Jesus is a controversial historical figure, with multiple religions and groups claiming different things about Him– some say He never existed, some say He was just a good man, and others say He was crazy.
As Christ-followers, we know the truth of who Jesus is. He is the Messiah, the Son of God who died for our sins to restore our relationship with God.
Since Islam is one of the biggest world religions, Christians should know what it teaches about Jesus. You may ask, “Do Muslims believe in Jesus?”
Many are surprised to learn what Muslims believe about Jesus based on the teachings of the Quran or Hadith. Learn in detail about these teachings in the Islamic texts here.
What does the Quran say about Jesus?
There are many verses in the Quran about Jesus. He is called Isa. Please note, this is not Jesus’ name in the Arabic Bible and is not used among Christians. Yessu’a is the Arabic name of Jesus. Remember that the person of Isa in the Quran is not an accurate representation of who Jesus is.
Christians can better understand their Muslim friend and share Jesus with them when they understand what beliefs they already hold about Him. We’ve broken down the most important list of Quran verses that address who Jesus is and what He did.
6 important verses about Jesus (Isa) from the Quran and Hadith
1- Jesus is a mere human and a prophet
“As for Isa, he was nothing but a human being, a servant of Ours whom We had graced with prophethood, and whom We made an example for the children of Israel” (Sura 43:59).
2- This verse states that Jesus was created from dust, insinuating that He is merely a man like other prophets.
“Verily, in the sight of God, the nature of Isa is as the nature of Adam, whom He created out of dust and then said unto him, ‘Be’— and he is” (Sura 3:59).
3- This verse directly points to what Christians believe about Christ but affirms that He is not the Son of God.
“ ...the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth” (Sura 9:30).
4- This verse claims Jesus was not crucified, rather it just looked like He was.
“That they said (in boast), We killed Christ Isa the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah, but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them...” (Sura 4:157).
Read the Islamic theories about what they claim happened during the crucifixion in this article.
5- This Hadith explains that Jesus is coming again as a Muslim who will fight for Islam.
“Isa returns as a man of medium height, with reddish complexion, wearing two light garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head although it will not be wet. He will fight for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill pigs, and abolish the poll-tax. Allah will destroy all religions except Islam. He (Isa) will destroy the Evil One and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die.” (Hadith Sunan Abu Dawud, 37:4310; Hadith Sahih Muslim 287)
6- This Hadith says Jesus was sinless and untouched by Satan, unlike other humans.
“Abu Huraira said, ‘I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, ‘There is none born among the off-spring of Adam, but Satan touches it... except Mary and her child...’” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 641).
Islam teaches that everyone is born pure with no sin, but right after birth the devil touches us and makes us sinful. But they also teach that both Mary and Jesus were sinless.
Why do Christians need to know what the Quran says about Jesus?
Jesus is the Son of God, the one who died for all of our sins. We know this, and we have been tasked with telling the world about Him. It is much more effective to know what your Muslim friend believes before you talk to them about Jesus.
We’ve done a full breakdown of comparing Jesus versus Isa in this blog post, where you can study the most important points to cover with your Muslim friend. Now that you are aware of what Muslims believe about Jesus, here are some questions you can prepare to answer. These are some of the most common questions Muslims ask our ministry about Jesus:
Did Jesus only come to save Christians?
How can you say Jesus is the Son of God?
For help answering this one, refer to this free resource.
How can you believe that Jesus was really crucified?
For help answering this one, refer to this free resource.
Always pray and ask the Lord for guidance when talking to your Muslim friend about Christ. He is always at work and moving in ways you may not understand or even see.
Prayer for sharing the gospel with a Muslim
Dear Lord, please open up my friend’s eyes to see Jesus. Move in their heart so they are ready and willing to receive the gospel. Amen.
