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What Muslims exactly believe about Jesus: his miraculous birth, his mission, his miracles, his raising and his return. Summary and access to the complete narrative.
Muslims believe in Jesus (Issa, peace be upon him) as one of the greatest prophets: born of the virgin Mary by Allah's will (Quran 3:47), Messiah sent to the children of Israel, performing miracles by Allah's permission (Quran 3:49), raised alive to Allah (Quran 4:158) and to return at the end of time (reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim). He is neither God nor son of God in Islam, but the eminent servant of Allah that he declares himself to be (Quran 19:30).
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Updated on 17 October 2026 at 9:55 PM
📖 3 min readThe Quran tells Issa's birth in detail. Mary, a pious woman, receives the angels' announcement: "[Remember] when the angels said, “O Mary, Allah gives you glad tidings of a Word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; honorable in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those near [to Allah]." (Quran 3:45). She conceives without a man: "She said: “My Lord, how can I have a child when no man has ever touched me?” He said, “Thus Allah creates what He wills. When He decrees something, He only says to it ‘Be’, and it is." (Quran 3:47).
Delivering alone, pressed by reproaches, she points to her child who speaks from the cradle: "Jesus said, “I am a slave of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet." (Quran 19:30). The surah of Mary (19) and the surah of the Family of Imran (3) carry this narrative, among the best known of the Quran.
Issa (peace be upon him) is sent to the children of Israel with the Gospel: "And in their footsteps We sent Jesus, son of Mary, confirming the Torah that came before him, and We gave him the Gospel that contained guidance and light, confirming what came before it in the Torah; and guidance and admonition for the righteous." (Quran 5:46).
His miracles are many: healing the man born blind and the leper, raising the dead, telling what people conceal, animating a bird of clay, "by My permission", the Quran repeats (Quran 3:49): the miracle comes from Allah, never from the messenger himself. According to the Quran, Issa also announced his successor: "And [remember] when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O Children of Israel, I am truly a messenger of Allah to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving glad tidings of a messenger after me whose name will be Ahmad.” But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, “This is clear magic.”" (Quran 61:6).
The Quran denies the crucifixion: "they did not kill him or crucify him, but it appeared so to them... Allah raised him up to Him" (Quran 4:157-158). Issa is alive with Allah, and the hadiths reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim announce his return before the end of time: he will descend, establish justice and die after living like other men.
The page why does the Quran say Jesus was not crucified? examines this major historical divergence with Christianity.
Issa holds titles Islam honours all: prophet (nabi), messenger (rasoul), Messiah (al-Masih), "His word which He projected into Mary" and "a spirit from Him" (Quran 4:171). None of these titles makes him a God: the first word he speaks in the Quran is "I am the servant of Allah" (Quran 19:30), and that is the criterion by which the Muslim loves him. Believing that Issa is the servant of Allah and His messenger is part of the conditions of faith (al-Bukhari 3435).
This page is a summary. The complete narrative, sourced verse by verse, is read here: the narrative of Issa ibn Maryam. For the comparison with Christian doctrine, see is Jesus God? and why does Islam reject the Trinity?
Yes. Issa (peace be upon him) is the Quranic name of Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary. Islam and Christianity speak of the same historical person, with different doctrines about his nature.
No, Issa's birth has no dedicated feast in Islam. That takes nothing from the honour the Quran renders to his miraculous birth, told in detail in the surah of Mary.
Yes, according to the hadiths reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim: he will descend at the end of time, establish justice and follow the law of Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) (peace upon them all). His return is part of the Muslim belief in the end times.