Who Is Jesus?
Jesus is one of a long string of prophets of Allah sent to all nations throughout history, starting from Adam, who received the first guidance from Allah, to the final one, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
According to the Bible, Jesus was sent particularly to the Israelites, to set them back on the proper track of Moses. The Gospels record these words of Jesus:
“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (Matthew 15:24)
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you: ‘Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.’” (Matthew 5:17-18)
The Qur’an, which Muslims consider the direct revelation says what means:
*{The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no helpers.}* (Al-Ma’idah 5:72)
Jesus was a full human Prophet of God, as he emphatically declared:
“As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God.” (John 8:40)
“What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.” (Luke 24:19)
Again, the Qur’an also affirms Jesus’s prophethood:
*{And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah}* (As-Saff 61:6)
In all aspects, the Gospels portray him as a human who was born and circumcised (Luke 2:5-7, 21, 40, 52, 11:27); who suffered hunger and thirst (Matthew 4:2, 11:19, 21:18); who got tired and slept like any human being (Matthew 8:20, 24-25, Luke 8:23, Mark 4:38, John 4:6); who was subject to human feelings of fear, astonishment, and sadness (Matthew 26:37, Mark 14:33-34, John 11:33, 35, 38); and who prayed to his Creator like any human believer does (Mark 1:35, 14:35, Luke 5:16, 6:12).
Logically speaking, having no father does not mean he was the son of God. Adam had neither father nor mother, yet both Adam and Jesus are bondsmen of Allah created by His will and power, by His word “Be” — Adam from earthly dust, and Jesus in the womb of Virgin Mary.
This is precisely and unequivocally defined in the Qur’an as follows:
*{The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.}* (Aal `Imran 3:59)
So neither Jesus nor Adam is a son of God. References to Jesus in the Bible as son of God should not be taken in the literal sense, rather in the metaphoric sense of affection and nearness to God.
Jesus himself affirms that we are all “sons” of God in this sense:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
Similar references to human beings as “sons of God” are also used in the Old Testament:
“You are the children of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 14:1)
Finally, in his own words, Jesus declared himself as the Son of Man:
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” (John 3:14)