By: Gen. Jim – 2/16/26
Let’s go over this once again. I get really sick when hearing from the Muslim community that Muhammad, not Jesus, is Allah’s choice for His End Time Prophet. Islam claims over & over that Jesus (Arabic, “Asa”) was just a mere man, a prophet to the Jews, superseded by sinful Muhammad who was the LAST & GREATEST of all the prophets.
Ali’s Holy Qur’an
[I use this Qur’an (Q.) but there are several others I consult as well.]. In Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s Quran, in his index (pp. 1815-1862) we find many references to “Prophets”. Allow me to list his list in ref. to prophets:
Prophet’s Consorts, extra responsibilities & duties, xxxiii. 28-34; n. (=note) 3706; who are to be, xxxiii. 50-52; nn. 3741-3754; respect due to them, xxxiii, 53-55; nn. 3755-3760; respect due to Prophet’s Consorts & believing men & women, xxxiii. 56-58, nn. 3761-3763.
Prophet’s Wives & daughters & all believing women to be modest, xxxiii. 59-62, nn. 3764-3770.
Prophets, ii. 253; continuous line, iii. 33-34; iv. 163-165; v. 21, vi. 84-90; xxiii. 23-50; lvii. 26-27;
Covenants from, iii. 81; xxxiii. 7-8. Never false to their trusts, iii. 161; rejected, iii. 184; vi. 34; xxv. 37; xxxiv. 45; li. 52-55; Slain, iii. 183; all to be believed in, iv. 150-152; to give account, v. 112; Mocked, vi. 10; xiii. 32; xv. 11; xxi. 41; why sent, vi. 48, 131; xiv. 4-6; had enemies, vi. 112; xxv. 31; rehearse God’s Signs, vii. 35-36; sent to every people, x. 47; xvi. 36; had families, xiii. 38; human, but guided, xiv. 10:12; xvi. 43-44; xvii. 94-95; xxi. 7-8; xxv. 7-8, 20; persecuted & threatened, xiv. 13; witnesses against their people, xvi. 89; &
Apostles, meaning, xix. 51, n. 2503; one brotherhood, xxiii. 52-54; some named, some not, xi. 78.
[note: Ali uses the word/name “God” instead of “Allah”]
Prophet/Prophets
Definition: In Islam, Muslims believe two things: 1) prophets are frail, & 2) God cares for His creatures, hence He sends prophets. So, since God (our “God” of Scripture) gave prophets inspired Scripture, we’ll see what the Jews/Christians believed along with Muslims.
Rasul & Nabi
These 2 Arabic words are equivalent to our English word “prophet”: Rasul = the Qur’anic term signifies “one who is sent” (note: Arabic/Greek scholars point out that the Arabic rendering of the Gk. “apostolos”, & the Arabic term “nabi” signifies “one who carries info. & proclaims news from Allah (Islam’s “god”). This Arabic word – “nabi” – is identical to the Hebrew “nabi”, prophet. Islamic scholars/theologians understand “rasul” to mean “one who is sent with a divine Scripture”, while “nabi” is “one who orally proclaims Allah’s message.” [for good info. see B.D. Kateregga & D.W. Shenk’s, Islam & Christianity, 1980, p. 34; see also Muhammad Abdul Rauf’s, Islam Creed & worship, 1974, p. 5. There are other good books one can read from such as “Islam, Muhammad & His Religion”, by Arthur Jeffery, 1958, pp. 135-36; “Islam in Focus”, by Hammudah Abdalati, 1975, p. 27; “Jesus & the Muslim”, by Kenneth Cragg, 1985, p. 287; “The Essence of Faith in Islam”, by Alhaj A.D. Ajijola, 1978, p. 233; Major Themes of the Qur’an”, by Fazlur Rahman, 1980, p. 83; “Miracle & Magic”, by R.J. McCarthy (article) “Jesus in the Qur’an”, by Geoffrey Parrinder, 1977, p. 40; “The Muslim Mind”, by Charis Waddy, 1976, p. 17; “World Religions as Seen in the Light of Islam”, by Jacques Waardenburg, 1979, p. 246; “The Origin of Islam in its Christian Environment”, by Richard Bell, 1968, p. 159; “Islam & Christianity”, by John Takle, 1989, p. 217; etc., etc. Ther are literally hundreds of books written by both Christian/Muslim / & secular authors.
Jesus – Prophet in Islam
OK. Let us see for ourselves what Muslims/Christians believe about Jesus & Muhammad as “Prophets”.
