The Bible and Christianity (an Islamic View)

Is Jesus the Son of God?

One of my friends, a grocer, came to me one day and said that his brother was an Italian-educated engineer. He and two other individuals from Karbala had each married a Christian Italian woman. The brother had discussed Islam and Christianity with his wife, but in turn she questioned the truth of Islam. That woman, like her husband, was also a learned person. Besides, she was also enriched in Christian religious knowledge, as her father was a Christian scholar.

My grocer friend sought my permission to bring them before me with an intention that perhaps Allah might bless them and they could embrace Islam. I booked a time for them to come and see me. The grocer added that according to his brother, his wife was well educated and well versed in current affairs as well as in the religious knowledge. She was said to be very much argumentative in discussion. I replied, “I hope Allah the Almighty, would help me to speak the words of truth.” I also advised my grocer friend that he should bring the three young men along with their wives so that the discussion could be made with all of them. The grocer promised to try to bring them together but he expressed his doubt about their coming together because only one of them, his brother, being pious and faithful, was keen for his wife to see the truth of and embrace Islam, whereas the other two were devoid of such characteristics. I reminded him of the saying “you won’t know until you try.”

After a few days he came back to me and asked if I could see them that evening and I said, “You are most welcome.” After the evening prayers, I went to my house. The three young engineers along with their wives as well as the grocer friend came over to my house. During the course of our discussion, the husbands of the Christian women acted as their interpreters.

I asked those women what was their religion, and they told me that they followed the Christian religion. I questioned them why they had become Christians. One of them eye winked to the other and said they believed in Christianity because they had accepted Jesus Christ was the son of God. I asked, “Who told you that Jesus Christ was the son of God?” They replied that all people believe so. I refuted their claim, saying, “This is not true.

Do you not know that the present population of the world is more three billion out of which only eight hundred million are Christians? Therefore, the remaining people of the world do not believe that Jesus is the son of God.” At this stage the women were silent because they had no counterargument to present. Then I added, “Moreover, all Christians do not believe that Jesus is the son of God, but most of them believe that he was a human being.”

Then one of those women asked whether I could say that millions of Christians including the great scholars, hermits, nuns and monks were telling a lie that Jesus was the son of God. I put the same question to them as to whether they could similarly say that more than two billion of non- Christian people including great scholars, pious and learned people were telling a lie that Jesus was not the son of God.

The women were silent for a while. Then they asked me to prove the prophethood of Muhammad, and on what grounds I am guiding them to the religion of Islam. I said, “Prophet Muhammad brought miracles with him, claimed to be a prophet, and his claim was not contrary to reason, and therefore we believe in him.” She asked me to elaborate my three points, and I explained it to her thus:

1. “the fact that Muhammad claimed to be a prophet is quite clear and needs no elaboration, as you too admit that he claimed so.” She confirmed my first point, 2. “the Prophet of Islam showed miracles to prove his prophethood out of which the Holy Qur’an alone is sufficient, since it challenges the people of the world to bring even one chapter like any chapter of the Qur’an, but no one could do so.”

She asked as to why the people of the world could not bring an example against the Qur’an. I replied, “It was similar to Jesus who used to give life to the dead but none of the Jews had such power.” She observed, “The Qur’an is the word.” I replied, “Yes, of course, but this word is not like that of the people, it is something supernatural; and that is why the people of the world could not write a single chapter parallel to it. If Muhammad was not a prophet, he could not bring a book like the Qur’an which is beyond the human word.

3. Then I explained my third point to her saying, “His claim was not contrary to reason. Sometimes it is possible that someone may claim something and carry out some extraordinary tasks, but his claim is contrary to reason. The very reason that his claim was contrary to reason is the proof of his deed’s being not a testimonial from God. For example, if someone claims that the sun can produce coldness, and in support of his claim he carries out some extraordinary deed as to cause the sun eclipse, here we can say that this action of his and the eclipse of the sun is not a miracle from God, but an act done through sorcery, juggling or an unnatural act.

Whereas, it is quite obvious that the claim of Prophet Muhammad was never contrary to reason.”

Then the Italian woman repeated her first argument, saying, “If Jesus Christ was not the son of God, then whose son was he?” I asked her whether she had heard the names of Adam and Eve. She replied, “Yes, Adam and Eve were the first and foremost human beings on earth as stated in the Bible” Then I said, “Who was the father of Adam and Eve?” She replied, “Adam and Eve had no father.” I asked. “How did they come to this world?” She replied, “By the order of God Almighty.” Then I explained it to her that Jesus came to the world similarly by the order of God the Almighty, and without any father. She remained silent.

As my argument had inculcated in them a deep impression, I continued by pointing out to the Christian women that Islam holds Jesus Christ and his mother Mary in high esteem. I started to praise and glorify Virgin Mary (upon whom be peace) and then asked them, “What hinders you to enter this religion which respects and holds in high esteem your Prophet (Jesus) and his mother?”

The women were very much surprised on my talk that I was saying that Islam held Jesus and his mother in high esteem. Then I said to them, “Just now I will bring our holy book, the Glorious Qur’an, for you so that you may yourself see with your own eyes how much our Holy Qur’an has praised and held in high esteem Prophet Jesus and his mother Mary. Nevertheless, there is an entire chapter in the Qur’an entitled Mary.” Then I fetched the Qur’an, I opened the chapter of Maryam and showed it to them. I turned its pages one by one before them and showed them each and every verse concerning Mary in that chapter.

After such arguments and conversations, Islam made a way in their hearts and I thus taught them to repeat this declaration of accepting the Islamic faith:

“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Who is One having no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. And I bear witness that Ali and his infallible descendants are the successors of the Messenger of Allah.”

They recited sincerely all three declarations of the faiths in Arabic and in their own tongues as well. At the end some refreshment were served. Their husbands were advised to teach their wives Islamic injunctions. A set of books on the principles of Islam and its practices was presented to them as a gift.