How Allah started Christianity according to Islam’s most trusted sources
For the purposes of this article, we will take the Islamic sources as reliable accounts of history even though they are centuries after the fact and are the testimonies of one man without any witnesses to his claims.
The first thing anybody would notice about Jesus Christ in Islam is that He is very different. The Quran tells us He is born of a virgin and this is a sign,
“She (Jesus’ mother) said, “How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?”
He said, “Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.”
(Surah 19:20–21, parenthesis mine)
The Quran calls Jesus, holy and pure,
“He said, “I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy”
(Surah 19:19)
Muhammad in the hadith states that every son of Adam is touched by Satan except for Jesus,
“Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
The satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him with the exception of Mary and her son.”
(Sahih Muslim, Book 43 Hadith 193)
Not only is Jesus holy and virtually a scholar of the Torah from the cradle, He proceeds to live the most miraculous life ever, raising the dead and creating life by shaping it into clay and breathing into it.
“And [make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say], ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird by permission of Allāh. And I cure the blind [from birth] and the leper, and I give life to the dead — by permission of Allāh. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.”
(Surah 3:49)
Jesus creates exactly how Allah creates, opens blind eyes, gives life to the dead and is able to supernaturally tell people what they have in their houses. This Jesus, as earlier discussed is also without sin.
Could Allah not foresee that sending a man born in such a supernatural way who was already speaking from the cradle and without sin and able to raise the dead and able to create life exactly how creates, would be confusing to His audience and would cause this man to be mistaken as more than a messenger and be worshipped as God?
Not only that, Jesus in the Quran is said to be the Word of Allah and a Spirit proceeding from Allah. Did Allah not know that sending a mere mortal as His word and spirit would be essentially sending a man in his very likeness? If Allah’s word and Spirit are eternal, is it any wonder that Jesus was worshipped by His followers as a divine and eternal figure?
Secondly, the whole cross fiasco never happened according to the Quran.
“And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh.” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.”
(Surah 4:157)
Now note what the Quran says. “Another was made to resemble Jesus to those who wanted him dead”. Now forget all the first century historians who unanimously testify that Jesus was crucified (Tacitus, Josephus, Suetonius and the gospel writers), let us assume once again that the Quran is correct and they all got the identity of Jesus on the cross wrong. Who MADE it appear that Jesus was crucified? Allah!
This would prove the gospels correct. The writers were only writing the things that Allah made them see! Remember the Quran is explicit that Allah guides whoever he wants and misguides whoever he wants.
“He whom Allāh guides is the [rightly] guided, but he whom He sends astray — never will you find for him a protecting guide.”
(Surah 18:17)
It would appear that Allah from his misguidance started this rumour about Jesus being crucified. Now if the gospel writers were in error, then Allah misguided them. Whatever they experienced and interpreted to be the resurrection of a Jesus who never died, it is safe to say Allah made it appear to them. Allah so convinced them of these things that they were tortured and gave up their lives for these illusions that Allah made them believe.
The spread of Christianity was also facilitated by Allah,
“O ye who believe! Be Allah’s helpers, even as Jesus son of Mary said unto the disciples: Who are my helpers for Allah? They said: We are Allah’s helpers. And a party of the Children of Israel believed, while a party disbelieved. Then We strengthened those who believed against their foe, and they became the uppermost.”
(Surah 61:14)
Taking this even further, Allah helped the followers of Jesus and gave them an assurance that they would be the uppermost until the day of resurrection.
“But when Jesus became conscious of their disbelief, he cried: Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah? The disciples said: We will be Allah’s helpers. We believe in Allah, and bear thou witness that we have surrendered (unto Him).
Our Lord! We believe in that which Thou hast revealed and we follow him whom Thou hast sent. Enrol us among those who witness (to the truth).
(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection.”
(Surah 3:52–53,55)
Christianity today is the largest religion on the planet. Guess who continues to make Christians uppermost in the 21st century? Allah!
So in summary, Allah started Christianity by
(i) Sending Jesus as his very essence, his spirit and his word (Surah 4:171)
(ii) Making Jesus holy and permitting Him to do very miraculous works like raising the dead and creating life from Mud, exactly the way Allah himself creates
(iii) Deceiving the whole world by making it appear that Jesus was crucified on the cross and died in the process.
(iv) Misguiding the early disciples of Christ to write what was made appear to them in the gospels and die for the sake of what had was made to appear to them.
(v) Helping the followers of Jesus against their enemies. There have been no followers of Jesus in the first century who did not deem Him to be divine, so Allah was helping to spread the beliefs and theology of early Christianity, beliefs which are very contradictory to Islam.
(Vi) Promising to make the followers of Jesus superior till the day of resurrection.
Can our Muslim friends really blame us for believing in Jesus Christ? Why afterall is He so unique according to Islam? Why does He do what God does? Why is He sinless, like God is? And in the final analysis, if Allah has chosen to misguide us as Christians, can we really resist Allah’s will?
