DID
GOD
APPEAR
IN THE FLESH?
ISKANDER JADEED
THE GOOD WAY - RIKON - SWITZERLAND

THE THINGS
WHICH ARE IMPOSSIBLE WITH MEN
ARE POSSIBLE
WITH GOD
(Luke 18:27)
All Rights Reserved
Order Number: RBP 4115 ENG
First edition: 1974, Revised edition: 1998
English title: Did God Appear in the Flesh?
All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version, or the
New International Version of the Holy Bible
All Qur'an quotations are taken from The Koran Interpreted,
by Arthur J. Arberry
The Good Way P.O. Box 66«CH-8486 Rikon • Switzerland
Internet: http://www.the-good-way.com * E-mail: info@the-good-way.com

Chapter I
QUESTION:
"What do you mean, when you say that Jesus is
God appearing in the flesh? If this is what you
believe, why was the Incarnation necessary?"
F.K.
Tripoli,
Lebanon
1. The first fact we have to contend with is
that the human soul cannot, on its own, attain
the state of perfection it desires because the law
of sin acts as the stumbling block in its way.
The apostle Paul reveals this truth to us when
he says, "For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the

good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do
— this I keep on doing! Now if I do what I want to
do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in
me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I
want to do good, evil is right there with me. For
in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see
another law at work in the members of my body,
waging war against the law of my mind and making
me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my
members" (Romans 7:18—23).
2. The apostle's words here illustrate the con-
flict in the soul of man between grace and cor-
ruption, between the law of God in which man
delights and to which he wants to conform, and
the law of sin which appeals to man, captivates
and impels him to do that which he does not
want to do. The apostle, however, anxious to
liberate himself from the law of sin and death,
raised his famous cry to heaven: "What a wretch-
ed man I am! Who will rescue me from this body
of death?" (Romans 7:24). When he caught a
glimpse of the Deliverer in the person of the
incarnate Word he rejoiced saying: "Thanks be
to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Ro-
mans 7:25).

This secret had already been revealed to that
man of God, Job, when he was continually
overwhelmed by catastrophies and sufferings.
From the depths of his great need for a mediator
between him and God, he expressed his com-
plaint thus: "There is no umpire between us, who
might lay his hand upon us both. Let him take his
rod away from me, and let not dread of him
terrify me. Then I would speak without fear of
him, for I am not so in myself (Job 9:33—35).
Hence, the second basic element of God (or person
within the Godhead, Arabic: UQNUM) took hu-
man flesh. He met man's desperate need for re-
demption to restore him and to reconcile him with
his God.
3. Every one knows from personal experience
that corrupt tendencies dwell in him to which he
regrettably succumbs. We recall the apostolic say-
ing: "For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and "If we say that
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us" (I John 1:8). Islam carries an admis-
sion of this truth, as in the Koranic saying: "If
Allah were to take mankind to task for their wrong
doing,  he  would  not  leave  thereon  a  living

creature" (Sura 16 "The Bee": verse 61). It is there-
fore, evident to us not only historically, but also
intellectually that natural man cannot reach the
peak of this spiritual potential until he is united
with and lead by that which is superior to him, and
more than man himself.
4.	Thus we have restricted our study to a clari-
fication of the shortcomings of man and his failure
to rise to the status which Adam enjoyed before the
fall. To stop here would be tantamount to defeat.
We cannot imagine that such frustration serves the
aim of an Almighty God." On the contrary, the
Lord God is good and His mercies are everlasting.
In His goodness God would not leave man, whom
He created in His own image, in such a predica-
ment thus leading him to perish. Since man failed
to serve God's purpose, God will surely have pre-
ordained for him another being to make him
whole. Who is that being? Is he a creature who has
attained perfect holiness? Or is he God himself?
5.	Let us strive to hold on to sure ground and
not be distracted by our own theories, though
based on principles rooted in certain religions. This
is because acquiescence in such views would un-
doubtedly lead to a departure from the truth. Let
4.	
us also remember one fact, and that is, that no
religion denies that man has a bend towards direct
communion with God. It is to God that people
pray, from Him they seek help and guidance. He
indeed helps and guides the feet of those who be-
lieve in Him in the paths of peace; moreover, we all
realise that the aim behind symbols, which are
sometimes termed mysteries, is a complete inter-
locking of the soul with God. God's man
Augustine, the scholar, said in his prayer: "O Lord!
You have created us for yourself and our souls are
restless until they find rest in you."
There is, therefore, no reason to think that there
exists between God and man a created mediator,
even though endowed with superhuman nature. In
fact, proofs to the contrary are abundant. If crea-
tion were to attain that perfection which God
intended for it and if man is to be redeemed, it
becomes imperative that this be accomplished
through the very work of God, to whom be praise
and glory for ever.
For the purpose of achieving this end, it is preor-
dained that the Deity consists of three basic ele-
ments or persons (Arabic: AQANIM), so that the
incarnation may be fulfilled through the choice of
7

