assuredly they could not crucify Jesus the Messenger of Allah. The Qur’an says:
"And their saying [is] ‘we slew the Messiah, Jesus Son of Mary, Allah’s messenger’ – They slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them. And those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture. For of a surety they slew him not; but Allah took him up to Himself. Allah is Almighty [and] All-Wise. And there is none of the people of the Book [the Jews and Christians] but will believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them." (An-Nisaa’ 4:157-159)
Here it is clearly stated that the Jews (and the Romans) did not crucify or kill him; but so it appeared to many of them. Most probably someone else was crucified in his place; and there were few witnesses to this. Though the Christians insist that the crucifixion of Christ was witnessed by “thousands”, still their own Gospels say:
“There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salo'me; who also, when he was in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him; and many other women which came up with him unto Jerusalem..” (Mark 15: 40, 41).
This means that apart from the Roman soldiers, there were some women who watched the crucifixion “afar off”. That was all.
Again, Matthew says:
“And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him; among which was Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zeb'edee's children.” (Matthew 27: 55, 56)
Then where were his own disciples?
The Gospel says:
“… and they all forsook him and fled. And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: and he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.” (Mark 14: 50, 51, 52)
“But all this was done, that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled. And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Cai'aphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.” (Matthew 26: 56, 57)
Thus, the Bible makes it clear that there were no witnesses among Jesus' disciples to what happened after his arrest. This is because they had all forsaken him and fled at the time of his arrest. Therefore, there was no means of knowing what exactly happened after his arrest, except depend on hearsay.
But we have the Holy Qur'an (the Word of God), that categorically says that God saved him from an accursed and shameful death. This is quite in keeping with the Biblical view that Jesus had prayed to God to save him; and God accepted his prayer.
All this simply points to the fact that Jesus, who was a prophet of God, was saved by God from the shame and curse of crucifixion. So "rafa'a" in the context, must necessarily mean that Jesus was bodily lifted from the place, where he was to be arrested.
Similarly, "Innee mutawafeeka wa rafi`uka ilayya" must mean that "I will take you and raise you up to me".
(Allah knows best).
Besides, there are a number of hadiths, which say that Isa (alaihissalam) was raised up and he has not died; and that he will come back to earth once again. This matches with the second coming of Christ believed in by the Christians. But about this point, there is a difference of opinion and understanding of this return, among our ulema (scholars). And Allah knows best.
Name
Rafael Alejandro
- Chile
Profession
Student
Question
Salaam Alaikum.
How do you feel Moslems should handle the widely circulating idea that Jesus (Isu) (pbuh) had a wife (Mary Magdelene) that has been posed in such book as Dan Brown's novel, the 'Da Vinci Code'. Is there any Qur'an evidence to support such a notion, and does it not only seem natural, but compatible with Islamic teaching? May Allah bless you for your assistence.
Gracias.
Answer
Hello Alejandro,
As-salaamu alaikum! Peace be with you!
Thank you for your question.
The book by Dan Brown is a novel and Brown can run riot in his imagination, when he writes a novel. But when it comes to the question of the Muslims' belief about a prophet of God, we have to abide by the Holy Qur'an and the explicit instructions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him. We cannot indulge in the luxury of imaginative creation when it comes to matters of faith; rather we have to accept only what God says in the Holy Qur'an.
And also, we have no other means of knowing what happened about two thousand years ago.
The Qur'an does not speak of a wife of Jesus, nor of any relationship with a woman called Mary Magdalene. So we consider the story of Dan Brown as mere fiction.
