A Closer Look At Christianity

A CLOSER LOOK AT CHRISTIANITY

Was Jesus sent to be crucified?
One of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity relates that Jesus died and allowed for the shedding of his blood for the sake of granting forgiveness to people. In other words Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Let us investigate this topic from the Bible, and find out whether Jesus was sent to be crucified and whether he was crucified at all.


Willingness of Jesus Christ to die for our sins
Peter and the two sons of Zebedee were with Jesus Christ before the elders of the people and the chief priests came to take him to be crucified. Jesus at this point talked to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee as in Matthew 26:38 "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." Then Jesus went a little further away from them and prayed to God as in Matthew 26:39 "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

It is very clear from the above verse in Matthew 26:39 that Jesus had no intention of dying. In this verse it is shown that Jesus was praying strongly (Matthew mentions Jesus repeating this prayer three times) to have this death removed from him. Had Jesus Christ been sent to be crucified, he would not have hesitated to be killed at all.

God answered the prayers at Jesus Christ
After Jesus made the above mentioned prayer he was answered by God according to Hebrews 5:7 "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." These words clearly show when Jesus was praying strongly to God, God granted him his request. The words "heard in that he feared" (Hebrews 5:7) mean that God granted him what he requested. So the above verse shows when Jesus asked of God to "let this cup pass from" (Matthew 26:39) him, God responded to his prayer and saved him from death or crucifixion.

Why would Jesus have to die on the cross?
According to the Christian doctrine, Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Every human is born with sins, or all humans will eventually sin, and therefore it was necessary that someone as pure as Jesus would be crucified to nullify these sins. The question is; why does anyone have to die for our sins when God, the all merciful, could as easily grant us forgiveness if we asked for it? Why does He have to make someone suffer for our sins or for someone else's sins? Isn't that unjust of Him? According to the Bible the way to redemption could be obtained without the need for sacrifice. The Bible says:

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Ezekiel 18:21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Clearly the soul that sins shall die. Clearly, no one shall bear the iniquity (sins) of others. So Jesus cannot bear the sins of others either. If one is righteous then it shall be upon him, and if one commits a sin then it shall be upon him, and not on Jesus. Finally, the way to repentance and forgiveness is by turning from all sins, doing what is right, and keeping the commandments.

Also we see the same message given by Solomon. He says in the book of Ecclesiastes 12:13 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." This is the whole message, and this is the conclusion of messages. It is that one should fear God, keep His commandments, and nothing else.

Again in II Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" This clearly states that to seek forgiveness from God we have to humble ourselves, pray, seek God, and turn away from wickedness.

Finally the Bible says in I Samuel 15:22 "And Samuel said Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." This clearly states that obeying God is better than sacrifice whether this sacrifice is of objects, animals, or humans, or any other type. What God likes is for us to heed and obey Him, and if that is what God likes then it is not of Him to come later and change His mind and His ways. God says in the Holy Qur'an, "Verily God is All-Knowing, All-Wise" (9:28).

Now that we have seen this, Christians say that Jesus has changed some of these laws. Did Jesus come to change laws? Let's look at what Jesus says. In Matthew 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Jesus clearly states that he was not sent to abolish the law, the law of which had already existed. What is mentioned above cannot be discounted. Then Jesus continues to say, in Matthew 5:18 and 19 "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus here asserts that not even as much as a tittle (dot) shall pass from the law. Every thing is kept the way it was. This is why the previous laws cannot be removed or discarded, and those who willfully change these laws "he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven."

Is Jesus the same as God?
In John 10:30 Jesus said, "I and my Father are one" This verse, according to Christians, shows God and Jesus Christ to be same. On the other hand, we read in John 20:17, "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God." Here Jesus stated that there was a distinction between him and God. In other words that Jesus himself had a God. Also, Matthew 27:46 "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Here Jesus Christ cried in loud voice calling for his God.

