Who is Jesus in Islam?

For Muslims, no figure outside of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is held with more love and reverence than Jesus, the son of Mary — peace be upon them both. Yet most non-Muslims, including many devoted Christians, have never been told what Islam actually teaches about him.

This essay is for them.

A name said with honor

In Arabic, his name is Isa ibn Maryam — Jesus, son of Mary. Whenever a Muslim mentions him, the phrase alayhi as-salam — “peace be upon him” — is added. He is honored, loved, and awaited.

The Quran names twenty-five prophets directly. Jesus is mentioned by name 25 times — more often than Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself (who is named only four times). An entire chapter of the Quran (Surah Maryam, Chapter 19) is named after his mother. Another entire chapter (Surah Al-Imran, Chapter 3) is named for her family.

Born of a virgin

The Quran affirms the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus with striking clarity. Maryam (Mary), a young, devout woman, was visited by the Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) who announced she would conceive a child without ever having been touched by a man.

“She said: My Lord, how shall I have a son when no man has touched me? He said: Thus it is. Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it ‘Be’ and it is.”

— Quran 3:47

The Quran goes further than is often known: it explicitly calls Jesus the Messiah (Al-Masih), the Word of Allah (Kalimatullah), and a Spirit from Allah (Ruhullah).

The miracles

The Quran affirms Jesus's miracles in detail — many of them not even recorded in the New Testament:

• He spoke from the cradle as an infant, defending his mother from accusations (Quran 19:29-33).
• He healed the blind and the leper by Allah's permission.
• He raised the dead by Allah's permission.
• He fashioned birds out of clay and breathed life into them by Allah's permission.

These miracles, the Quran emphasizes again and again, were always by Allah's permission. Jesus performed signs to prove he was a prophet — not to prove he was God.

The point of divergence

Here is where Islam and Christianity gently part ways.

Christians believe Jesus is the divine Son of God, one person of the Trinity, who died on the cross for the sins of humanity. Muslims believe Jesus is one of the greatest of all prophets — a human messenger of God, miraculously born, sent to guide the Children of Israel — but not divine.

The Quran addresses this directly and with respect:

“O People of the Book! Do not exceed the bounds in your religion, nor say of Allah anything except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was no more than a messenger of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit proceeding from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. Do not say ‘Three’... Allah is only One God. Glory be to Him: how could He have a son?”

— Quran 4:171

And crucially, the Quran states that Jesus himself did not claim divinity:

“And when Allah will say: O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?’ He will say: Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right to say.”

— Quran 5:116

For Muslims, Jesus is too high a station to be diminished by being called a god. He is the chosen one, the messiah, the miracle-worker — but always a servant of the One who sent him.

The crucifixion

The Quran also presents a different account of the crucifixion: Jesus was not killed and not crucified, but Allah raised him up to Himself.

“And their saying: We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them... They certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And Allah is ever Exalted in Might, Wise.”

— Quran 4:157-158

He is coming back

Both Christians and Muslims share this: Jesus will return at the end of times.

Multiple authentic hadith describe his return — descending near the white minaret in Damascus, breaking the cross, defeating the false messiah (the Dajjal), establishing justice on earth, performing Hajj, and finally dying a natural death after a long and blessed life on earth.

When Muslims speak of the return of Jesus, they speak of it with longing. He is awaited.

What this means

If you are a Christian reading this — please understand: Muslims love Jesus. We do not insult him. We do not diminish him. We honor him as one of the greatest souls ever to walk the earth. We simply do not worship him, because he himself did not ask to be worshipped. We worship the One he prayed to.

If you are a seeker reading this — Islam invites you to know Jesus as Muslims have known him for 1,400 years: the messiah, the miracle, the messenger. A bridge between our traditions, not a wall.

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“Say: We believe in Allah, and in what was revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes; and in what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted.”

— Quran 3:84