But she pointed to him [Isa]. They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle?
He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet;
And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live;
And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed;
And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.
Such is Isa, son of Marium; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute.
It beseems not Allah that He should take to Himself a son, glory to be Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it “Be,” and it is.
… And they say: The Beneficent God has taken (to Himself) a son.
Certainly you have made an abominable assertion
The heavens may almost be rent thereat, and the earth cleave asunder, and the mountains fall down in pieces,
That they ascribe a son to the Beneficent God.
And it is not worthy of the Beneficent God that He should take (to Himself) a son.
There is no one in the heavens and the earth but will come to the Beneficent God as a servant. (19.29-35, 88-93)
For Allah to have a son is an abomination, according to the Qur’an. Isa himself, as honored as he may be, is only a servant. This is a large sticking point for Islam when conversing with the Christian world because of the ever present relationship Isa has with God among believers of the latter: Isa is the Father’s Son.
Clearly there is something of a misconception going on, but even saying that I must be cautious (I’ll explain why shortly). Historically, the vast majority of Christianity has recognized that the relationship between the Father and the Son was not a literal, flesh and blood, biological relationship. The Father did not physically beget the Son. But, as we see in the Qur’an, somehow the idea that we promote a physical relationship, i.e. the same way I am my dad’s son, found it’s way to being ascribed to us.
Well, who is to blame for the misconception? Muhammad or Allah? Allah dictated the words of the Qur’an. But for the Christian, Allah did no such thing; Muhammad was responsible for the words of the Qur’an. So how do you handle the interaction?