one thereof, and none other. This was the divine
pleasure: that the Lord should redeem our race
fallen in sin and without hope or help other than
God incarnate, because He alone is mighty enough
for what salvation involves. The pre-requisites of
incarnation in God's sight is to take on human
flesh through one of the basic elements of the Deity
or persons in the Godhead (Arabic: UQNUM).
I am by no means trying here to answer the
question: "Was God not able to save fallen human-
ity without incarnation?" But I do affirm, in the
light of the word of God, that the incarnation is an
appropriate and suitable course; it is indeed very
adequate and unique in wisdom for fulfilling the
required purpose. The fact that the incarnation
took place makes it more likely that it was essential
to fulfil the purpose of God perfectly in the work of
redemption; and that the state of fallen humanity
demands and needs it.
6. One fact I am obliged to mention, and that is,
that God to whom be glory, being desirous of bring-
ing creation to the peak of elevation, by somehow
joining it to Himself, would, therefore, do so not by
a mere outward divine command, "Be and it shall
be," but by indwelling the highest levels of His
8

creation or, in other words, by appearing Himself
in the form of a perfect man.
7. When we consider the teaching on redemp-
tion as contained in Holy Scripture, we observe
that the mediator between God and human beings
must bear the following characteristics:
(a)	He must be human. The apostle explains
that the reason why the second basic element of
God or Person in the Godhead (Arabic: UQNUM)
took the form of humans rather than angels is, that
He came to redeem us. It was necessary that He
should be born under the law which we have
broken in order to complete all righteousness, that
He should suffer and die as a sacrifice to pay the
ransom of our sins, that He should partake of our
human life to feel our weakness (Hebrews 2:14).
(b)	He must be without sin. The sacrifice which
used to be offered on the altar had to be without
blemish as required by the law. In other words, it is
impossible for the saviour from sin to be himself a
sinner, otherwise he would not have access to God;
neither can he be a source of holiness and eternal
life to his people, since he himself is not righteous
and holy. It was, therefore, imperative that our
(a)	
Chief Priest should be holy, harmless, undefiled
and separated from sin (Hebrews 7:26).
(c) He must be God, because nothing can put
away sin except the blood of Him who is greater
than a mere creature. Christ, therefore, being God,
by offering himself as a sacrifice once and for all,
has perfected forever them that are sanctified
(Hebrews 7:27 and 10:14). Likewise, no one but a
divine being can destroy Satan's power and save
those whom Satan held captive. No one can ac-
complish the great task of redemption, but He who
is Almighty, All Wise and All Knowing, in order to
be the Chief Priest of His church and the Judge of
all. No one can be the source of spiritual life for the
redeemed except one in whom all the fullness of the
Deity dwells in the flesh.
8. All these attributes, which Holy Scripture
stipulates as essential to qualify the mediator for
the act of mediation between God and mankind,
are united in Christ in accordance with the task
which He came to accomplish.
It transpires from postulating these characteris-
tics in Christ that His mediation, which includes all
that He did and continues to do for the salvation of
humanity, is the work of a divine being. All the
10

works and sufferings of Christ in the performance
of His mediation have been the works and suf-
ferings of a divine being. The One who has been
crucified is the Lord of Glory; the one who poured
Himself to death is the second basic element of God
or the second person in the Godhead (Arabic:
UQNUM).
The Historic Proof
9. A glance at history shows us that there dwelt
on the face of this earth a man whose life has been a
clear demonstration of both elements of which the
perfect good of humanity consists; these two ele-
ments are a permanent relationship to God and an
unparalleled love for His fellow men. He went
about preaching the good news, doing good and
healing those afflicted by the devil. He revealed to
mankind a new concept of God, saying that God
has a concern for every person individually, as a
father is concerned for his own children; and that
God accepts every repentant sinner as warmly as a
father would welcome a straying son returning to
his bosom.
10 and 11. In addition to His teachings of love,
11

and the works of mercy He performed, He called a
group of disciples to be with Him, to learn the
words He uttered and the power of His example.
Day by day these disciples grew in their knowledge
of Him and deepened their insight into His way of
thinking and the understanding of the inner mean-
ing of His parables. They drew upon the riches of
His Spirit, learnt from His confidence and shared
in His communion with God. Nevertheless, the evil
world shook with fear of Him. Those who closed
their eyes to the truth and relied on their own
righteousness, rebelled against Him and dragged
Him to trial accusing Him of blasphemy and
breaking the law. They were able to have the death
sentence passed against Him. But how did He re-
act? He refused to defend himself, knowing full
well it was in His power merely to say a word and
have a dozen armies of angels rally around to
exterminate His enemies. He chose not to fall back
on any means of deliverance available to Him. In
order to proclaim the meaning of love, God's love,
He gave Himself up to the uttermost. In order that
the enormity and extreme hideousness of sin in
God's sight may be impressed in people's minds,
He allowed sin to inflict punishment on that perfect
12

human body of His, the flower of humanity itself,
without blemish. In order to conquer evil, He with-
stood its assaults and onslaughts unto death, shar-
ing thereby with mankind all struggles, and paving
the way for His eventual victory. Thus He was
victorious.
12.	On the third day He arose. He has earlier
said: "... that I lay down my life — only to take it
up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down
of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down
and authority to take it up again" (John 10:17,
18). That was precisely what He did. He finished
the work and the divine revelation was complete.
Love was shed to its utmost, and the power of evil,
mighty as it is, was fought and defeated. Victory of
good over evil was won.
13.	What about the outcome? The effect has
been noticeable in His disciples, who gained an
intimate knowledge of Him with a conviction that
grew out of their association with Him. It blos-
somed when He appeared to them after His resur-
rection. To them, He was not merely a man or a
being of a higher species than man. They saw in
Him the attributes of God Himself. He claimed
things which would be a blasphemy for anyone
13