These are two different and opposite ways Jesus relates himself to God. The first one, he and God are one, and the second; he refers to a higher authority than him, which is God. Now assuming that both are correct statements then we have a contradiction. If, for example, Jesus Christ was God himself as in John 10:30 then it would be more appropriate for him to say " .and to myself and your God." in John 20:17, or "Myself, Myself, why hast thou forsaken me?" in Matthew 27:46. If, on the other hand, one of them is wrong and the other is correct then we have to discard the one we believe to be incorrect! Since God does not make mistakes then we no longer believe the Bible is the word of God (because we believe there is a contradiction of God's words in the Bible).

A third possibility is that we have to look at how we can interpret the words of Jesus in those verses. As far as John 20:17 and Matthew 27:46 it is very clear Jesus had a God whom he prayed to and Whom had a higher authority than his own. We can back this up with other verses from the Bible that say, "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear; I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:30) Also Jesus said, "...for my Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). If Jesus and God were the same then he would not have said what he said in the above verses.

Now, the only verse that can be interpreted is John 10:30. It is the only one that does not render itself clear. The only way John 10:30 could be interpreted such that it does not contradict all the other verses is by saying that Jesus meant he and God had something in common.

To find out what the common grounds were, we have to look at the context in which this verse came:

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

As can be seen from John 10:28 and John 10:29 Jesus was telling the Jews that he and God share something in common, and it was: no one can pluck the faithful from either of their hands. This was the common factor between Jesus and God in this case, and not that Jesus was himself God, or that they were exactly the same.

Let us go on to see what Jesus says in John 10:

John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. John 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan ...

In John 10:31 we see that the Jews misunderstood what Jesus had meant by "I and my Father are one." (John 10:30). And in John 10:33 they accused him of blasphemy. Now, had Jesus been God, or had he and God been one in a literal sense then he wouldn't have hesitated to clarify the matter at that point. Jesus at that point said, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" What he was trying to say was that if the Jews called "I and my Father are one" blasphemy then they should call what was written in their law "Ye are gods" blasphemy too.

The reasoning behind this is "Ye are gods" does not mean that you, the Jews, are Gods, it is rather an expression. It just means that you are godly people. The same applies to "I and my Father are one." It does not mean that Jesus is God or that he and God are the same literally. It's just an expression. (The same goes for calling himself "the Son of God." This statement should not be taken literally either).

The Holy Qur'an says, " ... Nothing whatsoever (is there) like the like of Him, and He (alone) is All-Hearing and All-Seeing" (42:11). Nothing at all is like God, not Moses, not Jesus, not Muhammad, and certainly nothing of His creation.

Is Jesus the Son of God?
One of the fundamental beliefs in Christianity is the literal sonship of Jesus Christ to God. This belief comes from the verse in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Also in I John 5:1 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him." these verses clearly state that Jesus is the only begotten, and born Son of God.

Let us look at other verses from the Bible to find out whether Jesus was the only begotten son of God, or that there were more than one. Also let us investigate whether Jesus was the only one born of God. Finally, let us investigate whether the word begotten is to be taken literally.

Was Jesus the only begotten son of God?
In the book of Psalms 2:7 we find "I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." David, in this verse, is saying that God had told him he was the son of God and God has begotten him. Clearly Jesus is not the only begotten son of God.

Of course, one could say that although Jesus was not the only begotten son of God, he had no human father in contrast to David who had a human father. That is true! Since Jesus had no human father it makes the relationship between him and God a closer one. The question is what about Adam? Adam had neither human father nor a human mother, and according to the Bible he too was the son of God. The Bible says, "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli" (Luke 3:23) The Bible goes on to mention the supposed genealogy of Jesus Christ. At the end of this genealogy the Bible comes to Adam, and it says, "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God." (Luke 3:38)

So Adam is also the son of God. According to the assumption: "because Jesus had no human father then he is closer to God than David who had a human father," we can safely conclude that Adam is better than Jesus because he did not have a human father or mother.

The truth is Jesus and Adam do not differ in God's sight. They were a mere creation of God. The Holy Qur'an says in clear terms, "Verily, similitude of Jesus with God is as the similitude of Adam; He created him out of dust then said He unto him BE, and he became." (3:59)

Who was Jesus if not the literal son of God?
According to the Bible in Matthew 21:11 "And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." This was Jesus. He was a prophet of God, He was sent like other prophets to deliver the message of his ONE and only ONE God (glory be to Him). Also, in Luke 24:19 the Bible says "And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people."