Qur’an vs. The Holy Bible
To be fair, there are some areas of agreement between these two Books. First, it needs to be said that the Q. claims the prophets were sinless. This is not true: Jesus was the ONLY Prophet without sin. John 1:29 tells us that Jesus “taketh away the sins of the world.” He had to be “sinless” Himself in order to do this. According to Rom. 5:6-8 it was Jesus/Isa who died for the ungodly. Verse 12 tells us that “through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, & death through sin, & thus death spread to ALL men…” Not only did men (male/female) die physically, but spiritually. Romans 5 tells us a lot about how sin is dealt with: Adam brought sin into humanity; Jesus, sinless, died in order to bring humanity back into eternal life (read also chapter 6).
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was without sin! Two Corinthians 5:21 states: “For He made Him who knew NO SIN to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (see O.T., Isaiah 53:6, 9 pertaining to Christ).
Since Christ Jesus never yielded to temptation (as did Muhammad), He never sinned! Christ never by His own choice (He was both fully God & fully man) fell into sin, yet the Father made Him sin for our sakes (Rom. 8:3; Gal. 3:13). Please tell me HOW a mere sinful man like Muhammad claims the position of “Last Day Prophet”? Jesus said, “I lay down my life, that I might take it again.” Did Muhammad (M.) ever rise from the dead? No! (see Jn. 10:17, 18).
Nature of Christ
The Quran gives Jesus a great place in history. He is mentioned in 93 verses of 15 suras = 97 times. He is recognized as a great Prophet. The Q. uses words like “Messiah” (=11 times), “the Word of God”, & “the Spirit of God” (Q. 4:169-71), “the Speech of Truth” (Q. 19:34-35), a “Sign unto men”, & “Mercy from (God)” (Q. 19:21).
Now, the sad part of all this is this, as author John Tackle states: “… to the Muslim they lack entirely the content of deity!” (“Islam & Christianity”, 1989, p. 218). I totally agree. Author Kenneth Cragg, in his book, “Jesus & the Muslim”, writes, “But if we are to do justice to the Qur’anic text, we ought to let Islamic theology speak for itself in determining the significance of the (above) titles.” So, we read the Q. & find out what it says about Jesus & Muhammad. (Cragg, pp. 32-33). I personally do not consider the Q. or the hadith to be “God-Inspired.” Nor do I for a minute believe Muhammad is God’s Last Day Prophet! Since Muslims do not believe in Jesus’ deity, how can they perceive “Spirit” inspiration? There were times when Muhammad thought he was under DEMON inspiration (see my other articles), Jesus never ONCE did this!!
Sura 5:75
In “Answering Islam”, by Geisler & Saleeb, they ask, “So what exactly is this Qur’anic picture of Jesus? And what role, if any, does Jesus play in the Muslim awareness?” (p. 62). They cite Surah 5:75 (note: in their book they wrongly cite 5:78, a mistake): 5:7 states, “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. They both had to eat their (daily) food. See how God doth make His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the Truth!” Ali has footnotes #783, 784 in ref. to this verse. “Woman of Truth”? What? This totally contradicts what the Jews calls Mary: “a whore”! Ali’s footnote #783 = “She (Mary) never claimed that she was a mother of God, or that her son was God. She was a pious virtuous woman”, #784 = Note how logically the argument has led up from Jewish back-slidings & want of faith, to blasphemies associated with the names of Jesus & Mary, & in the following verses to the worship of senseless stocks & stones. God is One; His Message is one; yet how people’s perversity transforms truth into falsehood, religion into superstition.” WOW! This is EXACTLY what Islam has done in building the RELIGION of Islam!!!
Authors B.D. Kateregga & D.W. Shenk (who co-authored, “Islam & Christianity”) wrote: “Muslims do respect the Messiah, Jesus, profoundly, but they do not believe that He is, therefore, superior to all prophets. In fact, the Qur’an affirms that Jesus foretold the coming of the Seal of the Prophets [Muhammad].” (p. 47). I have written articles on this years ago. They [Muslims] are the “deluded ones”.
Muslims VEHEMENTLY insist that Jesus IS NOT the DIVINE SON of GOD!!! Does their opinion make it so? No! [read suras 19:35, 10:68, 3:59. In Sura 72:3 we read: “And exalted is the Majesty of our Lord: He has taken neither a wife nor a son.” Ali, in his footnotes, observes that Islam denies “the doctrine of a son begotten by God, which would also imply a wife of whom he was begotten (footnote # 1625).” Isn’t God the God of miracles? If they believe Mary gave birth to Jesus (without sexual intercourse), why is it hard to believe God begot His Son, Jesus!
