TWO
CONFLICTING PORTRAITS OF THE MESSIAH
The Jews were very pleased to receive the news of this
Promised Messiah. But they were confused by the fact that there was a two-fold
picture that presented two conflicting portraits of him and his mission. The
first was that of a conquering King who would restore the ‘Chosen People of
Allah’ (who, at that time, were the Jews) to the Holy Land and would rule the
whole world in peace. The second was a Messiah who was humble and suffering.
The two apparently conflicting portraits were clearly depicted in Isaiah who
described the Messiah as a ‘Servant of the Lord’ who would prosper, be lifted
up and greatly exalted:
“Behold, My servant shall deal prudently, he shall
be exalted and extolled, and be very high.”
(Isaiah 52:13)
But he then went on in the very same breath to describe that
‘Servant’ as one who would be disfigured to the point that he would hardly look
human, and thus one who would experience both exaltation and humiliation:
“As many were astonished at thee; his visage was
so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.”
(Isaiah 52:14)
As unthinkable as it was, Isaiah prophesied that the
‘Servant’ would be struck on both back and face. He would be humiliated by
being spat upon the face (Isaiah, 50:4-11). This is precisely what happened to
Jesus. A Christian writer, Hal Lindsey, comments on the event as follows and
goes on to declare that it confirmed the prophecy in Isaiah 52:13 and 53:12 :
“It is well known that this is the kind of
treatment that Jesus received during the six illegal trials to which he was
subjected. The officers in Herod’s temple guard spat on Jesus’ face after the Sanhedrin
had condemned him. Then they blindfolded him and struck him in the face. A
jagged crown of thorns was jammed down on his head and he was cruelly whipped
with a Roman scourge. It was a sadistic whip made of many strips of leather to
which pieces of bone or jagged metal were attached to make the effect more
painful.”
(Hal Lindsey, “The Messiah”. Harvest House Publishers, Oregon, 1982,
pp. 108-9)
Isaiah went on to identify the Jews as those who would
persecute the ‘Servant of the Lord’ (i.e., the Messiah). He did so when he
described the Servant-Messiah as “the despised one, the one abhorred by the
nation (Isaiah 49:7). Hal Lindsey points out that the noun ‘nation’ is in
the singular and not plural, and he goes on to protest dishonest translations
of the verse:
“It’s most unfortunate (and dishonest) that the Revised
Standard Version of the Bible and the Jewish Soncino Commentaries translate
this passage “to him who is abhorred by the nations.”
By translating ‘nations’ plural, it makes it seem
as though the Gentiles (who are always referred to as the ‘nations’) are the
ones who despise and abhor the Servant. The idea is fostered here that the
Servant is Israel and she is abhorred by the Gentiles. While that may have been
true in Jewish history, that particular fact can’t be proved by this passage
because the word used in the Hebrew for ‘nation’ is ‘goi’, and it is singular
and can only honestly be translated as ‘nation’ which in this context refers to
Israel alone.”
(Lindsey, p. 109)
(Soncino: - a certain Israel
Nathan b. Samuel moved to Soncino, a small town in the duchy of Milan. There he
set up a printing press for his son, and this was the beginning of the great
firm of Joshua Solomon Soncino and his nephews, Moses and Gershom. Attracting
Abraham b. Hayyim from Bologna, they produced the first complete Bible, the
Soncino Bible of 1488, with vowels and accents, but without a commentary, as
was the custom of the Soncinos. The Soncino brothers also were responsible for
the 1491–93 Naples Bible, in which the vowelpoints and accents are better
placed than before. Gershom Soncino moved to Brescia, where he produced the
1495 Brescia Bible, an improved edition of the 1488 Soncino Bible, but, more important,
in small octavo format, making it a pocket edition specifically produced for the
persecuted Jews who, perpetually moving from place to place, found it difficult
to carry the huge and costly folio Bibles. It was this edition which Martin
Luther used when he translated the Bible into German).
(Jewish
Encyclopaedia)
Even as far back in time as Genesis there was a prophecy of
one through whom the ‘rule’ of the world, first established with David (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) and Solomon (‘alaihi alSalaam), would continue.
He was described as Shiloh:
“The scepter shall not depart from (his son)
Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to
him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
(Genesis : 49:10)
This prophecy was interpreted to have not only declared the
tribe through which the Messiah would come, but also to have designated Judah
as the royal line for future Kings. Rabbinic interpretation from ancient times
recognized ‘Shiloh’ as a personal title of the Messiah and that it was here
predicted that he would come from the tribe of Judah. (The view of Muslim
scholars is that Shiloh was Prophet Muhammad (‘alaihi alSalaam).