Jesus was a true messenger of God Almighty. He was sent by Him to deliver His will, The Bible says in John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." These are the true characteristics of a prophet. They do as they are commanded. They are sent to deliver a message, and the only difference between them and other humans is their utmost righteousness, "mighty in deed and word" (Luke 24:19) They are the best of all the people of their time. They are the only ones who could bear and act upon the commandments of God completely and fully. They are loved by God because of that, and their nearness to God comes from that.

The same applies to all other prophets. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ismael, Isaac, Jacob, Jonah, Moses, Jesus, Jonas, Muhammad and all the other prophets shared the same qualities. The qualities of those who could withstand all forms of tribulations in God's name. They all fully abided by what God has commanded them. The Qur'an says, "Say: (O' Our Apostle Muhammad!) (unto the People) 'We believe in God and what hath been sent down to us, and what hath been sent down to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and what was given to Moses, and Jesus and the Prophets from their Lord, we make no difference between any of them, and we unto Him are muslims"' (3:84). (Note that "what was given to Moses, and Jesus" is not the same as the current Bible written by Paul, John, Luke, Matthew, and so on. Rather they were the true books of Moses and Jesus. These are not to be found today.)

Oneness of God
One of the main doctrines in Christianity is the trinity. This idea comes from I John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." This verse indicates that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one. These words are John's words and not Jesus words nor God's, but according to the Christians John was inspired by God, and that is the reason for taking his words as the truth. Let us investigate the Bible to see if God is One and only One, or that He is, or they are three in one.

Are Jesus and God the same?
I have already talked about this topic, and showed the difference between God and Jesus. If you have not read that yet please do so.

Let us see what Jesus himself says
One of the scribes asked Jesus, Mark 12:28 "...Which is the first commandment of all?" Clearly from the question the man wanted to know the first of all commandments, and the most important one. Jesus replied to him in the following verse:

Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of oil the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

1. Jesus was not talking to this man only, but he made sure to call the attention of all Israel "Hear O Israel." This indicates the importance of this message.

2. Jesus says, "the Lord our God." This clearly indicates that God is not only the God of the people Jesus is talking to, but He is also Jesus God ("our").

3. Jesus continues to say, "is one Lord." This clearly indicates the Oneness of God.

4. Finally, in Mark 12:30 Jesus reiterates that this is the first commandment "this is the first commandment." A commandment before all others.

Jesus in these verses showed how important this message was by calling the attention of the Israelites, and when he talked about the Oneness of God he excluded himself from that "Oneness" when he said, "our God." He stated that this One God is his God as well as every one else's. Had he been one of the three mentioned in John (according to John) then he would not have said "the Lord our God," but he would have said "the Lord your God."

The Absolute Oneness of God from the rest of the Bible
In many instances in the Bible, God and His prophets mention that God is only One, and not three in one. The following are some of the many verses from the Bible:

* Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" God is one and not three in one.
* Isaiah 43:10-11 "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. " God wants us to "know," "believe," and "understand" that He is the LORD, and "beside" Him there is no other. Had there been any other "beside" Him then He would have said it.
* Ephesians 4:6 "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
* I Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
* James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." What makes the devil tremble is the belief that God is one, and not three.
* Deuteronomy 4:35 "Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.
* I Samuel 2:2 "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God."
* Isaiah 44:6 "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God."
* Isaiah 44:8 "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."
* Isaiah 45:5 "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me."
* Isaiah 45:6 "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from list west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else."
* Hosea 13:4 "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me."

Some of these verses testify that God is "one," others attest that there is nothing "beside" Him, one of them declares that nothing is "like" Him, and so on. None of the above verses include anything that describes that God is three in one. Jesus did not say that he was one of three, nor did God in His own words.

I am told that although God and Jesus never mentioned the idea of the trinity, yet John who was inspired by God clarified this idea for all of us, the idea that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one.

