An Excerpt - Jesus, Mary and Islam
The central figure of Christianity and his mother are important to Muslims
By GARY SOULSMAN • The News Journal • December 21, 2008
If Humza and Maryam Javed Ismail had their way, they would ride by the big display of Christmas lights every day on Yeatmans Station Road that's near their Landenberg, Pa., home.
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The lights remind the children, who are 11 and 9, about the importance of Jesus and Mary in Islam.
"We believe in the goodness and purity of Mary," says their mother, Dr. Sheerin Javed. "And sometimes we talk about this -- that Jesus is a special prophet for Muslims so it makes us feel good to see him honored this time of year."
Mary -- or Maryam as she is known in the Quran -- is held in such high esteem that Javed and her husband, Dr. Hummayun Ismail, named their daughter for the mother of Jesus.
At a time when the birth of Jesus is on the minds of Christians, he is also revered by Muslims. And while they do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday, there are many similarities between what the Bible and the Quran say concerning the birth of Jesus.
These are so striking that a former Michigan congressman believes that a better understanding of the Muslim and Christian scriptures would be a healing force in the world.
"The similarities are mind-blowing," says former U.S. Rep. Mark Siljander, an evangelical Christian now living in Great Falls, Va.
"But years ago when someone told me Jesus was in the Quran I wouldn't believe it until I read it. I was shocked to learn that Jesus is in the Quran as the Messiah.
"He's talked about as the word of truth. It's said that he can heal the sick and has authority to raise the dead. By my count Jesus is mentioned 110 times."
Scholars also lament that so much emphasis has been given to the differences between the faiths when there are so many similarities to unite them. This is especially true when it comes to Jesus and Mary, they say.
"Mary is highly regarded in the Islamic tradition, and the story of her birth, her dedication to the temple and the miraculous birth of her son, who is also regarded highly, are told in the Quran," says Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu, assistant professor of theology at St. Joseph's University, in Philadelphia.
Yet most Americans don't know how much there is in the Quran about the goodness of Mary and Jesus, says Vivienne Angeles, a religion professor at La Salle University, in Philadelphia. She often teaches Islam to Christian students who are surprised to find central figures of their faith mentioned in the Islamic scriptures.
Mary is one of the most mentioned figures in the Quran. She is revered for her purity, her devout faith and her virgin conception of Jesus -- brought into being by the power and mystery of God, says Asma Barlas, director of the center for the study of culture, race, and ethnicity at Ithaca (N.Y.) College.
Mary is important because she shows how much spiritual individuality can be achieved by Muslim women, she says. "She shows an equality to men that attracts women to her story," Barlas says.
In the Muslim scriptures, chapter 19 is called "Maryam" and tells her story -- how an angel appeared to her as a man to announce that God was giving her a pure and faultless son.
Mary asked how this could happen to a virgin. The angel said: It is easy for God, who has chosen to make the baby's birth a sign to the world.
But while aspects of this are familiar to Christians, there are differences with the Christmas story. Some of the nativity cast are missing -- such as Joseph, the wise men and King Herod.
In the Quran, Mary does not marry Joseph. Instead, she travels alone to a remote place where she feels such painful childbirth she wishes for death.
But God shows mercy and she rests under a palm tree. There, she is miraculously fed by water and dates.
After the baby's birth, she comes back to her people who marvel at the baby, not knowing Mary was pregnant.
Rather than speak, Mary points to her baby. "I am a servant of God," says Jesus. "He's given me a revelation and made me a prophet."
It's the first of his miracles. Jesus later raises the dead and is also resurrected at his death.
"Jesus brings teachings about how to live well and devote oneself to a holy life," says Faheem Akil, a member of the Masjid on Philadelphia Pike.
"His message is to worship almighty God and abstain from evil."
Muslims also believe that Jesus will return one day to set everything right, says Farhanna Muhammad, of Wilmington.
However, Jesus is not talked about as the son of God. In Islam, God is spoken of as a unity, rather than a trinity of father, son and holy ghost, says Dawud Muhammad, of the Masjid.
And for many Christians, that is a stumbling block to embracing the teachings of Islam, says the Rev. Bo Matthews, senior pastor of Brandywine Valley Baptist Church. For most Christians, a core belief is that Jesus was born as God's son to die for mankind's sins. "In our traditions, it's important that we don't blur the differences, but we shouldn't let it drive us apart as people," Matthews says.
The Rev. Tom Flowers, of St. Polycarp Catholic Church in Smyrna, says he's impressed by how much regard Islam has for Jesus and Mary. He wishes more people appreciated the similarities. He believes it would lead to greater respect.
Siljander agrees, saying he once felt there were irreconcilable differences between Muslims and Christians. He now thinks otherwise. And he writes in a new book -- "A Deadly Misunderstanding: A Congressman's Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide" -- that 1,400 years of scriptural translations are at the heart of differences in speaking of Jesus.
