Jesus in Islam: What the Quran Says About Isa, Son of Maryam

Muslims believe that Jesus, called Isa ibn Maryam in Arabic, is a prophet and messenger of Allah, born of the virgin Maryam and sent to the Children of Israel with a scripture. Quran 3:45 records the angels giving Maryam glad tidings of 'a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary'. Sahih al-Bukhari 3435 includes, in a testimony that leads to Paradise, that Jesus is Allah's servant and messenger, His word bestowed on Mary and a spirit created by Him.

Quran 4:171 calls him Allah's 'word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him'. The Quran itself connects his creation with Allah's word 'Be!' when it compares him with Adam (Quran 3:59). Ibn Kathir names Isa among the five messengers of firm resolve, with Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa and Muhammad, noting that Quran 33:7 and 42:13 mention them together.

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The Quran gives Maryam, the mother of Isa, a place of great honour. Quran 3:42 records the angels telling her that Allah had chosen her, made her pure and preferred her above the women of creation, and Surah 19 of the Quran is named Maryam after her. Quran 66:12 holds her up as an example for every believer: chaste, trusting the words of her Lord and His scriptures, and one of the obedient.

Her story is told at length twice. Quran 3:35-47 describes her mother dedicating her to Allah before birth, her upbringing in the care of Zakariyya and the announcement of her son; Quran 19:16-34 describes the angel's visit, the birth beneath a palm tree and her return to her people. In Sahih al-Bukhari 3411 the Prophet named Maryam, daughter of Imran, and Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh, as women who reached perfection.

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Yes. The Quran states that Maryam conceived Isa without any man touching her. In Quran 19:20 she asks how she can have a son when no mortal has touched her and she has not been unchaste, and the angel replies that it is easy for her Lord, who will make the child a sign for mankind and a mercy (Quran 19:21-22). Quran 3:47 adds that when Allah decrees a thing, He only says to it 'Be!' and it is.

The Quran explains the miracle by comparison: 'the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is' (Quran 3:59). Muslims see the virgin birth as a sign of Allah's power rather than of divinity. When people accused Maryam, the newborn spoke from the cradle: 'Lo! I am the slave of Allah' (Quran 19:30).

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The Quran describes several miracles of Isa, performed 'by Allah's leave'. In Quran 3:49 he tells the Children of Israel that he shapes the likeness of a bird from clay and breathes into it, heals the one born blind and the leper, raises the dead and tells them what they eat and store in their houses. Quran 5:110 recalls these as favours from Allah, adding that he spoke to people in the cradle and was strengthened with the holy Spirit, which Ibn Kathir identifies as the angel Jibril.

Allah also gave him a scripture. Quran 5:46 says Allah gave him the Gospel, the Injil, 'wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah', and Quran 3:48 says Allah taught him the Scripture, wisdom, the Torah and the Gospel. His disciples declared themselves Allah's helpers (Quran 3:52, 61:14), and Quran 57:27 says Allah placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him.

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In the Quran, the heart of Isa's message is the worship of Allah alone. Quran 5:72 quotes him saying, 'O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord', and Quran 19:36 and 43:64 record the same call, describing it as the right path. He describes himself as 'the slave of Allah' (Quran 19:30), and Quran 4:172 says the Messiah would never scorn to be a servant of Allah.

For this reason Muslims do not regard Jesus as divine or as the son of God. Quran 19:35 says it does not befit Allah to take a son, and Quran 5:75 says that he and his mother both ate food like other people. In Quran 5:116-117 Allah asks him whether he told people to take him and his mother as gods, and he answers that he said only what he was commanded: worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Britannica summarises the Quranic teaching that all prophets are human and never part of divinity.

Isa also brought good news of a later messenger. Quran 61:6 records him confirming the Torah and 'bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One', Ahmad in Arabic, whom Ibn Kathir identifies as the unlettered Arab Prophet from Makkah. In Sahih al-Bukhari 3443 the Prophet Muhammad said he was the nearest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary, because the prophets are brothers whose religion is one.

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No. The mainstream Muslim understanding, set out in classical commentaries such as Ibn Kathir's, is that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified and that Allah raised him to Himself. Quran 4:157 says of those who claimed to have killed him, 'they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them', and 4:158 continues, 'But Allah took him up unto Himself.' Britannica's summary of Quranic doctrine likewise says that God saved Jesus from crucifixion.

How it 'appeared so' is explained in more than one way. Ibn Kathir relates a report that the likeness of Jesus was cast on a young follower who volunteered, while Jesus was raised to heaven. The commentary Ma'arif al-Qur'an cites that account and another in which the man sent to kill him was made to resemble him, then concludes that the Quran has not fixed which of these happened and that Allah alone knows.

Christians, by contrast, believe that Jesus was crucified, died and rose again, as the Apostles' Creed states in Britannica's account. This is one of the clearest differences between the two faiths. The guide explains what Muslims believe and why, without questioning the sincerity of anyone who believes otherwise.

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Yes, according to authentic hadith. In Sahih al-Bukhari 3448 the Prophet swore that the son of Mary would soon descend as a just ruler, break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish the jizya, and that wealth would overflow until no one would accept it; Sahih Muslim 155a records the same. Sahih Muslim 2901a lists the descent of Jesus, son of Mary, among ten signs that will come before the Hour.

Muslim commentators also find this in the Quran. On Quran 43:61, which speaks of 'knowledge of the Hour', Ibn Kathir says the correct view is that it refers to his descent before the Day of Resurrection, and he connects it with Quran 4:159. Sahih Muslim 2937a describes him descending at a white minaret on the eastern side of Damascus, then catching and killing the Dajjal. Our Day of Judgement guide places these reports among the other signs of the Hour.

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Muslims and Christians share deep respect for Jesus and Mary, while understanding his nature differently. Both call him the Messiah, affirm his birth from the Virgin Mary, accept that he worked miracles and look for his coming again. Britannica explains that the title Christ comes from the Greek christos, which translates the Hebrew word for Messiah, 'the anointed one'; the Quran calls him al-Masih, the Messiah (Quran 3:45).

The main differences concern who he is and how his life on earth ended. Britannica notes that most Christians regard Jesus as the Incarnation of God, and the Apostles' Creed confesses that he was crucified, died, rose on the third day and will come to judge the living and the dead. Muslims believe he is a human prophet and servant of Allah who was not crucified, and that his return is a sign of the Hour. Each faith holds its belief sincerely, and this guide does not judge between them.

The Quran speaks warmly of Christians in several places. Quran 5:82 says the nearest in affection to the believers are those who say 'We are Christians', because among them are priests and monks and they are not proud; Ibn Kathir links these verses to a delegation sent to the Prophet by An-Najashi, the king of Ethiopia. Quran 29:46 tells Muslims to discuss faith with the People of the Scripture in the best way, and Quran 3:64 invites them to common ground in worshipping none but Allah.

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