 | Nabil Seyam is director of the Board of Administration of the Islamic Society of Wichita and Co-Founder of the Annoor Islamic School. He was the recipient of the Leader of the Year in 2002 in Wichita and most recently was the recipient of the Community Servant Award by the University United Methodist Church in 2003. Dr. Seyam was selected for the Community Servant Award because of his active role in peace-building and multiculturalism throughout Kansas. He is an adjunct instructor for Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University. He is married and has six children. He can be reached at (316) 630-9222 , by e-mail at nabil@seyam.org, or visit his website at www.seyam.org |
***image1:left***QUESTION: I understand that God is all-knowing, which means that: at the time He created man, He knew He was going to send His Son several thousand years later to save believers. My questions are two: If He knew He was going to send His Son anyway, why didn't He do it initially? Since He did not, why did He wait so long to do it?
ANSWER: To elaborate on this question from an Islamic perspective, a few issues have to be pointed out. Islam and Muslims view Jesus as the son of Mary. Islam and Muslims view Jesus as a prophet and messenger of God.
With that, Islam teaches us that God had sent many messengers and prophets to guide people, purifying them, instructing them, warning them and giving a glad tiding. God states in the Holy Qur'an "We have sent a messenger to every nation." As a fact, thousands of messengers were sent since Adam. Saving people from hell fire has always been one of the missions of the messengers of God. Yes, Jesus was sent to save people, but Moses, Isaac, Abraham, Noah, Jacob, Joseph, Elisha, Job, David, Aaron, Hud, Enoch, Elias, Jesus, Ishmael, Salih, Shuaib, Solomon, Ezra, John, Jonah, Zachariah, Muhammad, etc. were also sent to save people.
The period between Adam and Jesus was thousands of years. Many prophets and messengers were sent between them. According to the teaching of Islam, all of them called for humanity to worship one God "monotheism." With that being said, Jesus was sent with the same message as the prophets and messengers before him. Sending Jesus to the people of Israel at the time and place He was sent was for a purpose meant by God. Why did Moses come before Jesus? Why did Noah come before Abraham? It was all meant by God.
God, by definition, is Just, Wise, Merciful, Compassionate, and Perfect. Therefore, each person is responsible for his/her own sin. God did not wait so long to send Jesus; He sent many prophets and messengers that are like Jesus.
God states in the Holy Qur'an "Say, we believe in God and which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the offspring of the twelve sons of Jacob, and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted."
To summarize, the Islamic perspective view the timing of sending Jesus as a prescribed time by God, for a mission and revelation just like any other prophet and messenger of God. The sending and departure of Jesus over 2000 years ago confirms that all messengers and prophets came for a mission. Some were able to fulfill it and some were not.