What do Muslims think of Jesus?

[flysky]

What do Muslims think of Jesus?

Muslims think highly of Jesus (P) and his worthy mother, Mary. The Quran tells us that Jesus was born of a miraculous birth without a father. "Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then He said unto him: Be and he is" (Quran 3.59). He was given many miracles as a prophet. These include speaking soon after his birth in defense of his mother's piety. God's other gifts to him included healing the blind and the sick, reviving the dead, making a bird out of clay and most importantly, the message he was carrying. These miracles were given to him by God to establish him as a prophet. According to the Quran, he was not crucified but was raised into Heaven. (Quran, Chapter Maryam)


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http://askmuslims.com

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[Scott1]

Cool! Thanks for the info.

 

[Aqualung]

Yeah, defintiley. I never knew that...

 

[ChrisP]

It's surprising how little information regarding Islam is available within the Christianity founded nations. The difference from Judaism through to christianity and islam comes down to whether or not you believe Jesus was the saviour. If no saviour has come- Judaism, if Mohammed - Islam. Even the holy books are very very similar.

Flysky- What would you consider the main differences (other than Mohammed) between the bible and the Quran?

 

[Malus 12:9]

But also Islam people, The idea that God could have a son is offensive because, for Muslims, it implies that God had a physical, sexual union with a woman, right?

Wasn't Jesus just a "forerunner" for God in Islam belief?

 

[flysky]

Flysky- What would you consider the main differences (other than Mohammed) between the bible and the Quran?

I would try my best to answer your question SnaleSpace:

First of all, the Bible is a collection of writings done in different periods of history, by different writers. The various denominations of Christianity are not in agreement on the canon of the Bible (i.e a list of books accepted by the Church as authoritative or divinely inspired). While most of these books are accepted by most Christians, there are some that are not universally accepted.
About the earliest existing texts of the Bible too, there is a lot of confusion. The oldest extant manuscript of the Bible is believed to be the Codex Vaticanus, which is slightly older than the Codex Sinaiticus, both of which were transcribed in the 4th century.
As for the story of Jesus, there were at least some fifty gospels written in the first and second century C.E. Four of them (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John) were included in the official canon during the 4th century C.E, and are found today in every Bible. All the original copies of the gospels were lost. What we have now are based on hand-written copies which are an unknown number of replications removed from the originals.
In fact, it is an extreme position held only by some Christian groups (the Fundamentalist churches) that the Bible – in its entirety - is the revealed word of God. But the presence of so many contradictions and patently questionable ideas makes this claim untenable.
In comparison, the Qur’an’s claim as the Record of the Word of God dictated to His Prophet, is borne out by the following facts: The speaker in the Qur'an is God talking directly to man. The Qur’an repeatedly says that it is the word of God. It has self-reference; that is to say, it names itself 70 times as the Qur'an.
The verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him), in the course of 23 years of his life, as and when the events in the unfolding development of the Religion of God called for Divine Guidance. As soon as the Prophet received these verses, he dictated them to his disciples, who not only wrote them down, but also learned them by heart. In short from the beginning, the Qur’an was in the hands and hearts of the people.
And before the death of the Prophet, the whole of the Qur’an was written down, examined and verified by the Prophet himself. From that time onwards, it has remained safe from corruption as several copies of it were in the possession of the Muslims. So it was not possible to make any changes to its verses, even if someone wanted to do so.
One of the foremost reasons for the Qur’an’s continued incorruptibility is that it has been preserved in its original language, unlike the Bible. No one in the Muslim world has ever thought to supersede it with a translation. Thus the Qur’an we have today is the same Qur’an that the Prophet received from God. Its authenticity and genuineness therefore, is unimpeachable.
One of the miracles of the Qur'an, which was revealed 14 centuries ago is the fact that it can be read and understood by the Arabic-speaking people living today. Every language undergoes changes as time passes, and a hundred or two hundred years is long enough for a language to undergo substantial changes. Thus anyone who knows the rudiments of the history of languages knows that logically it should be impossible for the Arabic-speaking peoples of today to read and understand a book fourteen centuries old. And yet, everyday, every hour, every minute, in fact every second of the 24 hours of the 365 days of every year of the past centuries has been alive with the reading and study of the Qur'anic verses. And it goes on into the future. The volume and scope of it multiplies in every imaginable way with the coming of the multimedia. This had started at the time of the Prophet and it has continued unceasingly till the present day, making this the ever-present miracle of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), rivaling all other miracles so far.
Allah says: “This is the Book; in it is Sure Guidance, no doubt, for those who are God-conscious….(Qur’an 2:2)
“And say: “The Truth has arrived, and Falsehood perished; for Falsehood is bound to perish.” (Qur’an 17: 81)
And Allah knows best.

