Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Mission of Prophet Jesus

In order for us to understand the mission of Prophet Jesus it is essential to be acquainted with the period during which Jesus was living.

Christianity has emerged from Judaism. As most of the first Christians were Jews, the rest being converts, their history is deeply rooted in Judaism. The roots of Christianity are most directly traced to the period of Hellenistic Judaism (4th century BC to the 2nd century) of the ancient Greek culture. This period was introduced with Alexander theGreat’s conquest of Palestine in 332 BC. When Alexander the Great conquered Palestine, it became a Greek state. During this period the Israelites had been inflicted with various caste and tribal differences. The Roman kings had subjugated them and their main city of Jerusalem was under the reign of the Roman government.

Hellenistic influences on Jewish culture and religion were evident by the early 2nd century BC, when Hellenizing Jews took control of the high priesthood. During this time the Syrian King Antiochus IVEpiphanes gave an edict against the practice of the Jewish religion. Hellenistic Judaism continued and reached its climax during the reign of Herod I of Judea (37 BC-AD4).

The idolatrous Roman rulers had built many temples in Palestine and created various idols.

The Israelites on the other hand, after several centuries had passed from the time of Moses, were afflicted with various superstitions, theological divisions and deviations. As gradually the spell of Hellenistic influences fell upon the priesthood, the lay scribes found themselves more and more the only guardians and exponents of the Law. The scribes and teachers of Scripture gained the title of Rabbi (‘my lord’ in Hebrew) which was meant to be a title of respect. Rabbis proved by the Law (Ex. 34:37) that oral traditions (theMishna and the Talmud which was its commentary) should be preferred to the written Law (Torah). The Rabbis had perverted the Jewish scriptures and religion had become a means of their earning. Abuse of power byRabbinical figures had reached the extreme.

According to William Durant in his Story of Civilization, the Jewish merchants dissimulated in their transactions. They then assumed that by merely offering a sacrifice or prayer, their vices were compensated. In short, the Jewish community was politically, socially and religiously in decline.

The holy Quran in variousAyaat condemns theRabbinic perversion of the Mosaic Law. InSurah al-Baqarah the Almighty God reveals:

“Then Woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say this is from Allah, to purchase with it a little price! Woe to them for what their hands have written and woe to them for that they earn.” [2:79]

It was under such circumstances that the Almighty Allah sent Prophet Jesus to the Children of Israel to confirm the Torah and to bring the lost sheep of Israel to the Right Path. “And when Jesus, son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me…” [61:6]

The following are the main themes of Jesus` mission as described in the holy Quran.

1. Monotheism

Like all other prophets, Jesus began his mission by preaching the unity of God. His first address to the Israelites was, “Truly Allah is my Lord and your Lord so worship Him alone. This is the straight path.” [3:51]

Neither Jesus nor any other Messenger of God had ever called to the worship of other than Almighty Allah. Jesus never called himself "God" or "son of God".

As already noted, the first Christians were Jews, so they worshipped only God. As long as Jesus lived with his community he made sure no one ever believed in his deity. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “Never did I say to them aught except whatYou (Allah) did command me to say: Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but whenYou took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You are a Witness to all things.” [5:117]

2. Acknowledging the Torah

Jesus in his teachings confirmed the Torah of Moses. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me…” [61:6]

Prophet Jesus did not come to abolish the Torah, in all his teachings he acknowledged it although he did correct the perversions being taught by the rabbis. Nonetheless he made some minor abrogation to the law of Torah and accomplished some of its teachings.

