But Is'nt Jesus a Muslim
This is the transcript of a talk given by Peter Saunders, Student
Secretary of the UK Christian
Medical Fellowship, at Manchester
University on Tuesday 24th
February 1998.
I didn’t choose the title of this talk
and you may think it strange even
to ask the question ‘wasn’t Jesus a
Muslim?’ After all, Jesus Christ is the central figure in Christianity and the name Christian was first used to describe his followers (Acts 11:26).
But Jesus is a very important figure in Islam too. He’s regarded as one of the greatest prophets, the forerunner of Muhammad and the one to whom God revealed the ‘Injil’ or Gospel.
In the broadest sense of the word
Jesus was a Muslim because the
word Muslim simply means ‘one
who submits to God’. Jesus
certainly submitted to God
39 replies
Once again, I want to stress that the title JESUS, does not apply to any religion solely. JESUS is a real and relevant fact in ALL religions. Interpretations of HIS existence and acts on earth, is where the conflict in all religions really lies. Keep in mind that Jesus wandered our earth LONG before any other prophet, with the result that the foundations were laid, and then built upon. Perhaps we added onto those blueprints, or even altered them! I am not knowledgeal enough to attest to that, but have to say that we as human beings, are drifting further and further apart, because of our respective views and fanaticism
jacki: This is the transcript of a talk given by Peter Saunders, Student
Secretary of the UK Christian
Medical Fellowship, at Manchester
University on Tuesday 24th
February 1998.
I didn’t choose the title of this talk
and you may think it strange even
to ask the question ‘wasn’t Jesus a
Muslim?’ After all, Jesus Christ is the central figure in Christianity and the name Christian was first used to describe his followers (Acts 11:26).
But Jesus is a very important figure in Islam too. He’s regarded as one of the greatest prophets, the forerunner of Muhammad and the one to whom God revealed the ‘Injil’ or Gospel.
In the broadest sense of the word
Jesus was a Muslim because the
word Muslim simply means ‘one
who submits to God’. Jesus
certainly submitted to God
Jesus was a prophet and a Muslim..a Muslim is not a Muslim if he doesn't believe in Jesus (pbuh)
jacki: If the word muslim simply means 'one who submits to God'... Yes. But Jesus did not act like muslim's faith & beliefs... He did'nt have Rhamadan and all the Moon things or pray in a Mosque. How do you explain that? Im confused. 
see the concept of a mosque, Ramadan and moon things came through during times of Prophet Mohammed pbuh..
The fundamental reason of Islam is to believe in one God ...say no to idol worship and do not associate partners with God.. most of other major religion like Christianity , Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, etc also say God is one..Jesus being the prophet of his time and ppl also believed in one God.. and submitted his will to God...
One who believes in God being one and submitting in front of God is a Muslim.Jesus did that and hence he is a Muslim..
A Muslim is not a Muslim if he doesn't believe in Jesus,Moses , Jacob, Abraham, Noah, Adam ,etc
We Muslims call God as Allah.. because the word God has a plural Gods..The word Allah has no plural in Arabic and hence Allah is one, the most supreme..
now its clear to me what i need to know
We have seen that Jesus (pbuh) greeted his disciples like a Muslim, by saying: “Peace be unto you”, when he appeared before them after his so-called ‘resurrection’ (John 20:19). Muslims use the same words to greet, (but in Arabic): Assalaamu Alaikum.
We have also seen that the utterances of Jesus have been supportive of and predicting about the rise of Muhammad (pbuh), and through him the belief Islam and the believing nation of Muslims, to which his followers are required to join.
In John 16: 12 & 13, Jesus says:
“I have yet many things to say unto you,
but you cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come,
He will guide you into all truth; ”
we have seen that this prophecy by Prophet Jesus (pbuh) refers to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), whose arrival his followers were directed to await. The many things that Jesus would have liked to tell his followers have not been told to them, not because Jesus did not know them, but only because his followers were not ready to bear them at that time: “..... but you cannot bear them now.”
When Jesus (pbuh) states “you cannot bear them now”, it only refers to his followers and does not include himself, because he did not say: “WE cannot bear them now”.
Since Jesus didn't count himself among them in this matter, it means he was ready to bear them: the guidance that the expected prophet will bring. He was aware of them and he was ready to bear them. But did he follow in action what he knew and was ready for? Yes. He did much of what a Muslim would do and is expected to do. In fact, this begins to happen even while he anticipates arrest by the Roman rulers.
He comes to know that he will be betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas, into the hands of the Jews, who intended to kill him. Apart from this, the other thing that makes him sorrowful is that he was expecting to do many things that a Muslim does. He was looking forward to the joy of doing all those things; but now his end is staring on the face. He tells his disciples:
“My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.” (Mark 14:34)
The one thing that he can surely do, before he is arrested, is to pray to the Lord as a Muslim prays. So he prays like a Muslim and does prostration (Sajda), touching his forehead to the ground:
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed....” (Matthew 26:39) What is his prayer to the Lord? The verse (Matthew 26:39) continues: “...saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as you will.”
Mark 14:36 says about his prayer: “And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.”
Luke 22:42 says about Jesus’ prayer: “Saying, Father, if you be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but your, be done.
The common thing observed from the above verses is: Jesus (peace be upon him) prays to the Lord to save him from the anticipated persecution at the hands of the Jews; yet not as Jesus wishes but as the Lord wills. Do you realize what Jesus is stating at this moment? He subdues his wishes and submits himself to the will of Allah. In other words, Jesus declares his Islam, submission, at that moment.
A Muslim is one who has submitted to the will of Allah. Islam means submission (to the will of Allah), while it also means Peace. Thus, by declaring his submission to the will of Allah, Jesus declared himself to be a Muslim.
It was also mentioned in Chapter 2 that Jesus (pbuh), as also the other prophets before him, called themselves ‘Muslims’.
But, then, why their followers were not named as ‘Muslims’, too?
If the followers of the different other prophets were also to be called as ‘Muslims’, then there would have been confusion in distinguishing between the true Muslims (who believe in all the prophets) and the followers of other prophets (who believe in some prophets and disbelieve in the rest). Belief in all the messengers of Allah is a basic requirement to be called a Muslim. Allah tells the Muslims in Qur'an:
“ Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. ” (2:136)
Thus, Jesus (pbuh) practiced Islam, i.e., Submission and he got Islam, i.e., Peace.
