Merry Christmas

Today, our Christian brothers are celebrating the virgin birth of Jesus, peace be upon him.

Well, they may have monopoly of the day but they do not have a monopoly over the person whom we Muslims count among the Messengers of God – people sent by Him to guide us to salvation and save us from the hardship of ignorance that characterizes our limited human reason.

Among the Messengers, five occupy a special position in our hearts. They are the “ulul azm”, the stout of heart, whose perseverance on the path of truth regardless of the hardship our noble Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) - the fifth - is commanded to extol. They first four are Noah, who preached to his people for almost a millennium until the Flood; Abraham, who endured Nimrod and his fire and established monotheism that would become the backbone of Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Moses, who survived the persecution of Pharaoh, saved the Children of Israel and endured their stubborn character; and Jesus, who remained resolute against Roman tyranny up to his last minute on the earth.

Jesus

But even among the “stout hearts”, Jesus occupies a special position. His mother, Mary, will remain the greatest, who God “chose, purified, and elevated over all women of creation”.

His birth was virgin. “While every man is made from clay, Jesus was made from the spirit of God,” to quote the opening remarks of the famous Abdulhamid Kishk when a league of priests once invited him for a lecture in Damascus. (This statement made the chief priest convert to Islam instantly)

In the Qur’an, God has testified that he is “the Word of God and a Spirit from Him”, “the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the hereafter, and among those brought close to God. And who will speak into mankind in his cradle and he is among the righteous.”

The Virgin Birth

Let us contemplate over the extraordinary birth of this man. The most elaborate narrative came from the chapter, Mary, where his graphic account from conception to delivery was given:

“And make mention of Mary in the scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking east, and had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man.

“She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from you, if you are God-fearing. He said: I am only a Messenger of your Lord, that I may bestow in you a faultless son.”

“She said: How can I have a son when no mortal has touched me, neither have I been in unchaste? He said: So (it will be). Your Lord says: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make him a revelation for mankind and mercy from us and it is a thing ordained.

“And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place. And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten!

“Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Your Lord has placed a stream beneath you, and shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward you, you will cause ripe dates to fall upon you. So eat and drink and be consoled. And if you meet any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal.

“Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! You come with an amazing thing. O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a wicked man nor was your mother a harlot.

“Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to he who is in the cradle, a young boy?

“He spoke: Lo! I am the slave of God, He has given me the Scripture and has appointed me a Prophet. And has made me blessed wheresover I may be, and has enjoined me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive. And (has made me) dutiful toward her who bore me and has not made me arrogant, unblessed. Peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!

“Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. It befits not (the Majesty of) God that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a thing, He says unto it only: Be and it is.” (Mary: 16–35)

Message

It is not a day to discuss the similarities between Islam and Christianity. I only intended to highlight the perspective of Islam on the birth of Jesus, given that our Christian brothers are celebrating the wonderful event today. By drawing the similarities and the reverence among Muslims for Jesus and his mother Mary, I am trying to underscore the unity between adherents of the two Abrahamic religions in Nigeria, in whom politics of ethnicity has submerged the affinity in their beliefs.

If, perchance, the true Christian would realise how much Muslims respect Jesus and Virgin Mary, it will occur to him that the Muslim is his first cousin in belief, closer to him than is the Jew who does not believe in Jesus but rather believes that he is a product of adultery.

Muslims also need to be reminded, on a day like this, that they are so close to Christians in belief, with the same source of religion and the same God; so close that God has made for them lawful the food of the People of the Book and vice-versa, as well as the chaste among the women of the believers and women of the People of the Book. These permissions are attestations to the affinity between us, which we must uphold instead of the hate that wheeler-dealers of religions spread among us.

Politics of ethnic nationalism and commercialization of religion by preachers and evangelists must not be allowed to override the togetherness forged by creed in hearts that are in search of peace. The extremist can pick on the differences, magnify them and use them to build a wall in-between us. Once we allow him succeed, we will ever live in the pain of separation that is defined by mutual suspicion, hate and bloodshed.

The extremists and politicians have so far had a field day in Nigeria. It is sad to notice that their influence on both sides of the divide is increasing, allowing them to accumulate power and wealth in a population largely defined by its poverty. Our unity to create a nation of live-and-let-live as our constitution dictates is the best way to fight back. Luckily, there is sufficient common ground in our shared beliefs, race, nationality, geography, constitution and destiny to foster such unity of purpose.

The message of Christmas is the message of peace, the prime ideal of all revealed religions. A true Christian will live by it long after the lights of its celebration are off.

Peace!

Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde
25 December, 2017