THE BIRTH OF JESUS ACCORDING TO QURAN AND BIBLE
ACCORDING TO CHRISTIAN FAITH
According to the Gospel of Matthew, ‘the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way’ (Matthew 1:18). While his mother was still only betrothed to Joseph, she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. Joseph did not know this and resolved to divorce her quietly. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:20-21). It is that last declaration that the Qur’an misses which is the supreme factor that distinguishes Jesus’ mission from those of all the other prophets. They were God’s spokesmen, he was God’s redeemer – the one who had come to deliver God’s people from the consequence of their sins.
The Gospel of Luke has much more to say about the virgin-birth of Jesus. We are told here that the angel Gabriel visited Mary and declared to her: ‘you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High’ (Luke 1:31-32). When Mary asked how this could possibly happen seeing she had no husband, the angel replied: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ (Luke 1:35).
.The angel did not say that this was something God had ordained purely to make a show of his creative powers (something that, once again, would have been impossible to prove), he told Mary that she was to experience a very special birth because there was something very special about her coming son Jesus. Twice the angel told her that he would be the Son of the Most High. The uniqueness of the virgin-birth was vested in the actual person being born – it was the incarnation of the Son of God, a hitherto unprecedented event, that necessitated the equally unique and unparalleled character of his birth
In denying that there was anything in the virgin-birth other than a demonstration of God’s power, the Qur’an divests the event of its two most important characteristics. In Luke the coming child is to be the Son of God and in Matthew his advent is for the purpose of saving his people from their sins. In Luke it is the person of Jesus that explains his unique conception, in Matthew it is his redemptive mission that explains the unique purpose for which he came to earth – this is the ‘sign’ that was signified in his exceptional birth. It is these two factors that have always been at the heart of the Christian faith and that define its greatness. Its central figure is known to all Christian believers as ‘our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 1:11, 3:18). This was the supreme purpose for which the Son of God became the Son of man, Jesus of Nazareth.
Ironically these are the two dividing characteristics about Jesus that distinguish Christians from Muslims. The latter accept his virgin-birth as a fact, his ascension to heaven, his coming return to earth, his miracles and his sinlessness. As Muslims so often say, ‘we accept everything you believe about Jesus except for two things – he was not the Son of God and he did not die for our sins.’ To put it simply, in contrast to the fundamental biblical definition of Jesus, Muslims will reply: ‘neither Lord, nor Saviour.’ But in acknowledging the virgin-birth, the Qur’an has unwittingly recognized a unique feature of his birth that cannot otherwise be effectively explained – the child was the Son of God (Luke) who had come into the world to be its saviour (Matthew), Lord and Saviour indeed!
Looked at in a historical context, the Qur’an followed the Gnostic texts in making unique statements about Jesus, but failed to see the unique significance of the events it was confirming. His life began in an extraordinary way solely because he was a unique personality who had come into the world with a very unique mission, to bring salvation and eternal life to all who would accept him as Lord and Saviour of their lives. As Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, said to Mary his mother, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’ (Luke 1:42). It was the person and character of the child she was bearing which made it possible for Mary to respond: ‘For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed’ (Luke 1:48).
Mark only covers the public ministry of Jesus in his gospel from the time of his baptism and so makes no reference to the virgin-birth, save perhaps for an allusion to it in calling Jesus ‘the carpenter, the son of Mary’ (Mark 6:3) without any direct reference to Joseph. John, however, in the prologue to his gospel tells us precisely why Jesus was born in such a unique way. He begins: ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made’ (John 1:1-3). It was because Jesus had long existed in the divine realms before his conception on earth that he had to be born of a virgin woman. He could not have been procreated through both a father and mother as a new person entirely, distinguished purely by his parents’ genes and DNA.
John adds: ‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father’ (John 1:14). Jesus had long pre-existed his incarnation, he had come down from above and had taken on a human form to become one of us, and to reveal the fullness of God’s glory in his redeeming work. Jesus himself said: ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’ (Luke 10:18), a declaration of his pre-existence long before his conception in Mary’s womb. Jesus also said to the Jews: ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God’ (John 8:42), adding: ‘before Abraham was, I am’ (John 8:58).
Paul defined the two unique features about Jesus that characterized and explained his virgin-birth: ‘For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross’ (Colossians 1:19-20). He was the Son of God incarnate who had come to redeem and save the world – the two things Luke and Matthew respectively mention to explain his unique birth.
Before Jesus was born there is a lot of prophecy in the Bible from the prophet concerning Jesus, even from book of Genesis.
Genesis 3:14-15
[14]So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
[15]And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This confirm the victory of Christ over Satan.
His birth was prophesy by Isaiah. Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
AND
Isaiah 11:1-4. [1]A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. [2]The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—[3]and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; [4]but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Isaiah move forward concerning Jesus, he told us the purpose of his coming to the surface of earth
1) To bring Judgment and set people free bandage of Satan. Isaiah 61:1-4
2) To die for our sin, so that we can be save. To redeem us and deliver us from power of sin and eternal punishment. Read Isaiah 53:1-end.
The book of Daniel talk about is coming Daniel 9:25-26
[25]Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troubles times.
[26]And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolation’s are determined.
The book of Malachi also confirm this prophecy Malachi 3:1-4
[1]Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
[2]But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
[3]And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
[4]Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
This are some of the Old Testament prophecy concerning Jesus.
IN NEW TESTAMENT
Before He was born the Lord sent his angel to a Virgin marry who is espouse to Joseph. I knew a lot of Christian know this story, but for the sake of the Muslims and those who are not yet in Christ we will need to go in detail for better understanding.
Luke 1:26-35
[26]And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, [27]To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. [28]And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. [29]And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. [30]And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
[31]And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. [32]He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [33]And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. [34]Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
[35]And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
The conservation between Angel Gabriel and Marry is mention above.
Some Muslim accusation leveled against the Holy Bible is the supposedly unacceptable language used by Luke in describing the virginal conception of the Lord Jesus. For instance, statements such as the Holy Spirit “overshadowing” Mary are claimed to contain sexual overtone and the quote Luke 1:35 which records the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary to the effect that the Holy Spirit would “come upon” her and that the power of the Most High would “overshadow” her.
Muslims implies that there is something immoral about the Biblical account of the conception of Jesus. He very significantly omits the rest of the verse: “therefore the child to be born of you will be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The whole verse is set in an awesome context of holiness. Because this child was to be conceived, not by the medium of impure flesh, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, therefore the child would not be impure and sinful like all other men, but would be holy, even the Son of God. How anyone can see anything distasteful in this is beyond understanding. The Qur’an itself teaches that the reason for the conception of Jesus by divine power alone was his unique holiness (Surah Maryam 19:19).
These words apply:
To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving, nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted. Titus 1:15
In Luke’s Gospel one often reads of their Holy Spirit coming upon people and in every case the expression implies an anointing of his holy influence. Simeon was a man “righteous and devout” and the “Holy Spirit was upon him” (Luke 2:25) and when Jesus was baptised and was praying, the “Holy Spirit descended upon him” (Luke 3:22). Likewise we read that when the glory of God appeared above Jesus when he was transfigured, “a cloud came and overshadowed them” (Luke 9:34). How can anyone say, when similar expressions are used of the conception of Jesus (i.e. that the Holy Spirit “came upon” Mary and that the power of God “overshadowed” her), that this is “distasteful – gutter language”?
It is surprising that Muslims would raise this as an issue, since it is actually the Qur’an that describes Jesus’ virginal conception and birth in very graphic language:
And (remember) her who guarded her SEXUAL ORGAN (Arabic- farjahaa): We breathed into her from Our Spirit, and We made her and her son a Sign for all people. S. 21:91
And Mary the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her SEXUAL ORGAN (Arabic- farjahaa) and We breathed INTO IT of Our spirit; and she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His revelations, and was one of the devout (servants). S. 66:12
The word farjahaa, from farj, refers to a person’s private area, to their private parts. Here are some verses which use this word in this connection:
Prosperous are the believers who in their prayers are humble … and guard their private parts (lifuroojihim). S. 23:1-2,5 Arberry
Men and women who have surrendered, believing men and believing women, obedient men and obedient women, truthful men and truthful women, enduring men and enduring women, humble men and humble women, men and women who give in charity, men who fast and women who fast, men and women who guard their private parts (furoojahum), men and women who remember God oft — for them God has prepared forgiveness and a mighty wage. S. 33:35 Arberry
and guard their private parts (lifuroojihim). S. 70:29 Arberry
In the above references which speak of Christ’s conception, this word is used to describe Allah penetrating Mary’s private area by breathing his Spirit into it.
Mahmoud M. Ayoub contrasts the birth narratives of the Gospel of Luke with that mentioned in the Quran. All bold and capital emphasis is ours:
“The language of this verse (author- Luke 1:35) is clearly circumspect. It implies no sexual union or divine generation of any kind. Furthermore, while Luke’s description agrees both in form and spirit with the Qur’anic idea of the conception of Christ, the language of the Qur’an IS FAR MORE GRAPHIC AND OPEN TO INTERPRETATION.
