What type of Messiah does the Quran say Jesus Happens to Be? Pt. 3

Exposing more of Shabir Ally’s misinformation

We continue with our rebuttal https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/what-type-of-messiah-does-the-quran-say-jesus-happens-to-be-pt-2/.

The Return of Christ: More Islamic Proof for Jesus’ Davidic Messiahship

In the video, after stating that some of the Muslim scholars believed that Mary was of Levitical descent, from the priestly line of Aaron, Ally went on to say that this would be interesting,

“Because in the New Testament Jesus is shown to be the Son of David, he’s of the Davidic line, which would mean that he’s of that kingly descent. And when people hail him as the Messiah they thought that that means that he is the Davidic Messiah. But a problem occurs in that if he’s the Messiah he should have ruled, and he didn’t rule; of course, Christian generally believe that when he comes back he will rule. But our Jewish friends say, ‘Well okay, in that case when he comes back we’ll believe that he’s the Messiah. But so far he hasn’t proven himself to be the Messiah. When he comes back and he rules, he will prove himself to be the Messiah and then we’ll believe he’s the Messiah. But so far it doesn’t look like he is.’”

Ally went on to say that,

“In the Islamic view, on the other hand, there is no mention that he is of Davidic descent. And Margaret Barker in her book, “Christmas: The Original Story,” actually remarked on this fact that in the Quran, and neither Mary nor Jesus are shown to be of Davidic descent. And that would probably explain why Mary is called sister of Aaron, in order to show that she’s actually not of Davidic descent, but actually Levitical. And in that case Jesus would qualify still as Messiah, but as a priestly Messiah. And in that case the idea of his crucifixion does not present a problem. See, if he was to be the Davidic Messiah and then he was crucified it would mean that somehow the crucifixion disproves his claim to Messiahship. But if he was a priestly Messiah then all he has to do is be a priest, a religious teacher, and in that case the fact that they crucified him would not count against his authenticity as God’s priestly Messiah.”

This is a rather bizarre and strange objection coming from a Muslim whose tradition makes it obligatory for Muslims to believe that Jesus Christ will physically descend from the heavens in order to rule as a just ruler and righteous judge:

… Allah’s saying…

(And he (`Isa) shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour.) The correct view concerning this phrase is that it refers to his descent before the Day of Resurrection, as Allah says…

(And there is none of the People of the Scripture but must believe in him before his death) (4:159). — meaning before the death of `Isa…

(And on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them) (4:159). This meaning has the support from an alternate recitation of the Ayat… (And he shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour.) means, evidence that the Hour will surely come. Mujahid said…

(And he shall be a sign for (the coming of) the Hour.) means, sign and “One of the signs of the Hour will be the appearance of `Isa son of Maryam before the Day of Resurrection.” Something similar was also narrated from Abu Hurayrah, Ibn `Abbas, `Abu Al-`Aliyah, Abu Malik, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others. MANY MUTAWATIR HADITHS report that the Messenger of Allah said that `Isa will descend before the Day of Resurrection as A JUST RULER AND FAIR JUDGE…

(Therefore have no doubt concerning it.) means, do not doubt that it will surely come to pass. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Q. 43:61 http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2076&Itemid=99)

Another Muslim source concurs and goes so far as to say that this is a multiply attested tradition (mutawatir), which means that no true Muslim can reject it:

The Hadiths on Jesus Are “Tawatur”

The hadiths relating Jesus’ second coming are reliable [tawatur]. Research shows that scholars share this view. Tawatur is defined as “a tradition which has been handed down by a number of different channels of transmitters or authorities, hence supposedly ruling out the possibility of its having been forged.”⁸

Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani, an Islamic scholar, explains the concept of tawatur hadith as follows:

News of mutawatir, are the news upon which so many transmitters agree; to such an extent that, according to the tradition, it is unlikely for so many transmitters to reach to a consensus on a lie. This being the situation, if statements and meanings agree with one another, then this is called mutawatir lafzi [verbal mutawatir]. If there is common meaning yet contradiction between statements [words], then it is called mutewatir-i manawi [mutawatir by meaning].⁹

In his Al-Tasrih fi ma Tawatara fi Nuzul al-Masih, the great hadith scholar Muhammad Anwar Shah Kashmiri writes that the hadiths about Jesus’ second coming are all reliable, AND QUOTES 75 HADITHS AND 25 WORKS by companions of the Prophet and their disciples (tabi’un).

