Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is God's Prophet, Not His Son
All prophets preached monotheism and had superior moral values and sincere faith. God reveals that His messengers were entrusted with calling their people to monotheism:
We sent a Messenger among every people saying: "Worship God and keep clear of all false deities…" (Surat an-Nahl: 36)
After the prophets, however, monotheism was gradually corrupted and altered by human beings. Thus, God would send a new messenger to recite His verses, warn them of the Day of Judgment and unite them again under monotheism. Following the corruption of the revelation brought by Prophet Moses (pbuh), Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was sent to call his people to God's oneness and to depart from their bigoted traditions, abandon their superstitions, and submit solely to God. For example:
And when Jesus came with the Clear Signs, he said: "I have come to you with wisdom and to clarify for you some of the things about which you have differed. Therefore have fear [and respect] of God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 63-64)
I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So have fear [and respect] of God and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path." (Surah Al 'Imran: 50-51)
When Prophet Jesus (pbuh) began to lead his people and their religious leaders, many of whom had departed from the Mosaic Law, invented their own ideas of what was lawful and prohibited, and developed a formalist and bigoted form of religion, they mocked him and became hostile:
When an example is made of the son of Mary, your people laugh uproariously. They retort: "Who is better, then, our deities or him?" They only say this to you for argument's sake. They are indeed a disputatious people. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 57-58)
Despite mounting obstacles, the number of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) followers rose rapidly, especially among the poor. In order to put an end to Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and his message, the local Roman administrators and several Jewish religious leaders set a trap for Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and eventually decided to crucify him. The Qur'an records our Lord's response to this move:
They [the unbelievers] plotted and God plotted. But God is the best of plotters. (Surah Al 'Imran: 54)
Just as our Lord saved Prophet Abraham (pbuh) from the fire, He rescued Prophet Jesus (pbuh) from this trap by raising him to His presence:
And their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him." (Surat an-Nisa': 157)
Clearly, those who sought to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh) failed. As is revealed in other verses of the Qur'an, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not die but is alive in God's presence. God has revealed that He foiled the plot against Prophet Jesus (pbuh), which serves as important evidence that the prophet is alive in His presence. Our Lord foiled the plot intended to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh). The claims made by those who maintain that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was killed consist of nothing more than speculation. The Romans, imagining that they were crucifying Prophet Jesus (pbuh), actually crucified someone else. (For more details concerning his life and ascent to God's presence, see Harun Yahya, Jesus (pbuh) Did Not Die [Istanbul:Global Publishing, 2005]
After his ascent, however, Christianity gradually degenerated with the belief in the trinity. However, we can learn about the monotheistic revelation that he brought, part of what he experienced during his time on Earth, and his elevation into the sight of God from the Qur'an, which was sent to mankind by means of the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) and is valid until the Day of Judgment. It must not be forgotten that the Qur'an is a divine book whose words cannot be changed unless God wills them to be changed: "The Words of your Lord are perfect in truthfulness and justice. No one can change His Words. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (Surat al-An'am: 115)
Several verses state that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is not the son of God (Surely God is beyond that!), but only one of His prophets. Some of these verses are as follows:
Our Lord Has No Son
The basic logic behind trinitarianism is that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is the son of God. However, God's names invalidate these claims, for in His capacity as the Lord of the Worlds, He is far removed from such comparisons ignorantly made by human beings. He is unsullied by any flaw or deficiency. The Qur'an reveals:
It is not fitting for God to have a son. Glory be to Him! When He decides on something, He just says to it: "Be!" and it is." (Surah Maryam: 35)
They say: "God has a son." Glory be to Him! He is the Rich beyond Need. Everything in the heavens and everything on Earth belongs to Him. Have you authority to say this, or are you saying about God that which you do not know? (Surah Yunus: 68)
It is enough for our Lord to say Be! for something to come into existence. All entities are His property and His creations. All things have bowed their heads to Him and surrendered to His infinite power and might:
…Everything in the heavens and Earth, willingly or unwillingly, submits to Him… (Surah Al 'Imran: 83)