St. Paul; the author of several Epistles in the New Testament, allegedly claimed in his letter to Ephesians [2:14-15] that Jesus had abolished the Law with all its commandments and regulations. Matthew in his Gospel narrated from Jesus quite the contrary: “Do not suppose that I came to annul the Law of the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to complete them; for I assure you, while heaven and earth endure not one iota or one projection of a letter will be dropped from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever, therefore, abolishes the least significant of these commands and so teaches the people, he shall be of least significance in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever shall observe and teach them shall be prominent in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteous surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not at all enter into the kingdom of heaven.” [Matt. 5:17-20]

It is worth mentioning that Paul, although a high-ranking Jew who referred to himself as "Hebrew of the Hebrews" from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1,2 ; 2 Corinthians 11:22; Phil.3:5) became greatly influenced by Greek teachings and his work appears to have been largely among the Ephesians and other peoples who were Greek, whereas Matthew and those for whom he had written his Gospel were Jewish Christians.

Contrary to the Jews, the Greeks were not committed to the Jewish Law. Thus, it is quite possible that each one of the authors have compiled their works according to the interests of their readers. Thus, there are elements of exaggeration in both the records. Jesus did not thoroughly abolish the Law nor did he say that even one letter should not be dropped from it.

Religion is a set of divine guidelines for prosperity of mankind both in here and in hereafter. A religion without do`s and don’ts is no more than a deceit and in practice leads to atheism. Ironically the analogy of Paul for abolishing the Law was “to break down the barrier that separated Jews and Gentiles.” [Ephesians 2:14] He further argues that in doing so, Jesus had united the two sects! Imagine how cool it sounded to a community with an atheist background that a Prophet invites them to a religion where there are no obligations. Uniting the Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews) by abolishing the Law was, in essence, an invitation to unite all under atheism!

The mission of every Prophet was to accomplish the teachings of the previous prophets on the one hand, and to abrogate some of the laws that the Almighty God had temporarily decreed on the other. Thus, Matthew also has exaggerated by claiming that Jesus did not even change a letter of the Law. As we shall read in the next paragraph, whilst Jesus confirmed the Torah in general, he also abrogated some of the Jewish law.

3. Removing some of the forbidden acts

One of the missions of Prophet Jesus was to remove some of the difficult statutes that the Almighty God had temporarily made obligatory upon the Israelites. Those obligations had been put upon the Israelites due to their oppression and sinful deeds. When the right time arrived the Merciful God dispatched Jesus to remove those difficult obligations. According to the holy Quran, Jesus declared “And to make lawful to you part of (not all of) what was forbidden to you.” [3:50]

One of the missions of the lawmaking prophets was to abrogate some of the temporary laws as decreed by the Almighty God. For instance, at the time of Moses God had forbidden the consumption of some foods. The holy Quran with reference to this states, “And unto those who are Jews, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hooves, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep except what adheres to their back or their entrails, or is mixed up with the bone.” [6:146]A similar rule is mentioned in chapter 11 of the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. Thus, eating the flesh of horse and camel was forbidden for the Jews. This rule was rather a punishment for their sins. The Quran says, “We recompense them for their rebellion and verilyWe are truthful.” [6:146]

Unfortunately, at present the erroneous Christian dogma, which follows the perverted teachings of St Paul, assumes that the main reason why Jesus came was to free his believers from all religious law. Jesus, they claim, gave his life as a ransom for many (Matt.20:28-Mark 10:45) and has thus "fulfilled" the law.

It is with this justification that Christians do not commit themselves to any jurisprudential rules of the Old Testament. They called their Scripture ‘New Testament’ to indicate that it is a new version of the Old Testament. And we note that although consumption of the flesh of swine is clearly forbidden in the Old Testament (Leviticus 11:7-8, Isaiah 65:2-4), the Christians relentlessly consume it. They further argue that these are civil laws and mere rituals and the ministry of Jesus was not on earth. Therefore, Mark allegedly quotes from Jesus that he declared all food clean for the purpose of returning the emphasis of the true holiness to the heart. (Mark 7:18-23) Another reason they give is that the Mosaic Law was for the children of Israel and most Christians are not descendants of Israel hence they are not subjected to the civil laws!

Contrary to the above claim the Gospels narrate that Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day of his birth, he was a faithful and committed Jew abiding by the Mosaic Law. If Jesus had come to abolish the Law, then why did Peter the chief disciple of Jesus say, “I have never eaten anything impure orunclean. ” (Acts 10:14) We should also bear in mind that the human consumption of the flesh of swine is still a medical health issue.

