Ahmadi Muslims believe that Jesus as was a Prophet of God born to the Virgin Mary and was the Messiah of the Israelites as foretold by Moses as.
Virgin Birth:
The miracle of his birth is affirmed by The Holy Quran.
Mary — A Righteous Servant of God
The Holy Quran affirms the virgin birth of Jesus, and repudiates the notion that Mary was not pious and that her birth was illegitimate. The Quran narrates Mary's statement to an angel: "How can I have a child when no man has touched me and neither have I been unchaste?" (19:21)
Moreover, it is on account of her piety that Chapter 19 in the Quran is named after her, and all pious Muslims are likened to her.
A Very Rare Phenomenon
The virgin birth of Jesus was a miracle, no doubt. But according to the Ahmadiyya Muslim view, miracles always work in accordance with God's laws, no matter how limited our understanding of those laws are. Modern science has only just begun to study this rare phenomenon.
For example, In lower animals rare instances of virgin births have been well documented, representing a complete surprise to zoologists. There are even reports — albeit scattered — of fatherless human conceptions.
Of course, research continues and the mention of these phenomena is only given here to demonstrate that what was once considered impossible can indeed be plausible.
His Miracles:
A sign of his truth, like the many other prophets of God.
The Miracles of Jesus in the Holy Quran
The Holy Quran narrates several miracles of Jesus, including his ability to create birds, to cure ailments including blindness and raise the dead to life (Quran 3:50).
Ahmadi Muslims interpret these particular signs metaphorically. The people who accepted Jesus soared high like birds into the spiritual firmament above worldly, base concerns. Similarly in the metaphoric sense, he restored sight to the spiritually blind and life to the spiritually dead.
Jesus himself called the enemies of his day "blind" because of their hypocritical nature in matters of faith (Matthew 23:26). The very nature of his words about healing convey a spiritual change, not physical. It should also be remembered that Jesus spoke in parables, such as the famous line, "let the dead bury their dead" (Matthew 8:22).
The Holy Quran also describes disbelievers as deaf, dumb and blind (Quran 2:19) and the Holy Prophet (SAW) offered them 'life' and revival from such death (Quran 8:25).
Literal Interpretations
Indeed, it is difficult to insist on the literal interpretation of all Biblical miracles. Even the authoritative Harper's Bible Commentary goes as far as to recommend that the following miracle relating to the resurrection be ignored.
The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.(Matthew 27:52-53)
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, expounds upon the significance of these verses in his landmark book, Jesus in India. He explains that the Bible is actually relating the details of a spiritual vision. And in the language of visions, if anyone sees "that the dead have come out of the graves and have made for their homes, the interpretation is that a prisoner would be released from his bondage, and that he would be rescued from the hands of his persecutors." Incidentally, this interpretation is also corroborated by Gustavus Miller's book, 10,000 Dreams Interpreted.
Ironically, while Christian scholars were advising against deriving any value from certain verses of the Bible, a Muslim, who claimed to be the Promised Messiah, would come to the Bible's defense by illustrating some of the metaphorical beauties it contained.
Miracles and Divinity
Furthermore, it should remembered that Elijah also raised the dead to life (I Kings 17:19-22). It is difficult to make an argument about the divinity of Jesus therefore, unless one considers Elijah also divine. The argument that Jesus did the miracles with his own power, whereas God worked through Elijah, is contradicted by the New Testament itself. Acts (2:22) states: 'Ye men of Israel hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you'.
Son of God:
Jesus used this metaphor for all believers, not just himself.
The Term "Son of God"
While the term "Son of God" has been used in reference to Jesus, it should be noted that God has used this title for many of His chosen ones.
For example, God, in the Old Testament refers to David: "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you'" * (Psalm 2:7)
Furthermore, in a New Testament genealogy, Adam is listed as the "Son of God" (Luke 3.38). In fact, some may argue that Adam could have a greater claim over the "Sonship of God" because, unlike Jesus, he had neither an earthly father nor mother.
In order to reconcile these references and many others, it is not unreasonable to conclude, that the Biblical usage of the term "Son of God" does not necessarily connote a literal "sonship to God" but a metaphorical one instead.
The Nature of Jesus
This metaphorical understanding is furthered by Jesus' own words and actions. Jesus is known to have engaged in many human devotional activities such as fasting and praying. But perhaps the most significant evidence is that Jesus claimed to lack knowledge of the future because, as he claimed, only the Father possessed perfect knowledge. (Mark 13:32).
This is especially notable since Christian doctrine holds the view that Jesus' nature is a "hypostatic union". That is, he was "fully divine" and "fully man" at the same time. If this were true, then he should have at no point denied his own omniscience.
These, in addition to other philosophical considerations, lead one to question the biblical term "Son of God" and its literal application to Jesus.
* In addition to the translation given, the New International Version states the the phrase "have begotten you" could also be translated as "have become your Father."
His Mission:
Confined to the twelve tribes of Israel, not the whole world.
The Sheep of Israel
The geographic scope of Jesus' mission was confined to where the Israelites lived. Jesus even said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (Matthew 15:24).
The Israelites followed the Torah, and Jesus came to revive the true spirit of the Torah in the hearts of the Israelites and clear any misunderstandings. He was a follower of Moses and did not change or reject the Mosaic law. The New Testament states Jesus came only to fulfill the Law and not abolish it (Matthew 5:17).
Lost Tribes in Afghanistan
Of the twelve tribes of Israel, only two remained in their homeland. The remaining ten tribes became known as the lost tribes or lost sheep of Israel, since they never returned back home. Most of the tribes settled in Afghanistan, northern India, and as far as China. Therefore, It was thus imperative for Jesus to minister in these areas by travelling there.
Today, there is a good body of evidence showing that certain peoples of Afghanistan and India and neighboring areas are of Israelite heritage. This is based on their own written and oral traditions, physical features, language, folklore, monuments, and customs. Most even call themselves 'bani Israel' or 'children of Israel'.
No comments:
Post a Comment