Answering Islam - A Christian-Muslim dialog

The Messiah Jesus – More Than Human

Additional Quranic Proof for the Deity of Christ

Sam Shamoun

There is another way in which the Quran tacitly recognizes the fact of Jesus being more than a mere flesh and blood human being. The Muslim book plainly states that the prophets and messengers were sent to their own people:

We did not send any messenger except in the language of his people, so he may proclaim to them. But God misguides whom He wills, and He guides whom He wills. He is the Noble, the Wise. S. 14:4 (Quran: A Reformist Translation [QRT])

The Quran asserts that the reason why God or Allah chose and raised up men to become his emissaries is because he directed his message to human beings:

Nothing stopped the people from acknowledging when the guidance came to them, except they said, "Has God sent a human messenger?" Say, "If the earth had angels walking about at ease, We would have sent down to them from heaven an angel as a messenger." S. 17:94-95 QRT

We did not send before you except men whom We inspired. So ask the people of the remembrance if you do not know. We did not make for them bodies that do not need to eat, nor were they immortal. S. 21:7-8

This explains why the Islamic “revelation” often employs phrases such as “his people,” “people of such and such,” “my people,” to indicate the fact that God’s spokespersons were human beings whom God/Allah raised from among their own folk.

Note, for instance, the following examples:   

 

NOAH

And We verily sent Noah unto his folk, and he said: O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no other God save Him. Will ye not ward off (evil)? S. 23:23 Pickthall

HUD

And to 'Ad (people We sent) their brother Hud. He said, "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. Certainly, you do nothing but invent (lies)! S. 11:50 Hilali-Khan

SALIH

And unto (the tribe of) Thamud (We sent) their brother Salih. He said: O my people! Serve Allah, Ye have no other God save Him. He brought you forth from the earth and hath made you husband it. So ask forgiveness of Him and turn unto Him repentant. Lo! my Lord is Nigh, Responsive. S. 11:61 Pickthall

JOB

And Job -- when he called unto his Lord, 'Behold, affliction has visited me, and Thou art the most merciful of the merciful.' So We answered him, and removed the affliction that was upon him, and We gave his people, and the like of them with them, mercy from Us, and a Reminder to those who serve. S. 21:83-84 Arberry

ABRAHAM

And when he saw the sun uprising, he cried: This is my Lord! This is greater! And when it set he exclaimed: O my people! Lo! I am free from all that ye associate (with Him). S. 6:78 Pickthall

And (remember) Ibrahim (Abraham) when he said to his people: "Worship Allah (Alone), and fear Him, that is better for you if you did but know. S. 29:16 Hilali-Khan

LOT

And his people came unto him, running towards him - and before then they used to commit abominations - He said: O my people! Here are my daughters! They are purer for you. Beware of Allah, and degrade me not in (the person of) my guests. Is there not among you any upright man? S. 11:78 Pickthall

ISHMAEL

And mention in the Book (the Qur'an) Isma'il (Ishmael). Verily! He was true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet. And he used to enjoin on his family and his people As-Salat (the prayers) and the Zakat, and his Lord was pleased with him. S. 19:54-55 Hilali-Khan

SHU’AIB

And to the Madyan (Midian) people (We sent) their brother Shu'aib. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah, you have no other Ilah (God) but Him, and give not short measure or weight, I see you in prosperity; and verily I fear for you the torment of a Day encompassing. S. 11:84 Hilali-Khan

MOSES

And (remember) when Musa (Moses) said to his people: "O my people! Remember the Favour of Allah to you, when He made Prophets among you, made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the 'Alamin (mankind and jinns, in the past)." S. 5:20 Hilali-Khan

AARON

And Aaron indeed had told them beforehand: O my people! Ye are but being seduced therewith, for lo! your Lord is the Beneficent, so follow me and obey my order. S. 20:90 Pickthall

ELIJAH

And verily, Iliyas (Elias) was one of the Messengers. When he said to his people: "Will you not fear Allah? S. 37:123-124 Hilali-Khan

JONAH

Why was there not a single township (among those We warned), which believed, - so its faith should have profited it, - except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the penalty of ignominy in the life of the present, and permitted them to enjoy (their life) for a while. S. 10:98 A. Yusuf Ali

ZECHARIAH

So Zakariya came out to his people from him chamber: He told them by signs to celebrate God's praises in the morning and in the evening. S. 19:11 A. Yusuf Ali

MARY

And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East, S. 19:16 Pickthall

Then she brought him (the baby) to her people, carrying him. They said: "O Mary! Indeed you have brought a thing Fariya (an unheard mighty thing). S. 19:27 Hilali-Khan