God is free of all causes, because He created whatever exists and happens, as well as their underlying causes. Everything happens in accordance with specific causes. For example, birth, death, learning, and ageing happen as the result of specific causes, such as time and space. Human beings live dependent on time and space. But our Lord is independent of time and space. He, Himself created time and space. It is our Lord Who created fatherhood, being a son, and having children, which are features peculiar to human life. Therefore, those who say that "God has a son" (Surely God is beyond that!) forget our Lord's incomparable names and think within the bounds of their own limited human perceptions. However, such claims are a huge lie in the sight of God. The Qur'an reveals that:
… and to warn those who say: "God has a son." They have no knowledge of this, neither they nor their fathers. It is a monstrous utterance that has issued from their mouths. What they say is nothing but a lie. (Surat al-Kahf: 4-5)
In another verse, our Lord reveals that "If God had desired to have a son, He would have chosen whatever He wished from what He has created. Glory be to Him! He is God, the One, the All-Conquering" (Surat az-Zumar: 4). In this verse, our Almighty Lord reveals that He has the power to create everything in the form that He wills. God's response to people's misguided belief in the trinity, which is founded on baseless human comparisons, is emphasized in the verses given below:
They say: "God has a son." Glory be to Him! No, everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Everything is obedient to Him, the Originator of the heavens and Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, "Be!" and it is. (Surat al-Baqara: 116-117)
They say: "The All-Merciful has a son." They have devised a monstrous thing. The heavens are all but rent apart, Earth split open, and the mountains brought crashing down at their ascription of a son to the All-Merciful! It is not fitting for the All-Merciful to have a son. There is no one in the heavens and Earth who will not come to the All-Merciful as a servant. He has counted them and numbered them precisely. Each of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone." (Surah Maryam: 88-95)
As stated in the verses, this concept is a monstrous thing. Our Lord, the Lord of all in heaven and Earth, is unsullied by such fabrications.
Believers in the trinity also make another deviant assertion saying that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) has the same powers as God. The verse "…He has no partner in the Kingdom. He created everything and determined it most exactly" (Surat al-Furqan: 2) unequivocally denies this claim. Given that He is the absolute ruler of the universe, He has no need of any partner or helpmate. As one verse states:
And say: "Praise be to God, Who has had no son and no partner in His Kingdom, and Who needs no one to protect Him from abasement." And proclaim His Greatness repeatedly! (Surat al-Isra': 111)
God commanded Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) to tell those who believe in the trinity:
Say: "If the All-Merciful had a son, I would be the first to worship him". (Surat az-Zukhruf: 81)
This response in the verse shows that the proponents of the trinity are in grave error. In the continuation of the above verse God reveals:
Glory be to the Lord of the heavens and Earth, the Lord of the Throne, beyond what they describe. So leave them to plunge and play around until they meet their Day, which they are promised. He is God in heaven and God on Earth. He is the All-Wise, the All-Knowing. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 82-84)
In these verses, God draws attention to the fact that believers in the trinity do not properly appreciate God's grandeur. They are depicted as people who play and plunge, heedless of the Hereafter's existence.
All of creation belongs to God and needs Him
According to the trinitarian belief, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is described as being uncreated and having powers equal to those of God. (Surely God is beyond that!) The fact is, however, that this false concept is a terrible slander in the face of the monotheistic faith revealed by our Lord to the prophets. As the Qur'an states:
God, there is no deity but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He is not subject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, but they cannot grasp any of His knowledge save what He wills. His Footstool encompasses the heavens and Earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-Baqara: 255)
Our Lord is the only deity and ruler. All the universe, everything, living or not, in the heavens and Earth, animals, plants and inanimate objects, all belong to Him, for He is the One Who created them. Everything acts in accordance with His decree and exists for as long as He wills. He feeds and nourishes all living things, turns the night dark, makes the Sun bright, and creates the seasons. He created all human beings that have lived and that will ever live, and so they all owe their existence to God and depend upon Him totally. The prophets that He sent to humanity are also servants created by Him to guide their people and follow His decree so that they may serve as models to humanity. Among them is Prophet Jesus (pbuh), a servant created by God, a worthy messenger of high esteem (Surah Al 'Imran: 45). Indeed, God says this of Prophet Jesus (pbuh):
The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant to God, nor would the angels near to Him. If any do disdain to worship Him and grow arrogant, He will in any case gather them all to Him. (Surat an-Nisa': 172)
As revealed in the verse, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is a very devout individual who is proud to fulfill his duty of service to God and submit to Him fully. All references to his supposed divinity were produced long after he was raised to God's presence. Our Almighty Lord possesses complete dominion over all beings. Everything apart from Him needs our Lord to exist and to survive.
