When Muhammad originally founded Islam in the 7th century, he worked hard to get the support of the Jews and Christians. This meant that he tried to include certain elements from Judaism and Christianity in Islam, like Abraham, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary.
However, Muhammad twisted these stories to fit into his new religion. You can read here about how he fabricated a story about Jesus’ identity and who Mary is. There are also certain elements Muhammad obviously left out that were important in Jesus’ life on earth– like the twelve disciples.
Historical context for Muhammad and the beginning of Islam
Muhammad claimed to receive his first revelation from Allah in AD 610. By this time, the early Christian church had been in existence for over 500 years, and the text of the Bible had been officially canonized in the 4th century.
We’ve covered how the religions in the Arabian Peninsula, other than Judaism and Christiniaty, affected the way Muhammad shaped Islam in a previous blog post. But even though Muhammad would have known about the disciples and the early church from the Christians in his area, he didn’t include Jesus’ twelve closest companions in his teachings.
The reason for this is pretty clear: Why would Muhammad include the greatest witnesses to Jesus’ deity when the Quran actively argues against it? There are vague mentions of Jesus’ companions, but nothing that would connect them to the men who actively spent the rest of their lives preaching and making disciples, and writing the Gospels and the letters to the Early Church.
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated apostles.” Luke 6:12-13
What does the Quran mention about Jesus’ twelve disciples?
The Quran mentions Jesus’ disciples without any details to their names or how many they were.
This is the same way the Quran talks about Muhammad’s followers, without any details. This is possibly intentional, trying to create a similarity between Muhammad and Jesus.
“When Isa sensed disbelief from his people, he asked, “Who will stand up with me for Allah?” The disciples replied, “We will stand up for Allah. We believe in Allah, so bear witness that we have submitted.” Quran 3:52
The one story of the disciples that your Muslim friend might know from the Quran is in Quran 5:111-115. This entire book of the Quran is called the Table after this story, which goes as follows:
Isa’s followers ask him to prove himself. They ask for a table of food to come from heaven; Isa asks Allah to send down a table of food, and when it happens, a few of his disciples come to believe in him as Allah’s prophet.
The Hadith also explains that all of Allah’s prophets had disciples:
“Never a Prophet had been sent before me by God towards his nation who had not among his people (his) disciples and companions who followed his ways and obeyed his command.” (Sahih Muslim)
Talking about the twelve disciples with your Muslim friend
When talking to your Muslim friend about Jesus, discussing His disciples can be beneficial. Introduce your Muslim friend to the disciples and share their stories, including their victories and failures.
Be honest about the humanness of the twelve disciples. This will help their stories come to life for your Muslim friend and highlight how Jesus loves us despite our imperfections. The disciples’ stories and their loyalty to Jesus and His message can leave a big impact on your Muslim friend.
You can explain the close friendships Jesus had with Peter and John though they differed greatly in their personalities. Share how Jesus chose men from varying backgrounds (a tax collector, a zealot, and a fisherman). You can read to them these verses: Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 10:4
Focus on the way Jesus loved people as individuals and how His disciples were the biggest advocates for Jesus’ resurrection– even to the point of death.
Here are some questions you can use to spur this conversation with your Muslim friend:
- It is historically proven that 11 of the disciples died as martyrs because of their faith in Jesus. What do you think about that?
- Do you know who Jesus’ disciples were? If not, is that something you’d be interested in learning?
- What would you have wanted to ask Jesus if you were alive during His time, like the disciples were?
Muslims eyes and hearts might open by hearing the impact Jesus had on His closest companions who were willing to die for His kingdom. Be bold and try to open up this conversation with your Muslim friend!