According to the Qur’an, Isa Al-Masih is far more than just an ordinary prophet. He is Allah’s Word and a Spirit from Allah (Al-Nisa, 4:171); that he is a pure son born of a virgin (Mariam, 19:19,20); He has the power to open blind eyes, heal leprosy, raise the dead, and even create (Surat-u Ali Imran, 3:49); and that he was raised up to Allah Himself (Al-Imran, 3:55). He is the Sign of the Hour (Al-Zukhruf, 43:61), His mother is the only woman in the Qur’an mentioned by name (Mariam, 19:16) and He is in the nearest company to Allah where he is honored in the hereafter as he was on earth (Al-Imran, 3:45). All these things cause people to be attracted to Isa Al-Masih!
1 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) was born of a virgin distinct from all human beings and all the prophets without exception. Mary said to the angel, “She said, ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I was never unchaste?’” (Maryam 19:20).
2 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone was given the title Messiah (Al-Masih): “Al-Masih, Isa, the son of Mary…” (Al-Nisa 4: 171).
3 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) is the Only One who is called the Word of God, which means the right expression of the True God, the Word of God is Eternal: “…The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Messenger of God, and His Word that He conveyed to Mary …” (Nisa 4: 171 and Amran 3: 45).
4 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) is the Only called the Spirit of God in the sense of emergence, so He did not need the birth of sexual intercourse like the rest of the people: “… The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Messenger of God, and His Word that He conveyed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him…” (Al-Nisa 4: 171).
5 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone spoke in the cradle, “Say, ‘Whether you conceal what is in your hearts, or disclose it, God knows it.’ He knows everything in the heavens and the earth. God is Powerful over everything. On the Day when every soul finds all the good it has done presented. And as for the evil it has done, it will wish there were a great distance between them. God cautions you of Himself. God is Kind towards the servants.” (Maryam 19: 29-30). The Qur’an tells us that Christ did not need anyone to teach Him anything, not even speech, “And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Tawrat and the Injil” (Al-Imran 3:48).
6 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone is distinguished from all the prophets by being without sin. All the prophets’ sins are mentioned in the Qur’an, but not Christ’s. “The Angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a Word from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, well-esteemed in this world and the next, and one of the nearest.” (Al-Imran 3: 45).
7 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) is the Only one who is blessed where He goes “and made me blessed where I was and recommended me to pray and Zakat as long as you alive” (Mary 19:31).
8 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone is distinguished from all creation: “A messenger to the Children of Israel: ‘I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the figure of a bird; then I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s leave’” (Al – Imran 3: 49).
9 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone was able to do the miracles that could not be done by others: “And I heal the blind and the leprous” (Al-Imran 3: 49).
10 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone was able to raise the dead: “and I revive the dead, by God’s leave” (Al-Imran 3: 49 and Table 5 110).
11 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone knows the secrets of the unseen, “And I inform you concerning what you eat, and what you store in your homes. In that is a sign for you, if you are believers” (Al – Imran 3: 49).
12 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone exchanged the responsibility of authority with God, “…And I was a witness over them while I was among them; but when You took me to Yourself, You became the Watcher over them—You are Witness over everything” (Table 5: 117).
13 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone became a Sign to people and Mercy of God, “Thus said your Lord, `It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign for humanity, and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decided’” (Maryam 19:21).
14- Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone prophesied of his death and resurrection from the dead: “So Peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the Day I get resurrected alive” (Maryam 19:33).
15 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone can give His followers a high position and confirmation of the Day of Resurrection: “God said, ‘O Jesus, I am terminating your life, and raising you to Me, and clearing you of those who disbelieve. And I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return; then I will judge between you regarding what you were disputing’” (Al-Imran 3:55).
16 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone is the sign of the hour, “He is a portent of the Hour, so have no doubt about it, and follow Me. This is a straight way” (Al-Zukhruf 43: 61). Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) alone will be the Judge who comes to the world to judge the living and the dead. The truth has been confirmed by the Hadith: “The Hour shall not be until the Son of Maryam descends as Just Judge.”
