When is the Muslim's Christmas

Home » Articles » General Topics » When is the Muslim's Christmas

Amongst all the hassle and bustle of Christmas commercials, the crib and the Angelus there are almost 40 thousand Muslims in Ireland who would completely shun it, yet portray a great reverence to Jesus. The story of Jesus (p.b.u.h) has been mentioned in the Qur’an many times. The person of Jesus or Isa (peace be upon him) as called in Islam is of great significance in both Islam and Christianity. However, there are differences in terms of beliefs about the nature and life occurrences of this noble Messenger.

Like Christians, Muslims believe Mary, or Maryam as she is called in the Qur’an, was a chaste, virgin woman, who miraculously gave birth to Jesus. Mary’s virginity forms an essential part of the Muslim firm belief.      In a wonderful Qur’anic way the story of Zachary and John (peace be upon them) was portrayed. Zachary (p.b.u.h) offered a confidential prayer to God to bestow upon him a child. In spite of the fact that he was very old and his wife was barren, the angels gave him the glad tidings of having a child. It is unlikely for an old man and a sterile woman to have a child, but it happened. Successively after this story, the Qur’an portrays the story of Mary’s conception. After the unlikely story there is a more unlikely story. Apart from the creation of Adam (p.b.u.h), the birth of Jesus is the most alienated event in man’s history. Jesus (p.b.u.h) is unique in this regard. People tend to believe that only when a masculine and a feminine meet intimately there can be a possibility to have a child. And here is the story of Jesus (p.b.u.h) to say it is God’s will that can transcend all our norms.

Mary went to a place of Isolation and screened herself. Mary’s place of isolation was towards the east of Jerusalem. The eastern direction was respected, as it was the place of light. In this place the Ruh was sent to her. Ruh, which means Angel Gabriel, is the exact Arabic term used in the Qur’an. When the Ruh appeared to Mary, she was scared. Her fear was mixed with shyness when she knew that he was her Lord’ s messenger. Muslims believe that Jesus was the fruit of breathing into Mary’s garment. At this point it should be marked vividly that Jesus is similar to Adam in this regard. Their similitude could be discerned in the process of breathing souls in their bodies. Nevertheless, God breathed Adam’s souls in Adam’s (p.b.u.h) body and commanded Angel Gabriel to breathe Jesus’ (p.b.u.h) soul in Mary’s garment. Hence, the Muslims do not believe in the concept of God’s son-ship and they perceive Mary’s miraculous conception in parallel with Adam’s creation as a manifestation of God’s power. The severe pain of labor drove her to a trunk of a palm tree and raised many worries in the mind of Mary, the virgin. How would people accept this child? What would they say? Would they believe her miraculous conception?

After giving birth to Jesus(p.b.u.h), Mary took her baby and went back her people who were shocked to see her carrying a baby. Jesus was one of a few babies who spoke in their cradle. Mary pointed to her baby Jesus and Jesus narrated the story. That miracle was given to Jesus to prove the chastity of his mother. It was an obvious miracle that turned the faces of all the people surrounding his mother pale. He told them that God had given him the book and made him a prophet. As a prophet, Jesus (p.b.u.h) has a revered position in Islam. The prophets are formed of a certain number of people chosen by God to be patterns in every good aspect and torchbearers in all times.

All the prophets are human beings for had they been of any nature other than being human they could not have been deemed exemplary in their lifestyle. They were made of the same components, namely material and spiritual aspects. God, the Exalted, has chosen them to guide people and reform societies. Consequently, He has made their innate characteristics of the highest level. God has bestowed upon them the honor of Prophethood, wisdom and intelligence. They conveyed God’s revelation, guided people to their peace and happiness and warned them against God’s wrath.

Despite the fact that prophets were human beings, they were distinguished in their characteristics. They were truthful, intelligent, honest and sinless. In addition, God bestowed upon them the ability to perform miracles. Throughout history, none has ever declared himself to be a messenger without performing miracles. Again whenever an apostle was sent, his people demanded from him to show miracles. Miracle is defined as something unusual; the ability of the performance thereof is granted by God to a messenger to prove therewith the authenticity of his Prophethood. Miracle is beyond human reach and is not subject to any law. It is a challenge for human beings to produce the like thereof. Jesus (p.b.u.h) had the blessed touch. When Jesus (p.b.u.h) touched a sick man, he was recovered. At the time of Jesus, there were excellent doctors, but none could overcome the miraculous touch of Jesus (p.b.u.h). Jesus (p.b.u.h) could make something like the shape of a bird from clay and blew into it and it became a bird by God’s leave. He healed the blind and the leper and brought the dead back to life by God’s leave. He also told the people what they were eating and what they were storing in their houses. It is worth mentioning that Jesus, like Muhammad, Moses, Abraham and others (peace be upon them all), performed his miracles by God’s leave.

Muslims perceive Jesus as a prophet. On one hand they believe Jesus was a link in a long chain of prophets sent by God to various societies whenever they needed guidance or deviated from the divine teaching. On the other hand, they dismiss the concept of Trinity and the Son-ship of Jesus.

The Jews are not guilty of Jesus’ blood. The question of Jesus’ (p.b.u.h) crucifixion touches one of the most controversial issues between Muslims and Christians. Both Muslims and Christians have uncompromising stands in this regard. According to the Qur’an, Jesus (p.b.u.h) was not crucified, but raised alive to the heaven and he will be back. His likeness was placed on somebody and he was crucified, but not Jesus (p.b.u.h).    In the light of the above mentioned, I can comfortably conclude stressing the Muslim reverence to Jesus (p.b.u.h), which can be deemed as a commonality that Muslims and Christians share. It can provide a great support to the process coexistence and definitely cherish good relations.

Parent page: General Topics