Source / Courtesy: Tariq Souvenir Magazine and Review of Religions

CHRISTIANITY: Some Basic Facts

Name The word Christian was first used by the Greeks for the followers of Christos, as the Greeks used to call the Messiah.
Founder Jesus Christ, which is the Greek rendering of the original Hebrew name Isa al Masih, meaning Isa the Anointed.  (Born: 4 -7 BC)

Place of Origin Palestine area

Sacred Books The New Testament. It includes the four Gospels and 23 other books

Sacred Places Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem

Festivals Christmas which celebrates Jesus’ birth Easter which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.
Ascension which celebrates the ascension of Jesus to heaven, forty days after the Easter Pentecost which celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles, ten days after the Ascension.

JESUS CHRIST

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in the province of Judea, anywhere between 4 to 7 BC. The Christians believe, and majority of the Muslims concur with this belief, that Jesus was born to Mary, his mother, without the agency of a human father. Joseph, the husband of Mary, is supposed to have married her after the conception of Jesus.

Jesus was born among the Israelites and the Gospels trace his ancestry to Prophet David, through his “father” Joseph. Jesus, therefore, was not only born a Jew but was also raised and educated according to the Judaic tradition.

Early in his life he became a Jewish rabbi, but was opposed by the orthodox Jewish priests for preaching his radical teachings. At the age of thirty, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, who was then heralding the coming of the Messiah. Jesus’ ministry is believed to have started after his baptism. When the Jews raised the objection that how the Messiah can come before the reappearance of Prophet Elijah, Jesus is said to have responded by pointing out that John the Baptist was in fact Elijah.

Jesus’ ministry in the Palestine area lasted about three years. During this short period he is said to have performed a number of miracles and healed many a people of their illnesses. Jesus’ teachings emphasized the gentler elements of the Mosaic teachings and condemned the rigid, often cruel, application of the Law. His open criticism of the Jewish priests and his rapidly increasing popularity among the masses made him an enemy of both the Jews and the Romans.

As a result, Jesus was first made to appear in front of the Jewish religious authorities who, after questioning him at great length, passed him on to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. Pilate believed in the innocence of Jesus Christ but, at the demand of the people and the priests, condemned him to crucifixion.

Jesus was put on the cross on Friday. With the start of the Jewish Sabbath at sunset, Jesus’ body was released to his followers, after the Roman soldiers had assumed that he had died. For the next two days Jesus’ body was placed in a cave. After this period Jesus was seen alive by a number of his disciples and ate with them. Later on, according to the Christian belief, Jesus was taken up to heaven.

The Ahmadi belief in this regard is that Jesus recovered from his wounds, met and ate with his disciples and left the Palestine area, traveling eastward to Afghanistan and Kashmir. The Ahmadis believe that Jesus lived to a ripe old age, died in Kashmir and is buried in Sri Nagar.

Was Jesus born on the 25th of December ?

The vast majority of Christian Churches proclaim that Jesus was born on the 25th December and it is on this date that Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas Day. Although the manner in which this occasion is observed raises many points of discussion, we are focusing attention only on whether or not Jesus was born on the 25th December. We quote the views and findings of some Christian authorities who believe that he was born at another time of the year.

Bishop Barnes writes:

There is, moreover, no authority for the belief that December 25th was the actual birthday of Jesus … Our Christmas Day seems to have been accepted about 300 AD. (Rise of Christianity)

Chambers Encyclopaedia states:

There is no authoritative tradition as to the day or month of Christ’s birth and some uncertainty exists as to the actual year. St. Clements of Alexandria refers to calculations which placed it in April or May.

The Encyclopaedia Britainnica informs us:

Christmas was not among the earliest festivals of the Church, and before the 5th century there was no general consensus of opinion as to when it should come into the calendar. The exact day and year of Christ’s birth have never been satisfactorily settled.

According to the Holy Quran the birth of Jesus took place at a time when fresh dates are found on palm-trees in Judea. After delivering Jesus under a palm-tree an angel spoke to Mary saying:

And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree; it will drop upon thee fresh ripe dates. (19:26)

The Bible mentions that shepherds were watching their sheep at the time of Jesus’ birth which would have been most unlikely in December when the climate in Judea is extremely cold.

