Table Of ContentIslam’s Jesus
University Press of Florida
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee
Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton
Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers
Florida International University, Miami
Florida State University, Tallahassee
New College of Florida, Sarasota
University of Central Florida, Orlando
University of Florida, Gainesville
University of North Florida, Jacksonville
University of South Florida, Tampa
University of West Florida, Pensacola
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Islam’s Jesus
Zeki Saritoprak
University Press of Florida
Gainesville / Tallahassee / Tampa / Boca Raton
Pensacola / Orlando / Miami / Jacksonville / Ft. Myers / Sarasota
Copyright 2014 by Zeki Saritoprak
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free, recycled paper
This book may be available in an electronic edition.
19 18 17 16 15 14 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Saritoprak, Zeki.
Islam’s Jesus / Zeki Saritoprak.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8130-4940-3 (alk. paper)
1. Jesus Christ—In the Qur’an. 2. Jesus Christ—Islamic interpretations. 3. Qur’an—Relation to
the Bible. 4. Islam—Relations—Christianity. 5. Christianity and other religions—Islam.
I. Title.
BP134.J37S27 2014
297.2'465—dc23 2013044112
The University Press of Florida is the scholarly publishing agency for the State University
System of Florida, comprising Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida
Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, Florida State University, New College
of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, University of North Florida,
University of South Florida, and University of West Florida.
University Press of Florida
15 Northwest 15th Street
Gainesville, FL 32611-2079
http://www.upf.com
For my wife, Özlem,
for her continuing unremitting support
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Contents
Note on Transliteration ix
Introduction xi
1. Jesus as God’s Messenger in the Qur’an 1
2. A Qur’anic Perspective on the Eschatological Role of Jesus 22
3. Islamic Eschatology and Jesus as a Sign of the Hour 38
4. The Hadith and Jesus’s Eschatological Descent 55
5. Speculations about Jesus’s Return 71
6. The Mahdi and Jesus as Allies against al-Dajjal (the Antichrist) 84
7. Literalist Approaches to Jesus’s Eschatological Role in Islamic
Theology 100
8. Symbolic, Allegorical, and Other Interpretive Approaches to Jesus’s
Eschatological Role 112
9. Jesus’s Descent and Theologies of Muslim-Christian Cooperation 134
Conclusion 157
Appendix 1. Fethullah Gülen on Jesus and Interfaith Dialogue 164
Appendix 2. Excerpts from Muhammed Hamdi Yazir 176
Acknowledgments 183
Notes 185
Bibliography 203
Index 215
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Note on Transliteration
In this work, I have avoided the specialized language of academia as much as
possible. I have limited the use of diacritics, with a few exceptions. The only
diacritics used are the ‘ayn and the hamza. Underdots and other diacritics have
been removed. Instead of having a separate glossary, Arabic words have been
italicized and explained within the text.
The name Muhammad is interchangeable with the terms “the Prophet” and
“the Prophet of Islam” (capitalized) but should be distinguished from “prophet”
or “prophets” (lowercase). The word “Hadith” (sayings of the Prophet) has been
used for both plural and singular forms. Hadith is capitalized when the corpus
of the Hadith is meant and lowercased when referring to individual hadith.
Note citations are given in full when they are first cited, then in short form.
Some authors have been cited in the notes and bibliography by their most com-
monly known names. For example, Abu Dawud al-Sijistani is cited as “Abu
Dawud” instead of “al-Sijistani.” To make this work friendly for nonspecial-
ists, I have provided English translations of Arabic titles in square brackets; for
example: Al-Isha‘a li Ashrat al-Sa‘a [Unveiling the Portents of the Hour]. The
translation is omitted for some well-known titles.
Unless otherwise expressed, all Qur’anic verses, sayings of the Prophet, and
renderings from Arabic and Turkish sources used herein are my own transla-
tions. In translating Qur’anic verses, I have occasionally used the translations
of A. J. Arberry, Mohammad Pickthall, and Muhammad Asad for guidance. I
have used the New American Standard version for all direct quotations from
the Bible. As for the citations of Hadith references, I preferred to use, with slight
changes, A. J. Wensinck’s method, which he employed in his famous concor-
dance to the Hadith, Concordance et Indices de la Tradition Musulmane. Thus,
the Hadith collections are cited by the name of the author, followed by the name
of the work in italics, followed by the name of the book/chapter in quotes, end-
ing with the number of the section in the chapter.
Description:“Accessible and readable. Spotlights an important theological theme in a way that both illuminates its internal development in Islamic thought and presents it as a helpful basis for interreligious discussion. The topic is very much in need of teaching and discussion and is a fine example of ‘com
