Prophet Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary)

By: Sadruddin Noorani, Chicago, USA 

Bibi Maryam (Mary) (peace be upon her (pbuh) has been mentioned very highly in the Holy Qur’an. She spent her time praying to Allah alone and followed what Allah liked. Allah gave her fresh summer fruits in the winter and fresh winter fruits in the summer. Hazrat Zakariya (Zachariah) (pbuh) was the Prophet of that time and he was the maternal uncle of Mary, The Virgin. Every time he visited Bibi Maryam, he was surprised. “Where did you get these fruits from?” he asked Maryam. “It is from Allah,” she replied. “Allah gives to whoever He pleases.” So while we are meant to put the effort behind what we do, the results are not in our hands, It is God that decides who to provide to.

After hearing this, Zakariya asked God for a child. God blessed him with the Prophet Yahya (pbuh) (John The Baptist) as a son. Yahya was very wise, even as a young child. Maryam was Yahya’s aunt. Once, while she was praying alone, someone mysterious came to her. It looked like a man, but she couldn’t be sure. Maryam became worried. “I am a messenger sent by God,” she heard. “God has given you the gift of a baby boy.” It was an Angel speaking. The message was true.

Maryam did not want anyone to know. She went to a place far away from the people. But by now, her labour pain had already begun. It drove her to rest against the trunk of a palm tree. The somatic pain grew stronger and stronger. “I wish I had died before this,” she said. It was almost too much to bear. It was then that Maryam started hearing something.

“Don’t worry,” called a voice, “God has made a spring gush beneath you.” Right there, water began sprouting. “Shake the tree trunk,” called the voice again, “and fresh dates will fall for you.” Maryam gave the tree a little shake, and dates fell by her side. It was all from God. He gives to whomever He pleases. Maryam gave birth to a baby boy, miraculously born of a virgin in Bethlehem, about 10 km south of Jerusalem, Palestine. He was Prophet Isa al-Masih (also known as Jesus) (pbuh). Now she had to face her people.

Maryam carried baby Isa back to her town. She did not say a word and kept quiet. She just pointed to her baby. “I am the slave of God,” said the baby (as we all are too). Those were his first words. “God has made me a Prophet and blessed me wherever I go.” The baby spoke to the people. It was a miracle, but it did not stop there. When Isa grew older, he started doing many more amazing things. He was the messenger of God and an exemplar of piety and as a guide to spiritual truth.

Hazrat Isa (pbuh) breathed life into birds molded from clay. They flapped their wings and flew away as real birds do. Isa healed the blind (also those ignorant once who were blind to truth), healing lepers and brought the dead back to life. It was all by the will of God and a sign to the people. But even then, most of them did not believe him.

They fell for the Devil’s tricks again and were blind to the truth. They plotted to kill Isa and set out to hunt him down. They almost found him too. God also had a plan. He raised Isa high up into the Heavens. The people could not catch him anymore. Isa was safe with God. Devil’s trick did not work on him. Isa followed the truth and did what God likes. That should be our own aim in life as well.

But the Devil never gave up. He kept on tricking people away from the truth. By now his time was almost up, and soon God sent the final Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to the people of the world. He was the ultimate blessing from God and the last Prophet of all. No prophet will come after Muhammad. When the Day of Judgement will come. God will judge the people by what karma they have done. Those who followed the Prophets will have no worries or fear. They are the people of Heaven. They are the winners in the end!

Prophet Isa (pbuh) is the penultimate prophet and messenger of God, sent around 570 years before the last and final Messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He is, of course, a very important figure in Islam. The Qur’an places Jesus among the greatest prophets and mentions him several times.

Prophet Isa is referred to 25 times by name in the Holy Qur’an, 48 times in the third-person, 35 times in the first-person, and is mentioned the remaining times by various titles. Prophet Muhammad described himself as the “nearest of all people to Jesus”.

Some of the titles Hazrat Isa (pbuh) is referred to in the Qur’an are:

a), Al-Masih: This is his most famous title – it means ‘The Messiah’. When Isa (pbuh) touched or wiped those afflicted with an illness, they would be healed by God’s permission. [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

b), Ruh: This means he was ‘a spirit’ from God. [Qur’an, 21:91]

c), ‘Abdullah’ and ‘Mubarak’: He was ‘a servant of Allah’ and ‘blessed’. [Qur’an, 19:30-31]

d), ‘Ayah’ and ‘Rahmah’: He was ‘a sign’ and ‘a mercy’. [Qur’an, 19:21]

e), ‘Kalimah’ and ‘Wajih’: He was ‘a word’ from God and ‘highly honored’ or ‘distinguished’ . [Qur’an, 3:45]

f), Ulu l-’Azm: Five messengers were called ‘those of determination or steadfast’ – Prophet Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Isa (peace be up on them), and of course their leader and our leader (Sayyid), Muhammad (pbuh). [Qur’an, 46:35]

g), Ibn Maryam: This means the son of Maryam (pbuh), also known as Mary. Like Prophet Adam, Isa (pbuh) had no father. Moreover, his mother’s high standing with Allah is well-known – an entire Chapter is named after her in the Qur’an and she was visited and addressed by the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) (a.s): 

O Maryam (pbuh)! Surely God has selected you, purified you, and chosen you over all women of the world’. [The Noble Qur’an] 3:42

According to the Holy Qur’an, Prophet Zakariya was the guardian of Bibi Maryam (peace be upon them). [Chapter Al-Imran] 3:35-37.

Prophet Zakariya, along with John the Baptist and Isa, ushered in a new era of prophets – all of whom came from the priestly descent of Hazrat Imran (Amram), the father of the prophet Harun (Aaron). The fact is that, of all the priests, it was Zakariya who was given the duty of taking care of Bibi Maryam shows his status as a pious man. Hazrat Zakariya (pbuh) is frequently praised in the Qur’an as a prophet of God and a righteous man. One such appraisal is in the Qur’an —  [Chapter Al-An’am] 6:85

Ref: https://the.ismaili/global/news/features/why-do-muslims-revere-jesus

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