The History of the Prophet Jesus (`ISA) Muslim
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
Praise be to God the Creator of the world, the One Who exists without beginning, without end, without location, without a "how" and Who does not depend on time. Nothing resembles Him in anyway and He hears and sees everything without organs. Whatever you imagine, God is different from that. May the elevation in degree and preservation of his community of what he fears for it, be granted to our master Muhammad Al-‘Amin, the Honest One, who called for following Islam, the religion of truth, the religion of all the Prophets: of the First, Adam, to the last Muhammad.
Prophet Jesus (`Isa) is cited in the Qur’ân many times. Jesus is the son of Mary, who is the daughter of `Imrân, from the Children of Israel. The name of Mary’s mother was Hannah (Anne), or Hamnah.
Lady Mary mother of Jesus Is Born
Once, Hannah saw a bird feeding its children. She longed for a baby herself. She asked God to give her a child. God fulfilled her request. When Hannah felt the pregnancy she said: « O Lord, I vow that whoever is in my womb be dedicated as a servant in the Holy House, worshipping You. » Hannah had thought the child would be a boy. When she delivered, she saw the baby was a girl. Hannah named the baby Mary (Maryam) and asked God to protect her and her children from the devil.
Mary grew up in a pious manner. As mentioned previously, Zacharias was her custodian. From him, Mary learned the rules of Islam. Mary endeavored in performing obedience, until she became the best woman in the world. Before attaining the age of fourteen (14), she was already a highly pious woman.
Ibn Jarir and others narrated that one day, Mary ran out of water. She asked her cousin, Joseph, the son of Ya`qûb (Jacob), the son of Mathan, to go with her to fetch water. He was known as Joseph, the carpenter. He said: « I have what is sufficient for me for tomorrow. » Hence, Mary went by herself to fetch some water. [Mary liked Joseph because he was a God-fearing believer, like herself. However, she was neither married to him nor did she take him as a "boy friend" according to the understanding nowadays]
At the water, Mary found a man. She feared him, and she sought refuge with God. This good-looking man was really Angel Gabriel. He told Mary: « I am one of God’s angels. God sent me to give you a good child. »
Lady Mary is Pregnant with a Blessed, Fatherless Child
Mary said: « How would I bear a child? I have not been touched by a man, and I have never been a prostitute. » Gabriel said: « This was ordained by God,and it is an easy matter to God. This child will be a sign to the people and a mercy from God to them. This is a matter that has been preordained. »
When he said that, Mary submitted to God’s ordainment. Gabriel blew in the collar of Mary’s dress. When Gabriel blew, the soul of Jesus went into Mary’s mouth and into her womb. Gabriel left Mary pregnant, carrying Prophet Jesus. Mary filled her container and went back home.
Mary’s cousin, Joseph the Carpenter, was among the most worshipful people (of course, this is a different "Joseph" from Prophet Joseph who had died hundreds of years before).
As days passed, Joseph saw the signs of pregnancy on Mary. Certainly he saw this as a very serious matter. Joseph did not know how to explicate her situation. When he thought to accuse her of fornication, he would remember how pious Mary was. Yet, when Joseph wanted to declare that she was innocent of this sin, he would see the signs of pregnancy on her. Joseph decided to talk to Mary openly.
Joseph said: "Thoughts come to me about you. I have been fighting and rejecting them. However, I have reached the point that I am overwhelmed by these thoughts. This is why I wanted to talk to you."
Mary said: "Ask - but in a kind way that does not harm me." Joseph told her: "Tell me, will plants grow without seeds?" Mary said: "Yes." Then Joseph asked: "Will trees grow without rain?" Mary said: "Yes." Then Joseph asked her: "Will there be a child without a male?"
Mary said: "Yes. Do you not know that God made the plants emerge without seeds the day He created them the first time? Do you not know that God created the trees for the first time without rain? Do you not know that God created both Adam and Eve without a male or a female?" Joseph said: "Yes."
