Was Jesus a Muslim?

No. Jesus was not a Muslim in the sense of a follower of Muhammad. He was a Jew. He recited the Shema, prayed to the Father, taught in synagogues, and was crucified under Pilate. The Qur’an uses the word muslim for his disciples, and Saheeh International glosses it as people who submit to God. That is a different claim from saying he practiced the religion Muhammad announced centuries later.

Key points

• Qur’an 3:52“Show the words of Qur’an 3:52But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, "Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allāh?" The disciples said, "We are supporters for Allāh. We have believed in Allāh and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ (1) has the disciples say, “we are Muslims [submitting to Him].” The brackets are the translators’ gloss.
• Qur’an 3:67“Show the words of Qur’an 3:67Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allāh]. And he was not of the polytheists.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ uses the same word of Abraham: “a Muslim [submitting to Allāh],” and says he was neither a Jew nor a Christian.
• Mark 12:29“Show the words of Mark 12:29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:King James Version (2) has Jesus quote Deuteronomy 6:4“Show the words of Deuteronomy 6:4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:King James Version: “The Lord our God is one Lord.”
• Luke 4:16“Show the words of Luke 4:16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.King James Version says it was his custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath and read.
• Mark 2:5–7“Show the words of Mark 2:5–7When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.King James Version has him forgive sins, which the scribes call something only God does. John 20:28“Show the words of John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.King James Version has Thomas say, “My LORD and my God.”
• Qur’an 4:157“Show the words of Qur’an 4:157And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ denies the crucifixion. 1 Corinthians 15:3–4“Show the words of 1 Corinthians 15:3–4^15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ^15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:King James Version says Christ died and was buried. That difference is decisive.
• Muslims do believe in Jesus: as messiah, word, and messenger, not as God. Qur’an 4:171“Show the words of Qur’an 4:171O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ and Qur’an 5:72“Show the words of Qur’an 5:72They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allāh - Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ say so.

The word in the Qur’an

Qur’an 3:52“Show the words of Qur’an 3:52But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, "Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allāh?" The disciples said, "We are supporters for Allāh. We have believed in Allāh and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗, Saheeh International:

But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, “Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allāh?” The disciples said, “We are supporters for Allāh. We have believed in Allāh and testify that we are Muslims [submitting to Him].

Qur’an 5:111“Show the words of Qur’an 5:111And [remember] when I inspired to the disciples, "Believe in Me and in My messenger [i.e., Jesus]." They said, "We have believed, so bear witness that indeed we are Muslims [in submission to Allāh]."Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗:

And [remember] when I inspired to the disciples, “Believe in Me and in My messenger [i.e., Jesus].” They said, “We have believed, so bear witness that indeed we are Muslims [in submission to Allāh].”

The English word “Muslims” is followed, in square brackets, by “submitting to Him” and “in submission to Allāh.” In Saheeh International, brackets mark words the translators supply. The Arabic word they are rendering is the participle for one who submits. Qur’an 3:67“Show the words of Qur’an 3:67Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allāh]. And he was not of the polytheists.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ uses it of Abraham:

Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was one inclining toward truth, a Muslim [submitting to Allāh]. And he was not of the polytheists.

Abraham lived long before Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. The verse’s point is that submission to God is older than the later communities. Calling Abraham a Muslim in that sentence does not make him a member of the ummah that confesses Muhammad. Calling Jesus’ disciples Muslims in 3:52 and 5:111 does the same work: they submit to God and, in 5:111, to God’s messenger Jesus. The verses do not say they fasted Ramadan, faced Mecca, or received a Qur’an. Muhammad is not in the scene.

Qur’an 112:1–4“Show the words of Qur’an 112:1–4¹ Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One, ² Allāh, the Eternal Refuge. ³ He neither begets nor is born, ⁴ Nor is there to Him any equivalent."Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ states the confession those later Muslims guard: “He is Allāh, [who is] One,” and “He neither begets nor is born.” That surah is aimed at Christian sonship. It is not a description of Jesus’ own synagogue prayers. Tawhid and Christian monotheism quotes the oneness both sides are protecting.

How Jesus worshipped

Luke 4:16“Show the words of Luke 4:16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.King James Version, King James Version: “And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” His custom was the synagogue, on the Sabbath, with the scriptures of Israel.

Mark 12:29–31“Show the words of Mark 12:29–31And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:King James Version is his answer to the question about the first commandment. He begins, “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord,” which is Deuteronomy 6:4“Show the words of Deuteronomy 6:4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:King James Version: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.” He then joins love of God with love of neighbor. The Shema is Israel’s confession. Jesus recites it as a Jew teaching Jews. He does not replace it with a shahada that names Muhammad.

