Aslam

Praise be to Allah.

May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and

which pleases Him. The difference between the guidance and true religion

that Allaah has revealed in His Book and what the Christians say about the

Prophet of Allaah ‘Eesa (Jesus – peace be upon him) is the difference

between faith and disbelief (kufr), between Tawheed and shirk, between

guidance and misguidance. It is the difference between darkness and light.

We ask Allaah to illuminate our hearts with Tawheed and faith in Him

alone.

It should be noted that if a person is confused about the

meaning of any ambiguous passage [al-mutashaabuh] in the Book of Allaah, he

must understand it in the light of the definitive passages [[al-muhkamaat],

which form the majority of this clear Book. That is the source to which

reference should be made in order to understand it, know its rulings and

learn its lessons. He should not counter one verse with another, or look for

contradictions in the revelation, or look for the ambiguous passages which

may cause confusion to him or to other people, ignoring the clear and

definitive passages. That is the way of the people of innovation and is

misguidance, may Allaah keep us and you safe and sound. Allaah says

(interpretation of the meaning):

“It is He Who has sent

down to you (Muhammad) the Book (this Qur’aan). In it are Verses that are

entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book [and those are the

Verses of Al-Ahkaam (commandments), Al-Faraa’id (obligatory duties) and

Al-Hudood (laws for the punishment of thieves, adulterers)]; and others not

entirely clear. So as for those in whose hearts there is a deviation (from

the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear thereof, seeking

Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials), and seeking for its hidden meanings, but

none knows its hidden meanings save Allaah. And those who are firmly

grounded in knowledge say: “We believe in it; the whole of it (clear and

unclear Verses) are from our Lord.” And none receive admonition except men

of understanding”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:7]

The verse which you quoted does not support the Christian

view in any way whatsoever, rather this verse, when taken in context,

refutes the Christians and clearly demonstrates their misguidance and their

disbelief in the Lord of the Worlds.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“This is a part of the

news of the Ghayb (Unseen, i.e. the news of the past nations of which you

have no knowledge) which We reveal to you (O Muhammad). You were not with

them, when they cast lots with their pens as to which of them should be

charged with the care of Maryam (Mary); nor were you with them when they

disputed.

45. (Remember) when the

angels said: ‘O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allaah gives you the glad tidings of

a Word [“Be!” — and he was! i.e. ‘Eesa (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)]

from Him, his name will be the Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam

(Mary), held in honour in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one

of those who are near to Allaah.

46. He will speak to the

people, in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous.’

47. She said: ‘O my Lord!

How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?’ He said: ‘So (it will

be) for Allaah creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says

to it only: “Be!” — and it is.

48. And He (Allaah) will

teach him [‘Eesa (Jesus)] the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the

faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Tawraat (Torah) and the

Injeel (Gospel).

49. And will make him

[‘Eesa (Jesus)] a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying): “I have come

to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, a

figure like that of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by

Allaah’s Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I

bring the dead to life by Allaah’s Leave. And I inform you of what you eat,

and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you

believe.

50. And I have come

confirming that which was before me of the Tawraat (Torah), and to make

lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with

a proof from your Lord. So fear Allaah and obey me.

51. Truly, Allaah is my

Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:44-51]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiah (may Allaah have mercy on him)

said:

This demonstrates in several ways that he was a created being

and was not as the Christians say.

For example, it clearly means that he was a created being, as

it says, “So (it will be) for Allaah creates what

He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: “Be!” —and

it is”. As Allaah says elsewhere (interpretation

of the meaning):

“Verily, the likeness of ‘Eesa (Jesus) before Allaah is

the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: “Be!”

— and he was”[Aal ‘Imraan 3:59]

And Allaah says in Soorat Maryam (interpretation of the

meaning):

“Such is ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). (It is) a

statement of truth, about which they doubt (or dispute).

It befits not (the Majesty of) Allaah that He should beget

a son [this refers to the slander of Christians against Allaah, by saying

that ‘Eesa (Jesus) is the son of Allaah]. Glorified (and Exalted) be He

(above all that they associate with Him). When He decrees a thing, He only

says to it: “Be!” and it is”

[Maryam 19:35]

And he said: His name is

the Messiah ‘Eesa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary), so Allaah has told us that

he is the son of Maryam, and that he is held in honour in this world and in

the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allaah. All of these

are attributes of created beings.

Maryam said: “How

shall I have a son…?” This shows that the Messiah, who is the Word, is

the son of Maryam, not the son of Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted.

Allaah says in Soorat

al-Nisa’ (interpretation of the meaning):

“O people of the

Scripture (Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say

of Allaah aught but the truth. The Messiah ‘Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam

(Mary), was (no more than) a Messenger of Allaah and His Word, (“Be!” — and

he was) which He bestowed on Maryam (Mary) and a spirit (Rooh) created by

Him; so believe in Allaah and His Messengers. Say not: ‘Three (trinity)!’

Cease! (it is) better for you. For Allaah is (the only) One Ilaah (God),

glory is to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belongs all

that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allaah is

All‑Sufficient as a Disposer of affairs.

