Faith and Common Sense: Jesus Christ Only Way to God?

It was customary for Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1928-2003), the 4th. Head of the Ahmadiyya Community, to hold sessions in which he responds to questions addressed to him. Presented below is the answer to a question raised at one such session. (Transcribed and edited by Waseem A. Sayed, PhD.)  

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | UK Desk
Source & Credit: AskIslam.Org | AlIslam.Org
By Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1928-20030)

Question: Islam’s teaching is that Jesus Christ was a Prophet of God and you, as Muslims, believe that Prophets always say the truth, now the question is that Jesus has said, ‘I am the only way to God’ and isn’t it a contradiction when he was a Prophet, and he was saying the truth, and he did not say that other Prophets had been the way, and the bridge, then how can he be the only way?

Answer: You are quite right that Jesus was a Prophet of God and also he was truthful. There is no contradiction in truth. Nor was there any contradiction in Jesus. But there are contradictions in those who interpret things wrongly. I said, I fully agree that Jesus was a Prophet of God and as such a true person and there is never contradiction in truth.
 So he could not have contradicted himself or contradicted the truth as such. But there are people who are not true, who distort it, so they interpret truth from me and make it contradictory.  This has happened to every other book. Even there are Muslims who are inferring from the Holy Quran, from the same verses, two absolutely opposite meanings.  That does not show that the Holy Quran has any contradiction in itself but people have contradictions in themselves.

So the meaning of this has been totally misunderstood by the present day Christians, as I understand.  We believe, and we can prove, that everywhere, when a Prophet of God came with a message, he said the same thing, to the people whom he was addressing; at that time he was the only way, to those people he was the only way; but his address was not enlarged beyond its scope.

The Prophet of China addressed the Chinese people in certain times telling them he was the way, Confucius.  Tao, means the right way, the true way.  So Tao also was the way and the Holy Quran speaks of the siratay mustaqeem, the straight path, and then the Holy Prophet is mentioned as a bridge between the mankind and God, waseelah.

So every Prophet says the same thing. There is no contradiction. But the message will be applicable according to the size of the people the Prophet is addressing and according to the time frame in which he is speaking.

AUDIO: Listen to the original audio Q&A here: Jesus Christ Only Way to God?