Mark 14:36“Show the words of Mark 14:36And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.King James Version: “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” The prayer is to the Father, in the language of a son. If Jesus is God, why did he pray? stays with that prayer. It is not the prayer of a messenger announcing a prophet still to come as the last word. Is Muhammad the Paraclete? answers the claim that John 14 already named Muhammad.

Claims no Muslim prophet is permitted to make

Mark 2:5–7“Show the words of Mark 2:5–7When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.King James Version: Jesus says, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” The scribes answer, “who can forgive sins but God only?” Qur’an 4:171“Show the words of Qur’an 4:171O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ says the Messiah “was but a messenger of Allāh.” A messenger may announce God’s pardon. Mark’s scene has the scribes hear Jesus taking the pardon as his own, and Jesus does not step back from that hearing.

John 8:58“Show the words of John 8:58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.King James Version: “Before Abraham was, I am.” John 20:28“Show the words of John 20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.King James Version: “My LORD and my God.” Qur’an 5:72“Show the words of Qur’an 5:72They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allāh - Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗: “They have certainly disbelieved who say, ‘Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary,’ while the Messiah has said, ‘O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord.’” The Qur’an presents Jesus as directing worship away from himself. The Gospel presents Thomas’s confession as accepted and the “I am” as the reason for stones. Is Jesus God? sets those passages out. They are claims Islamic teaching, in 5:72 and 4:171, classifies as disbelief.

The cross

Qur’an 4:157“Show the words of Qur’an 4:157And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗:

And [for] their saying, “Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh.” And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4“Show the words of 1 Corinthians 15:3–4^15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ^15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:King James Version (6): “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.” The word “another” in the Saheeh International line is inside brackets. The denial of killing and crucifixion is not. A Jesus who was not crucified, and who did not die then, is not the Jesus the apostles preached. Did Jesus die on the cross? puts 4:157 beside Mark, Paul, and Tacitus. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? is the cry inside that death.

That single difference is enough to answer the equivocation. If “Muslim” means “someone who submits to the one God,” then the Qur’an can say it of Abraham and of the disciples, and Christians will still ask which God, and whether the Son is included. If “Muslim” means “a member of the religion of the Qur’an and of Muhammad,” Jesus was not one. He did not know Muhammad. He worshipped in the Temple’s religion, quoted Israel’s Shema, and died a death the Qur’an says did not occur.

Do Muslims believe in Jesus?

Yes. They believe he was born of Mary, that he is the Messiah, that he worked signs, and that he is a prophet. Qur’an 3:45“Show the words of Qur’an 3:45[And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allāh gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allāh].Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ calls him “a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary.” They do not believe he is God, and they do not believe he was crucified. Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels lists the titles before the disagreements. Love for Jesus is real in both communities. It is not the same confession. Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God? asks whether the oneness they share is the same God once Jesus is called God.

Frequently asked questions

What are the core beliefs of Islam about God and Jesus?

Qur’an 112“Show the words of Qur’an 112Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One,Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ says God is one, and that he neither begets nor is born. Qur’an 4:171“Show the words of Qur’an 4:171O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ says Jesus is a messenger and God’s word to Mary, and it says not to say “Three.” Qur’an 5:72“Show the words of Qur’an 5:72They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allāh - Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ says those who call the Messiah Allah have disbelieved. The shahada adds Muhammad as God’s messenger. That last clause is the part Jesus’ own words in the Gospel never contain.

What religion was Jesus?

He was a Jew. Luke 4:16“Show the words of Luke 4:16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.King James Version says the synagogue on the Sabbath was his custom. Mark 12:29“Show the words of Mark 12:29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:King James Version shows him teaching the Shema. The Christian claim is that this Jewish man is also God the Son, which Is Jesus God? argues from his words. It is not the claim that he left Judaism for a religion that did not yet exist.

Do Muslims reject Jesus as God?

Yes. Qur’an 5:72“Show the words of Qur’an 5:72They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allāh is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allāh, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allāh - Allāh has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire. And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ and Qur’an 4:171“Show the words of Qur’an 4:171O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allāh except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allāh and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allāh and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allāh is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allāh as Disposer of affairs.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ reject that confession in plain words. Muslims who love Jesus are rejecting deity, sonship as Christians mean it, and the cross, not rejecting the name.

How did Jesus die in Islam?

Qur’an 4:157“Show the words of Qur’an 4:157And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allāh." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ says they did not kill him and did not crucify him, and that the matter was made to resemble something to them. Qur’an 4:158“Show the words of Qur’an 4:158Rather, Allāh raised him to Himself. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise.Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ says God raised him to himself. The Gospel account is the opposite: he died and was buried. Both texts are quoted in Did Jesus die on the cross?.

Keep reading

• Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels
• Did Jesus die on the cross?
• Is Jesus God?
• Can God have a son?
• Is Muhammad the Paraclete?
• Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?