JESUS IN QUR'AN COMMENTARIES IN INDONESIA

Qur’an Commentary in Indonesia
and the Perception of Jesus[1]

Stanley R. Rambitan



The thesis I have been working on is entitled Jesus in Indonesian Qur’an Commentaries. Commentaries that are being studied are published in the 20th century and until early of 21 century. I consider this work a new academic endeavour as so far there is no work published on this matter, both in Indonesia and abroad. There are already works on Quránic commentary published by two Western scholars, namely Jeanne D. McAulife (Qur’anic Christians) and Neal Robinson (Christ in Islam). However their works are dealing particularly with middle eastern classical Muslim interpreters. My work I suppose will add a new panorama in the discourse of contemporary Qur’anic commentary.


Indonesian Qur’an Commentaries

The Qur'anic commentary in Indonesia has begun since the arrival of Islam in Indonesia in 13th century. No spread of Islam without the teaching of the Qur’an, and no teaching of the Qur’an without an interpretation of the Qur’an. However, the written forms of the commentaries were only found in the works of, for instances, Hamzah Fanshuri, Ar-Raniri, Abdurrauf Singkel in the 16th and 17th century, and Syamsuddin al-Pasai in 19th century. Also in 19th century, An-Nawawi al-Bantani produced his works on Islamic jurisprudence and theology, and was widely well known. The specific Qur’an interpretation written by Indonesian Muslim scholar had been published since the end of 19th century in Arabic, Malay and in Javanese.

In 20th century and recent years (of 21st century), there has been a number of translations and commentaries written by Indonesian Muslim scholars. Some of them are in completely 30 volumes (30 Juz) which cover all surahs, and some are only few volumes. Besides, there are many more Qur'an commentaries written by Indonesian Muslims covering either only one or more surahs, and some concerning certain themes. There are five more comprehensive commentaries written by prominent Indonesian scholars. They are chronologically:

1)Tafsir Al-Qur’anul Karim by Halim Hasan, Z.A. Abbas and A. Haitami, firstly published in 1936 in Medan, consisting of 6 vols. covering surah 1- 6, and of 3500 pages.
2) Tafsir Al-Qur-anul Majied by Hasbi Ash-Shiddiqy, firstly published in Jakarta between 1955-1970, consisting of 30 vols. covering all surahs, and all about 7.500 pages.
3)Tafsir Al-Azhar by Hamka, firstly published in Surabaya between 1960-1974, consisting of 30 vols. covering all surahs, and about 10.000 pages.
4)Al Quraan dan Tafsirnya, by a team of Departemen Agama, published in Jakarta between 1983-1985, consisting of 11 vols. covering all surahs, and about 7.500 pages.
5) Tafsir Al-Misbah by Quraish Shihab, published in Jakarta between 2000-2002, consisting of 4 vols. covering 7 surahs, and about 2.000 pages.

Each commentary was written and published in a certain different times ranging from 1930-s to recent years (2002). It is therefore, each has its own characteristic that generally corresponds to its social, political, cultural and religious discourse in its particular context. Besides, the expertise of the interpreter also has influence on the character of the commentary. My ongoing work is particularly examining these five commentaries.

In term of the use of references, Indonesian Qur’an commentaries are still very much depended on the classical Qur’an commentaries published in the Middle East. Here we know names or commentaries such as Ath-Thabari, Ar-Razy, Ibn Katsir, Tafsir Jalalain, Baidawi, Al-Alusi, Muh. Abduh and Rashid Ridha, Tanthawi Jauhari, Sayid Qutb and Tafsis Al-Maraghi. This dependency is caused by three facts, first Indonesian Muslims had a strong relationship to those from Middle East through trading and religious (particularly Hajj), secondly, the Qur’an commentaries were at those times written and published mostly by Middle Eastern scholars, and thirdly, the Arabic-Middle Eastern commentaries were considered more authoritative.


Jesus in the Qur'an

Among the non-Christian sacred books, the Qur’an is the only book in which Jesus is mentioned very widely. There are 15 surahs and 93 verses (out of 6339 verses) in which the story of Jesus can be found, or at least the name of Jesus is mentioned. There are two surahs in which we can find a more detailed story of Jesus and his family, i.e. surah Al-Imran/3 and surah Maryam/19. Surahs that have more statements or ideas on Jesus are surah Az-Zukhruf/43, Al- Mu'minuun/23, Al-Anbiyaa/21, Al-Asyuura/42, Al-An'aam/6, Al-Baqarah/2, Al-Hadiid/57, As-Shaff/61, An-Nisa'/4, Al-Ahzab/33, At-Tahrim/66, At-Taubah/99, Al-Insan/76, and surah Al-Maidah/5.