17 – Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) is the only one who was supported by the Holy Spirit: “When God will say, “O Jesus son of Mary, recall My favor upon you and upon your mother, how I supported you with the Holy Spirit’” (Al-Maida 5:110).
The Holy Injil also says that Isa Al-Masih was perfect. Injil Acts 3:14 calls Isa “the Holy and Righteous One.” In Mark 1:23-25, Isa encounters a man who is possessed by an evil spirit. That man called Him “the Holy One of God.”
The Holy Injil recognizes Isa as Al-Masih, or the “Christ,” which is the Greek word. Andrew, one of Isa’s apostles, told his brother Peter, “We have found the Messiah (Al-Masih)” (Injil John 1:41).
Isa Al-Masih gave life to those who were dead! The Holy Injil gives several specific recordings of this. One of them is in (Injil Mark 5:21-42)!
The Qur’an also records the vision to Mary and the virgin-birth of Jesus in two passages. See Surah 3:45-47 and Surah 19:16-22. If one had to ask why Jesus should be born in such a unique way, as no other human being has ever been so conceived, the Qur’an gives a clear answer. She was to conceive Jesus in a special way because there was to be something unique and special about her son. The virgin-birth is given constant emphasis in the Muslim scripture in the title it gives consistently to Isa, namely ibn Mariam, the son of Mary. No other woman is named in the Quran. No other woman is given such veneration as it says in Surah 3:42 that “Surely Allah has chosen you and purified you, and preferred you above the women of the world.” Why is Mary exalted in the Quran? It is because she was the mother of Jesus—because she mothered the greatest among men.
Why is this important? As we will see as we further explore who Jesus was from the Quran, he must be the Son of God.
The meaning of “Al-Masih” is significant when we recognize that Isa Al-Masih is the only one who was referred to in the Bible or the Qur’an as being “Al-Masih”. None of the other prophets are referred to by this title. It refers to the Anointed One (Al-Mamsuh).
Allah the Almighty promised King David that one of his descendants would be different from all other kings: “And it shall come to pass, when your days are ended that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before you: But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever: and his throne shall be established for evermore” (Tawrat 1 Chronicles 17:11-14).
What kind of anointing is this? What was Isa Al-Masih anointed with?
In the following verses will see what the Qur’an say about the identity of Isa Al-Masih.
In Al-Nisa 4:171, Al-Baqara 2:87 and Al-Maida 5:110 the Qur’an refers to “Spirit” in regard to Isa Al-Masih.
Al-Nisa 4:171, “O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion, and do not say about Allah except the truth. Al-Masih, Isa, the son of Mariam, is the Messenger of Allah, and His Word that He conveyed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and do not say, “Three.” Refrain—it is better for you. Allah is only one God. Glory be to Him—that He should have a son. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and the earth, and Allah is a sufficient Protector.”
Al-Baqara 2:87, “We gave Moses the Scripture, and sent a succession of messengers after him. And We gave Isa son of Mary the clear proofs, and We supported him with the Holy Spirit. Is it that whenever a messenger comes to you with anything your souls do not desire, you grew arrogant, calling some impostors, and killing others?”
Al-Maida 5:110, “When Allah will say, “O Isa son of Mary, recall My favor upon you and upon your mother, how I supported you with the Holy Spirit. You spoke to the people from the crib, and in maturity. How I taught you the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. And recall that you molded from clay the shape of a bird, by My leave, and then you breathed into it, and it became a bird, by My leave. And you healed the blind and the leprous, by My leave; and you revived the dead, by My leave. And recall that I restrained the Children of Israel from you when you brought them the clear miracles. But those who disbelieved among them said, `This is nothing but obvious sorcery.’“
In order to understand the meaning of the Spirit, there is a need look at the books that came first, for the Qur’an advices, “If you are in doubt about what We revealed to you, ask those who read the Scripture before you. The truth has come to you from your Lord, so do not be of those who doubt.” (Yunus 10:94).