Undoubtedly Jesus prayed and fasted. Historically, during the period of the Christian Church there was a period of forty days prior to Easter called Lent which was a fasting period for Christians. According to the CatholicEncyclopaedia modern scholars are almost unanimous in rejecting the view of fasting forty days before Easter. The obligation of fasting is rarely observed in its integrity nowadays. Yes, Jesus said when you fast or pray do not do it to make a show of it, like hypocrites do. But he never said to stop praying or fasting.

The truth is that it was Paul and not Jesus who abolished the law. Paul in his letter to the Romans (14:20) said that all food is clean. In his letter to Ephesians (2:14-15) he alleges that Jesus had abolished the law with all its commandments and regulations. As stated above, Matthew in his Gospel states the contrary. It is worth mentioning that in its earliest years, the Christian religion was divided into three main religious movements: The Gnostics, Jewish Christians, and Pauline Christian. The first almost disappeared. The second did disappear. Almost all current Christian groups trace their lineage back to the Pauline Christina movement. Thus, what we have today is the religion of Paul, not Prophet Jesus.

4. Follow me, not worship me

Like all other prophets Jesus had also come to teach the sublime ethical issues. With his lifestyle he set a role model for his followers inviting them to guard themselves against evil and to obey his commands. He said to his people: “Fear Allah (be pious) and obey me.” [3:50]

From the day he miraculously spoke in his crib, he declared, “Verily I am the servant of God”, and until the time that he lived among people he invited them to follow him not to worship him. He always invited people to praying, fasting and worshipping God much. He lived a very simple life and always shared his words of wisdom with people. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus stating: “And when Jesus came with clear Proofs, he said: I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points in which you differ. Therefore fear Allah and obey me. Verily, Allah He is my Lord (God) and yourLord( God). So worship Him alone. This is the only Straight Path." [43:63-64]

Imam Ali (a.s ) inNahjul Balaghah in description of the simple life of Prophet Jesus says, “If you desire I will tell you about Jesus; son of Mary (p). He used a stone for his pillow, put on coarse clothes and ate rough food. His condiment was hunger. His lamp at night was the moon. His shade during the winter was just the expanse of earth eastward and westward. His fruits and flowers were only what grew from the earth for the cattle. (Sermon No.160)

How far indeed the lifestyle of the Popes is from Prophet Jesus!

5. Resolving religious disputes

Another mission of Prophet Jesus was to clarify the religious issues which different Jewish sects were disputing over. The holy Quran quoting from Jesus states: “I have come to you with Wisdom, and in order to make clear to you some of the points in which you differ.” [43:63]

During the period of Hellenistic Judaism two major groups of Jewish religious leaders appeared on the scene, i.e. Sadducees and Pharisees. The conservative and aristocratic Sadducees accepted only the Pentateuch (five books of Moses) while at the same time denying the existence of angels, spirits, and the resurrection of the body. Pharisees were the popular Jewish group at the time of Jesus. The strict Pharisees accepted texts outside the Pentateuch and embraced doctrines of angels and resurrection. They emphasized on both the oral and written form of the Mosaic Law.

Although clarification and unification of religious issues was one of the missions of Jesus, Christianity today suffers the most major of religious divisions. There are hundreds of lists ofrecognised Christian denominations in existence- all different. In the North America itself over 1000 Christian faith groups arerecognised all of whom regard themselves to be the only ‘true’ Christianity. The holy Quran with reference to the divisions occurred in Christianity after Jesus states: “Then the sects differed amongst themselves.So, woe unto the disbelievers from the Meeting of a great Day (of Judgment).”

Glad Tidings of the Advent of Ahmad

One of the missions of all the previous prophets had been to announce and prophesy the advent of the forthcoming prophet(s). To this effect, Prophet Moses as well as many other Israelite Prophetsprophesised the coming of Prophet Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them).

