Jesus and Islam (a paper from a few quarters ago)
November 11, 2010
I. Introduction
Islam and Christianity share the belief that Jesus holds a privileged position in relation to God. Many Muslims and Christians, however, interact with one another, or refuse to interact with one another, generally ignorant of this fact and its implications for dialogue between the two broadly-described communities. This paper undertakes to identify and explain one reason why Christians should become better educated on what the Qur’an says about Jesus and the Gospel he is understood to have brought to humanity. Specifically, Christians with at least a basic understanding of what the Qur’an says about Jesus and the Gospel can use these passages to in turn educate Muslims about Jesus, and to thereby invite them to discover more about him and the Gospel in the pages of the Bible.
Christians believe that God continues to speak through his living Word.[1] Christians also believe that it is the Holy Spirit which works to direct the heart, soul, and mind to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.[2] One way, then, that Christians can work together with the Holy Spirit in the context of a Muslim community is by leading their Muslim neighbors across the bridge from the Qur’an to the Bible, a place where we believe the Holy Spirit operates on a normative basis.
II. The Quranic Jesus
A. Jesus in the Qur’an
As an initial matter, it is necessary to understand that the Qur’an expresses high esteem for Jesus.[3] According to the Qur’an, Jesus is a prophet.[4] But, also according to the Qur’an, not all prophets are equal.[5] Some are exalted above others (Qur’an 2:253; 17:55).[6] Jesus is one such prophet, and the Qur’an exalts him in a unique way.[7] That the Qur’an venerates Jesus in such a manner stands out as particularly significant and provides a window through which Christians can show Muslims the biblical Jesus. Accordingly, it should be fully understood that the Qur’an bestows upon Jesus a degree of honor which surpasses the honor it gives to any other figure in its past.[8]
Fifteen suras in the Qur’an mention Jesus, as do 93 verses, and the names of three suras reference him.[9] The Qur’an describes Jesus as chosen “above the worlds” (Qur’an 3:30/33), “a sign to all peoples” (Qur’an 19:21; 21:91), and a “mercy” from God (Qur’an 19:21).[10] As to those who follow Jesus, the Qur’an describes them as being in covenant with God and above the unbelievers (Qur’an 3:48/55; 5:17/14).[11] Moreover, the Qur’an claims that God will reward the followers of Jesus on the day of resurrection.[12] This is simply to make the initial points that the Qur’an positively speaks about the person of Jesus, and that what it affirms about Jesus ought to suggest to Muslims that he is a person whose life and teachings should be studied and taken seriously.
A point of greater context for Muslims also suggests why the Qur’an offers such praise to Jesus. Specifically, the Qur’an identifies Jesus as the precursor prophet who announced the coming of Muhammad (Qur’an 61:6).[13] Jesus’ role of legitimizing Muhammad supports the notion of learning more about the life and teachings of Jesus for at least two additional reasons. As the prophet chosen to announce the coming of Muhammad, he cannot simply be dismissed as unimportant or irrelevant to the Islamic faith. Also, the importance of this role to Muslims means that the veracity of Jesus simply must be affirmed by the Muslim community.[14] In other words, because of the unique role assigned to Jesus by the Qur’an, Christians can suggest that the message of Jesus should consequently carry unique significance to Muslims. Asserting the fact of this significance is thus an important early step in introducing Muslims to Jesus through the Bible. The hoped-for result is for Muslims to appreciate that for them to consider Jesus more deliberately is not only warranted, but also appropriate.
B. The mission of Jesus in the Qur’an
In addition to the Qur’an’s praise of the person of Jesus, another reason a Muslim’s more deliberate consideration of Jesus is appropriate is because of the way the Qur’an speaks of the mission he was sent to accomplish. The Qur’an primarily describes the mission of Jesus in terms of his Gospel.[15] According to Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the Qur’an equates the teachings of the Gospel and the teachings of Islam.[16] In this respect, Christians can emphasize to their Muslim friends that Jesus preached the oneness and unity of God and called upon people to surrender themselves to God (Qur’an 5:116-17; 43:63; 26:108).[17] Stated differently, the essential messages of this Gospel were the Lordship of God and that to worship and serve God is a straight path to be followed (Qur’an 3:51; cf. 5:72, 117; 19:36; 43:64).[18] As such, Ali’s characterization of the Gospel vis-à-vis the teachings of Islam comport well with descriptions of the essential teaching of Muhammad, that is, a call “for radical human obedience (islam) to God (Q. 6:163-66) in the reordering of individual lives in accordance with the will or the law of God (muslim; fem. muslinma; Q. 3:102), and the consequent restructuring of human society (umma) as the believing-obedient or the surrendered community (umma muslima; Q. 3:104; cf. 3:110).”[19] The Qur’an also supports an emphasis on the consistency of the teachings of Jesus with its own by the way it explicitly affirms that the religion of Jesus is the same as was given to Muhammad (Qur’an 42:13).[20]
C. The Qur’an Points to the Bible
Importantly, the Qur’an does not purport to recount the full story of Jesus and his teachings.[21] Consequently, the Qur’an implicitly points to the Bible for further study regarding Jesus and his teachings. One way the Qur’an accomplishes this function is through its affirmation and praise of the Gospel. It characterizes the Gospel as a special message revealed to Jesus by God (Qur’an 3:48; 5:46; 19:30; 57:27).[22] To be found in this message are “guidance and light,” and a confirmation of the admonition of the Law which had come before it (Qur’an 5:46).[23] In connection with this affirmation of the message of Jesus, Ali comments that it offers guidance in terms of conduct, and insight into the higher realms of the spirit.[24] It is in this sense that the Qur’an describes the Gospel as a “right path.”[25] An important connection between the Qur’an and the Bible is how the Qur’an also describes its own message in these same terms.[26]
It must be understood, however, that Muslims do not equate the Gospel of which the Qur’an speaks with the New Testament of the Bible, or with any single or combination of the Gospels found therein.[27] It is instead considered to be a single Gospel revealed to Jesus that he in turn taught.[28] Still, though, Muslims believe the Gospels of the New Testament contain fragments of Jesus’ Gospel and therefore acknowledge and respect the Bible.[29] In other words, that the Gospel of Jesus of which the Qur’an speaks is not the same as the biblical gospel accounts should not stand as an insurmountable obstacle to a Muslim’s venture into the biblical gospel accounts in order to discover more about Jesus and the message he brought.
D. Limitations
A caveat must be made at this point regarding the possible limitations of using the portrait of Jesus and his teachings found in the Qur’an to invite Muslims to discover more about them in the Bible. While the Qur’an elevates Jesus by naming him as a prophet in the line of Abraham and his descendants, the Qur’an also assigns to Jesus a particular community.[30] The Qur’an testifies that to every community a messenger is sent (Qur’an 10:48/47; 13:8/7; 22:35/24).[31] It is in this light that the Qur’an purports to frame the role of Jesus as God’s messenger to the people of Israel (Qur’an 3:43/49; 3:46/53; 4:169/171; 5:79/75; 61:6).[32] The Qur’an frames Muhammad’s role, in comparison, as the messenger to the whole of humanity (e.g., Qur’an 7:158) and as the Seal of the Prophets (Qur’an 33:40).[33] Ali explains that, as the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad completed the line of God’s prophets, and brought to completion the fullness of Islam.[34] There has been and will be, according to Muslim belief, no further prophet after him.[35] This notion of completion and fullness associated with Muhammad thus raises questions regarding the extent to which a Muslim might be inclined to learn more about Jesus and his teachings.[36]
The point is this. Christians in dialogue with Muslims must understand not only the Qur’an’s exaltation of Jesus and his teachings, but also the limitations the Qur’an places on Jesus and his teachings. Christians must understand these things for the sake of authenticity and to avoid overstating the matter. The suggestion for Muslims to learn more about Jesus and his teachings is a matter of invitation, not of compulsion, and is supported by the Qur’an’s recognition of Jesus and his teachings within the framework of Islam.