Muslim apologist, the late Ahmad Deedat, argues, “If Jesus is God, & the very Son of God because He has no earthly father, then Adam is a greater God, because he had no father & no mother!” (Islam Revealed, 1988, p. 266).
Islam claims Jesus was a prophet of God, but not the Last Day Prophet. But Jesus was & is the Last Day Prophet! Deut. 18:15 says “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet… Him you shall hear.” Moses stated this, meaning God would raise up a Prophet, a Mediator & interpreter of the divine will of the LORD. Other prophets foretold of the coming of Jesus as Messiah/Prophet. The N.T. contains dozens & dozens of references to prophets, starting with Mt. 1:22 – Rev. 20:10; both genuine and false prophets. (in reference to the word “prophet” – singular). The plural “prophets” – is found starting with Mt. 2:23 – Rev. 22:9, both genuine and false.
Jesus’ very life demonstrates His claim to deity; Muhammad’s life demonstrated he was a sinner! Jesus was sinless: Muhammad was sinful. Muslims, contrary to what their prophet said, believe he and other prophets were without sin. Peter said that Christ was the “Lamb without spot or blemish” (1 Pet. 1:19), & added, “no guile was found on His lips.”(2:22). 2 Cor. 5:21 says, “He knew no sin.” John 8:46 Jesus Himself says, “which of you convicts Me of sin?” Unlike Muhammad, Jesus never used the sword to spread His Gospel of “Good News”. (Mt. 26:52). Jesus even predicted His own death & resurrection: Muhammad did not! (see Jn. 2:19, 21; Mt. 12:40; Mt. 12:39; 16:4; Mk. 8:31; 14:58; Jn. 10:18).
The renowned philosopher of science, Karl Popper, argued, “…risky prediction is fulfilled; it counts as confirmation of the theory that comes with it. If so, then the fulfillment of Jesus’ prediction of His own resurrection is confirmation of His claim to be God. For what could be risker than predicting your own resurrection? If a person will not accept that as evidence of a truth claim, then he has a bias that will not accept anything as evidence.” Popper stated this in ref. to Jn. 10:18.
Jesus in the Quran
Sura 6:8 tells us that Jesus was Righteous. Ali’s footnote states that He was in the ranks of “mystic prophets”, # 905. The Qur’an states that Jesus was the “Son of Mary”, 3:45 (His birth); 19:22 states that Mary “conceived Him”, The Quran goes on talking about Him, 22-33. In vs. 33 it states “… I shall be raised up to life (again).” Ali’s F.N. (footnote) # 2485 says, “Christ was not crucified (ref. to 4:157 where the Jews had claimed to have crucified Jesus – but they did not! Ali’s F.N., a long one, goes detail WHY Jesus was not crucified – a BIG LIE of course!).
Sura 3:49-51 says Jesus was “an Apostle to the Children of Israel, (with this message)…”; Sura 3:52-53 & 5:114-118 speaks of disciples, vs. 15 calls them “People of the Book! (meaning “Bible”). This sura claims that Islam’s perspicuous Book is from god with a “new light”. Ali goes into great detail in trying to interpret what the word “perspicuous” means (F.N. # 716).
Sura 3:55-58 & 4:157-159 speaks of Jesus. Listen to this! Ali in F.N. # 396 (in ref. to 3:55) states that Muslims are the TRUE Christians! He trys to get 5. 3:55, “I will make those who follow Thee (Jesus) superior to those who reject faith…” Ali states, “Those who ‘follow Thee’: The Muslims are the true Christians, for they follow (or should follow the true teachings of Christ…”)
This is hard to comprehend. If this is true, why don’t we see Muslims practicing the “Golden Rule” among many other “Christian” laws /doctrines /practices etc.? Where do we find Jesus practicing underage sex (pedophile), murdering, stealing, lying etc., etc.? We don’t!
Sura 3:59 says, “The similitude of Jesus before God is that of Adam; He created him from the dust, then said to him: ‘Be’: & he was.” Ali’s F.N. # 398 states: “After a description of the high position which Jesus occupies as a prophet, we have a repudiation of the dogma that He was God, or the son of God, or anything more than a man. If it is said that He was born without a human father, Adam was also so born. Indeed, Adam was born without either a human father or mother. As far as our physical bodies are concerned, they are mere dust. In God’s sight, Jesus was as dust just as Adam was or humanity is. The greatness of Jesus arose from the divine command ‘Be’: far after that He was – more than dust – a great spiritual leader & teacher.”