God created the universe from nothing. All living things are born and die, and everything has an allotted life span. There is nothing in the universe that will not come to an end one day, nor any living thing that will not finally die. As the Qur'an reveals, however, "God is the First and Last" (Surat al-Hadid: 3). In other words, He has no beginning and no end. He existed before everything and will continue to exist after everything. Before the universe and its contents were created, there was only God; after the universe and its contents cease to exist, there will be only God. God, the Creator of life and time, is independent of all features of matter.
God created the concepts of space and time, and thus decrees that human beings should be bound by them. No person can know what will happen a day or even an hour later. When He decrees a thing, however, He knows what its end result will be, regardless of how far in the future it will occur. Therefore, His decrees are always the truest, the best, and the wisest.
All things in the universe will one day cease to exist. A human being is born, lives, and inevitably dies at the end of his or her limited lifespan in this world. This is also true for all members of the animal and plant kingdoms. Every living thing will die and will return to the ground. Our Lord, however, is Everlasting and exists at all times. Eternity belongs to Him alone.
Human beings need constant care and interest throughout their lives. They spend much of their lives looking after their own bodies, making sure that they are clean, fed, and get enough sleep. God, on the other hand, has no such worries. As the Creator of all living and non-living things, He is Everlasting, Omniscient, and Almighty. He has no need of anything; rather, He gave various needs to those things He created and then told them to be aware of these needs, serve only Him, and seek everything from Him. A person's duty is to turn to God in the knowledge that he or she can continue to live and have his or her needs met only if He so wills. God reveals, with examples of the greatest wisdom, that He is the one God:
Everyone in the heavens and Earth belongs to Him. Those in His presence do not consider themselves too great to worship Him and do not grow tired of it. They glorify Him by night and day, without ever flagging. Or have they taken deities out of the earth who can bring the dead to life? If there had been any deities besides God in heaven or Earth, they would both be ruined. Glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, beyond what they describe! He will not be questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned. Or have they taken other deities besides Him? Say: "Produce your proof! This is the message of those with me and the message of those before me." But most of them do not know the truth, so they turn away. (Surat al-Anbiya': 19-24)
The fact is that We have given them the truth and they are liars. God has no son and is accompanied by no other deity, for then each deity would have gone off with what he or she created, and one of them would have been exalted above the other. Glory be to God above what they describe, Knower of the Unseen and the Visible! May He be exalted above all they associate with Him! (Surat al-Muminun: 90-92)
Prophet Jesus (pbuh), a devout human being who believed fully in Our Lord's attributes, also believed in God's infinite might and ascribed no partners to Him. It is revealed in the Qur'an that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is the servant of God:
He [Jesus] said: "I am the servant of God, He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet." (Surah Maryam: 30)
It is revealed in another verse that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is mortal, and that like all other human beings He will be resurrected in the Hereafter:
Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised up again alive." (Surah Maryam: 33)
God created him, gave him an allotted span on Earth to preach monotheism, and then raised him to His presence to save him from those who plotted against him. When the time appointed by God comes, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will return to Earth and, in the manner decreed by God, complete his duties as messenger, for God has shaped his entire destiny, just as He has done for all people. God created every miracle performed by Prophet Jesus (pbuh), and allowed him to display them through His mercy. Throughout his earthly life, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) expressed his deep faith in God and called people to His straight path, as the following verse states:
God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path. (Surah Maryam: 36)
Prophet John's (pbuh) birth was also a miracle from God
One of trinitarianism's alleged foundations is the miracles in the life of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Our Lord imparted a blessing by giving Prophet Jesus (pbuh) extraordinary miracles. His life was full of miracles, from his birth until his elevation to God's presence. One of these miracles was that he was born of a virgin. The birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is truly a great miracle of our Lord. The Qur'an describes how Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary as a handsome, well-built man and informed her of God's will for her: although no man had ever touched her, by the will of God she became with child with Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Her pregnancy took place in a miraculous manner, independent of any earthly cause:
