Who Was Jesus, Son of Mary?

Translated by Ramy Noaman

Sheikh Muḥammad Ibn Saalih Al‐`Uthaymeen was asked about the creed of the Muslims with respect to Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him.

He replied:

“The creed of the Muslims concerning Jesus, son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him, is that he is one of the noble messengers. In fact, he was among those of Great Determination, and they were: Muḥammad, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jesus, peace and blessings be upon them. Allāh mentioned them in two places in His Book.

In Surat Al‐Ahzab (Chapter of the Confederates):

ِن ٱبۡ َسى ِعي َو َسىٰ ُمو َو َم ِهي َرٲ َوِٕابۡ ٍ۟ح ُّ نو ِمن َو َك ِمن َو ُهمۡ ِميَثـَٰق َن ٱلَّ نِبِّ يـۧ َن ِم َخذَۡنا َٔاَوِٕاذۡ ًظ ي ِل َغ ا ًق ٰ ـ َث ي ِّ م م ُه ۡ ن ِم ا َن ۡذ َخ َٔا َو َۖم َي ۡرَم

And [mention, O Muḥammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant. [Qur'an ]33:7

In Surat Ash‐Shura (Chapter of Mutual Consultation):

ِهۦۤ ِب َّ صيَۡنا َو َما َو َك ِٕاَليۡ َحيَۡنآ َٔاوۡ ٓى ِذ َوٱَّ ل ً۟حا ُنو ِهۦ ِب َّ صىٰ َو َما ِن ِّ دي ٱل َن ِّ م ُكم َل َع َرَش َعَلى َٓاُبَر َوَلاَتَتَفَّ رُقواِْفيِۚه ۡنَٔاِقيُمواْٱلِّ ديَن ۖٓىَٰٔا َوِعيَس َوُموَسىِٰٕاۡبَرٲِهيَم ُب ي ِن ُي ن َم ِه ۡ ي َل ِٕا ىٓ ِد ۡ ہ َي َو ُء آ َش َي ن َم ِه ۡ ي َل ِٕا ىٓ ِب َت ۡج َي ُه َّ ل ل ٱ ِۚه ۡي َل ِٕا ۡ م ُه و ُع ۡد َت ا َم َن ي ِٓا ِر ۡ ش ُم ۡلٱ

He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muḥammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus ‐ to establish the religion and not be divided therein. [Qur'an :42]13

The Muslims believe that Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was a human being, from among the progeny of Adam. He was created from a mother, with no father. The Muslims believe that he is the slave of Allāh and His Messenger; for he is a worshiper, not one who is worshiped; and a Messenger who does not lie.

They believe that he does not have any attributes of lordship, whatsoever. Indeed, he is as Allāh said:

َل ِءي َرٲٓ ِٕاسۡ ِّ لَبِنىٓ ً۟ال َمَث ُه َعلَۡنـٰ َج َو ِه َعَليۡ َعمَۡنا َٔانۡ َعبۡدٌ ِٕاَّ لا َو ُهِٕانۡ

Jesus was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor and We made him an example for the Children of Israel. [Qur'an ]43:59

And they believe that he did not command his people to take him and his mother as deities besides Allāh. Rather, he said to them what Allāh commanded him with:

ۚمۡ ُك َرَّ ب َو َرِّ بى َه ٱلَّ ل ُدواْ ۡعُب ٱ ِن َٔا ۤۦ ِه ِب َمرَۡتِنى َٔا َمآ ِٕاَّ لا ۡم ُه َل ُت ُقلَۡما

…to worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord. [Qur'an ]5:117
And that he, peace be upon him, was created by the word of Allāh, Almighty and Majestic, as Allāh, Exalted, said:

ُٓانَفَيُكوُن ٍ۟بُثمَّ َقاَلَلُهۥ ِمنُتَرا َخَلَقُهۥ َءاَدَۖم َٓاَمَثِل ِعنَدٱلَّ لِه ِعيَسىٰ َمَثَلِٕاَّ ن

Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allāh is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said to him, “Be,” and he was. [Qurʾān ]3:59

The Muslims believe that there was no Prophet between him and Muḥammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as Allāh, Exalted said:

َصِّ دً۟قاِّ لَماَبيَۡن ُّ م َرُسوُلٱلَّ لِهِٕاَليُۡكم َمرَۡيَمَيـَٰبِنىِٕٓاسَۡرٲِٓءيَلِٕاِّ نى ِعيَسىٱبُۡنَوِٕاذَۡقاَل

م ُه َء آ َج ا َّ م َل َف ُۖد َم ۡح َٔا ۤ ۥ ُه ُم ۡس ٱ ى ِد ۡع َب ۢ ن ِم ى ِت ۡ أ َي ٍ۟ل و ُس َر ِب ا َۢر ِّ ش َب ُم َو ِة ٰ ٮ َر ۡو َّ ت ل ٱ َن ِم َّ ى َدَي

