Question
Assalamu ‘alaykum.
There are many videos on YouTube about Christians saying that they witnessed healing miracles after praying to Jesus. One person who claimed to be ex-Muslim said that his cousin was severely sick, then he met two Christians who prayed to God, and the moment they said amen, the child opened his eyes for the first time in four weeks. There are many videos like this that it would be impossible to say that all of them are lies. What’s the Muslim response?
Answer
Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
What Shows a Religion Is True?
The simplest response is to ask about what the Christian belief is, whether it is rationally sound and if their holy book is free of mistakes. The very bedrock of their belief has many issues. In fact, according to Bart Erhman, an ex-Christian scholar of Christianity, most people who study the religion at an advanced level leave it within the first year. (Erhman, Jesus Interrupted)
This is simply due to the historical inaccuracies, errors, and contradictions found in their text and their beliefs. This is why people believe in religion: its ability to explain reality, show a superior way of living, and to be able to prove that it is a true religion and the chosen way of God.
Healing Claims
In the story you mentioned, they prayed to God, so even if it is true the healer was God. God is seen as a distinct being when referred to as God, and not Jesus – from what I understand, and if I’m wrong, then we have the inexplicable conundrum of how three distinct beings are individuals and also the same being.
Did Jesus heal people?
Yes – though the miracles granted by God.
Have other miraculous events of healing occurred in history?
Yes. This doesn’t correct the inherent contradictions of the Bible – even if they happen at the hand of a Christian. Even then, not all the details are known, and therefore not enough to undo the issues of the Christian creed and Bible.
Rather, Christianity was originally meant to be a continuation of the one true religion. That religion was changed by the Jewish people, so Jesus was sent to realign them to God’s will. They rejected him, and due to the actions and teaching of Paul, he was deified in people’s minds.
I hope that clarifies matters for you. Do look at the works of the author mentioned above.
May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani