The reason behind calling Jesus (peace be upon him) as Al-Masih
Question:
Why was ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) called Al-Masih (Christ)?
Answer:
‘Isa is called Al-Masih because any sick person whom he wiped over (masaha) would be healed by the Will of Allah. Some of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) said that he was called Masih because of his travel for the sake of calling people to religion. According to those two sayings, Masih means the present participle of the verb Masaha. It was said that he was called Masih because he had no sole in his feet. It was also said that he was called so because he was wiped with blessings or purified from the sins, and therefore he was blessed. According to these last two sayings, Masih is the passive participle of the verb Masaha. The first two sayings are the most authentic. Allah knows the best.
In any case, no creed or deed is dependent upon adopting any of these sayings. Therefore, learning these matters is insignificant or useless.
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
- 1 min read
- Source(s): Fatawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Da'imah no. 1621-6
- Mufti(s): Shaykh Abdul-'Aziz ibn 'Abdullah ibn Baz , Shaykh Abdul-Razzaq al-Afify , Shaykh Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan , Shaykh Abdullah ibn Qa'ud
- Prophets