The Prophet 'Isa ibn Maryam (1/4)

The story of a miracle

“The Prophet 'lsa was the last of the Messengers before the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. His is a story which reveals the conquering Will of Allah, His absolute Power and His fine Wisdom. Everything about 'lsa is a miracle. His birth was such a miracle that it is hard to believe in. People who reject Allah believe only in what they can see for themselves. They are ignorant of the Power of Allah which controls all things, and of the Will of Allah which cannot be resisted. “His command when He wills something is that He says, 'Be!' and it is.”” (Surah Ya-Sin, 36: 82)

“However, the birth of 'lsa is accepted easily by those who believe in Allah as a powerful, transforming God, a Creator and a Maker. “He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner. He has the most beautiful names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him. He is the Mighty, the Wise.”” (Surah Al-Hashr, 59: 24)

Such people believe that Adam was created from water and clay without a mother or father. To believe in a birth by a mother without a father is easier than to believe in a birth without a mother or a father. That is why Allah said: The similitude of Jesus before Cod is as that of Adam.

“He created him from earth and then said to him, 'Be!’ and he was.” (Surah Al-Imran, 3: 59)

Everything about 'Isa was extraordinary

Everything related to the Prophet 'Isa was extraordinary. He was born at a time when Greece had made its greatest advances in rational sciences, mathematics and medicine.

The Jews followed a worldly point of view

The Jews, though a community who had given many Prophets, at this time rejected the Spirit of God and anything connected to it. They found a worldly explanation for everything. The miracles which Allah bestowed on the Prophet 'Isa were designed to cure that narrow, worldly point of view. It was what was needed in that age.

As a community, the Jews depended only on what they themselves witnessed. They had a great veneration for race and blood, and a love of money and property. They were completely engrossed in this life. Their hearts became hard, and their natures became course. They were not kind to the weak nor gentle towards the poor. They treated people who had no Israelite blood in their veins as worthless. They were humble towards the strong and rich, and tyrannical towards the poor and. weak. They were harsh when they had power and yielding when they were without power. Hypocrisy and servility-trickery and cunning, and resorting to conspiracy and secretiveness were engendered in them by a life of abasement and servitude which they had long endured in Syria and Palestine under Roman rule.

Scorn and disobedience

Over the ages, the Jews' scorn for the Prophets had increased. So too, in their community, had murder, dealings with usury, joking about religious teachings, and lack of compassion. The hearts of many of them were stripped of sincere love of Allah. They forgot about charity, equality, piety and generosity. They had once believed in Prophethood and the Message, and there had been many Prophets among them and their books were filled with reports about them. But, in the end, they only believed in what suited their purpose. They opposed those who criticized them, called them to account and called them to true religion, and even made war on them.

Allah's blessing to the Israelites

“At one time the Jews had been a nation apart from other nations by their belief in the Divine Unity. That is why they were preferred over other people at that time. Allah the Exalted says: “O Children of lsrael, remember My blessing to you which I bestowed on you and that I preferred you over all the worlds.”” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 47)

Ingratitude

Because they mixed with idol-worshipping people, gradually the Jews failed to honour the teachings of the Prophets. They began to adopt spurious beliefs and ignorant customs. They had worshipped the Calf after their escape from Egypt, and they developed a great veneration for 'Uzayr, even claiming that he was more than human. Their insolence led them to ascribe idol-worship, magic and unbelief and ugly deeds to certain Prophets. They did not fear Allah any more.

Pride and conceit

In spite of all these faults, the Jews took great pride in their lineage and gave great weight to their hopes and dreams. They said: “We are the sons and beloved of Allah.” (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 5: 18) And they said: “The Fire will only touch us for a certain number of days.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2: 80)

The birth of the Messiah challenges the ordinary senses

The birth, life, and message of the Messiah challenged the Jews' perception, custom and law. It also challenged the highest ideals in which they believed and the ends for which they competed and fought. The Messiah was born in a most unusual way. He spoke to people while he was still in the cradle and grew up in the care of a poor, chaste mother. He lived in a climate of slander and hostility, far from the trappings of prestige and wealth. He sat with poor people, ate with them and was kind to them. He comforted the weak and the stranger. He treated equally the rich and the poor, the judge and the judged, and the high-born and the lowly.

The miracles of the Messiah

Allah granted the Messiah Prophethood and revelation. He gave him the Gospel and supported him with the Holy Spirit and wonderful miracles. Allah gave him healing for the sick whom the doctors had failed to cure. He healed people who had been blind from birth, and the lepers, and brought the dead to life by the permission of Allah. He shaped clay into something like the form of a bird, and then breathed into it and it became a bird by the permission of Allah. He told people what they had eaten and what they had stored up in their houses.

All of this restored trust and belief in the miracles of the Messengers and the reports of divine power contained in the Torah. But those who rejected the reality of Divine Power and the force of the Will of the Lord rose up. They declared that there could be nothing new and nothing beyond the worldly knowledge they already possessed.

(Continued)