else, other than God, to claim. Every claim He
made had been proved in earnest, including the
fact that He was worthy of their worship and was
indeed God living the life of man and, at the same
time, reigning over the universe from His throne in
heaven.
14.	This was not the experience only of those
disciples of the Lord Jesus who had direct contact
with Him, but spread speedily to many others, as
the disciples passed on the good news upheld by
the might of His Spirit, whom He sent in His
place.
The conviction that Jesus of Nazareth was both
God and man did not disappear with the death of
those who had known Him in the flesh. Why? Be-
cause it was based not on a religious error or
dogma but on personal experience felt by Chris-
tians throughout the ages, and on the strong con-
viction that Jesus is still alive and maintains a
personal relationship with all those who seek Him.
This relationship does not stand as an obstacle
between them and God, but is in reality a com-
munion with God Himself.
15.	This Divine Person (Arabic: UQNUM),
14

Jesus Christ, is not an inanimate and imperfect
being, but now fills the whole universe; He is here,
there and everywhere. He touches man and says:
"Follow me!" If struck by awe, man rejoins:
"Lord! Your service is hard and burdensome I can-
not bear it and am unable to follow in your
footstep, leave me alone Lord, for I am a sinner."
Jesus answers: "Give me your life, entrust it to me,
have faith and believe in me for my grace is
sufficient for you." Man may respond to His call
and become a disciple. Christ is still along the road
calling out: "Come to me, all you who are weary
and burdened, and I will give you rest... Look
unto me you ends of the earth and be saved." Many
hear His call and come to Him attracted by the
grace of His divine personality. He is popular
today in black Africa, where masses of people join
His ranks and find deliverance from the power of
evil spirits and the grip of sorcerers and magicians.
In every nation, tribe and class there are people
who have been transformed by Jesus. They live a
different life. They used to live in sin, lust und
pride. Now they live worthy of His gospel, in
righteousness and holiness of truth. If you ask
them about the root cause of such a transforma-
15

tion, they would reply: "All this is by virtue of the
knowledge of Jesus our Lord."
We can therefore say with full confidence that
the life of Jesus of Nazareth has crowned the work
of God in creation and lifted it to the acme of
sublimity and perfection. In Him this work reached
full perfection; in Him life and spirit attained the
purpose of God; further, in Him, all who accept
Him in love are established and filled to the fullness
of God. In other words, the soul that believes in
Him has reached the supreme goal of its existence,
namely, union with God Himself and the uplifting
of creation to God its Creator.
16. This is the verdict and conclusion of history.
Yet with regard to Jesus Christ the meaning of
"perfect man" is not merely of the divine essence of
the universe, the reflection of the divine essence
and the link between God and His creation. Rather,
He is the perfect man because He is at the same
time perfect God, "for in Christ all the fullness of
the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9).
He is not only the mirroring of the divine substance
shining brightly through a human life, but "is the
radiance of God's glory and the exact representa-
tion of His being, sustaining all things by His power-
16

ful word (Hebrews 1:3). He is the Word who
was in the beginning with God, and the Word who
was God... through Him all things were made;
without Him nothing was made that has been
made (John 1:1—3). He is therefore worthy to
receive all power, dominion, wisdom, might, hon-
our, glory and praise, Amen!
GREAT
IS THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS
GOD WAS MANIFEST
IN THE FLESH
(I TIMOTHY 3:16)
17

Chapter II
QUESTION:
"It is well known that God is not in need of the world
or those who dwell in it, that every relationship He
has with His creatures restricts Him, the Most High
as He is, to the bounds of time and place and
consequently attributes passivity to Him, which
would be blasphemy. Does not the Incarnation in
which Christianity believes mean a translocation of a
portion of God to the body of Christ?"
A.S.
Beirut,
Lebanon
17. Dear inquirer, if you stop to think you will
find that Islam, which you hold, puts God in the
realm of relationship with His creatures and within
19

the scope of time and place. You believe that God
sent a messenger to men. This means, God estab-
lished a relationship with His creatures. The Koran
says: "Lo! We have sent unto you a messenger as
witness against you, even as We sent unto Pharaoh
a messenger. But Pharaoh rebelled against the
messenger, whereupon We seized him with no
gentle grip" (Sura 73 "The Enshrouded One":
verses 15, 16). Moreover, the Koran exhorts man
to establish relationship with God, his creator, and
states that God loves this, as illustrated in Sura 13
"The Family of Imran," verse 159, which says:
"And when you are resolved, then put your trust in
Allah. Lo! Allah loves those who put their trust (in
Him)."
You might argue that such expressions are sym-
bolic. This would be reading into the exegesis and
would collapse in the face of the facts. There are
many instances of this kind in which mention is
made of persons who have been commissioned by
God to perform certain tasks as, for example, in
the Koranic saying: "We sent Noah unto people,
and he said: 'O my people! Serve Allah. Ye have no
other God save Him. Lo! I fear for you the
20

