Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (4/494)

Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-MasīhIbn Taimiya

and that his superior rank does not take him out of the class of the messengers, as the Exalted One says:

“The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; messengers passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth; they both used to eat food. Observe how We make the signs clear to them, then observe how they are turned away.” (Q 5:75)

He, exalted is He, also says:

“The Messiah said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates anything with Allah, Allah has made Paradise forbidden to him, and his refuge is the Fire. The wrongdoers will have no helpers.’ They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the third of three,’ for there is no god except the one God. If they do not desist from what they say, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. Will they not then repent to Allah and seek His forgiveness? Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a messenger; messengers passed away before him, and his mother was a woman of truth.” (Q 5:72–75)

The essence of this reply is that every description they apply to the Messiah—his being the Son of God; that Allah indwelt, appeared in, or resided in him; that the Rūḥ al-Qudus (the Holy Spirit) or the Spirit of Allah settled in him; and his being the Christ—is, in their own books, ascribed to others besides the Messiah. The Messiah, therefore, enjoys no exclusive right to any of these expressions. His only unique designation is the title “the Word” and the fact that he was embodied through the Rūḥ al-Qudus; this alone is what the Qur’an singles out for him, for Allah has said:

لَا يَقْتَضِي خُرُوجَهُ عَنْ جِنْسِ الرُّسُلِ، كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {مَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلَانِ الطَّعَامَ انْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْآيَاتِ ثُمَّ انْظُرْ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ} [المائدة: ٧٥] وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَقَالَ الْمَسِيحُ يَابَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ - لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ - أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ - مَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ} [المائدة: ٧٢ - ٧٥] . وَجِمَاعُ هَذَا الْجَوَابِ: أَنَّ مَا يُوصَفُ بِهِ الْمَسِيحُ عِنْدَهُمْ مِنْ كَوْنِهِ ابْنَ اللَّهِ، وَكَوْنِ اللَّهِ حَلَّ فِيهِ، أَوْ ظَهَرَ أَوْ سَكَنَ، وَكَوْنِ رُوحِ الْقُدُسِ أَوْ رُوحِ اللَّهِ حَلَّتْ فِيهِ، وَكَوْنِهِ مَسِيحًا - كُلُّ ذَلِكَ مَوْجُودٌ عِنْدَهُمْ فِي حَقِّ غَيْرِ الْمَسِيحِ. فَلَيْسَ لِلْمَسِيحِ اخْتِصَاصٌ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَلْفَاظِ، وَإِنَّمَا يُوجَدُ اخْتِصَاصُهُ بِلَفْظِ الْكَلِمَةِ، وَكَوْنُهُ تَجَسَّدَ مِنْ رُوحِ الْقُدُسِ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي خَصَّهُ بِهِ الْقُرْآنُ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَالَ: