Christmas Greetings from your Muslim Brother
From Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
In the name of God — Most Loving and Most Caring.
From the community of Muslims, I want to extend greetings to our Christian brothers and sisters in America and around the world on the day of Christmas.
Our love and respect for Jesus is central to our faith. We believe that the immaculate birth of Jesus Christ is a historical landmark in creation and in the history of mankind.
Chapter 19 of the Quran is dedicated to this blessed event of the birth of Jesus Christ and the entire chapter is named after his mother Maryam (Mary). The name of Jesus is mentioned 25 times in the Quran. We are told in very clear words how blessed and joyful the event of his birth is for the whole human family (Quran 19:33). This is a belief that Muslims and Christians of the world share earnestly. Our love and respect for Jesus bind us together for the service of God, service of mankind, and the service of His entire creation.
We reject those interpretations and that understanding of our scriptures that set us up against each other and misdirect our energies and God-given resources. We stand committed to the divine command that binds us to cooperate in promoting good and forbidding what is evil and harmful for God’s creation (Quran 5:2).
Our Just and Merciful God has made it a religious obligation for us to protect and respect all churches, synagogues, and places of worship where His holy name is mentioned and where His servants worship Him in different languages and in different styles, and in different traditions. (Quran 22:40)
During these holidays, we are also on the cusp of the new year 2023, commemorating the birth of Jesus (Peace be on him) with a resolute stand on how we can continue good works and build on standing for justice everywhere.
We stand shoulder to shoulder together to rejoice in the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood at a time when a wave of hate and bigotry is spreading around us, at a time when some misguided servants of God, claiming to be the followers of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad are desecrating and destroying mosques, churches, and synagogues. All this hate is created in the name of God we love and adore. They are dividing our human family in the name of religion and filling this planet with hate and intolerance.
We pray that our Christian brothers and sisters around the world continue to be inspired and guided by the radiance and the splendor of the gospel of Jesus who the Quran has called “ light and guidance” (Quran 5:46). We commit together to fight against hate, injustice, exploitation, human-made disasters, corruption, and discrimination.
I pray that my twin sons Esa (Jesus) and Musa (Moses) embody and exemplify the teachings shared by all who are divinely inspired. May we all together be energized by the prophetic teachings of love, tolerance, religious freedom and mutual respect.