retribution of an Awful Day.' The chieftains of his
people said: 'Lo! we see you surely in plain error.'
He said: 'O my people! There is no error in me, but
I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds. I
convey unto you the message of my Lord and give
good counsel unto you, and know from Allah that
which you know not'" (Sura 7 "The Heights":
verses 59—62). Such verses cannot be taken sym-
bolically because they refer to specific events.
18. What have you to say of the traditional pro-
phetic saying concerning the ritual of prayer en-
joined upon Muslims? This purports that Ibn Ishaq
cited Ibn Mas'ud as quoting the messenger of God
(Muhammad) saying, in the chronicle of the night
of ascension: "Gabriel finally brought me to the
presence of my Lord who ordained upon me fifty
prayer rituals daily. On my way back I passed by
Moses son of Imran, and what a friend you had in
him! He asked me how many prayers the Lord
imposed on me and I replied: 'Fifty daily.' He said:
'The prayers are burdensome and your people are
weak; return to your Lord and beg him to lessen
the burden on you and on your people.' I returned
and begged my Lord to lessen the burden on me
21

and on my people. He relieved me often. I left and
passed by Moses who said the same thing to me. I
returned and begged my Lord who relieved me of
ten. Then I left and passed by Moses who said the
same thing to me. I returned and implored God
and He relieved me of ten. He (Moses) kept re-
peating to me every time I returned to him: 'Return
and implore your Lord.' I ended up with the Lord
relieving me of the burden except for five ritual
prayers every day and night. This time I replied: 'I
have implored my Lord and begged to Him so
much that I am ashamed of Him. I will not return!
Therefore whosoever of you perform them by faith
and action he shall have the reward of fifty
prayers'" (The Prophet's Chronicles by Ibn Hisham
3:276).
19. I leave you with traditional prophetic quo-
tation to make up your mind in the light of it,
whether or not God does have relationships with
His creatures who, likewise, have a relationship
with Him. Furthermore, in an expression of love, I
put it thus to you: If you hold on to the belief of
"absolute elimination of anthropomorphic ele-
ments from the conception of deity" (Arabic:
TANZIH), you are believing in a God about whom
22

you know nothing and from whom you are con-
sequently separated totally. Such being the case,
you are implicitly denying Prophecy and the
Koran. A prophet cannot be called so, unless he is
inspired and sent forth to establish a relationship
between God and the creature.
20. The traditional prophetic saying reads:
"God, blessed and exalted be His name, descends
every night to the lowest heaven, where He remains
for the last third of the night, and calls: 'Is there
anyone praying to me and I will answer him? Any-
one beseeching of me and I will give him? Anyone
who repents before me and I will forgive him'"
(Bukhari4:68).
I believe that the "absolute elimination of an-
thropomorphic elements from the conception of
deity" (Arabic: TANZIH) which asserts God's
total detachment from created beings, makes Him,
an isolated God (exalted be His name). This leads
to dislocation in spiritual matters. Man cannot
repent and experience regeneration in isolation
from God. It is known by experience that all efforts
by man to lift himself from the state of sin to that of
righteousness prove of no avail, if man has no
23

contact with God. Christ, in His "Sermon on the
Mount," said: "Who of you by worrying can add a
single cubit to his height?" (Matthew 6:27). It
follows, by observation, that "absolute elimina-
tion of anthropomorphic elements from the con-
ception of deity" (Arabic: TANZIH), acts as an
obstacle to many in the way of accepting the con-
cept of incarnation. These persons have, therefore,
deprived themselves of the benefits of redemption.
In defence of their rejection of the teaching of
incarnation they offer a number of objections,
including the following:
21. They argue that Divine incarnation exposes
God to a change in the essence of his Deity at the
specific time and place, thus measuring God by the
measure of imperfect minds. In fact they are in-
directly attributing impotence to God, an inability
to become incarnate and appear without at all
changing His essence. The truth is that incarnation
does not necessarily involve a change in the divine
nature. Our proof of this is that the second basic
element of God or person in the Godhead (Arabic:
UQNUM), when He was united to human nature
did not forfeit His deity, but remained the same
mighty God who raised the dead, cured the blind
24

and the lepers, forgave sins and silenced storms
and waves by His command. The gospel tells us
that He appeared in the flesh in a supernatural
way, because He is the creator of the bodies and of
human nature and has no difficulty in being united
to them. Any belief to the contrary is an admission
that the creator of bodies and natures is not God
but some being.
22. We know by experience that any wise and
sane person can adjust himself to his environment
and circumstances. How much more likely is it that
an All Wise, Almighty God should be capable of
incarnation without any change occuring in His
essence?
Remember the sun sends its rays and warmth to
the earth, and in uniting with other beings on earth,
gives them life and helps them to grow without ever
any change occuring to the sun's composition. Is it
reasonable that the sun should have the potential
of uniting with other elements and influencing
them without being affected, while God the Crea-
tor of the sun and the elements should have no such
potency?
You believe that God created the first man of
"clay, like the potter's" (Sura 55 "The Beneficient":
25

verse 14). This implies that God stood at a definite
time and place because He held with His hand clay
from a given spot with which He made man at a
given time. If you say that His standing at a given
place and a given time does not confine Him
because He is Almighty, I would put it to you that
His incarnation at a given time and a given place
does not confine Him either because He is Al-
mighty. Christ, therefore, said: "The things which
are impossible with men are possible with God"
(Luke 18:27).
23. Tradition quotes Muhammed as saying:
"When the believers seek their God's intercession
on the day of resurrection, they come to me and I
go forth and ask for an audience with my God in
His house which is given to me. When I see my
God I lie prostrate before Him" (Bukhari 4:18).
A question arises here: "Why is a Christian
accused of blasphemy when he says that God
appeared in the flesh, while such an accusation is
not hurled at one who says that God is contained in
a house?"
In Sura 57 "Iron": verse 29, it is written: "the
bounty is in Allah's hand to give to whom He will.
And Allah is of Infinite bounty." In Sura 48 "Vic-
26

