Islam's Jesus

Notes

Notes Introduction 1. In the Islamic tradition, when the name of Muhammad or the names of other prophets are mentioned, it is a sign of respect to ask God for peace and blessings to be upon them. I mention this here so that the intention will serve for the entire book without the necessity of repeating these blessings. Chapter 1. Jesus as God’s Messenger in the Qur’an 1. Al-Jurjani, Al-Ta‘rifat, 307. 2. Ibid., 148. 3. On Mary’s place in Islam, see Smith and Haddad, “Virgin Mary in Islamic Tradition,” 161–87. On debate about the prophethood of Mary, see al-Shawkani, Fath al-Qadir, 3:327–28. 4. It should be noted that the “holy spirit” mentioned in the Qur’an is not the same as the Holy Spirit in the Christian doctrine of Trinity. The holy spirit in this context is a strong feeling of divine presence, as if one is supported by an invisible and powerful angel. 5. The holy Qur’an frequently uses two names to refer to Jesus. “Al-Masih” is used as a title, and “‘Isa” is his proper name. Muslim theologians and linguists have discussed the roots from which these two words are derived. According to some Arabic lexicons, neither of these terms is originally Arabic. The Arabic word “al-Masih” comes from the Hebrew “māšīaĥ” and means “anointed one.” This word was also very well known before Islam among Syriac-speaking people in northern and southern Arabia. In the Islamic literature, the word is also used to refer to the opponent of Jesus, the Antichrist, or al-Dajjal. The famous early Arab philologist and lexicographer al-Farahidi (d. 791) claims, “Al-Masih is the one who has no eye or eyebrow on one side of his face. And the liar-Messiah or Antichrist has this feature; that is, he has one eye, while Jesus (the true Messiah), the son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him, is also al-Masih.” For the linguistic details of the word in Arabic lexicons, see the following: al-Farahidi, Kitab al-‘Ayn, 3:156–57; al-Azhari, Tahdhib al-Lugha, 4:350; Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-‘Arab, 13:98–102; and al-Yasu‘i, Ghara’ib al-Lugha al-‘Arabiyya, 206. Despite the general consensus on the origin of the word “al-Masih,” certain commentators on the Qur’an posited a similarity between the words “al-Masih” and “al-mash,” which means 186 “touching” in Arabic. In this interpretation, the word could be Arabic in origin. See al-Qurtubi, Al-Jami‘ li Ahkam al-Qur’an, 4:89; and Rida, Tafsir al-Manar, 1954 ed., 3:305. On the term “almash ,” see al-Jurjani, Al-Ta‘rifat, 272. One scholar records that Jesus was called al-Masih “because Gabriel touched him with a blessing, and also because Jesus touched the sick, the lepers, and the blind, and they were healed as a result of his touch.” See al-Maturidi, Ta‘wilat al-Qur’an, 4:100. So the miraculous touching of Jesus (al-mash) is the reason why Jesus was called al-Masih. In this case the word would mean “the one who is touched or the one who touches.” In fact, the Arabic lexicons record more than one meaning for the word “m-s-h,” or “al-mash.” The word is used to mean “to touch with a hand,” “to abolish,” or “to travel.” According to scholars who consider the word to be Arabic, all these meanings are applicable to Jesus. In Islamic theology, his touching was a miraculous way of healing, he abolished some laws of the Torah, and it is believed he will come back and travel to find and kill the Antichrist in the last period of his life on earth. Perhaps because of the unique aspect of the word, it was used as an adjective and only in the singular form in Arabic. As an adjective, the Arabic word “al-masih” is used only in the singular; it does not take a plural and can be used for opposite meanings. The word is used for “the truthful one” (Jesus) and for “the Liar” (the Antichrist). See al-Ta’i, Ikmal al-I‘lan bi Taslis al-Kalam, 2:626; Sami, Kamus alA ‘lam, 6:4284; and al-Yamani, Al-Mawsu‘a al-‘Arabiyya, 1:366–67. In the Qur’an, the word “al-masih” is used independently and in connection to the name of...