Quennel Gale
Islam’s lie about the Messiah (Part 1)
The Quran attempts to correct the Biblical belief about the
Messiah by denying both the deity and son-ship of this Jewish figure. Muhammad,
the founder of Islam mixed both Jewish and legendary stories in his Quran as he
tried to convince the people of
Islam on the other hand rejects this and considers this blasphemy worthy of death and eternal damnation. So what we have decided to do is explore the Islamic evidence against the deity of Jesus and then present historical (Jewish, Biblical, etc) to see if what Muhammad claimed was true. The Islamic data will include the Quran, Hadith, and Tafsirs, etc. We start with the Quran:
They surely
disbelieve who say: Lo! ALLAH IS THE MESSIAH, SON OF MARY. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship
Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for
him Allah hath forbidden paradise. HIS ABODE IS THE FIRE. FOR EVIL-DOERS
there will be no helpers. They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the
third of three; when there is no Allah save the One Allah. If they desist not
from so saying A PAINFUL DOOM WILL FALL ON THOSE OF THEM WHO DISBELIEVE. S.
5:72-73
According to the Quran, a disbeliever in Allah is one who adheres to the traditional Christian doctrine. We see that unless the orthodox believer denounces his Christian belief, he would find himself in hell for eternity according to the Quran. To leave no room for misinterpretation we follow up with quoting Ibn Kathir’s Tafsir (Commentary on Quranic verses). This source gives the western reader background on Ibn Kathir and his Tafsir:
Translated and abridged by a group
of scholars under the supervision of Sheikh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri.
Click here for the
biography of the author, Hafiz Ibn Kathir
The
Qur'an is the revelation of Allah's Own Words for the guidance of His
creatures. Since the Qur'an is the primary source of Islamic teachings, the
correct understanding for the Qur'an is necessary for every Muslim. The Tafsir of Ibn Kathir IS THE MOST
RENOWNED AND ACCEPTED explanation of the Qur'an IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. In it one
finds THE BEST PRESENTATION of Ahadith, history, and scholarly commentary…
Tafsir
Al-Qur'an Al-Azim, which is famous by
the title Tafsir Ibn Kathir, by Al-Hafiz. Abu Al-Fida' 'Imad Ad-Din Isma'il
bin 'Umar bin Kathir Al-Qurashi Al-Busrawi (d. 774 H.), is the most popular interpretation of the Qur'an in the Arabic
language, and THE MAJORITY OF THE MUSLIMS CONSIDER IT TO BE THE BEST SOURCE
BASED ON THE QURAN AND SUNNAH. This Arabic work spans three thousand
and two hundred pages in four volumes. To cover all of the references, Ibn
Kathir has also collected some weak Ahadith and Israelitish stories. Some
repetitions also occur in it, as and when the topics required these.
As
Darussalam has made a policy to publish
only such works which are based on Qur'an and authentic Ahadith we appointed a board of Islamic
scholars to summarize Tafsir Ibn Kathir in the original Arabic language. Shaykh
Abu Al-Ashbal Ahmad Shagif of Rabitah Al-'Alam Al-Islami, Makkah, and Shaykh
Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Head of the Research Committee of Darussalam
worked with a team of other scholars for about two years on this project. We
published this summarized version in the Arabic language titled as Al-Misbah
Al-Murur fe Tahdhib Tafsir Ibn Kathir.
This
summarized version was prepared for the sole purpose of translation into all
the major languages of the world. First of all, it is being presented in the
English language as it is the most widely written and spoken in the world.
To
translate a book in another language is a task requiring great skill, and when
it comes to the translation of Tafsir and Hadith, then it becomes a greater
responsibility, requiring the skills of both languages and the knowledge of
religion and religious terms. The help, advice, guidance and cooperation of
many persons was sought for the various steps of the project. The translation
was done by Mr. Jalal Abualrub (USA), Mr. Nasir Khitab, his wife Mrs. Huda
Khitab (
The
typesetting and correction of manuscript was done by Mr. Abdus-Samad (
We have tried our best not to
include any weak Hadith in this presentation. All the authentic sayings of the Prophet (S) have
also been presented in the Arabic language along with diacritics. The only
sections of the Arabic that were not translated are some discussions pertaining
to Arabic words which were not pertinent to the English readers, such omissions
are very few to mention. Topic headings were added throughout the Tafsir to help
the readers better understand the discussion of the Verses of the Qur'an. The
language and style adopted for the translation is very plain and simple. The
translation of the meanings of the Verses is from the translation of Dr.
Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan published by
Darussalam. The editors have made some changes in it at some places where it
was necessary to comply with the Tafsir.
I am thankful to all the workers, helpers and advisers who cooperated with us
in the completion of this great project. And I am especially thankful to Shaykh
Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, who is a great scholar of the time and from whom
all of us at Darussalam benefit seeking his advice and valuable suggestions
regarding our research projects and problems. We have tried our best to make it
a faultless work, but human weakness may render any error in it. We ask the
readers to forgive us for such errors and to inform us of that in order to
remove it from the following editions.
