The 25 Prophets: (21) Issa (AS) (Jesus)

ISSA (AS) (JESUS)

He is Masiyh Issa bin Maryam (AS); he was known as Masiyh (Messiah), which in Arabic means someone who wanders from place to place. He had no particular place, nor town or even a particular dwelling that he used to live in; he let the whole (God’s) land be his abode.

The Birth of Issa (AS)

Three months after the birth of Yahya (AS), Maryam (AS) received the divine inspiration from her Lord that she would get the gift of a holy son.

Maryam (AS) used to spend all her time in prayers and devotion and she withdrew from her family and from people in general and placed a screen (to screen her) from them. One day as she was in her meditations, Angels came and said to her: “O Maryam! God has chosen you and purified you — chosen you above the women of all nations. O Maryam! Worship your Lord devoutly, prostrate yourself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down.”

Maryam (AS) felt after this divine call from her Lord that there was something tremendous coming, but she was not sure what it was, thus she kept herself prepared. She never went out of her chamber except if there was a dire need to do so. One day she went out for some work and went towards the east of Baitil Maqdis. On her way she met a man who had all the qualities of a gentleman. He was Angel Jibril who had appeared before her in the shape of a man in all respects so that Maryam would pause to listen to him.

When Maryam (AS) saw him approaching, she was frightened, she appealed to him not to invade her privacy, she said: “I seek refuge from you to (God) Most Gracious, do not come near me if you do fear God.”

He said: “No, I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a holy son.”

Here Maryam (AS) looked at him suspiciously for what she heard, then she remembered that she was neither married nor had any man touched her before. She then spoke to her Lord saying: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son, when no man has touched me?”

The Angel said; “So (it will be), your Lord says, ‘That is easy for me and (We wish) to appoint him a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us.’ It is a matter (so) decreed. His name will be Masiyh Issa bin Maryam (Jesus Christ the son of Mary), held in honour in this world and the hereafter and of (the company oi) those nearest to God; he shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous.”

He therefore breathed into (her body) God’s spirit, thus Maryam (AS) conceived while she was a virgin, though the Jews accused her of unchastity. She never had any problems in her pregnancy, and no one noticed that she was pregnant. She knew that her people would not believe in her and would accuse her of adultery. Thus when the pains of childbirth came, she went away from her people to a place called Bait Laham to the trunk of a palm-tree and she cried (in her anguish): “Ah! Would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”

But (a voice) cried to her from beneath (the palm-tree): “Do not grieve for your Lord has provided a rivulet beneath you; and shake towards yourself the trunk of the palm-tree, it will fall fresh ripe dates upon you. So eat and drink and cool your eye. And if you do see any man, say, ‘I have vowed a fast to (God) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.’”

At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: “O Maryam! Truly an amazing thing you have brought! O sister of Harun your father was not a man of evil, nor your mother a woman unchaste!”

What could she do? How could she explain? Would they, in their faultfinding mood, accept her explanation? All she could do was to point to the child, who, she knew, was no ordinary child.

They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”

By miracle the baby spoke, defended his mother, and preached to an unbelieving audience. He said: “I am indeed a servant of God, He has given me revelation and made me a Prophet; and He has made me blessed wheresoever I am, and has decreed on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live. He has made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing and miserable; so peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again).”

Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.* (Maryam (xix) 34)

Issa (AS) is Made Prophet

After Issa (AS) uttered the first words while he was a baby, he never spoke again until he reached the age when normally children would start to talk. He was a very bright child ever since he was a toddler, and when he was sent to his teacher and started schooling, he used to concentrate and pay full attention to what he was taught. Whatever he was taught, he made sure that he understood it and would ask as many questions as possible to understand everything. The usual worldly affairs never used to bother him. At the age of twelve, he was already deep in his studies.

He mixed with the religiously learned men, listened to them and learned from them. However, he found out that ordinary people would believe anything what these learned men would say to them, but he did not accept anything outright and used to argue with them. Therefore when these learned men saw that Issa (AS) was learning fast, they opposed him but he did not let them have their way.

One day Issa (AS) did not return home. His mother became worried and went out to look for him. She went everywhere where he would normally be. After a long search, she found him right in the middle among the learned men deep in a debate trying to learn. His mother was astonished by what she saw of her son, so she called him aside and blamed him for running away from home without telling her. Then she left him to continue with his learning.

When he reached the age of thirty years, the Angel Jibril came to Issa (AS) for the first time and gave the glad tidings of him becoming a Prophet. He was then given the Injil (the Gospel) as the book of teachings. He was an Apostle to the Children of Israel, with the message; ‘I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord.’