The truth is, Jesus the (human) man was of dust: Christ/God in the flesh was not created: He WAS always “one” with the Father (see John 1:1-18. Vs. 1 tells us that “the Word was with God, & the Word was God.” Vs. 2 says, “He was in the beginning with God.” Vs. 14 says, “the Word became flesh (a human person)… the only begotten of the Father.” Vs. 18 proclaims that “… The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father. He has declared Him.” [note: the NU-Text has “God” in the place of “Son”]. Islam is totally wrong about Jesus’ divinity.
The Quran speaks of Jesus’
(1) Miraculous conception:
Sura 66:12: “And Mary the daughter of ‘Imrān, who guarded her chastity; & we breathed into (her body) of Our spirit; & she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord & of his Revelations…” Ali gives a lengthy comment on 66:12. He acknowledges Mary gave birth to Jesus being a virgin (he cites other suras);
(3) Jesus Speaks at His Birth:
Here is what the Q. says: “Then she (Mary) pointed to him. They said: ‘How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy?’ He spoke: ‘Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture & hath appointed me a Prophet.” Muslim scholars claim that when Mary’s people went too far in reproaching her, she was silent & pointed to baby Jesus as if saying to them, “He will answer you.” There are other (false) stories told by Muslims. (see Abd Al-Fadi et al.);
(4) Jesus Had Supernatural Knowledge:
Sura 3:49: Muslim scholars are divided on 3:49 (Surat al-Imran = The Family of ‘Imran). This discussion is too long to deal with; Sura 43:57, 61 talks about “knowledge”. Al Jalalon explained the phrase “a knowledge of the Hour”, meaning Jesus knew when the Day of Judgment would come (see Abd Al-Fadi, The Person of Christ);
(5) Jesus is Blessed:
S. 19:31: Ali gives a lengthy interpretation in F.N. # 2483. Scholar Al Tabari, quoting unis ibn Abd al Ala & Sufyan, talks about “Jesus is Blessed”;
(6) Jesus = Endowed with the Holy Spirit:
S. 2:253: The Qur’an mentions this (a long Surah (Ali has 5 footnotes). the Holy Bible tells us that Jesus had “the Spirit of God… alighting upon Him…” Mt. 3:16; 4:1 says that the Spirit (aka “Holy Ghost”) led Jesus into the wilderness: Luke 4:1 says that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit (or “Ghost”); vs. 14 tells us that Jesus had the “power of the Spirit”; 4:18 speaks about Jesus in the O.T. having the “Spirit of the LORD” upon Him, a prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah (Isa. 49:8, 9 / 61:1, 2).
[note: see my articles on the Baptism is the Holy Spirit where I have 17 articles: @AggressiveChristianity.net]. Sura 4:171 is revealing;
(7) Jesus is the Word of God:
Sura 4:171 also speaks of “the Word”: “Christ Jesus the some of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of God, & His Word… & a Spirit proceeding from Him…” Sura 3:39, the Imam Abu Al Su’ud commented on the phrase “confirm a word from Allah,” stating that John the Baptist was the first to believe in Jesus and to support His being the Word of God & a Spirit from Him, according to Dr. A.A. Shorrosh.
Muslim scholar, Al Sheikh Muhyi Al Din Arabi, “The Word is Allah in theophany… & is the one divine person, not any other.” According to what he wrote in his book, Fusus al Hugm, pt. 2, p. 13, he said that the word is a divine person. The Q. agrees with Jn. 1:1, 14;
(8) Jesus is Allah’s Mediator/Messiah:
Sura 39:44 says, “Say: ‘To God belongs exclusively (the right to grant) intercession: To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens & the earth: In the End, it is to Him that ye shall be brought back.” The Q. hints that intercession is also one of the privileges of the Messiah, as in Surat al-Imran (The Family of ‘Imran) 3:45 states. [note: some Qur’ans word verses differently, e.g. 3:45: “Behold! the angels said: ‘O Mary! God giveth thee glad Tidings of a Word from Him: His name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world & the hereafter & of (the company of) those nearest to God.” (the Ali Qur’an): another Q. states: ‘O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary…” (the Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall’s the Glorious Qur’an). There are several Qur’ans out there, they word verses differently, “Messiah” is the Hebrew title for God’s anointed Savior. “Christ” is the Greek equivalent. “Almasseh” is the Arabic term. The Quran acknowledges Jesus of Nazareth as the ONLY Messiah of God;
(9) Jesus is a Servant:
Sura 19:30-32 talks about this (see both Ali’s & Pickthall’s Qur’an:
“He spoke: ‘Lo! I am the slave of Allah…’ (Pick); “He said: ‘I am indeed a servant of God…” (Ali).
