Innate Purity by Hakan Yesliova
The second dominant image of Jesus for Muslims is his solidarity with his mother. Not only is his name mentioned along with that of Mary in many verses of the Qur’an but this idea is also reflected visually in many ancient mosaics in churches of the Middle East and Asia Minor. The image that appears in my mind when I hear the name of Jesus has been considerably influenced by this second perception of the concurrent existence of a son and his mother. It is an image of innate purity that is best seen in a newborn; indeed, a newborn child is a peerless gift in every aspect. Not only is the newborn a means of abundance but it is also a source of joy that brings vibrancy into the family. Newborns are unique, at least for me, for their pure, clean scent. Their untainted scent of purity continues as long as the baby is fed with nothing but the mother’s milk; the difference is immediately noticeable when other food is included in the diet! After Jesus’ grandmother delivered Mary, she prayed for her and her offspring to be protected from Satan, a being eternally rejected from God’s Mercy according to Created in the best stature, humankind is the most honourable servant of God. Although humanity is honourable, we are also negligent, as shown in the derivation of the word insan (human) in Arabic from the verb nisyan, to forget. We humans tend to neglect our mission in this life. Since the time of Adam the story of humanity has been replete with conquests and defeats, with turns and detours from the straight path. Jesus came at a time when his community was immersed in materialism and abuse of faith for personal gains. This is condemned in the Bible in Mark 4:19: ‘But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful’ as well as in Luke 12:15: ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions’. How similar his time is to ours! Pointless babble accounts for most of our day and we devote a huge portion of our lifetime to Caesar’s share, rather than to that which is God’s. ( Jesus came with a message to guide people back to the straight path from materialism and to silence those who persisted in selling God’s revelations ‘for trifling prices’. Jesus was an abundant river who flowed still and calm, radiating security, offering fresh crystal clear water that originated from the peaks of the massive mountain, which was unspoiled by the dirt of the artificial products of industry. It is worth lending an ear to his message today, as it establishes a common ground for all people of the world: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Matthew 22:35–40).
Jesus is remembered first and foremost by Muslims for the miracle of his birth without a biological father. Due to God’s majesty and honour, he acts in this world with his wisdom that is veiled by cause and effect. The hereafter, however, is a world in which God’s power, rather than wisdom, is manifested without any veils. In the case of Jesus’ birth, God acted without a biological medium; thus in the Islamic tradition, Jesus is perceived as a Word (see