MUHAMMAD

And the Messenger (Muhammad) will say: "O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Qur'an (neither listened to it, nor acted on its laws and orders). S. 25:30 Hilali-Khan

However, the Islamic scripture makes an exception in the case of the Lord Jesus, since he is never described as preaching to his people. Case in point:

And will make him ['Iesa (Jesus)] a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying): "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by Allah's Leave. And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you believe. S. 3:49 Hilali-Khan

The contrast is brought out more clearly in the following passage:

And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Why persecute ye me, when ye well know that I am Allah's messenger unto you? So when they went astray Allah sent their hearts astray. And Allah guideth not the evil-living folk. And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic. S. 61:5-6 Pickthall

Whereas the Quran has Moses addressing Israel as his people Jesus, on the other hand, simply refers to them as the children of Israel.

The reason for this can’t be because Jesus had no biological father since the Quran lists Christ as one of the descendants of Noah: 

Such was the argument with which We furnished Abraham against his people. We raise whom We will to an exalted rank. Your Lord is wise and all-knowing. We gave him Isaac and Jacob and guided both as We had guided Noah before them. Among his descendants were David and Solomon, Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron (thus do we reward the righteous); Zacharias and John, Jesus and Elias (all were upright men); and Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah and Lot. All these We exalted above the nations as We exalted some of their fathers, their children, and their brothers. We chose them and guided them to a straight path. Such is God's guidance; He bestows it on those of His servants whom He chooses. Had they served other gods besides Him, their labours would have been vain indeed. On those men We bestowed the Scriptures, wisdom, and prophethood. If these are denied by this generation, We will entrust them to others who will not deny them. S. 6:83-89 Dawood

This is obviously because Jesus was born from a woman who biologically linked him to Noah and Abraham. Therefore, there must be another reason why the Quran doesn’t refer to the Israelites as the people of Christ. And that reason is found elsewhere in the Islamic scripture:

People of the Book, do not transgress the bounds of your religion. Speak nothing but the truth about God. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was no more than God's apostle and His Word which He CAST TO Mary: a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Apostles and do not say: 'Three.' Forbear, and it shall be better for you. God is but one God. God forbid that He should have a son! His is all that the heavens and the earth contain. God is the all-sufficient protector. S. 4:171 Dawood

Here, Jesus is said to be the Word of Allah who, as a preexistent Spirit, was sent forth to be conceived in Mary.

This shows that Christ’s true nature is heavenly, not earthly, that he is actually a divine Being that came forth from Allah himself, and therefore doesn’t find his origin in the human realm. This further explains why Jesus was taken up to God/Allah himself at the conclusion of his earthly ministry, as opposed to returning to the dust like the rest:

(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ. S. 3:55 Pickthall

Nay, God raised him up unto Himself; and God is Exalted in Power, Wise; - S. 4:158 Y. Ali

Christ was returning back to where he originally came from, e.g., Jesus descended from Allah and therefore ascended back to him.

The Quran at this point is doing nothing more than echoing what the Gospel of John stated nearly six hundred years earlier:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men… That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5, 9-11, 14

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heavenHe that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.” John 3:13, 31

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me… What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” John 6:38, 62

“Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me… Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me. Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.” John 7:28-29, 33-34

“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins… Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.” John 8:23-24, 42

“Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;” John 13:3

“for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.” John 16:27-28

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.” John 17:5, 8

This is also similar to the question Jesus posed to the religious leaders concerning the Christ being the Son of David:

“And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David’s son? And David himself saith in the book of Psalms, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?” Luke 20:41-44 – cf. Matthew 22:41-45; Mark 12:35-37; Acts 2:33-35

Neither Jesus nor the inspired NT writers were attempting to deny that he, as the Christ, was David’s Son or descendant:

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Matthew 1:1

“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimæus, the son of Timæus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” Mark 10:46-52

“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” Acts 2:29-32

“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:” Acts 13:22-23

“Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:” 2 Timothy 2:8

Rather, the point being made here was/is that Christ is much more and greater than that. The Christ is also the divine, unique Son of God:

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance” Luke 1:26-45

Therefore, Christ is an offspring of David according to the flesh, according to his humanity. But he is also the very root of David’s existence in respect to his divine nature:

“Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Romans 1:3-4

“And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” Revelation 5:5

“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” Revelation 22:16

With the foregoing in perspective, this again seems to be another case of Muhammad depicting Christ in a manner that would endear his message to Christians, without realizing how this would end up backfiring against him.

All Scriptural quotations taken from the Authorized King James Version (AV) of the Holy Bible.