In the Sunni school of Islam, Imam Abu Hanifa is the greatest collector of hadiths on Jesus’ second coming. In the final part of his Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, he states that:

The emergence of the Dajjal and of Gog and Magog is a reality; the rising of the sun in the West is a reality; the descent of Jesus, upon whom be peace, from the heavens is a reality; and all the other signs of the Day of Resurrection, as contained in authentic traditions, are also established realities.¹⁰

Jesus’ second coming is one of the ten great signs of the Last Day, and many Islamic scholars have dealt with the subject in great detail. When all of these views are considered together, it becomes apparent that there is a consensus on this event.

For instance, in his work Lawaqi Al-Anwar Al-Bahiyah, Imam al-Safarini expresses that Islamic scholars agree upon this issue:

THE ENTIRE UMMAH (Muslim community) has agreed on the issue that Prophet Jesus, the son of Maryam, will return. There is NO ONE from the people who follow Muslim laws who oppose this issue.¹¹

In his commentary Ruh al-Ma`ani, the great Islamic scholar Sayyid Mahmud Alusi gives examples from the views of other Islamic scholars and explains that the Islamic community has reached to a consensus regarding Prophet Jesus’ second coming¹², that information regarding this issue is well-known to the extent of being mutawatir by meaning, and that it is essential to believe in Prophet Jesus’ return to Earth.

Imam Kawthari also stated his views regarding Prophet Jesus’ coming as follows:

The tawatur in the hadiths regarding Prophet Jesus’ second coming is mutawatir-i manawi. Aside from the fact that each one of the sahih and hasan hadiths may indicate different meanings, they all agree upon Prophet Jesus’ second coming. This is actually a fact which is IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY for a person who is well acquainted with the knowledge of hadith… The hadiths related to the appearance of Mahdi and Dajjal and Prophet Jesus’ second coming are tawatur; it is certainly not an issue that is considered doubtful by experts on the hadith literature. The reason why some who deal with Ilm al-Kalam (science of theology) agree that it is essential to have faith in the hadiths related to the signs of Doomsday yet have doubts about whether some of these hadiths are mutawatir or not, is their inadequate knowledge about hadiths.¹³

The great Islamic scholar Ibn Kathir states his views after commenting on the related verses and explaining the related hadiths:

These are narrated from the Messenger of God as mutawatir and in these hadiths, there are explanations regarding how and where Prophet Jesus will appear…The authentic and mutawatir hadiths about Prophet Jesus’ return to Earth IN HIS NOBLE BODY is immune to any opposing interpretations. Consequently, everyone with the smallest speck of faith and fairness HAS TO BELIEVE in Prophet Jesus’ second coming; only those WHO OPPOSE to God’s Book, His Messenger and Ahl al-Sunnah may deny Prophet Jesus’ second coming to Earth.¹⁴

Another explanation about the hadiths’ reaching the level of tawatur is as follows:

Muhammad al-Shawkani said that he had collected 29 hadiths and, when he had recorded them all, he said: “Our hadiths have reached the level of tawatur (reliable), as you can see. With this, we reach the conclusion that the hadiths on the anticipated Mahdi, the Dajjal, and Jesus’ second coming are mutawatir (genuine).”¹⁵

At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, al-Bazzaz, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, al-Tabarani, and al-Musuli recorded many hadiths narrated by the Companions, such as `Ali, Ibn `Abbas, Ibn `Umar, Talha, Abu Hurayra, Anas, Abu Sa`id al-Khudri, Umm Habiba, Umm Salama, `Ali al-Hilali, and `Abd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Jaz, upon whose narrations they based their collection on.16 For instance, Ibn Hajr Al-Haythami in the book Al-Sawa’iq Al-Muhriqa, al-Shablanji in his book Nur al-Absar, Ibn Sabbagh in his book Al-Fusul Al-Muhimma, Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Sabban in his book Is`af ar-Raghibin fi Sirat al-Mustafa wa Fada’il Ahl Baytihi at-Tahirin, and Muhammad Amin Suwaidi in his book Saba’ik az-Zahab, wrote that the hadiths about Jesus’ second coming are reliable.¹⁷

These hadiths are recorded by the Ahl as-Sunnah scholars and hadith experts in their own works. For instance, Abu Dawud, Ibn Ahmad Hanbal, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, an-Nasa’i, al-Tabarani, al-Rawajini, Abu Nu`aym al-Isfahani, ad-Daylami, al-Baihaqi, as-Salabi, Hamawaini, Manawi, Ibn al-Jawzi, Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Sabban, al-Mawardi, al-Khanji al-Shafi, as-Samani, al-Khwarizmi, ash-Sharani, ad-Daraqutni, Ibn Sabbagh al-Maliki, Muhibbuddin at-Tabari, Ibn Hajr al-Haythami, Shaikh Mansur `Ali Nasif, Muhammad ibn Talha, Jalaluddin as-Suyuti, al-Qurtubi, al-Baghawi and many more deal with the subject in their books.

`Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghudda reveals that the hadiths about Jesus returning to Earth and killing the Dajjal have reached the degree of being mutawatir.¹⁸ In his Nazm al-Mutanathir min al-Hadith al-Mutawatir¹⁹, al-Kattani stated that “the descent of Jesus is established by the Sunnah, and Ijma al-Ummah (concensus of the Islamic community), and the hadiths on this issue and Dajjal and the Mahdi are mutawatir. In his commentary Al Bahru Al-Muhit, Ibn Atiyya al Garnati states that the Islamic community has the common belief that Prophet Jesus is alive, that he will come back at the End Times and that the hadiths about this issue are mutawatir. (Harun Yahya, pp. 56-65 http://www.harunyahya.com/en/Books/2684/the-signs-of-prophet-jesus; capital and underline emphasis ours)

And:

Islamic Scholars Consider Prophet Jesus’ Coming as a Matter of Aqidah (Faith)

In almost all works that dwell on the essence of faith of the followers of Sunnah, there is reference to Prophet Jesus’ coming to Earth before the Last Day, his struggle against Dajjal and his killing him, and the pervasion of the morality of true religion over the Earth. Assessing the evidence from the Qur’an and the news provided by hadiths altogether, Islamic scholars have adopted faith in Prophet Jesus’ return AS AN IMPORTANT TENET OF FAITH. The related explanations are as follows:

1. In verse 157 of the Surat an-Nisa’, God commands, “…They did not kill him and they did not crucify him but it was made to seem so to them….” This verse, together with many others, reveal that Prophet Jesus is alive in God’s sight and indicates that he will come to Earth for a second time. Reaching to consensus on this issue, Islamic scholars state that advocating a contrary suggestion IS BY NO MEANS POSSIBLE. For instance in his commentary of this verse, Ibn Hazm stresses that someone who says Prophet Jesus is murdered would revert back from Islam or become a disbeliever.

2. The fact that the hadiths pertaining to Prophet Jesus’ second coming are mutawatir, that is, so clear as to be immune to any doubts, is a great evidence for Muslims. Furthermore, there exists NOT A SINGLE DIFFERENT HADITH that maintains otherwise – that is, any hadith that suggests that Prophet Jesus will not return.

3. Another evidence used by Islamic scholars is the hadith narrated by Jabir Ibn Abdullah which says, “Anyone who denies Mahdi’s coming has denied what was revealed to Prophet Mohammed. Anyone who rejects Prophet Jesus’, son of Maryam, coming HAS BECOME A DISBELIEVER. Anyone who does not accept Dajjal’s appearance has also become a disbeliever.” There is reference to this hadith in very important Islamic resources such as, Fasl al-Khitab by Khwaja Parsa Bukhari, Maani al-Akhbar by Muhammed ibn Ibrahim Kalabadhi, Al-Rawd Al-Unuf by Suhayl, Arf-ul-wardi-fi Akhbar Mahdi by Jalaluddin Suyuti. This aside, Sheikh Abu Bakr has explained the chain of people who narrated this hadith. It is as follows (from the last person to the first): Muhammad Ibn Hasan, Abu Abdullah al-Hussein Ibn Muhammad, Isma’il Ibn Abi Uways, Malik Ibn Abas, Muhammad Ibn Munkadir, Jabir Ibn Abdullah.²⁰