When Mary told him these things, Joseph felt in his heart that this pregnancy was something unusual given to Mary from God. He felt sure of her innocence from sin.
It is narrated that both Prophet Zacharias and Joseph were falsely accused of making Mary pregnant. It is also narrated that Zacharias’ wife Elizabeth and her sister Mary had their pregnancies at the same time, with the former delivering John six months before the latter delivered Jesus.
Prophet Jesus Is Born
The length of Mary’s pregnancy is a case of difference in opinion. Some said it was nine months long ; others said it was eight. Other lengths were also narrated.
When Mary felt the pains of delivery, she went east of Jerusalem. She started her delivery while being under the branch of a palm tree in Bethlehem (Bayt Lahm) in Palestine.
Mary said: "I wish I had died before this", due to her dread of the people’s reaction. She said: "I wish I had died and not a trace of me would have been seen."
Angel Gabriel called her from the lower end of the mountain saying: "Do not feel sad. God made a small river run underneath you. Shake the palm tree trunk, and dates will fall down to you."
That palm did not bear fruit, yet when Mary shook its trunk, it turned green and dates grew on it. Angel Gabriel said: "Eat, drink, and delight yourself." Prophet Jesus was born.
As a special endowment from God, Satan was not present at the birth of Jesus and did not prick him (many times devils prick humans at birth, making the baby cry). After forty days, Mary came to her people carrying her son.
When the people saw Mary they exclaimed: "O Mary, you have committed an enormous sin." They told her: "O sister of Harun!" (This meant that Mary had been known to be like a pious man among them named Harun). They said: "Your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother a prostitute. How did you do this?"
Mary said: "As ordered, I have vowed not to talk to any human today." When they still wanted to talk to her, she pointed at the baby indicating to them to talk to him. They were angered.
They said: "How do we talk to one who is still in the cradle?" They thought she was mocking them.
Baby Jesus Speaks to the People
At that point, God made Jesus speak. Baby Jesus said: "I am the slave of God. God will reveal a Book to me and make me a prophet. There are blessings wherever I am. God will order me with prayers and Zakah as long as I am alive."
The first thing Prophet Jesus uttered was his declaration that he was the slave of God. This is a strong proof that Jesus is not God nor is he the Son of God. [This is so because "a slave" is one who needs and submits to the orders of someone else. On the other hand, the term "God" indicates the existence of the One Who is not ordered and is free of need. As for the term "Son of God", it does not make sense. A "son" indicates the belief that someone is similar to God, as a son is to his father. It does not make sense to the sound mind that two things could both be God, because one of them would submit to the will of the other in every issue. Hence, that one who submitted would not be God in the first place]
Mary’s people wanted to punish her when they first saw the child with her because they thought she had committed fornication. However, after baby Jesus spoke, the people refrained from punishing her and left her alone.
After that astounding event, Jesus did not speak until he reached the age when children normally speak. Mary took Jesus to Egypt. They stayed there for a period of time. Then Mary and Jesus went back to the land of ash-Sham, to a city known as Nazareth (an-Nasirah), in Palestine. According to one saying of Islamic scholars, Jesus’ followers were called Nasara, in reference to that city.
As alluded to previously, it is not reported by trustworthy sources that Mary married her cousin Joseph. This is the Christians’ story, and it is not reliable. The reliable report is that Mary never married until her death.
Some scholars say that she will be married to a prophet in Paradise. Mary was the best of all the Muslim women. It is blasphemy to say that she is the "Mother of God," as some Christians say. Obviously, God does not have a mother or a father.
