In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
Jesus Christ (peace be upon him): A Shining Jewel in the Sky of Prophets

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

As we commemorate the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) and approach the New Year of 2025, this week’s article is dedicated to this significant occasion, reflecting on “The Blessed Life of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) from the Perspective of the Quran.”

Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is one of the greatest prophets of God and a distinguished manifestation of divine mission and guardianship as depicted in the Quran. In the Islamic perspective, he is referred to as the “Word of God” and the “Holy Spirit of God,” born miraculously and playing a pivotal and unique role in the history of guiding humanity, both in the past and the future.

The Quran, as the final heavenly book, extensively elaborates on the character, status, and role of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). It calls upon Muslims, while affirming the Prophet of Islam, to hold firm faith in the previous prophets, particularly Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), and to acknowledge him as one of the resolute and steadfast messengers of God.

The Distinctive Characteristics of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him)

The Quran introduces Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) in a manner that clearly highlights how his life, in various aspects, is distinct from that of other great prophets. His miraculous birth from a holy and chaste mother, his extraordinary speech as an infant, his unparalleled miracles such as raising the dead and healing the sick, and his fearless confrontation of oppressors are all examples of his unique traits.

Some of the distinctive features of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), as derived from the verses revealed about this great prophet, are as follows:

• The Miraculous Birth

The Quran mentions multiple times the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) without a father, signifying the power and mercy of Allah.

«إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِّنْهُ»

Indeed, the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He directed to Mary, and a soul [created at a command] from Him.”

(Surah An-Nisa, 4:171)

«إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ آدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ»

Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, ‘Be,’ and he was.” (Surah Aal-E-Imran, 3:59)

This verse clarifies that Jesus’ birth without a father does not imply divinity, but rather is a testament to Allah’s creative power, just as Adam was created without parents.

• The Word of Allah

The Quran refers to Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as “The Word of Allah,” highlighting his elevated status and direct connection with Allah.

«إِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ يَا مَرْيَمُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ»  

[And mention] when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary.’ (Surah Aal-E-Imran, 3:45)

• “Possessor of Unparalleled Miracles”

The Quran attributes numerous miracles to Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), including speaking as an infant, raising the dead, and curing incurable diseases. These are highlighted in Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5:110:

« إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَتِكَ إِذْ أَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا، وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ وَ إِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي وَتُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِي وَإِذْ تُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ بِإِذْنِي»

[The Day] when Allah will say, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favour upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit so you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and [remember] when I taught you writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you designed from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead with My permission.’

The Duty of Muslims Regarding Jesus Christ (peace be upon him)

In the Quran, Allah the Almighty has elevated the status of His great prophets to the highest levels of sanctity, presenting them as the most devout and sincere servants of His. Muslims are commanded to affirm the truth of all prophets and to believe in them without exception. The Quran also praises those who believe in all prophets in various ways.

In Surah An-Nisa, 4:136, Allah says:

«یَا أَیُّهَا الَّذِینَ آمَنُوا آمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَ رَسُولِهِ وَ الْكِتَابِ الَّذِی نَزَّلَ عَلَی رَسُولِهِ و َالْكِتَابِ الَّذِی أَنْزَلَ مِنْ قَبْلُ… »

O you who have believed, believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Book that He sent down upon His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent down before.…

According to this verse, every believer is obligated to accept the entirety of this collective divine message. Thus, those who do not believe in all prophets and heavenly scriptures are, in fact, deficient in their faith. The Quran portrays divine laws as an interconnected and continuous flow of guidance:

«شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّینِ مَا وَصَّی بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِی أَوْحَیْنَا إِلَیْكَ وَمَا وَصَّیْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِیمَ وَ مُوسَی وَ عِیسَی أَنْ أَقِیمُوا الدِّینَ وَلا تَتَفَرَّقُوا فِیهِ»

He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus – to establish the religion and not be divided therein. (Surah Ash-Shura, 42:13)

This verse underscores the unity of the messages of all prophets. It affirms that there is no contradiction between the books and teachings of the prophets; rather, they all represent a singular, cohesive path that calls to the same fundamental truths.

The Quran explicitly prohibits distinguishing between prophets in terms of belief, declaring that disbelief in any of the prophets or heavenly scriptures constitutes an act of disbelief (kufr) for which severe punishment is decreed. Conversely, it promises reward to those who affirm faith in all prophets and divine books.

Allah says in Surah An-Nisa, 4:150-151:

« إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَیُرِیدُونَ أَنْ یُفَرِّقُوا بَیْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَیَقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ وَیُرِیدُونَ أَنْ  یَتَّخِذُوا بَیْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِیلاً، أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ حَقًّا وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِینَ عَذَابًا مُهِینًا»

Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His messengers and say, ‘We believe in some and disbelieve in others,’ and wish to adopt a way in between – those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.

The respect Muslims hold for previous prophets, including Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), is rooted in the way Allah has described them in the Quran. These prophets are presented as the finest role models and paragons of virtue, whom believers are encouraged to emulate.

In Surah Al-An’am (6:84-87), Allah mentions several prophets, including Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), referring to them as “the doers of good” (Al-Muhsineen) and “the righteous” (As-Saliheen):

The Role of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) in the End Times

According to the Quran and Islamic traditions, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) plays a significant role in the events of the end times. Islamic narrations describe his return to Earth as a supporter of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance). Jesus will assist Imam Mahdi in confronting oppressors and establishing justice across the world.

The Quran subtly alludes to this pivotal role in Surah An-Nisa, 4:159, portraying Jesus as a prophet to whom all the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) will eventually believe before his death:

«وَ إِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْکِتابِ إِلاَّ لَیُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ‏ مَوْتِهِ‏ وَ یَوْمَ الْقِیامَةِ یَکُونُ عَلَیْهِمْ شَهیداً

“And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him [Jesus] before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them.”

This verse clearly does not refer to belief during Jesus’ first mission 2,000 years ago, as many of the People of the Book (especially the Jews) rejected him at that time. Instead, it points to a future period when Jesus will return, and universal belief in him will occur.

The Quran unequivocally states that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified, but instead, it was made to appear so:

«وَ ما قَتَلُوهُ وَ ما صَلَبُوهُ وَ لکِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَ إِنَّ الَّذینَ اخْتَلَفُوا فیهِ لَفی‏ شَکٍّ مِنْهُ ما لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلاَّ اتِّباعَ الظَّنِّ وَ ما قَتَلُوهُ یَقینا»

 “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.” (Surah An-Nisa, 4:157)

This verse affirms that Jesus was saved by Allah and remains alive, awaiting his return in the end times.

Based on these two Quranic verses, it becomes clear that after the descent of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) from the heavens-during the time of the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance)-all the People of the Book who had not yet believed in him will come to believe in him.

Furthermore, Christians will abandon their belief in his divinity and instead accept him as a prophet.

This belief highlights the significant and unique role of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) in the culmination of history.