# Was Jesus a Muslim? > No. Jesus was a Jew who worshipped Israel’s God, prayed to the Father, and was crucified. The Qur’an calls his disciples muslims in the sense of people who submit to God, which is not the religion of Muhammad. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/islam/was-jesus-a-muslim - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, jesus, quran - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) 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](https://quran.com/ali-imran/52) [(1)](#ref-1) has the disciples say, “we are Muslims [submitting to Him].” The brackets are the translators’ gloss. - [Qur’an 3:67](https://quran.com/ali-imran/67) uses the same word of Abraham: “a Muslim [submitting to Allāh],” and says he was neither a Jew nor a Christian. - [Mark 12:29](/bible/mark/12/29) [(2)](#ref-2) has Jesus quote [Deuteronomy 6:4](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4): “The Lord our God is one Lord.” - [Luke 4:16](/bible/luke/4/16) says it was his custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath and read. - [Mark 2:5–7](/bible/mark/2/5) has him forgive sins, which the scribes call something only God does. [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28) has Thomas say, “My LORD and my God.” - [Qur’an 4:157](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157) denies the crucifixion. [1 Corinthians 15:3–4](/bible/1-corinthians/15) 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](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) and [Qur’an 5:72](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) say so. ## The word in the Qur’an [Qur’an 3:52](https://quran.com/ali-imran/52), 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](https://quran.com/al-maidah/111): > 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](https://quran.com/ali-imran/67) 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](https://quran.com/al-ikhlas/1) 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](/islam/tawhid-and-christian-monotheism) quotes the oneness both sides are protecting. ## How Jesus worshipped [Luke 4:16](/bible/luke/4/16), 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](/bible/mark/12/29) 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](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4): “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](/bible/mark/14/36): “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?](/islam/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?](/islam/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](/bible/mark/2/5): Jesus says, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” The scribes answer, “who can forgive sins but God only?” [Qur’an 4:171](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) 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](/bible/john/8/58): “Before Abraham was, I am.” [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28): “My LORD and my God.” [Qur’an 5:72](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72): “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?](/article/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](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157): > 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](/bible/1-corinthians/15) [(6)](#ref-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?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) puts 4:157 beside Mark, Paul, and Tacitus. [My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?](/article/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](https://quran.com/ali-imran/45) 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](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-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?](/islam/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](https://quran.com/al-ikhlas/1) says God is one, and that he neither begets nor is born. [Qur’an 4:171](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) says Jesus is a messenger and God’s word to Mary, and it says not to say “Three.” [Qur’an 5:72](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) 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](/bible/luke/4/16) says the synagogue on the Sabbath was his custom. [Mark 12:29](/bible/mark/12/29) shows him teaching the Shema. The Christian claim is that this Jewish man is also God the Son, which [Is Jesus God?](/article/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](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) and [Qur’an 4:171](https://quran.com/an-nisa/171) 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](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157) 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](https://quran.com/an-nisa/158) 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?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross). ## Keep reading - [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) - [Did Jesus die on the cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) - [Is Jesus God?](/article/is-jesus-god) - [Can God have a son?](/islam/can-god-have-a-son) - [Is Muhammad the Paraclete?](/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) - [Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?](/islam/do-muslims-and-christians-worship-the-same-god) ## Passages quoted on this page ### Mark 12:29 King James Version. > And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: ### Deuteronomy 6:4 King James Version. > Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: ### Mark 2:5 King James Version. > When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. ### John 20:28 King James Version. > And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. ### Qur’an 4:157 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/an-nisa/157) > 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. 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. ### 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 King James Version. > [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: ### Qur’an 4:171 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/4/171) > O 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. ### Qur’an 5:72 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/al-maidah/72) > 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." 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. ### Qur’an 112:1-4 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/112/1-4) > [1] 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." ### John 8:58 King James Version. > Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. ### Qur’an 3:45 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/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]. ### Qur’an 112:1 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/al-ikhlas/1) > Say, "He is Allāh, [who is] One, ### Qur’an 4:158 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/an-nisa/158) > Rather, Allāh raised him to Himself. And ever is Allāh Exalted in Might and Wise. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Qur'an, 3:52; 3:67; 5:111; 4:157; 4:171; 5:72; 112:1–4](https://quran.com/ali-imran/52) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. Words in square brackets are part of that translation. The link is the first passage, 3:52.) 2. [Gospel of Mark, 12:29; 14:36; 2:5–7](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/12/29). King James Version 3. [Gospel of Luke, 4:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/luke/4/16). King James Version 4. [Deuteronomy, 6:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/deuteronomy/6/4). King James Version 5. [Gospel of John, 8:58; 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/8/58). King James Version 6. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 15:3–4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/15). King James Version ## See also - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) — The Qur'an is widely read as saying Jesus was not crucified. The Gospels, Paul, and two Roman-era historians say he was. - [Does Jesus Do What Only God Does?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/does-jesus-do-what-only-god-does) — The Qur'an says God gives life to the dead, is the First and the Last, and comes with the angels. The Gospel says Jesus does those things. - [Jesus in the Qur'an and the Gospels](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) — The Qur’an calls Jesus the Messiah, born of Mary, and says he was not crucified; the Gospels tell that death, his burial, and his resurrection. - [Can God Have a Son?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/can-god-have-a-son) — The Qur'an condemns the claim that God has taken a son, especially a son by a consort. Christians deny that picture and still confess the eternal Son. - [Did Paul Invent Christianity?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/did-paul-invent-christianity) — Muslims often say Paul turned the prophet Jesus into a divine saviour. The creed he says he received, and the apostles he names, are the test of that claim. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/was-jesus-a-muslim.md)