She asked: "How can I have a son when no man has touched me and I am not an unchaste woman?" He [Gabriel] said: "It will be so. Your Lord says: 'That is easy for Me. It is so that We can make him a Sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.' It is a matter already decreed." So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place. (Surah Maryam: 20-22)
As can be seen from the clear language in this verse, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) came into the world by means of a creation outside the known causes, without a father. Before he was born, God had the angels inform Mary of many his attributes and that He was sending him as a blessing to his people:
He [Gabriel] said: "I am only your Lord's messenger so that He can give you a pure son" ... We can make him a Sign for humanity and a mercy from Us." (Surah Maryam: 19-21)
This miraculous creation is one of the so-called proofs for belief in the trinity. Although the extraordinary nature of this birth is plain to see, the birth of Prophet John (pbuh) was also miraculous. His father, Prophet Zachariah (pbuh), had prayed for an inheritor with the following words:
Remember your Lord's mercy to His servant Zachariah, when he called on his Lord in secret and said: "My Lord, my bones have lost their strength and my head is crowned with white. But in calling on You, My Lord, I have never been disappointed. I fear my relatives when I am gone, and my wife is barren. So give me an heir from You to be my inheritor and the inheritor of the family of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, pleasing to You." (Surah Maryam: 2-6)
Then and there, Zachariah called on his Lord, saying: "O Lord, grant me, by Your favor, an upright child. You are the Hearer of Prayer." (Surah Al 'Imran: 38)
Apparently, Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife could not have a son under normal conditions. Yet he prayed with a sincere heart to our Lord for a helpmate and an inheritor. And, our Lord answered his prayer:
Zachariah! We give you the good news of a boy named John, a name we have given to no one else before. (Surah Maryam: 7)
The angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in the chamber: "God gives you the good news of John, who will come to confirm a Word from God. He will be a leader and a chaste, a Prophet and one of the righteous." (Surah Al 'Imran: 39)
Our Lord gave Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) the glad tiding he would have a son called John (pbuh). Like the birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), this too is a miraculous state of affairs—since on account of their age and health, it appeared impossible for Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife to have children. Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) said the following when he learned of the impending miracle: "My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?" (Surah Maryam: 8). But our Lord, Who created the entire universe from nothing and can do whatever He wills, told him:
He [God] said: "It will be so. Your Lord says: 'That is easy for me to do. I created you before, when you were nothing.'" (Surah Maryam: 9)
He [Zachariah] asked: "My Lord, how can I possibly have a son when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" He [God] said: "It will be so. God does whatever He wills." (Surah Al 'Imran: 40)
The New Testament contains a similar account:
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped by fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you are to name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the holy spirit even from birth. He will bring many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Zechariah asked the angel: "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."(Luke 1:11-18)
Our Lord presented Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife with Prophet John (pbuh), a miracle from His presence, and endowed him with obedience, wisdom, love, sensitivity, and cleanliness right from childhood. The following is said of Prophet John (pbuh):
…he had fear of God – and devotion to his parents – he was not insolent or disobedient. Peace be upon him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he is raised up again alive. (Surah Maryam: 13-15)
As these verses reveal, Prophet John's (pbuh) birth was a great miracle. Independently of earthly causes, God answered Prophet Zachariah's (pbuh) prayer for a son and an inheritor in the person of Prophet John (pbuh). This great news was imparted by means of an angel, just as Mary was informed of her impending pregnancy. Given that Prophet Zachariah's (pbuh) wife was too old to become pregnant, we can see a great similarity in the birth of these two great prophets. This shows just how invalid this particular claim of the trinitarians is.