Jesus Follows the Torah Before Receiving a New Book
Jesus, peace be upon him, studied the Torah in school and memorized it. Those who followed the Torah in those days were Muslims, not Jews. Jesus was never a Jew, although he was a Semite. A Semite is a person who comes from Shem (Sam), Noah’s son. Jesus and many millions of others come from Shem, but are not Jews. The term "Jew" in this text refers to someone who rejected the Prophethood of Jesus, and refused to follow the new book God gave him. [Some people define "a Jew" as one from a certain lineage no matter their belief. That is not the definition used in this text]
Jesus followed the Torah until he received the Revelation from God at the age of thirty (30) years. At that time, God made him a prophet and messenger. Jesus told the people of his Prophethood. God gave him a new book, the Injil. The Injil abrogated some of the rules that were in the Torah. When Prophet Jesus announced that he was a prophet and that he had received a new book, many of the people following the Torah did not like this. They wanted to stay with the Torah and refused to give up following its rules to follow the rules in the Injil. Those who did not accept the Prophethood of Jesus and the new Holy Book, and instead they clung to the Torah, are called the Jews.
God gave Jesus many miracles. At Jesus’ hands, God created the cure of many with leprosy and other severe diseases. Jesus also made the dead become alive - by the Will of God - to defeat those who objected to and opposed him. God gave Jesus these types of miracles, because the people of Jesus’ time were famous for their medical skill. Thus, they would appreciate the magnitude of such works, for despite their medical skills, by God’s Will, they could not replicate what Jesus did.
Jesus was circumcised and did not eat pork. Christians used to know these facts. They would admit Jesus was circumcised and did not eat swine. However, a long time after Prophet Jesus was raised to the second heaven, some deviant monks came together and changed these two rules to encourage others to embrace their perverted religion.
Also, Jesus did not drink wine - although Christians claim he did. They asserted this lie as an excuse for them to drink. None of the prophets, including Jesus, drank even a drop of alcohol throughout their entire lives.
Jesus’ complexion was fair. He wore clothing made out of thick, unspun wool. Jesus used to eat raw green vegetables, like endive (hindaba’) and mulukhiyyah, green vegetables from the Sham area.
Jesus was extremely detached from the world. He did not have a house of his own. He used to sleep wherever the night fell upon him. If the night fell when Jesus was in the place of prayer, he would sleep there (during Jesus’ time, there were specific places dedicated for prayer. Although they were not called ‘masjids’ as we call them today, these specific places were present). Jesus did not get married during his first stay on Earth.
The Story of the Food Spread from the Sky
Prophet Jesus had ordered al-Hawariyyun (literally, "the Supporters" who were the best of his people genuinely believing in and following him at that time) to fast thirty (30) days. Upon the completion of the thirty (30) days, they were with Jesus in a desert. When Prophet Jesus traveled, thousands of people would follow him. Some of them were Jesus’ Companions, and others were sick, wanting a cure. Additionally, an evil group of people followed to mock and belittle Jesus.
The Hawariyyun asked Prophet Jesus if they could have a spread of food descend on them from the sky to confirm to them that God accepted their fast. They wanted to have something special to eat on the day they broke their fast. They also asked that the spread would be enough for all of them, both rich and poor alike. Prophet Jesus was fearful for the Hawariyyun, thinking that they might not thank God properly if He gave them this endowment. Moreover, they had seen many miracles, so why did they want more?
When Prophet Jesus addressed them with his concern, their answer was that they wanted the blessings that would accompany this spread of food. After their insistence, Prophet Jesus went to his usual praying spot, placed a cloth made from unwoven wool, and cried out piously. Then Jesus made supplication that the Hawariyyun’s request would be answered.
God accepted Prophet Jesus’ supplication, and a spread of food descended from the sky between two clouds. One cloud was above it, and one was below. Around it, there were angels. Slowly it neared the ground, and during its descent Prophet Jesus continued making supplication to God - asking Him to make this spread of food a mercy for his people, bringing peace and blessings, not as an affliction.
The spread of food landed near Prophet Jesus. It was covered with a cloth. Prophet Jesus took this cloth away while saying, "In the name of God, the best Sustainer."
Once the spread was uncovered, the people could see seven big fish, seven loaves of bread, vinegar, salt, honey, pomegranates, and other fruits. This food spread had a wonderful smell, which the people around it had never smelled before.