tory": verse 10, it is written: "they swear allegiance
only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their
hands." In Sura 67 "The Sovereignty": verse 1, it is
written: "Blessed is He in Whose hand is the
Sovereignty, and He is Able to do all things."
It is written in Sura 11 "Hud": verse 37, that God
said to Noah: "Build the ship under Our eyes and
by Qur inspiration." It is written in Sura 52 "The
Mount": verse 48, that God said to Muhammad:
"So wait patiently for your Lord's decree for surely
you are in Our eye." It is written in Sura 20 "Taha":
verse 39, that God said to Moses: "When We
inspired in your mother saying: 'Throw him into
the ark... and there an enemy to Me and an
enemy to him shall take him.' And I endued you
with love from Me that you might be trained
according to My will."
Tradition quotes Abu Hurairah quoting Mu-
hammad as saying: "God created the creation and
when relationship on the female side stood, they
held to the waist of the Merciful One " (Bukhari
3:114).
All the above quotations say that God has a
face, a hand, an eye and a waist, all of which are
components of man's body. If the incarnation of
27

God is a blasphemy how can the foregoing verses
be explained?
25. How does the Holy God dwell in the womb of
a woman, in the midst of blood and the uncleanliness
of conception and childbirth? And how can He dwell
in a human body, eating and hungering, drinking and
thirsting, urinating and excreting?
Perhaps those who say so do not comprehend
the statement of the angel of God: "He who is
conceived by Mary is by the Holy Spirit." If God is
holier than to come into contact with the blood of a
woman, how do they believe that God took a rib of
Adam and made the woman out of it? How do
they explain the traditional Prophetic saying,
quoted by Aisha, when she said: "The Prophet
used to rest in my bosom during my menstruation
period and recite the Koran?" (Bukhari 1:44).
If blood were unclean and the Koran were the
eternal word of God originating in the very es-
sence of God and inseparable from Him, how does
Muhammad make it lawful for himself to read it
while lying on the bosom of Aisha, in her men-
struation, and yet it is unlawful for the Word to
indwell and be incarnate in the womb of Saint
Mary? It is written in Sura 15 "Al Hijr," verse 28:
28

"and when your Lord said to the angels: Lo! I am
creating a mortal out of dry clay made out of
stinking mud." Jalalan interpreted this type of
mud as "black mud." If coming into contact with
black mud is not regarded a degradation to the
holiness of God and does not defile Him, how
much more appropriate it is, after God had made
out of it man and crowned him over His creatures,
that He will not disdain to dwell in him? Praise be
to God for His word through the apostle Paul who
said: "Don't you know that you yourselves are
God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"
(I Corinthians 3:16). If the Holy God sees no harm
in abiding by His Spirit in a believer, how much
more appropriate would it be for Him to indwell
the body of Jesus who knew no sin and who was
not born of human seed?
26. It is written in Sura 28 "The Story," verse 29:
"Then, when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was
travelling with his housefolk, he saw in the distance
a fire and said unto his housefolk: 'Bide you (here).
Lo! I see in the distance a fire, peradventure I shall
bring you tidings thence, or a brand from the fire
that you may warm yourselves.' And when he
reached it, he was called from the right side of the
29

valley in the blessed field, from the tree: 'O Moses!
Lo! I, even I, am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.' "
The same story recurs in Sura 20 "Taha," verses
9—12: "Has there come unto you the story of
Moses? When he saw a fire and said unto his folk:
'Wait! Lo! I see a fire afar off. Peradventure I may
bring you a brand therefrom or may find guidance
at the fire.' And when he reached it, he was called
by name: 'O Moses! Lo! I, even I, am your Lord.
So take off your shoes, for lo! You are in the holy
valley of Tuwa. And I have chosen you, so hearken
unto that which is inspired.' "
The episode is explained by Imam Fakhruddin
Arrazi in the following manner: "Moses, peace be
on him, took leave of Shu'aib to return to his
mother and was granted it. As he went out a son
was born unto him by the road on a wintry Friday
night. He had strayed. Moses, peace be on him,
struck fire but the flint bore no flash. As he made
further attempts he observed a fire at a distance on
the left side of the wayside." Assaddi is quoted as
saying: "Moses thought it was a fire by some
shepherds." Others, relating the story said that
Moses saw it in a tree. "When he saw it, he pro-
ceeded towards it and told his household: 'Wait!
30

