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The number of Muslims in Europe is growing. It is no longer an exception that work colleagues, neighbors, the people we deal with on a daily basis are Muslims. What we think about their beliefs will unconsciously influence how we behave towards them. Prejudice here can jeopardize our eternal salvation and that of these precious souls. Under the latter rain of the Holy Spirit, people from all races, nations and languages ​​will unite in the Loud Cry. How important, then, that we break down barriers that the enemy has erected to limit this great final advent movement.

Most Christians and not a few Muslims have a wrong picture of what the Koran says about Jesus. (Many Muslims, for example, do not understand Arabic and are dependent on interpretations of the translations.) This article and its follow-up article aim to provide factual information on this. It is well known that Jesus plays a role in the Koran. However, he only appears there as a prophet of equal rank among many and does not step out of the shadow of the last prophet Mohammed. That is the common opinion.

The Koran actually says: "We make no distinction between the prophets." (al-Baqara 2,136:XNUMX) However, if we read the context, it is about whether Moses or Jesus, whether Judaism or Christianity is the right way. The overwhelming majority of Jews worship Moses but reject Jesus. The overwhelming majority of Christians worship Jesus but consider Moses, the Sabbath, and the Purity Laws to be "Old Testament." The Koran clearly speaks out against this and refers to Abraham, who was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but a devoted servant of the one God. So what this verse wants to say is that the Qur'an does not favor any of the biblical prophets at the expense of any other. The revelation of God at one time does not contradict the revelation of God at another. God remains the same, as does his message. Light can certainly increase, but only without contradicting the old light.

Prophet and servant of God

Yes, the Koran lists Jesus several times in the same breath as other prophets. But only once does he call Jesus a prophet outside of such a list: »Jesus said: 'I am a servant of God (Abdullah); God gave me the book and made me a prophet.‹« (Maryam 19,30:5) Jesus is also called a prophet in the Bible: »The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me out of you and out of your brothers; listen to him!” (Deuteronomy 18,15:13,57) Even Jesus calls himself a prophet (Matthew 24,19:4,19), as do his disciples (Luke 6,14:7,40; John 42,1:XNUMX; XNUMX:XNUMX; XNUMX:XNUMX ). And the term servant of God is also used for Jesus in the Bible (Isaiah XNUMX:XNUMX).

The Messenger of God

Much more frequently as a prophet or servant of God, Jesus is referred to in the Koran as "Messenger" (7x) or "the Messenger of God" (3x), a designation that Moses and Mohammed also bear in the Koran. But there is an interesting verse in the Qur'an: 'We have given precedence to some of the Messengers over others. Among them are some to whom God spoke, and some to whom he raised degrees: We gave Jesus the son of Mary clear proofs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit.« (al-Baqara 2,253:XNUMX) So did Jesus also in the Koran a prominent position? Let's explore the question further.

The Messiah

Few non-Muslims know what is the second most used title of Jesus in the Qur'an. It is the designation Messiah (al-Masīḥ). Eleven times this title is mentioned, which he alone and no other prophet or messenger bears in the Koran: »His name is Messiah Jesus, son of Mary.« (Āl 'Emrān 3,45:4,172) »The Messiah will never despise being a servant of God ." (an-Nisā' XNUMX)

But is the Koran even aware of the meaning of the word Messiah? In Arabic, the verb masaha means "to spread, to anoint," just like the verb mashach in Hebrew. The Koran shows in several places that the Messiah was anointed with the Holy Spirit. Three times he says that Jesus was strengthened by the Holy Spirit (al-Baqara 2,87.253:5,110; al-Mā'ida 4,171:14,16.23) and once he even calls Jesus himself "Spirit from God" (an-Nisā' 1:6,11). In doing so, he makes clear his divinity and that the work of the Holy Spirit is inseparable from Jesus (John XNUMX:XNUMX; XNUMX Corinthians XNUMX:XNUMX).