My argument is: God never said that He is three in one, never were any prophets of God ever instructed to say that God is three in one, not even Jesus was instructed to say that, yet John who was not a prophet of God (he was an apostle of Jesus, or a disciple) said that God is really three in one, and the whole world of Christians believe him! I am wondering, who has more authority? What is more powerful? That which was quoted from Jesus mouth and God's words, or the interpretation of John?

Before I end this section, "The Absolute Oneness of God from the rest of the Bible," I would like to raise some points about the idea of inspiration:

* If the idea that the Bible is the book of God because it was inspired is to be believed, then we should disregard the book of Luke if we are willing to take Luke for his own words, when we read Luke 1:1-3 "For as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus." Luke tells us that he saw it good to write his book. It was his own choice, and not an inspiration.
* If we should believe that the Bible is the book of God because it was inspired, then we should also believe in the book "The Book of Mormon, Anther Testament of Jesus Christ." The Author of this book, Joseph Smith, claims he too was inspired by God. Why should we stop at the Bible alone?
* There are hundreds of different denominations in Christianity, and many in almost all denominations claim to be inspired by God, yet they are all different in their beliefs and convictions. Who are we to believe? Who is right and who is wrong? Especially when some of these denominations differ with others on the most crucial points in Christianity. Also, why does God deliver different message to each denomination, is God the author of confusion? I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

What about worshipping God through Jesus?
The worship of God should be aimed directly to God. God does not need a medium for prayers to come to Him. This is clear from the Bible. When God says in such a bold manner:

Exodus 20: 1-5 "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

We should not make any images or likeness of any thing that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth as something to worship. God is the only One that we should bow down to. God, the God of everything, is a Jealous God, and he does not like us to worship anything but Him, not even Jesus. God shows how jealous He is when people worship images in Exodus 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other God: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

Who is Jesus?
If Jesus is not God, not the Son of God, and not one of three (trinity), then who is Jesus? I have briefly discussed this previously "Is Jesus the Son of God?" This time I would like to expand on Jesus life (peace be upon him). I want to talk about Jesus from birth, starting with his mother (peace be upon them both) till the day he was taken up to God.

Who was his mother?
His mother was The Virgin Mariam (Mary) the daughter of Imran (father) and Hinnah (mother). When Hinnah carried Mariam in her womb she vowed to offer Mariam to God by letting her serve Him in one of His houses of worship. When Mariam was born, her mother wrapped her in a piece of cloth, and took her to Al-Aqsa Mosque where she was handed over to the bishops.

When the bishops looked at her, and found out that she was the daughter of their lord and leader Imran they all wanted to take care of her. Although Zachariah the prophet (P.B.U.H.) was the person in charge of sacrificial offerings he was not allowed to take charge of Mariam's matter this time. After a long quarrel over her, they all decided that the person who wins the lottery is the one that takes her in.

Zachariah won, and sponsored Mariam. He gave her a place to live, assigned her a female caretaker and personally watched over her until she was old enough to take care of herself and didn't need the caretaker anymore.

When Zachariah came to Mariam in her place of worship he used to find fruits that would normally grow in other seasons. When he asked her where she acquired these fruits from, she would say that it was from God Almighty. The following verse relates the story of Mariam after she was born and offered by her mother to God:

"So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zachariah; whenever Zachariah entered the sanctuary to (see) her, he found with her food. He said: O Mariam! Whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure." (3:37)

Angels used to always come to Mariam and tell her of her purity, and chastity. They also used tell her that God has chosen her above the women of the world, and that He has protected her from all types of corruption. She was constantly inspired to work harder and apply herself more in worship, supplication, and prostration for God. The Qur'an says, "And when the angels said: O Mariam! Surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the world. O Mariam! Keep to obedience to your Lord and humble yourself, and bow down with those who bow. (3: 42-43)

How was Jesus born?
The following verses from the Chapter 19 (Mariam) narrate the story of the birth of Jesus Christ the prophet who was born without a father:

And mention Mariam in the Book when she drew aside from her family to an eastern place; So she took a veil (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man. She said: Surely I fly for refuge from you to the Beneficent Allah, if you are one guarding (against evil). He said: I am only a messenger of your Lord: That I will give you a pure boy. She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste? He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed.