4. The abundance of narrators who reported the hadiths related to Prophet Jesus’ coming and their trustworthiness is another issue to which Islamic scholars draw attention. Some of the narrators who reported these hadiths are: Abu’l Asas as-Sanani, Abu Rafi, Abul Aliyya, Abu Umama al-Bahili, Abu’d Darda’, Abu Hurayra, Abu Malik al-Hudri, Jabir Ibn Abdullah, Hudhayfa Ibn Adis, Safina, Abu Qatada, Uthman Ibnul ‘Aas, Nafi’ Ibn Kaysani, Al Walid Ibn Muslim, Ammar Ibn Yathir, Abdullah Ibni Abbas…

As a result of all this information, Islamic scholars have considered faith in Prophet Jesus’ return to Earth and the pervasion of the morality of the true religion as an important essence of faith. (Ibid., pp. 66-69; capital and underline emphasis ours)

Interestingly, Ally himself accepts the Islamic teaching that Christ shall return physically to the earth:

Muslims also generally believe that Jesus will return to earth before the Day of Judgment. This belief is not clearly stated in the Quran although two verses (4:158 and 43:61) have been interpreted as possible references to this event. This belief is, however, stated in many sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and found in the most authentic collections of his sayings. (Jesus Christ the Messiah [sic]: A Belief Shared by Muslims and Christians, April 1, 2012 http://islaminfo.com/jesus-christ-the-messiah-a-belief-shared-by-muslims-and-christians.html)

Thus, Ally has no choice but to accept that Jesus’ return to rule as a judge makes him A DAVIDIC MESSIAH, not a priestly one since it is the Davidic Messiah who rules and reigns, not the priestly Messiah. This, therefore, means that the same objection leveled by Jews against Christians can equally be lodged against Muslims. Per Ally’s logic, the Jews have every right to tell their Muslim friends that they will only believe in Jesus once he physically returns to the earth to rule and judge. It is only then that they will accept the fact of his being their Messiah, he who was to come from the line of David in order to rule over the nations.

With that said, Ally’s claim that Islam depicts Jesus as a priestly Messiah introduces more problems for him to solve, as we shall see in the next segment of our rebuttal.

Further Reading

Qur’an Contradiction: Mary, Sister of Aaron & Daughter of Amram http://www.answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qbhc06.html

Quran Contradiction: Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Sister of Aaron http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/sister_of_aaron.htm

Is Mary the Sister of Aaron? http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/mary.htm

The Quran’s Confusion Concerning the Identity of Mary http://www.answering-islam.org/authors/shamoun/rebuttals/ibnanwar/mary_aaron.html

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/what-type-of-messiah-does-the-quran-say-jesus-happens-to-be-pt-3/ 

IHS

What type of Messiah does the Quran say Jesus Happens to Be? Pt. 2

Exposing more of Shabir Ally’s misinformation

We continue from we previously left off https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/what-type-of-messiah-does-the-quran-say-jesus-happens-to-be-pt-1/.

Mary’s lineage according to Islamic Scholars

In the clip, Ally made the assertion that some of the Muslim commentators believed Mary was from the line of Aaron, which would mean that she was of the tribe of Levi. This, in turn, would place Jesus within the priestly line, as opposed to the Davidic one. Ally further stated that “In the Islamic view, on the other hand, there is no mention that he is of Davidic descent.”

This, again, is another one of Ally’s outright lies since Muslim tradition unanimously acknowledges Mary’s descent from David.

For instance, one of Islam’s greatest scholars and historians Al-Tabari links Jesus’ mother to David, and even went as far as to “borrow” the genealogy of Joseph found in Matthew’s Gospel!