Son of Mary - son of man

The most common title for Jesus in the Quran is Son of Mary. It is in the Koran 23 times. Many Christians find this title derogatory. They are probably not aware, however, that the title "Son of Mary" was considered an honorary title for Jesus in the Syrian-Aramaic Eastern Church. This title shows that Jesus had no physical earthly father after whom he could truly be named. However, this title also emphasizes Jesus' humanity, while the title "Son of God", which is widespread in Christianity, emphasizes his divinity. This emphasis on divinity among Christians sometimes went so far that some false teachers believed that Jesus only had an illusory body and therefore did not feel any suffering on the cross (docetism).

For Roman Catholics, Jesus' divinity is such that they call Mary the "Mother of God." To this day, many other Christians also believe that Jesus was so divine that his exemplary life will always remain a utopia for us humans. So they hope to be saved from sin one day, instead of experiencing deliverance from sin here and now. The Koran campaigns against this false "deification," or should we say "dehumanization," of Jesus.

Virgin Birth and Preexistence

The Koran, like the Bible, teaches the virgin birth of Jesus: "And we breathed our spirit into her who kept her chastity, and made her and her son a sign for the worlds." (al-Anbiyā 21,91:66,12; 3,47:XNUMX ) "My Lord, shall a son be born to me when no man has touched me?" (Āl 'Emrān XNUMX:XNUMX)

In this context we also find the verses in the Koran that point most clearly to the pre-existence of Jesus: »Truly the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, is God's messenger and his word, sent to Mary, and spirit from him.« (an-Nisā' 4,171) »This is Jesus, son of Mary, the word of truthin which they doubt.« (Maryam 19,34:33,6) Jesus is thus also referred to in the Koran as the eternal and creative word of God (Psalm 1,1:19,13; John XNUMX:XNUMX; Revelation XNUMX:XNUMX). The Koran thus professes the divinity of Jesus.

Unfortunately, the sinful life of most Christians (veneration of saints, Crusades, Hollywood, etc.) has led to most Muslims interpreting the Arabic Koran as anti-Christian and anti-biblical as possible. That is why the majority of Muslims today no longer know the meaning of these verses and unfortunately most Koran translations give the meaning in a distorted way.

Instead of blaming the Muslims here, we should cry out with the psalmist: 'We have sinned with our fathers; we have transgressed, been ungodly.« (Psalm 106,6:14,40; Jeremiah 3,42:5,7; Lamentations 9,5.8.15:XNUMX; XNUMX:XNUMX; Daniel XNUMX:XNUMX)

Jesus' ministry on earth

Having seen what titles Jesus bears in the Qur'an, let us now turn to what the Qur'an says about Jesus' life.

Two longer passages in the Quran record the life of Jesus: Sura Āl 'Emrān 3,47:52-5,110 and Sura al-Mā'ida 114:26,7-1,23. There we learn that Jesus was taught by God and trained in the Scriptures, confirmed the law and revealed mysteries, that his disciples were Muslims (that is, godly people), and that he led the people into the "straight path" (Isaiah 14,6 ,13,10; John 2,14:2; 2,15:12,24; Acts XNUMX:XNUMX; Galatians XNUMX:XNUMX; XNUMX Peter XNUMX:XNUMX). It is recorded that he healed the blind man and the leper, raised the dead, multiplied the bread and was accused of sorcery because of his miracles (Matthew XNUMX:XNUMX). The Qur'an does not go into any of this in much more detail than we do in this article, but it repeatedly refers to the gospels.

The Talking Infant and the Creative Child

Two things may seem strange to the Western reader in these accounts. First, that Jesus is said to have spoken in the cradle and second, that as a child he formed a bird out of clay and breathed life into it. At that time apocryphal writings about Jesus' childhood were circulating in the Eastern Church with similar narratives, literary embellishments of what little information the Gospels provide about Jesus' childhood. Perhaps like some Christian novelists today, the authors had taken quite generous literary liberties in order to bring theological facts closer to the common people.

In any case, the story of the speaking Infant Jesus in the cradle underscores the fact that Jesus left a strong impression on people even as an infant. The story of the creative baby Jesus lifts Jesus far above all other prophets because it indicates that Jesus was more than just a man. He was the Word by which God created (John 1,3.10:1; 8,6 Corinthians 1,16:1,2; Colossians 11,3:XNUMX; Hebrews XNUMX:XNUMX; XNUMX:XNUMX).

