This is a profound statement in the Qur'an.  It reveals the superiority of those who follow Jesus  Christ.  It does not say those who believe in Jesus Christ shall be made superior........ it says those who  follow him, that is , his disciples.  In other words those who go by the name 'CHRISTIANS'.

   The verse tells us that God told Jesus that he would let Jesus die and then would raise Jesus up.   Then he would set those who follow Jesus above those who could not believe the message Jesus brought ...  and these followers of Jesus Christ shall remain superior until the Day of Resurrection and then all will be  judged.  Those who could not believe the message of Jesus Christ and so could not become his followers  will be judged. 

   What was the message Jesus brought, and which was rejected by people, except by the followers  of Jesus?  As we read verses 49 to 54 we see clearly what that message was.  Jesus, according to the  passage, came with a message and a sign from god, and performed wonders(miracles) so the people could  see that he actually came from God.  He then declared to the people what they were to eat (though he  came to confirm the Torah which was given to Moses, and the Torah forbade certain foods and gave some  other restrictions), Jesus told the people he had come to make lawful to them things forbidden them in the  Old Testament(Torah).  In effect, he was bringing them a New Testament which was known as the  Gospel(Injeel).  He asserted that the new law was the sign he brought from God and that the people should  believe in him and obey him.

   But the Qur'an says that the people could not believe Jesus on this matter; except for his disciples  who said they believed him and had surrendered to God by obeying the message Jesus brought and, that  THEY WOULD FOLLOW HIM (Jesus) whom God had sent.   So they (the disciples) asked God to enroll  them among those who witness to the truth.

   Then those who refused to believe Jesus schemed to kill Jesus.  But God also proved that he could  plan better than them and so he told Jesus(that is, reading the 55th verse now) that he (God) would let  Jesus die but would raise him(Jesus) again and unto himself(God).  He would then cleanse Jesus of those  who could not believe and make those who accept Jesus and his message,(and follow him as his disciples)  superior to those who cannot believe in that which Jesus brought.

   The verse indicates that God "shall judge between you as to that wherein you differ".  So those  who cannot believe the way Christians believe are regarded unbelievers and will continue to remain low- classed people on earth here, and shall be judged as unbelievers on Judgment Day.

   Also those who cannot believe that Jesus was made to die before being raised to God in heaven(as  Sura 3 Al-Imran 55 points out in the Arabic: "Yaa Iisaa Inni Mutawafeeka wa rafiuka", which literally  means "O, Jesus, I am causing you to die and will raise you unto myself"), will be judged as unbelievers.   The Bible has this statement for unbelievers....those who cannot believe that God raised Jesus from the  dead...." why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" (Acts  26:8)  As a matter of fact, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof of our own death and  resurrection.  At least we know that we shall surely be raised up some day in the future after this life on  earth.

   The Christians and the Jews are known as the People of the Bible or the People of the Book or  the People of the Scriptures.  The Qur'an goes further to point out that these People of the Bible are the  teachers of the Muslims on matters relating to the revelations concerning the doctrines and things of  God.

   For example, even though the Qur'an is supposed to be a confirming scripture to the Torah and  the Gospel(Sura 3 Al-Imran 3-4) it also contains confused(or ambiguous or allegorical) verses that cannot  be explained.... Sura 3 Al-Imran 7.  Any Muslim who attempts to explain these ambiguous verses will  cause dissension, confusion, etc., because no Muslim can explain them except God himself.  That is what  the Qur'an claims.

   Then in Sura 5 Al-Maida 101 there is a warning that the Muslims should not ask questions  which, if they were made known to them ... that is , if the answers are given... would trouble them -  but   that if the Qur'an is being revealed and the questions are asked, they would be explained.

   But since the Qur'an is no more in the process of being revealed, because the prophet Muhammad  has passed away, it means a lot of the problems are still not explained to the Muslims.  Besides, verse 102  of Sura 5 Al-Maida says that some people asked for explanations of certain problem revelations and when  the explanations were given them, their faith in Islam shattered and they left Islam.

   However, there is consolation for those who are indeed truthful and need genuine explanations.   We have already seen a verse like Sura 10 Yunus 94.  In Sura 10 Yunus 94 we read that God told  Muhammad(and of course all Muslims) that if "thou art in doubt concerning that which we reveal unto  thee, then question those who read the Scriptures before you."  That is, Muslims should seek explanations  to revelations which they doubt from those who read the Scriptures before them; that is, they should go to  those who read the Torah and the Injeel which came before the Qur'an - after all, the Qur'an is only  supposed to confirm the previous Scriptures of God(the Torah and the Injeel).

   Again we refer to the wonderful statement in Sura Al-Ankabut.  In Sura 29 Al-Ankabut 46, the  Muslims are advised not to argue against the People of the Scriptures except in a good way.  They should  confess to the readers of the first Book(the Bible) that they(the Muslims) believe in what has been revealed  to them(the People of the Bible) and that they(Muslims) surrender to the God of the Bible.

   Perhaps you are not a Christian and are wondering now:  "Is this what the Qur'an really declares  about the Bible?  Did the Qur'an come only to tell people to follow what is in the Bible?  Then why do  Muslims claim the the Qur'an claims to correct the errors that have crept into the Bible?  Why do Muslims  hide the truth?  Whom are they deceiving?"

For further information contact:

-MENORAH MINISTRIES -
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