 The Originator of the heavens and earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it is. (Surat al-Baqara: 117) |
The creation of Prophet Adam (pbuh)
The extraordinary creation of Prophet John (pbuh) and Prophet Adam (pbuh) are proof that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was not created to be part of a triune God. According to the Qur'an, Prophet Adam (pbuh) was also created in a miraculous manner.
… when your Lord said to the angels: "I am creating a human being out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. When I have formed him and breathed My Spirit into him, fall down in prostration in front of him." (Surat al-Hijr: 28-29)
These verses point to a most extraordinary creation: Prophet Adam (pbuh) had no parents, for he was created out of dried clay formed from fetid black mud. Other verses regarding creation from mud and the like read as follows:
O humanity. If you are in any doubt about the Resurrection, know that We created you from dust, then from a drop of sperm, then from a clot of blood, and then from a lump of flesh, formed yet unformed, so We may make things clear to you. (Surat al-Hajj: 5)
Among His Signs is that He created you from dust and here you are now, widespread human beings. (Surat ar-Rum: 20)
God created you from dust, and then from a drop of sperm, and then made you into pairs. No female becomes pregnant or gives birth except with His knowledge. And no living thing lives long or has its life cut short without that being in a Book. That is easy for God. (Surah Fatir: 11) The creation of Prophet Adam (pbuh) is also similar to that of Prophet Jesus (pbuh):
The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is the same as that of Adam. He created him from earth and then He said to him "Be!" and he was. It is the truth from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters. (Surah Al 'Imran: 59-60)
In these verses, God reveals that He created Prophet Adam (pbuh) and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in a similar manner: Prophet Adam (pbuh) was created out of clay and had no ancestors, and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) had no father. Both of them were created through God's command of Be! This great truth, which leaves no room for doubt, makes it clear that both prophets were God's servants who, despite their exalted status, were still completely dependent upon Him to meet all of their needs.
As revealed in the Qur'an, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is fully human
In the Qur'an, God reveals to our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) that the other prophets before him were all human:
We never sent any Messengers before you who did not eat food and walk in the market-place. But We have made some of you a trial for others, to see if you will be steadfast. Your Lord sees everything. Those who do not expect to meet Us ask: "Why have angels not been sent down to us? Why do we not see our Lord?" They have become arrogant about themselves and are excessively insolent. (Surat al-Furqan: 20-21)
In other verses our Lord states:
We have only sent before you men who were given Revelation. Ask the People of the Reminder if you do not know. We did not give them bodies that did not eat food, nor were they immortal. But We kept Our promise to them and rescued them and those We willed, and destroyed the profligate. (Surat al-Anbiya': 7-9)
All of the prophets' human characteristics are described in the Qur'an through numerous examples. Mary conceived Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in a miraculous manner. However, the stages of his birth and Mary's birth-related experiences clearly reveal that his stages of birth were the same as those of all other human beings. It is not possible to interpret the Qur'anic account of his birth in any other way:
 [God] of the East and West–there is no deity but Him–so take Him as your Guardian. (Surat al-Muzzammil: 9) |
So she conceived him and withdrew with him to a distant place. The pains of labor drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She exclaimed: "Oh, if only I had died before this time and was something discarded and forgotten!" A voice called out to her from under her: "Do not grieve. Your Lord has placed a small stream at your feet. Shake the trunk of the palm toward you, and fresh, ripe dates will drop down onto you. Eat and drink and delight your eyes. If you should see anyone at all, just say: "I have made a vow of abstinence to the All-Merciful, and today I will not speak to any human being." She brought him to her people, carrying him. They said: "O Mary, you have done an unthinkable thing! Sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman!" (Surah Maryam: 22-28)
God created Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and blessed him with various miracles, such as raising the dead, making a bird from mud and breathing life into it, and curing the blind from birth and lepers. Such events, together with his miraculous birth without a father, are outside the laws of life to which we are subject in this world. In the Qur'an, our Lord refers to other prophets' miracles. For example, He states that Prophet Adam (pbuh) was created from dried mud without a father, and that Prophet Salih, Prophet Abraham, and Prophet Moses (peace be upon them all) performed many miracles. When Prophet Moses (pbuh) encountered Pharaoh's sorcerers, our Lord turned his staff into a serpent (Surah Ta Ha: 69). Prophet Moses (pbuh) and his people were able to cross the Red Sea, which divided so that they could escape Pharaoh and his army, all of whom drowned (Surah Ta Ha: 77-78). Like the birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), this too is a miraculous state of affairs—since on account of their age and health, it appeared impossible for Prophet Zachariah (pbuh) and his wife to have children.