In
the whole project, the errors are from our side and from Satan while all the
good is from the blessings of Allah. If the people benefit from this
translation in the understanding of the Qur'an, we will consider it a great
blessing and we pray to Allah for the best reward in the Hereafter.
Abdul-Malik
Mujahid
General Manager, Darussalam Publications
Riyadh, March 2000 (Source; emphasis ours)
As you can clearly see Ibn Kathir’s commentary on the Quran is considered the most authoritative and correct in the entire world. Here is what he has to say on Surah 5:72-73, etc.
The Disbelief of the Christians; `Isa Only called to Tawhid
Allah
states that the Christians such sects as Monarchite, Jacobite and Nestorite are
disbelievers, those among them who say that `Isa is Allah. Allah is far holier than what they attribute to Him.
They made this claim in spite of the fact that `Isa made it known that he was
the servant of Allah and His Messenger. The first words that `Isa uttered when
he was still a baby in the cradle were, "I am `Abdullah (the servant of
Allah).'' He did not say, "I am
Allah,'' or, "I AM THE SON OF ALLAH.'' Rather, he said,
[إِنِّى
عَبْدُ
اللَّهِ
ءَاتَانِىَ
الْكِتَـبَ
وَجَعَلَنِى
نَبِيّاً]
(Verily,
I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet.)
until he said,
[وَإِنَّ
اللَّهَ
رَبِّى
وَرَبُّكُمْ
فَاعْبُدُوهُ
هَـذَا
صِرَطٌ
مُّسْتَقِيمٌ
]
("And
verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight
path.'') He also proclaimed to them when he was a man, after he was sent as
a Prophet, commanding them to worship his Lord and their Lord, alone without
partners,
[وَقَالَ
الْمَسِيحُ
يَابَنِى
إِسْرَءِيلَ
اعْبُدُواْ
اللَّهَ
رَبُّى
وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ
مَن يُشْرِكْ
بِاللَّهِ]
(But
the Messiah said, "O Children of Israel! worship Allah, my Lord and your
Lord.'' Verily, whosoever sets up partners with Allah...) in worship;
[فَقَدْ
حَرَّمَ
اللَّهُ
عَلَيهِ
الْجَنَّةَ
وَمَأْوَاهُ
النَّارُ]
(.
..then Allah has forbidden
[إِنَّ
اللَّهَ لاَ
يَغْفِرُ أَن
يُشْرَكَ بِهِ
وَيَغْفِرُ
مَا دُونَ
ذَلِكَ لِمَن
يَشَآءُ]
(Verily,
Allah forgives not that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He
forgives except that (anything else) to whom He wills.) and,
[وَنَادَى
أَصْحَـبُ
النَّارِ
أَصْحَـبَ الْجَنَّةِ
أَنْ
أَفِيضُواْ
عَلَيْنَا
مِنَ
الْمَآءِ
أَوْ مِمَّا
رَزَقَكُمُ
اللَّهُ
قَالُواْ
إِنَّ
اللَّهَ
حَرَّمَهُمَا
عَلَى
الْكَـفِرِينَ
]
(And
the dwellers of the Fire will call to the dwellers of
«إِنَّ
الْجَنَّةَ
لَا
يَدْخُلُهَا
إِلَّا نَفْسٌ
مُسْلِمَة»
(ONLY
A MUSLIM SOUL SHALL ENTER
«مُؤْمِنَة»
(Only a believing soul...) This is
why Allah said that `Isa said to the Children of Israel,
[إِنَّهُ
مَن يُشْرِكْ
بِاللَّهِ
فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ
اللَّهُ
عَلَيهِ
الْجَنَّةَ
وَمَأْوَاهُ
النَّارُ
وَمَا
لِلظَّـلِمِينَ
مِنْ
أَنصَارٍ]
(Verily,
whosoever sets up partners with Allah, then Allah has forbidden
[لَّقَدْ
كَفَرَ
الَّذِينَ
قَالُواْ
إِنَّ اللَّهَ
ثَـلِثُ
ثَلَـثَةٍ]
(Surely, they have
disbelieved who say: "Allah is the third of three.") Mujahid and
several others said that this Ayah was revealed about the Christians in
particular. As-Suddi and others said that this Ayah was revealed about taking
`Isa and his mother as gods besides Allah, thus making Allah the third in a
trinity. As-Suddi said, "This is similar to Allah's statement towards the
end of the Surah,
[وَإِذْ
قَالَ
اللَّهُ
يعِيسَى
ابْنَ
مَرْيَمَ
أَءَنتَ
قُلتَ
لِلنَّاسِ
اتَّخِذُونِى
وَأُمِّىَ
إِلَـهَيْنِ
مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ
قَالَ
سُبْحَـنَكَ]
(And
(remember) when Allah will say: "O `Isa, son of Maryam! Did you say unto
men: `Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah' He will say,
"Glory be to You!")[5:116]. Allah replied,
[وَمَا
مِنْ إِلَـهٍ
إِلاَّ
إِلَـهٌ
وَحِدٌ]
(But there is no god but One God.)
