Reports | 25 05 2020
By: Mohammad Habash
In a phenomenon repeated once every 33 times, the birthdates of Jesus and Mohammed coincide—an event that awakens a host of sentiments in the souls. Sentiments of brotherhood and friendship, to the exchange of which we have become accustomed in these holy days.
In the erstwhile Islam we read of rare chapters in the field of religious brotherhood—particularly between Islam and Christianity. At the onset of the [Islamic] message, the presence of highly influential Christian figures is noted: the monk Bahira; Waraqa ibn Nawfal; Haddad, the Christian teacher; and others.
During the first days of the message, the Holy Prophet dispatched his persecuted companions to the Christian King Negus in Abyssinia, then announced very courageously that he will turn from the Kabah, frequented by his people, to the holy shrine of his Christians brethren. He chose to set his prayers towards Jerusalem, in a clear message to his brothers in Christianity, that the two projects are closely linked; that they both worship the one God and instil one fact; and that they fully coalesce in carrying one torch, belief in which is shared by the sons of heaven.
This is a fact established by the Quran, that states: “Say, "We have believed in Allah and in what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendants, and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [submitting] to Him” [Quran 3:84].
In an astonishing series of approaches presented by Islam on the stature of Jesus Christ, it states its belief in him as a prophet and a messenger from God—like all other prophets. It adds, however, that he also is the word and the spirit of God; that he is the prophet still living in the heavens, who will come down in the end of days to be with the Muslims—one nation distinct from all others.
As for the teachings of Christ, the Virgin Mother Mary the mother has been consecrated as a symbol of virtue and purity. An entire Sura of the Quran was dedicated in her name [Sura Maryam], telling of the miraculous birth of Christ.
Whereas Quraysh, the Holy Prophet’s clan, was mentioned in a four-verse Sura; the Imran family—a family of Christ—was bestowed with a two-hundred-verse Sura. All this was, undoubtedly, within the framework of building bridges and religious brotherhood between the two [Holy] messages.
Yet another indicator is related to two of the six pillars of belief: that is belief in the prophets and holy books. That is part of the belief in God and his angels; His Books; His Messengers; and the Day of Judgment. In this context, any doubt in the prophecy of one of the prophets, will be render one’s faith incomplete and unacceptable to God.
These beliefs forming part of the ostensible media discourse notwithstanding, they have not filtered their way into the educational process. The theological principles in Islam and Christianity persisted in dedicating a rejectionist ideological stance vis-a-vis the religious other. There was no true will for reform to counter the causes of schism and dissent.
Faith assumed a rigid form within both parties, whereby Christians were considered polytheist infidels to the majority of [Islamic] scholars; whereas a Muslim was considered a strayed soul, with no hope of salvation by the majority of the [Christian] clergy.
In Islamic culture, a series of studies and opinions adopt all of the invalidity of the other's belief and the falsity of his faith, was instituted—reflecting a similar trend in Christian theology, which has so far rejected the Mohammedan message as representing a heavenly faith.
The public discourse of compassion, tolerance, and forgiveness notwithstanding; each party remained entrenched in its conviction that it alone possesses the complete truth; that others were wallowing in their erroneous methods. Saudi Arabia clearly stated the position of the scholars of Islam when the King Fahd Quran—of which more than one hundred million copies were printed—was introduced with the following Hadith [verbatim account] of the Holy Prophet: “None of the people—be they Jew or Christian—shall hear of me and not believe in me, save if they were condemned to hell! The Church, on the other hand, expressed the same attitude in the words of Pope Benedict XVI, who clearly stated: "Salvation in [Christ’s] resurrection is exclusive to Catholics; others cannot be saved while they retain their own beliefs."
These truly represent two diametrically opposed readings of the truth; ones that make us repeat after [11th century poet Abu al-‘Alaa’] al- Ma’arri: “Religions threw differences among us... and taught us the artful manners of animosity.”
Yet there is no justification for pessimism. These black images of the great religions’ theologies do not represent the day-to-day level of public relations. Both religions are engaging in many forms of cooperation, communication, and joint programs, that accrue good and success onto all. For decades now, there no longer appears—in the programs of major institutions of both faiths—any hostile programs similar to those of the era of the Crusades, or of colonialism, to say the least.
At any rate, the controversies of theology will never come to an end. It is difficult to find an Islamic jurist or a Christian theologian priest, who share a belief in the Nirvana. All forms of good mutual relations seem to be purposefully designed to address the requirements of mundane public relations; were the day of reckoning to come, however, paradise would be the exclusive domain of one single faith. The others would simply be relegated to the fires of hell “Every time their skins are roasted through We will replace them with other skins so they may taste the punishment” [Quran 4:56].
I truly fail to comprehend the value of a faith that seems on the one hand determined to devote the stature of Mother of Christ, the purity of the Holy Spirit, and the sanctity of the Bible descended onto Him from the heavens; only to consequently fail, on the other hand, to build love and trust between the followers of both faiths?
It is to be noted here that Islamic and Christian mysticism have indeed made great strides in achieving mutual recognition of the each other’s faith. We do have the great legacy of mysticism in the cultures of both mosque and convent, and priests and Sheikhs. Yet in reality, they remain totally unacceptable, within the context of prevalent doctrinal and textual currents in the two religions.
Within days, we will share the birthdates of the two greats, and we will exchange greetings in the absence of our fundamentalist sheikhs and rigid priests. The sheikhs of Saudi Arabia have repeatedly issued fatwas [religious edicts] proscribing Muslims from offering congratulations on Christian feasts; as these—according to the Saudi Sheikhs—celebrate the birth of God; a form of pure idolatry. As for priests, the Christian missionary stations broadcasting from Cyprus, equally warn Christians about commemorating the birth of whom they call “a denier of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
It truly is a responsibility to face the remnants of the culture of prevarication we practice—when we denigrate others’ faiths; believing that by doing do, we are consolidating our own unitary faith in our children’s hearts. We rather ought to look for other ways in which to root the faith, without resorting to slander others’ beliefs.
I choose, at the end, to depart from the challenges of theology; to close with the words of Christianity’s wonderful poet, Halim Dammous, which he uttered on the Prophet [Muhammad’s] birth:
The bride of poetry sings the name of Muhammad…
For religions are no more than windows;
In the Quran, I glance Jesus son of Mary…
And all humans are stirred by the mention of Ahmad [one of the Prophet’s popular names];
The eye of the worshipper sees only God…
And in the Bible I see the spirit of Muhammad.
* Opinion pieces do not necessarily express the views of Rozana Media.