*1. THE STATUS OF JESUS (PBUH) IN ISLAM* Islam teaches that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is one of the most respected prophets because of his efforts in spreading the word of Allah. Muslims display a true spirit of love towards him and his mother, Mary. There is not a single disparaging remark against Prophet Jesus (pbuh) or any other prophet in the entire Quran or in other Islamic literature or Islamic history books. Evidence of praise for Jesus (pbuh) is the fact that his story, along with that of his mother, is mentioned in three places in the Quran: Chapters 3, 4, and 19. In fact, an entire chapter of the Quran (Chapter 19) is named ‘Maryam’ (Mary) in her honour. [Readers should note that this honour has not been given to Mary in the New Testament, and none of its books is named after Mary or her son Jesus. It is also noteworthy that there is no chapter in the Quran named after any of Prophet Muhammad’s wives or daughters.] Another sign of praise is that the name of Prophet Jesus (pbuh) is mentioned twenty-five times in the Quran; in contrast, Prophet Muhammad (bpuh) is mentioned by name only four times. This proves that Islam honours all prophets for the message they have in common; it did not disregard earlier prophets with the coming of another. Jesus (pbuh) has been referred to in the Quran by many titles: Ibn Maryam (son of Mary), the Messiah (the anointed one), Abdullah (slave of Allah), and Rasool Allah (Messenger of Allah). This praise and glorification agree with what Jesus (pbuh) is reported to have said about the prophet who would succeed him, “He will glorify me.” (John 16:14) Alhamdulillah.