III. The biblical Jesus
A. The teachings of Jesus in the Bible
Perhaps an appropriate place to begin to introduce Muslims to the teachings of Jesus found within the pages of the Bible is to begin with a teaching that so closely comports with the central teaching of Islam and also introduces the key elements of Jesus’ message. One such passage is Mark 12:28-30. The nearest thing to a creed in Islam is the shahāda.[37] The first part of this confession, that “[t]here is no god but God,” also closely relates to the first doctrine of Islamic faith, namely, faith in the absolute unity of God.[38] These elements underscore the centrality and importance of the oneness of God to the Islamic faith.
Showing Muslims that Jesus also taught and emphasized the radical oneness of God can then welcome them as they begin to explore the pages of the Bible. Mark 12:28-30 tells the story of an encounter between Jesus and a scribe wherein the scribe asked Jesus to reveal the most important commandment. Jesus’ first response to the question is to emphasize the oneness of God.[39] But this is not the entirety of Jesus’ response, and what Jesus goes on to add to his response offers a nice transition into central themes of Jesus’ teachings to which Muslims may be attracted. For example, the Qur’an does not offer Muslims a definitive sense of eternal security.[40] It paints a picture of God’s love as strictly conditional.[41] Because of this, Muslims introduced to the Bible tend to take particular note of the love expressed through the life and teachings of Jesus.[42] The conclusion of Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question in Mark 12:28-30 can then provide an introduction to Jesus’ teachings and their concern for love.[43]
The life and teachings of Jesus revealed a new emphasis on love, a way of being which concerns the nature of the lover rather than that of the beloved.[44] The general tenor of Jesus’ teaching shows how this notion of love begins with God.[45] He taught about a loving God and a life enriched by this love, revealing that a focus on avoiding punishment and meriting reward is misguided.[46] Instead of a life lived in insecurity, Jesus taught about a life lived in the assurance of God’s love. Though the most direct claim that “God is love” comes from 1 John, its truth runs throughout the teachings of Jesus.[47] These teaching include a call to believe in the love of God and in God’s readiness to transform our lives as a result of this love (e.g., Mt. 5:5:45; 6:25-34).[48]
Jesus also taught the love of God as an example to be practiced by humanity. People, he taught, are to respond to God’s love with love.[49] The scribe asked for one “first” commandment, but Jesus replied with two.[50] The implication of Jesus’ response is that the two commandments, love for God and love for neighbor, cannot be separated.[51] They cannot be separated because they speak to character, a character which Jesus teaches as being “genuinely poor in spirit, pure in heart, and full of mercy” (Mt. 5:3, 7, 8).[52] For Jesus, service characterizes the essence of his ministry and his teaching about what it means to follow his example of love.[53] Service in this sense is symbolized by the humble household servant, the one who undertakes menial service to fulfill the needs of a master (e.g., Mt. 13:27-30; 18:23-24; 21:34-41; 22:3-13).[54] The mark, then, of those who follow Jesus is their loving service to one another.[55]
As Christians, knowing biblical texts which demonstrate these teachings of Jesus is important for witness to Muslims. Perhaps more important, however, is an ongoing witness to Muslims through the expression of these teachings in our own lives. Surveys indicate that Muslims who have come to believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior identify their experiences of seeing a living faith in those who follow Jesus as the most important influence to their decision.[56] Closely related to this was their desire to join a fellowship they found to be rooted in love.[57] These influences make perfect sense for Muslims too. Islam is a religion characterized by its concern for total surrender and right practice.[58] In these ways, Islam rightly emphasizes religion as a way of being.[59] Thus, it should be expected that Muslims would be particularly affected by examples of Christians and Christian communities where the effect of Jesus’ teachings are unmistakable. This concern for how life is lived, then, provides a paradigm for introducing an overall framework that surrounds Jesus’ teachings about love and service as a way of life, and in turn invites Muslims to consider Jesus in a way which is different than their conception of him through the lens of Islam.