The news of the feast reached the Jews. They came to look at this unusual and extra-ordinary occurrence, and they felt sad that it had happened.
Prophet Jesus ordered the Hawariyyun to eat from the spread of food, but they replied by saying, "We will not eat from it until you have eaten from it." Prophet Jesus told them, "You are the ones who asked for it. You eat from it." Still they refused. At that, Prophet Jesus ordered those who were poor, ill, diseased, handicapped, and blind to eat from it. Their number was close to 1,300. They all ate from it.
The blessing that resulted from this great miracle was that all those who ate from it, whether they were handicapped or had a sickness, were all cured. Furthermore, the poor among them became rich. As a result, those who first refused to eat from it regretted their refusal.
The number of people who wanted to eat from this feast became so huge that Prophet Jesus made them take turns. Days passed. Each person, from the very first to the very last, ate until they were full. It was cited that everyday 7,000 people ate from the food spread.
Forty days after the food spread had been among them, God revealed to Prophet Jesus to allow only the poor people, and not the rich, to eat from the feast. Prophet Jesus warned the people to be honest and for the rich people to stay away from it, as they had been ordered.
Jesus also ordered the poor people who ate from it not to store any of its food. They could not take food away with them and save it for the next day. However, the people did not obey Prophet Jesus. Many rich people ate from the food spread, and many took away food wanting to store it.
As a result, the food spread was lifted. This was a great hardship for many people. The hypocrites among the followers of Prophet Jesus used this as an excuse to shed doubt about the truthfulness of Prophet Jesus and spread it among the people. God revealed to Prophet Jesus, "I will torture those who blaspheme."
Thirty-three people who had blasphemed woke up the next day to discover that they had been transformed into ugly pigs. As pigs, they ate and slept on the dirt and filth from the trash piles - after they had been eating good food and sleeping on comfortable beds.
When the people saw this, they gathered around Prophet Jesus and cried. The pigs also came, hanging their heads in shame and crying. Prophet Jesus knew who those pigs were. Jesus said to them, "Are you not so-and-so?" and each one shook his head up and down, unable to speak.
The people who blasphemed remained pigs for several days. Then Prophet Jesus made supplication to God to take their souls out of their bodies. They disappeared, and it was unknown whether the earth swallowed them or whether something else happened to them.
The people talked about this miracle. Consequently, many people embraced Islam. Likewise, the faith and belief of those who were already Muslim increased. The account of the food spread is cited in the Holy Qur’an in Surat Al-Ma’idah, verses 112-115.
Prophet Jesus Is Raised to the Heavens
When Prophet Jesus was thirty-three years old, the Jews wanted to kill him. However, God saved him from them. God, the Only Creator, made one of Jesus’ students look like him, and that student was killed in his place.
Ibn Abi Hatim and An-Nasa’iyy narrated that Ibn ^Abbas said: "Jesus was with twelve of his Companions in a house. Prophet Jesus said, ‘Among you there will be those who commit apostasy after being believers.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Who among you volunteers to be made to look like me and killed in my place? He will be my Companion in Paradise.’
The youngest man among them stood up and said, ‘It is I.’ Prophet Jesus said (kindly), ‘Sit down.’ Prophet Jesus repeated his question. This youngest follower stood up again and said, ‘It is I.’ Jesus again said, ‘Sit down.’ Then Jesus repeated this question a third time. That youngest person said, ‘It is I.’ At that, Prophet Jesus said, ‘You it is.’
That volunteering person was made to look like Jesus. When people came to capture Jesus they thought this student was Jesus. They took that student and crucified him. Before this crucifixion, Prophet Jesus was raised from a window in the upper corner of the house. Normally people used this window to get to the roof. Prophet Jesus was raised through it." This is from a sahih hadith (a certified saying of Prophet Muhammad).