“The Persians assert that sixty-five years after Alexander seized Babylonia, and fifty-one years after Arsacid rule began, Mary the daughter of ‘Imran gave birth to Jesus. But the Christians assert that Jesus was born to her 303 years after Alexander conquered Babylonia, and that John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus. They report that Mary was pregnant with Jesus when she was thirteen years old. They also report that Jesus lived thirty-two years and a few days before his ascension, and that Mary lived six more years after his ascension, altogether over fifty years. They assert that John and Jesus met in the Jordan River when Jesus was thirty years of age, and that John was slain before the ascension of Jesus. Zechariah b. Berechiah, the father of Yahya b. Zechariah, and ‘Imran b. Matthan, the father of Mary, were married to two sisters. One was married to Zechariah- she was the mother of John, the other was with ‘Imran b. Matthan, and she was the mother of Mary. ‘Imran b. Matthan died when the mother of Mary was pregnant with her. When Mary was born, Zechariah provided for her after her mother’s death, because her aunt, the sister of her mother, was with him. The name of Mary’s mother was Hanna bt. Faqud b. Qabil; the name of the sister of Mary’s mother, that is, the name of John’s mother was Elizabeth bt. Faqud. Zechariah provided for Mary, and she was engaged to Joseph b. Jacob b. Mathan b. Eleazar b. Eliud b. Achim b. Zadok b. Azor b. Eliakim b. Abiud b. Zerubbabel, b. Shealtiel b. Jechonia b. Josiah b. Amon b. Manasseh b. Hezekiah b. Ahaziah b. Jotham b. Uzziah b. Joram b. Jehosaphat b. Asa b. Abijah b. Rehoboam b. SOLOMON B. DAVID.

According to Ibn Humayd – Salamah – Ibn Ishaq: As far as I could learn from her lineage, Mary was the daughter of ‘Imran b. Josiah b. Amon b. Manasse b. Hezekiah b. Ahaziah b. Jotham b. Azariah b. Amaziah b. Joash b. Ahaziah b. Joram b. Jehosaphat b. Asa b. Abijah b. Rehoboam b. SOLOMON. (The History of al-Tabari Volume IV – The Ancient Kingdom, Moshe Perlman trans. [The State University of New York Press (SUNY), Albany, NY 1987], pp. 103-104; bold emphasis ours)

Hence, al-Tabari cites traditions that affirm that both Joseph AND Mary were descendants of King David.

Another renowned scholar Ibn Kathir wrote the following in reference to Q. 19:16 http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2687&Itemid=75:

(And mention in the Book, Maryam,) She was Maryam bint `Imran from the family lineage of Dawud. She was from a good and wholesome family of the Children of Israel. Allah mentioned the story of her mother’s pregnancy with her in Surah Al `Imran, and that she (Maryam’s mother) dedicated her freely for the service of Allah. This meant that she dedicated the child (Maryam) to the service of the Masjid of the Sacred House (in Jerusalem). Thus, they (Zakariyya, Maryam’s mother and Maryam) were similar in that aspect. (Bold emphasis ours)

And here is what he wrote concerning Q. 3:33:

Allah states that He has chosen these households over the people of the earth. For instance, Allah chose Adam, created him with His Hand and blew life into him. Allah commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam, taught him the names of everything and allowed him to dwell in Paradise, but then sent him down from it out of His wisdom. Allah chose Nuh and made him the first Messenger to the people of the earth, when the people worshipped idols and associated others with Allah in worship. Allah avenged the way Nuh was treated, for he kept calling his people day and night, in public and in secret, for a very long time. However, his calling them only made them shun him more, and this is when Nuh supplicated against them. So Allah caused them to drown, and none among them was saved, except those who followed the religion that Allah sent to Nuh. Allah also chose the household of Ibrahim, including the master of all mankind, and the Final Prophet, Muhammad. Allah also chose the household of `Imran, the father of Marym bint `Imran, the mother of `Isa, peace be upon them. SO `ISA IS FROM THE OFFSPRING OF IBRAHIM, as we will mention in the Tafsir of Surat Al-An`am, Allah willing, and our trust is in Him… (Ibid.: http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=547&Itemid=46; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Ibn Kathir also mentions specific Muslim scholars who used the example of Jesus to prove that a man can trace his lineage through his mother:

“… Mentioning `Isa in the offspring of Ibrahim, or Nuh as we stated above, is proof that the grandchildren from a man’s daughter’s side are included among his offspring. `Isa is included among Ibrahim’s progeny through his mother, although `Isa did not have a father. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Harb bin Abi Al-Aswad said, ‘Al-Hajjaj sent to Yahya bin Ya`mar, saying, “I was told that you claim that Al-Hasan and Al-Hussein are from the offspring of the Prophet, did you find it in the Book of Allah? I read the Qur’an from beginning to end and did not find it.” Yahya said, “Do you not read in Surah Al-An`am…

(and among his progeny Dawud, Sulayman…) until, (and Yahya and `Isa…).

