What! No Easter?
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
234 |
| Khutbah Date: |
04/06/07 |
[b]لاَ يُكَلِّفُ اللّهُ نَفْسًا إِلاَّ وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا اكْتَسَبَتْ[/b]Allah does not burden any human being with more than he is well able to bear: in his favor shall be whatever good he does, and against him whatever evil he does. [Qur’an 2:286]Millions of Christians commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (pbuh) this weekend, and this begs the question that if Jesus is important to Muslims, then why don’t Muslims commemorate Easter?[b]Honor All Prophets[/b]The Qur'an mentions about 25 of the Biblical Prophets by name [Q4:163] and we are further told that there have been prophets besides those mentioned in the Qur’an: [i]“And We sent messengers We have mentioned to thee before, and messengers We have not mentioned to thee” [/i] [Q4:164].It is an Islamic article of Faith to believe …[list][*]in all Prophets; from Adam through Abraham, Moses, Jesus to Muhammad (peace be upon them) [Q2:184] [/*][*]all Prophets were models of excellence who were commissioned to guide humankind [Q2:213] [/*][*]the mission of Prophets was to establish justice for all [Q57:25] [/*][*]that Prophets were the embodiments of Righteousness.
“And Zachariah, John, Jesus and Elijah; all of these were of the most Righteous.”[Q6:85][/*][/list] Islam emphasizes the universality of the institution of prophethood.According to the Qur’an, there is not a single nation in the world to which a prophet has not appeared sometime in history: [i]“There is not a people but a warner has gone among them”[/i][Q35:24]. And again: [i]“For every nation there is a messenger” [/i][Q10:47] [b]Jesus Unique[/b]Jesus denied by some as a fictional character, accused of being an illegitimate child by some, misconceived as divine by many; considered as a Prophet and Messiah in Islam. It is obvious that Jesus holds an exalted place within Islam. Some of the honorable epithets of Jesus (pbuh) mentioned in the Qur'an are … Prophet /
nabi , Messenger of God /
rasul, the son of (this great woman)Mary /
ibne Maryam, of the Righteous /
min-as-salihin, word of Allah /
kalimatu-Llah), spirit from God /
ruhun mina' Llah, positive sign/symbol for humanity /
aayatun lin- naas, mercy from God /
rahmatan minna, eminent in this world and the next /
wajihan fid-dunya wal-aakhirah, and most unique of all … the Messiah /
masih. Allah bears testimony to the truthfulness of Jesus; his mission, character, status and his very being. Allah bears testimony to the truthfulness of Jesus; his mission, character, status and his very being.
“Such was Jesus the son of Mary: a statement of truth, about which people dispute.” [Q19: 34].
Why No EasterThough Muslims accept Jesus (pbuh) as a great prophet, revere his exemplary mother Mary, and believe that Jesus is the Messiah; Muslims do not accept the major concepts that are central to the commemoration of the Easter weekend. Among these concepts are…[list][*]Divine Incarnation and Trinity [Q4:171][Q112:1-4] ~Allah is ONE in an absolute sense, no one shares in His Lordship nor in His divinity; nothing is equal or comparable to God. This is in keeping with the command, “and Jesus answered him, the first of all the commandment is, Hear, O Israel; The LORD our God is One LORD.”[Mark 12:29]. In promoting a great human such as Jesus (pbuh) to divinity, does not elevate Jesus as much as it minimizes the concept of the divine; is not making the finite infinite as much as making the perfect imperfect; not an elevation of Jesus, but rather a devaluation of the Divine. [/*][*]Crucifixion ~ Christ, according to Muslim belief, did NOT die on a cross[Q4:157] but was rather elevated by Allah and saved from being killed [Q4:158]. [/*][*]Resurrection ~ Not having died, Jesus could NOT have been resurrected[Q4:156] [/*][*]Inherited Sinfulness [Q2:285] ~ Babies are born pure and no one is born bearing the sin of any one and no one bears the burden of another [Q17:15]. [/*][*]Redemption / Atonement ~ Muslims do not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, so there is no theological need for the all-atoning sacrifice of Jesus through his crucifixion and resurrection. Muslims further believe that each person will be held accountable before God for his/her own actions and thus responsible for their own salvation. Therefore, we will not be able to rely upon anyone else, not even Jesus or Muhammad, to save us from our sins. Sins are those acts we deliberately incur by our choice of actions, we are responsible and hence personally accountable. In Islam there is no notion of redemption for one’s sin by another. Each one is accountable for himself/herself [Q 99:7-8] and for each person according to his/her personal striving[Q 2:286]. Remember …
[/*][/list] [b]مَّنِ اهْتَدَى فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدي لِنَفْسِهِ وَمَن ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا وَلاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى[/b]Whosoever chooses to be guided, chooses so to his own benefit;Whosoever chooses to go astray, choose so to his own detriment;And each one bears the responsibility of his own choice.[/*][/list][b]Legacy of Prophets[/b]The struggle and legacy of the Prophets (peace be upon them) serve as universal guides, excellent examples and as sources of hope and inspiration. Violent events on the nightly news unfortunately provide ample ammunition for those promoting religious hostility and feeds the misconception that intolerance and hate-filled rhetoric is the norm. That is not the Abrahamic spirit. Muslims and Christians do have differing perspectives on Jesus' life and teachings, but his spiritual legacy, as a righteous and principled guide, his mission as a Prince of Peace offers an alternative opportunity for people of faith to recognize their shared religious heritage. Christians and Muslims would do well to reflect on the verse in the Quran reaffirming Allah's eternal message of spiritual unity: [i]"Say: 'We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and message given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves." [/i][Qur'an 2:136]
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