In Pakistan, on Christmas my mother would go for Midnight Mass and light a candle.
“You are a Muslim! Why did you go to a church for a Christmas service?” a woman asked her.
“Because I am a Muslim,” my quick-witted mother retorted, and then proceeded to give the woman an education in Islam. Knowing Mummy, I can imagine how the conversation went.
“You believe the Quran was revealed by God, don’t you?” Mummy would have said.
“Of course, I do. I am a Muslim.”
“Well then, in the Quran, doesn’t God reveal the miracle of Jesus’ birth?” [Isa in Arabic]
“Yes, but . . .”
But what? And you know it says in the Quran in the chapter of Mary that when the angel came to Mary and gave her the good tidings that she will be blessed with a son, she said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?’ and the angel replied that God has the power to do anything. All he has to say is ‘Be’, and it is. You know that don’t you?”
“I do, but . . .”
Not one to let up, Mummy would have continued. “And doesn’t the Quran say explicitly that Jesus spoke from the cradle, testifying to Mary’s chastity and announcing that he is a prophet of God.”
Mummy would have tried to remember a verse in the chapter of Mary: Hence, peace was upon me on the day when I was born, and [will be upon me] on the day of my death, and on the day when I shall be raised to life [again] – Quran 19:33.
“It does, but . . .”
“The Quran also mentions the miracles of Jesus, his power to heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead back to life. And that He revealed the Gospel to Jesus, and Christians are Believers and People of the Book. Right?”
“But we follow the Prophet Muhammad,” she may have said.
“We do. But God reveals in the Quran that we should revere Jesus and uphold the Gospels; and that the Prophet Muhammad’s message is a continuation of the same message that was revealed to prophets before him, and that we should not differentiate between the prophets.”
[We vouchsafed unto Jesus, the son of Mary, all evidence of the truth, and strengthened him with holy inspiration. – Quran 2:253
. . . believe in what has been bestowed upon him from on high by his Sustainer; they all believe in God . . . and His apostles, making no distinction between any of His apostles…—Quran 2:285]
“True, but it’s not our holiday.”
“That is beside the point. Paying one’s respect to Jesus by sending our blessings to him on the day he was born, is precisely that—paying respect and celebrating his message. Holiday or not, it’s an important day in the history of humankind.”
I wonder how the conversation ended. I am not sure if Mummy went as far as to say that Christmas should be a holiday for all. I can totally imagine how that debate would have gone. Because if one can get past this is not my holiday, all possibilities open up:
· Have a Quran reading session of the verses on Jesus.
· Put up a date tree and lights. (The Quran states that Mary went into labor under a date tree).
· Sing Urdu songs in praise of Jesus.
· Tell the children stories of Jesus.
· Gather the family over a festive meal of recipes from the Holy Land, or just the usual biryani and chicken curry.
Getting back to the dialogue. I hope it compelled the woman to study the Quran. If she did, she would have been awestruck by the glory of God’s creation in the miracle of Jesus’ birth, the power of his message, and the example of his life. If you have a copy of the Quran (or you can Google it), you can look up the verses in the chapters titled: Mary, Imran, Women, Table, Cow, and As-Saf. References of verses provided upon request.
On this day of Christmas, I will reflect on the verses of the Quran, and send my blessings on the Prophet Jesus (Peace Be Upon Him).
PS: With gratitude to Junaid Ahmad, whose book Topics of the Quran helped me easily access the references.