The confusion was confounded when unknown scribes corrupted
the text of Isaiah to declare that the Messiah would not only be born as a
child (and hence be a human being), and would eventually rule the world, but
that he would also be the mighty God. The corrupted text thus portrayed the
Messiah as both man and God:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace.”
(Isaiah, 9:6)
Two thousand years ago, when Allah Most High kept his
promise and sent the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, to Banu Israil, he
found them holding on to the external ‘form’ of religion while woefully
neglecting its ‘internal’ substance. Even the ‘external’ form was corrupted
since they had changed it and rewritten it to suit their own fancies. When
Jesus confirmed that he was indeed the Promised Messiah, and when he fearlessly
preached the ‘internal’ substance of religion and denounced the corruption of
the ‘external’ form, some Jews accepted him and believed in him but most of
them rejected him. They still continue to reject him as the Messiah to this day.
The Qur’an declared that they boasted (at that time) of having killed
him (by crucifixion):
“That they said (in boast): We killed the Messiah, Jesus the son
of Mary, the Messenger of Allah… ”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:157)
When they saw him ‘die’ on the cross before their very eyes
it was conclusively confirmed to them that he was an impostor. They were
convinced that he could not have been the Messiah since the Torah itself had
declared that whoever died by hanging was the ‘cursed’ of Allah, Most High (Deuteronomy,
21:23).
Secondly, he could not have been the Messiah because he died
without liberating the Holy Land from the pagan
Roman rule, and he did not rule the world from the throne of David (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) (i.e., Jerusalem).
And so they kept on waiting for the Messiah to come. Every
Jew who rejected Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) as the Messiah and kept on
waiting since then for the Messiah to come is indirectly implicated in the
attempt to crucify him. This is so because their rejection of his claim to be
the Messiah is linked to the death that they believe he experienced.
But Allah Most High declared that the Jews were deceived
into believing that Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) was killed or crucified:
“…. and they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was
made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with
no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they
killed him not.”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:157)
Well then, what happened to Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam)?
The Qur’an has explained what happened. It has made five explanatory
statements:
Firstly, the Qur’an declared that the Jews did not kill
Jesus:
“…but they killed him not….”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:157)
Secondly, it
declared that they did not crucify him:
“…nor did they crucify him….”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa,
4:157)
Thirdly it
declared that Allah the Supreme reclaimed him (i.e., took his soul). There are,
in fact, two such statements in the Qur’an:
“And behold, Allah said: Oh Jesus, I (will) reclaim you (i.e., I
will take your soul, - the word used is Wafaat), and raise you to Myself and
clear you (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme . . .
(Qur’an, Ale ‘Imran, 3:55)
“And behold Allah will say (on the Day of Judgment) Oh Jesus, the
son of Mary, did you say unto men: worship me and my mother as Gods besides Allah?
He will say: Glory be to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say).
Had I said such a thing you would surely have known it. You know what is in my
heart, and I know not what is in Your heart. For You know in full all that is
hidden. Never did I say to them anything except that which You ordered me to
say, to wit: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord; and I was a witness over
them while I dwelt among them, but when You reclaimed me (i.e., took my soul –
the word used is again Wafaat). You became the watcher over them, and You are a
witness to all things.
(Qur’an, al-Maida, 5:116-117)
If Allah Most High took the soul of Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) and did not return it, then that would have constituted Maut
(death). But the Qur’an insists that he was not killed (nor crucified):
“….for most certainly they did not kill him….”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:157)
Well then, what did Allah Most High do with the soul after
He took it? Was it possible, for example, that He returned the soul to the
body? Can such a thing take place?
The Qur’an affirms that Allah Most High does return
some souls after having taken them from the body:
“Allah reclaims the souls at (the time of) death; and those that
die not He reclaims (their souls) during sleep (i.e., those whose souls are not
taken while they are awake will experience it while they are asleep). Then for
those on whom He has passed the decree of death (maut), He keeps back (i.e.,
the soul is not allowed to return to the body): but the rest He returns (to
their bodies) for a term appointed. Verily in this are Signs for those who
reflect.”
(Qur’an, al-Zumar, 39:42)
Did this take place in the case of Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam)? The answer is to be found in the next two statements of the Qur’an.
Fourthly the Qur’an
stated that Allah, the All-Powerful, made it ‘appear’ that Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) was killed. This was made possible either by replacing ‘one
thing’ with ‘another’, or by replacing ‘one person’ with ‘another’ (tashbih).
