Quran Garden

Session 391

Chapter 3

Verse 55

A continuation

God said, "Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to Me: I will purify you of the disbelievers. I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved till the Day of Resurrection. Then you will all return to Me, and I will judge between you regarding your differences." (Chapter 3: Verse 55)

Jesus, peace be upon him, faced a corrupt society that did not want anything to do with his message of peace and justice.  The elites of the Israelites conspired to kill him, so God protected His messenger, raised him to the heavens, and thus purified him from the malice and corruption of the disbelievers.  He says, "I will purify you of the disbelievers."

Lastly, Allah assured Jesus that such people will never prevail.  He says, "I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved till the Day of Resurrection." Let's take a few moments to study the phrase "those who follow you. "  The verb "follow" has two meanings.  First, it indicates that there is a leader and a disciple.  The follower is the one who walks in the footsteps of the leader.  Second, it means "to come later."   For example, the month of August follows the month of July. 

So, we ask, who are the followers of Jesus?  Again, we can answer this question in two ways.  Chronologically, the message and the scriptures that followed Jesus and the Gospel were Muhammad and the Noble Quran's message.  Ideologically, the followers of Jesus are the ones who adhere to his message and walk his path.  Jesus said:

Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path. (3:51)

Are the Christians who claim Jesus as a God or the son of God adhering to his message?   Or are they treading a path completely different from the one Jesus walked?  Our beloved Jesus did not claim divinity or trinity.  The people who follow a path other than what Jesus preached are not his followers, regardless if they call themselves Christians or not.  On the other hand, the people who walk the path of monotheism are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, regardless if they call themselves Christians or not.    

Our beloved Muhammad came to bring people back to the path of their Lord and to correct the deviations that permeated the teachings of Christ over the ages.  God says, "I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved till the Day of Resurrection."

The word "superior" does not mean defeating and conquering the other side; instead, it means to prevail over in argument and proof.  And that only occurs when there are fair and sensible people who weigh the evidence.  Such people consistently find the truth in Islam and its doctrine.  Hence, the superiority God is referring to is the superiority of evidence and strength of proof. The Almighty says:

It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth that He may make it prevail over all religions, however hateful this may be to those who associate partners with God. (9:33)

And in another chapter:

It is He Who has sent His Messenger with the Divine guidance and the religion of truth that He may make it prevail over all religions. God suffices asa witness. (48:28)

People often say, "There are many religions in the world, but Islam did not prevail over them.  The Muslims in the world are now over a billion, but other faiths' followers far outnumber them."  We answer that God wanted Islam to prevail with arguments that often come not from Muslims but from others, even the enemies of Islam.  You do not have to look far to see how man-made legislations in non-Muslim countries are often amended over and over to align with God's teachings in Islam.  Lawmakers have limited knowledge of the future and are often self-serving.  Thus, the laws they enact are short-sighted and short-lived. 

History proved that the disbelievers often adopt God's prescribed ways to solve the problems of society.  Governments that allow the free use of alcohol come back repeatedly to restrict its use to a certain age, certain locations, and specific amounts.   Western and eastern secular laws are passed to limit gambling and fund addiction centers due to their harmful effects on individuals and families.  

Western countries that exported the interest usury-based banking system to the entire planet resort to zero interest policies when they run into trouble.  This is not done to comply with the Lord's teachings but because they see it as the best way to bring the financial system back into balance. 

You see a similar pattern in the religious arena.  For centuries, the Catholic Church did not allow divorce and considered it against a woman's right.  But the circumstances of life and marital problems forced them to rethink the rulings related to divorce. Did they become lenient towards divorce because Islam permits it? Of course not; they became lenient because they found it to be the best solution.  Similar are the issues of alcohol and gambling mentioned earlier.  It was not Islam that forced the laws' changes.  It was family, public health, and death-related issues that compelled lawmakers to revisit these issues over and over.  Hence, the verse "I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieved till the Day of Resurrection" means that non-Muslims will have to resort to the Islamic system to resolve their issues, even if they do not accept Islam as a religion.  Is there more superior evidence than the one that comes from your opponent?

Jesus, peace be upon him, was a messenger for the Children of Israel.  However, the true followers of Christ are not bound by land, nationality, or race.  The religion of the heavens is the only true bond of humanity.  The true inheritors of God's messengers are the people who correctly follow them, not those who inherit the genes of the prophets.  Perhaps the story of Prophet Noah explains this concept best.  When Noah's son was about to drown, Noah raised his hands towards the heavens and supplicated:  

Noah called on his Lord and said, "O Lord, my son is surely a member of my family, and verily Your promise is true, as You are the most just of all judges." (11:45)

To which God replied:

"O Noah! He is not of your family. He is one of unrighteous conduct. So do not ask of Me what you have no knowledge of. I caution you so that you do not behave as one among the ignorant." (11:46)

             God explained that Noah's son was not ascribed to Noah because his deeds were unrighteous.  Only the followers of God's teachings were his true family. 

Similarly, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to Salman –a companion from Persia, "Salman, you are one of us, the household of Muhammad." Thus, Salman belonged to Al-Bayt –the close family of Muhammad–by virtue of his faith. 

A person who attributes him or herself to Christianity but adopts the ideas of the trinity is not of Christ.  Names do not matter: proper faith does.  A faithful follower is the one who follows the scripture as revealed by God and delivered by His messengers.  Islam brought people back to the path of Jesus and all the messengers before him.  The Quran clarifies many of the fabrications people added, omitted, and falsified in the Gospel.  Fair-minded people who take the time to study would surely reach a similar conclusion.  God says,

And you are sure to find that the closest in affection towards the believers are those who say, "We are Christians," for there are among them people devoted to learning and ascetics, and because they are not arrogant.  And when they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you will see their eyes over?owing with tears because they recognize the Truth. They say, "Our Lord, we believe, so count us amongst the witnesses." (from 5: 82, 83)