The Holy Injil describes how the angel Jibra`el spoke to Miriam, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
These Qur’anic verses state clearly that Isa was more than a prophet, if we looked carefully that His anointment with the Spirit is really equal to Him been supported and empowered by the Spirit. It is important to clear some misunderstandings, for some Muslims say “Spirit” refers to the breath of life that each person has (Qur’an 15:29; 32:9; 38:73), nor refers to Jibra`el (Qur’an 16:102).
Let’s us take a close look at what the Qur’an says in Al-Maida 5:110 concerning the strengthening or supporting with the Holy Spirit, this anointing of the Holy Spirit caused Al-Masih to do many miracles, “You spoke to the people from the crib, and in maturity. How I taught you the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. And recall that you molded from clay the shape of a bird, by My leave, and then you breathed into it, and it became a bird, by My leave. And you healed the blind and the leprous, by My leave; and you revived the dead, by My leave.”
The Bible describes how He was anointed by the Holy Spirit at his baptism, “You know what has happened … after the baptism that John preached–how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” (Injil Acts 10:37-38)
Al-Masih proclaimed the beginning of His ministry, “The Spirit of God is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Injil Luke 4:18-19)
Isa Al-Masih was anointed with the Spirit of God like no other man. If “Spirit of God” means the physical breath of life, as some Muslims teach, then any ordinary man should be able to do miracles.
The Holy Injil declares that “God is Spirit” (Injil John 4:24) and Isa is the Word “the Word was God” (Injil John 1:1), the eternal Word of Allah (Isa), possessed the divine spirit and nature and essence of Allah. This eternal Word that co-existed with God from eternity became flesh (Injil John 1:14).
To believe that Isa Al-Masih was a prophet is not enough.? Who do you say that Isa Al-Masih is?
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- was virgin-born
- was the son the most exalted woman
- was sinless
- ascended to heaven to be at the right hand of God
- was to come again
- was the Messiah
- was the Word of God
- possessed the Spirit of God
The reason was given by Jesus himself. He was not an ordinary man born in the normal course of procreation. He taught that he had existed in the heavens before the foundation of the universe and had even witnessed the fall of Satan (Luke 10:18).
He taught that he had come down from heaven (John 6:62), and that he came from the Father into the world and would leave the world and return to the Father (John 16:28).
This is why he had to be born of a virgin woman. He pre-existed his earthly life, had come into the world from heaven and had assumed human form. He had, therefore, a unique beginning to his life, just as it would end in a unique way. He came from heaven and would return there. Jesus himself drew a sharp contrast between himself and all other men when he said to the Jews, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world (John 8:23).
Jesus is different from and superior to all the prophets who went before him. Indeed, he was greater than all other men. The Angel Gabriel gave the answer when he said to Mary:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 35).
Yes, all prophets had some unique features, but in the case of Jesus, we find that his uniqueness is personal to himself. There is no comparison here with any other prophet. All these unique features, spanning the origin of his life, its conclusion and final destiny, are found in him alone. These unique features of Jesus—with one accord—support that Jesus is the Son of God.
To our Muslim friends, we ask you to consider seriously what your own holy book teaches you about Jesus. And further, to consider the implications. If Jesus is indeed the Son of God, in him alone can man be reconciled to God. There is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved (Acts 4:12). The good news is that
God so love the world that he gave his one and only son—that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
According to the Bible, Isa is the only person who ever lived who was entirely without sin. The book charges all men, from Adam onwards, as being under the power of sin (Romans 3:9), and as having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Only Jesus is excepted. Numerous passages record the sinlessness of Jesus including 1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5, etc.
The Qur’an too declares that Jesus was without sin. When the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) appeared to Mary to announce her conception of Jesus, he said:
I am only a messenger of your Lord, to announce to you a faultless son (Surah 19:19).