Scholars point out that his “slave of Allah” has 4 points to look at:
1) It does away with the belief of the Christians that ‘Isa (Jesus) is God. This is what Muslims say;
2) If Christ, when He confessed His servitude was truthful in His statement then truly He was Allah’s slave. If He was lying, the power He used would not have been divine, but satanic;
3) That which was the pressing need for Him at that time was to remove the accusation of adultery from His mother. However, ‘Isa did not clearly deny that, but laid emphasis on the fact of His servitude as if He made the removal of the accusation that He was equal with Allah, more important than removing the accusation from His mother;
4) The removal of this accusation from Allah assists the removal of the accusation from His mother, because Allah would not choose an adulteress to bear a child for this great & high position. (see Geoffrey Parrinder’s, Jesus in the Qur’an, 1982, p. 39, 40).
Scholars contend that the Qur’an’s concept regarding the person of Christ is based upon the truth that Jesus, the Son of Mary, was the Servant of God, as predicted by Isaiah 52:13 & 43:11;
10) Jesus Creates out of Clay
Sura 5:110 (Ali’s trans.) has a long verse where it states “… out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird…” Surah 3:49 also speaks of “… out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, & breathed into it, & it becomes a bird…” Ali’s F.N. # 390 says, “This miracle of the clay birds is found in some of the apocryphal Gospels… The original Gospel (see 3:48) was not the various stories written afterwards by disciples, but the real Message taught by Jesus.” I don’t ever recall this “Miracle” in the Bible. This is made up by Muslims;
11) Jesus Miracles of Healings/Raising up the Dead;
[note: see my articles on “The Miracles of Christ” @A.G.Net).
Sura (or Surat al-Imran (The Family of ‘Imran) 3:49 (the one we just looked at) states, “… And I heal those born blind, & the lepers, & I quicken (make alive) the dead…” In ref. to “I raise the dead” (Pick. Trans.), wahaibin Minabbeh relates that while ‘Isa was playing, a youth sprang on one of the boys & killed him, hence Jesus took the dead boy, prayed for him, & Allah restored him to life (see G. Parrinder’s, “Jesus in the Qur’an”, 1982, p. 109). This story says A.A. Shorrosh, can be traced to the Infancy of Jesus Christ, an early pseudo – gospel rejected as untrue & counterfeit by the Christian Church;
12) Jesus’ Death:
Jesus’ death is one of the most controversial subjects among Christians & Muslims. To begin one may read Suras 3:55; 2:87; 5:116, 17; 19:33; 4:157, 58 = support the TRUTH that Jesus truly died. For example, Sura 3:55:
“Behold! God said: ‘O Jesus! I will take thee & raise thee to Myself & clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; …’” Ali’s footnote # 394 says “that the Jews neither crucified nor killed Jesus, but that another was killed in His likeness. The guilt of the Jews remained, but Jesus was eventually taken up to God.” This is called the “swooning” theory.
The Pickthall’s Qur’an reads: “… I am gathering thee & causing thee to ascend unto Me (God)…” In Arabic, “Inni Mutawaf-feeka”, is translated in English as “I am gathering thee.” Some say the word does not indicate “death”, while others affirm Christ literally died. Some say it means “to sleep”. In Iskander Jadeed’s book, The Cross in the Gospel & Qur’an, Al Muthanna, relates that he was told by Ishaq the ‘Inni Mutawaffeka’ means a death of sleep & God took Jesus in His sleep.
Scholars point to Sura 19:15: “Peace on him (John the Baptist) the day he was born, & the day he dieth & the day he shall be raised alive!” The same wording is given about Jesus in Sura 19:32-34: Ali comments on verse 32 (F.N. # 2484); verse 33 (F.N. # 2485 where he writes, “Christ was not crucified (he cites 4:157). He continues, “But those who believe that He never died should ponder over the verse: “So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, & the day that I shall be raised up to life (again),” verse 33. Verse 34 says, “Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.” (F.N. # 2186). Ali argues that the Christians would do well to abandon the irrational dogma that Christ died on the cross. Sorry Muslims, Jesus died on the Cross for the redemption of your LOST SOULS!
