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10. The Unique Sign of God
Islamic inspiration appoints Jesus as a “Sign of Allah” (Ayat-ullah). According to Islam, God has made Jesus and His mother a sign unto men:
“And we have appointed Him a sign unto men.” (Sura Maryam 19:21).
وَلِنَجْعَلَه آيَة لِلنَّاس (سُورَة مَرْيَم ١٩ : ٢١)
“We breathed into her of Our Spirit, and appointed her and her son to be a sign for all the worlds.” (Sura al-Anbiya' 21:91)
فَنَفَخْنَا فِيهَا مِن رُوحِنَا وَجَعَلْنَاهَا وَابْنَهَا آيَة لِلْعَالَمِين (سُورَة الأَنْبِيَاء ٢١ : ١٩)
Christ did not receive this unique title from men, but from God directly. He did not receive the title, "The Sign of God," for having succeeded in higher education in a university, but has carried this distinguished title from the very day He was born into this world. In contrast, the highest ranks of the Shiite Muslims are reserved for outstanding scholars who have earned the title of Ayatollah, which means "the sign of Allah." Many Muslims overemphasized their honoring of Khomeini, because they called him not only "Ayatollah" (the Sign of God) but also Ruhullah ("The Spirit of Allah"). Christians have had their "Sign of God" for 1990 years, in Jesus Christ! The Shiites had their famous Ayatollah in recent years. What is the difference between Khomeini and Christ? The gap between these two men is unbridgeable. Christ healed the sick, purified the lepers, raised the dead, fed the hungry, comforted the afflicted, blessed His enemies, established peace between men and God, and saved millions from doom on the Day of Judgement. Khomeini, on the other hand, led his people into two disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where millions of Muslims were killed, maimed, bereft, having lost their homes and livelihoods. He cursed everyone whom he considered to be the enemy of Islam, especially the United States. What an unspeakable difference between the Ayatollah of the Christians and that of the Shiites!
Sunni Muslim scholars felt offended by Ayatollah Khomeini when he allowed his followers to call him "The Spirit of Allah" (Ruhu-Allah) or "The Spirit of Holiness" (Ruhul-Qudsi). Even Muhammad did not accept such titles for himself. Sunni scholars from different Arab countries met in Casablanca (Morocco) and agreed to condemn this practice. The King of Morocco, Hassan II, announced publicly that if Khomeini would not stop his followers from calling him Ruhullah or Ruhul-Qudsi, he (Ayatollah Khomeini) should be expelled from Islam and should no longer be regarded as a Muslim. The King based his declaration on the Qur'anic evidence that there is only one man in world history who has the right to call himself "The Spirit of Holiness": Isa, the Son of Mary, because He was born of the Holy Spirit. To condemn the Shiites, the Sunnites plainly confessed the truth that Jesus is the only person ever born by the Spirit of God.
Khomeini was appointed by men as a sign of God to the Shiites who live primarily in Iran. Christ however was the real "Sign of God" to all men. He was not only the "Sign of God" to the Christians or the Jews, but also to Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, Muslims and all others. Whoever studies the life of Christ in depth will find that He is the perfect Ayatollah, the true "Sign of God."