Page:The young Moslem looks at life (1937).djvu/151

 YOUNG MOSLEM AND CHRISTIANITY 137

MOSLEM APPRECIATION OF JESUS

The Moslem attitude toward Jesus Christ and Christianity is not entirely one of criticism and depreciation. A young Moslem said to me one day, "We Moslems hold Jesus Christ in greater honor and respect than you Christians do. We consider him a great prophet, and we never mention his name without prefixing the title Hazrat (His Excellency) and follow it with a prayer for him 'On him be peace.' You Christians do not show him that much respect."

Undoubtedly, for the most part, Moslems do honor Jesus. It would be strange if they did not, for while the Koran has a great many disparaging things to say about Christians it has nothing to say against him who is the Christian's Lord. Jesus is in the line of divine prophetic succession; he is called "a Sign to the worlds," "the Word of truth," and "the Word of God." He is called also "a Spirit from God," "Spirit of God," "the Messenger of God," "the Servant of God," and he is spoken of as "illustrious in this world and the next." Furthermore, Moslems regard Jesus as the great healer. Also, like Pilate, they "find no fault in him," though they are inclined to the opinion, as previously pointed out, that his virtue was of the negative sort rather than positive. Many of them look for his return again at the Last Day when he will fight for the ultimate victory of Islam, slay the Antichrist, kill all the swine, break the cross, and reign on the earth as a righteous king for a period of forty years. During this time they say he will marry, have