The words used in Arabic to describe him are ghulaaman-zakiyyan, “a most-holy boy.” The word zakiyya, meaning “blameless,” appears only twice in the Quran. The other occasion is in the story about Moses in which he met a young man who is described as being innocent. But in this case, the word was only referring to the young man’s innocence of any crime deserving of death, but in Isa’s case, the angel was describing his whole personality and character before he was even born. “Faultless” or “blameless” clearly means without sin. So the Quran confirms the biblical teaching that Jesus was the only sinless person who ever lived as the Quran nowhere describes anyone else in this way. On the contrary, the Quran acknowledges the sins of the other prophets and specifically refers to the sins of Adam (Sura 7:23), Abraham (26:82), Moses (28:16), Johan (37:142), and Muhammad (47:19, 48:2). In the case of Muhammad the Quran expressly commands him to ask forgiveness (wastaghfir) of his sins (dhanbika). The words used are employed throughout the Quran in the same context and there can be no doubt about their meaning, despite the subtle attempts of many Muslim commentators to reduce them to less imposing terms (such as to ask for “protection” from his “shortcomings”).
The Hadith also records that Jesus was sinless. Muhammad himself believed this! It is recorded in Sahih Muslim (Vol 4, pg 1261):
Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (saw) as saying: Satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him with the exception of Mary and her son.
Why is Jesus sinless? As we look in detail at the Quran further in this article, we can see that the only reasonable explanation is that he is the Son of God. Jesus taught that he and the Father are one (John 10:30), and he will, therefore, always do the will of the Father. If he did anything independently of the Father, he would no longer be one with him. One who is always doing the absolute will of his Father cannot be sinful—because, as the Son of God, he too is absolutely holy and always does what is pleasing to the Father (John 8:29).
The Qur’an only has one statement to confirm the ascension of Jesus but it has been enough to convince Muslims throughout the world that he is there to this day, alive in the very presence of Allah. The text reads:
But Allah took him up to himself (Surah 4:158).
This statement is made in contrast to the claim of the Jews that they had killed the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary. Muslims believe he was rescued from crucifixion and taken to heaven without dying. Despite the different circumstances, both the Quran and the Bible teach the ascension of Jesus, alive and in bodily form, from earth to heaven. Significantly, the only Hadith records that mention the destiny of Jesus agree without exception that Jesus was taken to heaven.
Various Muslim teachings suggest a return of Jesus. These include various Hadiths such as Sahih Muslim (Vol 1, pg. 93), Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol 4, pg. 137), Ibn Sa’d, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Vol 1, pg. 47).
But what is the reason for his ascension into heaven? The reason is implied in his virgin-birth. He ascended to heaven because he came from there in the first place. If he had returned to dust as all other men do, no Christian would believe that he was the unique Son of God.
The Quran often speaks of the throne of God (Suras 10:4, 7:54, 13:2, etc.). This expresses the royal sovereignty which God enjoys over the whole universe. The Bible makes the same point but, to emphasize the unique ascension of Jesus to heaven and his ultimate place there, it declares that he sat down at his right hand as sons of kings in those days sat at their father’s side, being the heirs to the throne. Many passages make this clear:
God accomplishes his great might in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:20).
Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven (Hebrews 8:1).
When Stephen saw the heavens opened just before his martyrdom, he declared that he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56). Jesus also declared that he would grant to all who conquer the right to sit at his right hand, just as he had conquered and sat down with his Father on his throne (Revelation 3:21). The Quran speaks of the throne of God—the rightful place of Jesus after his ascension to heaven is at the right hand of Him who sits on it.
Jesus alone is called the Messiah in the Quran. No other prophet, patriarch or priest is given this title. In Arabic it is simply al-Masih. The Quran awards this title to Jesus on eleven separate occasions, including in Sura 4:171, where a denial of Jesus’ divinity is also made. However, the Quran makes no attempt to define the title. So, in order to find the meaning of the term, one has to go to the Jewish and Christian scriptures to find its meaning. When we look there we find that the expressions Messiah and Son of God were synonymous!