So she conceived him; then withdrew herself with him to a remote place. And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten! Then (a voice) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you; And shake towards you the trunk of the palm-tree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates: So, eat and drink and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent Allah, so I shall not speak to any man today.

And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Mariam! Surely you have done a strange thing. O sister of Haroun (Aaron)! Your father was not a bad man, nor, was your mother an unchaste woman. But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle? He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet; And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live; And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed; And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life. Such is Jesus, son of Mariam; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute. (19:16-34)

This was the story behind Jesus birth. Two of the most magnificent miracles were connected to his birth: the first was the birth to a chaste mother, and without the need for a father. This miracle shows that God has the ability to do anything He wishes. God says after the above verse, It beseems not Allah that He should take to Himself a son, glory to be Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it "Be," and it is. (19:35) The idea of Son ship is ambiguous. What does it mean for God to have a son when everything in this world is His creation, and a mere command of His?

The other miracle was that Jesus spoke when he was in the cradle. God gave him the ability to talk to people to fend off any accusations made to his virtuous mother, and to notify the world that he was a prophet of God. That was Jesus. He was sent to tell people about the true God. The One and only One God of this universe. It was people who then changed this idea, and took Jesus as the Son of God. The Qur'an relates, "And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path." (19:36)

Who was Jesus sent to?
Jesus was sent to the entire world. It is known that the total number of prophets that God sent was 124,000. Five of these prophets were considered to be the best, and they were called Ol-ool Al-Azm. These prophets were Nooh (Noah), Ibraheem (Abraham), Mousa (Moses), Eesaa (Jesus), and Muhammad (Peace be upon them all, and Muhammad's progeny). Being one of the five Ol-ool Al-Azm prophets meant that Jesus was sent to the entire world of mankind and Jin (other beings living amongst us that can see us without us seeing them).

Did Jesus have a heavenly book?
Yes, God sent down to Jesus the In-Jeel (the gospel). The book is nonexistent today, and the Bible that we have today is authored by people who came after Jesus (P.B.U.H.). The proof is simple: none of the books in the Bible is named after Jesus (the book of Luke, John, and so forth). All the books were written by people other than Jesus the prophet of God. It is a known fact amongst scholars that not a single word in the Bible was instructed to be written or written by Jesus himself during his time on earth.

What were Jesus miracles?
Jesus (P.B.U.H.) had many miracles. They are mentioned in the Holy Qur'an, and I have already mentioned two of them: the first being his birth without a father, and the other being his speech while he was in the cradle. God says in the Holy Qur'an, "And (make him) a messenger to the children of Israel: That I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I determine for you out of dust like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with Allah's permission and I heal the blind and the leprous, and bring the dead to life with Allah's permission and I inform you of what you should eat and what you should store in your houses; most surely there is a sign in this for you, if you are believers." (3:49)

1. He was able to make birds out of clay, and breathe life into them.
2. He was able to bring back the dead to life.
3. He was able to predict what people stored of food.
4. He was able to heal the blind, and the leprous.

He was able to do all this by God's permission and will.

Was Jesus crucified?
No. Jesus (P.B.U.H.) was raised to God.

On the night that Jesus was supposed to be taken up by God he called the 12 apostles for a meeting. He advised them, and told them of what he wanted from them, Then he asked if one of them would volunteer to take his place (form) after he left, God would then make that person look like Jesus. That apostle would have to endure killing, and crucifixion by the Jews, and in return he would be in the same level in paradise as Jesus.

One of the apostles agreed to sacrifice himself, and Jesus was taken up from one of the corners of the house while the apostles were watching. When the Jews came looking for Jesus, God made the volunteer look like him, the Jews took him, and crucified him.

Is Jesus coming back again?
Yes. Jesus will have a second coming. Jews and Christians together will follow him along with Muslims.

By: Mohamed Qasem