Discover Jesus in the Qur’an

Good evening everyone,

Thank you for welcoming this opportunity to reflect together on a figure loved by both Christians and Muslims: Jesus.

Tonight’s theme is “Discover Jesus in the Qur’an,” and the goal is simple: to build bridges of understanding and show how deeply Muslims revere Jesus, even while understanding him differently from Christian doctrine. In Islam, belief in Jesus is not optional. A person cannot be a Muslim if they reject Jesus as the Messiah, as a prophet of God, and as a mighty servant of the Creator. This is unique among the major world religions outside Christianity itself. Jesus in the Qur’an. The Qur’an speaks of Jesus (in Arabic, ‘Isa) many times, describing him as the Messiah, a word from God, and a spirit from God. It affirms his miraculous virgin birth from Mary, who is called “chosen above all women,” and dedicates an entire chapter (Surah Maryam) to her and to Jesus’ early life. The Qur’an describes the angelic announcement to Mary in a way that Christians often find surprisingly familiar: God gives her “good news of a Word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and the next.” Muslims also believe that Jesus performed miracles by God’s permission—healing the blind, curing lepers, and even raising the dead. One striking Qur’anic scene shows the infant Jesus speaking from the cradle, saying that he is a servant of God, given a scripture and made a prophet. For Muslims, this underlines his role as a divinely appointed messenger who calls people back to pure worship of the one God. Early Christian and Historical Echoes Modern historical study of Jesus often paints a picture that has interesting overlaps with the Islamic view. Many New Testament scholars, when they set aside later doctrinal disputes, describe the “historical Jesus” as a Jewish prophet, teacher, and servant of God who proclaimed the kingdom of God and called people to repentance. E. P. Sanders and other historians, for example, emphasize that Jesus was a Galilean preacher who healed, taught with authority, and saw himself as a prophet announcing God’s coming reign, not as a political revolutionary or a philosopher detached from Jewish monotheism. Likewise, surveys of secular scholarship note that most historians—whether religious or not—see Jesus as an eschatological preacher or teacher whose followers later developed different interpretations of his status. Early strands of Christian tradition in the Book of Acts describe Jesus with the title “servant” of God (using the Greek pais), showing that at least some of the earliest followers spoke of him in terms very close to how the Qur’an later speaks: as God’s servant and chosen prophet. This does not erase later Christian belief in his divinity, but it does create a meaningful conversation point with the Islamic portrayal. How Muslims Honor Jesus and Mary Muslims mention Jesus and Mary with profound respect, and their names are often on Muslim tongues in sermons, lessons, and personal devotion. The daily ritual prayer itself includes what is called the Salat Ibrahimiyya—a supplication in which Muslims ask God to bless Prophet Muhammad and his family just as God blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham, invoking their shared spiritual lineage. In addition, classical Muslim scholars and preachers regularly highlight Jesus as a model of humility, simplicity, and detachment from worldly excess, echoing themes Christians know from the Gospels. Muslim devotional literature often portrays Jesus walking humbly, caring for the poor, and reminding people that this world is fleeting—values that Christians also cherish.Islam is therefore in a unique position: it firmly rejects any disrespect toward Jesus. Insulting Jesus, denying that he is the Messiah, or mocking his mother Mary would be considered a grave sin in Islam. A Muslim cannot “opt out” of Jesus and still remain Muslim. Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey and Meeting Jesus One beautiful and less-known connection between Jesus and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them both, comes from the story of the Night Journey and Ascension, known as al‑Isra’ wal‑Mi‘raj. In this event, reported in early Islamic tradition, Muhammad is taken miraculously from Mecca to Jerusalem and then up through the heavens. Along the way, he meets several earlier prophets. In the heavens he encounters Jesus, who greets him with peace and prays for him, affirming this chain of brotherhood among God’s messengers. Islamic reports describe Jesus as gentle, dignified, and radiant—consistent with the image of a merciful prophet that Christians know from the New Testament. These encounters are understood by Muslims as a testimony that the prophets form one family, all serving the same God, even if their communities later differed. Other narrations of the Ascension describe how the prophets, including Jesus, stand behind Muhammad in prayer during this heavenly journey, symbolizing for Muslims the idea that he comes as the final link in a long line that includes Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. This does not erase the earlier prophets; rather, it honors them and understands Muhammad as sealing and confirming their message. A Bridge, Not a Barrier When Christians and Muslims look at Jesus, they often begin from different theological assumptions, yet the shared reverence is remarkable. Muslims recognize Jesus as Messiah, born of a virgin, performing miracles, and returning before the end times as a sign of God’s justice. Historians, meanwhile, frequently describe him as a prophet-like figure, teacher, and servant of God whose earliest followers sometimes emphasized his servanthood and prophetic mission. This convergence offers a powerful bridge. It invites Christians to see that Islam is not an enemy of Jesus, but a faith that insists on honoring him and his mother, and that places him at the heart of its understanding of God’s guidance to humanity. It invites Muslims to appreciate how much they share with Christians in their love, respect, and longing to follow Jesus’ moral and spiritual example. If, in a world of division, Jesus can be seen not only as a point of difference but as a meeting point—honored in the Gospel and honored in the Qur’an—then conversations like this one can move from argument to friendship, from fear to understanding, and from suspicion to shared service of the one God who sent Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad as lights for humankind.

Thank you.