Jesus: An Islamic Perspective
part 1
Many Muslim writers when writing about Jesus (a.s.) inevitably deal with him in negative terminology (as in 'he is not the son of God'). Muslims and Christians have spent a good deal of time debating these aspects of Jesus always using Christian theology as a starting point. Due to this the Christian community does not know how Christ is percieved in purely Islamic terms.
Note: The Arabic name for Jesus (a.s.) is Isa. He represents the pure Adamic man - Adam before the fall. "The similitude of Jesus before Allah is that of Adam..." (Qur'an 3:59). The letters "(a.s.)" are an abbreviation for a term of respect "alai-is-salaam" which means (Peace be upon him/her). This term is used when the name of a prophet or a respected personality is mentioned. The term "Christ" is from the greek "Christos" (anointed). The Arabic and Qur'anic form of this word is "Masih" (Messiah) and this is the title used for Jesus in the Qur'an.
Without an understanding of the "positive" side of the Islamic perspective on Jesus (a.s.), the Islamic rejection of certain ideas concerning him can never be understood. Without knowing "who" and "what" he IS, we can never know "who" or "what" he isn't.
A principal factor underlying this misapprehension is the fact that these two faiths take different approaches to some of the most fundamental questions of religion.
Note: "Faiths" is used here to denote a complete religious system, a comprehensive world view that provides for and takes into account all the dimensions of humanity (spiritual, social, personal etc.) and that provides a framework of guidance within which human beings can attain their potential.
For example, the question of the essential nature of man, the nature of God, and how the salvation of mankind and his reconcilement with God is to be achieved.
The Islamic position on Jesus can never be understood through attempts to disprove the Christian claims concerning Jesus - this method will only give one a picture of what Jesus is not. Only by placing him within the theological, ontological, and spiritual context of Islam is it possible to gain some insight into the place of Jesus in Islam.
Note: Ontological refers to the metaphysics of the nature of being (of existence). The nature of God, His Being and the consequences of this nature for humans. The nature of the being of all existing things. And "spiritual" is taken to mean the inner life and the inner capacities inherent in the nature of man and how these interact with "unseen" realities that are spoken of in the various scriptures. These inner capacities are qualities which lie potentially within everyone but which must be drawn out through living in accord with spiritual realities.
The point of departure, and the point of orientation, the point against which all things are measured in Islam, is God (who is One and Indivisible). The Qur'an says:
"Say, He is God, the One and Only, The Eternal, Absolute; He begets not, Nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him." (Qur'an. Ch 112)
The foundation of Islamic belief then, is the belief in the absolute oneness, unity, and uniqueness of God. One of the terms used in the above quoted sura is "samad". Samad is something that is so seamless and whole that one cannot even conceptualize it as divided or in parts. It has such an integral unity that it is absolutely without seam or fissure - completely unified.
Source: islamfrominside.com
Other Links:
Jesus (A.S.) Rediscovered (part 1)
Jesus (A.S.) Rediscovered (part 2)
Jesus in Islam-part 1
Birth of Jesus (A.S)
Birth of the Soul of God
