Jesus in the Quran holds one of the highest statures amongst the Prophets. Unlike other Prophets who performed miracles, Jesus himself was a miracle, as he was born of a virgin mother, and God describes him and his mother Mary as such: “…and We made her (Mary) and her son (Jesus) a sign for the … Read more
Man is made to adore and to obey: but if you will not command him, if you give him nothing to worship, he will fashion his own divinities, and find a chieftain in his own passions. —Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby The critical difference between Jesus’ teachings and the Trinitarian formula lies in elevating Jesus to divine … Read more
Some associate Jesus with divinity because he performed miracles. Many Unitarian Christians and all Muslims point out that Jesus did indeed perform miracles, but by the will of God and not through any divine powers of his own. To repeat the quote of Acts 2:22: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested by God to you … Read more
(part 1 of 3): Mary The Birth of Mary “Indeed God chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran over the worlds. An offspring, like one another (in righteousness). And God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (And mention) when the wife of Imran said, ‘O my Lord, I have vowed to You what … Read more
(part 1 of 7): Bible’s writers Christians and Muslims both believe in Jesus, love him, and honor him. They are, however, divided over the question of his divinity. Fortunately, this difference can be resolved if we refer the question to both the Bible and the Quran, because, both the Bible and the Quran teach that … Read more
(part 1 of 6): Mark vs. Matthew and Luke Many scholars and students of the Bible have observed how similar the gospels are to each other in the episodes they narrate and in the sayings of Jesus they report. These scholars and students have also noticed how the very same passages are also starkly different … Read more
(part 1 of 2) Jesus is a figure who is loved and revered by billions of people the world over. Yet there is so much confusion surrounding the status of this colossal personality. Muslims and Christians both hold Jesus in high regard but view him in very different ways. The questions raised in this article … Read more
All four Gospels record Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the peace-makers; they will be called sons of God.” The word ‘son’ cannot be accepted literally because in the Bible, God apparently addresses many of his chosen servants as ‘son’ and ‘sons.’ The Hebrews believed God is One, and had neither wife nor children in any … Read more
When I was a child, growing up in the sixties and seventies just a few blocks away from the notorious Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco, I was surrounded by the hippie movement. It was a “turn on, tune in, drop out” age of sexual freedom, cultural revolution and social recklessness. Happily, I was never caught … Read more
(part 1 of 2) We as Muslims share with the Jewish and Christian communities many points of commonality. These include: belief in God, belief that He revealed scriptures to humanity and sent a succession of prophets. The Qur’an, we notice, addresses the Jews and Christians from the vantage point of these points of agreement. We … Read more