meaning there are not many worthy of worship but there is only One God without
partners, and He is the Lord of all creation and all that exists. Allah said
next, while threatening and admonishing them,
[وَإِن
لَّمْ
يَنتَهُواْ
عَمَّا
يَقُولُونَ]
(And if they cease not
from what they say, ) their lies and false claims,
[لَيَمَسَّنَّ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
مِنْهُمْ
عَذَابٌ
أَلِيمٌ]
(verily,
a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.) in the Hereafter,
shackled and tormented. Allah said next,
[أَفَلاَ
يَتُوبُونَ
إِلَى
اللَّهِ
وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ
وَاللَّهُ
غَفُورٌ
رَّحِيمٌ ]
(Will
they not repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness For Allah is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful.) This demonstrates Allah's generosity, kindness and mercy for
His creatures, even though they committed this grave sin and invented such a
lie and false allegation. Despite all of this, Allah calls them to repent so
that He will forgive them, for Allah forgives those who sincerely repent to
Him. (Source;
Tafsir Ibn Kathir; S. 5:72-73
emphasis ours)
Islamic sources are in agreement that Christian belief in the Messiah is wrong and considered blasphemy. Here is more:
And to
warn those who say: Allah hath chosen a son, (A thing) whereof they
have no knowledge, nor (had) their fathers, Dreadful is the word that cometh
out of their mouths. THEY SPEAK NAUGHT BUT A LIE. S. 18:4-5
And,
And the
Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is
the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. THEY IMITATE THE
SAYING OF THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE OF OLD. ALLAH (HIMSELF) FIGHTETH AGAINST THEM.
HOW PERVERSE ARE THEY! They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and
their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only
One Allah. There is no Allah save Him. Be He Glorified from all that they
ascribe as partner (unto Him)! Fain would they put out the light of Allah
with their mouths, but Allah disdaineth (aught) save that He shall perfect His
light, however much the disbelievers are averse. He it is Who hath sent His
messenger with the guidance and the Religion of Truth, that He may cause it
to PREVAIL OVER ALL RELIGION, however much the idolaters may be averse. O
ye who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the (Christian) monks
devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar (men) from the way of Allah.
They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah, unto
them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom, On the day when it will (all)
be heated in the fire of hell, and their foreheads and their flanks and their
backs will be branded therewith (and it will be said unto them): Here is that
which ye hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what ye used to hoard. S. 9:30-35
Ibn Kathir comments:
[وَقَالَتِ
الْيَهُودُ
عُزَيْرٌ
ابْنُ اللَّهِ
وَقَالَتِ
النَّصَـرَى
الْمَسِيحُ
ابْنُ
اللَّهِ
ذلِكَ
قَوْلُهُم
بِأَفْوَهِهِمْ
يُضَـهِئُونَ
قَوْلَ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
مِن قَبْلُ
قَـتَلَهُمُ
اللَّهُ
أَنَّى
يُؤْفَكُونَ -
اتَّخَذُواْ
أَحْبَـرَهُمْ
وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ
أَرْبَاباً
مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ
وَالْمَسِيحَ
ابْنَ
مَرْيَمَ
وَمَآ
أُمِرُواْ
إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُواْ
إِلَـهاً
وَحِداً لاَّ
إِلَـهَ
إِلاَّ هُوَ
سُبْحَـنَهُ
عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ
]
(30.
And the Jews say: "Uzayr (Ezra) is the son of Allah,'' and the Christians
say: "The Messiah is the son of Allah.'' That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those
who disbelieved aforetime. MAY ALLAH FIGHT THEM, how they are deluded away from
the truth!) (31. They (Jews and Christians) took their rabbis and their
monks to be their lords besides Allah, and
(they also took as their Lord) the Messiah, son of Maryam, while they were
commanded to worship none but One God, none has the right to be worshipped but
He. Praise and hallowed be He above what they associate (with Him).'')
Fighting the Jews and Christians is legislated because They are
Idolators and Disbelievers
Allah
the Exalted encourages the believers to fight the polytheists, disbelieving
Jews and Christians, who uttered this
terrible statement and utter lies
against Allah, the Exalted. As for the Jews, they claimed that `Uzayr was
the son of God, Allah is free of what they attribute to Him. As for the misguidance of Christians over
`Isa, it is obvious. This is why Allah declared both groups to be liars,
[ذلِكَ
قَوْلُهُم
بِأَفْوَهِهِمْ]
(That
is their saying with their mouths), but they have no proof that supports their
claim, other than lies and fabrications,
[يُضَـهِئُونَ]
(resembling),
imitating,
[قَوْلَ
الَّذِينَ
كَفَرُواْ
مِن قَبْلُ]
(the
saying of those who disbelieved aforetime.) They imitate the previous nations
who fell into misguidance just as Jews and Christians did,
[قَـتَلَهُمُ
اللَّهُ]
(may
Allah fight them), Ibn `Abbas said, "May Allah curse them.''
