The Likeness of Jesus Is the Likeness of Ādām

In the Name of Allāh, The Beneficent, The Merciful

The saying of Allāh the Elevated:

{Indeed the likeness of ʿĪsá (Jesus) before Allāh is as the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: “Be!” – and he was. The truth from your Lord, so be not of those who doubt.} [Āl ʿImrān: 59-60]

ʿĪsá, son of Maryam [Jesus, son of Mary], may prayers and peace be upon him, is a servant and messenger of Allāh in the Islamic legislation, the Word of Allāh that He bestowed upon Maryam and a Rooh – spirit from Him.

He is a servant [of Allāh] who must not be worshiped, a Messenger [of Allāh] who must not be belied. The Jews and Christians have either gone to extremes or deficiencies concerning him.

The Jews were cold and deficient towards him, as they described him as being a bastard child. The Christians on the other hand went to extremes concerning him, by worshiping him alongside Allāh.

Allāh created him, with His ability, from Maryam without a father, just as he created Adam from earth, He created Hawaa [Eve] from Adam and then created the rest of mankind from both male and female.

These are the four categories of creation that mankind is restricted to. Allāh mentioned the creation of Adam and Hawaa and the rest of mankind – except ʿĪsá – in the beginning of Chapter an Nisaa saying:

{O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawā (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women…} [Al-Nisāʾ: 1]

Allāh then completed [the categories of creation] by creating ʿĪsá without a male, but this is a lesser category than Adam’s creation which was with neither a male nor female. For this reason Allāh said:

{Indeed the likeness of ʿĪsá (Jesus) before Allāh is as the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: “Be!” – and he was.} [Āl ʿImrān: 59]

The creation of ʿĪsá was with the word ‘Kun – [Be]’ just as the creation of Adam was with ‘Be’. This is what came in the Islamic legislation and it is the truth without doubt, this is why Allāh then said:

{The truth from your Lord, so be not of those who doubt.} [Āl ʿImrān: 60]

He also said the Chapter Maryam:

{Such is ʿĪsá (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary). (It is) a statement of truth about which they doubt (or dispute).} [Maryam: 34-35]

Commenting on this verse, ibn Kathīr stated:

“Allāh the Elevated says: {Indeed the likeness of ʿĪsá (Jesus) before Allāh} In relation to Allāh’s ability as he created him without a father {is as the likeness of Adam.} For Allāh the Glorified created him without a father or mother {He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: “Be!” – and he was. The truth is from your Lord}. Therefore the One who created Adam without a father is able to create ʿĪsá in a simpler fashion. So if it can be claimed that ʿĪsá is the son of Allāh because he was created without a father, then it can also be claimed that Adam is the son of Allāh for the same reason and more, and it is known with consensus that this is falsehood, so claiming that ʿĪsá is the son of Allāh for this reason is therefore a greater and more apparent falsehood. But the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, wished to show His ability to His creation when he created Adam without a male or female, Hawaa with a male without a female, ʿĪsá with a female but without a male and the rest of mankind from both male and female.”

Another example of these four categories in the creation of mankind is in the creation of the children of Adam, as Allāh blesses some of them with sons, some with daughters, some with both sons and daughters and some without either, as Allāh said:

{To Allāh belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He creates what He wills. He bestows female (offspring) upon whom He wills, and bestows male (offspring) upon whom He wills. Or He bestows both males and females, and He renders barren whom He wills. Verily, He is All-Knower and is Able to do all things.} [Al-Shurāʾ: 49-50]

Likewise are the four categories in contentment and misery, amongst mankind are those who are born as believers and die as such, others are born as disbelievers and die as such, some are born as disbelievers and die as believers and others are born as believers and die as disbelievers. The evidence for the latter two categories is the Hadeeth of ibn Mas’ood where it states:

By the One, other than Whom there is no other deity, indeed one of you performs the actions of the people of Paradise until there is but an arms length between him and it, and what has been written overtakes him, and so he acts with the actions of the people of the Hellfire and thus enters it; and indeed one of you performs the actions of the people of the Hellfire, until there is but an arms length between him and it, and what has been written overtakes him and so he acts with the actions of the people of Paradise and thus he enters it.” [Narrated by both Bukhārī and Muslim]