penultimate prophet and eschatological figure in Islam

Isa_calligrapy.jpg
Minaret of Isa in the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria
medieval persian manuscript muhammad leads abraham moses jesus
In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عِيسَىٰ ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ‎, romanized: ʿĪsā ibn Maryam, lit. 'Jesus, son of Mary'), referred to by the Arabic rendering of his name Isa, is believed to be the penultimate … Wikipedia

Factsheet

ʿĪsā عِيسَىٰ
Jesus
Disappeared c. 33 CE
Gethsemane, Jerusalem, Judea, Roman Empire
Factsheet
ʿĪsā عِيسَىٰ
Jesus
Disappeared c. 33 CE
Gethsemane, Jerusalem, Judea, Roman Empire
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Jesus_in_Islam
Jesus in Islam - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Christians view Jesus Christ as God incarnate, the Son of God in human flesh, but the Quran denies the divinity of Jesus and his status as Son of God in several verses, and also says that Jesus Christ did not claim to be personally God nor the Son of God. Islam teaches that Jesus' original ...
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Islam-guide
islam-guide.com › ch3-10-1.htm
Islam Guide: The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus
This Islamic guide is for non-Muslims to help them better understand Islam, Muslims, and the Quran (Koran). This page is on: The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus
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Review Of Religions
reviewofreligions.org › home › archives › the bible, the qur’an and jesus (as), the son of god
The Bible, the Qur’an and Jesus (as), the Son of God | The Review of Religions
January 4, 2022 - Regarding its use with Jesus (as), he himself explained that it only meant that he was a metaphorical and not a divine and literal son of God (John 10:34-36). Nevertheless, most Christians are uninformed or opposed to this purely monotheistic interpretation. It is partly for the reason of ...
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Answering-islam
answering-islam.org › Hahn › son.html
Jesus as the Son of God
Fourthly, Christian belief in Jesus ... affirmation throughout the Injil that He is the Son of God. Contrary to what some Muslims suggest, normally with no evidence, Christians, including St. Saul, did not invent this title. For Christians to deny the Sonship of Jesus would mean that they should expunge all references in the Holy Injil to this title. If Christians were to do this, then they would be truly guilty of corrupting their Scriptures, just as many Muslims (but not the Qur'an) have felt ...
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Quora
quora.com › In-the-Quran-Jesus-himself-denies-that-he-is-god-or-the-son-of-god-what-do-Christians-think-about-this-denial
In the Quran, Jesus himself denies that he is god or the son of god, what do Christians think about this denial? - Quora
Answer (1 of 12): I have also been told that most Muslims have not read all of the Quran. They are like most Christians who have not read all of the Bible. I read the Quran during the 70s. I was told that because I did not read it in the Arabic, I missed its true value. Since then, I have also b...
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IslamiCity
islamicity.org › home › jesus in islam
Jesus in Islam - IslamiCity
December 23, 2021 - However, the Qur'an presents Jesus as the son of Mary and not as the Son of God, a significant point particularly emphasized. Like Adam (pbuh) -Though the unique birth of Jesus with one parent is no indication of divinity just as Adam's creation was without any parentage [Qur'an 3:59] .
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Rts
journal.rts.edu › home › articles › “it was made to appear like that to them:” islam’s denial of jesus’ crucifixion
"It Was Made to Appear Like that to Them:" Islam’s Denial of Jesus’ Crucifixion - Reformed Faith & Practice
June 1, 2016 - Of the major theological divides that separate Islam and Christianity, one of the most difficult to pin down is the denial of the crucifixion of Jesus in Muslim tradition. Though the assertion that Jesus did not die on the cross appears in only part of one difficult verse in the Quran (Q4:157, ...
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Stack Exchange
islam.stackexchange.com › questions › 18695 › how-can-i-show-that-jesus-pbuh-is-not-a-god-to-christian-friend-using-quran-as
prophet isa - How can I show that Jesus (pbuh) is not a god to Christian friend using Quran as guidance? - Islam Stack Exchange

As a Christian, he isn't going to accept any evidence you provide from the Koran. You would instead need to make an argument from the religious texts that he believes are valid.

To a Christian, the Koran is nothing more than a bunch of made up stories at best. It has no authority or authenticity to Christians.

You would instead need to try to make your case from the Bible. It's a hard case to make since the Bible pretty clearly indicates he is God, though it is always by implication rather than directly claiming "I am God." Rather it says Jesus made statements that, to the people at the time, would imply a claim of Godship. (And in several cases resulted in them trying to kill him for blasphemy. ) At that point it mostly degrades to trying to prove those claims miss attributed.

You are also unlikely to make much progress in convincing him as well. This debate has been going on for centuries with both sides thinking their view is abundantly supported and obvious.

