بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Law that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light, and confirmation of the Law that had come before him: a guidance and an admonition to those who fear Allah (Holy Quran 5:46)
Islam teaches that Allah sends prophets through whom He conveys His guidance and the objective of the prophets is to proclaim the oneness of Allah, and warn their people against idolatry (devotion to idols and false "gods"). The children of Israel were a special nation whom Allah greatly favored. He sent them an abundant number of prophets to guide and rule over them. Jesus was the promised messiah being awaited by the children of Israel. Allah sent him for the specific purpose of calling back his people to the devotion to Allah and adherence to the Torah which was revealed to Moses. While some of the children of Israel accepted Jesus and became his disciples, others rejected him and attempted to kill him. However, Islam teaches that Jesus ascended to Allah alive and was rescued from the plot to crucify him. Instead, it was made to appear to his enemies that he had been killed on the cross. After he left this world, Jesus' original message became distorted. A new religion emerged which believed that Jesus was God in the flesh. New and strange beliefs emerged, such as the trinity, where God ("the father") is one of three co-equal persons who all share the same essence. This new development was due to the pagan and hellenic influence which was eroding the message of Jesus to be devoted to only One God.
When he was asked what is the most important and fundamental of all commandments, Jesus said:
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." (Mark 12:29)
When one of Jesus' companions referred to him as "Good Teacher", Jesus said:
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone." (Mark 10:18)
After Jesus said this, his companion stopped addressing him as "good teacher" and simply referred to him as "teacher", which means that he understood by Jesus' statement that he (Jesus) is not God, and only God is worthy of being called "Good".
Jesus was a pious human being, and a chosen prophet sent by Allah for the spiritual reformation of his people. However, he was still a human being, and like all human beings he was subject to hunger, thirst, fatigue, and all other human biological conditions. Islam teaches that Allah is not a human being, and does not possess any of these defective human qualities. The Bible says as well: God is not a man (Numbers 23:19)
Jesus was given the immense blessing of many miracles and signs so that he could prove himself to be a true prophet of Allah. However, in order to ensure that no one would be misguided into believing that Jesus was a sort of deity due to his miracles, he said: "By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me." (John 5:30)
On his own, Jesus could not be capable of doing any miracle or wondrous act. These were all done for him by Allah to set him apart as Allah's chosen prophet. Even when Jesus drove out demons or evil spirits from possessed people, he did not claim credit for such things, but explained that all the credit belongs to God alone: "But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you" (Luke 11:20)
Islam teaches that Jesus was sent as a prophet for the children of Israel. Though all mankind must believe and accept him as a prophet from Allah, but the original message of Jesus, to adhere to the Torah which was revealed to Moses, was only meant for the Children of Israel as the Quran says: And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you (Holy Quran 61:6)
It is also mentioned in the Bible where Jesus says: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)
Jesus also preached to his followers to adhere strictly to the Law of Moses (the Torah) and not do disobey a single commandment to God: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:17-20)
Here Jesus explained that his purpose was not to die for sins and redeem mankind by being a sacrifice. Jesus preached that the way to redemption was by adhering to the Laws which God has revealed for our guidance. Jesus preached that the true believers must not only believe, but also act upon their beliefs and exceed in righteousness.
And all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds
