# Was Muhammad Sinless? > Qur’an 47:19 tells Muhammad to ask forgiveness for his sin, and for believing men and women. Qur’an 48:2 speaks of forgiveness for what preceded of his sin and what will follow. The Gospel says Jesus knew no sin. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/islam/was-muhammad-sinless - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, muhammad, sin - Updated: 2026-10-13 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) The Qur’an tells Muhammad to ask forgiveness for his sin. [Qur’an 47:19](https://quran.com/47/19) [(1)](#ref-1) says to know that there is no deity except Allah, and to ask forgiveness for your sin and for believing men and women. [Qur’an 48:2](https://quran.com/48/2) [(1)](#ref-1) says Allah may forgive what preceded of his sin and what will follow. A reading that treats the command as humility still has the command in the text. Jesus is God. The Gospel says he knew no sin. ## Key Points - [Qur’an 47:19](https://quran.com/47/19) [(1)](#ref-1), in Saheeh International, says: ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. - [Qur’an 40:55](https://quran.com/40/55) [(1)](#ref-1) says to be patient, and to ask forgiveness for your sin, and to exalt Allah morning and evening. - [Qur’an 48:2](https://quran.com/48/2) [(1)](#ref-1) says Allah may forgive what preceded of his sin and what will follow, and complete his favor. - [Qur’an 19:19](https://quran.com/19/19) [(2)](#ref-2) has the angel tell Mary he was sent to give her a pure boy. [John 8:46](/bible/john/8/46) [(4)](#ref-4) has Jesus ask who convinces him of sin. [Hebrews 4:15](/bible/hebrews/4/15) [(5)](#ref-5) says he was tempted, yet without sin. - [Qur’an 33:21](https://quran.com/33/21) [(3)](#ref-3) calls the Messenger an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day. That praise does not erase the command to ask forgiveness. - Jesus is God. [2 Corinthians 5:21](/bible/2-corinthians/5/21) [(6)](#ref-6) says he knew no sin. [What Do Christians Believe About Muhammad?](/islam/what-do-christians-believe-about-muhammad) is the Christian reading of his claim. ## Ask Forgiveness for Your Sin [Qur’an 47:19](https://quran.com/47/19) [(1)](#ref-1), Saheeh International, addresses Muhammad by name in the translator’s brackets and tells him to ask forgiveness: > So know, [O Muḥammad], that there is no deity except Allāh and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allāh knows of your movement and your resting place. The command is “your sin,” and then the sins of believing men and women. It is not only a prayer for other people. [Qur’an 40:55](https://quran.com/40/55) [(1)](#ref-1) says, “So be patient, [O Muḥammad]. Indeed, the promise of Allāh is truth. And ask forgiveness for your sin and exalt [Allāh] with praise of your Lord in the evening and the morning.” [Qur’an 48:2](https://quran.com/48/2) [(1)](#ref-1) says, “That Allāh may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path.” “What preceded” and “what will follow” are both called his sin in that rendering. Some readers treat these lines as a prophet’s humility, or as a prayer that does not mean a moral fault. The sentences still say “your sin.” They tell him to ask forgiveness for it. [What Was Muhammad’s First Revelation?](/islam/muhammads-first-revelation) is the cave of Hira, where he came home afraid. Fear in that hadith is not the same sentence as these verses. These verses name sin. ## Jesus and Sin [Qur’an 19:19](https://quran.com/19/19) [(2)](#ref-2) is the angel’s word to Mary: > He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy [i.e., son]." Saheeh International’s gloss is “a pure boy.” The Qur’an speaks of Jesus as that child. It does not, in this verse, tell Jesus to ask forgiveness for his sin. [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) is the wider comparison. [Was Jesus a Muslim?](/islam/was-jesus-a-muslim) is the claim that he was a prophet of Islam. [John 8:46](/bible/john/8/46) [(4)](#ref-4) has Jesus ask, “Which of you convinceth me of sin?” [Hebrews 4:15](/bible/hebrews/4/15) [(5)](#ref-5) says he was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [2 Corinthians 5:21](/bible/2-corinthians/5/21) [(6)](#ref-6) says he knew no sin, and that God made him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. [1 Peter 2:22](/bible/1-peter/2/22) [(7)](#ref-7) says he did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Jesus is God. The one who knew no sin is the one who bears sin. [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## An Excellent Pattern [Qur’an 33:21](https://quran.com/33/21) [(3)](#ref-3) is the verse Muslims cite for Muhammad’s character: > There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allāh an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allāh