clcgh.org Building The Capacity Of Christian Leaders, Equipping The Saints For The Work Of Ministry, Redirecting Straying Christians To The Sound Knowledge Of Christ
The two dominating faiths in the world, Christianity and Islam, are both fans of Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus is the son of God, hence the Christ.
Paradoxically, the Islamic community agrees that Jesus is the Messiah and that He will come again to take believers to heaven, but denies Him as the Son of God and the creator.
They argue that if God has a Son, then Christians who project this teaching should tell the world who His wife is.
In this article, we wish to scrutinize some Chapters of the Quran and find out whether or not the book recognises Jesus as the Son of God and the creator.
First of all, the Quran has three special names for Jesus. Before we consider these names, let us establish the fact that Muslims do believe in Anabi Isa or Nabi Isah. Anabi or Nabi means Prophet whereas Isah refers to Jesus.
We can see that Muslims believe that Jesus is just one of the prophets like Moses, Isaiah, Mohammed but not the Son of God.
The first name we want to look at is Jesus as Kalimat Allah. Kalimat is the Arabic word for WORD and Allah is the Arabic Word for GOD. Thus, Kalimat Allah means The Word of God.
In the Sura 4:171 (An-Nisaa), it says; “… The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and HIS WORD, which He conveyed to Mary…”
Clearly, the Quran indirectly refers to the Lord Jesus Christ as God. It says Jesus is the Word of God. A being whether human or deity is known by what he says. One cannot be separated from his word.
Now, if the Quran calls Jesus, the Word of God, then it is appropriate to state that Jesus is God. For God is His Word and His Word is God.
Again, the Quran calls Jesus, the Spirit of God. Ruh Minhu is the Arabic word. Ruh in Arabic means SPIRIT OR BREATH, thus RUH MINHU in Arabic means the Spirit of God.
In Sura 4:171 where we read earlier, the B part says Jesus is a SPIRIT FROM GOD. Remember that God is a Spirit.
Moreover, the Quran calls Jesus Isa al-Masih, meaning Jesus, the Messiah. The word “Messiah” is derived from Hebrew which means the Anointed.
In Judaism, it means the expected king of the Davidic line who would deliver His people from foreign bondage and restore the glory of its golden age.
The Greek New Testament translation says the word Messiah is the Greek word Christos which is translated in English as the Christ.
In addition, the Quran says God is the sole creator of the universe. But it says in Quran 5:110 that, Jesus created a bird with clay and released Ruh (spirit or breath) in to it and the bird made of clay became a life bird. You can see that the Quran reveals Jesus as a divine being who gives life.
Finally, the Quran points out that Allah is the First and Last in the Chapter 57 verse three. This is confirmed by Revelation 1:17, where Jesus said He is the Frist and The Last.
We realise, so far, that the Quran reveals Jesus Christ as the Word of God, the Spirit of God and creator thereby confirming His divinity.
It is, therefore, improper to label Christ Jesus as a mere prophet equal to Mohammed who reportedly said he was the only man next to Christ in this life and the life to come. This is a blasphemy.
In the next edition, we shall consider whether or not Jesus said people should worship Him as God.
By Michael Florida Asante