He goes on to say:
“… Then of Mary He (author-allegedly God) continues: ‘And she who guarded well [lit. fortified] her chastity [lit. GENERATIVE ORGAN], and thus We breathed INTO HER of our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign [or miracle, ‘Aya] for all beings’ (S. 21:90-91) …
“In the second instance the Qur’an speaks of Mary as a righteous woman who lived in strict chastity and obedience to God: ‘And Mary daughter of ‘Imran who guarded well her GENERATIVE ORGAN farjaha, and thus We breathed INTO HER of our spirit’ (S. 66:12). THE BOLD AND GRAPHIC STATEMENT APPEARS TO HAVE SHOCKED TRADITIONISTS AND COMMENTATORS, so that most of them tried to cover it up with different and FARFETCHED significations or glossed over it with out comment…
“Ibn Kathir interprets the phrase ‘guarded well her generative organ’ to mean: ‘safeguarded and protected it. Guarding well ihsan signifies chastity and high birth.’ He comments on the phrase, ‘and thus We breathed into it of our spirit’ thus ‘that is, through the angel Gabriel. This is because God sent him to her, and he took for her the form of a man of good stature (S. 19:17). God commanded him to breathe INTO THE BREAST OF HER CHEMISE. HIS BREATH WENT DOWN AND PENETRATED HER GENERATIVE ORGAN, AND THUS CAUSED HER TO CONCEIVE JESUS …’” (Ibid.)
Finally:
“Abu Ja’far al-Tusi, the jurist doctor of the Shi’i community, as well as his well known disciple al-Tabarsi, read the words, ‘We breathed INTO IT’ literally. Al-Tusi says: ‘It has been held that Gabriel BREATHED INTO MARY’S GENERATIVE ORGAN then God created Christ in it’ …” (Ibid., p. 68)
Ibn Kathir provides additional evidence for the very graphic and distasteful nature of the Quranic birth narratives. In his comments on S. 66:12, Ibn Kathir writes:
<And Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imran who guarded her chastity (PRIVATE PART).> meaning who protected and purified her honor, by being chaste and free of immorality,
<And We breathed INTO IT (PRIVATE PART) through Our Ruh,> meaning, through the angel Jibril. Allah sent the angel Jibril to Maryam, and he came to her in the shape of a man in every respect. Allah commanded him TO BLOW into a gap of her garment and that breath went into her womb THROUGH HER PRIVATE PART; this is how ‘Isa was conceived. This is why Allah said here,
<And We breathed INTO IT through Our Ruh, and she testified to the truth of her Lords Kalimat, and His Kutub,> meaning His decree and His legislation. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir – Abridged, Volume 10, Surat At-Tagabun to the end of the Qur’an, pp. 75-76; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Ibn Kathir makes the following comments in reference to S. 19:22-23:
“Allah, the Exalted, informs about Maryam that when Jibril had spoken to her about what Allah said, she accepted the decree of Allah. Many scholars of the predecessors (Salaf) have mentioned that at this point the angel (who was Jibril) blew into the opening of her garment that she was wearing. Then the breath descended until it entered INTO HER VAGINA and she conceived by the leave of Allah.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Volume 6, Surat Al-Isra’, Verse 39 To the end of Surat Al-Mu’minun, first edition July 2000, p. 244; bold and capital emphasis ours)
Ibn Kathir’s notes on S. 2:223 also help us to see the very graphic nature of the term farj:
<as Allah has ordained for you.>
this refers to Al-Farj (THE VAGINA), as Ibn ‘Abbas, Mujahid and other scholars have stated. Therefore, anal sex is prohibited, as we will further emphasize afterwards, Allah willing …
Ibn Jurayj (one of the reporters of the Hadith) said that Allah’s Messengers said …
(From the front or from behind, as long as it occurs IN THE FARJ (VAGINA).)) …
Abu Bakr bin Ziyad Naysaburi reported that Isma’il bin Ruh said that he asked Malik bin Anas, “What do you say about having sex with women in the anus?” He said, “You are not an Arab? Does sex occur but in the place of pregnancy? Do it only IN THE FARJ (VAGINA).” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), Volume 1, Parts 1 and 2 (Surat Al-Fatihah to Verse 252 of Surat Al-Baqarah
With this evidence you should know that Muslims expose their Quran that is the one that give bad account and should be accused for saying God sent angel to be penetrating woman private part.