The benefit of interfaith dialog is much more on making sure we understand each others views. Fundamentally you aren't going to convince someone logically one way or the other. You can counter some objections that result from misunderstandings and ensure your views are well and clearly understood, but that isn't going to convince someone to change their beliefs unless a misconception of your beliefs was their main barrier.

(Full disclaimer, I am a Christian answering this from a Christians perspective in the interest of encouraging interfaith dialog. )

Answer from AJ Henderson on islam.stackexchange.com
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Alislam
alislam.org › frequently asked questions
What is the Islamic belief regarding Jesus Christ? Was he indeed the Son of God?
The religion of Islam requires belief in not only the Prophethood of Muhammad(sa), but all the prophets of God, including Jesus(as) (The Holy Quran 2:137). The Holy Quran details the story of Jesus, including his birth, mission as a Prophet to the Israelites, and his crucifixion · In Islam, ...
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Quora
quora.com › Was-Jesus-mentioned-in-the-Quran-as-the-son-of-God
Was Jesus mentioned in the Quran as the son of God? - Quora
Answer (1 of 15): No He wasn't. Islam is effectively the only monolithic religion. The first pillar of Islam is believing that "There is no God that worthy of worship except Allah". This the Shahadah that everyone should take to be a Muslim. Interesting enough, this Shahadah is the translation of...
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Catholic Answers
catholic.com › magazine › print-edition › exposing-the-muslim-jesus
Exposing the "Muslim Jesus" | Catholic Answers Magazine
4 weeks ago - Although I studied as much Hebrew as I could before my first trip to Israel, I ended up using it only at the Western Wall to tell people who mistook me for a lo...
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Quora
quora.com › Is-the-divinity-of-the-Quran-debunked-because-it-rejects-Jesus-is-the-son-of-God
Is the divinity of the Quran debunked because it rejects Jesus is the son of God? - Quora
Answer (1 of 8): Not at all! Just read the history on how the Prophet receives his revelations; briefly, he thinks that the Angel Gabriel appears before him and said something that he thinks comes from Allah/God. It is clear that what he and his followers claim that the words are from Allah are i...
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Stack Exchange
islam.stackexchange.com › questions › 14620 › can-muslims-consider-isa-the-spiritual-son-of-god
allah - Can Muslims consider Isa the "Spiritual" son of God? - Islam Stack Exchange

I believe if we put Trinity out of it, then the 'son' analogy sounds valid and actually meaningful, and this is even consistent with the teachings of Islam.

From examining the critical verses of the Quran in relation to the Christian view of Jesus, it appears that the reason Allah rejects the Christian idea of "Jesus being son of God" is because divinity is a presumed part of the concept according to the Christian view and Quran clearly rejects the belief in Trinity and divinity of Jesus in 4:171 and 5:72.

Despite that, as you mentioned, Quran does recognize the miraculous birth of Jesus and that he was "a word of Allah" (examples: 3:45, 2:171).

Therefore, if we purge the filial analogy of the concept of the Jesus Divinity, the Trinity and also of its literal connotations, then there would remain nothing fundamentally wrong with using the metaphor. In fact it can be used meaningfully as a metaphor for the relationship of human beings to the creator.

It is important to notice that even in Islam our relationship with Allah is also described with metaphors/analogies. According to the Quran, we are 'servants' or 'slaves' of Allah whereas in Christianity we are 'children' of God. And in both religions the messenger is considered to be the best example of that relationship.

Therefore, it seems that the whole concept of son-father in Christianity -- whether applied to Jesus or Christians -- was originally meant to have a similar function as does the Islamic metaphor of master-slave, but has been twisted as in the Nicene Christology beyond its intended meaning, despite the fact the Homoousian interpretation of the son-father relationship is nowhere explicit and elaborate in the Bible. This critical view of mainstream Christology has inspired the modern Unitarian movement.

A different variation of son-father metaphor has also been common among Christians and Jews alike, denoting their special relationship with God as His 'sons' or 'children'. This notion is mentioned in Quran 5:18 which reads:

The Jews and the Christians say, “We are the children of God, and His beloved.” Say, “Why then does He punish you for your sins?” In fact, you are humans from among those He created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and what lies between them, and to Him is the return.

This notion of son-father relationship must not be confused with the literal notion as in the concept of God the Son in the Trinity. Also this verse doesn't imply a denunciation of the doctrine of sonship itself but its wrong or misapplied connotations. These are the points that Allahme Tabata'ei stresses in relation to this verse in his authoritative al-Mizan Exegesis on Quran:

Certainly, they did not claim real sonship as the Christians claim for the Messiah (a.s.). Neither the Jews nor the Christian put forward this claim in the literal sense. They called themselves sons of God metaphorically, as a mark of distinction. In their scriptures, a lot of people have been called sons of God, for example, Adam, Jacob, David, Ephraim, Jesus, and good-doing believers.