Lo! I saw a fire, peradventure I shall bring you a
piece of burning wood or flint.' When he reached
it," relates Ibn Abbas, "he saw a green tree from
stem to top as if it was white fire. He stood in
amazement at the bright light of the fire and the
deep green tree. Neither did the fire change the
green tree, nor was fire changed by the plenteous-
ness of water in the tree; Moses heard the angels
singing hymns of praise and saw a strong light.
When Moses beheld this he placed his hand on his
eyes and was called by name: 'O Moses! Lo! I am
your God.'He responded in obedience saying: 'I
hear your voice but cannot see you. Where are
you?' He (God) said: 'Lo! I am with you, before
you, behind you, around you and nearest to you...
Take off your shoes for lo! you are in the holy
valley'" (Attafsir Al Kabir Volume 22: Pages 14,
15).
In the Holy Bible the story is related thus: "And
the Angel of the Lord appeared to him (Moses) in a
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush and lo, the
bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And...
he turned aside to see, (and) God called to him out
of the bush... (and) said to him, 'Do not come
31

near; put off your shoes from your feet for the
place on which you are standing is holy ground'"
(Exodus 3:2—5).
My respected friend! If God, in order to speak to
Moses and commission him to carry a message to
mankind, chose to dwell in a bush and appear in
the form of fire, is it not unfair to accuse Chris-
tians of blaspheming because they believe that
God, in order to reveal Himself in love, appeared
in Jesus Christ? Is the bush in which God appeared
more significant than Christ?
27.	I now put it to you, if Jesus, while in the
flesh, ate, drank and digested, that does not impair
the fullness of the Deity who dwelt in Him bodily.
This is illustrated in the Holy Bible thus: " I know,
and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is
nothing unclean of itself: But if anyone regards
something as unclean, then for him it is unclean"
(Romans 14:14).
28.	Dear friend! Anyone who ponders deeply
over Holy Scripture cannot fail to observe that the
way God chose to reveal Himself and com-
municate His intentions, has been in the nature of
appearance and incarnation. It does not matter
whether such appearance and incarnation took
32

place in the cloud, in the fire, through the body of
the Angel of the Covenant or the body of Christ in
whom He appeared full of grace and truth.
In the epistle to the Hebrews 1:1,2, we read the
following statement which is regarded a key utter-
ance concerning God's contact with mankind: "In
the past God spoke to our forefathers through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, but in
these last days He has spoken to us by His Son,
whom He appointed heir of all things, and through
whom He made the worlds." Here are other exam-
ples of God's appearances and methods of speak-
ing to mankind, as recorded in the Holy Bible.
Genesis 18:1—5 says: "And the Lord appeared
to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door
of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his
eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in
front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the
tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the
earth, and said, 'My Lord, if I have found favor in
your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little
water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest
yourselves under the tree, while I fetch a morsel of
bread, that you may refresh yourselves...' So they
said: 'Do as you have said.' " Here God appeared
33

to Abraham in the form of man who sat, ate and
drank.
Genesis 32:22—30 says that He appeared unto
Jacob in the shape of man and wrestled with him
until the break of day and when He asked Jacob to
let Him go, Jacob said: "I will not let you go, unless
you bless me," and He blessed him saying: ".. .for
you have striven with God and men and have
prevailed." And Jacob called the name of the place
Peniel: "for I have seen God face to face, and my
life is preserved."
Exodus 24 states: "Then Moses and Aaron and
Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel went up
and they saw the God of Israel and there was under
His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire
stone... and upon the nobles of the children of
Israel He laid not His hand." Here God's appear-
ance took the form of man with hands and legs,
but He did not lay His hands upon the nobles be-
cause they were sinners and in need of a mediator
who has the nature of God and the nature of man.
34

Chapter III
QUESTION:
"Is it not within the power of the Merciful God to
save mankind other than through sending His son,
presuming that God has a son as you claim, to take a
human body, be tempted like us and be killed at the
hands of wicked men?"
S.A.
Damascus,
Syria
29. The Holy Bible teaches that God created
man in His own image and in His likeness (Genesis
1:26). And God, Glory be to His name, intended
that man remain in an uncorrupt state. But man,
drawn by his pride to break God's command, de-
35

liberately disobeyed and went astray. He thus be-
came a sinner and liable to God's judgment which
declares: "The soul that sins shall die" (Ezekiel
18:20). The apostle Paul referred to this fact when
he said: "By one man sin entered into the world,
and death by sin; and so death passed to all men,
for all have sinned" (Romans 5:12).
The word of God teaches that humans, by
refusing to keep God in their knowledge, fell into
disobedience like their first parents. They have,
ever since, lost the image of righteousness and holi-
ness of truth in which God created them. They be-
came corrupt by their own voice; as Solomon the
Wise said: "Lo! God has made man upright, but
they have sought out many inventions" (Ec-
clesiastes 7:29); and so the apostle Paul said: "For
although they knew God, they neither glorified
Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their
thinking became futile and their foolish hearts
were darkened. AJthough they claimed to be wise,
they became fools" (Romans 1:21, 22).
It should have been possible for man, who was
created in the image of God, to avoid corruption
and decay and live in purity, had he kept God in his
knowledge. God did not only create us from
36

nothing and give us the breath of life, but He also
endowed us with the possibility of living in com-
munion with Him. But as men moved away from
the life of God and accepted Satan's temptation,
they brought about their own decline.
30.	Is it worthy of God, to have man, whom He
created in His own image and in His likeness,
destined to perish for ever? What would the Crea-
tor do, whose attribute is that He is righteous and
His mercy unto everlasting? Would His rich loving
kindness allow corruption to efface His image
from mankind? Would His glorious divinity re-
joice at the perishing of the human community
whom He created in perfection? If He were to leave
them to such a wretched fate would that not be
neglect? But is negligence worthy of the glory of a
Holy God? Far be it from God's glory! Has He not
said: "As I live, says the Lord God, I have not
pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the
wicked turn from his way and live" (Ezekiel 33:11).
31.	It is true that God, out of His bounteous
love, has willed that man be saved. How? Is it
through repentance? But repentance cannot over-
rule judgment and, consequently, lift punishment,
because this would not meet the demands of God's
37

