Christmas in Islam
On Monday, the 25th of December, 2017, our compatriots celebrated the birthday of Prophet Isa (Jesus Christ; a.s). Though much controversy exists over his birth and death, there is consensus among Christians on his mission while on earth; whereas much ignorance exists outside Islam on his position and status in Islamic annals and culture, Prophet Isa remains an adorable Prophethood and one in whom Muslims must express their belief and strive to emulate.
In other words, “many Christians are unaware that the true spirit of reverence which Muslims display towards Jesus and his mother Maryam spring from the fountainhead of their faith as prescribed in the Holy Quran. Most do not know that a Muslim does not mention the name of Jesus without saying alayhi salaam i.e. upon him be peace. Many Christians do not know that in the Holy Quran Jesus is mentioned by name twenty-five times. For example Allah says: ... We gave Jesus the son of Mary Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit (Q 2:87);
Behold! the angels said: “O Mary! the Almighty gives thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be al-Masih Isa (Christ Jesus), the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Him. (Q3:45)
Thus a Muslim who scorns at or treat Prophet Isa (alyhi salam) with disrespect has disbelieved a cardinal aspect of Islam. In fact, to read and reread his life history, though short but eventful, is to lead a successful life here on earth and partake of the eternal bliss in the hereafter.
Thus one of the challenges confronting Christendom today is how to bridge the gap between the eternal messages preached by Prophet Isa (alyhi salam) while he was alive - the message of abstinence and continence, the message of ascetism and humility and the ephemerality of the “gospel” of prosperity and success which now Christian praxis in the jugular. In a recent conference organized by the Dominican Institute in Ibadan, one of the questions I sought answers to is whether Muslims and Christians have indeed not completely deviated from the noble teachings of the Prophets of Allah they claim to follow? In other words, should Jesus Christ appear today, which of these Churches would he identify with? Were Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace and blessings of Allah) to rise up today, would he not take flight from the oddities in Muslims’ existential realities?
Prophet Isa’s birth, upon him be peace, was a sign of and from the Almighty; his life on earth will forever remain an important point of reference particularly for those who truly identify with his path and desire eternal redemption. Commemoration of his birthday, therefore, should be an opportunity for the church to do self-introspection. The Christian world should use the occasion to question the chasm between what he stood for while on earth and what Christianity has become of today. To what extent is the argument valid that material prosperity occupies the epicentre of Jesus Christ’s ministry? Is it true that to be a true Christian is to be rich and affluent?
In the Quran, Chapter 109 with which we prefaced this sermon, the Almighty expressly forbids Muslims from joining the non-Muslim in their rites of worship. He says: “Say: O Ye who disbelieve, I worship not that which you worship, nor will you worship that which I worship”. This commandment does not in any way, and should not be seen as serving a deleterious purpose for the esteemed position in which Islam has placed Prophet Isa (alayhi salam), nor does it or should it be seen as a throw-back in the effort to promote inter-religious harmony. On the contrary, the injunction functions in preventing syncretism. It seeks to assist the Muslim attain the highest spiritual heights which their participation in non-Muslim festivals and worship could jeopardize. Thus, it becomes unlawful for the conscious Muslim to partake of these celebrations. Islam says this because to a section of the Christian world, Prophet Isa is God (fal ‘iyadhbiLLAH). To rejoice with those who hold this belief is therefore tantamount to rejoicing with those who indulge in apostasy and in committing grievous crimes which the Almighty detests and abhors.
Let us all be guided by the Quranic ethic which says that we should not ridicule the religious beliefs of others, no matter how much we disagree with them and notwithstanding the extent they go to in oppressing our religious sensibilities. The Almighty says: “And insult not those whom they worship besides God, lest they insult God wrongfully without knowledge. (Quran, 6:108)