Rather than complaining that the Qur'an picks up these tales, which are certainly from another time and culture, we should note that similar things are not said about any other person in the Qur'an. Instead of looking for legends in the Qur'an, we need to realize that the theory of a Prophet Jesus in the Qur'an, who was just one prophet among many, is the actual legend.

death, resurrection and ascension

The Koran also speaks about Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension. Most Muslims today have trouble reconciling the verses about it because of the widespread tradition that it was not Jesus who died on the cross, but Judas or Simon of Cyrene. But what does the Koran really say?

The child Jesus is quoted in the Koran as saying: "Peace be upon me on the day I was born, on the day I will die and on the day I will be raised again." (Maryam 19,33, XNUMX) Since most Muslims believe that Jesus has not died yet but was taken straight up into heaven, they try to explain this verse in such a way that Jesus will die and rise again only after his return here on earth. But this interpretation is unnecessary to resolve apparent contradictions in the Qur'an. The biblical perspective is the best key to understanding the Qur'an.

Another Qur'anic verse briefly summarizes death, resurrection and ascension:

"God said: 'Jesus, I will take you away and lift you up to me.'" (Āl 'Emrān 3,55:XNUMX)

Elsewhere, the Qur'an speaks of Moses and Jesus and how some prophets were called liars and others killed (al-Baqarah 2,87.91:5,70; 3,112.181:2; 14,11:4). The parallelism is obvious: Moses was called a liar and Jesus was killed. Moses was accused of lying even before crossing the Red Sea. The Israelites accused him of lying to them and taking them into the desert to perish (Exodus 16,3:XNUMX). Korah later accused him of lying that he was appointed by God to lead the people (Numbers XNUMX:XNUMX). Moses finally died an honorable death. They mourned for him. But like some other prophets, Jesus was killed.

The Koran puts the following words in Jesus' mouth for the last day: "I was their witness while I was among them, but when you let me depart, you were their watchman and you are the witness of all things." ( al-Mā'idah 5,117:XNUMX) It is clear from this verse that Jesus has definitely already died.

The angel said to Mary: "God tells you a word from him; His name is Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, respected in this world and the world to come and one of those who will be brought near to God.« (Āl 'Emrān 3,45:XNUMX)

This verse is particularly interesting. Because in the Koran, apart from Jesus, only Moses is "respected", but only in this world (al-Aḥzāb 33,69:4,172). And apart from Jesus, only the angels (an-Nisā 56,88:XNUMX) and the inhabitants of paradise (al-Wāqi'a XNUMX:XNUMX) are brought near to God.

Did someone else die on the cross?

And now we come to what most consider the most difficult text: “They say: 'We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, God's messenger', although they neither slew nor crucified him. It only seemed so to them... In reality, God raised him up to Himself.« (an-Nisā' 4,157.158:XNUMX) If one does not read this text with the other statements and, above all, the Gospels in mind, one can come to completely wrong conclusions. We know that there are also passages in the Bible that are often completely misunderstood because they are traditionally misinterpreted in disregard of other Bible verses. So what is the correct interpretation?

The Jews in Medina did not believe in Jesus' resurrection and thought that he was a dead man and that they had gotten rid of him. So they said, "We killed him. What are you still talking about him, about his priestly ministry in heaven, about his second coming? He is dead. Perhaps he was an important rabbi in history. Maybe he made the world a better place. But nothing more.« But they were wrong about that. God had raised him from the dead and raised him to his throne. You will see him with your own eyes when he comes again and raises them from the dead too.

The text continues analogously: They claim to have killed him, but not even Jews crucified him but Romans. Only because God allowed it. In any case, people cannot eliminate anyone for good. Jesus pointed this out when he said, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and are unable to do anything after it. … Fear the one who after killing has power to cast into hell.« (Luke 12,4.5:XNUMX) For whoever is killed by men will be raised again. Only the second death decides about the eternal destiny.

In the end, Jesus did not die at all as a result of the crucifixion, as might actually have been expected. So in reality it was neither the Jews nor the Romans who killed him. He died of a broken heart. All of our sins separated him from God. He actually died the second death. But because God accepted his sacrifice, he is and remains the only one who has returned from the second death.