Muslims object to describing Jesus as the son of God, he says. Yet, scriptures written in Aramaic suggest that it's proper to refer to Jesus as "the spirit of God."
When that phrase is used, Muslims agree: Jesus is the spirit of God, given that Jesus was supernaturally conceived by God. Jesus is also the son of Mary, the word of God and the word of truth, Siljander says.
"I pray with both groups in this language and it's perfectly fine," he says. "It shakes people up to realize how much we actually agree."
And, in the name of peace, he travels the world showing the hidden agreement between Christianity and Islam.
Contact Gary Soulsman at 324-2893 or gsoulsman@delawareonline.com.
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Mary in the Quran
When naming the best woman who ever lived, Mohammed named Mary (Maryam in Arabic), the mother of Jesus, as the best woman to ever live.
Her Birth.
"When the wife of Imran said:
'O my Lord! I have vowed to You what is in my womb [my child] to be dedicated to Your services, so accept this [my vow] from me. Verily, All-Hearer, the All-Knowing.' Then we she delivered her she said:
'O my Lord! I have delivered a female child' - and Allah knew better what she delivered - 'And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Maryam and I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from Satan, the outcast.' " (Quran 3:35-36)
The wife of Imran, and mother of Mary, out of her devotion to God vowed to dedicate the child in her womb to the sacred service of God and asked God to accept her vow. Her hopes were in a male child who will be brought up to service the places of worship and be dedicated to serve God. Delivering a female child, she realized that things did not go according to her plan, but decided to fulfill her vow, and Maryam was the name of the child. And she made a prayer for her newly born asking God to protect her and her offspring from Satan. The verses following described the response of God to the vow and to the prayer of the mother:
"So her Lord accepted her [Maryam] with good acceptance." (Quran 3:37).
Her Upbringing.
Quran verses 3:37 continue ..
"So her Lord accepted her with good acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zachariya. Every time he entered Al-Mihrab (the praying place) to visit her, he found her supplied with sustenance [food]. He said:
'O Maryam! From where have you got this?' She said:
'This is from Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance who He wills, without limit.' "
So Mary was accepted by God, and was brought up in a good manner after she was put under the care of Zachary. Through her devotion and righteous upbringing and the prayer from her mother, Mary became the best woman to ever live as depicted in the Quran in the verses 3:42:
"And (remember) when the angels said: 'O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allah (God) has chosen you, purified you (from polytheism and disbelief), and chosen you above the women of the world (of her lifetime).' "
Mary Receives a Visit.
In the19th chapter of the Quran (which is called Maryam) Mary receives a visitor from God:
"And mention in the Book, Maryam [i.e. mention, O Mohammed, in the Quran the story of Mary], when she withdrew from her family to a place facing east. She placed a screen from them; then We sent to her our angel (Jibrael, or Gabriel), and he appeared before her in the form of a man in full human form. She said:
'I seek refuge with The Most Beneficent [God] from you, if you do fear Him.' (The angel) said:
'I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son.' She said:
'How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?' He (the angel) said:
'So (it will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me: And to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (from God)', and it is a matter (already) decreed (by God).' " (Quran 19:16-21)
In these verses, it is described how the pious virgin Mary is visited by angel Gabriel, who appears before her in a form of a man. Not knowing who he is, she fears for herself, but he asserts to her that he is an angel, a Messenger from her Lord, and announces to her news of her miraculous conception of a son. In shock, she questions, affirming her chastity. The angel answers that such a conception, though miraculous, is easy for The Lord, all He needs to say is "Be." and it is. And that these are matters decreed by Him, for greater purposes and to the benefit of mankind.
The Miracle.
And then, miraculously, Mary becomes pregnant. The emotional story of her pregnancy follows:
"So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place . And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said:
'Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!' Then a call unto her from below, said:
'Grieve not! Your Lord has provided a water stream under you; And shake the trunk of the date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and be glad, and if you see any human being, say:
'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Beneficent so I shall not speak to any human being this day.' " (Quran 19:22-26)
From these versus one mentally pictures Mary, driven out of town, out of sight to Bethlehem valley 4-6 miles from Jerusalem, in the pain of labor, and in fear of what is going to happen to her. It is her first child, she has no husband. What will her people, the Jews, say? What will they do? How will she react? With all that, she wishes that she was dead, but the God who gave her the miracle, the God to Whom she worshipped, to Whom she devoted her life, did not forsake her. A voice came from beneath her, soothing and comforting her, and guiding her. And when she gave birth, the voice instructed her not to speak or explain, but make a vow of silence and everything will workout.
"Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said:
'O Maryam! Indeed you have brought a thing which is greatly evil! O sister of Haron (i.e. O you who we consider the like of Haron, who was a pious man at the time of Mary)! Your father was not a bad man (adulterous), nor was your mother an unchaste woman.' Then she pointed to him (to the baby). They said:
'How can we talk to one who is a child, in the cradle?' " (Quran 19:27-29)
Mary gives birth to the child, and takes him back to her village. And there Mary meets the Jews. Upon seeing her with her baby, they are struck. In their eyes, she has done a heinous crime. Their argument was: 'How could you do something so evil! We always considered you a model person of piety, and you come from a pious family -- known and respected!'. But Mary obeys the commands of her Lord. She is quiet and points to the baby.