[أَنَّى
يُؤْفَكُونَ]
(how
they are deluded away from the truth!) how they deviate from truth, when it is
apparent, exchanging it for misguidance. Allah said next,
[اتَّخَذُواْ
أَحْبَـرَهُمْ
وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ
أَرْبَاباً
مِّن دُونِ
اللَّهِ
وَالْمَسِيحَ
ابْنَ
مَرْيَمَ]
(They
took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah, and the
Messiah, son of Maryam) [9:31]. Imam Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Jarir At-Tabari
recorded a Hadith via several chains of narration, from `Adi bin Hatim, may
Allah be pleased with him, who became Christian during the time of Jahiliyyah.
When the call of the Messenger of Allah reached his area, `Adi ran away to
Ash-Sham, and his sister and several of his people were captured. The Messenger
of Allah freed his sister and gave her gifts. So she went to her brother and
encouraged him to become Muslim and to go to the Messenger of Allah . `Adi, who
was one of the chiefs of his people (the tribe of Tai') and whose father, Hatim
At-Ta'i, was known for his generosity, went to Al-Madinah. When the people
announced his arrival, `Adi went to the Messenger of Allah wearing a silver
cross around his neck. The Messenger of Allah recited this Ayah;
[اتَّخَذُواْ
أَحْبَـرَهُمْ
وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ
أَرْبَاباً
مِّن دُونِ
اللَّهِ]
(They
took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah). `Adi
commented, "I said, `They did not worship them.''' The Prophet said,
«بَلَى
إِنَّهُمْ
حَرَّمُوا
عَلَيْهِمُ
الْحَلَالَ
وَأَحَلُّوا
لَهُمُ
الْحَرَامَ فَاتَّبَعُوهُمْ
فَذَلِكَ
عِبَادَتُهُمْ
إِيَّاهُم»
(Yes
they did. They (rabbis and monks) prohibited the allowed for them (Christians
and Jews) and allowed the prohibited, and they obeyed them. This is how they
worshipped them.) The Messenger of Allah said to `Adi,
«يَا
عَدِيُّ مَا
تَقُولُ؟
أَيُفِرُّكَ
أَنْ يُقَالَ:
اللهُ
أَكْبَرَ؟
فَهَلْ
تَعْلَمُ
شَيْئًا
أَكْبَرَ
مِنَ اللهِ؟
مَا
يُفِرُّكَ؟
أَيُفِرُّكَ
أَنْ يُقَالَ:
لَا إِلَهَ
إِلَّا اللهُ؟
فَهَلْ
تَعْلَمُ
مَنْ إِلهٌ
إِلَّا اللهُ؟»
(O
`Adi what do you say Did you run away (to Ash-Sham) so that 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah
is the Great) is not pronounced Do you know of anything greater than Allah What
made you run away Did you run away so that `La ilaha illallah' is not
pronounced Do you know of any deity worthy of worship except Allah)
The
Messenger invited `Adi to embrace Islam, and he embraced Islam and pronounced
the Testimony of Truth. The face of the Messenger of Allah beamed with pleasure
and he said to `Adi,
«إِنَّ
الْيَهُودَ
مَغْضُوبٌ
عَلَيْهِمْ وَالنَّصَارَى
ضَالُّون»
(Verily,
the Jews have earned the anger (of Allah) and the Christians are misguided.)
Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman, `Abdullah bin `Abbas and several others said about the
explanation of,
[اتَّخَذُواْ
أَحْبَـرَهُمْ
وَرُهْبَـنَهُمْ
أَرْبَاباً
مِّن دُونِ
اللَّهِ]
(They
took their rabbis and their monks to be their lords besides Allah...) that the
Christians and Jews obeyed their monks and rabbis in whatever they allowed or
prohibited for them. This is why Allah said,
[وَمَآ
أُمِرُواْ
إِلاَّ
لِيَعْبُدُواْ
إِلَـهاً
وَحِداً]
(while they were commanded to worship
none but One God), Who, whatever He renders prohibited is the prohibited,
whatever He allowed is the allowed, whatever He legislates, is to be the law
followed, and whatever He decides is to be adhered to;
[لاَّ
إِلَـهَ
إِلاَّ هُوَ
سُبْحَـنَهُ
عَمَّا
يُشْرِكُونَ]
(None
has the right to be worshipped but He. Hallowed be He above what they associate
(with Him).) Meaning, exalted, sanctified, hallowed above partners, equals,
aids, rivals or children, there is no deity or Lord worthy of worship except
Him.