Al-Hajjaj said, “Yes.” Yahya said, “Is not `Isa from the offspring of Ibrahim, although he did not have a father!” Al-Hajjaj said, “You have said the truth.”’ For example, when a man leaves behind a legacy, a trust, or gift to his ‘offspring’ then the children of his daughters are included. But if a man gives something to his ‘sons’, or he leaves a trust behind for them, then that would be particular to his male children and their male children…” (Q. 6:84-90 http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=991&Itemid=61; bold emphasis ours)

The following Muslim scholars all concur with Ibn kathir regarding this issue:

And Zachariah and, his son, John, and Jesus, son of Mary — THIS SHOWS THAT [the term] ‘SEED’ (dhurriyya) CAN INCLUDE OFFSPRING FROM THE FEMALE [side] — and Elias, the paternal nephew of Aaron, brother of Moses; all, of them, were of the righteous. (Tafsir al-Jalalayn: http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=6&tAyahNo=85&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold and capital emphasis ours)

(And Zachariah and John and Jesus and Elias. Each one (of them)) We guided by bestowing upon them prophethood and Islam; and all of them were of the seed of Abraham (was of the righteous) i.e. they were messengers. (Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs: http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=6&tAyahNo=85&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2; bold emphasis ours)

Out of these seventeen prophets identified in the cited verses, Sayyidna Nuh is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim. The rest have been called their progeny: (and, of his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman … ). This poses two difficulties. The first could be about Sayyidna ‘Isa who, because of his father-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim from the daughter’s side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grand-son from the maternal side.

If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Husain stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet. (Ma’ariful-Qur’an, by Maulana Mufti Muhammad Shafi’, translated by Muhammad Shamim, revised by Taqi ‘Usmani, Volume 3, p. 406: https://ia802707.us.archive.org/2/items/maarifulquran-english-pdf/MaarifulquranEnglishPdf-Vol3-Page399-453ByMuftiShafiUsmaniRah.pdf; bold emphasis ours)

Now according to the following Muslim source, all of the classical Islamic scholars unanimously held to the view the blessed mother of our risen Lord was a descendant of king David:

“The Qur’an informs us that the father of Mary was named ‘Imran and the classical Muslim scholars UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPT that she was from the line of the prophet David… Differences of opinion emerge, however, over the intervening genealogy, most probably due to a lack of familiarity with such foreign names and consequent error in recording them in the Arabic orthography. According to the Spanish exegete al-Qurtubi, ‘All these differences are mentioned because the Prophets and Messengers are all descendants one of the other.’ The following genealogy (taking into account orthographic variations), which is attributed to Ibn Ishaq or directly to the Prophet’s companion Ibn ‘Abbas, is the most generally accepted: Mary bint ‘Imran ibn Yashim ibn Misha ibn Hazqiya ibn Yawish (ibn Isha ibn Yahushafat) IBN SULAYMAN IBN DAWUD… Although the name of her mother is not supplied in the Qur’an, it is universally accepted as Hanna bint Faqudh.” (Aliah Schleifer, Mary The Blessed Virgin of Islam [Fons Vitae; ISBN: 1887752021; July 1, 1998], pp. 22-23; bold and capital emphasis ours)

Therefore, the claim that Mary was one of the descendants of Aaron holds no weight since there is no reliable historical data to support it.(1)

Now Ally may try to counter this fact by appealing to Luke 1:36 which identifies Elizabeth as Mary’s kinswoman or relative:

“Listen, your cousin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her who was declared barren.”

Ally may argue that, since Elizabeth is said to be a descendant of Aaron (cf. Luke 1:5), Mary must have also been from the household of Aaron.

There are two main problems with his argument. First, Luke goes out of his way to affirm Jesus’ Davidic descent,

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.’ When she saw him, she was troubled by his words, and considered in her mind what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And of His kingdom there will be no end.’” Luke 1:26-33

“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, who was the son of Heli, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Jannai, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Amos, who was the son of Nahum, who was the son of Esli, who was the son of Naggai, who was the son of Maath, who was the son of Mattathias, who was the son of Semein, who was the son of Josech, who was the son of Joda, who was the son of Joanan, who was the son of Rhesa, who was the son of Zerubbabel, who was the son of Shealtiel, who was the son of Neri, who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmadam, who was the son of Er, who was the son of Joshua, who was the son of Eliezer, who was the son of Jorim, who was the son of Matthat, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Simeon, who was the son of Judah, who was the son of Joseph, who was the son of Jonan, who was the son of Eliakim, who was the son of Melea, who was the son of Menna, who was the son of Mattatha, who was the son of Nathan, who was the son of David, who was the son of Jesse, who was the son of Obed, who was the son of Boaz, who was the son of Salmon, who was the son of Nahshon, who was the son of Amminadab, who was the son of Ram, who was the son of Hezron, who was the son of Perez, who was the son of Judah,” Luke 3:23-33