What they meant with this claim was that their relationship with Allah was like that of sons with their father. They thought themselves like the sons of a King who had special status in comparison to the subjects. ... This claim of special relation and belovedness was meant to establish its inseparable attribute, that is, they can never be chastised and punished. They are assured of Divine favor and honor because if Allah were to punish them, it will go against the distinction and honor that He has reserved for them. The proof of the above interpretation is seen in the rebuttal of their claim where Allah says: He forgives whom He pleases and chastises whom He pleases. There was no reason to give this reply if they had not meant by their claim: "We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones", that they cannot be punished at all even if they did not accept the call of truth. Also, there would be no meaning to the statement: Nay you are men from among those whom He has created. In short, when they said: '"We are the sons of Allah and His beloved ones'", they wanted to say that they were the chosen people of God and His beloved ones and Allah was not going to give them punishment even if they did what they did or left what they left, because full security against every unpleasant result or situation was a concomitant of special relationship and love. al-Mizan Online


The "Father-Son(s)" Spiritual Kinship vs "Master-Slaves"

[An Off-Shoot Discussion]

Now considering the existence of valid notions of metaphorical descriptions of God-human relationships in both Christianity and Islam, another relevant question may follow: which analogy/metaphor better describes our relationship with Allah/God?

In Christianity, Jesus birth by the Holy Spirit into Virgin Mary provides a very valid basis for using the 'son' analogy for him. Also considering that even in Islam, according to Allah's Names and Attributes, Allah is considered to be our benevolent provider and take-carer (as in rahman, razzaq and rab) and also guardian and protector (hafiz)—attributes that characterize fatherhood, there seems to be a valid basis for the father-son analogy.

However, a discerning analysis reveals that the 'slave' metaphor denotes additional meanings in regards with the nature of our relationship with Allah, as Allah is also considered to be our 'owner' (malik) and 'patron' (wali), 'subduer' (qahhar) and 'humiliator' (khafis) that characterize a master-slave relationship.

This observation explains why even the valid notions of the filial metaphor has been abandoned by Islam in favor of a master-slave metaphor which encompasses the filial characteristic and therefore excels in denotative richness.

To further the implications of this discussion, the concluding observation can be regarded as a supporting argument for Islam's claim of superiority over other religions as being the most manifestly all-inclusive of God's names and attributes as denoted by His greatest name, Allah. Imam Ayatollah Khomeini a master of esoteric sciences and gnostic commentator ascribe the superior status of Quran as a Divine Revelation to being an emanation of God's Greatest Name:

the appearance of the Qur'an follows the “Collective Appearance” [zuhūr-i jam'ī] of the Divinity and the Contraction [qabd] and Expansion [bast] of “Mercifulness” [rahīmiyyat) and “Beneficence” [rahmāniyyat]. Rather, the truth of the Qur'an represents the level of the appearance of the Greatest Name of Allah through the appearance of “Beneficence” and the “Mercifulness,” and is “inclusive of the the general and the differentiated” [jāmi'-i jam'u tafsīl. (Disciplines of Prayer, italic words represent translation improvements and are mine).

While full comprehension of the passage demands a deep knowledge of the individual mystical concepts and related theories, the passage is basically pointing to the merit and superiority of Prophet Muhammad and His religion over other prophets and religions by introducing it as an inclusive manifestation of Allah's names.

Answer from infatuated on islam.stackexchange.com
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Quran
quran.com › en › an-nisa › 157
Surah An-Nisa - 157
The Quran translated into many languages in a simple and easy interface
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New Lines Magazine
newlinesmag.com › home › jesus’ birth between islam and christianity
Jesus' Birth Between Islam and Christianity - New Lines Magazine
December 24, 2022 - How the Quran's account of the Nativity echoes both the Bible and non-canonical Eastern Christian texts
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Islamreligion
islamreligion.com › articles › 10454 › 90-verses-says
90 Verses says: Jesus is not God - The Religion of Islam
Even though the Bible has been changed, yet there exists clear and explicit verses that show that Jesus is not God. Part 1: An introduction and a list of some of these verses.
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Answering-islam
answering-islam.org › Authors › Memsuah › son_of_god_bq.htm
The Son of God in the Bible and the Qur'an
No one, Muslim or Christian, would deny that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, المسيح in Arabic. This Messiah, المسيح , is clearly referred to as “the Son of God” in both the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. It is these scriptures that the Quran affirms throughout as true revelation ...