The Jesus of Islam: Do Muslims honor Jesus as a great Prophet?
Muslims insist they love Jesus and honor Him as a prophet, and there are numerous references to Jesus in the Quran. It would seem therefore that the Jesus of Islam honors Jesus as a great prophet.
But the reality is that the Jesus of Islam is not the historical Jesus. It is not the Jesus of the New Testament. Muslims don’t honor essential things Jesus taught, commanded, and did (e.g. Jesus’ authority to forgive sins; Muslims don’t observe Lord’s Supper remembering Jesus’ death on the cross for sin; Muslims don’t believe Jesus is the Son of God; etc.).
Furthermore, many of the things Muslims believe about Jesus have nothing to do with what Jesus taught in the 1st century. Many Muslims believe Jesus will return east of Damascus, dressed in yellow robes with his head anointed. He will join the Mhadi and kill the Antichrist ushering in a period of peace. According to Sahih al-Bukhari,
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Muslims believe that after Jesus’ rule of about forty years he will die and be buried next to Muhammad in Medina. Muslims believe they honor Jesus by reserving a space next to Muhammad’s tomb where they think Jesus will one day be buried,
Believing Jesus will break the cross; kill pigs, and be buried next to Muhammad have no grounding in what Jesus taught in the 1st century.
Is the New Testament corrupted?
Muslims think the New Testament is corrupted and that the Qur’an gives a true picture of Jesus. The reason they believe the New Testament is corrupted is because the Qur’an says Jesus was sent a book (Injīl ) from heaven. Muslims believe Christians have forgotten (Qur’an 5:41), misunderstood and misinterpreted the Injīl (e.g. Quran 19.37; 45.17).
In truth, Jesus was never given a book (Injīl) from heaven. Christians don’t need to prove that the New Testament is true, trustworthy and reliable. Muslims need to prove what the Qur’an says about the Injīl. The fact is that the Injīl does not exist and never existed. Jesus is the good news sent from heaven and that is what the New Testament is about.
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