In Surat al-Isra' God reveals that He carried our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) to the place upon which Al-Aqsa mosque now stands in a single night and showing it to him (Surat al-Isra':1). It is God, the Lord of the worlds, Who enabled such miracles to take place. The fact that the prophets were able to perform such miracles does not imply that they enjoyed divine status. (Surely God is beyond that!) In fact, all of them knew that they could perform these miracles only because God willed them:
Remember when God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with the holy spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown; and when I taught you the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you created a bird-shape out of clay by My will, and then breathed into it and it became a bird by My will; and healed the blind and the leper by My will; and when you brought forth the dead by My will; and when I held back the tribe of Israel from you, when you brought them the Clear Signs and those of them who did not believe said: 'This is nothing but downright magic." (Surat al-Ma'ida: 110)
The Qur'an also refutes all claims regarding the supposed divinity of Mary and Prophet Jesus (pbuh):
The Messiah, the son of Mary, was only a Messenger, before whom other Messengers came and went. His mother was a woman of truth. Both of them ate food. See how We make the Signs clear to them! Then see how they are perverted! (Surat al-Ma'ida: 75)
The reference to eating is particularly wise, because eating, hunger, thirst, and the need to sleep are all characteristics of living things and expressions of helplessness. Given this, it is a grave error to ascribe divine status to Prophet Jesus (pbuh), who possessed all of the human characteristics mentioned in the verse. With his title of the Provider (al-Razzaq), God, the Lord of all, nourishes and imparts blessings to all living things. He is the One Who has need of nothing and nobody. However, all living things stand in need of our Lord in order to exist and survive.
 Our Lord blessed Prophet Jesus (pbuh) with many miracles, one of which was raising Lazarus from the dead. 1308-1311, Kimbell Museum of Fine Arts, Fort Worth, Texas |
Another piece of wisdom connected to this matter may be the information provided about the angels who appeared to Prophet Abraham (pbuh) in human form (God knows best!) and did not eat any food:
Has the account reached you of the honored guests of Abraham? When they entered his dwelling and said: "Peace." he replied: "Peace to people we do not know." So he slipped off to his household and brought a fattened calf. He offered it to them and then asked: "Do you not then eat?" He felt afraid of them, but they said: "Do not be afraid," and gave him the good news of a son imbued with knowledge. (Surat adh-Dhariyat: 24-28)
Our messengers brought the good news to Abraham. They said: "Peace," and he also said: "Peace" and brought in a roasted calf without delay. When he saw that their hands were not reaching for it, he suspected them and felt afraid. They said: "Have no fear. We have been sent to the people of Lot." (Surah Hud: 69-70)
God warns those who believe in the trinity and who ascribe divine status to Prophet Jesus (pbuh) in various ways in several verses, among them the following:
Those who say: "God is the Messiah, son of Mary" do not believe. Ask: "Who possesses any power at all over God if He desires to destroy the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone else on Earth?" The kingdom of the heavens and Earth, and everything between them, belongs to God. He creates whatever He wills. God has power over all things. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 17)
Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is no more than a helpless and needy servant created by God, despite his being someone beloved of, honored, and chosen by God. The Qur'an says that those who deify him are unbelievers:
Those who say that the Messiah, son of Mary, is God are unbelievers. The Messiah said: "O Tribe of Israel. Worship God, my Lord and your Lord. If anyone associates anything with God, God has forbidden him the Garden and his refuge will be the Fire." The wrongdoers will have no helpers. Those who say that God is the third of three are unbelievers. There is no deity but the One God. If they do not stop saying what they say, a painful punishment will afflict those among them who do not believe. Why do they not turn to God and ask for His forgiveness? God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat al-Ma'ida; 72-74)
