Are Jesus and Muhammad Buddies?
Are Jesus and Muhammad Buddies?
SUBMITTED BY
Rebecca Giselbrecht
MR550 Class
Dr. Robin Basselin
December 8, 2006
Table of Content
Introduction. 3
The Divinity of Christ 4
Quranic Point of View.. 4
Biblical Point of View.. 4
Bridges. 5
The Death, Resurrection, and Atonement of Christ 5
Quranic Point of View.. 5
Biblical Point of View.. 6
Bridges. 7
The Miracles of Jesus. 8
Quranic Miracles. 8
Biblical Miracles. 9
Bridges. 9
The Names of Jesus. 10
Quranic Names of Jesus. 10
Biblical Names of Jesus. 11
Bridges. 11
Conclusion. 12
Research Evaluation. 13
Personal Gain from Project 13
Personal Future Implications for Paper 14
He was a Muslim prophet, a wandering ascetic, an exemplary spiritual guide and master- not a god but a man, like Muhammad, bearing God’s word—appropriated from Christian history and reinvented for Islamic eternity.
Sara Miller
Introduction
God has given us the task of going into the entire world and making disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:18-20). Students of Christian missions are well aware that this means contextualization of the Christian message as well as being wise, gentle, and knowledgeable about the worldviews of those who do not know Jesus Christ. The Islamic missional context has an added quirk that no other world religion does: Jesus is a character in the Muslim Holy Quran and is considered a prophet. As Samuel Zwemer wrote, “The Moslem idea of Christ, as of God, consists not only in what is asserted of Him, but also, and more emphatically, in what is denied (Zwemer 1912).” The Muslim worldview can be confusing and seem like a world turned upside down when seen through western Christian eyes, a perplexing faith where the biblical “The first shall be the last” becomes “If people appoint you as their heads, be like tails (Miller 1992:20).”
In order to build bridges between these very different worlds, the focus of this paper is to use the Quran and the Bible to examine and understand the quranic portrayal of Jesus in order to find concepts that could produce bridges for discussion and possible Christian witness between Christians and Muslims. The thesis of this paper is that the quranic Jesus is not the same man as the biblical Jesus, because the Quran denies the basic divinity, death, and resurrection of Him; despite this, the quranic portrayal of Jesus lends itself to bridge building between Islam and Christianity when we focus on narrative commonalities, Jesus titles and names, and the miracles that he performed in the Quran and the Bible. The greatest bridge is love and friendship.
The Divinity of Christ
Quranic Point of View
Muhammad taught an absolute monotheism. The confession of the Muslim faith is “There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God (Braswell 1996).” From the point of view of Islam, since God alone is the most high, it is a virtual impossibility that He would have a son. The Quran teaches in Surah 3.59, “The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be: and he was.” Surah 4.171 is even more definitive and directive, “Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (more than) a messenger of Allah…so believe in Allah and his messengers. Say not ‘trinity’: desist: It will be better for you: for Allah is one God: glory be to Him: (Far exalted is He) above having a son.” In Surah 112.3 Christ’s sonship is once again denied. In Surah 5.72 Muhammad calls those who say that Christ is God’s son blasphemers and damns them, and Surah 5.75 gives Christ the status of a messenger. There is clear teaching against any worship of Christ in Surah 5.115-117. In Surah 2.50-69 there is a dramatic denial of Christ’s deity and anything other than his role as a messenger prophet with a theocentric message. He is like all of the other prophets, except that his followers, the people of the book are deceptive, and the Quran reports this, “It is the wish of a section of the people of the book to lead you astray…”
Biblical Point of View
The Christian faith is based on the fact that Jesus Christ of the New Testament is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, and the last prophet. Revelation 1:5-6 says, “and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and releases us from our sins by His blood…to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” God Himself spoke of Christ’s sonship from heaven (Matt. 17:2-5), Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (Matt.26:63-67), he was the only begotten of God according to His apostles (John 1:14). John wrote, “By this the love of God was manifest in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9). In the Book of Act chapter 3, the Apostle Peter gives a sermon that defines Jesus to be the awaited Messiah and last prophet.
Bridges
Dr. Woodberry wrote in his article titled The Muslim Understanding of Islam, “For the Muslim, Christology is not included in theology; whereas for the Christian it is central to theology (Woodberry 1996).” Here it is difficult to see any convergence, but the fact remains that Islam does not deny the existence of Jesus. Even the narrative that includes Mary as His mother coincides. The point of bridging the gap here is more than seeing the differences, but to embrace the similarities. Both books contain a story about Jesus. David Shenk suggests that instead of arguing about the Sonship of Christ, we should contextualize and melt the Son of God and the Word of God into an explanation of love and relationship between the Father and His Son Jesus (Katereggga and Shenk 1997:167). Love and relationship is the supreme bridge for all people.