[يُرِيدُونَ
أَن
يُطْفِئُواْ
نُورَ اللَّهِ
بِأَفْوَهِهِمْ
وَيَأْبَى
اللَّهُ إِلاَّ
أَن يُتِمَّ
نُورَهُ
وَلَوْ
كَرِهَ الْكَـفِرُونَ
- هُوَ
الَّذِي
أَرْسَلَ
رَسُولَهُ
بِالْهُدَى
وَدِينِ
الْحَقِّ
لِيُظْهِرَهُ
عَلَى
الدِّينِ
كُلِّهِ
وَلَوْ كَرِهَ
الْمُشْرِكُونَ
]
(32.
They want to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will not
allow except that His Light should be perfected even though the disbelievers
hate (it).) (33. It is He Who has sent
His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it superior over
all religions even though the idolators hate (it).) (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Sura
At-Taubah, Surah 9: ayat 30-32,
Abridged By Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rifa'i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London 1998],
bold emphasis ours) (Source)
And now the Hadith, or traditional
authentic sayings and teachings of Muhammad (Only second in importance behind
the Quran in Islam):
Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri:
During the lifetime of the Prophet some people said, : O Allah's Apostle! Shall we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" The Prophet said, "Yes; do you have any difficulty in seeing the sun at midday when it is bright and there is no cloud in the sky?" They replied, "No." He said, "Do you have any difficulty in seeing the moon on a full moon night when it is bright and there is no cloud in the sky?" They replied, "No." The Prophet said, "(Similarly) you will have no difficulty in seeing Allah on the Day of Resurrection as you have no difficulty in seeing either of them. On the Day of Resurrection, a call-maker will announce, "Let every nation follow that which they used to worship." THEN NONE OF THOSE WHO USED TO WORSHIP ANYTHING OTHER THAN ALLAH like idols AND OTHER DEITIES but will fall in Hell (Fire), till there will remain none but those who used to worship Allah, both those who were obedient (i.e. good) and those who were disobedient (i.e. bad) and the remaining party of the people of the Scripture. THEN THE JEWS will be called upon and it will be said to them, 'Who do you use to worship?' They will say, 'We used to worship Ezra, the son of Allah.' It will be said to them, 'YOU ARE LIARS, FOR ALLAH HAS NEVER TAKEN ANYONE AS A WIFE OR A SON. What do you want now?' They will say, 'O our Lord! We are thirsty, so give us something to drink.' They will be directed and addressed thus, 'Will you drink,' whereupon THEY WILL BE GATHERED UNTO HELL (FIRE) which will look like a mirage whose different sides will be destroying each other. Then they will fall into the Fire. AFTERWARDS THE CHRISTIANS WILL BE CALLED upon and it will be said to them, 'Who do you use to worship?' THEY WILL SAY, 'WE USED TO WORSHIP JESUS, THE SON OF ALLAH.' It will be said to them, 'YOU ARE LIARS, for Allah has never taken anyone as a wife or a son,' Then it will be SAID TO THEM, 'What do you want?' They will say what the FORMER PEOPLE have said. Then, when there remain (in the gathering) NONE BUT THOSE WHO USED TO WORSHIP ALLAH (ALONE, the real Lord of the Worlds) WHETHER THEY WERE OBEDIENT OR DISOBEDIENT. Then (Allah) the Lord of the worlds will come to them in a shape nearest to the picture they had in their minds about Him. It will be said, 'What are you waiting for?' Every nation have followed what they used to worship.' They will reply, 'We left the people in the world when we were in great need of them and we did not take them as friends. Now we are waiting for our Lord Whom we used to worship.' Allah will say, 'I am your Lord.' They will say twice or thrice, 'We do not worship any besides Allah.' " (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 105)
As you can clearly see, Christians and Jews go to hell particularly
for believing in the Son of God according to Muhammad and Islam. Hence, the
concept of “son of God”, “God-incarnated”, “pre-existence”, etc. are all
considered inventions of Christianity and wasn’t the true Jewish meaning of
“Messiah” according to Muslim doctrinal belief.