The story which some tell, that a Jewish man was paid a great deal of money to disclose the place of Prophet Jesus is false. The story says that then this man guided them to the house, went inside before them, and when they followed him ; they thought he was Prophet Jesus. It says they took him. Again this is false. Another incorrect story tells that the leader of the Jews was the person who was killed. Ibn Abbas’ narration is the correct one.
Prophet Jesus Is Still Alive and Will Come Back to Earth
Jesus, peace be upon him, is now alive and present in the second heaven. He shall descend before the Day of Judgment. His descent will be one of the great signs of the nearing of the Day of Judgment.
Abu Dawud and others narrated that Prophet Muhammad said, "Jesus, the son of Mary, shall descend among you. Know him. He is a man of average height. His hair is smooth, not curly. He is neither thin nor heavy. He will remain on Earth for forty years. All religions will be destroyed except the Religion of Islam." This is a sahih hadith by unanimous agreement of the scholars of hadith.
After Prophet Jesus comes down to Earth, there will be a time when no blasphemous human being will live on the face of the Earth.
As Jesus comes back to Earth, he will be wearing two yellow garments. Prophet Muhammad said that Prophet Jesus, the son of Mary, would descend and rule justly. He shall perform Hajj and travel to Prophet Muhammad’s grave with the purpose of saluting him. Prophet Muhammad will return Jesus’ salutation.
When Prophet Jesus returns, his breath will reach as far as his sight reaches. If someone at that time still refuses to believe Jesus and be Muslim, he will die if the breath of Prophet Jesus reaches him. Indeed, after Jesus returns to Earth, eventually, and for some time, all human beings will either become Muslim or die.
However, before that victory and after Prophet Jesus’ return, the people of Gog and Magog (Ya’juj and Ma’juj) will rampage the Earth, doing many evil deeds. Instead of fighting them, Prophet Jesus will take the believers away from them to Mt. Tur (Sinai) where they will make supplication to God.
Gog and Magog will be incredibly numerous. Hence, if the breath of Jesus from one direction killed some, another group may attack believers from another direction. This is why, instead of killing them with his breath, Jesus takes all the believers away from Gog and Magog. In this way, some of Gog and Magog will not kill the Muslims.
After the Muslims ask God for help, God will send worms to the people of Gog and Magog that will go inside of them and kill them. After all of them die, God will send a heavy rain to wash all of their corpses into the sea. After that, the Muslims will live in peace, comfort, and safety.
There will be so much peace that the wolf will graze with the sheep and not kill them. The baby will play with the snake without being harmed by it. Money will be in great surplus, so much so that no one will take it. At that time, the Earth will bring up the gold inside of it. People will want to pay Zakah (an obligatory payment to deserving people) but they will not find a deserving or poor person to receive it.
The Earth will be ordered to bring forth fruits that are blessed by God. A whole group of people will be able to eat from one pomegranate. God will bless milk so that the milk of one cow will be sufficient for an entire tribe. The milk of a sheep will be enough for one branch of a tribe.
When he comes back to Earth, Prophet Jesus will marry and have children. He is a man with needs ; he never said that marriage is improper for a holy man.
After all of this occurs, Prophet Jesus will die as all men do. The Muslims will perform the funeral prayer for him and bury him.
The Prophet’s great Companion, ^Abdullah Ibn Salam, said that in the original Torah given to Prophet Moses, it was written that Prophet Jesus would come back to Earth and after his death he would be buried next to Prophet Muhammad (in fact, the Muslims left an empty spot for Prophet Jesus on one side of Prophet Muhammad’s grave).
From this, as well as the Qur’an, Sunnah (sayings of Prophet Muhammad), and consensus of the Islamic scholars, it is known that Prophet Jesus did not die yet. Indeed, about 2,000 years ago, God raised him from Earth to the heavens while he was awake.
A verse of the Qur’an means that God raised Prophet Jesus from this Earth while he was alive. Eventually, Prophet Jesus will come back to Earth, live here, and then die. God saved Prophet Jesus from the people who blasphemed and wished to kill him. This is the interpretation of ^Abdullah Ibn ^Abbas, the great explainer of the Qur’an.
