Christians now begin to celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Many of us Christians don’t know that the Holy Qur’an (the holy book of Islam) includes a story of Jesus’ birth.
“The angels said to Mary: 'Allah bids you rejoice in a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary. He shall be noble in this world and in the next, and shall be favored by Allah. He shall preach to men in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and shall lead a righteous life.' (Qur’an 3:45-46)
Here’s one translation of the Christmas story, from the Qur’an 19:16-33. Allah is speaking through the Prophet:
“And you shall recount in the Book the story of Mary: how she left her people and betook herself to a solitary place to the east.
“We sent to her Our spirit in the semblance of a full-grown man. And when she saw him she said: 'May the Merciful defend me from you! If you fear the Lord, leave me and go your way.'
“'I am the messenger of your Lord,' he replied, 'and have come to give you a holy son.'
“'How shall I bear a child,' she answered, 'when I am a virgin, untouched by man?'
“'Such is the will of your Lord,' he replied. 'That is no difficult thing for Him. "He shall be a sign to mankind," says the Lord, "and a blessing from Ourself. This is Our decree."'
“Thereupon she conceived him, and retired to a far-off place. And when she felt the throes of childbirth she lay down by the trunk of a palm-tree, crying: 'Oh, would that I had died and passed into oblivion!'
“But a voice from below cried out to her: 'Do not despair. Your Lord has provided a brook that runs at your feet, and if you shake the trunk of this palm-tree it will drop fresh ripe dates in your lap. Therefore rejoice. Eat and drink, and should you meet any mortal say to him: "I have vowed a fast to the Merciful and will not speak with any man today."'
“Carrying the child, she came to her people, who said to her: 'This is indeed a strange thing! Sister of Aaron, your father was never a whore-monger, nor was your mother a harlot.'
“She made a sign to them, pointing to the child. But they replied: 'How can we speak with a babe in the cradle?' Whereupon he spoke and said: 'I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Gospel and ordained me a prophet. His blessing is upon me wherever I go, and He has commanded me to be steadfast in prayer and to give alms to the poor as long as I shall live. He has exhorted me to honor my mother and has purged me of vanity and wickedness. I was blessed on the day I was born, and blessed I shall be on the day of my death; and may peace be upon me on the day when I shall be raised to life.'
So there’s the Christmas story as told through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. Muslims don’t worship Jesus as the Son of God. They don’t worship Mary as the mother of Jesus. They don’t worship Muhammad, or Abraham or any of the other Prophets. However, Muslims do revere all these, and many more, including all the prophets of the Old Testament.
So in that spirit of reverence, let’s celebrate the blessings of Christmas with all whose spiritual heritage descends from Abraham: Let’s work for peace and good will among all our neighbors. Merry Christmas!
