Many of our Muslim friends honour Jesus (Isa) deeply, and the Quran speaks of him with real respect. This article sets out what the Quran says, as Muslims themselves read it, and then explains, gently but clearly, why Christians believe the Gospels tell us more.
What the Quran says about Jesus
(References are to the standard Surah and verse numbering; please check them against the translation you use.)
- He spoke as a baby. When Maryam (Mary) was questioned about her child, Jesus spoke from the cradle in her defence (Surah Maryam 19:29-30).
- He is the Messiah and a Word from God, born of the virgin Mary (Surah Al-Imran 3:45).
- He performed miracles by God's permission: making a bird from clay, healing the blind and the leper, and giving life to the dead (Al-Imran 3:49).
- He is described as "pure" (Maryam 19:19), and the Quran records no sin of his.
- He was not killed or crucified, but raised up to God (An-Nisa 4:157-158), and Islamic tradition teaches that he will return near the end of time.
Where we respectfully differ
The Gospels were written within decades of the events by eyewitnesses and their associates, centuries before the Quran. They record things the Quran does not: that Jesus forgave sins, accepted worship, called himself the resurrection and the life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and rose again. Christians believe the cross and the resurrection are the heart of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), and that Jesus is more than a prophet: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
The Quran tells Muhammad to say that he is a man to whom revelation has come (18:110). Jesus, by contrast, said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). We ask our Muslim friends only to read these claims for themselves and weigh them.
A question to sit with
If Jesus is already honoured as the Messiah and the Word of God, what might it mean that he also said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)?
Scripture quotations are from the ESV®. See our Scripture and copyright notes.
Further reading: the Gospel of John, and the Quran translation you use.
