The Status of Jesus in Christianity
and Islam
Written By: Sarah Junejo & Zehra
Nasirali
Christianity and Islam are two
closely related religions. They both
revere Abraham and certain other patriarchs mentioned in the Quran and Bible as
their spiritual ancestors. Muslims
refer to Christians as the ahle-kitaab or as the “People of the book”. In this essay, we shall discuss the status
of Christ in Islam and Christianity, his message, his crucifixion and his
reappearance.
In Islam, Jesus Christ or Hazrat Isa
is known by the Muslims, is considered to be a highly esteemed messenger of God
and is part of the five prophets of Resolve: Nuh, Musa, Ibrahim and
Muhammad. Also, Islamic tradition
states that Jesus had special powers to cure the sick, heal the leprous and
bring back the dead. Also mentioned and
accepted is his special supernatural birth through Bibi Maryam. The Christian tradition also accepts his
special birth through Virgin Mary as well as the supernatural powers he had
given to him by God. The only
difference is Christianity, as the name suggests, considers Jesus not only to
be the messenger of God, but also associates him as being the divine being or
the Son of God. Islam is strictly
monotheistic and considers associating with God a big sin.
Another contradictory issue
concerning the status of Jesus is both these faiths is his crucifixion. Christians believe that Jesus was handed
over to the Jews, tortured and killed slowly and painfully. In other words, he was crucified and took
all the sins of mankind with him, leaving his people free of the sins Adam
committed. This is also one of the fundamental thoughts of Christianity. According to the Muslims, Adam committed no
such sin and so repentance is unnecessary.
Islamic tradition says that Jesus was one of the few prophets who were
raised from the Earth alive and are still alive till date. The idea of crucifixion is against Muslim
thought.
The message of Jesus in accordance
to Islam is the worship of one God. He
was bestowed with the Holy Bible, also known as Injil, one of the 4 holy books
Muslims identify with. With the
reference to Christianity, the message is the same; the only difference is that
Jesus’ preachings also include the thought of salvation, deliverance from the
power of penalty of sin.
Both the faiths believe Jesus will
reappear to establish the kingdom of God.
Christians consider him to be the savior, whereby life will restore to
peace once Jesus reappears. Muslims
believe that his reappearance will be with Mahdi, the 12th Imam and
will be for the sole purpose of ensuring worship to one God, Allah. Moreover, the time for his reappearance will
also denote the end of the world.
In conclusion, despite the many
differences and similarities between these 2 monotheistic faiths, Jesus and his
spiritual existence have had a strong impact on their history and subsistence
in the world today.