We see that the Koran never denies the death of Jesus, rather it confirms it.

The sinless glorious sacrifice

Jesus is the only person in the Koran who is certified as sinless. The angel Gabriel says to Mary: "I am your Lord's messenger to bestow upon you a sinless son." (Maryam 19,19:XNUMX) The Koran expressly states that Adam, Noah, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Jonah and also sinned against Muhammad. However, Jesus was the only man who did not sin at all, even in thought.

When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son, God redeemed him with a "glorious sacrifice" (aṣ-Ṣōfāt 37,107:XNUMX). The word used here in the Qur'an for glorious ('aḏīm) cannot possibly refer solely to an animal. Because in the Koran it is a name of God, an attribute of God. The real sacrifice by which we are all redeemed is Jesus, the Lamb of God.

The sacrificial death of Jesus is symbolized both in the Bible and in the Koran by the spotless cow, of which it says: »A red heifer that is spotless and has no defect in itself, and on which no yoke has come.« ( Numbers 4:19,2) "A yellow cow of vivid color...untrained, neither plowing the ground nor irrigating the field, spotless, without any spot." (al-Baqarah 2,69:71-XNUMX) She should come before be sacrificed to the camp. That was the glorious sacrifice: the sinless Messiah Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Jesus return

Muslims anticipate the return of Jesus at the end of time based on the following verses: "He [Jesus] serves for the knowledge of the Hour... They only wait for the Hour to come upon them suddenly without realizing it... With Him [God] is it." knowledge of the hour, and to him shall ye be brought back.'

Rejection of heresies:

It cannot be denied that the Koran also contains some statements about Jesus that shock Christians at first glance. We want to look at them too:

1. The Father Himself (Patripassianism)

"Verily, those who say: 'God (Allah) is the Messiah, son of Mary.'" (al-Mā'idah 5,17.72:XNUMXa) Does this call into question the divinity of the Messiah? no Here the Koran only takes a position against all Christians who believe that the almighty God the Father is identical with Jesus. For then the Father himself would have died on the cross and Jesus would have had no one to whom he could have said: "Into your hands I commend my spirit". This erroneous notion is called Patripassianism. Then Mary would actually have been the mother of God.

2. Adopted by God (Adoptionism)

»They say: 'God has taken a child.' … Yet everything in the heavens and on earth already belongs to him.« (al-Baqarah 2,116:10,68, Yūnus 17,111:23,91) »All praise is due to God, who is has taken no child and has no ruler by his side, nor any other helper out of weakness.« (al-Isrā' 5,72:2) »God has taken no child, nor is any god beside him.« (al-Mu'minūn 20 ,XNUMX) These Koranic verses do not contradict the Bible. They differ only from the doctrine of adoption, according to which Jesus grew up as a mere man and was later adopted by God as his son. Because God would have placed a human being at his side and that would be the sin of "association" (Arabic: Shirk; al-Mā'ida XNUMX:XNUMXb), a violation of the first of the ten commandments (Exodus XNUMX).

3. Born of a Zeus

"Say: 'If the Merciful One had a child, I would have been the first to serve him. Blessed be the Lord of heaven and earth, Lord of the throne, who is free from all that they say.'” (az-Cheers 43,81:XNUMX) We must not forget that polytheism was widespread in and around Mecca . According to pagan ideas, these gods fathered children (demigods), as we know it from the Greek Zeus. The thought that God Himself had impregnated Mary in this sense was obvious and was therefore clearly contradicted.

4. The dissolution of the law

“The Jews say Ezra is the son of God, and the Christians say the Messiah is the son of God…God's curse on them! How misled they are!« (at-Taubah 9,30:XNUMX) The first part of this verse must make you sit up and take notice. For Jews have never spoken of Ezra as God's son in the Christian or literal sense. Then why does the Qur'an say something like that?