I hope this answers your question.

 

[ChrisP]

I hope this answers your question.

Thankyou for taking the time, and going to so much effort flysky, it is appreciated.

 

[ChrisP]

One quick question: which language is the Qu'ran originally written in?

 

[Malus 12:9]

Arabic.

 

[ChrisP]

Arabic.

Ummmm is that coptic or....

 

[Malus 12:9]

The language of the Qur'an is known in the Western world as "classical Arabic";
among Islamic believers..because Quran is written in pure, rich, and poetic Arabic.

Man...

 

[blueman]

But also Islam people, The idea that God could have a son is offensive because, for Muslims, it implies that God had a physical, sexual union with a woman, right?

Wasn't Jesus just a "forerunner" for God in Islam belief?

Only in our finite minds would it seem offensive and we think of the birth being a derivative of a sexual union. If you believe that God is all powerful can we assume that He is able to incarnate His Son through a virgin birth?

 

[flysky]

The language of the Qur'an is known in the Western world as "classical Arabic";
among Islamic believers..because Quran is written in pure, rich, and poetic Arabic.

Man...

Thats true and to add that Every Muslim reads Quran in Arabic, so if you go in any part of the world its exactly the same.

 

[blueman]

I would try my best to answer your question SnaleSpace:

First of all, the Bible is a collection of writings done in different periods of history, by different writers. The various denominations of Christianity are not in agreement on the canon of the Bible (i.e a list of books accepted by the Church as authoritative or divinely inspired). While most of these books are accepted by most Christians, there are some that are not universally accepted.
About the earliest existing texts of the Bible too, there is a lot of confusion. The oldest extant manuscript of the Bible is believed to be the Codex Vaticanus, which is slightly older than the Codex Sinaiticus, both of which were transcribed in the 4th century.
As for the story of Jesus, there were at least some fifty gospels written in the first and second century C.E. Four of them (Mark, Matthew, Luke and John) were included in the official canon during the 4th century C.E, and are found today in every Bible. All the original copies of the gospels were lost. What we have now are based on hand-written copies which are an unknown number of replications removed from the originals.
In fact, it is an extreme position held only by some Christian groups (the Fundamentalist churches) that the Bible – in its entirety - is the revealed word of God. But the presence of so many contradictions and patently questionable ideas makes this claim untenable.
In comparison, the Qur’an’s claim as the Record of the Word of God dictated to His Prophet, is borne out by the following facts: The speaker in the Qur'an is God talking directly to man. The Qur’an repeatedly says that it is the word of God. It has self-reference; that is to say, it names itself 70 times as the Qur'an.
The verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad (peace be on him), in the course of 23 years of his life, as and when the events in the unfolding development of the Religion of God called for Divine Guidance. As soon as the Prophet received these verses, he dictated them to his disciples, who not only wrote them down, but also learned them by heart. In short from the beginning, the Qur’an was in the hands and hearts of the people.
And before the death of the Prophet, the whole of the Qur’an was written down, examined and verified by the Prophet himself. From that time onwards, it has remained safe from corruption as several copies of it were in the possession of the Muslims. So it was not possible to make any changes to its verses, even if someone wanted to do so.
One of the foremost reasons for the Qur’an’s continued incorruptibility is that it has been preserved in its original language, unlike the Bible. No one in the Muslim world has ever thought to supersede it with a translation. Thus the Qur’an we have today is the same Qur’an that the Prophet received from God. Its authenticity and genuineness therefore, is unimpeachable.
One of the miracles of the Qur'an, which was revealed 14 centuries ago is the fact that it can be read and understood by the Arabic-speaking people living today. Every language undergoes changes as time passes, and a hundred or two hundred years is long enough for a language to undergo substantial changes. Thus anyone who knows the rudiments of the history of languages knows that logically it should be impossible for the Arabic-speaking peoples of today to read and understand a book fourteen centuries old. And yet, everyday, every hour, every minute, in fact every second of the 24 hours of the 365 days of every year of the past centuries has been alive with the reading and study of the Qur'anic verses. And it goes on into the future. The volume and scope of it multiplies in every imaginable way with the coming of the multimedia. This had started at the time of the Prophet and it has continued unceasingly till the present day, making this the ever-present miracle of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), rivaling all other miracles so far.
Allah says: “This is the Book; in it is Sure Guidance, no doubt, for those who are God-conscious….(Qur’an 2:2)
“And say: “The Truth has arrived, and Falsehood perished; for Falsehood is bound to perish.” (Qur’an 17: 81)
And Allah knows best.