13) Resurrection/Return
We’ve already looked at sura 3:55 where it says, “… I am gathering Thee (Jesus) & causing Thee to ascend unto Me (God)…” Al Fakhrial Razi says, “The meaning of ‘I am gathering Thee’ means that Jesus would ascend to a place of honor.”
Jesus Himself stated, “… I am ascending to My Father & your Father, & to My God & your God,” Jn. 20:17. (see S. 19:33, 34).
If…
If there was no crucifixion, resurrection, glorification, there would be no eternal salvation. The apostle Paul makes it CLEAR that Christ Jesus DIED for our SINS, He was placed in a tomb, & He AROSE on the 3rd day according to the Scriptures. In Paul’s day there were no N.T. Bibles, so what Scriptures? (see 1 Cor. 15:1-4): “Christ died for our sins” (vs. 3) (see also Gal. 1:4; Rom. 5:6; 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:15, 21; 1 Thes. 5:10 etc.) Paul uses the Greek proposition meaning “on behalf of” (ὑπέρ); never does he use “instead of” (ἀντί). It is noted that Paul does not elaborate in what way the death of Christ was “for our sins”, nor does he elsewhere give a very clear doctrine of the Atonement (Rom. 3:21-26; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Gal. 3:12-14). It is not certain WHAT Scripture Paul had in mind. Deut. 21:23 is the only one he actually quotes; the striking thing is that Isa. 53 is not cited by this apostle in connection with Jesus’ death. I assume, him being a late-comer to the Faith, Paul assumed the people already heard all this from the early apostles/disciples.
Who Will You Believe?
Will you believe the N.T. authors, Jesus Himself or Islam which came centuries later? Who are the Muslims to tell us Christians that Jesus was not crucified?
The Bible does state in Jn. 12:34 “… we (the Jews) have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever, & how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is the Son of man?” This unbelief by the Jewish community was widespread among the early Christians of the Arabian Peninsula. Apparently the Muslims (centuries later) believed the rebellious Jews over the first followers of Christ & Christ Himself. Poor foolish unbelieving Muslims?
Sura 4:157, 58: We’ve looked at these verses already. But look at “… But they killed Him (Jesus) not, nor crucified Him, BUT so it was made to APPEAR to them…” (vs. 157). A bit of history is needed to explain this meaning “made to appear”. It is said that a great number of Jewish converts in Arabia during Muhammad’s time believed that Christ was able to transform Himself from one form to another. Therefore, they advanced the (false) idea that when His enemies came to arrest Him, He cast His “likeness” onto another man, hence, that man was crucified, not Jesus! So, to explain what happened to Jesus, they said He was lifted up to God. The authors of the Qur’an wrote this down, hence, the Quran is full of mis/disinformation, lies & half-truths. (see Iskandar Jadeed’s, Did God Appear in the Flesh?, p. 10). Muslim theologians/scholars disagree about Jesus’ transformation (see Jadeed, pp. 12, 13, 14, 15).
Between Christ & Muhammad
The 600 years (in found figures) between Christ & Muhammad were, according to Muslims, truly the dark ages of the world. Religion was corrupted; the standard of morals fell low; many false systems & heresies arose; & there was a break in the succession of apostles until the advent of Muhammad. Muslims cite sura 5:19. Well, I’ve got BAD NEWS for the Islamic community: Islam IS one of those dark age religions! They claim that Christ was not “god in the flesh”, but a mere prophet/apostle. They cite Sura 5:75. Sura 9:30 they claim that Jesus was not the Son of God, but merely the son of Mary. They cite Sura 3:45-47; 19:16-21. But the Bible states clearly, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, & bring forth a son, & shalt call His name Jesus” (Lk. 1:31). “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of the Semitic “Joshua”, which means “the Lord is salvation”. Verse 32 says, “He shall be great, & shall be called the Son of the Highest; & the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David.” Just where do we find Muhammad called the “Son of God”? Luke 1:35 says, “… that holy thing which shall be born of thee (Mary) shall be called the Son of God. “Son of God” involves the idea of physical (or metaphysical) relationship to deity, whereas “Son of the Most High (RSV) in vs. 32 was a title that God would confer on Jesus as “Messiah”. The Muslims believe Jesus was created out of the dust, like Adam. (Sura 3:59). Jesus was both fully man & fully God.
Jesus had two kinds of sonship: 1) He was the eternal “Son of God” begotten but not created; 2) He became the “Son of God” having been born miraculously. In this sense He was created but not begotten. Jesus was both the “Son of Mary” & the “Son of God”.
