Al-Masih Isa - the Messiah Jesus. We read that when the angels first appeared to Mary they said of the holy child they had been sent to announce: Ismuhul Masihu Isabnu Maryam - his name shall be the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary (Chapter 3.45). Even before the conception of Jesus, therefore, the angels gave him the one title that is applied to him on no less than eleven occasions in the Quran, namely Al-Masih - the Messiah. Investigate for yourself the claims in the Qur’an, the prophecies in the Torah, and the life of Jesus written in the Bible. The prophecies that were fulfilled by His birth, life, death and resurrection. In calling Jesus a messenger, the Qur’an is also correct. It doesn’t mean that Jesus was not the Messiah. We know that one could be a messenger and not be a Messiah… but as The Messiah, one is also a messenger. Jesus was both a messenger and The Messiah that Allah had promised! What is a Messiah? A Messiah is always known as a Saviour… a liberator and a deliverer. God had promised to send one (Messiah) to pay the debt of sin for all mankind. The Messiah!… Gods gift to sinful man… The Saviour… The Liberator… Our Redeemer. The prophets of the Torah foretold of His coming. Muhammad and his Disciples revered Him… the Quran and the Bible reveal Him! The Messiah… The Saviour of the world! Neither the Quran nor the Bible speak of any other as being the Messiah!!! And it is truth that cannot be denied. Jesus is the one and only Messiah. He is the Saviour. He is the Messiah of the Muslims, the Jews, and the Gentiles. Millions throughout the world of every nation and creed accept Him as Saviour. Jesus alone is called the Messiah in the Qur’an. No other prophet, patriarch or priest is given this title. In Arabic it is simply al-Masih. The Qurans acknowledgement that Jesus was indeed the Messiah comes, therefore, as something of a surprise. He is not only called Al-Masih Isa but on some occasions the title Al-Masih appears by itself (Chapter 4.172), and on others he is called Al-Masihubnu Maryam - the Messiah, son of Mary (Chapter 9.31). What is most significant is that the title is applied solely to Jesus in the Quran and that its definitive quality is carefully defined by the use of the article - Al-Masih, namely, the Messiah. Indeed the title is never used in the Quran without the definite article. This rules out any possibility that the title can be applied to anyone else. No one else in the Quran is, or accordingly possibly could be, the Messiah. Jesus is not a messiah or one of the messiahs, he is Al-Masih - the Messiah. This leads to the third feature that must occupy the attention of all who seriously consider the use of this title in the Quran, namely that it is obviously used in a particular sense. Over 300 Old Testament prophecies speak of the coming Messiah (Christ) and describe him as a man that stands above all other men, including the other messengers of God, and that he would have a regality, majesty, splendor and excellence above all other men. Indeed, he would have divine attributes. Jewish believers in Jesus used the term Messiah and Son of God interchangeably. For example, Peter, one of the first Jewish followers of Jesus said, You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). Nathaniel (John 1:49), Mark (Mark 1:1), and Martha (John 11:27) are examples of others who used the terms Messiah and Son of God interchangeably. Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest also used the terms Messiah and Son of God together. When Jesus was on trial, Caiaphas asked Jesus, I adjure you, by the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 26:63). Thus, by saying that Jesus is the Messiah, the Qur’an has duly given Jesus a title -the Son of God. “The Quran again and again speaks of Jesus as the Messiah, and thus tacitly admits his superiority over all other prophets. It gives him the title, but fails to give any reason for the honour thus put upon Jesus; but in the Bible we learn more fully who this great one was who was thus honored by God”. (Goldsack, Christ in Islam, p. 12). In the Quran that Jesus was indeed the Messiah; People of the Book have a golden opportunity to witness meaningfully to Muslims. The Quran attempts no explanation of the title, yet its very inclusion in the book and we read at least in 15 verses that the Qur’an confirming the Bible. Such as in3:3 “He hath revealed unto thee (Muhammad) the Scripture with truth, CONFIRMING that which was (revealed) before it, even as He revealed the Torah and the Gospel”and5:48 “To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, CONFIRMING the scripture that came before it, and GUARDING it in safety: …”(See also 2:41, 6:92, 10:37, 35:31 etc.) If the Qur’anCONFIRMING the scripture that came before it, and GUARDING it in safetythen it means the Qur’an confirming the Old Testament prophecies speak of the coming Messiah and also it conform the New Testament which is all about Jesus Christ, Isa Al-Masih.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 08:36:35 +0000
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