justice. It is true that while repentance stands be-
tween the repenting person and the committal of
further sin, it does not eradicate the effect of
preceding sin and the judgment of God thereon. In
view of this predicament one would ask again:
What possible course of action is left for God,
"who wants all men to be saved, and come to a
knowledge of the truth" (I Timothy 2:4). In a
sense God wants to justify man in order to restore
such a corrupt being into a state of incorruption
and, at the same time, meet the demands of the
divine justice. This accords with the divine counsel
pertaining to sacrifice. Therefore, the Logos
(Word) Who "in the beginning was with God and
the Logos (Word) who was God," is alone worthy,
by His very nature, to bring about the regenera-
tion of all things by taking on a human body and
bearing, on behalf of man, the punishment pre-
scribed by divine justice. This is precisely why He
came down to our world and "was made flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth" (John 1:14).
32. Assuredly, ever since the beginning, the
Word was preparing Himself for the flesh. That
38

godly man, Tertullian, declared that Christ was
preparing Himself for incarnation throughout the
ages that preceded His appearance. The truth is
that anyone contemplating the Holy Bible can see
that the Lord the Redeemer was the password
whispered, by inspiration, to the ears of God's
prophets in the Old Testament. Prophecy spoke of
Him by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah: "The
Lord Himself shall give you a sign; behold a virgin
shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His
name Immanuel... which, being interpreted is,
God with us" (Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23).
The inspired word tells us that "when the time
had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a
woman, born under law, to redeem those under
law, that we might receive the full rights of sons"
(Galatians4:4, 5).
The gospel of redemption reveals to us that all
have come under the punishment of death which
cannot be abolished except by the death of One
righteous, who knew no sin. The Word volunteered
by taking on human flesh, that the judgment of
death might be fulfilled in Him on behalf of all who
believe. This secret is revealed to us by the apostle
Paul who said: "Therefore, there is now no con-
39

demnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit
of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For
what the law was powerless to do in that it was
weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending
His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin
offering. And so He condemned sin in sinful man,
in order that the righteous requirements of the law
might be fully met in us, who do not live according
to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit"
(Romans 8:1—4). This means that the Lord and
Redeemer, in offering that body which He took
upon Himself as a burnt offering and sacrifice with
no blemish, did away with the judgment of death
upon all on whose behalf He acted. Thus, because
He is exalted above all and is without sin, He was
able to meet the demands of divine justice.
33. You might face some difficulty in under-
standing the secret of redemption. But when you
contemplate the teaching of the Gospel concerning
God's love and abundance of mercy, you will find
that such work is in harmony with the compassion
attributed to God. Below are some of the texts in
the New Testament inspired and written for our
teaching. By reading through them you would see
40

to what extent the love of God went for your own
salvation:
f " Since the children have flesh and blood, He
too shared in their humanity so that by His death
He might destroy him who holds the power of
death — that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14).
f "We are justified freely by His grace through
the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God
presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through
faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His
justice, because in His forbearance He had left the
sins committed beforehand unpunished" (Romans
3:24,25).
"I* "But God demonstrates His own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by His blood, how
much more shall we be saved from God's wrath
through Him!" (Romans 5:8, 9).
f "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave
Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with
Him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).
34. Prophetic Proof of Divine Incarnation
f "I was ready to be sought by those who did
not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those
41

who did not seek me. I said, 'Here am I, here am I,
to a nation that did not call on my name. I spread
out my hands all the day to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good, following their
own devices' " (Isaiah 65:1,2).
This verse refers to the incarnation of Jesus
Christ, because Paul quoted it when he spoke on
the subject thus: "I was found by those who did
not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not
ask for me. But concerning Israel he says, 'All day
long I have held out my hands to a disobedient
and obstinate people'" (Romans 10:20,. 21). It was
Jesus who indeed stretched forth His hands on the
cross.
f "They shall see the glory of the Lord, the
majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble, knees. Say to those who
are of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, fear not! Behold
your God will come with vengeance, with the
recompense of God. He will come and save you.'
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the
ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man
leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing"
(Isaiah 35:2—5).
This prophecy not only explains that God dwells
42

here, but declares the signs of His coming and
describes His works as quoted in the Gospel exact-
ly, thus: "For John the Baptist calling two of his
disciples sent them to Jesus to ask, 'Are you the
one who was to come, or should we expect some-
one else?'... And Jesus answered them, 'Go back
and report to John what you have seen and heard:
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who
have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Blessed is the man who does not fall away on
account of me' " (Luke 7:19—24).
t "Seventy weeks of years are decreed concern-
ing your people and your holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to put an end to sins, and to
atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal both vision and prophet,
and to anoint the Most Holy. Know, therefore, and
understand, that from the going forth of the word
to restore and build Jerusalem, to the coming of an
anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks"
(Daniel 9:24, 25).
In this prophecy we find not only a reference to
Christ but a clear declaration that the One who will
be anointed is not merely a man but the Most
43