Jesus: Son of Mary
The Quran refers to Jesus as "Jesus son of Maryam" many times. All Muslims believe that Jesus was miraculously born without a father by Mary, the virgin. In previous sections, we read how Mary has an exalted status over the rest of women of the world, and how she became pregnant with Jesus.
Here we will discuss:
1. Jesus: His first miracle (from Quran and from Bible).
2. Jesus: Miracles and His Preaching.
3. The Table Spread.
4. The Evil Plot.
Jesus: His First Miracle.
After the questioning and accusations of the Jews (read the earlier section), Mary in obedience to her Lord, spoke nothing and pointed to the baby. The crowd was outraged. They proclaimed: 'What kind of an answer is this! You turn to your child in your defense?!' And they were right. Under normal circumstances and in usual situations this is not a proper behavior of a sane person. But the circumstances were not normal, and the situation was far from usual. It is then that the miracle happened.
"They said:
'How can we talk to one who is a child, in the cradle?' He (The baby) said:
'I am a slave of Allah [i.e. created by God and belong to Him], He has given me the Scriptures and made me a Prophet; And He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and enjoined on me Salat (prayer), and Zakat (giving alms to the poor) as long as I live. And dutiful to my mother (i.e. made me kind and good to my mother) and made me not arrogant, unblest. And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I shall be raised alive (i.e. on The Day of Judgment and Resurrection)!' "(Quran 19:29-33)
And this was the first miracle of Jesus son of Mary. Only a baby, he talked to the Jews, asserting his subjugation to his Lord, and describing that this miracle - his talking - is a sign from their Lord - a sign of his prophet hood. He told them of the Scriptures to be given to him from God, and told them that he was ordered to pray and be kind to the poor as long as he lived. He told them that he was blessed by God, and was kind and respectful to his great mother, not arrogant. And that peace is upon him the day his was born, and peace will be upon him the day he will be resurrected on The Day of Judgment and Resurrection, when every person is going to be resurrected and Judged by God according to his/her deeds.
The First Miracle in The Bible
In contrast, the Bible presents the first miracle performed by Jesus in John:20. He was over 30 years of age when he turned water into wine:
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, they have no wine. Jesus saith unto her,
'Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.'
His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now." (John 2:110)
Jesus: Life Full of Miracles and Preaching.
The life of Jesus son of Mary was full of miracles. To this the Quran states:
"He will speak to the people in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous ... And He (God) will teach him (Jesus) the Book and the wisdom (of the prophets) and the Torah and the Injeel (name of Scriptures). And will make him a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying):
'I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you of clay, as it were, a figure of a bird and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's Leave (with God's Permission); and that I heal him who is born blind, and the leper, and I bring to life, the dead by Allah's Leave (with God's Permission). And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, this is a sign for you, if you believe." (Quran 3:46,48-49)
Like all the Prophets, Jesus was given miracles as signs and support from God to his divine inspiration. With that inspiration he preached:
"And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come with proof from your Lord. So fear Allah (God) and obey me. Truly! Allah (God) is my Lord and yours, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path.' " (Quran 3:50-51).
The Disciples and The Table Spread.
Despite all the signs from God and preaching, Jesus found resistance among the Jews. But some became dedicated disciples:
"And when I (God) put in the hearts of the disciples to believe in Me and My Messenger (Jesus), they said:
'We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims (Muslims means submitters to God in peace and obedience, see meaning of Islam). When the disciples said:
'O I'esa (Jesus) son of Maryam! Can your Lord send down to us a table spread (with foods) from the heavens?' He (Jesus) said:
'Fear Allah (God) if you are indeed believers (i.e. dot ask for more miracles if you truly believe).' They said:
'We wish to eat thereof and to be stronger in Faith, and to know that you have indeed told us the truth and that we ourselves be its witnesses.' I'esa (Jesus) son of Maryam said:
'O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread that will be an Eid (a festival and celebration) to the first and last of us and a sign from You; and provide us sustenance, for You are the Best of sustainers.' " (Quran 3:111-114).
And God answered his request and sent down the table spread of food, another sign from Him.
The Plot: Evil Conspiracy.
Unhappy with his preaching, the disbelievers from among the Jews conspired an evil plot: to suppress the voice of truth, to assassinate the great teacher, to murder the wise preacher.
"And they (the disbelievers) plotted [to kill Jesus] and Allah planned too. And Allah is the Best of planners. When Allah said:
'O I'esa (Jesus)! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you (your teachings) superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me shall be your return, and I will judge between you in the matters in which you used to dispute.'" (Quran 3:54-55).
God saved him and raised him to the heavens so that the conspirators did not succeed.
Excerpt from : The Muslim Students Association at the University of Alabama
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