I continue here to comment on Muslim knowledge of Christian Culture in response to the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams’ call for Muslims to learn about culture.
The miraculous nature of Jesus’ prophethood and message is also something known by Muslims. The Qur’an states, “Then God will say: ‘0’ Jesus son of Mary! Remember My blessing and grace to you and your mother. I reinforced you with the Holy Spirit, and you spoke to people in your infancy and maturity. I taught you the Book, Wisdom, the Torah, and the Bible. You made the figure of a bird out of clay, and with My permission you blew into it and it came alive, you healed the born blind and the lepers with My permission. And you resurrected the dead with My permission.’” Muslims know Jesus’ mother and acknowledge her as a saintly and immaculate figure. They refer to her to as the Virgin Mary (peace be upon her).
In relation to this, the Qur’an states, “We will mention Mary in the Book, when she had withdrawn from her family to the East and shielded herself from them, soon we sent her Our angel (Gabriel) and he appeared before her, a perfect man. She said to him, ‘I seek God’s protection from you, that is if you fear Him.’ He said, ‘I am only a messenger from your Lord to announce to you the gift of an immaculate son.’ She said, ‘How should I have a son, when no man has ever touched me, and I am not a wanton woman?’ He said, ‘The Lord said that it shall be, and it shall be effortlessly, and that your son will be a miracle among men and a mercy to them, and so it has been decreed.’”
This message is reiterated in another verse of the Qur’an, “And the angels said, ‘0’ Mary, God has chosen you, purified you, and chosen you above all the women of the world.’” Christ’s disciples (may God be pleased with them) are also familiar to Muslims. The Qur’an states, “When Jesus found disbelief on their part, he said, ‘Who shall aid me in the cause of God?’ So the Apostles said, ‘We are God’s devotees and will aid in the cause of God; we believe in God, bear witness that we submit to God.’”
This is again mentioned in another verse, “0’ believers, be devoted to God, as Jesus, son of Mary, had once said to his disciples, ‘Who will aid the cause of God?’ So the Apostles said, ‘We will!’ Then a group of the Children of Israel believed but the other group did not, so we empowered those who believed against their enemies and they prevailed.”
Muslims also believe in Christ’s second coming. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is quoted in Bukhari as saying, “I swear by He Who owns my soul, the son of Mary will soon descend among you and be a just ruler; he will shatter the cross, kill the swine, and establish peace. And due to the prevalent affluence, people will reject money that is offered them.”
Muslims also know of Christ’s features and character. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is quoted in Bukhari as saying, “While I was sleeping, I dreamt that I was circumambulating the Kaaba and I saw a copper-skinned, straight-haired man sauntering between two men. I asked, ‘Who is he?’ And they said, ‘This is the son of Maryam.’” In another hadith in Bukhari, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) describes Christ as a “man of medium height, copper-skinned, and looking as if he had just gotten out of a bath: pure, radiant, fresh, and luminous.”
So in light of these magnificent examples of Muslims’ extensive knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, the Bible, and the venerated Apostles, we might say with scientific certainty that Muslims are indeed not ignorant of Christianity. In consideration of this shining vivid truth, Christians ought to acquire more knowledge, or rather learn more about Islamic culture, before making such accusations.
This should be done, firstly, with an aim of exchanging knowledge between Muslims and Christians on Muhammad son of Abdullah and Jesus son of Mary (peace be upon them both), and, secondly, to deal with the activities of some Christian’s that have actively distorted, demeaned and defamed Islam and its culture. Presuming no ill will on their part, the undisputed conclusion is that ignorance is the cause of this war on Islam. And nothing will wash away this ignorance but pure rivers of Islamic knowledge: the Qur’an, the Sunna, doctrine, law, and culture. To list a few of the issues that Christians should know about Muslims is the fact that Muslims are required, as part of their faith, to believe in Jesus son of Mary and acknowledge him as a prophet and as God’s messenger. Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is repeatedly glorified throughout the Qur’an and in several hadiths. Likewise, Islam has defended and vindicated the Virgin Mary from the libelous accusations of her enemies and their assaults on her immaculate virtue. The Qur’an states, “And because they disbelieved and wrongfully accused Mary of a grave charge.”
With regards to Christians, Islam has established the fact that Christians are the most amicable and benevolent of people to Muslims. The Qur’an states, “And you will find those who said we are Christians, the most amicable and benevolent to Muslims. For there are men devoted to knowledge among them, and others who have renounced the world, and are not arrogant.” Christians should use this fact as a solid bridge of communication between themselves and Muslims.
Islam has also proclaimed and acknowledged the Christian right of existence based on the foundations of the Islamic doctrine: acknowledging Jesus and the Bible, and describing Christians with an objective and delicate epithet in the Qur’an and Sunna: The People of the Book. It is inconceivable that this epithet was meant to degrade them in any way; in fact it was certainly meant to honor them. Moreover a doctrinal proclamation is embedded in this epithet: Christians are People with a Book from God. This is the best acknowledgement of their incorporeal existence, which is also the foundation of their material existence.
Undoubtedly ignorance of such tolerance leads to scientific and behavioral catastrophes; for example the position Fred Neil, a member of the Australian Parliament, took when he said, “Islam denies Christianity the right to exist!” It is perhaps the task of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other wise Christians to abolish such ignorance.
— Zeinul Abideen Al-Rikabi is an Islamic scholar based in Riyadh.