Specifically, the Synoptic Gospels present the teaching ministry of Jesus primarily as the announcement that the kingdom of God was at hand.[60] After hearing Jesus’ response, the scribe in Mark 12 affirms the truth of what Jesus has just said. Jesus then tells him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God” (Mk 12:32-34). Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God are many and certainly complex.[61] Still, as discussed further below, Christians can use Jesus’ kingdom of God language to ask their Muslim friends to consider the implication of Jesus’ teachings for their own lives.
B. What the Bible says about Jesus
Jesus and his notion of the kingdom of God are inextricably intertwined, as the reality that is the kingdom of God is what the life and teachings of Jesus testify to (Mk 10:41-45).[62] The Bible portrays Jesus as the one anointed by God for the special work of redemption.[63] In this regard, Christians can help their Muslim friends understand that:
Jesus did not so much preach a message as he was a message . . . [I]t was not until Jesus that the notion of selfless, redemptive love was realized in a human life. This is Jesus’ uniqueness in the history of religions. God does not tell us what Jesus is; rather, Jesus shows us what God is like.[64]
In this regard, there are two aspects of Jesus’ teaching regarding the kingdom which may be particularly important for Muslims to learn. First, Jesus in the Gospel of Mark presents a dual motif of a present and future kingdom of God.[65] The three seed parables in Mark 4 illustrate this motif, teaching that “God’s sovereign rule has come into history like a vulnerable seed . . . that grows inexorably until the day of harvest . . .[;] whose beginning is infinitely small but whose ending is magnificently grand.”[66] To Muslims, the idea that the last things have already broken into and are presently working themselves out within the context of history is a novel one and will contrast with their conception of the Last Day.[67]
A second important aspect for Muslims to learn regarding Jesus’ teachings of the kingdom of God is Jesus’ proclamation of how one may ultimately enter into the kingdom.[68] Entrance into the kingdom, he teaches, is not credit for one’s deeds.[69] Rather, entrance into the kingdom depends upon one’s “receiving” the kingdom.[70] Jesus teaches that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it” (Mk 10:15). To Muslims, the idea of receiving the kingdom of God will contrast with their conception of eternity as a just reward or punishment.[71]
A reminder must again be made at this point that whether a Muslim will ultimately confess Jesus as Lord and Savior is a work of the Holy Spirit. By introducing Muslims to Jesus and to his message of the kingdom of God, one is not engaged in an exercise of convincing Muslims. Instead, a more appropriate image to have in mind is the image offered by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3. By introducing Muslims to Jesus and to his message of the kingdom of God, we plant seeds. We plant these seeds by inviting Muslims to consider Jesus and his teachings and to contrast these things with the teachings of Islam. Only God, however, will give growth to this planting.
III. Where to go from here
Certainly the ultimate hope of Christian ministry to a Muslim friend is the glorification of God through his or her recognition of God in Jesus Christ and all that follows from that. However, similar to the limitations noted regarding the use of the Quranic portrait of Jesus, there is a certain reality that must also be kept in mind by Christians who undertake such ministry to Muslims. There exists a particular danger in confusing spiritual identity with cultural identity.[72] Being a Muslim is part of one’s cultural identity, and to suggest that one must give up his or her cultural identity in order to follow Jesus causes an unnecessary crisis of identity.[73] Accordingly, it is important to exhibit an attitude which calls people toward Christ, and not out of Islam per se.[74] Such an attitude reflects the ministry of Jesus and his teachings regarding the kingdom of God. His approach did not emphasize what the kingdom was not, but instead emphasized what the kingdom was, and he invited those who would follow him to accept it. With this in mind, the following thought by missionary Virginia Cobb offers a nice conclusion to the ideas contained in this paper:
Jesus didn’t insist on a certain view of himself as a prerequisite to discipleship. He called [people] to follow him unconditionally, and after two years of living with him, asked what their conclusion was.[75]
In the same way, ministry to our Muslims friends cannot push Muslims into a position of having to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior as a prerequisite to discipleship. Instead, it should serve to introduce Jesus to Muslims, to invite them to consider what the teachings of Jesus mean for their own lives, and, ultimately, to allow them to face the question that only Jesus can put to them. Who do you say that I am?
