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Home: Islam
Resources: Birth of Jesus Christ
The following notes are from lessons George has taught publicly.
The Birth of Jesus Christ
From a Muslim point of view—
1. After her father died, Mary (called Maryam) was raised by her uncle Zechariah (Zaqaria) the priest. She lived in the temple and her uncle often noticed that food was miraculously provided for her.
2. One day the angel Gabriel (Jibrail) appeared to Mary. He announced that she would have a son, though still a virgin:
Quran, Surah 3:45-48: The angels said to Mary: ‘Allah bids you rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary. He shall be noble in this world and in the next, and shall be favoured by Allah. He shall preach to men in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and shall lead a righteous life.
‘Lord,’ she said, ‘how can I bear a child when no man has touched me?’
He replied: ‘Such is the will of Allah. He creates whom He will. When He decrees a thing He need only say: “Be,” and it is. He will instruct him in the Scriptures and in wisdom, in the Torah and in the Gospel, and send him forth as an apostle to the Israelites.
Comments:
“a Word from Him”--One of the Qur’an’s titles for Christ is the “Word of God” (cf. John 1:1).
“son of Mary”--one of the most common Qur’anic titles of Jesus, affirming the Virgin Birth.
“noble in this world and in the next”--terms of distinction given to no one else in the Quran.
“He creates whom He will”--implying that God created Jesus.
“Torah”--in this context, the Jewish Scriptures, the Old Testament.
“Gospel”--the New Testament, literally Injil, the book supposedly given to Jesus by God.
“He shall preach to men in his cradle”--see #4
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a. Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth, but do not see it is a proof of Christ’s deity.
b. Jesus having no human father makes him like Adam:
| Quran, Surah 3:59: Jesus is like Adam in the sight of Allah. He created him of dust and then said to him: ‘Be,’ and he was. |
c. Christ’s deity can be better argued from his title “Word of God”--
i. Missionary Charles Marsh wrote,
| God speaks to men through his Word, just as I do. Where were my words before they came from my mouth? In my brain or in my thoughts; but if you cut open my head you could not find them there. In some mysterious way I and my word are the same. Whatever my word does, either by pleasing you or annoying you, you can say that I am doing it. So whatever the Word of God does, God Himself is doing it.” (Share Your Faith with a Muslim, p.45). |
ii. Most Muslims believe that God’s Word is eternal and uncreated. If Jesus is also the Word of God, then he is also eternal and uncreated.
d. Israel’s condition at the time of the birth of Christ meant they needed a new messenger from God--
| The Israelites had settled in the blessed land, Palestine... As time passed by, they began to pay less attention to the teachings of God... They made alterations in the Holy Book according to their own tastes. Most of the Israelites adopted indecent ways of life and committed major sins. (A.R. Shad, From Adam to Muhammad, p.129) |
3. Mary gave birth at the foot of a palm tree in a secluded place. It dropped fresh dates for her to eat, while a spring came up from the ground to give her water.
4. As a child, Jesus spoke in defense of his own prophethood and of his mother, who was charged with having been immoral--
Quran, Surah 19:27-33: Then she took the child to her people, who said to her: ‘This is indeed a strange thing! Sister of Aaron, your father was never a whore-monger, nor was your mother a harlot.’
She made a sign to them, pointing to the child. But they replied: ‘How can we speak with a babe in the cradle?’
Whereupon he spoke and said: ‘I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Gospel and ordained me a prophet. His blessing is upon me wherever I go, and He has commanded me to be steadfast in prayer and to give alms to the poor as long as I shall live. He has exhorted me to honour my mother and has purged me of vanity and wickedness. I was blessed on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day of my death; and may peace be upon me on the day when I shall be raised to life.’
Comment:
A well-known Islamic tradition says, “Satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him with the exception of Mary and her son.” (Sahih Muslim, #5638, p. 1261)
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From a Christian point of view--
Why did Jesus come into the world?
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
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Jesus came to fulfill the previous Scriptures.
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Mark 10:45 “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
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Jesus came to release the captives.
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Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
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Jesus came to rescue those who are lost.
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John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
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Jesus came to give life to those who are spiritually dead.
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1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.
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Jesus came to save sinners from certain judgment.
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2 Timothy 1:9b,10 This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought immortality to light through the gospel.
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Jesus came to reveal God’s grace for all to see.
He also came to abolish death.
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Hebrews 2:14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil--
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Jesus came to destroy the devil.
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George King
December 2004
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