However, the problem for the Quran stems from Muhammad’s
lack of knowledge of historical Jewish history and what Judaism had to say
about the Messiah. Before we turned to this we begin with the OT reference:
Why have nations tumultuously assembled? And do
peoples meditate vanity? Station themselves do kings of the earth, And princes
have been united together, Against
Jehovah, AND AGAINST HIS MESSIAH (Mashiho):
`Let us draw off Their cords, And cast from us Their thick bands.' He who is
sitting in the heavens doth laugh, The Lord doth mock at them. Then doth He
speak unto them in His anger, And in His wrath He doth trouble them: `And I --
I have anointed My King, Upon
In Psalm 2 we have a prophetic picture which should be read
in its entirety. In it is described ~(vv. 2 and 3) the time when the nations
will declare themselves against God, and against his Anointed One (Mashiho, from
which our English word Messiah comes). God says in verse 6 that he will
nevertheless establish this Messiah as his King on
In verse 7 Messiah steps forward to declare the
decree by which his coronation shall be accomplished saying: "I will
proclaim the decree of the Lord: "He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I
have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations (goyim) your
inheritance."' Here we continue with the end of this passage:
Serve the
LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. KISS THE SON (nashqu bar), lest He be angry, And you perish in the
way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put
their trust in Him. Psalms 2:11-12
Furthermore, in Psalm 2:11-12 we are solemnly instructed:
"Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son (nashqu
bar), lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can
flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
The Hebrew for "kiss the Son" is nashqu bar. Even
if this is translated, as some would have it, "Do homage in purity,"
the homage is to the Lord of verse II and to the Son of verse 7. The Tenach clearly
indicates that there is a divine personality who is called the Son of God!
Muhammad was ignorant of this fact which is why he claimed in the Quran that
the Messiah wasn’t the son of God, divine, nor worshipped or paid homage too.
Some Muslims have attempted to link this passage to David particularly with
Psalms 2:7, however this is easily refuted since both the Bible and the Quran
doesn’t call David the Messiah nor does neither claim that one must put their
trust in David. Hence, to call David “the son” in this verse would refute all
of Islam and the Quran because this passage explicitly mentions THE MESSIAH in
the Hebrew text! This led Solomon in Proverbs to say this:
"Who has gone up to heaven and
come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has
wrapped up the waters in his cloak? WHO HAS ESTABLISHED ALL THE ENDS OF THE
EARTH? What is his name, AND THE NAME OF HIS SON? Tell me if you
know!" Proverbs 30:4
According to Solomon the one who “established the earth,
etc” has a son! Here, Muhammad’s Quran gives praise to David and Solomon and
commands Muslims to adhere to their message:
We gave him Isaac and Jacob: all (three) We guided: and
before him, We guided Noah, and
among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron: thus do We
reward those who do good. S. 6:84
And remember David and Solomon, when they gave judgment in the matter of the field into which the sheep of certain people had strayed by night: We did witness their judgment. S. 21:78
To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter:
to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge; it was Our power that made
the hills and the birds celebrate Our
praises with David: it was We Who did (all these things). S. 21:79
We gave knowledge to David and Solomon: And they both said: "Praise be to Allah, Who has favored us above many of His servants who believe!" S. 27:15
We bestowed Grace aforetime on David from Us: "O ye Mountains! Sing ye back the Praises of Allah with him! and ye birds (also)! And We made the iron soft for him;- S. 34:10
Not only does the Quran highly praise both prophets, it
claims that Allah even gave David the Psalms:
And it is your Lord that knoweth
best all beings that are in the heavens and on earth: We made some prophets to excel others: and
We gave to David the Psalms. S. 17:55
Yet, according to the Jewish OT, the one who establishes
the earth is none other than God himself:
For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, WHO HAS ESTABLISHED IT, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:18
So, according to the Quran, which tells Muslims to follow
David and Solomon, we must conclude that these prophets believed that God had
“a son” who was the Messiah. Hence, Islam’s claim about “the messiah” is a
self-evident contradiction. In order to correctly discover the concept of the
Messiah, one must turn first and foremost to the Jewish OT and then Jewish
writings and texts. The Quran is an Arabic work which doesn’t seem to house a
single factual statement about the Jewish thinking of the Messiah. As we’ve
seen from the OT, the idea of the Messiah being the “son of God” in contrast to
Islam is factual and not a new invention by Christians or late interpolations.
Muhammad claimed this idea was a lie without offering any evidence as to why
his claim was true.
Muhammad added a straw-man defense against the “son-ship of
the Messiah” by alleging that “for God to have a son he needs a consort”. The
Quran clearly illustrates this belief:
Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth; how can He
have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He
hath full knowledge of all things. S. 6:101
In the mind of Muhammad, God needed a wife to have a son,
hence to him, the Messiah being the son of God would indicate some type of
sexual relationship between God and a woman to birth the Messiah. Muhammad not
only shows his ignorance of Jewish historical teachings but he fails to
validate his claims in the Quran since the Bible never indicates that God has
sexual relations with any woman to bring forth a son in the first place. Many
modern Muslim apologists have recognized the weakness of this argument and have
sought to undermine its significance by claiming that, if the “son of God”
theory was true then why didn’t the Jews adhere to this belief. The problem is immediately
glaring since according to the Quran in Surah 9, the Jews did take others as
THE SON OF GOD, for example Ezra. So what exactly does Jewish writings say
about the Messiah? Do they agree with Islam or do they affirm both the OT and
NT claim that the Messiah, was THE SON OF GOD, A DIVINE FIGURE?
