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CHRISTIANITY and JESUSChristmas holidays come and go each year with a shopping frenzy, hustle and bustle, Santa Clauses, Christmas trees, decorations and lights. This is the time when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. This article addresses the following questions relying mostly on quotations from the Holy Quran:
THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTIANITY Historical facts reveal that Jesus did not use the word
Christianity. He and his followers used to worship in the temple which other Israelites
used. The message of Jesus was to call people back to the religion of Abraham and Moses
from which they had gone astray. After Jesus, Paul declared that belief in Jesus
sufficed for salvation. The Jewish scholars of that time called the followers of
Jesus the misguided sect of Nazarene or Galilaens. In 43 C.E., when Paul and Barnabas went
to Antioch to preach, they were ridiculed and were called Christians by the masses. The
ones who were called Christians felt that if they are being given a name in reference to
Jesus, there is nothing wrong in accepting it. Westerners have used the similar concept in
labelling Muslims as Mohammedans. Oddly enough, literature on "Mohammedans" is
still in abundance in the Western libraries. PAUL ALTERED THE MESSAGEAt the beginning, Paul was a staunch opponent of Jesus and remained so for many years after his ascension. When he did join the followers of Jesus later on, he initiated many alterations in the teachings of Jesus in hopes of winning over the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). He introduced the following concepts into Christianity:
Paul eliminated all regulations concerning food and abrogated the injunctions of circumcision. The real followers of Jesus opposed these blatant misrepresentations of the message of Jesus. Their struggle to reject the notion of Divinity of Jesus continued for about two hundred years. Since these alterations were very appealing to the Gentiles, the true believers were unable to stop the misguidance. In 325 C.E., a council of Christian leaders met at Nicaea and officiated Paul's beliefs as their religion. Roman Empire declared Paul's religion as the religion of the State and all those books which denied these beliefs were banned. In 367 C.E., the State announced a list of books acceptable to it and fifteen years later, a council held under the presidency of Pope Damasius gave its approval to these books. At the end of the fifth century, Pope Galasius published a list of unauthorized books (Apocryphal) to further conform with Paul's religion of Christianity. JESUS BORN WITHOUT A FATHERThe true story of Jesus' birth from Mary is narrated in the Holy Quran. We are told that he was born without a father by the command of God. Mary was single and a chaste woman. (21:91) And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our
Spirit, and We made her and her son a Sign for all peoples. JESUS SPOKE AS A BABY19:27 At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They
said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! HE BEGETS NOT! We note that the Holy Quran refers to Jesus as 'Jesus ibn Maryam',
i.e., Jesus son of Mary. It is in contrast to the common usage in which children
are referred to by their father's name and not by their mother's name. He is not a son of
God. The following chapter from the Holy Quran explains the position of Islam in absolute
terms: SAY: "God is Unique!! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!" (Chapter 112) JESUS WAS NOT CRUCIFIED The Holy Quran also rejects the claim that Jesus was killed
on the cross. 4:157 That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the
Apostle of God"; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to
appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain)
knowledge, but only conjecture to follow for of a surety they killed him not. Based on the statements of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), Muslims believe that Prophet Jesus will return to earth at a time when Muslims will be in a dire need of a leader. He will not initiate a new religion but rather obey the Holy Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and lead Muslims to victory over the disbelievers. We hope that this short essay will help our readers understand the
origins of Christianity and Islam's position on Jesus. We encourage everyone to read the
Holy Quran to obtain a better understanding of Jesus and Islam. The Holy Quran also gives
a detailed account of the mission and lives of "Jewish" prophets like Abraham
and Moses. Altogether, twenty-five prophets are mentioned by name in the Quran. References:
by: Muhammad Ishaq Zahid
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