What does the Quran say about Jesus Christ? How did the first Muslims treat Christians?

 

How do Muslims relate to Christians?

Jesus Christ is mentioned in the Quran 25 times. Despite the fact that Islam and Christianity are similar Abrahamic religions in many ways, Muslims view the world in a completely different way. What is the place of Jesus Christ in Islamic theological thought? And how, according to the Quran, should Muslims treat Christians?

Unknown Islam

Isa ibn Maryam al-Masih is the name given by Jesus Christ in Islamic sources. The figure is recognized as one of the most significant and successful messengers of Allah, who managed to convey divine instructions to people. In total, the Quran mentions 25 prophets by name. Hadiths (religious traditions) claim that God sent more than 100,000 prophets to Earth. They appeared at different times and in all corners of the planet. Most of them were unsuccessful, and the messengers remained unknown. In this respect, Jesus stands on a par with Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad. In Islamic religious literature, it is believed that before Muhammad began to preach, the Law brought by Jesus was the only true one. However, in the 7th century, due to the repeated rewriting and distortion of sacred texts by Christians, the Law lost its force. According to this view, Muhammad was chosen by Allah to make changes and bring people back to the right path. The Other New Testament In Islam, the Gospel is called Injil. It is argued that the original text of the New Testament has not been fully preserved. However, the Scriptures are still recognized as sacred. For example, Muslims believe in the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. At the same time, the preservation of the Virgin Mary's virginity after childbirth is denied. Why do Christians believe that the mother of Jesus Christ preserved her virginity after his birth? How do the priests explain this? Surprisingly, in general, Muslim history is replete with more details about the life of the young prophet than Christian literature. Muslims do not consider Jesus to be God, and therefore the biography of his earthly family is noticeably simpler and more dramatic than the original. So, after the birth of the boy, the Virgin Mary was harassed and was forced to flee with her son to Egypt. The family lived in Egypt until Jesus was 12 years old. At the age of 30, the angel Gibreel (Archangel Gabriel) descended to the man. The angel accompanied the prophet everywhere, and it was he who performed miracles with the hands of Jesus: he healed the sick and fed the hungry. In the future, Gabriel also helped the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims have an interesting view of the Crucifixion. In particular, the interpreters of the Koran claim that the Romans crucified another person instead of Jesus. The victim was one of his students. The follower decided to save the mentor and went out to the crowd, calling himself Jesus. According to Islamic doctrine, the task of Jesus Christ was not to atone for human sins, but to bring the Word of God to people. Muslims do not believe in collective sin and do not believe that it can be expiated/supplicated by outside people. Each person creates his own sins and will be personally responsible for them.

How do Muslims relate to Christians?

Muslims recognize Christians and Jews as people of the Scriptures: brothers in faith. However, it is believed that they worship God incorrectly. In fact, the attitude of Muslims towards Christians and followers of any other religion depends on the theologian who interprets the Quran. The same text can be interpreted in different ways. For example, a number of theologians see the 29th verse of Surah At-Tauba as a direct instruction to fight against the Gentiles. "Fight against the People of the Book who reject Allah and do not believe in the Last Day. With those who ignore the prohibitions of Allah and his Prophet Muhammad. With those who reject the true religion. Make them pay tribute for their mistakes." (Surah At-Tauba, verse 29) However, there is another interpretation that is considered closer to reality: it is not about gentiles, but about apostates: sectarians and criminals against the faith. Theologians prove this point of view by the fact that the Koran forbids taking up arms first and forcibly converting people to Islam. Holy Scripture requires respect for all people, regardless of religion. However, such a loose interpretation is often used by radical organizations to justify religious wars both among themselves (Shiites against Sunnis) and with neighbors (jihad against Gentiles).