One of the distorted beliefs of Christianity is the supposed deification of the Prophet Jesus (as) (Surely Allah is beyond that) and the claim that he is the son of Allah (Surely Allah is beyond that). These corrupt beliefs may prevent some people from recognizing the Prophet Jesus (as) when this holy prophet returns to Earth. This twisted belief is revealed as follows in the Qur’an:
Those who say that the Messiah, son of Mary, is Allah are unbelievers… (Surat al-Ma’ida, 72)
People of the Book! Do not go to excess in your religion. Say nothing but the truth about Allah. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of Allah and His Word, which He cast into Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His Messengers. Do not say, “Three.”… (Surat an-Nisa’, 171)
Like all the other prophets, the Prophet Jesus (as) is a holy human being, chosen, honorable and valued in the Sight of Allah. He is a servant whom our Lord has created with moral virtues and faith that will serve as a role model for all people. He preached that people should believe in Allah, the One and Only, without falling into polytheism. When the Prophet Jesus (as) returns to Earth he will rid Christianity of these corrupted beliefs. He will call on people to turn to our Lord, to live for His approval alone, to remember that they will give account on the Day of Judgment, to abandon all forms of false belief and practice and to adhere to religious moral values. The Prophet Jesus (as) will personally explain how the claims made by some people who hold Christian beliefs are a great falsehood and how he is merely a human being and a prophet of Allah. We are told in the Qur’an how the Prophet Jesus (as) told people to have faith in Allah without falling into polytheism:
… The Messiah said, “Tribe of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. If anyone associates anything with Allah, Allah has forbidden him the Garden and his refuge will be the Fire. The wrongdoers will have no helpers.” (Surat al-Ma’ida, 72)
One of the false claims that unbelievers have made throughout the course of history in order to avoid believing and heeding the calls of the prophets is that, like them, the prophets were humans, for which reason they would not believe in them. In fact, such ideas are dishonest excuses made by these people in order not to have faith. Allah has revealed in the Qur’an how such people asked the messengers to perform miracles so that they could believe, but that when our Lord worked these miracles as a blessing they still refused to come to faith:
They have sworn by Allah with their most earnest oaths that if a sign comes to them they will believe in it. Say: “The signs are in Allah’s control alone.” What will make you realize that even if a sign did come, they would still not believe? (Surat al-An‘am, 109)
Indeed, the answer given by the past unbelievers to the messengers once again reveals the distorted logical framework of such people. Our Prophet Muhammad (saas) received a similar response when he called on his own community to live by religious moral precepts. The corrupt attitude displayed by these people is revealed as follows in the Qur’an:
They say, “What is the matter with this Messenger that he eats food and walks in the market-place? Why has an angel not been sent down to him so that it can be a warner along with him? Why has treasure not been showered down on him? Why does he not have a garden to give him food?” The wrongdoers say, “You are merely following a man who is bewitched.” See how they make comparative judgments about you. They are misguided and cannot find the way. (Surat al-Furqan, 7-9)
As we are told in these verses, the excuses they made caused these people to deviate from the true path. Some people may well make the same excuses in order to avoid following and supporting the Prophet Jesus (as) when he returns to Earth. The propaganda engaged in by such people, using the distorted logic in question, may prevent a great many people from recognizing the Prophet Jesus (as). With the support of circles that are eager to preserve the distorted beliefs of Christianity, these people may engage in activities to deter people from going along with the Prophet Jesus (as) when he returns. They may seek to turn people away from the Prophet Jesus (as) by means of various lies and false suggestion. They may seek to deceive people using lies similar to those revealed in the Qur’an:
They said, “Are we to follow a human being, one of us? Then we would truly be misguided, quite insane!” (Surat al-Qamar, 24)
If you were to obey a human being like yourselves, you would, in that case, definitely be the losers. (Surat al-Muminun, 34)
However, as revealed in another verse, “The Messiah, the son of Mary, was only a Messenger, before whom other messengers came and went. His mother was a woman of truth. Both of them ate food. See how We make the signs clear to them!...” (Surat al-Ma’ida, 75), believers know that the Prophet Jesus (as) is only a messenger of Allah, but also a very valued human being in His Sight. When the Prophet Jesus (as) returns to Earth at the times deemed appropriate by Allah, they will bind themselves to him with a sincere love and respect based on that awareness, and will support him in the finest manner.