172. The Messiah will

never be proud to reject to be a slave of Allaah, nor the angels who are the

near (to Allaah). And whosoever rejects His worship and is proud, then He

will gather them all together unto Himself.

173. So, as for those

who believed (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism) and did deeds

of righteousness, He will give them their (due) rewards — and more out of

His Bounty. But as for those who refused His worship and were proud, He will

punish them with a painful torment. And they will not find for themselves

besides Allaah any protector or helper”

[al-Nisa’ 4:171-173]

So Allaah forbids the

Christians to exaggerate concerning their religion or to say things about

Allaah that are not true, and He states that the Messiah ‘Eesa ibn Maryam is

a Messenger of Allaah and His Word which He bestowed upon Maryam, and a

spirit created by Him. He commands them to believe in Allaah and His

Messengers, and tells them that he (‘Eesa) is His Messenger. He forbids them

to say “Three” (i.e., trinity) and says: “Cease! (it is) better for you”.

This is a rejection of their doctrine concerning the Messiah which says that

“he is a true god from a true god, from the essence of his father.”

Then He says: “glory

is to Him (Far Exalted is He) above having a son” – declaring Himself to

be far above having a son as the Christians say. Then He says: “To Him

belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth”,

telling us that all of that is His dominion, in which there is nothing of

His essence.

Then He says: “The

Messiah will never be proud to reject to be a slave of Allaah, nor the

angels who are the near (to Allaah)” i.e., they will never deny that

they are slaves of Allaah, may He be blessed and exalted. After such a clear

statement, can anyone think that what is meant by “His Word” is that he is a

god and creator, or whatever such statements of kufr they make?

Rather ‘Eesa alone is

described as the Word because he was not created in the usual way in which

others are created, rather he was created in an extraordinary way: he was

created by the command of Allaah: “Be!” This is the Word in question; he was

not created by means of a male fertilizing a female, as is the usual way in

which Allaah creates human beings.

The fact that ‘Eesa

(peace be upon him) is a Word from Allaah and a spirit created by Him, as is

indicated in the texts of the clear Revelation, does not mean that he is

part of Allaah who emerged from Him and is connected to His essence:

glorified and exalted be Allaah far about what the wrongdoers say. Rather

what it means is that he came from Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of

the meaning):

“And has subjected to

you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a

favour and kindness from Him”

[al-Jaathiyah 45:13]

“And whatever of

blessings and good things you have, it is from Allaah”

[al-Nahl 16:53]

“Whatever of good

reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from

yourself”

[al-Nisa’ 4:79]

And Allaah says

concerning our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon

him) (interpretation of the meaning):

“Those who disbelieve

from among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) and

Al‑Mushrikoon, were not going to leave (their disbelief) until there came to

them clear evidence.

2. A Messenger

(Muhammad) from Allaah, reciting (the Qur’aan) purified pages [purified from

Al‑Baatil (falsehood)]”

[al-Bayyinah 98:1-2]

These are all things

that come from Allaah, and they are all created.

The phrase “a spirit

created by Him (or from Him)” is used only of the Messiah because he was

breathed into his mother by al-Rooh (Jibreel – peace be upon), and she

became pregnant with him from that breath. This is something other than his

rooh (soul) that he shares in common with the rest of mankind. He is

distinguished from them by the fact that his mother became pregnant with him

from this breathing in of the spirit, hence he is called a spirit from Him.

See Daqaa’iq al-Tafseer, 1/324 ff.

Moreover these verses

clearly state that Allaah created him, and that Allaah creates whatever He

will; nothing is beyond Him in the heavens or on earth. And ‘Eesa himself

(peace be upon him) said that the signs and miracles that he brought were

from Allaah and happened by His leave, a sign to them of His Oneness. Then

the verses conclude with a clear statement of what is meant here, which is

the command to worship Allaah, the Lord of ‘Eesa and the Lord of those to

whom ‘Eesa was sent. This clearly indicates that what the Christians say

about ‘Eesa and his mother is false, and it plainly refutes their kufr and

misguidance.

This verse also tells us

that ‘Eesa is a Word from Allaah, and it points to the meaning of that. This

is narrated in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah

be upon him). Al-Bukhaari (3435) and Muslim (28) narrated from ‘Ubaadah (may

Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of

Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever bears witness that there is no god except

Allaah alone, with no partner or associate, and that Muhammad is His slave

and Messenger, and that ‘Eesa is the slave of Allaah and His Messenger, His

Word that He bestowed upon Maryam and a spirit from Him, that Paradise is

true and Hell is true, Allaah will admit him to Paradise depending on his

deeds.” According to another version: “… that ‘Eesa is the slave of Allaah

and the son of His female slave.”

Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah

have mercy on him) said: What this hadeeth aims at is to warn against what

the Christians fell into of misguidance concerning ‘Eesa and his mother.

Another scholar said:

Mentioning ‘Eesa is a reference to the misguidance to the Christians,

because their belief in trinity is pure shirk. The same applies to the use

of the word “His slave”. Describing ‘Eesa as “His Messenger” is a reference

to the misguidance of the Jews because they deny that He was a Messenger and

they slandered him and likewise his mother, saying things of which they were

innocent.

The words “son of His

female slave” are intended to honour him.