CAIR ISLAM-OPED: Jesus and Muhammad are Brothers

ISLAM-OPED is a syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

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CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, ihooper@cair.com, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Jesus and Muhammad are Brothers
By Ibrahim Hooper
Word Count: 520

[Ibrahim Hooper is national communications director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties organization. He may be contacted at: ihooper@cair.com A photo of Ibrahim Hooper is available at: http://tinyurl.com/hooperphoto ]

During the Christmas season, Christian families seek to maintain a focus on Jesus and his legacy.

Many of our Christian brothers and sisters may be surprised to know that Muslims love and revere Jesus as one of God's greatest messengers to mankind, just as we love and revere the Prophet Muhammad, may peace be upon them both.

The Prophet Muhammad sought to erase any distinctions between the message he taught and that taught by Jesus, whom he called God's "spirit and word."

Prophet Muhammad said: "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one."

"Behold! The angels said: 'O Mary! God gives thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God.'"

The quote above is not from the New Testament. It is taken from the Quran, Islam's revealed text. (3:45)

Other verses in the Quran, regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God, state that Jesus was strengthened with the "Holy Spirit" (2:87) and is a "sign for the whole world." (21:91) His virgin birth was confirmed when Mary is quoted as asking: "How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?" (3:47)

An entire chapter of the Quran (Chapter 19) is named after Jesus' mother Mary, "Maryam" in the Arabic of the Quran.

The Quran shows Jesus speaking from the cradle and, with God's permission, curing lepers and the blind. (5:110) God also states in the Quran: "We gave (Jesus) the Gospel and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers." (57:27)

Muslims believe Jesus will return to earth in the last days before the final judgment. Disrespect toward Jesus is very offensive to Muslims.

The message of love, peace and forgiveness taught by Jesus, and accepted by both Christians and Muslims, can serve as a unifying force in a troubled world.

It is the same message of unity expressed by another verse in the Quran:

"Say ye: 'We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves.'" (2:136)

Obviously, Muslims and Christians have differing interpretations of the details of the life and message of Jesus. But by focusing on what we have in common, Christians and Muslims of goodwill can help build bridges of interfaith understanding and serve as a counterweight to the voices of division and extremism.

As the Quran tells us: "O humankind! We have created you male and female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you." (49:13)

Give Thanks and Give to Those in Need

By Nihad Awad

WORD COUNT: 611

(Nihad Awad is national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), America's largest Muslim civil rights organization. He may be contacted at: nawad@cair.com.)

During our nation's current economic downturn, and in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy, many of our fellow Americans are suffering.

That is why it is so important this Thanksgiving to show thanks for all the blessings we have by reaching out to those in need.

Video: A Thanksgiving Message from CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad

American Muslims nationwide are helping set an example of such giving.

Members of Georgetown University's Muslim Student Association are traveling to Tennessee to perform community service projects over their school's holiday break.

In New York, Muslim attendees at a church's annual multi-faith Thanksgiving celebration donated food items for distribution to the needy.

Muslims and Jews in at least 17 cities across North America will join together to provide meals to the hungry and homeless.

Groups like Muslims Against Hunger Project and American Muslims for Hunger Relief will feed homeless people in New Jersey, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C.

The University of Cincinnati's Muslim Student Association and Project Downtown Cincinnati combined efforts to distribute turkeys and food packages to needy families in the Cincinnati area. They adopted this effort from the Cincinnati chapter of my own organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has run this project since 2008.

The Columbus office of CAIR also donated Thanksgiving turkeys to the YWCA Family Shelter as part of its Feeding Families project.

These are just a few examples of what can be done by committed volunteers to help their fellow citizens who are in need.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, God will fulfill his needs. Whoever eases his brother's difficulty, God will ease his difficulty in this life and on the Day of Resurrection." (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

The Prophet also said: "He who has enough food for two, let him invite a third, and he who has food for four, let him invite a fifth or a sixth." He also said: "He whose food exceeds his needs, let him share it with those who do not have food." (Fiqh-us-Sunnah)

Another Islamic tradition (hadith) stresses the spiritual reward for feeding the needy. In that tradition, God is quoted as saying: "(O humankind). . .Did you not know that had you fed (those in need), you would surely have found (the reward for doing so) with Me?" (Hadith Qudsi)

In the Quran, Islam's revealed text, God said: "(The truly virtuous are those) who feed the poor, the orphan and the captive for the love of God." (76:8)

God also states: "What will explain to you the path that is steep? It is the freeing of a (slave) from bondage, or the giving of food in a day of famine to an orphan relative or to a needy (stranger) in distress, and to be of those who believe, enjoin patience (in
adversity) and encourage deeds of kindness and compassion." (90:12-17)

Because Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday, Americans of all faiths have an opportunity to offer their own perspective on this uniquely American gathering.

Muslims are taught to thank God on all occasions, even in times of difficulty.

The Prophet Muhammad said: "The first to be summoned to paradise on the Day of Resurrection will be those who praise God in prosperity and adversity." He also said, "Whoever does not thank people, does not thank God." (Al-Tirmidhi)

So this year, when we celebrate with friends and family this Thanksgiving, let us all encourage deeds of kindness and compassion, count our blessings and show true thankfulness by sharing whatever we have with those in need.

Giving thanks and performing acts of kindness should be incorporated in our lives every day of the year, not just at Thanksgiving.