Three Questions from Christians and Their Answers
(First Question: Jesus (peace be upon him) speaking in his mother’s lap)
Question:
A Christian posed some questions and claimed that if satisfactory answers were given to these questions, he would accept Islam.
First Question:
Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke while in his mother’s lap, whereas your Prophet (peace be upon him) did not do so. This proves that Jesus (peace be upon him) is greater (superior).
Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Why was it necessary for Jesus (peace be upon him) to speak in the lap?
◈ The Jews falsely accused the mother of Jesus (peace be upon him), Lady Mary (peace be upon her), of adultery because she came carrying a newborn baby in her lap.
◈ Refuting this false accusation required an astonishing and powerful miracle. Therefore, despite being a newborn, Jesus (peace be upon him) spoke to:
- Announce his prophethood,
- And prove the chastity of his mother.
Why was there no such necessity in the case of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)?
◈ The identity of our Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ mother and father was known to all people.
◈ There was no accusation or slander against your ﷺ mother.
◈ Therefore, no miraculous testimony was required.
Note:
It is not correct to consider speaking in infancy as evidence of superiority.
◈ To prove the innocence of the monk Jurij, a newborn child also testified by speaking in the cradle.
◈ If merely speaking in the cradle is considered a sign of superiority, then should the child who spoke before Jurij the monk be considered superior to those great prophets (such as Sayyiduna Ibrahim, Sayyiduna Yaqub, and Sayyiduna Musa, peace be upon them)?
◈ About whom there is no evidence of speaking in the cradle?
Summary:
◈ The basis of the question itself is weak and unscientific.
Belief in all Prophets is obligatory:
◈ The belief of Muslims is that it is obligatory to believe in all the true messengers of Allah Almighty.
◈ Such as:
- Sayyiduna Ibrahim, peace be upon him
- Sayyiduna Musa, peace be upon him
- Sayyiduna Isa, peace be upon him
All were true messengers and chosen servants of Allah Almighty.
◈ Similarly:
- Our Master Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib, peace be upon him, who is from the lineage of our Master Ismail, peace be upon him, is also the true Messenger and servant of Allah.
What is the true criterion of superiority?
The true criterion of the superiority of the Messenger is “Prophethood.”
The Holy Quran:
◈ Our Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, has his prophethood preserved in the form of the Holy Quran, which exists in his mother tongue, Arabic.
Regarding the Gospel:
◈ The original teachings of our Master Jesus, peace be upon him (the Gospel), are not available in his mother tongue, Aramaic.
◈ The existing Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are presented by the followers of Paul, Christians, and are not authentic for the following reasons:
Scholarly objections to the existing Gospels:
1. Language difference:
◈ The mother tongue of our Master Jesus, peace be upon him, was not Greek but Aramaic, whereas the existing Gospels are in Greek.
2. Identification of the author:
◈ Regarding the Gospel attributed to Matthew, it itself states:
“Jesus, going on from there, saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him.”
◈ From this passage it is clear that:
- Either this Gospel was not written by Matthew himself,
- Or if it was written, the identity of its narrator is not introduced.
3. Who is the narrator?
◈ Mark and Luke were not disciples or apostles of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him).
◈ Both John and Peter were illiterate:
“When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed.”
◈ At the end of the Gospel of John, it is written:
“This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down, and we know that his testimony is true.”
◈ This also indicates that the Gospel of John was not written by John himself but its author is unknown.
4. Difference between Muslim and Christian traditions:
◈ Muslims have the biography and sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) preserved with authentic and continuous chains of narration.
◈ Pauline Christians do not have the biography of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) with an authentic continuous chain of narration.
Misleading teachings of Paul:
◈ The police wrote in one of their letters:
“The Messiah who became cursed for us took the curse upon Himself and delivered us from the curse of the law…”
There are two issues in this statement:
1. The accusation of curse on Sayyiduna Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام
(Seeking refuge in Allah)
◈ According to Islam:
- No prophet can be cursed.
- All prophets and messengers were chosen and the best of mankind by Allah Almighty.
2. The claim of salvation from the law
◈ Contrary to Paul, in the Gospel of Matthew, Sayyiduna Isa عليه السلام said:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Torah until all is accomplished.”
Conclusion:
◈ The matter on which the questioner has based superiority is actually not a criterion for superiority.
◈ The true proofs of the greatness and prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ have been ignored.
◈ The prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, miracles, and the living sign of the Holy Quran are clear evidence of his superiority.
ھٰذا ما عندی، والله أعلم بالصواب
