Notes on Ergun Mehmet Caner and Emir Fethi Caner’s
Unveiling Islam
Chapter 15: Jesus According to the Qur’an
Muslims believe in Jesus. Did you know that?
Well, they do.
But that doesn’t mean that they believe in the Jesus of the Bible.
According to the Qur’an, Jesus…
…is the son of Mary
…is a man like Adam (created from dust)
…is a messenger of God
…is a miracle worker with a limited ministry
…preached obedience to Allah
The Bible agrees that Jesus is the son of Mary, that Jesus is a man (although not created from dust), that Jesus is a messenger from God, that Jesus was a miracle worker, and that Jesus preached obedience.
But there were and are many other men who worked miracles and preached obedience as a messenger of God–and the Bible (but not the Qur’an) makes clear the differences between Christ and all of these.
The Bible says that Jesus was not only man, but God. The Bible affirms that Jesus came not just to POINT the way to the Father, but as THE WAY to the Father. The Bible says that Jesus’ primary work was to be crucified and rise again.
The Qur’an denies all of these. It denies the divinity of Christ, denies the necessity of Christ, and denies the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The Muslim believes in Christ as you and I believe in Santa Claus–yes, originally there was a person named St. Nicolas who helped some youngsters by throwing money in their windows, some of which may have fallen into their stockings, or something like that. We believe in that–but it has no bearing on our life. It’s nothing more than an amusing story with some hint of truth. Except that unlike St. Nicolas, who made no claims of entering houses through chimneys and riding flying reindeer, Jesus Christ claimed that He was God. Jesus Christ truly WAS crucified. Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, and had dozens of witnesses of His resurrected body. These things that the Muslim denies are not rumors that sprung up long after the life of Christ. They are claims made by Christ Himself, witnesses born by His closest companions.
While Islam might say that Christianity’s claims about Jesus are a perversion of the true Jesus, a “Santa Claus” rumor belying Jesus’ true nature, the truth is that the scenario is reversed. Islam’s “Jesus” resembles the historical Jesus about as well as Santa Claus resembles the historical St. Nicolas. The two couldn’t be more different.
Addendum (May 10, 2010): Ergun Caner’s testimony as a converted Muslim has been challenged by several bloggers who claim that he has grossly exaggerated the extent of his Muslim upbringing. Readers of this book ought to be aware that the Caners may or may not have the experiential knowledge of Islam that they claim to have, and should therefore be careful to test the statements found in this book against other reliable sources.