Hi all,
You may not realize the Quran says some amazingly things about Jesus, but I feel led to summarize some key elements which may prove useful. I’ll share about the founding of Islam as well.
I’ll start with amazing things that have happened within the last few years, in highly summarized events.
West Bank, 52 year old blind Muslim man and a friend were approached from 2 Christians who attend a house church. After sharing about Jesus, or Isa in Arabic, they asked the blind man what Jesus could do for him? The man replied he wanted to be healed – blind since a high fever when he was 2 years old.
The men laid hands on him only to have him slap their hands away, saying they were electrocuting him. Assured by his friend and them they were not, that it was the power of God, he allowed them to continue. When they removed their hands the man opened his eyes, totally healed. The man having been handicapped, had been hired by the local mosque to be the one to sing and call the faithful to prayer over the loudspeaker. When last I heard, there were studies of Jesus (Isa) happening in 4 mosques in the area.
A woman in Ir*n was praying, and the Lord told her to go to a certain city, address, and ask for a woman named ____ who lived there. He said He wanted to heal her. The young woman spent what money she had in obedience, knocking on the door, the woman answered, and she allowed her to lay hands on her.
The Lord healed the woman, who was highly influential in that town. They set a date the next month for her to return. When she returned there were about a dozen women at the door, waiting for prayer. They got healed. A month later, over 30 women were waiting. They got healed. All became believers in Isa (Jesus).
Another woman was told by the Lord to go to such and such city with a Bible, to an electronics shop there, and ask for Mohamed for he had been praying for a Bible. She went to the address the Lord had given her which was an electronics shop, asked the man behind the counter if he was Mohamed, he said ‘yes’. As she pulled the Bible from her purse, she said, ‘Our Father said you were asking for this.” He burst into tears at the answered prayer.
An Egyptian woman who became a Christian, attacked by her own father, fleeing for her life, her clothes torn away as her father lunged for her. As she ran down the street naked, so afraid, embarrassed and ashamed, finally reaching the home of a friend. She apologized for being naked, but her friend told her that while she was naked inside the home as her friend gave her clothes, in the street that was not the case. She everyone saw she was clothed with a beautiful white robe covering her completely as she ran for her life, and on one saw her nakedness. It only disappeared once she was safely in her friend’s home.
The start of Islam
Islam, the Muslim faith, started about the year 610 in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) when the prophet Mohamed said he received a revelation from Gabriel.
Islam believes Ishmael, not Isaac is the son of promise, so both Judaism and Islam honor Abraham. The holy book of Islam is the Quran, and it mentions Jesus 90 times. Of those 90 times, 71 times Jesus is called a prophet. The Arabic name of Jesus is Isa. The Arabic word for Messiah is ‘Masih’, and in Hebrew it is ‘Masiah’.
Here is a list of things the Quran says:
1. Mary, Jesus’ mother, is called holy.
2. Jesus is the only person ever to be born of a virgin: “She said, How will I have a son, whom no mortal has touched, neither have I been unchaste. He said, Even so your Lord has said; It is easy for Me, and that We may appoint him a sign to men and a mercy from Us. It is a thing determined.” Sura Miriam 20, 21
3. Jesus was born from the Spirit of Allah, so He didn’t have a regular conception: “The Masih, Isa Son of Mary, Allah’s messenger, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him.” Sura, The Women, 169
4. Jesus is different from all other prophets because He is the Word of Allah (Kalimatullah). Sura, The Women 171; Sura al Imran 40
5. Jesus spoke when He was in the cradle. (Isa said), “Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the scripture and called me a prophet.” Sura Miriam 19:30 In another place it says no one needed to even teach Isa how to speak, and no one needed to teach Him anything (for He is the Word of Allah).
6. Jesus (Isa) is a sign of mercy from Allah. It says Allah appointed Isa Al-Masih (Jesus the Messiah) as the ‘sign’ and ‘mercy’ for human kind. Suran Maryam 19:21
7. Only Isa can know men’s secrets. “I will inform you too of what things you eat, and what you treasure up in your houses. Surely in that is a sign for you if you are believers.” Sura Al Imran 48
8. Jesus was the only perfect prophet. All other prophets have sinned as mentioned in the Quran, Isa is the only sinless one. “Highly honored shall Isa be in this world and the next.” Sura al Imran 45
9. Jesus is distinguishable from all other prophets because He alone gave life. “I will create for you out of clay as the likeness of a bird; then I will breathe into it and it will be a bird.” Sura al Imran 42
10. Jesus did miracles and signs no other prophet could. “And I will also heal the blind and the leper.” Sura Al Imran 48
11. Only Jesus could raise the dead. “And I will bring life to the dead.” Sura al Imran 48 and The Table 110
12. Only Jesus was given the title of Masih (chosen one, ‘masiah’ in Hebrew, ‘Messiah’ in English). “The Masih, Isa son of Miriam, was Allah’s Messenger, and His Word committed to Miriam.” Sura the Women 169
13. Only Jesus would die but promised to rise again. “I will cause you to die, and I will raise you to Me, and I will purify you of those who do not believe. I will set your followers above the unbelievers until resurrection day.” Sura al Imran 55
It also says He was a carpenter, that He was betrayed by one of His disciples. It says He died, but not for our sins, but was made alive again and raised to the heavenly realm. He was and is the messiah. But He will finally die a natural death at His second coming. (Quran and hadith (commentary, history)
Those are some highlights of the 90 times Jesus (Isa) is mentioned in the Quran, and you can see why Muslims are particularly moved to believe upon seeing a miracle, dream, or sign. And perhaps why Jesus is so willing to confirm His true identity by doing healings, signs, and give dreams and visions.
I hope this helps provide information, perhaps discussion. The thing to keep in mind is the Lord is always willing to confirm the truth of who He is and His resurrection, through signs, wonders, and healings. It isn’t about us. It is about Him eager to confirm and validate the Person of, and resurrection of, Jesus the Christ, our Lord.
Blessings, new subject next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