Over 300 Old Testament prophecies speak of the coming Messiah (“Christ”) and describe him as a man that stands above all other men, including the other messengers of God, and that he would have a regality, majesty, splendor and excellence above all other men. Indeed, he would have divine attributes. Jewish believers in Jesus used the term Messiah and Son of God interchangeably. For example, Peter, one of the first Jewish followers of Jesus said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16).” Nathaniel (John 1:49), Mark (Mark 1:1), and Martha (John 11:27) are examples of others who used the terms Messiah and Son of God interchangeably. Caiaphas, the Jewish High Priest also used the terms Messiah and Son of God together. When Jesus was on trial, Caiaphas asked Jesus, “I adjure you, by the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God (Matthew 26:63).”
Even demons recognized him in this way. They knew him from all eternity as the eternal Son from the Father and recognized him in human form when he commanded them with authority to depart: “And demons also came out of many, crying, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Messiah (Luke 4:41).”
Thus, by saying that Jesus is the Messiah, the Quran has duly given Jesus a title which implies that he is the very person that the Quran is otherwise at such pains to deny—the Son of God himself.
He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is the Word of God.(Revelation 19:13).
Once again Jesus is given a title in the Quran which the Bible gives him as well. Like the Messiah, this is a very distinctive and remarkable title. It is important to emphasize two specific features of this title. Jesus himself, in his actual person, is the Word. Secondly, the source of this Word is God. Neither book says that he delivered the word of God as other prophets did, or that he was learned in it, or that he embodied and represented it. He is expressly declared to be a Word from God, or THE Word of God. Other prophets received the messages of God, but Jesus, in a unique way, is himself the message of God to the world!
There is obviously something about the person of Jesus himself that makes him the Word of God in a way no other man has ever been or ever will be. Key to understanding the title is the emphasis of deity as its source. The Word is from God. He himself is the communication and revelation of God to men. He does not merely bring the word of God, he is the Word of God.
We have to turn to the Bible to find the ultimate meaning of the title in view of the fact that the Quran attributes it to Jesus without explanation. We go to the very beginning of John’s gospel where this subject is treated in more detail:
In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him and without him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1-2).
When we amplify or paraphrase these words we get a clear picture of the meaning of the title. In the beginning, before God ever began to create, the Word already existed. Far from being part of the created order, the Word was in the realm of God and indeed the very nature of the Word was God. When God first began to fashion the created order, the Word already existed in the divine order. He himself was not created but all other things were created by God through him as agent. Because he alone is the Word of God, and is therefore the ultimate means of communication between God and his creatures, nothing was created without being created by him.
But why is Jesus the Word of God? In what way was Jesus uniquely the communication of God in himself to mankind? We go a bit further down the first page of John’s gospel and find these words:
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
The title signifies two unique things about Jesus, and distinguish him from all other prophets of God:
Every word of Jesus was the word of God. All the prophets who went before him spoke the Word of God when moved by the Holy Spirit, but in general conversation their speech was entirely their own. Muslims are taught to distinguish between the Quran—which Muhammad received and conveyed as the word of God—and his own teachings which are recorded in the Hadith as inspirational but not divine. Jesus, however, at all times spoke the word of God, whether in public preaching or in private conversation. He confirmed this on various occasions, such as:
I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me (John 12:49-50).
The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works (John 14:10).
Jesus himself is God’s final message to mankind. Being the Word of God, Jesus himself is the final and complete revelation of God to the human race. The following text expresses this perfectly:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-19).
Jesus himself is the Word of God. There is no independence, therefore, between God and His Word. In human form Jesus embodied the divine being. He was not a created messenger. He is, and for all eternity will be, the eternal Word of God.
Sura 4:171 tells Christians not to exaggerate in their religion and to say nothing of Allah but the truth. Yet, in view of these unique titles we are considering, it is hard to see where the exaggeration is. The text of the Quran denies the deity of Christ, yet, in the titles it applies to him, it simply affirms the very thing it takes such pains to deny. We have already seen that the titles Messiah and Son of God are synonymous. The title Word of God is also interchangeable with the title Son of God. If anything, this title is more emphatic and suggestive of deity as it implies no submission on the part of the Word of God as the expression Son to Father does.