Christian theologians quote from many passages of the Old Testament such as passages in the Psalms and the Book of Prophet Isaiah to prove the advent of Jesus. Muslim scholars also quote from the Bible to convince their Christian friends of the advent of Prophet Muhammad. The description about the seal of the prophets; Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) had been so apparent in the Torah and the Gospel (Injil ) that the People of the Book knew of his name and even the placewhereat his advent would occur.

The holy Quran states: “Those who follow the Messenger, the prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they find (his name) written with them in the Torah and the Gospel…” [7:157]

Similarly, quoting from Prophet Jesus (a.s ) the holy Quran states:

“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and give glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad. But when he (Ahmad) came to them with clear proofs, they said: This is plain magic.” [61:6]

According to the above ayah Prophet Jesus introduced himself as a link between Prophet Moses and Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ). The above prophecy was so clear that with the advent of the Prophet of Islam many Jews and Christians embraced Islam as their religion although the majority of them denied the truth and accused the Prophet of being a magician. The question is the name of the forthcoming prophet as quoted from Jesus was to be ‘Ahmad’ whereas the name of the Prophet of Islam is known to be Mohammad. W. M. Watt claims that Muslim children were practically never called Ahmad before the year 125AH. (G.Parrinder , Jesus in the Quran, p99) Alfred Guillaume furthermore claims that the name Ahmad is not found inIbn Is’haq orIbn Hisham’s Sirah Rasul , in their argument, dealing with the prophecy of the coming of a prophet after Jesus. (The Life of Mohammad pp. 103-104) Contrary to the above claims there are many historical evidences proving that the Prophet of Islam from his very childhood was known by two names, Mohammad and Ahmad. The first was chosen for him by his grandfather AbdulMutalleb and the latter by his motherAminah . (Sirah al-Halabi ) Among those who repeatedly used to call the Prophet of Islam Ahmad was his uncle AbuTaleb . The poetry book of AbuTaleb is available today and in many instances he calls his nephew Ahmad. The following are some examples

“The wrongdoers attempted to kill Ahmad,

but they did not find any leader for this atrocity.

Although Ahmad brought them a religion

of truth and he never brought a false religion.”

(Deewan AbuTaleb pp.25-29)

It is also narrated from AbuTaleb :

“Surely Allahhonoured the Prophet Mohammad

and thus the mosthonourable creation of God amongst people is Ahmad.”

(Tarikh ibn Asaker vol.1 p.275)

Moreover, the Prophet of Islam is repeatedly addressed by the Almighty God in the night of Ascension as ‘Ahmad’. All Muslims have also narrated the following from the Prophet, “Surely there are names for me, I am Ahmad and I am Mohammad and I am the Eraser the one by whom Allah erases the infidelity and I am the Raiser that people will rise in front of my feet and I am the End that there is no prophet after me. “ (AlBukhari ,Majma’ul Bayan vol9 p357,Beharul Anwarvol 16 p129)

With regards to the claim of Mr. Watt, we agree that the name ‘Ahmad’ and ‘Mohammad’ were not common among Arabs prior to the birth of the Prophet of Islam; nevertheless, as the advent of the last promised prophet was approaching some Arabian tribes began calling their children Ahmad or Mohammad hoping that their sons would be the promised Prophet. For instance, Ahmadibn Hafs al-Moghairah known as AbuAmr al-Makhzoomi the husband of Fatima; the daughter ofQais was one of the companions of the Prophet of Islam who accompanied Imam Ali (a.s ) on his trip to Yemen. (Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani , al-Isabah vol.4, p.139)

The Prophet of Islam in the Present Gospels

Before we make any investigation in the present Gospels about the prophecy of Prophet Jesus (a.s ) with regard to the forthcoming Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) we need to address the question of whether it is justifiable for Muslims to quote the Bible or quote from it to prove any of our claims.