Breaking the Cycle of Sinfulness
God is so Good! He provided a way, THE WAY for the satanic cycle of sinfulness to be broken. The apostle Paul wrote:
“Behold, ye despisers, & wonder, & perish: For I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you,” quoting the prophet Habakkuk. (Acts 13:41; Hab. 1:5). This astounding “work” that Paul was referring to, was accomplished by the incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, not Muhammad. He also became the “beginning” of God’s “new creation”, His “New World Order” if you will.
It began in the One created like Adam, directly by God, but superior to him in stature. Adam was created out of dust & became a “living soul”, i.e. person. Jesus was God in the flesh, a “divine – human”, not “a rational animal” as Adam.
Paul writes: “For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous,” Rom. 5:19 – Christ’s redemptive “work” was/is available & efficacious for all men: there is not one who cannot be justified by God’s free grace in Christ Jesus, not Muhammad. (note: the “many” = the whole race of people/tribes/nations, the many races of peoples, the mass of humankind can have the opportunity to be saved).
Jesus = Last Adam
The superiority of the Last Adam over the first Adam appears to have been recognized by the Qur’an, though indirectly & in a rather difficult passage; read Sura 15:28-35 in the Ali & Pickethall Version. this sura speaks of, “I am about to create man, from something clay from mud moulded into shape… & breathed into him of My spirit…” Ali’s F.N. # 1968, in ref. to verse 29, “I have fashioned him (first Adam) & breathed into him of My spirit” (see also sura 2:30-39 & 7:11-25). Ali states that sura 15:28-25 does not mention the name “Adam”, but only the word “man”. In these verses the Q. is also about the fall of Satan & his expulsion from paradise. The reason = the creation of Adam. This sura speaks of God giving a command to all His angels to fall prostrate before Adam as soon as God’s spirit entered his mud body. The Pick. Qur’an states, “… So the angels fall prostrate, all of them together, save ‘Iblis’ (Satan). The story goes on to say that Satan refused to bow unto Adam, hence “… Then go thou forth from hence, for verily thou art an outcast. And lo! the curse shall be upon thee till the day of Judgment!” Does the Bible say this?
Sura 7:12 (Pick.) states: “He said, ‘what hindered thee that thou didst not fall prostrate when I bade thee?’ (Iblis] said, ‘I am better than him. Thou crated me out of the fire while he thou didst create of mud.’” Just where do we find this in the Bible? Where do we find in the Bible the creation of Satan? What we do find in the Bible is this:
“… what is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of him? You have made him a little LOWER than the angels; you have crowned him with glory & honor, & set him over the works of your hands.” (vv. 6, 7). The Bible states that man (Adam) in the providence of God is only a little lower than the angels, not above them as the Q. states.
“Thou madest him a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:7, KJV); “Thou hast him only a little lower than the angels” (wey.); “For a little while inferior to angels” (G spd.); “For a little thou hast ranked him lower than the angels” (Ber.). You can look this up in many more Bible translations.
There is a debate over the correct meaning of vs. 7: “for a little while lower than the angels” or “a little lower than the angels.” The latter is favored. Ps. 8:5 states: “For you have made him a little lower than the angels…”
Is Heb. 2:7 speaking of Adam/man or Jesus / 2nd Adam? Some scholars believe Jesus was being spoken of = “Son of man”, vs. 6. One author/scholar said if the manuscripts which include those words are correct, then the authors of Hebrews regards the entire quotation as applying to Jesus & only in a secondary sense to man. Other scholars believe man is the subject, not Jesus, probably through vs. 8 he is thinking of “man”, & from that point on of Jesus as identified with “man” for his salvation. βραχύ τι may be rendered either “for a little lower than the angels.” The Heb. original (Ps. 8) prefers the latter. Either way both man (Adam the first) & Jesus (2nd Adam) were lower than the angels. Jesus as a human being was like man (without sin). We do know that angels did not bow to the created human-being, Adam; on the other hand we do find the 3 wise men falling down & worshipping Jesus (as an infant – Mt. 2:11). In Luke 2:13, 14 tells us at the birth of Jesus “… there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God & saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, & on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” Not a word here of angels worshipping Jesus, only praising God. The famous scholar (Heb./Gk.) Adam Clarke comments on Heb. 2:6: [“What is man”] “This quotation is verbatim from the LXX/Septuagint; &, as the Greeks in not so emphatic as the Hebrew.” He then quotes vs. 6 in the Heb. original: “What is miserable man, that thou rememberest him? & the son of Adam, that thou visitest him?” He says that the variation of the terms in the original is very emphatic. “Adam”, is the name given to man at his creation (male/female = Adam; Gen. 5:2 in the NKJV has “mankind”, but in the KJV their name was called “Adam”.
