In the name of Allāh,
the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Peace and Blessings of Allāh on Mohammad.
DEDICATED TO
Allāh–the Glorious and the High,
Lord of the worlds
AND TO
Mohammad–who brought the world
to our feet and eternity to our arms.
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JESUS–BLESS YOUR CURSERS
As prophet of God it is without doubt that Jesus gave honorable teachings. But lofty teachings do not make him greater than other prophets (or make him Divine) as Christians believe.
Jesus says: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:44-46. Comments on the other statements of Jesus, love your enemies; done separately. Please see related topics).
It is without doubt that the most profound gift one can ask for himself and for others is for God’s blessings. (And only God can confer blessings and effect harm and grant forgiveness of sins. The man who claims he can do so is either ignorant of his mortal limitations or a liar). Jesus saying to bless and pray for them that curse you is not unique to Jesus (nor does it make him God or son of God or vicarious atoner).
While these are sublime teachings, Jesus did not practice his preaching of blessing and praying for his enemies. Not only did Jesus regard people who did NOT “curse” him as “dogs” and “swine” and preached in parables so they would not understand and be saved–(Matt. 7:6; 15:26; Mark 4:9-12). In contrast to his saying to bless and pray for them that curse you and do good to them that hate and pray for them that persecute you Jesus
-Instead of blessing it, Jesus cursed a helpless and blameless fig tree; which is not only hypocrisy but it is a sin to curse a thing that has no control over itself–(Mark 11:12-21).
-Instead of blessing and praying for and forgiving his enemies Jesus ordered that his enemies be slain; which is hypocrisy–(Luke 19:27)
-Instead of blessing and forgiving and praying for them Jesus tells people to let the dead bury the dead (whereas he resurrected Lazarus, the widow’s son, and Jairus’ daughter); which is hypocrisy–(Matt. 8:22; John 11:43-44; Luke 7:12-15; 8:41, 49-55).
-Instead of blessing and forgiving the Jews, Jesus put the blood of the prophets murdered by the Jewish fathers onto the head of the Jews and consigned them to the greater damnation of hell; which is hypocrisy–(Matt. 7:1; 23:14, 33-38).
–Instead of blessing and forgiving and praying for the people of Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida Jesus castigated them as being worse than the people of Sodom for not accepting his miracles and reforming; and instead of blessing and praying for the Jews, he ridiculed them as “generation of vipers;” “evil and adulterous generation;” as “fools” and “blind guides;” which is hypocrisy–(Matt. 11:20-24; 12:34, 39; 23:16-17, 24).
–Instead of blessing and forgiving and praying for the bird-sellers and moneychangers Jesus boots them out of the temple; which is hypocrisy–(Matt. 5:41; 21:12).
-Instead of blessing and forgiving and praying for his mother Jesus disowns his mother; which is not only hypocrisy but a major sin–(Matt. 19:19; 12:46-50): “Then one said unto him (Jesus), Behold, thy mother and thy brethren….But he answered and said, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren?” (and he gestured to his disciples) “Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Mary could not have been guilty of neglecting God so that Jesus should dishonor her; Mary was chosen over all women because she was “highly favoured” by God, and “blessed”–(Luke 1:28). In fact, Christians honor Mary as “Mother of God.” And, to this day, as Christians claim, Mary makes appearances and even cure/give power to people so that they are canonized as saints.
In contrast Allāh revealed in His Qur’an that angels pray for the forgiveness of all mankind: “the angels celebrate the praise of their Lord and ask forgiveness for those on earth. Now surely Allāh is the Forgiving, the Merciful”–(Qur’an 42:5); to forgive others, and even when we are angry (Qur’an 2:109; 45:14; 42:36-40; 43; 45:14); for Allāh has ordained mercy on Himself–(Qur’an 6:12, 54; 7:156; 39:53-54; 40:9).
And the Prophet Mohammad not only gave the Divine Message of the Qur’an clearly and to all, he forgave his rabid enemies of twenty-three grueling years who persecuted him, tortured his followers,1 besieged him, tried to assassinate him, forced him into exile, pursue and warred on him: “It is related that the Prophet took hold of the two sides of the gate of the Ka'ba on the day of the conquest of Makkah and said to the Quraish: How do you think I should treat you? They said: We hope for good, a noble brother and the son of a noble brother. Then he said: I say as my brother Joseph said: “No reproof be against you this day” (Rz)”
No inquisition. No incrimination. No confession. No rancor. Only lofty words of benevolence and nobility -"No reproof be against you this day"! 2
Mohammad even forgave the horrid Hind; the woman who is said to have cut open the body of his uncle, Hamza, as he lay dying on the battlefield and ripped out his liver and chewed it.3
Mohammad also prayed for his dead enemy, saying: “if I knew that if I asked forgiveness for him more than seventy times, he would be forgiven, I would ask it for more times than that”–(Qur’an 9:84, 113. Bokhari Vol. 6, # 193, 194).
Such is the expanse of the mercy and magnanimity of this wonderful man Mohammad. Now that is “love your enemies.”
Even if Jesus, had practiced what he preached (and Muslims, contrary to the Gospels, have no doubt that Jesus practiced what he preached) yet this would not make Jesus Divine and vicarious atoner.
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NOTES
1. “Yåsir and Sumayyah, husband and wife, suffered death at the hands of the disbelievers because they would not recant, the latter being put to death most cruelly, her legs being tied to two camels which were made to run in opposite directions. Their son ‘Ammår, however, was not so resolute. The cruellest persecutions were inflicted on those slaves who had become converts to Islam. Muir says: “These were seized and imprisoned, or they were exposed upon the scorching gravel of the valley to the intense glare of the midday sun. The torment was enhanced by intolerable thirst, until the wretched sufferers hardly knew what they said.” Yet even under these trying circumstances, which would have maddened even the most resolute man, there were those among these slave-converts who were as firm as a mountain; as in the case of Bilål, of whom it is recorded that “in the depth of his anguish the persecutors could force from him but one expression, Ahad! Ahad! (One! One! God)” (Muir).” Muhammad Ali Qur’anic comm. 16:106.
2. See Qur’an 12:92 for this saying of the prophet Joseph. Quote taken from Muhammad Ali comm. Qur’an 12:92).
3. Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, p. 267.