Pearls from the Qur’an (20)

Luqman

Wisdom Granted to Luqman

31.12. We surely granted wisdom to Luqman, and said: “Give thanks to God. “ Whoever gives thanks to God, gives thanks but for (the good of) his own soul; and whoever is ungrateful, surely God is the All-Wealthy and Self-Sufficient (absolutely independent of the whole creation), All-Praiseworthy.

Jesus

Mary Giving Birth to Jesus and What She Went Through

3.35. (Remember) when the woman (from the House) of Imran entreated: “My Lord, I have dedicated that which is in my womb to Your exclusive service. Accept it, then, from me. Surely You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. “

3.36. When she was delivered of it, she said: “My Lord, I have given birth to a female. “ God knew best of what she was delivered, (so she did not need to be sorry, because) the male child (she expected) could not be the same as (the) female child (whom We bestowed on her and would honor with a great favor). I have named her Mary, and commend her and her offspring to You for protection from Satan eternally rejected from God’s Mercy. “

3.37. (In response to her mother’s sincerity and purity of intention in dedicating the child,) her Lord accepted her with gracious favor and enabled to her a good growth (upbringing), and entrusted her to the care of Zachariah. Whenever Zachariah went in to her in the Sanctuary, he found her provided with food. “Mary,” he asked, “how does this come to you?” “From God,” she answered. Truly God provides to whomever He wills without reckoning.

3.42. And (in due time came the moment) when the angels said: “Mary, God has chosen you and made you pure, and exalted you above all the women in the world.

3.43. “Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord, prostrate and bow (in the Prayer and devotion to Him) with those who bow!”

3.44. (O Messenger:) that is of the tidings of the things of the unseen (the things that took place in the past and have remained hidden from people with all their truth), which We reveal to you, for you were not present with them when they drew lots with their pens about who should have charge of Mary; nor were you present with them when they were disputing (about the matter).

3.45. And (remember) when the angels said: “Mary, God gives you the glad tidings of a Word from Him, to be called the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, highly honored in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those near-stationed to God.

3.46. “He will speak to people in the cradle and in manhood, and he is of the righteous. “

3.47. “Lord,” said Mary, “how shall I have a son seeing no mortal has ever touched me?” “That is how it is,” he (the Spirit who appeared before her) said, (quoting God): “God creates whatever He wills; when He decrees a thing, He does but say to it ‘Be!’ and it is.

Mary Kept Herself Chaste

And also Mary, the daughter of Imran, who kept herself chaste (body and soul), so We breathed into it out of Our Spirit, and who affirmed the truth of the words of her Lord (His Revelations commandments, promises and warnings to His Messengers), and His Books; and she was of those devoutly obedient to God. (at-Tahrim 66:12)

Jesus’ Messengership and Preaching

5.110. When God says: “O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favor upon you and upon your mother, when I confirmed you with the Spirit of Holiness so that you talked to people in the cradle and in manhood; and when I taught you of the Book and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you fashioned out of clay something in the shape of a bird by My leave, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird by My leave, and you healed the blind from birth and the leper by My leave; and when you raised the dead by My leave; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from you when you came to them with clear proofs (truths and miracles demonstrating Your Messengership), and those of them who disbelieved said: ‘˜This is clearly nothing but sorcery.’

5.111. “And when I revealed to the disciples (through you, and inspired in their hearts), ‘Believe in Me and My Messenger!’, they said: We believe, and bear witness that we are (Muslims) submitted exclusively to Him. ‘ “

5.112. And once the disciples said: “Jesus, son of Mary, is your Lord able to send down on us a table (of food) from heaven?” (Jesus) answered: “Fear God (as He should be feared, and so desist from making such demands lest He punish you) if you are (truly) believers. “

5.113. They said: “We desire to eat thereof and that our hearts might be set at rest (with certainty of God’s being our Lord and of your being His Messenger), and so that we might know that you speak the truth to us, and so that we might be among the witnesses (to the meaning and truth of what is demonstrated to us). “

5.114. Jesus, son of Mary, said (in entreaty to his Lord): “O God, our Lord! Send down on us a table (of food) from heaven, that shall be an ever-recurring (religious) festival for us for the first and the last of us and a sign from You; and provide us sustenance, for You are the Best to be sought as provider with the ultimate rank of providing. “

5.115. God said: “I send it down on you. Then if any of you should henceforth disbelieve, surely I inflict on him a punishment that I never inflict on anyone in the worlds. “

5.116. And (remember) when God will say: “Jesus, son of Mary, is it you who said to people: Take me and my mother for deities besides God?’“ and he will answer: “All-Glorified You are (in that You are absolutely above having a partner, as having any need or deficiency whatever)! It is not for me to say what I had no right to! Had I said it, You would already have known it. You know all that is within my self, whereas I do not know what is within You Self. Surely You, and You alone, have knowledge of the Unseen (of all that lies beyond the reach of any created being’s perception).

