Prayer for Muhammad vs. claiming Jesus is the son of Allaah is irrelevant

6-12-2011 | IslamWeb

Question:

A Christian asked me how Muslims reject the concept that 'Eesa (Jesus), may Allaah exalt his mention, is the son of Allaah The Almighty while they say, "May the prayers of Allaah be upon Muhammad". How can it be that the Creator prays for His created being? How can we refute this claim?
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

There is no comparison between the Christians' claim that 'Eesa may Allaah exalt his mention is the son of Allaah The Almighty and the Muslims' saying, "May the prayer of Allaah be upon Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) ," or any other prophet. Anyone who compares them does not know the meaning. Despite the Christians' saying and belief that 'Eesaa is the son of Allaah, Allaah The Almighty is above all such claims. It seems naïve and contradictory to their belief that he was killed and crucified and therefore a sound mind cannot accept it.

On the other hand, the Muslims saying, "May the prayer of Allaah be upon Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention )", is not in fact asking for prayers but merely a way of asking Allaah The Almighty to bless, have mercy upon and increase goodness for the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ).

Moreover, it refers to the fact that Allaah The Almighty mentions him among His angels in the heavens. That is because the Arabic equivalent of the word 'prayer' encompasses all these meanings. Having known this fact, comparing the two statements is totally irrelevant.

Allaah Knows best.

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