He started telling the people that he was the Prophet of God and preached to them the Gospel. He said to them: “O Children of Israel! I am an Apostle of God (sent) to you, confirming The Law (which came) before me.”

The Israelites were already lost and had gone astray from their religion that Musa (AS) had taught them. Issa (AS) was thus sent to the Bani Israiyl with a message to confirm what was in the Tawraat the book of Musa (AS) which had been sent to them earlier.

The Chiefs and the Learned of the Bani Israiyl felt that there was some danger in this matter, and they felt like a current pulling them. Issa (AS) had come with this new religion and was preaching to the people to leave what they were worshipping. These Chiefs were afraid that the high life and wealth they had would go from them. They were used to hoarding riches and live lavishly. Their secrets would come out and those poor people would realize this and would go against them. They thus decided to tell the people that what Issa (AS) said was nothing but a lie. This did not bother Issa (AS). He continued with his hard work of preaching and used went to all the villages and towns doing so.

Some people argued with him and wanted him to give them a proof that he was truly a Prophet. He showed them some of the miracles that God had given him, and then said: “The Sign from my Lord in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and becomes a bird by God’s blessing. And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I liven the dead by God’s blessing; and I declare to you what you eat, and what you store in your houses Surely therein is a Sign for you to believe.” On top of all this those unbelievers said that it was nothing but sorcery, and wanted to harm him but God protected him from them.

He went on saying: “I have come to you, to attest the Law that was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (before) forbidden to you, I have come to you with a Sign from my Lord. So fear God, and obey me. It is God who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a way that is straight.”

When he found unbelief in their part he said: “Who will be my helpers to (the work of) God?”

The Disciples said: “We are God’s helpers, we believe in God, and you bear witness that we are Muslims.”

Therefore Issa (AS) went on with his hard work and with him were a few people who believed, it is believed they were not more than twelve people. Even those few, who believed in him, had doubt to what he told them and what they saw. He went into villages with those few to spread the word of God. People were divided into three groups, some said that Issa (AS) was God, some said he was the son of God and some believed that he was the servant of God and His Prophet to the people of Bani Israiyl. This last group are those Christians, who believe in the Book, and so are the People of Muhammad (SAW). Thus a portion of Bani lsraiyl believed, and a portion disbelieved, and God gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed.

One day after a hard days work, Issa (AS) and his followers were tired and hungry. So they sat down to rest and while they were sitting, they said to their Prophet: “O Issa son of Maryam! Can your Lord send down to us a Table set (with viands) from Heavens?”

He said to them: “Fear God, if you have faith.”

They said: “We only wish to eat thereof and satisfy our hearts, and to know that you have indeed told us the truth; and that we ourselves may be witnesses to the miracle.”

Here Issa (AS) prayed to God for the Table set (with viands) to be sent down unto them. God said:

“I will send it down unto you: but if any of you after that resisteth faith, I will punish him with a penalty such as I have not inflicted on any one among all the peoples.”* (Al-Maida (v) 118)

It is believed that God did send down to them the Table, but some of those who were weak in their faith rejected the truth.

Bani Israiyl, in particular those who were of high class and the rich, did all sorts of things to resist Issa (AS) and his preaching. They called him a liar and said that there was no truth in what he was doing, it was nothing but sorcery. Actually Issa (AS) and his followers were those people who were of low class, poor and weak; and so had no one to protect him except his Lord. They wanted to kill him, and when he came to know of this he went into hiding.

After only three years of him becoming a Prophet, the Israelis could not tolerate him so they decided to go to their Roman king by the name of Caesar. They told him that lssa (AS) was planning to kill him and then take over as a king of the Israelis. The king gave orders that he should be hunt down and brought to him to be crucified. One of his followers by the name of Yahudha, whose faith was not so strong, went and disclosed to them the whereabouts of Issa (AS), so they went to arrest him. However, by God’s miracles, Yahudha himself was made to look like Issa (AS) and was arrested instead, sent to the king and crucified on the cross. Issa (AS) was saved and God raised him up to Him. God says in the following verses of the Holy Quraan:

That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of God”; - But the 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: - *Nay, God raised him up unto Himself; and God is Exalt in Power, Wise.*  (An-Nisaa (iv) 157-158)

Reference: The Twenty five Prophets (The Parable of the Apostles Mentioned in the Holy Quraan)", by Nassir ibn Issa ibn Said Al-Kindy. (p 153-160)