Thus, as God is the sole Lord of all things, no other power can delay or turn a thing back that He wills to happen. The Qur'an reveals the following about those who say that there is another deity apart from God or that God has a son:
We sent no Messenger before you without revealing to him: "There is no god but Me, so worship Me." They say: "The All-Merciful has a son." Glory be to Him! No, they are honored servants! They do not precede Him in speech and they act on His command. He knows what is in front of them and what is behind them. They only intercede on behalf of those with whom He is pleased, and even they are apprehensive out of fear [and respect] of Him. Were any of them to say: "I am a deity apart from Him," We would repay him with Hell. That is how We repay wrongdoers." (Surat al-Anbiya': 25-29)
Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is only a prophet
The Qur'an mentions many subjects, such as the birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), some events in his life, his family, and the people around him. He is depicted as the Messiah, son of Mary and prophet of God. For example, he told the Children of Israel that he was sent for the following reason:
I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So have fear [and respect] of God, and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path. (Surah Al 'Imran: 50-51)
 If they see every Sign, they will not believe in it. If they see the way of right guidance, they will not take it as a way. But if they see the way of error, they will take that as a way. That is because they denied Our Signs and paid no attention to them. (Surat al-A'raf: 146) |
A few disciples heeded his call and are referred to in the following terms:
We are God's helpers. We believe in God. Bear witness that we are Muslims. Our Lord, we believe in what You have sent down and have followed the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses. (Surah Al 'Imran: 52-53)
Throughout his life, Prophet Jesus (pbuh), sent to lead a community that had gone astray to the true path, called on his people to have sincere faith and submit themselves to God. It also appears, from various verses of the Qur'an that he acted as a guide to those who had fallen into religious disagreements. Certain New Testament passages indicate that he primarily called on hypocritical, insincere religious figures and those who deceived the public behind a mask of devotion to cease what they were doing and believe in God. The Qur'an reveals this in the following terms:
And when Jesus came with the Clear Signs, he said: "I have come to you with Wisdom and to clarify for you some of the things about which you have differed. Therefore, have fear [and respect] of God and obey me." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 63)
Like all of the prophets, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) targeted moral degeneration and atheism. He told people to abandon their injustice, immorality, and superstitions; to live by God's ordained moral values and for His good pleasure alone; to fear [and respect], love, and submit to God; and to turn away from superstitious laws and hollow traditions, to worship only God, and to turn to Him at all times. The miracles that he performed revealed that God had chosen him as His messenger, and that He supported him with knowledge and power. His depth of faith, high moral values, superior understanding, and wise explanations inspired great admiration among his people.
Prophet Jesus (pbuh) displayed great patience with his opponents, put his trust in God and continued to inform his people of God's revelation despite the hostile environment in which he was living. Although he had very few helpers, he endeavored to restore his people's religion to its essence and cleanse it of all meaningless rituals and superstitious practices. Thanks to his superior understanding and wisdom vouchsafed to him by our Lord, he made highly affective addresses to the Children of Israel and told them very wise parables.