The Death, Resurrection, and Atonement of Christ
Quranic Point of View
Muhammad’s recorded revelations deny several doctrines that are central to Christianity: the death, resurrection, and atoning work of Jesus Christ. Surah 4.157 states, “But they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain knowledge).” Since Jesus was not crucified in Islam, he was not resurrected. Surah 3.55 can be interpreted in various manners, “Behold, Allah said: O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods).” The usual Islamic interpretation is that Jesus was taken to heaven like Enoch of the Old Testament without dying (Gen. 5:24), and he will return to earth to die a normal death. The literal interpretation of this text could point toward a resurrection according to Moucarry, but this would not fit with the denial of Christ’s divinity (Moucarry 2001:132).
Even had Christ been crucified, atonement is not par to Muslim theology. Surah 6.164 states, “Every soul draws the need of its acts on none but itself: no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another,” and, “No soul," says the Quran, "bears any burden but its own" (Surah 6:164).” The dry truth of Islam is that since we are not sinful, we do not need a saviour or any act of atonement for we are not sinners. Everyone must be judged according to their own deeds.
Biblical Point of View
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote in Isa. 53:7-9 long before Christ lived that the Messiah would suffer and die for the sins of mankind. This 53rd chapter about the Suffering Servant contains many of the details that the followers of Jesus recorded later in the New Testament Scriptures. The apostle John wrote that Jesus said, “I lay my life down so that I can take it again. No one has taken it away from me, because I lay down my life so that I can take it again (John 10:17-18).” The apostle Paul who wrote the first Christian theology to the Romans wrote, “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection (Rom. 6:5-7).”
Paul continues in Romans to define the necessity of Christ’s death and resurrection for salvation from all sin. God’s entire plan for salvation that is documented with Scripture depends on Christ’s resurrection as foretold in Isaiah 52. In Acts 1:3; Luke testifies that Christ “presented Himself alive after His suffering.” The letters to the Corinthians proclaim the fact of His resurrection according to eyewitnesses, “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep (1 Cor. 15:20).” Christian thought is inseparable from Christ’s atoning sacrifice.
Christian thought and life are based on Christ’s atonement, and we are called to, “walk in love, just as Christ loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God,” for others (Eph. 5:2). The entire mentality and morality that is the bulwark of western culture is based on the biblical standards set in Christianity, “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28).” Even though society has taken a nose dive into neo paganism, the foundational truths remain. People are sinful and need forgiveness in order to love, live in community, and become holy for God.
Bridges
The Quran repeatedly denies Christ’s death, resurrection and divinity, and this is logical when the absolute monotheism of Islam is considered. The basic difference lies in the fact that the Muslim believer does not need a saviour because according to his thinking original sin was the devils fault and not that of Adam and Eve. Kateregga explains that the descendents of Adam and Eve were immune from the effects of sin; Allah is distant and would not be so closely involved or condemn men in this way (Kateregga and Shenk 1997: 141). In this sense there is no bridge between Islam and Christianity when we consider Christ’s sacrifice and atonement.
There may be, however, a chance to speak about atonement and develop a bridge using the concept of holiness and purity. The Muslim believers must wash themselves ritually before they can approach Allah in prayer. This concept is essentially the same as Christ’s washing us clean in the Blood of the Lamb so that we can come into the presence of God the Father in prayer. In Surah 19:1 it is written, “He said: ‘Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.” We Christians are washed once and for all through accepting Christ. Even if the Muslim questions Christ, he must admit and agree that we are not pure enough to come to God without being cleansed and the idea of a once and for all cleansing may make sense. This may well be at least a bridge for discussion (Nazir 1983).
The concept of Christ as a servant of many may also be a possible bridge in the context of Umma or community and the role of women in Islam. In the Muslim Umma, Denny writes, “Making a hijra to a settled community has traditionally been a meritorious act, for it both symbolizes and embodies the intention to live responsibly with others for the common good (Denny 1994:295).” Those who are living in community within Islam whether in a family or just under the government know that communities demand some degree of selflessness. The concepts of submission to Allah could be connected to selflessness, service and communal living. In this way, submission to the government and to husbands may also be some concepts that could be bridges to Christ, what he did and who he is- the absolute example of submission to His Father on the cross.
The Miracles of Jesus
Quranic Miracles
Surah 5.10 states, “Those who reject faith and deny our signs will be companions of Hell fire.” In Surah 3.46 it says that Jesus would speak to the people in childhood and maturity, and in Surah 19.29-33 that is exactly what he does. Jesus the baby spoke in the Quran about his identity as a new born; he proclaimed that he was a servant of Allah, had a revelation, he is blessed, has a gift of prayer and charity, is kind to his mother, peace is on him, and he will be raised up to life after death. The Bird miracle is recorded in Surah 5.110 where a Jesus breathed into a clay bird and it lived; he is also recorded to have healed the blind and the lepers. Jesus did yet another miracle in Surah 5:112-115. Here heaven sends him down a table prepared for those around him, “a solemn festival and a sign for thee; and provide for our sustenance.” Dr. Martin Bauschke wrote that anyone who claims to be literally on the side of God is committing shirk in Islam. He further contends that both the Jews and the Christians are wrong about Jesus. The Jews because they put Jesus down below his status and considered him an illegitimate child of Mary. The Christians on the other hand are wrong because they consider him a God (Babushka 2002:1).
