Q. A film based on a popular novel called The Da Vinci Code has been circulated widely. It shows the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) in some blasphemous situations. Is it not right that Muslims should protest against such an insult to one of God’s prophets and messengers? What does the Qur’an say about the marriage and fatherhood of Prophet Jesus?
K. Siddiqui
A. To start with, the Qur’an does not say anything about Prophet Jesus having been married to anyone prior to the end of his life on earth. As for his fatherhood, if you mean him as having had children through a marriage, again the Qur’an is silent on this point. Therefore, we cannot say anything about either of these events having ever taken place. We simply do not delve into historical information that has not been given to us by a reliable and authorized source.
I have neither seen this film nor read the novel. Therefore, I cannot judge its contents. Having said that, I should add that it is unacceptable to any Muslim that any prophet should be shown in any compromising way. All prophets are held in very high esteem by all Muslims. Therefore, an insult to any of them is an insult to all Muslims, throughout the world. Protests against such insults should be made by Muslims wherever they happen to be, but we should learn from past lessons and measure our protests by a careful yardstick that weighs benefit and gain against loss and damage to individuals and the community at large.