The vast majority of Christian Churches proclaim that Jesus was born on the 25th December and it is on this date that Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas Day. Although the manner in which this occasion is observed raises many points of discussion, we are focusing attention only on whether or not Jesus was born on the 25th December. Now this christen view is contradicted not only by the Qur’an but also by history and even by writers of the New Testament itself.

Writing about the time of Jesus’ birth   Luke says: ‘And there were shepherds in the same country (Judaea) abiding in the field, and keeping watch by night over their flock’s (Luke 2:7,8). Commenting on this statement of Luke Bishop Barns in his book, Rise of Christianity, on page 79 says: “There is, moreover, no authority for the belief that December 25was the actual birthday of Jesus. If we can give any credence to the birth-story of Luke, with the shepherds keeping watch by night in the fields near Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus did not take place in winter, when the night temperature in so low in the hill country of Judaea that snow is not uncommon. After much arguments our Christmas day seems to have been accepted about A.D. 300”. This view of Bishop Barns is sported by writers of the articles on “Christmas” in Encyclopaedia Britannica and Chambers Encyclopaedia. In Encyclopaedia Britannica we have :

The exact day and the year of Christ’s birth have never been satisfactorily settled; but hen the fathers of the church in A.D. 340 decided upon a date to celebrate the event, they Wisely choose the day of the winter Solstice which was firmly fixed in the of the people and which war their most important festival. Owing to changes in man-made calendars, the time of the solstice and the date of Christmas vary by a few days (15^th Addition, vol. 5 pp. 642 and 542A).

Chambers Encyclopaedia says:

In the second place the winter solstice was regarded as the birthday of the sun, and at Rome 25^th December was observed as a pagan festival of the nativity of Sol-invictus. The church, unable to stamp out this popular festival, spiritualised it as a feast of the nativity of the sun of Righteousness.

These statements of the two encyclopaedias are further supported by Peake’s “comentry on the Bible”. In this book on page 727 Peake says: “The season (of Jesus’ birth) would not bee December; our Christmas day is a comparatively late tradition found firs in the west. Thus resent historical reach into the origins of Christianity has established the fact beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus was not born in December.

How in the light of historical reach into the origins of Christianity and Luke’s statement that Jesus was born at a time when “there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night” (Luke 2:7-8) the belief ever came to be entertained by Christians that Jesus was born in December seems to be very surprising in deed.  According to this statement of Luke Jesus certainly was born in summer when shepherds abide in the field in Judaea, keeping watch over there flocks which is only possible in summer. The incident referred to in Luke very probably took place in the month of August-and September when fresh dates are found of Palm-trees in Judaea. This is the time when according to the Qur’anic verse (Ch.19 verse 26) Jesus was born and when his mother Mary was directed by God to “shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree ; it will cause fresh dates to fall upon thee”. Thus the Gospel of  Luke inadvertently has lent wonder full support to the Qur’anic view about the birth of Jesus taken place in the month of August or September which is a season of fresh ripe dates in Judaea. Moreover, there is ample and very reliable historical evidence also to show that Jesus was born in the month of August and September. In his “Dictionary of the Bible” Dr. Jon D. Davis, under the word “year” writes that dates become wipe in the Jewish month of Elul; and in peak’s “commentary on the Bible” (page 117) we have that the month of Elul corresponds Dr. Peake says, J. Stewart (when did our Lord actually live?) arguing from an old Chinese classic which speaks of the Gospel story reaching China A.D. 25-28 puts the birth of Jesus in 8 B.C.(Sept. or Oct.) and the crucifixion on Wednesday in A.D. 24”

From the above statements of the two Encyclopaedias supported by quotations from the Commentary on the Bible” by Dr. Arthur S. Peake, M.A.D.D., the fact becomes quite clear that Jesus was born in the Jewish month of August-September when dates ripen in Judaea, and not on 25^th December as the Christian Church would have us believe. And that is the view expressed by the Qur’an.