Biblical Miracles
According to Scripture, Christ did many miracles during His 3 years of ministry. John wrote, “Therefore many signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30-31).” Jesus had power over evil, death, the elements, and could heal the sick (John 2:6-10, Matt. 9:9-13, Lukas 7:12-15) but above all he could forgive sin (Matt. 9:6). Jesus did these miracles as John said in order to testify to His divine nature. The New Testament records 35 separate miracles. Only two of His miracles are found in all four gospels, the feeding of the five thousand and the resurrection.
Bridges
In both the Quran and the Bible, Jesus is a prophet who had supernatural powers. This is a place to build a bridge, especially in Folk Islam, where the supernatural comes into play. When Jesus blew life into the bird, this could be compared to God as creator and giver of life. If Jesus could give life, is he perhaps the Son of God? The other talking baby miracle is a bit more awkward to build a bridge to, but nevertheless, Jesus says that he is blessed and will be resurrected in the Quran. The theme of resurrection, death and atonement that have been discussed in the previous paragraphs could be thus revisited or opened in dialogue. Here is also a good place to hook the Quran with the biblical. The miracle of bread and multiplication could be a narrative according to Acts 10:9-16 where the sheet comes down from heaven, or the Gnostic tradition of the bread from heaven in John 6:30-35 or just the tradition of communion. The idea of connecting the narrative or stories of the Quran and Bible can be practiced with the miracles of Jesus in both books. Since the Jesus works miracles in the Quran, perhaps his biblical miracles could build a bridge to His real mission on earth to save all of mankind. All of these could be shared with a Muslim to try and get him to look into the Bible and come into dialogue.
The Names of Jesus
Quranic Names of Jesus
Isa is the Quranic name for Jesus. The Quran speaks or implies Isa in about 108 verses. He is given the title “Messiah” 11 times. Dr Bauschke empathically explains that by this title, there is no Christian dogmatic meaning in the sense of the pre-existence or two natures of Christ implied. According to Islamists the word Messiah means the anointed, the wandering ascetic who was purified from sin (Bauschke 2002:2). Jesus is also called the Word of God in the Quran. This is explained by Razi in the light of Jesus miraculous birth and while he had no father even more so because God alone called him into being. Another interpretation for the title Word of God is the explanation that Jesus preached the world of God and used signs to prove the divine interpretations of his message as a prophet (Moucarry 2001:177). He is also referred to as the Son of Mary in the narrative of Surah 19.23-34 which is also a testimony for the virgin birth of Isa.
In Surah 19.30, it is written, “I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath sent me Revelation and made me a prophet.” Jesus was a prophet and an apostle in the Quran; this is the type of messenger that can work miracles according to Islam. But more often still, Jesus is called the sent one in the Quran (Surah 3.49, 4.171, 5.75, 57.27, 61.6). He is considered sent to bring the word of God to the Jews. It is not a theocentric message, for he is not proclaiming himself but rather that God is the one and only Lord of the people who alone deserves all of the worship (Surah 3.51).
Biblical Names of Jesus
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God,” (John1:1). Jesus is here the Word and the Word is God. This means that Christ is the beginning and the end in Scripture. He is the prophet that was prophesied according to Deuteronomy 18:18, “I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command you.” The crowds called Him the prophet (Matt. 21:11, Like 24:19). They also called Him the Son of David (Matt. 9:27). He is and was and will come according to Revelation 1:4. Christ is the Word in Scripture and thus the Word of Life, “What was at the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life” (1 John 1:1). There is no way to overlook the divine nature of Christ according to Scripture. That is why Jesus is also called Emmanuel or God with us in the Bible.
Bridges
The fact that Christ has names and titles in both the Quran and the Bible speaks for the common story or narrative approach of both books which is something to hold on to in bridge building between these faiths. The common ground needs to be held up for the sake of dialogue between the groups. The presence of Jesus in both books is a place to build bridges. It is a matter of interpreting the meanings of Jesus’ names that needs to be done gently when building the name bridge. The Name Messiah, for instance, in Islam can mean purified from sin and the anointed one is just that, the sinless Lamb of God set apart. When we approach the name “Word of God”, here too the ground we are standing on is slippery because the Muslim is very sensitive to giving anyone a place close to Allah the Most Gracious and Merciful, but in order to reach a Muslim for Christ, the bridge to Christ must be built.