Prophet Jesus (pbuh) confirmed the Torah and issued his commands according to the Gospel, sent by God as a guide and advice:
And We sent Jesus son of Mary following in their footsteps, confirming the Torah that came before him. We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light, confirming the Torah that came before it, and as guidance and admonition for those who guard against evil. The people of the Gospel should judge by what God sent down in it. Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are deviators. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 46-47)
At first, only a few people responded to his call, for it demanded the end of privilege for the priestly class, who made a living out of nonsense and tradition, and for the ruling class, who denied God's sovereignty. With the spread of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) message and his growing number of followers, the cunning snares and plans laid by his opponents also increased. All of the prophets have encountered such plots, for as the Qur'an relates, the people to whom they are sent have the following attitude:
Why then, whenever a Messenger came to you with something your lower selves did not desire, did you grow arrogant, deny some of them, and murder others? (Surat al-Baqara: 87)
Gradually, a division began to emerge in society between the followers and the opponents of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). On the one hand was God's messenger, who described the true religion and called on people to believe in the one God; on the other was a group who was determined not to believe, no matter what miracles or evidence they were shown. The enemies of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) made themselves apparent. It is likely that some unbelievers also had initially listened to and supported him. Indeed, God reveals that: The various factions among them differed..." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 65). For that reason, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) described those who had faith and who he could trust:
When Jesus sensed unbelief on their part, he asked: "Who will be my helpers to God?" The disciples said: "We are God's helpers. We believe in God. Bear witness that we are Muslims." (Surah Al 'Imran: 52)
The Qur'an reveals that the unbelievers plotted to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh). According to the New Testament, several bigoted religious leaders convinced one of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) disciples to betray him, after which they would have him arrested and delivered up to the Romans. According to that same source, these leaders could not carry out a death sentence and so prepared a trap to incite the Roman authorities, known for their cruelty and sensitivity in this matter to do it for them: They depicted Prophet Jesus (pbuh) as being an opponent of Rome:
They planned and God planned. But God is the best planners. (Surah Al 'Imran: 54)
Thus, his opponents sought to kill him. But they failed to do so, for God foiled their plot, raised him to His presence and caused someone else to be killed in his place. Yet the erroneous belief that the Romans crucified and killed Prophet Jesus (pbuh) remains the fundamental essence of Christianity. A large part of the Christian world accepts this, but believes that he was resurrected and then ascended to heaven. When we look at the Qur'an, however, we see that this is not the case:
… and their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. (Surat an-Nisa': 157)
In the continuation of this verse the situation of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is revealed thus:
God raised him up to Himself. God is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa': 158)
The truth revealed in the Qur'an is clear. Incited by the Jews, the Romans sought to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh) but failed to do so. The expression "but it was made to seem so to them" makes their failure to do so crystal clear. God showed people someone who resembled Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and then raised him to His presence. Furthermore, our Lord also states that those who claim that he actually died have no knowledge of the truth of the matter. (For details, see Harun Yahya, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) Did Not Die, Istanbul: Global Publishing, 2005]
In the early years of Christianity, several ideas emerged regarding the crucifixion. It is known that, just as revealed in the Qur'an, some Christian sects believed that he was not crucified at all.
 Their Messengers said to them: "We are nothing but human beings like yourselves. But God shows favor to any of His servants He wills. It is not for us to bring you an authority, except by God's permission. So let the believers put their trust in God." (Surah Ibrahim: 11) |
From what we know of his life, message, and prayers, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet of God, a guide to the true path, and a messenger sent down by God to warn his people. This is confirmed by He said: "I am the servant of God. He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet" (Surah Maryam: 30), as well as the following verses:
And when Jesus son of Mary said: "O Tribe of Israel, I am the Messenger of God to you, confirming the Torah that came before me and giving you the good news of a Messenger after me, whose name is Ahmad." When he brought them the Clear Signs, they said: "This is downright magic." (Surat as-Saff: 6)
It is not right for any human being that God should give him the Book and Judgment and Prophethood, and then that he should say to people: "Worship me rather than God." Rather he will say: "Be people of the Lord, because of your knowledge of the Book and because you study." (Surah Al 'Imran: 79)
The Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) make it very clear that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not die and was not killed, but that he was raised to God's presence and will one day return to Earth. In fact, the hadith literature contains a great many signs regarding his second coming. (For more details regarding the second coming of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) see Harun Yahya, The Signs of Jesus' Second Coming [Istanbul: Global Publishing, 2004].)