I hope this answers your question.

The Bible (specifically the New Testament Gospels) is a derivative of what was being taught in 1st century Palestine during the life of Christ and within a 2-3 year period subsequent to His resurrection. Paul references a creed in 1st Corinthians 15 that was passed down subsequent to Christ's resurrection that identified some 500 witnesses to the resurrected Christ. There are over 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament Gospels today which represents the highest quantity of copies today than any of the document from 1st century antiquity. Actually, one of the oldest New Testament manuscripts (payprus fragments of John 18) resides in the Rylands Library in England and many scholars and archaeologists date this copy of John's Gospel back to 145 A.D.. The Quran evolved in the 7th century during Muhammed's lifetime and claimed that Jesus was only a prophet, was not cruxified and diefies Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was only a conduit to fulfill God's purpose and did so obediently and faithfully, but she should not in anyway be diefied. I find it odd that some 600 years later, God would reveal to Mohammed that all of this teaching about Jesus being my Son was utter nonsense and fraudulent.

 

[flysky]

The Bible (specifically the New Testament Gospels) is a derivative of what was being taught in 1st century Palestine during the life of Christ and within a 2-3 year period subsequent to His resurrection. Paul references a creed in 1st Corinthians 15 that was passed down subsequent to Christ's resurrection that identified some 500 witnesses to the resurrected Christ. There are over 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament Gospels today which represents the highest quantity of copies today than any of the document from 1st century antiquity. Actually, one of the oldest New Testament manuscripts (payprus fragments of John 18) resides in the Rylands Library in England and many scholars and archaeologists date this copy of John's Gospel back to 145 A.D.. The Quran evolved in the 7th century during Muhammed's lifetime and claimed that Jesus was only a prophet, was not cruxified and diefies Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary was only a conduit to fulfill God's purpose and did so obediently and faithfully, but she should not in anyway be diefied. I find it odd that some 600 years later, God would reveal to Mohammed that all of this teaching about Jesus being my Son was utter nonsense and fraudulent.

Tell me if you believe that Bible is the true word of God and it has not changed a bit. And every word in the Bible is the word of God, even what Paul spoke?

 

[blueman]

Tell me if you believe that Bible is the true word of God and it has not changed a bit. And every word in the Bible is the word of God, even what Paul spoke?

Yes I do. Out of the books from 1st century antiquity, the basic themes we see referenced in the New Testament scriptures, including the epistles that Paul wrote, were being taught during the lifetimes of those who witnessed these events. If legend and/or false teaching was being promulgated by Paul or any of the other Apostles, it could have been easily disputed by any of their comtempararies. The facts resonate to this day, that it wasn't in dispute by any legitimate source who witnessed said events. To this day, the New Testament Gospels have more manuscripts of original text (over 24,000) than any other document from 1st century antiquity.

 

[HOGCALLER]

flysky,

Quoting from the web site you provided a link to in your original post: “Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind. All came with the same message and the same teachings. It was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them.”

