The story of Prophet Eesaa -II

In the first part of the Story of Prophet 'Eesaa (Jesus), peace be upon him, we highlighted the most important events in his life: his miraculous birth, his childhood, the opposition of the Jewish authorities to his mission, his miracles, etc. Here we continue his story:

Prophet 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, continued calling people to Almighty Allaah and laying down for them what might be called the 'Law of the Spirit.' Once, when standing on a mountain surrounded by his disciples, 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, saw that those who believed in him were from among the poor, the wretched, and the downtrodden, and their number was small. Some of the miracles which 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, performed had been requested by his disciples, such as their wish for a 'holy table-spread' to be sent down from heaven. Allaah the Exalted Says:

{إِذْ قَالَ الْحَوَارِ‌يُّونَ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْ‌يَمَ هَلْ يَسْتَطِيعُ رَ‌بُّكَ أَن يُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ ۖ قَالَ اتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ . قَالُوا نُرِ‌يدُ أَن نَّأْكُلَ مِنْهَا وَتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُنَا وَنَعْلَمَ أَن قَدْ صَدَقْتَنَا وَنَكُونَ عَلَيْهَا مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ . قَالَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْ‌يَمَ اللَّـهُمَّ رَ‌بَّنَا أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِ‌نَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ ۖ وَارْ‌زُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ‌ الرَّ‌ازِقِينَ . قَالَ اللَّـهُ إِنِّي مُنَزِّلُهَا عَلَيْكُمْ ۖ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ‌ بَعْدُ مِنكُمْ فَإِنِّي أُعَذِّبُهُ عَذَابًا لَّا أُعَذِّبُهُ أَحَدًا مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ}

'Translation' {[And remember] when the disciples said: 'O 'Eesaa, Son of Maryam! Can your Lord send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven?' ['Eesaa] said: 'Fear Allaah, if you should be believers.' They said: 'We wish to eat from it and let our hearts be reassured and know that you have been truthful to us and be among its witnesses.' Said 'Eesaa, the son of Maryam: 'O Allaah, our Lord! Send down to us a table [spread with food] from the heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers.' Allaah said: 'Indeed, I will send it down to you, but whoever disbelieves afterwards from among you - then indeed will I punish him with a punishment by which I have not punished anyone among the worlds.'} [Al-Ma'ida:112-115].

'Eesaa, peace be upon him, commanded his disciples to fast for thirty days; at the end of it, they asked 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, to bring food from heaven to break their fast. 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, prayed to Allaah after his disciples had doubted Allaah's power. The great table came down between two clouds, one above and one below, while the people watched. 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, said: "O Lord! make it a mercy and not a cause of distress." So it fell between 'Eesaa's hands, covered with a napkin.

'Eesaa, peace be upon him, suddenly prostrated, and his disciples followed suit. They sensed a fragrance, which they had never smelled before. 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, said: "The one who is the most devout and most righteous may uncover the table, that we might eat of it to thank Allaah for it." They said: "O Spirit of Allaah! You are the most deserving."

'Eesaa, peace be upon him, stood up, performed ablution and prayed before uncovering the table, and behold, there was a roasted fish. The disciples said: "O Spirit of Allaah! Is this the food of this world or of Paradise?" 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, said to his disciples: "Did not Allaah forbid you to ask questions? It is the divine power of Allaah the Almighty, Who said: 'Be' and it was. It is a sign from Almighty Allaah warning of great punishment for unbelieving mortals of the world. This is the kernel of the matter."

It is said that thousands of people ate from it, and yet it was never entirely consumed. A further miracle was that the blind and lepers were cured by 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, by Allaah's leave.

The Day of the Table became one of the holy days for the disciples and followers of 'Eesaa, peace be upon him. Later, the disciples and followers who forgot the real essence of the miracles, worshipped 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, as a god. Almighty Allaah asserts:

{وَإِذْ قَالَ اللَّـهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْ‌يَمَ أَأَنتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَـٰهَيْنِ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ ۖ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ ۚ إِن كُنتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ ۚ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ ۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ}

'Translation' {And [beware the Day] when Allaah will say: 'O 'Eesaa, Son of Maryam! Did you say to the people: 'Take me and my mother as deities besides Allaah?' He (i.e. ‘Eesaa) will say: 'Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen'} [Al-Ma'ida:116].

'Eesaa, peace be upon him, went on his mission, until the corrupted leaders and hypocritical men of religious power felt his threat to them. So the forces of evil accused him of magic, infringement of the Mosaic Law, and allegiance with the devil; and when they saw that the poor people followed him, they began to scheme against him.

The Sanhedrin, the highest judicial and ecclesiastical council of the Jews, began to plot against 'Eesaa, peace be upon him. The plan took a new turn. When the Jews failed to stop the call of 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, they decided to kill him. The chief priests held secret meetings to agree on the best way of getting rid of 'Eesaa, peace be upon him. While they were in such a meeting, one of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to them and asked: "What will you give me if I deliver him to you?" Judas bargained with them until they agreed to give him thirty pieces of silver, known as shekels. The plot was laid for the capture and murder of 'Eesaa, peace be upon him.

The priests had no authority to pass the death sentence at that time, so they convinced the Roman governor that 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, was plotting against the security of the Roman Empire and urged him to take immediate action against him. The governor ordered that 'Eesaa, peace be upon him, be arrested and crucified.

The Glorious Quran, contrary to the Gospels, affirms that Allaah, the Exalted, did not permit the people of Israel to kill or crucify 'Eesaa, peace be upon him. Allaah saved him from his enemies and raised him to heaven. They never killed 'Eesaa, peace be upon him; they killed someone else.
Allaah the Almighty declares:

{وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْ‌يَمَ رَ‌سُولَ اللَّـهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا . بَل رَّ‌فَعَهُ اللَّـهُ إِلَيْهِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّـهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا}

'Translation' {And [We cursed them for] their saying: 'Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, 'Eesaa, the son of Maryam, the messenger of Allaah.' And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. Rather, Allaah raised him to Himself. And ever is Allaah Exalted in Might and Wise.} [An-Nisa:157-158]
Almighty Allaah also revealed:

{قَالَ اللَّـهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَ‌افِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُ‌كَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُ‌وا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْ‌جِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ}

' Translation' {[Mention] when Allaah said: 'O 'Eesaa! Indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify [i.e., free] you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allaah alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ.'} [Al-i-Imran:55].

Almighty Allaah refutes the claims of the Jews and the Christians many times in the Glorious Quran. For example, He Says:

{تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْ‌نَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْ‌ضُ وَتَخِرُّ‌ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا . أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ وَلَدًا . وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا . إِن كُلُّ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْ‌ضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّ‌حْمَـٰنِ عَبْدًا}

'Translation' {And they say: 'The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son.' You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation; That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son. There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant.} [Maryam:90-93].

In many verses, in addition to those already mentioned, Allaah, the  Almighty, affirmed His being highly above having a child, a wife, or a partner, thus, refuting all such false allegations. Allaah, the Almighty, revealed a separate Quranic chapter to affirm His Unity and Uniqueness. This chapter is the one-hundred and twelfth, which is:

{قُلْ هُوَ اللَّـهُ أَحَدٌ . اللَّـهُ الصَّمَدُ . لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ . وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ} 

'Translation' {Say: 'He is Allaah, [who is] One. Allaah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.'} [Al-Ikhlas:1-4]