It may be added here that the whole trouble of fixing the date of Jesus’ birth seems to have arisen from a confusion of the date of Mary’s conception. The pregnancy of Mary seemed to have taken place sometime in November or December and not in March or April as the church historians would have us believe. When after or five months’ conception pregnancy became too obvious to be concealed any longer, Joseph was prevailed to take Mary to his house in the month of March or April of the next year. Thus Christian historians mistake the date when Joseph took Mary to his house for the date of her actual conception which had taken place four or five months earlier. As resent research into the origin of Christianity has proved that Jesus was not born in December but in August-September, there for the conception could not have taken place in march or April. So the Quranic view that Jesus was born in August or September is based not only on historical facts but is also quit in accordance with Luke’s own narrative and therefore is the only safe and sensible conclusion.

The Teachings of Jesus Christ

To properly understand the teachings of Jesus Christ one has to turn to the Gospels. The only place in the Gospels where an attempt has been made by the narrators to quote Jesus Christ word for word is the account of the Sermon on the Mount. This sermon illustrates the emphasis of Jesus’ teachings which was directed towards an unpretentious, honest and altruistic life. Below are quoted some selected verses from this sermon.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness: for their’s is the kingdom of heaven…

“Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you…

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven…

“You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

“You have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart…

“You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you, that you resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also…

“Give to him that asks of thee, and from him that would borrow, turn not thou away.

“You have heard that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you…

“Take heed that you not give your alms before men, to be seen of them; otherwise you have no reward… Therefore when you do give alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets… But when you do give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does…

“And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men…

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you…

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal…

“For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.

“And why do you notice the speck in your brother’s eye, but consider not the beam in your own eye? First cast out the beam out of your own eye, and then you shall see clearly to cast out the speck out of your brother’s eye…

“All things you would like others do to you, you do to them…

“Enter you at the straight gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction. Because straight is the gate and narrow is the way, which leads unto life…”

Comparative Study

Basically, there is little difference between the teachings of Judaism and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianity, shorn of its later encrustations, is simply a sect of Judaism a sect which had recognized the Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ.

The teachings of Jesus Christ are clearly of a reformatory nature. He saw many wrongs in the way the Mosaic Law was being interpreted and applied by the people, and tried to correct them.

There is no doubt that some of Jesus’ teachings about love, forgiveness and charity were indeed revolutionary. And it was this aspect of extreme humility that attracted a number of his followers among the Hebrews and, later on, among the Greeks and the Romans. But having a few revolutionary ideas does not make a new religion.

The early Christians retained their Judaic traditions and practices. It was only when the Greeks adopted the teachings of Jesus Christ that they started formalizing them within the framework of a new theology… a theology now centred around the person of Jesus Christ himself. History shows very clearly this gradual process of Jesus’ deification from an Israelite prophet to the Son of God.

From the point of view of a Muslim, the present day Christians have grossly misunderstood some basic historic facts. The misunderstandings are caused by:

(1) Taking literal meaning of the Hebrew phrase, “Son of God”

(2) Shrouding the events of crucifixion in great mystery and superstition

(3) Not understanding the true purpose of prophets

(4) Considering the New Testament as the authentic and final word of God.

Once all these misunderstandings are removed, the life of Jesus Christ clearly shows that:

o he was an Israelite prophet
o his main objective was to reform Judaism
o he did not die on the cross
o he recovered from the ordeal of crucifixion
o he ate food with his disciples like mortal beings
o he traveled to the east in search of the lost tribes of the Israelites
o he died and was buried in Kashmir.

On occasions such as Christmas or Eid, Huzur ‘Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad’ would instruct us to send gifts on his behalf to neighbours around the London Mosque,and during the mango season when mangoes from his farm in Pakistan weould arrive,he would have us distribute some to the neighbours.He instructed me to organize individualdinners with each household in the vicinity of the Fazl Mosque.He would spend a great deal of time with the neighbours over such dinners to create a bonding, which in a number of cases remained till his demise.A number of them wrote some very heartfelt condolence letters in which they expressed their deep sense of loss at his demise.- ‘Quoted from Tariq Souvenir Magazine’

Ref –

The Review of religions,December 1990

Tariq Souvenir Magazine

English w/ 5 Vol. Commentary – http://www.alislam.org/quran/tafseer/guide.htm?region=E1