The name “son of Mary” is a bridge that is implied by both the narrative of the Muslim as well as Christian faith. Both books claim that Jesus was born of a virgin and thus had no father. A Christian can perhaps explain this to a Muslim and again lead him into the Bible. The remaining problem is that Jesus is God according to Trinitarian thought and in extreme monotheism this is an absolute impossibility. The only possibility in this process is that the Holy Spirit takes away the blindness of the Muslim at some point and reveals the truth of Scripture to him. Here we are faced as missionaries with the issue of contextualization and how much of the bridge building material we are willing to compromise to bring dialogue and some form of understanding into existence.
Kateregga is adamant about the point where Christians and Muslims “painfully part company” about Isa. “The Christian view of incarnation seems to compromise God’s transcendence and sovereignty while at the same time exalting a mere man to God status.” Furthermore Muhammad is not accepted as the “seal of the prophets” by the Christians (Kateregga and Shenk 1997:166). The fact remains that salvation comes alone through trust in Our Lord Jesus Christ. The bridge of Christ’s names needs to be the use of the names as a common denominator in digging deeper into the Quranic Isa who is not the same man as Christ Jesus. But it should be possible to go on a mission of discovery with a Muslim who has come so far as to even discuss the comparison of these names. The rest is up to the grace of God and His Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
The biblical and quranic understandings of Jesus are tragic and fortunate. It is tragic that the truth about Jesus is hidden from the Muslim people with so many twists that are like a net of confusion. But, nevertheless, it is exactly the tragedy that makes it possible to build bridges. The analysis of Jesus in this paper is not complete, but enough to discern that the quranic Isa is not the Messiah of the New Testament. In missional context it is important to know and understand the Jesus of the Quran as well as other aspects of the Muslim faith. In order to create dialogue and friendship with a Muslim, we must remain respectful and clear about our interpretation.
Inter-faith dialogue is no easy task, but this paper has developed a few concepts that could help a Muslim become interested in the biblical aspects of one of their own prophets- Jesus. Despite the fact that the Quran denies Christ’ divinity, death, and resurrection, comparing the narrative, the interpretations and understandings of these aspects of the Quran and Bible along with the names and miracles of Jesus could lead to common ground for introducing God’s Scriptural plan for salvation. This can only happen through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Research Evaluation
The challenge of writing this paper about the quranic and biblical Jesus was the time limitation. There would be so much more to think about and report. My research was limited to books, Dr. Woodberry’s CD, and the internet. It would have been interesting to spend more time searching for bridges that others have found in a library or to have done an interview with a Muslim about his views on Jesus.
Personal Gain from Project
This project taught me about the subject as well as about missions with Muslims. My mindset and worldview have been changed and challenged by trying to think in the direction of dialogue and bridge building all semester. I believe that this paper was a breakthrough for me as I tried to find bridges that were my own ideas and not found in literature. For me personally, prayer, friendship, and narrative or the exchange and comparison of stories have become the forms of Muslim evangelization that feel the most comfortable. The knowledge of Islam that I have gained has made the Muslim faith seem less fearsome to me. Understanding is the best way to break the ice of separation between faiths.
Personal Future Implications for Paper
This paper has given me confidence and shows that I am beginning to grasp the Muslim faith. It has given me a desire to talk to a Muslim about my understanding. My original plan for my degree at Fuller was to take a number of classes in Islam studies in order to work with Muslim children and youth. I will continue with Folk Islam and Building Islamic Communities before I graduate. Thank you Robin for all of your direction, understanding and interest!
Works Cited
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Braswell, George W. 1996. Islam: Its Prophet, Peoples, Politics and Power. Nashville: Broadmen and Holman Publishers.
Denny, Frederick Mathewson. 1994. An Introduction to Islam. New York: McMillan Publishing Company.
Kateregga, Badru D. and Shenk, David W. 1997. A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue.
Scottsdale: Herald Press.
Miller, Sara. 1992. A Wandering Prophet: The Islamic Jesus. Christian Century 119.1 (No. 1 (Jan 2/9) Pp.20. http://ruth.fuller.edu:2069/WebZ/ImageFT?cmd=pr. Accessed: 11/17/2007
Moucarry, Chawkat. 2001. The Prophet & the Messiah: An Arab Christian’s Perspective on Islam & Christianity. Downer’s Grove: InterVarsity Press.
Nazir-Ali. 1983. Islam: A Christian Perspective. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. The World of Islam CD Rom.
Nehls, Gerhard. Christians Ask Muslims. The World of Islam CD Rom.
Nehls, Gerhard. 1988. Christians Answer Muslims. The World of Islam CD Rom.
Woodberry, J. Dudly. 1996. The Muslim Understanding of Jesus. The World of Islam CD Rom.