Author: Harris Abdullah
In the previous article ‘Those who disbelieve (Part 4), we had briefly mentioned about Isa Al-Masih being the Sign of Allah. Those who read the Quran will immediately realize that the matter of sign(s) have been mentioned countless times. It can hardly escape our attention except one deliberately not wanting to see. Today we will attempt to elaborate on the matter of sign(s) and in particular, Isa being the sign of Allah. All signs have been given either directly to mankind for instance in Surah 41: 37 “Among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon….” or through human agents eg. messengers as in Surah 57: 9 “He is the One Who sends to His Servant Manifest Signs…” are meant to point to Allah. Indeed as clearly said in Surah 45: 3 “Verily in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who believe”.
The following verse reads:
Surah 21: 91 And (remember) her who guarded her chastity: We breathed into her of Our spirit, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples.
It is interesting to note here that not only Isa is a sign but Allah made both Isa and Maryam a sign for all peoples (لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ). This unequivocally refers to the unique birth of Isa who is born of virgin Maryam such that he is one of a kind as a sign for all peoples. Of course, only Isa himself is the messenger. In order to understand the above verse better, we can look at other verses in Surah 29: 14, 15 concerning Noah and see how we can draw a parallel between these verses.
Surah 29: 14, 15 We (once) sent Noah to his people, and he tarried among them a thousand years less fifty: but the Deluge overwhelmed them while they (persisted in) sin. But We saved him and the companions of the Ark, and We made the (Ark) a Sign for all peoples!
Noah built the Ark upon Allah’s instruction. Noah brought the Ark, a sign of Allah into existence. Maryam gave birth to Isa according to the plan of Allah. The Ark is an instrument of salvation whereby those who boarded the Ark were saved from the deluge. Now Nabi Isa has become the sign like the ark. He is the ‘ark’ who becomes Allah’s instrument that will be able to save mankind from future condemnation. Hence, he is the chosen one, the perfect sacrifice to set captives free from sin just as in Luke 4:18, 19 “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
Therefore it is very clear that Noah and Isa are Rasuls who had called people to repent.
Surah 7: 59 We sent Noah to his people. He said: “O my people! worship Allah! ye have no other god but Him. I fear for you the punishment of a dreadful day!
Gospel of Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Further resemblance is that, Noah and his Ark (sign of salvation from Allah) were rejected by the people. Likewise Isa (sign of Allah) was also rejected by his own people. The people rejected the signs of Allah.
Surah 23: 26 (Noah) said: “O my Lord! help me: for that they accuse me of falsehood!”
Surah 7:64 But they rejected him, and We delivered him, and those with him, in the Ark: but We overwhelmed in the flood those who rejected Our signs. They were indeed a blind people!
Gospel of Mark 6: 3, 4 3“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”
A new generation of people was born of people who boarded the Ark (instrument of salvation from judgment) after the deluge. Will this not give us a hint of what Allah wants to do through Isa Al-Masih– to raise a new generation of people, a new creation?
However, the Quran mentions that not all who see the signs of Allah now are willing to accept them just like what happened in the days of Noah? What are the conditions of the people who reject the signs of Allah?
Surah 2: 99 We have sent down to thee Manifest Signs (ayat); and none reject them but those who are perverse.
Surah 7: 146 Those who behave arrogantly on the earth in defiance of right – them will I turn away from My signs: Even if they see all the signs, they will not believe in them; and if they see the way of right conduct, they will not adopt it as the way; but if they see the way of error, that is the way they will adopt. For they have rejected our signs, and failed to take warning from them.
Surah 39: 59 “(The reply will be:) ‘Nay, but there came to thee my Signs, and thou didst reject them: thou wast Haughty, and became one of those who reject faith!'”
These people who reject faith are defiantly disobedient (ٱلْفَـٰسِقُونَ ) or described as perverse in Surah 2: 99 and haughty/arrogant. Sometimes, we wonder whether such descriptions are used only to describe the non-believers. Surprisingly, there are Muslims whom we had talked to also reject the sign of Isa with arrogance just like what was mentioned in the verses above, and they even said that they don’t need to believe in Isa, they only need to know that Isa is the messenger of Allah, that is all. Anything concerning Isa is simply frivolous to them because they already have nabi Muhammad s.a.w. Do you see anywhere in the Quran that mentions that nabi Muhammad has superseded nabi Isa? They deny the sign of Allah by tendering foolish reasons which they themselves have to answer to Allah on the day of reckoning.
The men of faith make no distinction among the messengers and prophets as opposed to the practice of many who called themselves as believers – elevate some and marginalise the rest. Isa who is the sign from Allah is to be obeyed. Why do some Muslims not obeying Isa thus rejecting the sign of Allah? Is it because they have never actually feared Allah, so they choose to disobey Isa? Surah 2: 285 states “The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. “We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers.” And they say: “We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys.” Also Surah 3: 84 Say: “We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Isma’il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets, from their Lord: We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will (in Islam).”
That means those who claim to be Muslims have no prerogative to choose which messengers they want to believe in. Neither do they have the right to elevate some and denigrate others. The true Muslims are the ones who hear the word of all messengers be it Moses, Isa or Muhammad and obey them. Hear and obey the messengers constitute belief in Islam. Is this not clearly stated in the Quran? In fact it is not an overstatement to say that certain Muslims treat nabi Isa with little respect because they showed uneasiness at the mention of nabi Isa let alone obeying him. Is it a small matter that nabi Isa is made Kalimat Allah and Roh from Allah? Did it not cross their minds that there is a great purpose for bestowing Isa such level of importance in order to fulfil the plan of Allah/Yahweh?