Holy. Actually when Christ came, the revelation
and prophecy centred on the Jewish people among
whom monarchy had come to an end. It was to be
expected that their kings be anointed until the time
of the anointing of the Most Holy One. Jacob
prophesied that Kings among the Jews would last
until the coming of the Messiah when he said: "The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's
staff from between his feet, until Shiloh, i.e., the
Messiah, come; and to him shall be the obedience
of the people" (Genesis 49:10).
f "Sacrifice and offering you do not desire; but
you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and
sin offering you have not required. Then I said,
'Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of
me. I delight to do your will, O my God" (Psalm
40:6—8).
35. When comparing these verses with those
quoted in Hebrews 10:6—10, we observe that this
glorious psalm applies fully to the person of Jesus.
Our glorious Lord exhibited the sacrifice and offer-
ings of the Old Testament such as the sacrifices of
safety, the burnt offerings and sin offerings, and
after reviewing them wisely pronounced: "They
were not what the Most High required."
44

Holy Scripture reveals to us that it was in the
everlasting counsel of God to prepare a better
sacrifice. As we bow our heads in reverence, the
Holy Spirit takes us back to the eternal past which
we cannot fully comprehend because of our human
limitations, but which we understand from God's
revelations in His Holy Book, and visualise that
"the basic elements" of the Deity or three Persons
in the Godhead (Arabic: AQ ANIM), looked down
on our human race which was to come into being,
and upon the sin that was to enter into the world,
and with it death, and ordained that the redemp-
tion should take place. We visualise God the Son
volunteering to undertake the sacrificial task, say-
ing: "Here I go to make atonement for a world that
has fallen back."
36. In the interest of mankind the Incarnate
Lord was not content that God's redemptive will
be restricted to a nation that considered itself the
sole heir to the Promises of God, but wished it to
embrace the whole world.
One might be tempted to ask: Why was death
accomplished through the cross rather than by
some other means? In answer to this, I would say
that it was the pleasure of God to redeem us Him-
45

self, and there is no other way better for us and
more worthy of the Lord. It was good that the
Incarnate Lord bore this type of death for our
sake. For if He had to justify us from sin under
which the law pinned us down, how else would it
be possible for Him to be sin for us, had He not
died carrying our sins on the cross?
And if the death of the Incarnate Lord became
an atonement for all, and, by His death, the middle
wall of partition had been broken, i. e. the enmity
(Ephesians 2:14), so that the call might embrace
all nations; then how would it have been possible
to call us to be reconciled to C^d, had He not been
crucified? Thanks be to Him that this was His joy
and that He saw fit to bear this humiliating death
and stretch forth both hands on the cross in order
to draw the saints of the Old Covenant with one
hand, and, with the other, those from among the
gentiles, in order that all be united in His glorious
Person, as He said: "When I am lifted up from the
earth, I will draw all men to myself (John 12:32).
46

TEST QUESTIONS
If you are interested in checking your understanding
of this book, please answer the following questions.
If 28 of the 36 listed questions are answered cor-
rectly, we will send you another booklet by Iskan-
der Jadeed.
1.	Why is man unable to be good and perfect on
his own?
2.	What is the only way of reconciliation with
God?
3.	What are the three proofs mentioned, that
man is totally a sinner?
4.	Is it God's will for us to remain sinners? What
is the means of our salvation?
5.	What is the deepest longing in man's heart?
6.	By what means can man be lifted to the level of
God?
7.	What are the essential qualifications for a
mediator between us and God?
8.	How have the necessary qualifications for a
divine mediator been fulfilled in Christ?
9.	What are the two elements indicative of the
perfect good for humanity?
10. Why did Christ gather the disciples around
Him?
47

11.	How did Jesus react to His arrest by His
enemies?
12.	How did Christ's victory become clear?
13.	What is the result of Christ's death and res-
urrection?
14.	How was the world convinced of Christ's
divinity?
15.	How can man's life be transformed at the root?
16.	What are the attributes given in the Holy Bible
to Christ?
17.	Does Islam establish a relationship between
the Creator and His creatures?
18.	How does Prophetic tradition indicate a direct
relationship between God and mankind?
19.	What is implied by the conception of the
"absolute elimination of anthropomorphic
elements from the conception of Deity" (Ara-
bic: TANZIH)?
20.	What does  Prophetic tradition say about
God's descent every night?
21.	How can you prove that God's incarnation
does not change the essence of the power of
God?
22.	Was God able to be incarnate and realise His
will?
48

23.	What is meant by the text of the traditional
prophetic saying that God is contained in a
house?
24.	How did the Holy God dwell in the belly of a
woman?

26.	What is meant by God appearing to Moses in
the burning bush?
27.	What is unclean?
28.	What about God's contact with worldly matter
in His revelations, without being defiled? Is
that not an indication that God was able to be
incarnate without suffering loss?
29.	How did men lose the image of God?
30.	Is it reasonable to suppose that God would
leave His creatures to remain corrupt?
31.	Why is man's mere repentance not enough for
salvation?
32.	What are the proofs, from divine inspiration,
of Christ's incarnation?
33.	What are the prophetic proofs of the Lord's
incarnation?

35.	What is the most favored sacrifice in God's
view?
36.	Did Jesus aim, by His redemption, at all man-
kind or only the Jews?
Send your answer to:
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