These two festivals are celebrated by Muslims and Christians respectively. Both occasions involve festivities and gift sharing, but aside from this is there anything at the heart of each event which they share in common? To put it in another way, "Is there any connection between Abraham’s sacrifice and the birth of the Messiah?"
The Bible and the Qur’an affirm that God gave Mary’s baby a special name – Jesus Christ - Al Masihu Isa in Arabic. Two respected Muslim scholars acknowledge, explicitly or implicitly, that this name means "God is salvation" in keeping with Isaiah’s prophecy. As it is written, God’s "servant" the Messiah will "bring my salvation to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6).
Mufti Muhammad Imraan Ashraf Usmani acknowledged that ‘Jesus’ corresponds to the Hebrew, ‘Yeshua’ which means "God is salvation" (page 77, Islamic Names, revised edition). Yusuf Ali, in his popular translation of the Qur’an agrees with Usmani. This is evident in his footnote to surah 19.21 where he says, "The mission of Jesus is … to turn an ungodly world back to God; and … to bring solace and salvation to the repentant."
Isaiah’s prophecy about Messiah bringing salvation is reaffirmed many years later when a godly old man, Simeon, took Jesus in his arms and prayed, "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people..." (Luke 2:29-32)
It is one thing to hear how others defined Jesus’ mission, but how did Jesus himself describe his calling in life? The Injil (Gospel) records two dramatic encounters between Jesus Christ and two different sinners. Both sinners showed repentance and in each case Jesus made a concluding remark that rang true to his name. After Zacchaeus repented, Jesus said, "I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those … who are lost". (Luke 19:10) He spoke similar words to a woman of ill repute, after forgiving her sins, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7:50) In both situations Jesus used the word "save" which corresponds with his name. The word "save" is simply a different form of the term "salvation" – the latter is a noun the former a verb.
Jesus had an encounter with another sinner which confirms the meaning of his name even more clearly. We read in John chapter 4 how Jesus met a woman at the well of Sychar. This Samaritan woman was impressed with Jesus’ supernatural discernment so she enthusiastically told her fellow villagers about him. They in turn asked Jesus to stay for two days. At the end of this visit they concluded, "Now we believe because we have heard him ourselves ... He is indeed the Saviour of the world". (John 4:42)
These encounters show that God’s choice of name for Mary’s son was very wise. Of course, this is what we would expect: that Jesus’ name would be reflected in the Messiah’s character and accomplishments. As M.A. Siddiqui observed in his book ‘Names for Muslim Children’, "The name is the real introduction of a man’s personality and the real representation of a man’s activities." (p. 4)
We’ve seen that Christians joyously celebrate the birth of the Servant of the Lord who brought God’s salvation into the world. Let us look now at the key element in the Muslim celebration of Abraham’s sacrifice. Then we can better understand if there is any connection between Abraham’s sacrifice and the birth of Messiah.
According to the Qur’an, God provided a "momentous ransom" at the critical moment when Abraham was about to slay his son. (Surah 101.37) Each new generation of Muslims seeks to perpetuate their appreciation of God for his provision. One way of doing this is by imagining the possibility of having to sacrifice one’s own first born son. Like Abraham, Muslims submit themselves in apparent devotion to God. They aim to experience essentially what Abraham felt, loving God more than anything else – whatever that might be.
The Muslim identification with Abraham goes beyond submission; they also seek to be inspired with gratitude toward God for the provision he made, i.e. the ransom. Let us take a closer look at what God provided. The Qur’an does not mention what kind of animal Abraham slaughtered but the Bible says it was a ram and Muslims have had no problems accepting this.
The Bible mentions two other details which shed light on the ransom provision from God. It is interesting to see what Abraham named the place where this momentous experience happened. The name seems unusually long but it was chosen very deliberately, "The Lord will provide". Abraham did not want to focus attention on the ram. Notice carefully that he didn’t say, "The Lord has provided". Instead Abraham said, "The Lord will provide" which is consistent with his earlier prophecy to his son, "My son, God himself will provide the lamb."
The end of the story further clarifies the meaning of Abraham’s sacrifice. We read in Genesis 22:14 that Abraham named the place, "The Lord Will Provide." And the verse continues, "And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided'." The place where this future provision would happen is precisely at this place – Mount Moriah - which later prophets tell us is where Solomon built the Temple (compare Genesis 22:2 with 2 Chronicles 3:1).
Years of accumulated tradition have led Muslims to believe that the "momentous ransom" God provided for Abraham was a ram. In actual fact, this ‘ram’ only served to foreshadow a ‘lamb’ that would be provided one day in the future. I recommend you examine in more detail how Abraham’s prophecy was fulfilled.
We are now in a better position to consider the connection between Abraham’s sacrifice and the birth of Messiah. The sacrifice of Abraham describes how God provided a ransom, more especially anticipating a lamb from God. The Bible repeatedly describes Messiah’s role in terms of ransom or redemption.
Earlier we read in Luke 2 how Simeon recognized baby Jesus as the Messiah who was expected to bring God’s salvation. The next person who saw the baby was a prophetess named Anna. She was a widow for most of her life and "never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:37,38)
It is not coincidental that Simeon and Anna spoke of Messiah using two synonyms – salvation and redemption. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, also spoke of ‘salvation’ and ‘redemption’ when he prophesied and praised God for sending the Messiah. He said, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)" (Luke 1:68-70)
Earlier we read how Jesus described his mission in terms of "saving" people. In light of the foregoing statements about Messiah bringing "redemption", it makes sense to look at Jesus’ teaching about his mission to "ransom" people. Jesus said, "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)
Peter, a disciple of Jesus, also emphasized that Jesus came to ‘redeem’ people. He wrote, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1:18-19)
In conclusion let me make three summary statements.
1) Jesus stated that Abraham foresaw his coming and was glad. (John 8:56) It is not my purpose in this paper to explain the details of how Jesus’ statement corresponds with Abraham’s prophecy of a lamb. Nevertheless interested readers may want to read a fuller explanation.
2) The twin themes of salvation and redemption figure prominently and pervasively through the Bible. However, these themes are only hinted at in the Qur’an. Those who have read "Christmas: Controversy or Consensus?" will recall my concluding question as to why the name Saviour has not been included in any of the Muslims’ writings on the 99 names of God. The same question holds true for the Divine name Redeemer. Why is this name, which was frequently acknowledged by the prophets not mentioned among the 99 names?
3) Earlier quotations from Yusuf Ali and Mufti Muhammad I. A. Usmani show that it is possible for Muslim scholars to adapt to Christian thinking in some surprising ways. However, Usmani’s interpretation of Jesus’ name is contrary to Ahmed Deedat’s views. Deedat claimed that the name Isa corresponds to Esau but he made no attempt whatsoever to explain how his view fits with Messiah’s mission as predicted by the prophets. Mr. Deedat was used to cunningly designing methods for countering the idea of salvation through Messiah’s sacrificial death and he went to extraordinary lengths to undermine any arguments that could in any way weaken his belief that Jesus did not die as a sin offering to save the world. Deedat’s last public speech before he was striken was a vociferous attack on this teaching. This peculiar stroke which abruptly terminated his notorious debating career should give readers cause to ponder. You might also want to check an article explaining his downfall in more detail.
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Roland Clarke
Articles by Roland Clarke
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