Chapter Two : Jesus in the Quran

Christians Unaware

The Christian does not know that the true spirit of charity whichtheMuslim displays, always, towards Jesus and his mother Mary spring fromthe fountainhead of his faith – the Holy Quran. He does not know thattheMuslim does not take the holy name of Jesus, in his own language,withoutsaying Eesa, alaihi assalam (“Jesus, peace be upon him”)

The Christian does not know that in the Holy Quran Jesus ismentionedtwenty five times. For example:

“We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened himwith the Holy Spirit” (The Holy Quran 2:87)

“O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his namewill be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary…” (3:45)

“…Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostleof god…” (4:171)

“…And in their foot steps we sent Jesus the son of Mary…”(5:46)

“And Zakariya and John, and Jesus and Elias: all in the ranks ofthe righteous.” (6:85)

Jesus – His Titles

Though Jesus is mentioned by name in twenty-five places in the HolyQuran, he is also addressed with respect as: Ibn Maryam,meaning”The son of Mary”; and as the Maseeh (in Hebrew it isthe Messiah), which is translated as “Christ”. He is alsoknown as Abdullah, “The servant of Allah”; and as Rasulu Allah, the messenger of Allah.

He is spoken of as “The Word of God”, as “The Spiritof God”, as a “Sign of God”, and numerous other epithetsof honor spread over fifteen different chapters. The Holy Quran honorsthis mighty messenger of God, and the Muslims have not fallen shortoverthe past fourteen hundred years in doing the same. There is not asingledisparaging remark in the entire Quran to which even the most jaundicedamong the Christians can take exception.

Eesa Latinised to “Jesus”

The Holy Quran refers to Jesus as Eesa, and this name isusedmore times than any other title, because this was his “Christian”name. Actually, his proper name was Eesa (Arabic), or Esau(Hebrew); classical Yeheshua, which the Christian nations oftheWest latinised as Jesus. Neither the “J” nor the second “s”in the name Jesus is to be found in the original tongue – they are notfound in the Semitic languages.

The word is very simply “E S A U” a very common Jewish name,used more than sixty times in the very first booklet alone of theBible,in the part called “Genesis”. There was at least one “Jesus”sitting on the “bench” at the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin.Josephus the Jewish historian mentions some twenty five Jesus’ in his”Bookof Antiquities”. The New Testament speaks of “Bar-Jesus”a magician and a sorcerer, a false prophet (Acts 13:6); and also”Jesus-Justus”a Christian missionary, a contemporary of Paul (Colossians 4:11). Theseare distinct from Jesus the son of Mary. Transforming “Esau”to (J)esu(s) – Jesus – makes it unique. This unique (?) name has goneoutof currency among the Jews and the Christians from the 2nd centuryafterChrist. Among the Jews, because it came to be a name of ill – repute,thename of one who blasphemed in Jewry; and among the Christians becauseitcame to be the proper name of their God. The Muslim will not hesitatetoname his son Eesa because it is an honored name, the name of arighteousservant of the Lord.