The name of Jesus used in the Qur'an is Isa. It occurred 25 times. The name of Isa is mostly followed by ibn Maryam (son of Mary). (In the Bible the designation of son of Mary only occurs once, i.e. in Mark 6:3). The Qur'an gives a very special attention and honour to Mary. Even one of the surahs is named after her, namely surah Maryam/19. Another designation of Jesus is Al Masih (the Messiah or the Christ). Some other titles are also given to Jesus according to his work or function. They are nabi (prophet) (2:13; 3:84; 4:163, etc.), rasul (apostle) (2:87; 2:253; 3:48, etc), abdi (servant-of God) (4:172; 19:30; 43:59-61), kalimah (word of God) (3:39,45; 4:171; 19:34), ruh (spirit- of God) (2:87,253; 4:171; 5:110; 19:17; 21:91; 66:12), ayat (Sign) (19:21; 21:91; 23:50; 29:21), and rahma (blessing) (19:21).

In spite of the many Qur'anic verses describing on Jesus, the Qur'an obviously speaks about Jesus not as a retelling story of the historical Jesus, but only as reference of a subject being discussed in a certain Qur'anic section. Thus, the Qur’an has its own objective when it includes Jesus and other prophets in a discussion, i.e., as basic of argumentation to blame the Jews and the Christians. This is understandable when we look at the status and role of the statement on Jesus in the Qur’an. Most of the statement or paragraphs on Jesus (and other previous prophets) as mentioned above are placed in the framework of a polemic between Muhammad and the Jews and the Christians.


The Perception of Jesus in Indonesian Qur'an Commentary

Here I will present example of the perception of Jesus as interpreted by Quraish Shihab.

Jesus and the Word of God

Surah Al-Imran/3:45
When the angels said, “O Mary, God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him whose name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, highly honoured in this world and the next, and one of those brought near to God.

Shihab identifies the word kalimah with the imperative word kun or "be", which is especially used in the creation of Jesus. According to him, the creation of Jesus through a word (of God) kun means that Jesus was created in an extraordinary way, i.e. by just saying “be”. It is not the kalimah itself that became or changed to be Jesus, or in other words, Thus, Jesus is not a word of God, or in a sense that “the word became flesh”. Here Shihab does not mentions any idea concerning incarnation. He understands that the use of the word kun by God was meant only to show how easy for him to create something that He Will. According to Shihab, the word kun is only a metaphor symbolising the ability of God to create something in a very easy and quick way. God does not even need to say a word to create something. However, he adds, the creation of Jesus did not happen quickly. He had to experienced a process of pregnancy of Mary which is common to a mother.


Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Surah Al-Baqarah/2:87
We gave Moses the Book and followed him up with a succession of Messengers; We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, Clear (Signs) and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that whenever there comes to you a Messenger with what ye yourselves desire not, ye are puffed up with pride? – Some ye called impostors, and others ye slay!

Quraish explains the word ruhul-qudus (Holy Spirit) as both the angel Gabriel and an enormous power. This power is, with God’s Will, able to conduct extraordinary things (suatu kekuatan yg dahsyat dan dapat melakukan -atas izin Allah- hal-hal yang luar biasa). According to Quraish, the support of this Holy Spirit to Jesus had already been undergone before and during he was in her mother’s womb, then during his childhood and his whole life. Toward this opinion, a further discussion can be pursued particularly concerning the question whether or not Jesus had already existed before he was in the womb of Mary; and if the answer is “Yes”, in what form was the existence of him. However, we will not go further to discuss those questions as Quraish does not elaborate this matter. He only mentions that it is in fact the support of the Holy Spirit was also given to all prophets. The difference between Jesus and the others is only that to Jesus, the support of the Holy Spirit (the enormous power) was more accentuated.


Jesus, his Death and his Ascension

Surah Al-Imran/3:55
Behold! Allah said, “O Jesus, I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoofs) ...”.

Shihab views this verse as a deceit of God against the bad deceit of the Jews. He understands God's action to take Jesus (which means to cause Jesus to die) and to lift him up to Him, and purify him from the hands of the unbelievers as a righteous deceit towards the unbelievers. Shihab clarifies the meaning of the Arabic word mutawaffika as "to die" or "to sleep". In the Qur'an to die and to sleep have a similar meaning, namely a state of unconsciousness. People who are sleeping or dead have no consciousness. Beside this definition, the word also means "to take the whole part" (Ind. mengambil secara sempurna). According to Shihab, the variety of meaning of the word have caused Muslim scholars to have different interpretation one another. Moreover, there is difference in the interpretation of a normal death and a murder. Shihab questiones: does someone who died because of murder have reached the perfect age planned by God, or the murderer who make the age of the dead perfect? Shihab presents the opinion of the Mu'tazilah (with Zamakhsyari as a reference) on one side, and on the other side, the other scholars (with Al Sya'rawi as a reference). Mu'tazilah claimed that it was the murderer who complete the age of the murdered, in a sense that the time of death come before one reached the age planned by God. But this does not mean that his soul or spirit disappeared. He is not really dead. Shihab mentions Al Zamakhsyari who interpreted the word mutawaffika as God would make Jesus' age completed, and he would not be killed by the unbelievers. Jesus would live until the age defined by God, not less or more, and whether his death caused by an act of murder or by a normal way. This opinion is, Shihab mentions, rejected by other scholars who understood that a death is a completion of someone's age, whether caused by an act of murder or by nature. A death indicates the completion of God's plan. Within this framework, the word mutawaffika is understood as an act of God to protect Jesus so he would not be harmed and wounded, let alone be killed. The way that God used to save Jesus is raffi'uka, that is to lift him up, meaning God took Jesus, his body and soul, away and placed him by His side. Thus, the latter opinion rejects the death of Jesus.

