A Muslim cannot be a Muslim if he or she does not believe in Jesus. Muslims believe in Jesus and in all of Allah’s prophets. It is a basic element of their faith to believe in all of His prophets and messengers. Muslims respect and revere Jesus and await his second coming. According to the Qur’an, he was not crucified but was raised into Heaven. Muslims consider Jesus among the prominent messengers of Allah – but not God or the son of God. Jesus’ mother, Mary is considered a virtuous and noble woman, and the Qur’an tells us that Jesus was born miraculously without a father:
Indeed, the example of Jesus with Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust, and then He said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was.(Quran 3:59)
Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that Islam considers, Jesus, the son of Mary, to be one of the greatest messengers of Allah. Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and in the miracles of Jesus Christ. Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible, but because the Qur’an says these things about him. However, Muslims always emphasize that the miracles of Jesus, and of all other prophets, were only possible by “Allah’s permission” and His will.
Muslims reject the idea that Allah has a son. The Qur’an stresses emphatically that God does not have a “son”. Islam teaches that titles such as “Lord” and “Savior” are for Allah alone.
It should be clarified that when Muslims criticize some of the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking Jesus Christ. Christian doctrines such as the “Trinity” and “Atonement” are criticized by Muslims simply because they did not originate from Jesus. And when they evaluate the Bible they are not referring to “God’s word”, but to writings that are claimed to be God’s word. Muslims believe that the book known today as “The Bible” only contains remnants of God’s original messages, and that it has been tainted by human input and altered through numerous translations. Muslims believe the original Gospel was the words and teachings of Jesus, not those of the ‘disciples’, Paul or other church fathers who strongly influenced Christianity throughout history. Islam actually endorses Jesus when it insists on the pure monotheism that Jesus himself preached and followed.