Thus those who were observing the event were convinced that Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) had, in fact, died (Maut):
“…. but so it was made to appear to them….” (Yusuf Ali)
“….but it only seemed to them (as if it had been) so….”(M. Asad)
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:157)
It is now possible for us to answer the question: Well then,
what did Allah Most High do with the soul after He took it? One possible answer
to that question is that Allah Most High substituted one thing for another
(tashbih):
•
Allah Most High took the soul of Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) while he was still on the cross,
•
Allah Most High thus convinced those
who were observing the event that Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) was dead,
•
Allah Most High then returned the soul
of Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) after he was taken down from the cross and
when no one was around to observe. He was then taken up into the heavens from
whence he would descend one day.
The only difference from the accepted Christian belief and
the above interpretation of the Qur’an is that the period of time which elapsed
between the event on the cross and the ascension of Jesus was one in which
Christians recognized him as dead. In the above interpretation of the Qur’an,
however, he was not recognized as dead precisely because the soul was returned
to the body.
Those who object to the above possible explanation of the Qur’an
argue that Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) was never placed on the cross. They
interpret the Qur’anic statement “they
did not crucify him” to imply that he was never placed on the cross.
They come to this conclusion on the basis of their view that crucifixion (in
the sense in which the Qur’an uses the term) implies simply being put on
the cross and does not necessarily require such a person to actually die on the
cross. Commenting on Surah al-Maidah
5:36, the commentator of the Qur’an, Ibn Kathir,
holds the view that crucifixion necessarily implies death.
The alternative interpretation to the above is that Allah
Most High substituted one person for another (tashbih) so
that someone else replaced Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) on the cross, and
that person was crucified in place of Jesus (‘alaihi alSalaam).
This is the theory of ‘substitution’. It is an opinion and,
like all opinions, is subject to the qualification: Allahu ‘alam (Allah,
the Supreme, knows best!). There are many distinguished scholars of Islam,
however, who subscribe to the theory of substitution. Those who object to this
interpretation argue that it ascribes to Allah Most High a manifest act of
injustice since it declares of Him that He caused an innocent man (i.e.,
innocent of any of the charges leveled against Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam))
to be crucified in place of Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam). But Allah Most
High has repeatedly declared that no
soul would bear the burden of another soul (al-‘Anam, 6:164; Banu Israil,
17:15; al-Fatir, 35:18; al-Zumar, 39:7; al-Najm, 53:38).
Fifthly the Qur’an
makes a statement to the effect that Allah Most High raised Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) unto Himself:
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in
Power, Wise.”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:158)
The Qur’an then went on to explain that every soul (Nafs)
must taste death (Arabic - Maut):
“Every soul must taste
death (maut). And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full
recompense (for your works)...”
(Qur’an, Ale ‘Imran, 3:185)
Since Allah Most High has declared that every soul (Nafs) must taste death, it
implies that Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam), also, if he possessed a soul (Nafs)
must taste death (Maut).
The question therefore arises: Did Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) possess a soul (Nafs)? Was he a human being? And
since we know that he was the son of Mary, we must also ask: Was Mary a human
being?
The Qur’an responds with an emphatic declaration of
the ‘humanity’ of both Jesus and Mary:
“The Messiah, the son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger (of
Allah). Many were the Messengers who passed away before him. His mother was a
woman of integrity and truth. They both ate food. Notice how We make signs
clear to them (i.e. they who blaspheme by claiming that God is a Trinity, that
Jesus is also God, and that Mary is also God). And then notice how they remain
deluded away from the Truth.”
(Qur’an, al-Maidah, 5:75)
With one startling declaration “They both ate food” the
Qur’an dismisses any notion that Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) and
Mary could have been anything but human.
The Qur’an also declares of Jesus (‘alaihi
al-Salaam) that he was no more than a servant and slave (of Allah, Most
High):
“Oh People of the Scriptures (i.e. Christians and Jews), do not
commit excesses in your religion; nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The
Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah, and
His Word, which He cast on Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and
His Messengers. Say not Trinity, desist, it will be better for you. For Allah
is One God. Glory be to Him. (Far exalted is He) above having a son…”
(Qur’an, al-Nisa, 4:171)
“Surely he (Jesus) was no more than an ‘abd (slave, servant) (of
Allah)…”
(Qur’an, al-Zukhruf, 43:59)
It is thus clearly demonstrated that Jesus was, in the
Qur’anic view, a human being. Hence Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salaam) also, is
subject to the universal law of death. He also, has to taste death.
to be continued....
