The next time a conservative Christian tries to demonize Muslims, you might share this Islamic view of Jesus. “Jesus used to eat the leaves of the trees, reads one saying, dress in hairshirts, and sleep wherever night found him. He had no child who might die, no house which might fall into ruin; nor did he save his lunch for his dinner or his dinner for his lunch. He used to say, Each day brings with it its own sustenance. According to Islamic theology, Christ did not bring a new revealed law, or reform an earlier law, but introduced a new path or way (tariqah) based on the love of God; it is perhaps for this reason that he has been adopted by the mystics, or Sufis, of Islam. The Sufi philosopher al-Ghazali described Jesus as the prophet of the soul and the Sufi master Ibn Arabi called him the seal of saints. Jesus, or Isa, as he is known in Arabic, is deemed by Islam to be a Muslim prophet rather than the Son of God, or God incarnate. He is referred to by name in as many as 25 different verses of the Quran and six times with the title of Messiah (or Christ, depending on which Quranic translation is being used). He is also referred to as the Messenger and the Prophet but, perhaps above all else, as the Word and the Spirit of God. No other prophet in the Quran, not even Muhammad, is given this particular honour. In fact, among the 124,000 prophets said to be recognised by Islam - a figure that includes all of the Jewish prophets of the Old Testament - Jesus is considered second only to Muhammad, and is believed to be the precursor to the Prophet of Islam. Islam reveres both Jesus and his mother, Mary. In fact, the Virgin Mary, or Maryam, as she is known in the Quran, is considered by Muslims to hold the most exalted spiritual position among women. She is the only woman mentioned by name in Islams holy book and a chapter of the Quran is named after her. In one oft-cited tradition, the Prophet Muhammad described her as one of the four perfect women in human history. But the real significance of Mary is that Islam considers her a virgin and endorses the Christian concept of the Virgin Birth. newstatesman/religion/2009/12/jesus-islam-muslims-prophet
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 13:55:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015