Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is Only a Prophet

The Qur'an mentions many subjects, such as the birth of Prophet Jesus (pbuh), some events in his life, his family, and the people around him. He is depicted as the Messiah, son of Mary and prophet of God. For example, he told the Children of Israel that he was sent for the following reason:

I come confirming the Torah I find already there, and to make lawful for you some of what was previously forbidden to you. I have brought you a Sign from your Lord. So have fear [and  respect] of God, and obey me. God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path. (Surah Al 'Imran: 50-51)

If they see every Sign, they will not believe in it. If they see the way of right guidance, they will not take it as a way. But if they see the way of error, they will take that as a way. That is because they denied Our Signs and paid no attention to them. (Surat al-A'raf: 146)

A few disciples heeded his call and are referred to in the following terms:

We are God's helpers. We believe in God. Bear witness that we are Muslims. Our Lord, we believe in what You have sent down and have followed the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses. (Surah Al 'Imran: 52-53)

Throughout his life, Prophet Jesus (pbuh), sent to lead a community that had gone astray to the true path, called on his people to have sincere faith and submit themselves to God. It also appears, from various verses of the Qur'an that he acted as a guide to those who had fallen into religious disagreements. Certain New Testament passages indicate that he primarily called on hypocritical, insincere religious figures and those who deceived the public behind a mask of devotion to cease what they were doing and believe in God. The Qur'an reveals this in the following terms:

And when Jesus came with the Clear Signs, he said: "I have come to you with Wisdom and to clarify for you some of the things about which you have differed. Therefore, have fear [and respect] of God and obey me." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 63)

Like all of the prophets, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) targeted moral degeneration and atheism. He told people to abandon their injustice, immorality, and superstitions; to live by God's ordained moral values and for His good pleasure alone; to fear [and respect], love, and submit to God; and to turn away from superstitious laws and hollow traditions, to worship only God, and to turn to Him at all times. The miracles that he performed revealed that God had chosen him as His messenger, and that He supported him with knowledge and power. His depth of faith, high moral values, superior understanding, and wise explanations inspired great admiration among his people.

Prophet Jesus (pbuh) displayed great patience with his opponents, put his trust in God and continued to inform his people of God's revelation despite the hostile environment in which he was living. Although he had very few helpers, he endeavored to restore his people's religion to its essence and cleanse it of all meaningless rituals and superstitious practices. Thanks to his superior understanding and wisdom vouchsafed to him by our Lord, he made highly affective addresses to the Children of Israel and told them very wise parables.

Prophet Jesus (pbuh) confirmed the Torah and issued his commands according to the Gospel, sent by God as a guide and advice:

And We sent Jesus son of Mary following in their footsteps, confirming the Torah that came before him. We gave him the Gospel containing guidance and light, confirming the Torah that came before it, and as guidance and admonition for those who guard against evil. The people of the Gospel should judge by what God sent down in it. Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are deviators. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 46-47)

At first, only a few people responded to his call, for it demanded the end of privilege for the priestly class, who made a living out of nonsense and tradition, and for the ruling class, who denied God's sovereignty. With the spread of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) message and his growing number of followers, the cunning snares and plans laid by his opponents also increased. All of the prophets have encountered such plots, for as the Qur'an relates, the people to whom they are sent have the following attitude:

Why then, whenever a Messenger came to you with something your lower selves did not desire, did you grow arrogant, deny some of them, and murder others? (Surat al-Baqara: 87)

Gradually, a division began to emerge in society between the followers and the opponents of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). On the one hand was God's messenger, who described the true religion and called on people to believe in the one God; on the other was a group who was determined not to believe, no matter what miracles or evidence they were shown. The enemies of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) made themselves apparent. It is likely that some unbelievers also had initially listened to and supported him. Indeed, God reveals that: The various factions among them differed..." (Surat az-Zukhruf: 65). For that reason, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) described those who had faith and who he could trust:

When Jesus sensed unbelief on their part, he asked: "Who will be my helpers to God?" The disciples said: "We are God's helpers. We believe in God. Bear witness that we are Muslims." (Surah Al 'Imran: 52)

The Qur'an reveals that the unbelievers plotted to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh). According to the New Testament, several bigoted religious leaders convinced one of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) disciples to betray him, after which they would have him arrested and delivered up to the Romans. According to that same source, these leaders could not carry out a death sentence and so prepared a trap to incite the Roman authorities, known for their cruelty and sensitivity in this matter to do it for them: They depicted Prophet Jesus (pbuh) as being an opponent of Rome:

They planned and God planned. But God is the best planners. (Surah Al 'Imran: 54)

Thus, his opponents sought to kill him. But they failed to do so, for God foiled their plot, raised him to His presence and caused someone else to be killed in his place. Yet the erroneous belief that the Romans crucified and killed Prophet Jesus (pbuh) remains the fundamental essence of Christianity. A large part of the Christian world accepts this, but believes that he was resurrected and then ascended to heaven. When we look at the Qur'an, however, we see that this is not the case:

… and their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Messenger of God." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. (Surat an-Nisa': 157)

 In the continuation of this verse the situation of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is revealed thus:

God raised him up to Himself. God is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa': 158)

The truth revealed in the Qur'an is clear. Incited by the Jews, the Romans sought to kill Prophet Jesus (pbuh) but failed to do so. The expression "but it was made to seem so to them" makes their failure to do so crystal clear. God showed people someone who resembled Prophet Jesus (pbuh) and then raised him to His presence. Furthermore, our Lord also states that those who claim that he actually died have no knowledge of the truth of the matter. (For details, see Harun Yahya, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) Did Not Die, Istanbul: Global Publishing, 2005]

In the early years of Christianity, several ideas emerged regarding the crucifixion. It is known that, just as revealed in the Qur'an, some Christian sects believed that he was not crucified at all.

Their Messengers said to them: "We are nothing but human beings like yourselves. But God shows favor to any of His servants He wills. It is not for us to bring you an authority, except by God's permission. So let the believers put their trust in God." (Surah Ibrahim: 11)

From what we know of his life, message, and prayers, Prophet Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet of God, a guide to the true path, and a messenger sent down by God to warn his people. This is confirmed by He said: "I am the servant of God. He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet" (Surah Maryam: 30), as well as the following verses:

And when Jesus son of Mary said: "O Tribe of Israel, I am the Messenger of God to you, confirming the Torah that came before me and giving you the good news of a Messenger after me, whose name is Ahmad." When he brought them the Clear Signs, they said: "This is downright magic." (Surat as-Saff: 6)

It is not right for any human being that God should give him the Book and Judgment and Prophethood, and then that he should say to people: "Worship me rather than God." Rather he will say: "Be people of the Lord, because of your knowledge of the Book and because you study." (Surah Al 'Imran: 79)

The Qur'an and the hadiths of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) make it very clear that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not die and was not killed, but that he was raised to God's presence and will one day return to Earth. In fact, the hadith literature contains a great many signs regarding his second coming. (For more details regarding the second coming of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) see  Harun Yahya, The Signs of Jesus' Second Coming [Istanbul: Global Publishing, 2004].)