5.117. “I did not say to them except what You commanded me to (say): Worship God, my Lord and your Lord. ‘ I was a witness over them so long as I remained among them; and when you took me back, You were Yourself the Watcher over them. Indeed, You are Witness over everything.

5.118. “If You punish them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are the All-Glorious with irresistible might, the All-Wise. “ Jesus’ declaration of his Messengership and giving the good news of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and Jesus son of Mary said: “O Children of Israel! Surely I am the Messenger of God sent to you, confirming (whatever of the truth is contained in) the Torah, which was revealed before me, and bringing the glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad. “ But when he came to them (the whole of humankind including the later generations of the Children of Israel) with the manifest signs (of his being God’s Messenger), they said: “This (which he preaches and does) is clearly (nothing but) sorcery.” (as-Saff 61:6)

Attributes of Jesus

3.48. “And He will teach him the Book and the Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel,

3.49. “(And He will make him) a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying to them, by way of explaining his mission): ‘Assuredly, I have come to you with a clear proof from your Lord: I fashion for you out of clay something in the shape of a bird, then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind from birth and the leper, and I revive the dead, by God’s leave. And I inform you of what things you eat, and what you store up in your houses. Surely in this is a clear proof for you (demonstrating that I am a Messenger of God), if you are sincere believers (as you claim.)

3.50. ‘And confirming (the truth contained in) the Torah that was revealed before me, and to make lawful for you certain things that had been forbidden to you. Be sure that I have come to you with a clear proof (demonstrating that I am a Messenger of God) from your Lord. So keep from disobedience to God in due reverence for Him and piety, and obey me.

3.51. ‘Surely, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path (to follow).’ “

Helpers of Jesus

3.52. (Having preached his message in this way for a long time,) Jesus perceived their willful persistence on unbelief (and open hostility), and called out: “Who will be my helpers (on this way) to God?” The disciples answered: “We are the helpers of God(‘s cause). We believe in God, and (we call you to) bear witness that we are Muslims (submitted to Him exclusively).

3.53. “Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses (of Your Oneness and Lordship, and of the truth You have revealed). “

3.54. And they (the unbelievers) schemed (against Jesus), and God put His will into effect (and brought their schemes to nothing). God wills what is the best (for His believing servants) and makes His will prevail.

3.55. (It was part of His countering their scheme) when God said: “Jesus, (as your mission has ended,) I will take you back (to Myself) and raise you up to Myself, and will purify you of (the groundless slanders of) those who disbelieve, and set your followers above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then, to Me you will all return, and I will judge between you concerning all that on which you were used to differ.

3.58. Thus (O Messenger,) all this that We recite to you consists of Revelations and is from the Wise Reminder (the Qur’an).

Trinity in Christianity

5.72. Assuredly they have disbelieved who say, “God is the Messiah, son of Mary,” whereas the Messiah himself proclaimed: “O Children of Israel! Worship God, my Lord and your Lord. “ Whoever associates partners with God, God has surely made Paradise forbidden to him, and his refuge is the Fire. And the wrongdoers will have no helpers.

Response to Christians Claims about Jesus

5.75. The Messiah, son of Mary, was but a Messenger; Messengers had passed away before him; and his mother was an upright one wholly devoted to God; both of them ate food (as do all mortals). Look, how We make the truths clear to them, then look how they are turned away from the truth and make false claims!

Monasticism in Christianity

57.27. Thereafter, We sent, following in their footsteps, others of Our Messengers, and We sent Jesus son of Mary, and granted him the Gospel, and placed in the hearts of those who followed him tenderness and mercy. And monasticism, they innovated it We did not prescribe it to them only to seek God’s good pleasure; but they have not observed it as its observance requires. So We have granted those among them who have truly believed their reward, but many among them have been transgressors.

Believing Christians

5.83. When they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes brimming over with tears because they know something of its truth (from their own Books); and they say, “Our Lord! We do believe (in Muhammad and the Qur’an); so inscribe us among the witnesses (of the truth in the company of his community).

5.84. “Why should we not believe in God and what has come to us of the truth? And we fervently desire that our Lord enter us among the righteous people.”