and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allāh often. That is a real commendation. It calls him an excellent pattern. It does not say he had no sin, and it does not cancel [Qur’an 47:19](https://quran.com/47/19) [(1)](#ref-1). A pattern can be held up and still be told to ask forgiveness. The Gospel’s claim about Jesus is narrower and higher: he did no sin, and he is God. [Who Was Muhammad?](/islam/who-was-muhammad) [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Does the Qur’an Say Jesus Was Sinless? [Qur’an 19:19](https://quran.com/19/19) [(2)](#ref-2) calls him a pure boy. It does not print the sentence “Jesus never sinned.” [John 8:46](/bible/john/8/46) [(4)](#ref-4), [Hebrews 4:15](/bible/hebrews/4/15) [(5)](#ref-5), and [1 Peter 2:22](/bible/1-peter/2/22) [(7)](#ref-7) do say that he was without sin. ### Did Muhammad Sin in the Qur’an? [Qur’an 47:19](https://quran.com/47/19) [(1)](#ref-1) tells him to ask forgiveness for his sin. [Qur’an 40:55](https://quran.com/40/55) [(1)](#ref-1) repeats that command. [Qur’an 48:2](https://quran.com/48/2) [(1)](#ref-1) speaks of what preceded of his sin and what will follow. The text uses the word sin of him. ### Did Allah Tell Muhammad to Seek Forgiveness? Yes. The command in [Qur’an 47:19](https://quran.com/47/19) [(1)](#ref-1) and [Qur’an 40:55](https://quran.com/40/55) [(1)](#ref-1) is to ask forgiveness for his sin. A reading that calls this humility still has the command in the verse. ## Keep Reading - [What Was Muhammad’s First Revelation?](/islam/muhammads-first-revelation) - [Who Was Muhammad?](/islam/who-was-muhammad) - [Jesus in the Qur’an and the Gospels](/islam/jesus-in-the-quran-and-the-gospels) - [Was Jesus a Muslim?](/islam/was-jesus-a-muslim) - [Did Jesus Die on the Cross?](/islam/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross) - [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Qur’an 48:2 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/48/2) > That Allāh may forgive for you what preceded of your sin [i.e., errors] and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path ### John 8:46 King James Version. > Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? ### Hebrews 4:15 King James Version. > For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. ### 2 Corinthians 5:21 King James Version. > For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. ### 1 Peter 2:22 King James Version. > Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: ## 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, 47:19; 40:55; 48:2](https://quran.com/47/19) (Saheeh International. The link is 47:19. Ask forgiveness for your sin.) 2. [Qur’an, 19:19](https://quran.com/19/19) (Saheeh International. The angel’s word to Mary: a pure boy.) 3. [Qur’an, 33:21](https://quran.com/33/21) (Saheeh International. An excellent pattern in the Messenger of Allah.) 4. [Gospel of John, 8:46](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/8/46). King James Version 5. [Letter to the Hebrews, 4:15](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/4/15). King James Version 6. [Second Letter to the Corinthians, 5:21](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/2-corinthians/5/21). King James Version 7. [First Letter of Peter, 2:22](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-peter/2/22). King James Version ## See Also - [How Did Muhammad Die?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-did-muhammad-die) — Muslim sources say Muhammad died in Medina in 632, at sixty-three, and that in his last illness he still felt the poison from a sheep he had eaten at Khaybar. - [How Many Prophets Are There in Islam?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-many-prophets-are-there-in-islam) — The Qur’an names messengers and says some stories were not related. It does not print a total. It calls Muhammad the seal of the prophets. Christians say God has spoken by the Son, who is God, not by a later seal. - [How Many Wives Did Muhammad Have?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/muhammads-wives) — The Qur’an permits Muhammad more wives than the four it allows other men. Muslim historians name Khadijah first, and Sunni hadith name Aisha among those who followed. - [How Old Was Aisha When She Married Muhammad?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-old-was-aisha) — In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, Aisha says she was married at six and that the marriage was consummated at nine. Those reports also say she remained with him nine years, until his death at sixty-three. - [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) — Some Muslims hear Muhammad in Jesus' promise of the Comforter, and in the name Ahmad in Qur'an 61:6. John 14–16 says who that person is.