We begin by quoting non-Christian Jewish sources:
For indeed the time will come, when the signs that I have foretold to you will come to pass, that the city that now is not seen shall appear, and the land that now is hidden shall be disclosed. Everyone who has been delivered from the evils that I have foretold shall see my wonders. FOR MY SON THE MESSIAH shall be revealed with those who are with him, and those who remain shall rejoice four hundred years. After those years MY SON THE MESSIAH SHALL DIE, and all who draw human breath. Then the world shall be turned back to primeval silence for seven days, as it was at the first beginnings, so that no one shall be left. 2 Esdra 7.26-30
Second Esdra is found in the OT apocrypha writing and was
in existence long before Christianity. The importance of this document is that
it shows how Jews of antiquity viewed the Messiah. From a historical
perspective we find out that Christianity is much in line with Jewish thinking
and that Islam is not. To the ancient Jews, the Messiah was “THE SON OF GOD”
and would “die”, which are echoed in the NT. This also agrees with the OT which
shows the Messiah as being the “SON OF GOD”, etc. Muslims have used history to
try and point to Christianity borrowing pagan ideas but they never attempted to
use Jewish history to see if what the NT said about the Messiah was accurate?
Why? Because history and extent Jewish writings would disprove the Quran and
Islam as being false dealing with the identity of the Messiah:
the vision--"As I kept looking the wind made something
like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea. And I saw that this
man flew with the clouds of heaven" with the explanation in
13.25--"This is the interpretation of the vision: As for your seeing a man
come up from the heart of the sea, this is he whom the Most High has been
keeping for many ages, who will himself deliver his creation;" and in
13.32: "When these things take place and the signs occur that I showed you
before, then my Son will be revealed, whom you saw as a man coming up from
the sea." 2 Esdra 13.3
The Most high is obviously God, which is inescapable while
the Son, earlier identified as the Messiah, would deliver God’s creation.
Doesn’t this sound in accordance to the NT? Yes. Didn’t the OT mention about
God’s son? Yes. Both the OT, NT are in agreement while the Quran isn’t. Even if
Muslims try to claim that “God has many sons” it still doesn’t take away from
the fact that the Messiah was known as THE SON OF GOD to pre-Christian Jews nor
does it answer the Surah which says “that the Messiah couldn’t be the son of
God”. Hence, both ways this would be considered a shirk in Islam because to
even call Jesus “the son of God” in any shape or form would be like making him
equal to Allah in the Quran. Therefore according to Quranic thinking itself,
Pre-Christian Jews would have believed that the Messiah would be God!
When we turn to the NT we find this very same thinking:
But Jesus answered them, My father has been working until now, and I have been working. Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath but also said that God was HIS FATHER, making himself EQUAL WITH GOD. John 5:17-18
If calling yourself “the Son of God”, didn’t make oneself
equal to God, there would be no need to try and kill Jesus. Muslims have tried
to explain this verse away claiming that the Jews misunderstood him or that
they used this as an excuse simply because they wanted Jesus dead. However, as we’ve
seen from Jewish writings, they understood the implications of his claim to
being “THE MESSIAH” and “SON OF GOD” and its meaning. Even the Quran views such
a claim the same way:
Never has God begotten
a son, nor is there any other god besides Him. Were this otherwise,
each god would govern his own creation, each holding himself above the
other. Exalted be God above their falsehoods! S. 23:91
The Quran clearly views “THE SON OF GOD” concept as a shirk
and it is considered equal to being making Jesus another God beside Allah.