As Muslims we believe that the Quran is the last but not the only book revealed by Allah to mankind through His Messengers. The holy Quran is, however, the only holy book which remained intact from the time of its revelation to the present time andfor ever . The Quran is the only divine Scripture of which the full text is available in the original language in which it was revealed (Arabic).

Although we believe in the original Torah of Moses and Gospel of Jesus, we also believe, and numerous evidences confirm, that many additions, deletions and interpolations have occurred in the previous scriptures. The original Gospel of Jesus is lost to such an extent that Christians today do not even acknowledge any written Gospel for Jesus. Thus, what is available today is the recollection of passages of the original Gospel as remembered by the authors of the Gospels in addition to their own versions of the history of Jesus.

That however does not mean that as Muslims we totally reject the present Bible and do not accept a single passage of it. We ought to distinguish betweenliterature of divine origin yet distorted throughout history, and the one which is a mere fiction. Let me give you a vivid example. Prophet Jesus (a.s ) is quoted in the Gospel according to Mark to have said: “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord and you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, with your whole soul, with our whole mind, and with your whole strength.” [Mark 12:29-39] Muslims have no problem accepting this quotation from Jesus and agree with its essence which is the chief Commandment of the Ten Commandments.

Criteria of Acceptance

The holy Quran provides the main criteria for accepting or rejecting the passages from the Bible. InSurat-ul Ma’idah the rule is stated as follows; “AndWe have sent down to you (O Mohammad) the Book (this Quran) in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it and trustworthy in highness and a witness over it (all the scriptures). So judge among them by what Allah has revealed, and follow not their vain desires, diverging away from the truth that has come to you.” [5:48]This emphasises that Biblical passages must be examined and judged by the Quran, and if the Quran confirms and verifies the Biblical passages, then they can be accepted.

To this end, if the Bible contains apparent prophecies about the advent of Prophet Mohammad, and if the Quran confirms that fact, then there is no objection in referring to such prophecies. It is to this effect that the Imams ofAhlul -Bait in their debates with Rabbis or Christian scholars have quoted from the Bible.

ImamRedha (a.s ) V’sJatheliq

Ma’moon ; the Abbasid king of the 9th century AD ordered a debate between ImamRedha (a.s ); the eighth Imam ofAhlul-Bayt (a.s ) and the grand scholars of various religions.

Jatheliq was the Christian archbishop who was called to debate the Imam. When he entered the court of the Abbasid king, he complained to the king as to how he could debate with someone who may refer to a Book (the Quran) that he does not acknowledge. Upon hearing that ImamRedha (a.s ) replied: “O Christian! What if I debate you with your Bible? Would you acknowledge that?"

Jatheliq replied: "How would I be able to deny what the Bible says. Yes, indeed I will acknowledge even if it`s against my wish".

Among the points that Imam Reza raised toJatheliq was; “O Christian! Do you know the speech ofIssa in the Gospel where he says ‘Surely I am going to your Lord and my Lord andParcletos is coming to witness for me in truth as I witnessed for him and he is the one who will explain everything for you and he is the one who will convict the world of the wrongdoings and he is the one who will break the pillars ofKufr (atheism).’”

Jatheliq replied, “You did not mention anything from the Gospel but I acknowledge it.”

ImamRedha : “Are you sure you find this in the Bible?”

He answered “Yes.” [al-Tabrasi , al-Ihtejaj vol.2p.411]

The Glad Tidings of the Coming of Ahmad

Are there any passages in the present Gospels wherein the advent of Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ) has been prophesied? The Gospel according to John contains some passages that although they are made notoriously obscure in addition to some alterations, still the prophecy of Jesus about Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.w ) can be concluded from it.