۟ ٌ ن ي ب ِ م ُّ ٌ ۟ ر ح ۡ س ِ ا ذ َ ـ ٰ ه َ ْ ا و ل ُ ا ق َ ِت ٰ ـ ن َ ي ِّ ب َ ۡ ل ٱ بِ

And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allāh to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, “This is obvious magic.”[Qur'an ]61:6

And they believe that no one's belief is complete until he believes that Jesus is the slave of Allāh and His Messenger, and that he is innocent and pure of what he was described with by the Jews who said: “He is the son of a slut, and he was born out of infidelity” ‐and we seek refuge with Allāh ‐while Allāh, Exalted, has declared his innocence from this.

(This is) just as they ‐i.e. the believers ‐declare innocence from the path of the Christians who have strayed from understanding the truth regarding Jesus, son of Mary, such that they took him and his mother as two deities besides God; and some of them said: he is the son of God; and some of them said: he is the third of three.

As for what concerns his killing and his crucifixion, Allāh, Glorified, has emphatically denied that he has been killed or crucified, in straightforward, absolute terms. For Allāh, Almighty and Majestic, said:

َصَلُبوُه َوَما َوَماَقَتُلوُه َرُسوَلٱلَّ لِه ۡرَيَم َم ِعيَسىٱۡبَنَوَقوِۡلِهمِٕۡاَّ ناَقَتلَۡناٱلَۡمِسيَح ا َّ ل ِٕا ٍم ۡل ِع ۡن ِم ۦ ِه ِب م ُه َل ا َم ُۚه ۡ ن ِّ م ٍّ۟ ك َش ى ِف َل ِه ي ِف اْ و ُف َل َت ۡ خ ٱ َن ي ِذ َّ ل ٱ َّ ن ِٕا َو ۡم ۚ ُه َل َه ِّ ب ُش ن ِك ٰـ َلَو َحِكيً۟ما َعِزيًزا َوَٓااَنٱلَّ لُه َّ رَفَعُهٱلَّ لُهِٕاَلۡيِهۚ َوَماَقَتُلوُهَيِقيَۢنا)١٥٧(َبل ِّۚ نٱِّ تَباَعٱلَّ ظ ُن و ُك َي ِة َم ٰ ـ َي ِق ۡ ل ٱ َم ۡو َي َو ۖۦ ِه ِت ۡو َم َل ۡ ب َق ۦ ِه ِب َّ ن َن ِم ۡؤ ُي َل ا َّ ل ِٕا ِب ٰ ـ َت ِك ۡل ٱ ِل ۡه َٔا ۡن ِّ م ن ِٕا َو ( ١ ٥ ٨) َشِہيً۟دا)١٥٩(َعَلۡيِہۡم

And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh.” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allāh raised him to Himself. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise. And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in Jesus before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness. [Qur'an ]4:157‐159

Therefore, anyone who believes that Jesus, son of Mary, peace and blessings be upon him, has been killed or crucified, then he has belied the Qur'an, and whoever belies the Qur'an has disbelieved. For we believe that Jesus, peace and blessings be upon him, was not killed or crucified, but we say: the Jews carried the sin of killing and crucifixion, for they assumed that they killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allāh.

But they did not kill him in reality. Rather, they killed one who was made to appear to them (to be Jesus) when Allāh placed his (Jesus') appearance upon one of them, so they killed him and crucified him. And they said: “We killed Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allāh!” Therefore, the Jews carried the sin of the killing and of the crucifixion due to their testimony against themselves.

And as for the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, Allāh has declared his disaffiliation from this, protected him, and He, Glorified and Exalted, raised him to Him in the sky. And he will descend to the earth in the end times, and he will rule with the Shari`ah of the Prophet (Muḥammad), peace and blessings be upon him, then he will die on the earth, he will be buried in it, and he will be raised from it just as the rest of the progeny of Adam will be raised from it, as per the statement of Allāh, Exalted:

ۡخَر َوِمۡنَہاُنخِۡرُجُكمَۡتاَرًةُٔا َوِفيَہاُنِعيُدُٓاۡم َخَلقَۡنٰـُكمِۡمنَۡہا

From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time. [Qur'an ]20:55

And His statement:

َن ُجو َر ُتخۡ َوِمنَۡہا َن َتُموُتو َوِفيَها َن َتحَۡيوۡ ِفيَہا َلَقا

“Therein you will live, and therein you will die, and from it you will be brought forth.”

[Qur'an ]7:25
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Taken from: Fatawa Al‐Aqeedah pp 589‐591