Verse 157 of Surat An-Nisa’ explicitly indicates that Prophet Jesus was neither crucified nor killed. While knowing the Holy Qur’an says this, he who rejects this verse becomes a blasphemer. Such a person would need to correct his belief and say the two Professions of Faith to reenter Islam. He must declare, "I profess that no one deserves to be worshipped except God, the Creator, and I profess that Muhammad is the Messenger of God", or its equivalent.
Jurayj, the Pious Follower of Prophet Jesus
After Prophet Jesus was raised to the second heaven, his Muslim believers were following the Injil and teaching Islam. These Muslims were persecuted frequently. Hence, they left the towns and lived in isolated areas in the mountains to avoid the harm of the disbelievers.
One of these followers was named Jurayj. Once, Jurayj was praying an optional prayer when his mother called him. Although it was permissible to interrupt such a prayer, Jurayj did not respond to her call. Instead, he continued with his prayer. His mother was upset and said, "May you not die until you see the faces of the prostitutes."
Jurayj was known for his piety. Some evil people wanted to tempt Jurayj to see him fail in his quest to obey God. They got an idea to send a prostitute to him. They wanted him to fall into her trap so he would be discredited.
The woman got dressed up and went to the secluded, small hut of Jurayj. When she proposed the sin of fornication to Jurayj, he immediately rejected her and sought refuge with God. When this "lady of the night" found that she could not seduce Jurayj, she did the evil sin with a shepherd whom she had seen.
This whore got pregnant from that debauched shepherd. When she gave birth, she continued sinning by claiming that the baby was from Jurayj.
When the people of the city heard that, they now had their alleged reason to discredit Jurayj. First, they terrorizingly went to his small hut and destroyed it. Then they recklessly began to drag him through the streets. They were proclaiming he was not really pious and instead that he was really a fraud.
Jurayj asked to pray two rak^ahs (cycles) of prayer. The people granted him that. After doing that, Jurayj asked the newborn baby who his father was. God made the newborn baby speak clearly. The baby said, "The shepherd is my father."
When the people heard this, they stopped accusing Jurayj of this act. They offered to rebuild his house out of gold. Jurayj humbly said, "No, just rebuild it as the same simple hut that it was."
Teachings of Prophet Jesus Are Unrightfully Changed
Immediately after his ascension, the followers of Jesus went to various lands teaching the Injil to the people. However, some evil people started to change the Holy Book, step by step. Although the Injil was revealed after the Torah, it became perverted first. The book called the Bible is not at all the Injil. The Injil was the real Holy Book given to Prophet Jesus by God. The real Injil is not present on Earth anymore.
About 200 years after Jesus ascended to the heavens, false teachings were spread about him saying that he was the "son of God" and claiming that Jesus called God his "Father."
If the man named "Paul" really existed and actually taught what is in the present "Bible", then he is one who unrightfully changed the true teachings of Prophet Jesus. The ruler Constantine also established a false doctrine about Jesus, and many followed it.
Those who followed that false doctrine were called Christians, but they did not really follow Jesus (we do not object to the title "Christ", with that simply meaning a person anointed with oil. Anointing with olive oil is recommended for Muslims).
Throughout the years leading to the Prophethood of Muhammad, some people continued to have the correct belief about God, i.e., not believing that Jesus is "the Son of God." Five years before God gave the first Revelation to Prophet Muhammad, the last person on Earth to have the right belief about God died.
When we say "the last person" we mean, of course, other than Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Al-Khadir. This gives an idea of how corrupt the people on Earth were when Prophet Muhammad started calling them to Islam. Prophet Muhammad revived calling the people to Islam - as all the other prophets, including those mentioned in this book, had called to Islam. God’s peace and blessings be upon all of them!
الحمد لله رب العالمين
Praise to Allāh, the Creator of the world.
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