These are those in whose hearts he has inscribed faith, and strengthened them with a spirit from himself (Sura 58:22).
These are same words used as in Sura 4:171, ruhun-minhu, “a spirit from him.” Nowhere else in the Quran does this expression occur. In his commentary on the Quran, Yusuf Ali says that the “phrase used is stronger” than that for the Holy Spirit (Ruhul-Quds) in the Quran who is identified in Islam as the Angel Gabriel. Ali implies that this Spirit of God is greater than the mighty angel and says it is, “the divine spirit which we can no more define adequately than we can define in human language the nature and attributes of God.”
The Muslim commentator has, unintentionally but very impressively, given a precise definition of the Holy Spirit as Christians know him in the Bible. He is the “divine spirit” who cannot be defined in human language with terminology other than that used for God himself. Yet the Quran, in the only other place where this expression occurs, applies this same divine title to Jesus!
So Muslims have a third title in Sura 4:171—Spirit of God—which attributes divine features to Jesus just as the titles Messiah and Word of God do. Significantly they are synonymous with titles used in the Bible for Jesus to further express his profile towards mankind as the eternal Son from the Father.
The Qur’an, in the very passage (Sura 4:171)—which contains a denial of the deity of Jesus (“Do not say Trinity! God is only one God. Far be it from his glory to have a son.”) —paradoxically attributes three titles to him which affirm his deity! He is the Anointed Son of God/Messiah; he is the divine Word of God, and he is a Spirit coming from God. Jesus was not just another prophet called to office at an appropriate point in time. He is the message of God, he came from God, his very spirit is the Spirit of God.
In fact, not only does the Quran affirm the deity of Jesus, it affirms the Christian understanding of the Trinity by its use of the expression ruhun-minhu! Yusaf Ali freely concedes that this is no created spirit of which the book teaches but the divine spirit, which comes from God, and must be defined in the same terms as God. Twice the Quran uses the expression, once for Jesus Christ, and once for the Spirit which comes from God (and strengthens believers), and must be defined in the same terms as God. A closer definition of the Trinity you could hardly hope to find. Sura 58:22 defines the Spirit of God in terms synonymous with those applied to the Holy Spirit in the Bible and Sura 4:171 expressly nominates Jesus in the same terms.
An example of this can be found in the first book of the Torah, Genesis 16:7-13: The angel of the Lord (coming to tell Hagar she will give birth to a boy and name him Ishmael) found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”…Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
Another example of the Angel of Lord as the per-incarnate Christ is found is Genesis 22:11-15 and Exodus 3:2-6; in both verses this Being who is distinct from Allah, but who is also just like Him.
The books of Matthew and Luke in the Injil go into detail about Isa Al Masih’s genealogy and our understanding of Him. What this did for readers of the Injil is prove that Isa Al Masih is the Messiah, the son of David and Abraham, and the promised seed that would put enmity between the devil and us. Furthermore, by reading the Injil, we also know that Jesus was human on this earth, God made flesh, and that He came from a humble and royal human family line. Understanding the genealogy of Jesus helps us to see that Allah works with and through men and women, people of diverse ethnicity, backgrounds, and even questionable behavior. Matthew 1:17
Matthew’s Account of Jesus’ Birth (Matthew 1:18-25)
After the genealogy of Isa Al Masih, Matthew goes into His birth. We know that Jesus was the son of Mary, and Mary was betrothed to Joseph, meaning they still had not consummated their marriage. At this point, when Joseph learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he did what most men would do; assume that she was an adulteress and continuing with a divorce. However, at that moment, an angel from Allah appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him to take heart because the child Mary was holding came from the Holy Spirit, not by another man. The angel told Joseph that this child will be called Jesus, and He will save His people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21; Romans 7:24-25; Romans 8:1) This was a prophecy fulfilled! “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14. and also in Isaiah 9:6-7.
For the full genealogy and birth story of Isa Al Masih, please see Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 1:1-2:20.