However, this is precisely what the NT and OT does and how the ancient Jewish
writings understand the Messiah. Dealing with John 5:17-8, imminent NT scholar
James Schofield comments:
Literally, “His own Father”-Greek-
patera idion. It is clear that the Jews understood that Jesus was claiming
to be God.’” (NKJV Bible,
footnote on John 5:17-8; pg. 843; Scoffield, 1989)
Not only did the Jews understand Jesus claim to be God’s
very own son based on his non-metaphorical or literal usage “patera idion” but
any brief study of ancient Jewish texts on the Messiah would also allow the
modern reader to agree with this conclusion also. The Quran continues to agree
with the conclusion that “to claim to be the Son of God is to make oneself God
along with Allah” as this verse shows below:
Then God will say: ‘Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to
mankind: "Worship me and my mother
as gods besides God?"’ S. 5:116
This is why the Quran instructed Muhammad to say:
Say: "If the Lord of Mercy had a son, I WOULD BE
THE FIRST TO WORSHIP HIM". S. 43:82
Ibn Kathir comments:
Allah has no Offspring Allah says:
[قُلْ]
(Say)
-- `O Muhammad' --
[إِن كَانَ
لِلرَّحْمَـنِ
وَلَدٌ
فَأَنَاْ أَوَّلُ
الْعَـبِدِينَ]
(If
the Most Gracious had a son, then I am the first of the worshippers.) meaning,
`if this were so, then I would worship Him on that basis, because I am one of
His servants; I obey all that He commands me and I am not too arrogant or proud
to worship Him.' This conditional phrase does not mean that what is described
could happen nor that is possible as Allah says:
[لَّوْ
أَرَادَ
اللَّهُ أَن
يَتَّخِذَ
وَلَداً
لاَّصْطَفَى
مِمَّا
يَخْلُقُ مَا
يَشَآءُ
سُبْحَـنَهُ
هُوَ اللَّهُ
الْوَحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ
]
(Had Allah willed to take a son, He
could have chosen whom He willed out of those whom He created. But glory be to
Him! He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible.) (39:4). Allah says here:
[سُبْحَـنَ
رَبِّ
السَّمَـوَتِ
وَالاٌّرْضِ
رَبِّ
الْعَرْشِ
عَمَّا
يَصِفُونَ ]
(Glorified
is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne! Exalted be He
from all that they ascribe (to Him).) meaning, exalted and sanctified and
glorified be the Creator of all things far above having any offspring, for He
is Unique, One and Eternally Self-Sufficient. There is none equal to Him or
like Him, and He does not have any offspring.
[فَذَرْهُمْ
يَخُوضُواْ]
(So leave them (alone) to speak
nonsense) means, in their ignorance and misguidance,
[وَيَلْعَبُواْ]
(and play) in their world,
[حَتَّى
يُلَـقُواْ
يَوْمَهُمُ
الَّذِى يُوعَدُونَ]
(until
they meet the Day of theirs which they have been promised.) which is the Day of
Resurrection, i.e., then they will come to know what their end and destination
will be on that Day. (Source; Tafsir Ibn Kathir; S. 43:82 emphasis
ours)
We continue more with Jewish non-Christian writings. From the introduction to I Enoch in works, “The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (2 vols)” [Charlesworth (ed), Doubleday: 1983] says:
The Messiah in 1 Enoch, called the Righteous One,
and the Son of Man, is depicted as a
PRE-EXISTENT HEAVENTLY BEING who is resplendent and majestic, possesses all
dominion, and sits on his throne of glory passing judgment upon all mortal
and spiritual beings. (Ibid, vol. 1, pg. 9)
Now we quote from this book:
At that place, I saw
the One to WHOM BELONGS THE TIME BEFORE TIME. And his head was white like
wool, AND THERE WAS WITH HIM another
individual, whose face was like that of a human being. His
countenance was full of grace like that of one among the holy angels...'Who is
this?'...And he answered me and said, 'This is the Son of Man, to whom
belongs righteousness, and with whom righteousness dwells.... this Son of
Man whom you have seen is the One who would remove the kings and the mighty
ones from their comfortable seats and the strong ones from their thrones... I Enoch 46.1ff
Notice that the Messiah in ancient Judaism was WITH GOD,
who is described as the one whom belongs time before time! However, Muhammad’s
ignorance of ancient Judaism thought that the Messiah only came into existence
when he was born. This is obviously a concept that isn’t Jewish whatsoever! If
you read the entire NT or study early Christian history you’d notice that none
of Jesus opponents denied that Jesus was wrong for claiming that the Messiah
was “the son of God” or “equal with God” or “pre-existent”. They only denied
that he didn’t fit the bill because they knew that the Messiah was a divine
figure. There isn’t a single work in ancient Judaism claiming that “the messiah
wasn’t the son of God” or “wasn’t pre-existent” or “wasn’t God”. Muhammad
invented this claim while trying to reconcile the Jewish concept of the
Messiah.
At that hour, that Son of Man was given a name, in the presence of the Lord of the Spirits, the
Before-Time; EVEN BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE SUN AND THE MOON, BEFORE THE
CREATION OF THE STARS, he was given a name in the presence of the Lord of the
Spirits. He will become a staff for the righteous ones in order that they
may lean on him and not fall. He is the light of the gentiles and he will
become the hope of those who are sick in their hearts. All those who dwell
upon the earth shall fall and worship
before him; they shall glorify, bless, and sing the name of the Lord of the
Spirits. For this purpose he became the Chosen One; he was concealed
in the presence of (the Lord of the Spirits) prior to the creation of the world,
and for eternity. And he has revealed the wisdom of the Lord of the Spirits to
the righteous and holy ones, for he has preserved the portion of the righteous
because they have hated and despised this world of oppression (together with)
all its ways of life and its habits and it is his good pleasure that they have
life. ...For they (the wicked kings and landowners) have denied the Lord of the
Spirits AND HIS MESSIAH. I Enoch
48.2-10
In
ancient Judaism, the Messiah existed before creation and was the Jewish hope
for salvation unto