The following verses further described the condition of people who reject the sign of Allah:
Surah 6: 39 Those who reject our signs are deaf and dumb,- in the midst of darkness profound: whom Allah willeth, He leaveth to wander: whom He willeth, He placeth on the way that is straight.
Surah 6: 46 Say: “Think ye, if Allah took away your hearing and your sight, and sealed up your hearts, who – a god other than Allah – could restore them to you?” See how We explain the signs by various (symbols); yet they turn aside.
The people who reject the signs of Allah are spiritually deaf and dumb. They prefer darkness, so Allah took away their hearing and sight and sealed up their hearts. Who can restore all these to them apart from Allah? Besides, these people followed their own vain desires instead of Allah’s desire as in Surah 7: 176 If it had been Our will, We should have elevated him with Our signs; but he inclined to the earth, and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him, he lolls out his tongue, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our signs; So relate the story; perchance they may reflect.
Worse, those who reject the signs of Allah are said to be evil as in Surah 7: 177 Evil as an example are people who reject Our signs and wrong their own souls. When one is said to be evil, does he not share the character of Iblis? Where do you think Iblis will end up?
How do the spiritually deaf and dumb treat the signs of Allah?
They deny the signs (Surah 23: 105 “Were not My Signs (āyātī) rehearsed to you, and ye did but treat them as falsehood?”(translation by Yusuf Ali).
“Were not My verses (āyātī) recited to you and you used to deny them (تُكَذِّبُونَ)?”(Sahih International Translation).
Besides denying the signs, they treat the signs with ridicule which Allah considers as defying faith/disbelieve (Surah 4: 140 Already has He sent you Word in the Book, that when ye hear the signs of Allah held in defiance and ridicule, ye are not to sit with them unless they turn to a different theme: if ye did, ye would be like them. For Allah will collect the hypocrites and those who defy faith – all in Hell). Furthermore, Surah 6: 21 mentions they invented lies against Allah (Who doth more wrong than he who inventeth a lie against Allah or rejecteth His signs? But verily the wrong-doers never shall prosper). See also surah 16:105.
We will look at some verses in the Quran to find out the destiny of people who continue to reject the signs of Allah. Apparently the fate of those who deny/reject the signs of Allah is of the worst kind as clearly expressed in the following verses:
Surah 45: 11 This is (true) Guidance and for those who reject the Signs of their Lord, is a grievous Penalty of abomination.
Surah 34: 5 But those who strive against Our Signs, to frustrate them,- for such will be a Penalty,- a Punishment most humiliating.
(see also verses 3: 105, 34: 38, 22: 57, 6: 49, 30: 16, 16: 104)
What is this grievous penalty/painful punishment of foul nature? What can be worse than to end up in Hell? The following verses will explain.
Surah 4: 56 Those who reject our Signs, We shall soon cast into the Fire: as often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins, that they may taste the penalty: for Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.
Surah 5: 10 Those who reject faith and deny our signs will be companions of Hell-fire.
(see also Surahs 22: 51, 5: 86, 64: 10).
To deny the signs of Allah by way of concealing them will put the wrong-doers under the curse of Allah as in Surah 2: 159 Those who conceal the clear (Signs) We have sent down, and the Guidance, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book,-on them shall be Allah’s curse, and the curse of those entitled to curse,– Commentary (163) by Yusuf Ali on this verse : Those entitled to curse: ie. Angels and mankind (see 2: 161). The cursed ones will deprive themselves of the protection of Allah and of the angels, and of the good wishes of mankind, because by contumaciously rejecting Faith, they not only sin against Allah but are false to their own manhood, which Allah created in the ‘best of moulds’ (QS: 95: 4). Reference: Surah 2: 161 Those who reject Faith, and die rejecting,- on them is Allah’s curse, and the curse of angels, and of all mankind;
Perhaps some believers may think that: what is the problem if they deny the signs of Allah because they can compensate by doing a lot of good works? This is a terrible misconception because the following verses will tell us why.
Surah 18: 103-106 103 Say: “Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds?-104 “Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?” 105 They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight. 106 That is their reward, Hell, because they rejected Faith, and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of jest.
Surah 7: 147 Those who reject Our signs and the meeting in the Hereafter,- vain are their deeds: Can they expect to be rewarded except as they have wrought?
What do the above verses tell us? Those who reject the signs of Allah and treat His messengers as laughingstock, no matter what they have done they will all be nullified ie. futile. All in all, those who disbelieve/reject the signs of Allah will end up as losers (Surah 39: 63 To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: and those who reject the Signs of Allah,- it is they who will be in loss). Unless one chooses to live in self-deception just as many who called themselves believers prefer to do, you would have quickly come to your senses and mend your ways by way of repentance; to truly seek Allah’s forgiveness and beseech Him to restore your spiritual sight and hearing and change your hearts to truly submit to Him as Muslim. Allah, the Most Merciful is the most forgiving towards the repentant hearts. Surah 2: 160 Except those who repent and make amends and openly declare (the Truth): To them I turn; for I am Oft-returning, Most Merciful. Even in the Torah it was mentioned in Ezekiel 36:26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
To be continued……….
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Note:
- All Al-Quran verses are sourced from English Translation of Al-Quran by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, with thanks.
- All Injil and Torah verses are sourced from New American Standard Bible with Codes (1995), with thanks.