The miracle in His birth was that He was born of a virgin, which is believed by both Christians and Muslims. See Quran 3:45-47; Matthew 1:18-25.
Isa Al Masih did not intend to come to earth with all of His glory, but rather, His life, from birth to death was expressed in the most humble of ways. There was no room for Mary and Joseph except that of a stable, a place where animals were kept. It was that night in Bethlehem, in a stable, that Isa Al Masih was born. For more information on the birth of the Messiah, please refer to the Desire of Ages Chapter 4.
1. He will be born of a virgin (See Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23;Quran 3:47)
2. He will be born in Bethlehem (See Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6)
3. He would be the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (See Isaiah 9:6-7; John 8:58; John 10:30)
4. He would perform signs of healing (See Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 11:46; Luke 7:20-23; Quran 3:49)
5. He would be preceded by John the Baptist (See Isaiah 40:3-5; Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:1-3; Luke 1:76; John 1:22-23)
6. He will be a servant of God, exalted, He will not appear as a King, but as a humble servant who wants to serve. (See Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; John 12:37-38)
7. He will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (See Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:14-15)
8. He will suffer on our behalf, He will be wounded for our sins, He will bear the sins of many, and make intercession for our sins, He will carry our sorrows, and crushed for our iniquities, He will, He will be led to the slaughter like a lamb, by His stripes, we will be healed. He will be put to death. (See Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Daniel 9:26; Hebrews 2:9; Mark 14:24)
This was also a prophecy in the Torah:
Psalm 55:12-14 Indeed, it is not an enemy who insults me, or else I could bear it; it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, or else I could hide from him. But it is you, a man like me, my close friend in whom I confided. We would share personal thoughts with each other; in God’s temple we would walk together among the crowd.
- was virgin-born
- was the son the most exalted woman,
- was sinless
- ascended to heaven to be at the right hand of God
- was to come again
- was the Messiah
- was the Word of God
- possessed the Spirit of God
The reason was given by Jesus himself. He was not an ordinary man born in the normal course of procreation. He taught that he had existed in the heavens before the foundation of the universe and had even witnessed the fall of Satan (Luke 10:18).
He taught that he had come down from heaven (John 6:62), and that he came from the Father into the world and would leave the world and return to the Father (John 16:28).
This is why he had to be born of a virgin woman. He pre-existed his earthly life, had come into the world from heaven and had assumed human form. He had, therefore, a unique beginning to his life, just as it would end in a unique way. He came from heaven and would return there. Jesus himself drew a sharp contrast between himself and all other men when he said to the Jews, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world (John 8:23).
Jesus is different from and superior to all the prophets who went before him. Indeed, he was greater than all other men. The Angel Gabriel gave the answer when he said to Mary:
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High…therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God (Luke 1:32, 35).
Yes, all prophets had some unique features, but in the case of Jesus, we find that his uniqueness is personal to himself. There is no comparison here with any other prophet. All these unique features, spanning the origin of his life, its conclusion and final destiny, are found in him alone. These unique features of Jesus—with one accord—support that Jesus is the Son of God.
To our Muslim friends, we ask you to consider seriously what your own holy book teaches you about Jesus. And further, to consider the implications. If Jesus is indeed the Son of God, in him alone can man be reconciled to God. There is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved (Acts 4:12). The good news is that
God so love the world that he gave his one and only son—that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
To discover more about this Jesus, we encourage you to take the next step and read the Bible for yourself. You might want to start with reading the Book of John first.
Christianity emerged from the ancient Hebrews, who were rigorously monotheistic (and remain so today). Writers of the Old Testament address this, sometimes quoting God directly. The Decalogue begins with the divine statement: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:2, 3). Deuteronomy 6:4 contains the definitive monotheistic statement, initially insisted within a polytheistic world: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
The New Testament continues Old Testament sentiments, such as Paul (1 Cor. 8:4) and James (James 2:19). What then caused these monotheistic Jews and Christians to declare belief in the three-personed Godhead? It was the biblical witness of three divine persons.