Chapter 14 of the Gospel of John reads:

“If you love me, keep my commands, and I shall ask the father and he will give you anotherparaclete to stay with you forever, the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither perceives nor understands him. You know him, for he remains with you and will be within you. “[John 14: 15-17]

Chapter 16 also reads:

“However, I tell you the truth: My going is for your benefit; for if I do not leave, theParaclete will not come to you; but if I go, then I will send him to you. When he comes he will convict the world regarding sin and righteousness and judgment- regarding sin, because they do not believe in me; regarding righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no more and regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. I have still many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, however, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own account but he will say whatever he hears, and he will make known to you what is to take place. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you.” [John 16: 12-14]

The word ‘Paraclete ’

The key word in the above passages is the Greek term ‘Paraclete ’. The word occurs 5 times in the New Testament, all in writings of John. Four instances are in his Gospel and one in the First Epistle in which Jesus is aParaclete . In the English translations of the Bible, the word ‘Paraclete ’ is usually translated to ‘Comforter’, ‘Advocate’, ‘Helper’ and ‘Intercessor.’ The term is so ambiguous that the International Standard BibleEncyclopaedia after suggesting various translations concludes that “it would be the best that instead of translating we simply transfer the word ‘Paraclete ’”.

The term ‘Paraclete ’ in John 2:1 without doubt is a title for Jesus. But Christians in general argue that theParaclete in the Gospel of John is meant as a title for the Holy Spirit that, they believe, descended to the disciples on Pentecost (50 days after the ascension of Jesus). Father Raymond E. Brown however argues in Appendix V of ‘The Anchor Bible’ that theParaclete cannot be ‘the Holy Spirit’.

The above mentioned passages of the Gospel of John has been for long the subject ofon going debates between Muslim and Christian scholars.

Analysis of the word ‘Paraclete ’

I believe the debate over the term ‘Paraclete ’ is quite futile. The word ‘Paraclete ’ is a Greek term. Although scholars are not unanimous about the language that Jesus used to speak, we know that Jesus did not speak Greek because the Aramaic and Hebrew speaking people in the time of Jesus considered it sinful to speak any other language.The Greek term ‘Paraclete ’ is really the distortion of ‘Periklytos ’ or ‘Paraklytos ’. Both words mean ‘praised’ or ‘celebrate’, the meaning and character of Prophet Muhammad. Also, according to the present day Aramaic scriptures, the word for Muhammad would read ‘Paraqleyta ’ or ‘Paraklytos ’ in Greek and ‘Menahem ’ in Hebrew. In the ancient Aramaic scriptures, before these changes, it read ‘Ahmad’, thenMunahammana which is the Aramaic/Syriac rendering for the name ‘Muhammad’. These are names, not simply words. Unless, one discovers the distortion occurred in the term, the passage remains notoriously obscure and the debates about it will be in vain. It is due to this obscurity of the distorted Greek word ‘Paraclete ’ that even the International Standard BibleEncyclopaedia fails to provide a clear translation for it. Similarly, it is perhaps due to this ambiguity thatAllamah Tabatabaei ; the most renowned exegete of the holy Quran in the 20thcentury, suggests that the present Gospels contain no prophecy about the advent of the Prophet of Islam.

Supporting Points from theJohannine Literature

Ironically Christians quote from many obscure passages of the Old Testament to prove the advent of Jesus, yet when Muslims exercise the same method, they bluntly deny it. “That indeed is a division most unfair”. [53:22]

Nonetheless, if one still argues about the wordParaclete that it does not, even in its original Aramaic sense, mean Ahmad, there are many supporting points that can provide a meaningful prophecy for the advent of Prophet Muhammad. Let’s examine how much the passages that John has narrated in his Gospel apply to the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.w ):

1. Regarding the coming ofParaklytos :

1/1: TheParaklytos will come (but only if Jesus departs) [15:26, 16:7,8,13 ]

The Holy Spirit was already there and had been with the Prophets including Jesus. According to the Bible when Jesus was beingbaptised by Prophet John (Yahya ), the Holy Spirit happened to be present at the River Jordon. {Mark 1: 4-11} So, how could Jesus say: “But if I don’t go away theParaklytos shall not come to you”.

1/2: TheParaklytos comes forth from the father. [15:26]

This implies that the forthcoming Prophet similar to Jesus himself would be sent by Allah.

