By Hesham A. Hassaballa, Chicago
This holiday season is truly unique. As the Christian Advent season begins, Muslims have just completed their month-long fast of Ramadan and commemorated this with the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations. During the same time, Jews celebrated Chanukkah, and it was truly a wonderful thing to see the holiday season of the three Abrahamic faiths overlap so harmoniously. As December 25 nears, Christians the world over prepare to hail and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. While Jesus is central to Christian belief and theology, it may come as a surprise to many Americans to learn that Muslims greatly revere Jesus Christ. In fact, one cannot be considered Muslim if he or she does not believe in Jesus.
Jesus Christ figures prominently in Muslim belief. He is considered one of the five mightiest Prophets ever sent to humanity, along with Abraham, Noah, Moses, and the Muslim Prophet Muhammad (peace be unto them all). Muslims believe Jesus to be the Messiah sent to the Children of Israel.
The fundamental difference between Christianity and Islam lies in the belief about Jesus’ nature: the majority of Christians believe Jesus to be Divine, the Son in the Trinity, who was sent to die for the sins of humanity. Muslims, however, believe Jesus to be a mighty messenger of God and do not accept the divinity of Jesus or any human being. This belief is clearly outlined in the Quran: “O People of the Book [Christians]! Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of God aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him...” (4:171)
Muslims do believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, and the story of Jesus’ birth is recounted twice in the Qur’an. To Muslims, the miraculous virgin birth signals the greatness of Jesus as a prophet, not a sign of his divinity. Further distinguishing itself from Christianity, Islam maintains that Jesus was never crucified: “...they killed him [Jesus] not, nor crucified him...of a surety they killed him not.” (4:157). Muslims believe God raised Jesus unto Him before the Romans arrested him: “Behold! God said: ‘O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme’...” (3:55).
Muslims, as do Christians, believe Jesus will return to earth again. Jesus is mentioned 27 times in the Qur’an, more than six times as much as Muhammad himself, and he is mentioned even more times in the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. In fact, salvation for Muslims necessarily includes belief in Jesus as outlined by this saying: “If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His Slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is God’s Slave and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, God will admit him into Paradise...”
Not only is Jesus Christ prominent in Muslim belief, but the Virgin Mary is also greatly revered. The story of her birth was also recounted in the Qur’an. God set the Virgin Mary as an example for the ideal believer in the Qur’an: “And God sets forth, as an example to those who believe... Mary the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We breathed into her of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout (servants)” (66:11-12). Mary is highly praised in several verses of the Quran: “Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle; many were the apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth...” (5:75). Also read: “Behold! the angels said: “O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above the women of all nations” (3:42). Again, however, Mary is not accorded any divinity in Islam.
Jesus Christ is one of the most important prophets of Islam, and Muslims have a deep, profound love for him and his mother. When Jesus is blashphemed, Muslims are equally offended. In fact, many Muslims joined the protests over the film “The Last Temptation of Christ.” The little known fact of Jesus Christ’s prominence in Islam should help dispel notions that Islam is anti-Christian by nature. No devout Muslim would ever fathom attacking the person of Jesus as many who claim to be devout Christians have attacked the person of Prophet Muhammad.
While we may not celebrate Christmas with our Christian brothers and sisters, we love Jesus nonetheless. Furthermore, while Muslims and Christians will not agree on the nature of Jesus Christ, the common love they have for Jesus should help build bridges of understanding between the two faith communities and erase whatever tensions may exist between them. In this day and age, over the vast, desolate, and murky swamps of ignorance and intolerance, such bridges are desperately needed.
(Hesham A. Hassaballa is a columnist with the Independent Writers Syndicate. He is a physician and resides in Chicago).