[1] Heb. 4:12.
[2] 1 Cor. 12:3.
[3] Chellaian Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet in Christianity and Islam: A Model for Interfaith Dialogue (Delhi: Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1999), 3.
[4] See, e.g., Geoffrey Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1995), 37.
[5] Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an, 39.
[6] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 136-37.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an, 16.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid., 173.
[11] Ibid., 91.
[12] Ibid.
[13] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 3, 147-48.
[14] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 3; Neal Robinson, Christ in Islam and Christianity (Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1991), 37.
[15] Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an, 90.
[16] A.Y. Ali, Commentary to The Holy Qur’an (Elmhurst, N.Y.: Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc., 2002), 1337 n. 4664.
[17] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 136.
[18] Robinson, Christ in Islam and Christianity, 5.
[19] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 141-42.
[20] Ibid., 142
[21] Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an, 174.
[22] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 136.
[23] Ibid., 136; Robinson, Christ in Islam and Christianity, 37.
[24] Ali, Commentary to The Holy Qur’an, 256 n. 750; 258 n. 757.
[25] Robinson, Christ in Islam and Christianity, 37.
[26] Ibid.
[27] E.g., Ali, Commentary to The Holy Qur’an, 286-27.
[28] Ibid., 287.
[29] Ibid.
[30] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 135-36.
[31] Parrinder, Jesus in the Qur’an, 43.
[32] Ibid., 42-43
[33] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 142.
[34] Ali, Commentary to The Holy Qur’an, 1119 n. 3731; 240 n. 695.
[35] Ali, Commentary to The Holy Qur’an, 1119 n. 3731
[36] Lawrence, Jesus as Prophet, 146.
[37] Frederick M. Denny, An Introduction to Islam (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1985), 92.
[38] Ibid.
[39] Mk 12:29: Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;”
[40] J. Dudley Woodberry et al., “Why Muslims follow Jesus,” Christianity Today (Oct. 2007): 83-84.
[41] Woodberry, “Why Muslims follow Jesus,” 84.
[42] Ibid.
[43] Mk 12:30-31: “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
[44] Morris, “Love,” 492.
[45] Ibid., 494.
[46] Ibid.
[47] Ibid., 492-93.
[48] Hurst, “Ethics of Jesus,” 221.
[49] Morris, “Love,” 494.
[50] Michaels, “Commandment,”134.
[51] Ibid.
[52] Hurst, “Ethics of Jesus,” 221; Stanton, “Sermon on the Mount/Plain,” 742.
[53] Paschal, Jr., “Service,” 747.
[54] Ibid., 748.
[55] Ibid., 748-49.
[56] Woodberry, “Why Muslims follow Jesus,” 82.
[57] Woodberry, “Why Muslims follow Jesus,” 85.
[58] Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 98.
[59] Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 98.
[60] Caragounis, “Kingdom of God/Heaven,” 424.
[61] Ibid, 425-26.
[62] Tiede, “Proclaiming the Hidden Kingdom,” 328.
[63] Robinson, Christ in Islam and Christianity, 9
[64] Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 36.
[65] Guelich, “Mark, Gospel of,” 517-18.
[66] Ibid., 518
[67] Ladd, “The Kingdom of God,” 236-37; Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 95-97.
[68] Gärtner, “The Person of Jesus and the Kingdom of God,” 40.
[69] Ibid.
[70] Caragounis, “Kingdom of God/Heaven,” 426; Guelich, “Mark, Gospel of,” 517.
[71] Denny, An Introduction to Islam, 96.
[72]Paul-Gordan Chandler, Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road: Exploring a New Path between Two Faiths (Lanham, MD: Cowley Publications, 2007), 104.
[73] Ibid, 120.
[74] Ibid., 111.
[75] Chandler, Pilgrims of Christ on the Muslim Road, 114.