Ezra is considered the forefather of the Pharisees and later of rabbinic Judaism. A misunderstanding of his ministry led to a practice of worshiping the law in its outward form and therefore rejecting the Messiah because he did not meet classical Pharisaical expectations. The Scriptures were interpreted in a Pharisaic manner, reference was made to Ezra, who would certainly have vehemently contradicted himself in order to fight Christianity. Saul, a disciple of Gamaliel, was a child of this thinking and persecuted the Messiah by stalking Christians. The Koran sums up this fact when it accuses the Jews of having made Ezra the "son of God" - that is, they used Ezra as an authority in order to ultimately circumvent God's authority.

Similarly, soon after Pentecost, Christians began to exalt Jesus in such a way that they no longer took the Old Testament and God's law seriously, considered them obsolete and dissolved, and Christianized numerous sins. Christians constantly emphasize that they worship Jesus as the Son of God. But how can Jesus be misused as an authority against God and his eternal word!?

The Koran defends itself against these two terrible extremes: "The great sin of the Jews was the rejection of the Messiah, the great sin of Christianity would be the rejection of God's law." (Ellen White, The Great Controversy, 22; see. The big fight, 22)

5. Founder of the cult of Mary

»And when God will say: 'Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people: Take me and my mother as two gods beside God?' He will answer: 'Blessed are You had no right.‹« (al-Mā'ida 5,116:XNUMX) This verse makes it clear which »trio« the Koran is campaigning against: against the idea of ​​a divine family consisting of God, Mary and Jesus. It is the Roman Catholic faith that has Christianized sin, reinstated polytheism, and jettisoned the law. Most Christians will feel dogmatically misunderstood by these statements from the Qur'an. But with all its criticism of Christians, the Koran exaggeratedly puts its finger on the wound and makes it clear that, despite all our "piety", we have lost sight of God's honor: We Christians use Jesus to justify sinful behavior such as the cult of Mary or eating pork , to trivialize sin in general, to separate us from the God of the Old Testament because we don't understand him; to exclude people from salvation because they do not fit into the drawer of our theological dogma, to exercise power and violence over others, in short: to be and do the opposite of what Jesus was and did.

Our great task

The following quote from Ellen White about Islam shows the great task we have as an Advent movement. (Comments in square brackets. References at the very end.)

“The Savior says, 'Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; but whoever does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.' (John 3,36:17,3) He goes on to say: 'This is eternal life, that they may see you, the only true God, and recognize Jesus Christ whom you sent.' (John XNUMX:XNUMX)

[In Arabic: That they may recognize you, Allah, and the Rasul Allah (Messenger of God), Isa al-Mesih.]

In many countries people are converting to Islam, but his advocates reject the divinity of Jesus. Should this belief spread without the advocates of truth, with ardent devotion, rebutting this error and enlightening people about the pre-existence of the only one who can save the world?

[So the advocates of Islam mistakenly believe that Jesus did not exist in divine form before his human birth. It is also erroneous because the Koran itself refers to Jesus' divinity by calling Jesus "Word of God" and "Spirit from God" (an-Nisā 4,171:XNUMX). Just as the New Testament points to the Sabbath and most Christians fail to see it, the Qur'an also points to Jesus' divinity unbeknownst to most Muslims.

The misconception that Jesus only existed since his human birth can be refuted. So there is hope to actually correct this error in Islam. The advocates of truth should even refute this error with ardent devotion.

Ellen White goes into the following what this glowing devotion looks like, with which this error in the Islamic world can be refuted.]

We desperately need people who will search and trust God's Word, people who will introduce Jesus to the world in His divine and human nature, people who will powerfully and Spirit-filled declare that 'there is no other name under heaven given among men, in which we shall be saved!' (Acts 4,12:1) How much we need believers who will present Jesus in life and character today, believers who will exalt him before the world as an emanation of the Father's glory, thus proclaiming that God is love.” (Ellen White in The Home Missionary, September 1892, XNUMX)

Unfortunately, we are only now discovering that Jesus is preached in the Qur'an, not in fullness, but with many indications of where the fullness is to be found. The Koran keeps pointing to the gospels and the whole Bible. And there is enough in the Koran itself for Jesus to be able to draw Muslims to himself. Our lives, our loves, and our clues can break down the walls that still dampen that attraction.