Shihab does not confirm his own opinion. He says that either Jesus is now living in heaven and will come back to the earth one day, or he has die by normal causes and will not be back to the earth, it is not a matter that relates to the principle teaching of religion. Whether one chooses the first or the second opinion, it will not increase or reduce one's religiosity. The most important thing concerning Jesus, according to Shihab, is that God purified him from the unbelievers, and He places the followers of Jesus above the unbelievers until the end of the day. Finally, Shihab says,
"The ascension of Christ, either in his soul and body or only soul, shows that whatever great the power of creation, and how sophisticated their plan to vanish the truth and its people, its results will always be in the side of the truth. Jesus Christ, whatever belief people have in him, for sure that he has reached the top of his greatness. Isn't it, scientist, war leader and states' leader respect and obey him, whereas he did not use weapon or his physical power? So does God protects the prophets and the protectors of the truth".


Jesus: Human or Divine

Al-Mā’idah/5:17and 72
17.Unbelievers are those who say: “Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary.” Say: “Who could prevent Allah, if He wished, from destroying the Messiah, son of Mary, and his mother too, together with all those on the face of the earth?”…
72. Those who say that Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary, are unbelievers. The Messiah said: “O children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Surely, he who associates other gods with Allah, Allah forbids him access to Paradise and his dwelling is Hell. The evil doers have no supporters!


Quraish Shihab begins his interpretation of verse 17 by saying that the main ignorance or heresy (Ind. kesesatan) of the Ahl-Kitab, more particularly the Christians, lays on their belief in God and Jesus. The Qur’an and the prophet Muhammad criticised and corrected this belief. According to Shihab, the Qur’anic identification of Jesus as the son of Mary is a proof that he is not God. This is proved also by the statement of this verse saying that nobody is able to prevent God if He is willing to cause Jesus, his mother and whoever living on earth to die. It is interesting that Shihab further mentions here the perception of the Christian on the Qur’an or the prophet Muhammad. He says, now days the Christians understand that the Qur’an and the prophet are incorrect in their understanding of Christian belief of God. The apology of the Christians is that they do not identify Jesus as God. However Shihab goes further by saying that the teaching of the Christians on God and Jesus is in fact varied. There are groups who disagree with the identification of Jesus as God, but there may be some who agree. Shihab present the historical fact of the Christians’ discourse on Jesus (his status, essence and attribute) that the idea of Jesus was varied. There were people who considered Jesus and Mary as two separated God, or some who believed that Jesus and God are like the fire and its flames (God is the source of fire and Jesus is the flame). There are also people who considered Jesus as a prophet, and some regarded him as the son of and at the same time the creation of God. Shihab says that the belief in the status of Jesus was just decided in 325AC. However, he further says that until now, the idea of the status of Jesus is still debatable in Christian community.

Interpreting the Qur’anic statement regarding the belief of the Christian that God is the Christ, Shihab argues that this statement should be understood in a framework of Christian teaching that in the person Jesus there are divine elements, or, that the divine elements have transformed into the person Jesus. According to Shihab, this understanding brings one to believe that Jesus is God. A support to this perception can be derived from Shihab’s interpretation of verse 73 and the parallel verse, i.e., 72. On verse 72, Shihab explains the meaning of the Arabic word kafirun (the infidels) that its root according to him means ‘to close’ (Ind. menutup). Thus the infidels are people who close their eyes and thought toward the fact that God is one only. In other words, the infidels are those who make association between God and creations. Shihab continues and supports this perception with his discussion on verse 73. According to him, this verse rejects the concept of Trinity. God is not one or part of the three persons; or God does not contains of several persons or parts; He is only One, namely the God. By this perception, Shihab says, this verse is meant to abrogate the idea of Trinity. By accepting the abrogation, here Shihab has indirectly accepted the disqualification of the idea of the divinity of Jesus.

The perception of Shihab above, in terms of the status and role of Jesus, represents the other Indonesian interpretations. Jesus is considered a human being with special status, gifts and role. He was born through an extraordinary way. However, he is not God.


Utrecht, November 2002
[1] Presented at the Symposium on Intercultural Theolygy, run by IIMO-Universiteit Utrecht, 18-21 November 2002.