Christmas is celebrated all over the world with religious fervour with special prayers for peace in almost all churches across the world. Churches are decorated with lights, balloons and ribbons to celebrate Christmas as the birthday of Jesus Christ. Christmas is an auspicious day when people from other faiths wish them. In many parts of the world, Muslims thronged to greet their Christian friends with the message of peace.
Christianity is a Semitic religion. Jesus is also a revered figure in Islam which is also a Semitic religion. Islam is the only Non-Christian faith that prescribes faith in Prophet Jesus. No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus Christ. We Muslims believe that he was one of the mightiest messengers of God.The Qur’ān (112:1 to 4) says:“Say, He is God the one and only God the Eternal, Absolute. He Begets Not, Nor is He Begotten, and there is none like unto Him.”
We Muslims believe God sent 1,24,000 Prophets and Jesus is one of them like Muhammad ﷺ, the Last and Final Messenger of God. We Muslims believe that he was born miraculously without any male intervention.We also believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission. Also, he healed those born blind and lepers with God’s permission. He was sent by God to confirm the previous Judaic law.The Christians believe that God loves so much Jesus Christ that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. The Qur’ān mentions Jesus Christ 25 times, which is more than any other prophets mentioned therein.
A separate chapter is revealed on the mother of Jesus Christ, named Chapter Mary.Besides, Chapter Ale-Imran (3:43 and 45) says:“O Mary! Remain devout to your Lord, and prostrate yourself in worship, and bow with those who bow (before Him)…. And when the angels said: ‘O Mary! Allah gives you the glad tidings of a command from Him: his name shall be Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary. He shall be highly honoured in this world and in the Next, and shall be one of those near stationed to Allah.’”
Christmas is one of the days when truth downed on the earth. With this truth, the world was able to comprehend the dichotomy of good and bad, just and unjust, the Devine and evil. Celebrating Christmas is rejoicing in this profound truth and sharing it with others.Of course, Jesus Christ is God’s perfect, indescribable gift.
In the United States, a billboard went up near the O’Hare Oasis on I-294 around Christmas, reminding people that “Muslims love Jesus”.Oakbrook Terrace-based Islamic education centre GainPeace, the outreach arm of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), placed the signs in Chicago, Houston and Dallas to highlight the commonalities between Christians and Muslims.
“We’ve been getting a lot of calls and questions like, ‘What do you mean you guys believe in Jesus?’” GainPeace volunteer Aamer Abdul-Jaleel tells Axios, noting that Islam considers Jesus a “Messenger of God”.“When we explain that and in order to be a Muslim, we have to believe in Jesus and the Virgin Mary, they’re just blown away.”