In Islam, Jesus (Arabic: عيسى بن مريم‎, romanized: ʿĪsā ibn Maryam, lit. 'Jesus, son of Mary'), referred to by the Arabic rendering of his name Isa, is believed to be the penultimate prophet and messenger of God (Allāh) and the messiah. He was the last of the messengers sent to the Israelites (Banī Isra'īl), and carried a revelation called the Injīl (Evangel or Gospel). In the Quran, Jesus is described as the Messiah (Arabic: المسيح, romanized: al-Masīḥ), born of a virgin, performing miracles, accompanied by his disciples, and rejected by the Jewish establishment; in contrast to the traditional Christian narrative, however, he is stated neither to have been crucified, nor executed, nor to have been resurrected. Rather, it is stated that it appeared to the Jews as if they had executed him and that they therefore say they killed Jesus, who had in truth ascended into Heaven. The Quran places Jesus among the greatest prophets and mentions him with various titles. The prophethood of Jesus is preceded by that of Yaḥyā ibn Zakariyyā (John the Baptist) and succeeded by Muhammad, the latter coming of whom Jesus is reported in the Quran to have foretold under the name Ahmad.

Most Christians view Jesus as God incarnate, the Son of God in human flesh, but the Quran denies the "divinity" of Jesus and his status as Son of God in several verses, and also says that Jesus did not claim to be personally God nor the Son of God. Islam teaches that Jesus' original message was altered (taḥrīf) after his disciples claimed he had been risen from the dead. The monotheism (tawḥīd) of Jesus is emphasized in the Quran. Like all prophets in Islam, Jesus is also called a Muslim (lit. 'submitter [to God]'), as he preached that his followers should adopt the 'straight path' (Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm). Jesus is attributed with a vast number of miracles in Islamic tradition.

In their views of Islamic eschatology, most accounts state that Jesus will return in the Second Coming to kill the Al-Masih ad-Dajjal ('The False Messiah'), after which the ancient tribe of Gog and Magog (Yaʾjūj Maʾjūj) will disperse. After God eliminates them, Jesus will assume rulership of the world, establish peace and justice, and die a natural death, being buried alongside Muhammad in the fourth reserved tomb of the Green Dome in Medina.

The place[1] where Jesus is believed to return, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, is highly esteemed by Muslims as the fourth holiest site of Islam. Jesus is widely venerated in Sufism, with numerous ascetic and mystic literature written and recited about him where he is often portrayed as the paragon of asceticism, divine love, and inner purity.[2][3]

Quran

Jesus is referred to in the Quran throughout 15 surahs.[4] The Quran emphasizes Jesus as a prophet, unique in creation, born out of a virgin, and messenger from God.[5] He is usually referred to as Īsā ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary), al-Masih ibn Maryam (The Christ son of Mary), al-Masīḥ – and a few times in 23:50 and 43:57 as Ibn Maryam (Son of Mary).[4][6] Jesus is described as God's word (kalima), which appears to be the equivalent of the Greek logos, imparted to Mary and to be his spirit.[6] Yet, the Quran rejects the identification of Jesus as God (Surah 5:73, 116) in order to protect God's absolute unity (tawhid).[6] Jesus is understood to have preached salvation through submission to God's will and worshipping God alone. Quran 5:116 states that Jesus will ultimately deny claiming divinity.[7] Thus, he is considered to have been a Muslim by the religious definition of the term (i.e., one who submits to God's will).[8][9]

Birth

Islam's account of Jesus begins with a prologue narrated several times in the Quran which first describes the birth of his mother, Mary, and her service in the Jerusalem temple while under the care of the prophet Zechariah, who would become the father of Yahya (John the Baptist). The Quran's birth narrative of Jesus begins at Quran 19:16-34 and 3:45-53.[10] This birth narrative has been recounted with certain variations and detailed additions by Islamic historians over the centuries. In the matter of the virgin birth of Jesus, while Islamic theology affirms Mary as a pure vessel, it does not follow the concept of Immaculate Conception as related to Mary's birth in some Christian traditions.[11][12][13]

Annunciation

The Annunciation, from The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries, copied in 1307

Islamic exegesis affirms the virginal birth of Jesus – similarly to the Gospel account and occurring in Bethlehem.[14] The narrative of the virgin birth opens with an announcement to Mary by the angel Gabriel while Mary is being raised in the Temple after having been pledged to God by her mother. Gabriel states she is honored over all women of all nations and has brought her glad tidings of a pure son.[15]

Gabriel declares the son is to be named Jesus, the Messiah, proclaiming he will be called a great prophet. Mary, asking how she could conceive and have a child when no man had touched her, was answered by the angel that God can decree what he wills, and that it shall come to pass.[16]

The narrative from the Quran continues with Mary, overcome by the pains of childbirth, being provided with a stream of water under her feet from which she could drink, and with a palm tree which she could shake so ripe dates would fall and she be enjoyed. After giving birth, Mary carries the baby Jesus back to the temple and is asked by the temple elders about the child. Having been commanded by Gabriel to a vow of silence, she points to the infant Jesus and the infant proclaims:

Jesus speaking from the cradle is one of six miracles attributed to him in the Quran, an account which is also found in the Syriac Infancy Gospel, a sixth-century work.[18][19] Referencing this tradition, an alcove-structure in the south-eastern corner of the Masjid Aqsa complex, is believed by some to be the cradle where Jesus was placed on his 40-day presentation.[20] According to various hadiths, Jesus and Mary did not cry at birth.[21]