“Brothers, I may speak confidently to you concerning the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. But being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of his seed according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne,” Acts 2:29-30

“When He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, of whom He testified, saying, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will fulfill My entire will.’ From this man’s descendants God has raised a Savior for Israel, Jesus, according to His promise.” Acts 13:22-23

As do the rest of the inspired NT writers (cf. Matthew 1:1; Mark 10:47-48; Romans 1:3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5; 22:16).

Secondly, the only thing that Luke 1:36 would prove is that Elizabeth had Judean blood in her, not that Mary was of the stock of Aaron. After all, the Holy Bible clearly teaches that Levitical priests were allowed to marry women from any of the twelve tribes of Israel:

“He shall take a wife in her virginity. A widow, or a divorced woman, or a defiled woman, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take for a wife a virgin of HIS OWN PEOPLE,” Leviticus 21:13-14

The prophet Ezekiel, in his vision of a restored priesthood and temple, further clarifies this point:

“But the Levites who have gone far from Me when Israel went astray, who went astray away from Me after their idols, they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity. Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house and ministering to the house. They shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them… Nor shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her who has been put away. But they shall take maidens of the seed of THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL, or a widow who had a priest before.” Ezekiel 44:10-11, 22

The Holy Bible also provides an example of a priest who had married a woman from Judea, and who was actually a descendant of king David:

“So when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose up and mounted a campaign to destroy all the royal offspring of the house of Judah. But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from the king’s sons who were going to be put to death, and she placed him and his nurse in a bed chamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of Jehoiada the priest (since she was a sister of Ahaziah), hid Joash from Athaliah. And she did not put the royal child to death.” 2 Chronicles 22:10-11

What the foregoing shows is that it is more reasonable to assume that Elizabeth was from the line of David from her mother’s side, which would account for her being related to Mary.

As such, Luke 1:36 does very little to establish that Mary was from the line of Aaron, especially when the Biblical data points in the direction of her being a descendant of king David.

We have more to say in the third part of our rebuttal: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/what-type-of-messiah-does-the-quran-say-jesus-happens-to-be-pt-3/.

Endnotes  

(1) It seems that Ibn Kathir wanted to have his cake and eat it too since elsewhere he claims that Mary was a descendant of Aaron, and therefore of Levitical stock:

`Ali bin Abi Talhah and As-Suddi both said, “It was said to her…

(O sister of Harun!) referring to the brother of Musa, because she was of his descendants.” This is similar to the saying, `O brother of Tamim,’ to one who is from the Tamimi tribe, and `O brother of Mudar,’ to one who is from the Mudari tribe. It has also been said that she was related to a righteous man among them whose name was Harun and she was comparable to him in her abstinence and worship… (Q. 19:28 http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2684&Itemid=75; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Ibn Kathir must have forgotten what he wrote elsewhere in affirming Jesus’ Davidic descent. Besides, it is obvious why here, in this passage, he would argue for Mary being a descendant of Aaron since he saw the problem this Quranic verse posed for his belief in the divine origin of the Islamic scripture.

However, his proposed solution still leaves him with a gross error since one doesn’t refer to a person being the brother or sister of a particular individual when speaking of one’s physical ancestry. Rather, the correct phraseology is to describe someone as the son or daughter of so and so, just as we find in the following examples:

“There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” Luke 1:5

“He will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.” Luke 1:16

“Then should not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bondage on the Sabbath?” Luke 13:16

“He cried out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Those who went in front rebuked him, so that he would keep quiet. But he cried out much more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’” Luke 18:38-39

“Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham.’” Luke 19:9

Therefore, Ibn Kathir’s interpretation is mistaken and this gross Quranic blunder still remains unsolved.

Source: https://answeringislamblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/what-type-of-messiah-does-the-quran-say-jesus-happens-to-be-pt-2/ 

IHS