Clarke goes on to state, “The son of Adam means here, any one or all of the fallen posterity of the first man. He then turns to vs. 7: “Thou madest him a little lower than the angels.” We must again have recourse to the original from which this quotation is made: (he quotes it in the Heb. language). He continues: “If this be spoken of man as he came out of the hands of him Maker, it places him at the head of all God’s works; for literally translated it is: “Thou hast made him less than God.” And this is proved by his being made in the image & likeness of God, which is spoken of no other creature either in heaven or earth; & it is very likely that in his original creation he stood at the head of all the works of God, & the next to his Maker.”
Clarke then turns to Jesus Christ:
“If we take the words as referring to Jesus, then they must be understood as pointing out the time of His humiliation, as in vs. 9; & the ‘little lower’, Βραχντι, in both verses, must mean ‘for a short time’ or ‘a little while’, as is very properly inserted among our marginal readings. Adam was originally made higher than the angels, but by sin he is now brought low, & subjected to death; for the angelic nature is not mortal. Thus, taking the words in their common acceptation, man in his present state may be said to be ‘lessened below the angels’. Jesus Christ, as the eternal Logos (Word), or God with God, could not die therefore a body was prepared for Him; & thus Βραχντι, for ‘a short while’, he was made lower than the angels, that He might be capable of suffering death.” Turn to Phil 2:9-11 where we read about Jesus, where He was exalted, that at the name of Jesus (NOT Muhammad) every knee should bow, every tongue should confess – Jesus is Lord!
So, the debate goes on concerning Adam the first & Adam the second.
We have learned that there are two alternatives involved in the Quranic story that God required His angels to fall prostrate in homage to an inferior being, Adam. A.A. Abdul-Haqq, in his book, Sharing Your Faith with a Muslim, writes: “Either it means that adoration & homage by prostration by a superior being to an inferior creature is justifiable – a position strongly resented by Satan. Or, one may hold that the being to be adored by all the angels of God was not a mere creature… The second possibility has a lot in its favor from the Quran, Patristic tradition, & the Bible.” (p. 78).
Hebrews 1:6 states: “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’” (NKJV). This was speaking of Jesus, not mere Adam/man.
On the other hand, the Quran states: “When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) & breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him” – Sura 15:29. Vs. 30 says, “So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together.” Vs. 31states, “Not so Iblis: he refused to be among those…” (read vss. 32-44).
Fin
The terms “last Adam” & the “First-born” is used in Scripture, are indicative of the same truth. They speak of the creative incursion of the eternal Word (Logos) of God into human history in order to establish a “New World Order”, to inaugurate a new creation – the Son of God came down to tabernacle with us. God, by & through His love (Jn. 3:16) sent His Son to be the propitiation (see Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 Jn. 4:10).
Author T. Parrinder wrote:
“The Abyssinians were divided in their interpretation of the nature of Jesus, some maintaining that He was human only, though divinity was later infused into Him. The normal monophysite view which dominates the Ethiopian & Coptic churches, allows Jesus even less humanity. It does not appear from Christological controversies that the title ‘Son of Mary’ was used in story or liturgy of Abyssinia.” (Jesus in the Qur’an, p. 25). “Son of Mary” was in ref. to His humanity; “Son of God” was in ref. to His divinity.
Some Suras/Verses to look up in ref. to Jesus/Spirit
Sura (1) 2:87; (2) 2:253; (3) 4:171; (4) 5:110; (5) 16:2; (6) 16:102; (7) 17:85; (8) 26:193; (9) 40:15; (10) 8:23; (11) 70:4; (12) 97:4; (13) 42:52; (14) 19:17; (15) 21:29; (16) 66:12; (17) 32:8; (18) 15:29; (19) 38:72.
Most Muslim commentators agree that quotations numbers, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, & 14 refer to the angel Gabriel; Numbers 3, 15, & 16 are ref. to Jesus the Spirit of God; Numbers 17, 18, & 19 imply the life breathed into Adam, while numbers 9 & 13 speak of “the spirit of prophecy.” No. 10 is suppose to refer to God’s grace/strength. In ref. to #7 there is some debate.
My Opinion
My opinion is this: the Qur’an is a false book. It was compiled /written centuries after the NWO was established by Christ. Islam has NO eye witnesses to first century Christianity /Judaism. The early Qur’ans were burned & one was established as the True Qur’an (see my other articles).