JESUS (ISSA)
Jesus (Issa) was the last prophet appointed by God for Bani Israel. They defied his teachings and denied his legitimacy. In collaboration with the Roman governor of Palestine, the Jews had him framed for treason which was punishable by crucifixion. However, God saved him from death by crucifixion. Other subjects of the Roman Empire which laid the foundations of Christianity adapted his teachings.
The Birth of Jesus
Mary, the mother of Jesus was dedicated to the service of Bait-ul Muqqadas and used to live in a cubicle assigned to her for her residence. One day an angel of God appeared to her in her cubicle and told her that God had willed that she be the mother of a great prophet. Mary was frightened to see the angel in front of her in the form of a young man and more so on learning that she would be a mother without ever having been married. The angel told her not to be afraid and to trust God. He is the Creator of all things and has ways and means of creating any thing whenever He wills.
When Mary found herself to be pregnant, she left her cubicle in the grand mosque and made her way into the desert. Jesus was born in the solitude of the desert. The new mother sat under a palm tree with her baby son, feeling distraught and dejected by her predicament. The angel appeared to her again and told her that she should not feel so low in her present condition because God is the greatest Provider and Sustainer. He told her to just shake the palm tree and consequently enough dates would fall in her lap for her sustenance and to drink fresh water from a spring of fresh water that came out by her side. When people were to ask her about the baby, say nothing from her mouth, but just point towards him. He would bear witness to the Will of God and talk to them on her behalf.
The Miraculous Speech by the Infant Jesus
As Mary returned to The Holy Place (Bait-ul Muqqadas) the rabbi blocked her way saying that she had no room in the place of worship. When she turned around, a crowd had gathered around her. Curious and agitated, they wanted to know who was the father of the baby. She did as instructed by God and pointed towards the infant. They all laughed at this and said how could a new born answer their questions. However, Jesus spoke up with the permission of God and said, “I am a servant of God. He has appointed me as prophet amongst you and I am the bearer of the Book Bible (Injeel). God has granted me bounties of benevolence and made me obedient to my mother. I will worship God and obey all His laws for as long as I live.” He became quiet after that. The people were dumb-founded at this miracle and they dispersed. The stories of this supernatural event remained in circulation for a long time.
The controversies over the Virgin Birth of Jesus
The Jews consider Jesus to be an illegitimate child of Mary. The Christians consider him the Son of God. God says He is neither a husband nor a father. He is the Creator and Sustainer of everything and everybody. He settled the controversy over the birth of Jesus in the Qur’an: “Verily, for God the circumstances regarding the birth of Jesus are no different from those surrounding the origin of Adam. He created Adam from no parents at all, while Jesus had a mother. He just has to will something to happen and it materializes at once. He would raise the dead from their graves on the Day of Judgement by His Divine Will for He is All Powerful and Magnificent.”
The Prophet hood of Jesus and his Miracles
Jesus was thirty years of age when he began to receive Divine Revelations and started to teach Bani Israel the commandments of God. He showed them great miracles that
demonstrated the grandeur of God. He made birds from the mud and made them fly. He healed the lepers, he gave vision to the blind, and he brought back life to the dead and fed thousands from a mere loaf of bread, all with the permission of God. He confirmed the truth of Torah and affirmed the ordinances of what is permitted (halal) and what is prohibited (haram) and revised certain canonical laws to suit the circumstances of that society. He called upon the rabbis of Bait-ul Muqqadas to clear it from all trading activities and clean it up for the worship of God. He met with stubborn antagonism from his people except for a handful of true believers. He had twelve disciples or companions (also known as the twelve apostles of Jesus) who followed him wherever he went and assisted him in his teachings. Bani Israel did not approve of the teachings of Jesus and
collaborated with the Roman governor of the land to get rid of him.
The Occultation of Jesus
One of the companion of Jesus betrayed his master and gave him over to the government agents who were seeking to arrest Jesus for treason. The Roman governor and Bani Israel believed that they had crucified Jesus. Some of his followers thought that he was taken down from the cross before he actually died on the cross. The controversy still continues God clarifies this in the Qur’an that it is a waste of time even to conjecture on the nature of Jesus or what happened to him after his arrest by the Romans. He was neither crucified nor did he die on the cross. God withdrew him from amongst his bloodthirsty enemies and raised him to the heaven.
References: The Qur’an: Sura Ale Imran, Nisaa’, Maidah, An’am, Maryam, Anbiya’, Momenoon, Zakhraf, Hadeed, Saa Faa and Tahreem.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 