I am assuming that “the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them” refers to Jews and Christians rather than Muslims—is that a correct assumption? If so or if not, could you please explain further?

Again quoting from the web site mentioned above: “Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic.” Why is that? Is God monolingual? If not, then why would he require that his words be available and correctly understood only in one language?

Almost 1000 years before the Quran took on its present form the Jews were translating the Holy Scriptures into the most common language of that time, Greek, so that as many people as possible could read and understand God’s message and teachings. The Christians also produced the Holy Scriptures in multiple languages. Why is that not true of the Muslims and the Quran? If the Quran is God’s message and teachings meant for all mankind, does it not make sense that it should be available in as many languages as possible, as is the Bible, so as to reach those for which it was intended?

.

 

[flysky]

OK! please let me know if Bible is the word of God then how many books do your Bible have because as far as I know
Protestant Church (66 books)
Roman Catholic Church (73 books)

If it is word of God why one has more books then other.

Also FYI even Pauls letters are included in Bible are you telling me God is talking in that and was Paul aware of that (that is did he approve it to be included in Bible)?

Hope to hear from you Blueman

 

[blueman]

OK! please let me know if Bible is the word of God then how many books do your Bible have because as far as I know
Protestant Church (66 books)
Roman Catholic Church (73 books)

If it is word of God why one has more books then other.

Also FYI even Pauls letters are included in Bible are you telling me God is talking in that and was Paul aware of that (that is did he approve it to be included in Bible)?

Hope to hear from you Blueman

First off, you would have to ask the Roman Catholic Church as to the reason they reference 73 books. The original scriptures, both Old and New Testament contain 66 books, total (39 Old)/(27 New).

In reference to your second point, many scholars and theologians estimate that many of Paul's writings were written prior to the New Testament Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the A.D. 40s and 50s) and he had a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. Think about this question. Why would a diligent Pharisee (Saul of Tarsus) who hated everything about Christ and exhibited this hatred by persecuting and killing Christians miraculously become one of Christ's staunch supporters and one of the cornerstones of the Christian faith? What did he have to gain? Wealth? Political Power? Social Status? None of those things were waiting for him as a result of his conversion with the exception of certainty of death for his beliefs? What would make someone in their right mind choose that path? An encounter with the resurrected Jesus is the only rational answer!

 

[flysky]

flysky,

I am assuming that “the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them” refers to Jews and Christians rather than Muslims—is that a correct assumption? If so or if not, could you please explain further?
.

Hello Hogcaller,

Its not Jews and Christians it tell to every nation who got the script and if you go in details that is true. Isn't it.

Again quoting from the web site mentioned above: “Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic.” Why is that? Is God monolingual? If not, then why would he require that his words be available and correctly understood only in one language?
.

The reason we have to learn Arabic is simple that is because all other religions books were interepreted in other languages and now no religion can claim that their Holy Script has the original language for example is Bible in its original language NO is Torah NO, Vedas NO etc ....The only Book which can claim to be in orginal language is HOLY QURAN. And that is why we have to learn Arabic so that it doesn't get lost in interpration. Do you speak multiple language If yes you will understand, if not go and ask the person who does and ask him/her, IF you translate from their language to the one you speak does it change its meaning. I speak more then four languages and I will tell you this "it does make a big difference".

Almost 1000 years before the Quran took on its present form the Jews were translating the Holy Scriptures into the most common language of that time, Greek, so that as many people as possible could read and understand God’s message and teachings. The Christians also produced the Holy Scriptures in multiple languages. Why is that not true of the Muslims and the Quran? If the Quran is God’s message and teachings meant for all mankind, does it not make sense that it should be available in as many languages as possible, as is the Bible, so as to reach those for which it was intended?

As I told you above the reason is simple when you translated from one language to another you lose its orginality and thats what happened to Bible and that's why no one can claim today that the bible is exact word of God because no one now speaks the language which Bible was written in and that is why they have so many versions. Same goes to Torah no one has the orgianal language book.

Yes it make sense to have it available in many languages and we do have it, side by side to Arabic language because if there is any mistake in interpreation you can check it out.

I hope i answered you questions. Let me know.

http://askmuslims.com