Subject: [Masjid Tucson] Submission weekly reminder

In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Peace be upon you,

Is December 25th Jesus' birthday? And would Jesus want us to dedicate a day to him or want us to spend each day glorifying God instead?

The Quran and the Bible both tell us that Jesus was born in late September or early October (Quran 19:22-25, Luke 2:1-8).

      The Birth of Jesus
[19:24-25] (The infant) called her from beneath her, saying, "Do not grieve. Your Lord has provided you with a stream. "If you shake the trunk of this palm tree, it will drop ripe dates for you.*

*19:25 Thus, Jesus was born in late September or early October. This is when dates ripen in the Middle East to the point of falling off the tree.


The Quran and the Bible also teach us that Jesus taught people to devote their worship to God alone (Quran 3:51, Quran 19:36, Quran 43:64, John 12:44-50, John 5:30, Mark 10:17-18, John 11:41-42, Luke 9:48, John 20:17, etc.).

      On The Day Of Resurrection
[5:116-117] GOD will say, "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Make me and my mother idols beside GOD'?" He will say, "Be You glorified. I could not utter what was not right. ... "I told them only what You commanded me to say, that: 'You shall worship GOD, my Lord and your Lord.' I was a witness among them for as long as I lived with them. When You terminated my life on earth, You became the Watcher over them. You witness all things.


We conclude that Jesus would have wanted December 25 to be a day of joy and a day to worship God. And he would have equally wanted every single morning that God gives us, January 10 or April 23 or August 30, to be a day devoted to God alone (Matthew 22:36-37, Quran 5:117).


References:
The Plain Truth About Christmas, http://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2008/dec/page1.html
Christmas Morning, http://www.masjidtucson.org/publications/books/sp/2010/dec/page1.html
Jesus, http://www.masjidtucson.org/quran/appendices/appendix22.html


Peace.