God refers to Himself both as “He” and “Us.” In the Old Testament the plural form of one of the nouns for God (’elohim) is quantitative: “Let Us make man in Our image.” The plural appears both with the verb “Let Us make” and the possessive suffix “Our” (Gen. 1:26; 11:7). Isaiah, in vision, hears the Lord: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” (Isa. 6:8).
In Genesis 2:24 man and woman are to become one (’echad), a union of two separate entities. Significantly, the same word is used of God in Deuteronomy 6:4. Marriage and God’s nature are both described as a plural unity.
Three divine persons are often linked together (Isa. 42:1; 61:1, 2; 63:8-11). The angel tells Mary that her child will be called holy because the Holy Spirit will come upon her (Luke 1:35). At the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:16, 17) three divine persons are present. Jesus links His miracles to the Spirit of God’s power (Matt. 12:28). Because of the Great Commission, new disciples are baptized in the singular “name” of the three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19).
Pronounced evidence can be found in the gospel of John. Jesus declares: The Son is sent by the Father (14:24), coming from Him (16:28). The Spirit is given by the Father (14:16), sent from the Father (14:26) and proceeds from the Father (15:26). The Son prays for the coming of the Spirit (14:16); the Father sends the Spirit in the Son’s name (14:26); the Son sends the Spirit from the Father (15:26). The Spirit’s ministry continues the Son’s, bringing to remembrance what the Son has said (14:26), bearing witness to the Son (15:26), declaring what He hears from the Son, glorifying the Son (16:13, 14). Jesus prays that His disciples may be one as He and the Father are One (17:21).
Peter names three divine persons at Pentecost: “Exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He poured out this. . . . Let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ . . . and you shall receive the . . . Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33-38).
Paul often speaks of the triune God, relating salvation to the three Persons of the Trinity (2 Cor. 1:21, 22). The form as well as content of his writing communicates his belief in the book of Romans: God’s judgment upon everyone (1:18–3:20); justification through faith in Christ (3:21–8:1); life in the Spirit (8:2-30). Paul also includes them in his benedictions: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). Similar formulaic expressions appear also in Peter’s and Jude’s epistles (1 Peter 1:1, 2; Jude 20, 21).
Who is this Son to whom the Word of God urges kings and judges of the earth and its people to give loyalty, honor, and glory? Is there a human being worthy that all men will depend on him? Of course, no human deserves to bear this responsibility.
The Tawrat also declares: “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?” (Tawrat, Proverbs 30:4). The Prophet Solomon wrote about the Son of God, who is the Word of God and the wisdom of God, saying:
“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet He had not made the earth or the [e]fields, or the [f]primal dust of the world. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle on the face of the deep, when He established the clouds above, when He strengthened the fountains of the deep, when He assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters would not transgress His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him, rejoicing in His inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men” (Tawrat, Proverbs 8:22-31).
The Tawrat tells us in the book of Isaiah the Prophet about the identity of the living Son of God that dispels any doubt concerning Him: “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us)” (The Tawrat, Isaiah 7:14).
The prophet Isaiah declares by Divine inspiration, saying: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Who is the Son who deserves all this loyalty and honor, as He is entitled to be called a Mighty God and an Eternal Father? Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us) The Word of God, “The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, is the Messenger of God, and His Word that He conveyed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him” (Al-Nisa 4:171) Who descended from heaven born of a virgin and not a created as an exception of all human beings.
The center of the Tawrat is our Master Isa Al-Masih (His peace be upon us). The Tawrat contains more than 300 prophecies about Al-Masih. In the Tawrat you will find precise details about each aspect of His birth, His life, His service, His wonders (miracles), the Jews refusing Him, His trial, his abuse at the hands of the Roman soldiers, His crucifixion, His death, His burial, the duration of His stay in the grave, His glorious resurrection and His ascension to heaven. All these prophecies were completed precisely. Here I will mention one of these prophecies:
“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked— but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Tawrat, Isaiah 53:1-12).
So, after all this, do you still doubt this glorious doctrine?