2. Identification ofParaklytos :

2/1: He is called ‘anotherParaklytos ’ (14:16)

This can only be correct ifParaklytos is a name or a title for a male human who will be another Messenger of God. For obviously there can be no ‘another Holy Spirit’.

2/2: He will speak only what he hears and nothing on his own. (16:13)

The Messengers of God spoke only what was revealed to them from God. Thus, Jesus proclaimed: “For I have not spoken of my own accord, but the Father who sent me. He has given me a command what I should say and what I should speak.” [John12:49] Similarly, Almighty Allah proclaims the following about the Prophet of Islam: “Nor does he speak of his own desire. It is only a Revelation revealed.” [53:3-4]

2/3: He is the spirit of truth. (14:17)

John in his First Epistle relates the spirit of truth and the spirit of error to human characters. [1John 4-6]. Thus, the spirit of truth can refer to an honest and very righteous person. Historically, there is no doubt that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) even before he received the revelation was well known as a trustworthy and honest person. It seems the prefix ‘Holy’ in Chapter 14 verse 26 is added to the ‘spirit’ for it is not consistent with other parts of the passage.

At the time of Prophet Jesus, the position of Prophet-hood belonged to Jesus. With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w ) he took over that position and declared it to the world. (16:14)With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w .) the position of Jesus would be upheld and his teachings shown to be true.

3. His role in relation to the Disciples:

3/1: He will teach them everything (14:26)

Christians usually argue that the idea of a Prophet some 600 years after Jesus would be too late for the disciples.

Ironically however the Catholics claim that theParaclete comforts the Church by guaranteeing her inerrancy and fostering her sanctity. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “There is no reason for limiting to the Apostles themselves the comforting influence of theParaclete as promised in the Gospel.” In fact, Jesus was sharing his prophecy with the faithful community of his time, insomuch as Moses and Isaiah did. Therefore, it should not be taken that they were the only or direct address of Jesus.

The teaching of Islam is the most comprehensive of all and the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.w ) taught the world all that was required by humanity for their prosperity both here and in the hereafter.

3/2: He will glorify Jesus. (16:14)

The history of religions has recorded none other than Muhammad (s.a.w.w ), the Prophet of Islam who has uncompromisingly borne witness to the birth of Jesus through the Virgin Mary; attested the miracles performed by Jesus by the Leave of God, and has declared Jesus as a ‘Messiah’ and the righteous Prophet..

Jesus’ Disciples

‘Disciples’ were those who chose to follow Prophet Jesus and to listen to his teachings. They are also called ‘Apostles’. According to the Bible they called him ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Teacher’. Historically we know very little about Jesus’ disciples. The Gospel of Matthew and Luke have mentioned their names (Chapter 6). The Twelve Disciples were followers of Jesus whom he had chosen to become his core group, the people he talked things over with and depended on. Ironically, however, the Bible records that one of his disciples named Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver! Similarly, according to the Gospel of Mark prior to the so-called crucifixion of Jesus all his disciples forsook him and fled. (Mark 14:50)

Disciples in the Quran

The disciples of Prophet Jesus are mentioned five times in the Quran and their faith has been always praised. The holy Quran states with reference to their sincerity and submission to Allah:

“Then when Jesus came of know of their (Jews) disbelief, he said: Who will be my helpers in Allah’s Cause? Al-Hawariyyun (the disciples) said: We are the helpers of Allah; we believe in Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims.” [3:52]

According to a narration from ImamRedha (a.s ) the name ‘al-Hawariyyun ’ (literally means whitening) is given to them for they used to cleanse themselves from sins and struggling in cleansing others by teaching and preaching. (al-Bahrani , al-Borhan vol. 2: p.40)

Islamic literature does not confirm the betrayal of Jesus by any of his disciples. Nay, an authenticHadith indicates that one of his disciples following the request of Jesus offered himself to be killed instead. (Ibid p.41)