IQNA – A Lebanese Christian thinker and literary figure, said both Jesus Christ (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) considered their mission to be the establishment of moral values and divine love.
Michel Salim Kaadi is a Lebanese Christian writer, poet, and literary figure born in 1944. He is one of the prominent figures in the Arab world who has dedicated his intellectual life to writing and promoting the ideas of Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS). As a Christian thinker, Kaadi considers Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) to be saints and the chosen ones of God and has written numerous works with deep spiritual themes about figures such as Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Fatima Zahra (SA). This unique approach has made him a respected figure in both Christian and Muslim communities, and his works are recognized as a prime example of interfaith dialogue and intellectual convergence.
In addition to his deep focus on Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) and Islamic figures, Michel Kaadi, as a genuine Christian, has a unique and profound view of Jesus Christ (AS) and the teachings of Christianity that extends beyond the purely theological framework. Kaadi’s thinking on Christianity is based on the concept of holiness and asceticism that is embodied in the spiritual figures he respects, and he sees Jesus (AS) not only as a prophet but also as the embodiment of the highest degrees of mysticism and sainthood, a view that shares an important common ground with his veneration of the divine saints in Islam. In his writings, Christianity is presented as a rich spiritual tradition rooted in the search for truth and pure morality, which helps followers of different religions better understand each other, where love and sacrifice are considered the main axes of the mission of all divinely chosen ones.
On the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ (AS), IQNA spoke with this Lebanese Christian figure about his interfaith perspective.
He first congratulated the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ (AS) and stated:
“It is necessary to say that Christianity and Islam are companions on the path of faith and monotheism. The phrase ‘There is no god but Allah’ existed in Christianity before Islam. Christianity has not forgotten that the three wise men from the civilized land of Iran came to Bethlehem to congratulate the birth of Jesus Christ (AS) and brought gifts with them. Upon arrival, they prostrated themselves before the newborn Jesus (AS) out of respect and honor. It is necessary to say that there is no difference between Christianity and Islam, especially when we acknowledge that we are all Muslims and submit to God. Therefore, anyone who submits himself to God is undoubtedly a Muslim.
“Accordingly, in my speeches and writings about Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS), which exceed eleven volumes, I say that we are all Muslims before God and there is no difference between the two religions. Here I refer to the Pope’s meeting with the greatest Shia religious authority in Iraq, Ayatollah Seyed Ali al-Sistani. This is a decisive proof that Islam and Christianity have divine foundations and monotheism is the same, and we Christians love Islam because it is the proof of oneness and worship of God.”
He added, “We Christians, more than 400 writers, poets and historians, are proud to have written books about Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) and acknowledged the sanctity of Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) who destroyed idols and idolatry under the banner of ‘There is no god but Allah’ and monotheism. I say that monotheism is the basis of Islam and Christianity.”
Kaadi continued, “I must admit that I knew Jesus from the verses of the Quran; before the West portrayed him from the fake accounts of the Bible or read the doubts about him. After I read the Quran in full seven times, I realized that God said about Jesus that he is the Messenger of Peace and the Messenger of God on earth.”
He said, “The personality of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Jesus (PBUH) are both derived from the divine essence of God to be resurrected on earth. As we read (about Jesus) in Verse 33 of the (Quran’s) Surah Maryam: “Peace be upon me on the day I was born, and on the day I die; and on the day when I shall be raised up alive.” This verse clearly states that Jesus had a pure and holy birth, just as we say in Christianity. On this basis, I believe that even the roots of Islam and Christianity are the same and that both religions are from the same religion.”
This Christian thinker continued, “But regarding the human principles of Jesus' personality, it should be said that after his birth, he taught human values to humans from the moment of his birth and later throughout his life, and changed many of humanity’s immoral habits and gave it a divine face. Therefore, I believe that we should announce to the whole world that what we know and have known about Jesus is exactly mentioned in the Holy Quran. Such as the love that Jesus had for the servants of God, the cry he made for equality and equity, and many of the human and social issues that he guided humanity to, were aimed at the growth and development of man towards perfection, in order to raise a great example of a perfect man from humanity.”
Kaadi emphasized, “At the very least, we should learn to love and cherish each other by modeling the human values that Christianity preached, and that at least humans understand that love for one another is the foundation of all human communities, and this is what Christ preached and is also called for in the Holy Quran. This is why I said that I learned Christianity from the heart of the Quran.”
This Lebanese writer referred to the mission of Jesus (AS) and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and said their mission was to humanize and cultivate a nature based on divine values.
“The miraculous birth of Jesus and his speaking from birth in the cradle expresses the greatness of the mission of this divine messenger, because he was inspired from birth to guide mankind and was chosen by God and opened his mouth to speak. Just as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) of Islam also conveyed his mission to mankind through the verses that were revealed to him. Therefore, Jesus (AS) and Muhammad (PBUH) were both chosen servants of God to portray humanity with all its concepts and details.”
Kaadi went on to say, “The Quran and the Bible are both heavenly books full of moral and educational lessons for the development of man and human principles, and the common feature of these two books is respect for one’s fellow man and understanding each other to lead man to his destination, which is divine love and exemplary truth. Both prophets dedicated their entire lives to this mission to bring man to perfection. Both Jesus (AS) and Muhammad (PBUH) sacrificed themselves to establish moral values, as Islam also has the same meaning for humanity.”
Stating that there were many good news from Jesus (AS) about the mission of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), he said when Christ gives this good news, he wants to introduce his mission as an ongoing matter. “He gave the good news of the coming of Ahmad (Islam’s Holy Prophet), the chosen one of God, who is praiseworthy, because he wanted the moral values to continue after him with the coming of the Seal of the Prophets; as we read in verse 128 of Surah At-Tawbah: “Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger from your own, he grieves for your suffering, and is anxious about you, and is gentle, merciful to the believers.”
Kaadi concluded by emphasizing, “We should absolutely not differentiate between the mission of the heavenly religions of Islam and Christianity, because the goal of both is love, affection for God, and mercy. As stated in the Holy Quran, verse 110 of Surah Al-Kahf: ‘Say: ‘I am only a human like you, revealed to me is that your God is One God. Let him who hopes for the encounter with his Lord do good work, and not associate anyone with the worship of his Lord.’”
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