Is Jesus a Muslim?

In an attempt to persuade a Christian, Muslims claim that 'Jesus is a Muslim'. The term "Muslim" in the Qu'ran refers to anyone who surrenders to God, and the Qu'ran portrays all prophets, including Jesus, as being in this state of submission to God. A key verse that reflects this concept is:

"But when Jesus felt [persistence in] disbelief from them, he said, 'Who are my supporters for [the cause of] Allah?' The disciples said,' We are supporters for Allah. We have believed in Allah and testify that we are Muslims (submitters).'" [Qu'ran 3:52]

"And when I inspired to the disciples, 'Believe in Me and in My messenger [i.e., Jesus],' they said, 'We have believed, so bear witness that indeed we are Muslims [in submission to Allah].'" [Qu'ran 5:111]

In this Qur'anic verse, Jesus' disciples declare themselves as Muslims, meaning they are submitters to the will of Allah. This declaration implies that Jesus, their leader and teacher, also identified with this submission. "As will be evident, when referring to Jesus as a Muslim, it means He is portrayed as submitting to the specific concept of God in the Qur'an, known as Allah."

It is worth noting that there is no verse in the Qur'an where Jesus (Isa) explicitly states that He is a Muslim.

Who did Jesus SUbmit (pray) to?

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.[Mat 26:39] 

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.[Mar 14:36 ]

Jesus calls God Abba, Father in His prayer. In Aramaic-speaking cultures, "Abba" was commonly used to address one’s father in a familial and respectful manner. This term reflects a deep bond and respect between a child and a father.

In Islam, can you refer to Allah as a Father, or "Abba," in any sense? Doing so would be considered highly inappropriate and nearly blasphemous in Islamic tradition. The concept of Allah as a father figure is not aligned with Islamic teachings and is generally avoided.

There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) as a slave. [Qu'ran 19:93]

The Qu'ran categorically rejects any notion of Allah being a "father" in any sense—biological, spiritual, or metaphorical. The Islamic understanding of Allah is that of an absolute, transcendent, and unique deity who has no partners, no offspring, and no familial relationships. The relationship between Allah and His creation is one of Creator and created, where Allah is worshiped, obeyed, and revered as the one true God without any human-like attributes or relationships. ( ref: Qu'ran 2:116, 4:171, 18:4-5, 19:88-23, 12:3)

Whereas Jesus said 'Why do you say of Him Whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God?' (John 10:36)

How did Jesus pray?

When you ask a Muslim, how did Jesus submit His will to God, they will turn to the Bible (which they accuse of being corrupted) and quote the following passage from Gospel in an attempt to prove that Jesus is a Muslim. Let us examine the verses below.

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.[Mat 26:39]

And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed. [Luk 22:41]

We are told that Jesus assumed the prayer posture like a Muslim and He prayed and submitted His will to God. It is worth noting that the scripture above states he 'fell on his face', which indicated a flat prostration on earth, in which case it is not the same position Muslims do. Even if you grant, that this may be a similar position (sujood or kneeling) that Muslims pray in - we cannot make an exclusive case because Hindus, Buddhists, and other religions also assume this position in prayer.

Jesus did not always pray this way, the New Testament records at least four distinct postures in which Jesus prayed, which refutes Islamic exclusivity.

1. Standing (John 11:41-42)

2. Kneeling (Luke 22:41)

3. Falling on His Face (Matthew 26:39)

4. Looking Up to Heaven (Mark 7:34; John 17:1)

Why would Jesus fling himself onto the ground in a flat prostration?

Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.[Mat 26:38]

And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.[Luk 22:44]

Jesus experienced an intense inner conflict, a temptation that cannot be paralleled and the verse above declares his 'soul was exceeding sorrowful - even unto death'. In His human nature, Jesus was so overwhelmed by the task at hand—bearing the sin of the world unto death on a cross—that His sweat turned into drops of blood. This condition, where the blood vessels around sweat glands rupture, causing blood to mix with sweat can occur under extreme stress or anguish - aligns with Jesus' intense emotional and physical suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. This is a rare medical condition known as hematohidrosis.

Given the condition Jesus was in, it would only make sense for him to cast himself on the mercy of God, it is also possible he just broke down and laid flat before God to receive help.

We can agree that a particular prayer position is not indicative of someone's religion, but rather their belief system and the God that they address in prayer. When the claim is made that Jesus submitted His will to God in prayer, we need to clarify a few points.

If someone assumes a Sujood (Islamic) position and prays to their God i.e., A jew praying to Jehovah, a Hindu praying to one of his gods, a Buddhist praying to whoever it is; would this mean they are Muslims? You could hear an emphatic NO from Muslims. So the criterion is to pray to Allah, but Jesus prayed to a God who identified Himself as His Father.

There are at least three distinct occasions when God spoke from heaven and affirmed that Jesus is His Beloved Son.

During Jesus' baptism

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.[Matthew 3:17]

On the mount where Jesus transfigured into a pure Light being

Mar 9:7  And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. [Mark 9:7]

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus agonizingly cried unto His Father and got a response

Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. [John 12:28]

It must be clear that the God and Father of Jesus cannot be Allah.

What did Jesus pray?

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.[Mat 26:39] 

Jesus prayed to His Father and asked 'this cup' to be taken away. The "cup" that Jesus refers to in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he prays, "Let this cup pass from me" (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42), is a powerful symbol with deep roots in Old Testament imagery.

In the context of Old Testament prophecies, the "cup" often symbolizes suffering, judgment, and divine wrath. This imagery is prevalent in several passages:

"In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs." Here, the cup represents divine judgment and the suffering that accompanies it. [Psalm 75:8]

"Awake, awake! Rise up, Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the Lord the cup of his wrath, you who have drained to its dregs the goblet that makes people stagger." This verse depicts the cup as a metaphor for God's wrath and the suffering that Jerusalem has endured. [Isaiah 51:17]

"This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: 'Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it.'" Again, the cup represents divine anger and judgment.[Jeremiah 25:15]

When Jesus speaks of the cup in Gethsemane, he is alluding to the suffering and impending crucifixion that he is about to endure for humanity. Jesus' plea reflects his human apprehension and anguish about the suffering he is about to face, which includes bearing the weight of humanity’s sin and experiencing their separation from God. His request for the cup to pass from him indicates his deep distress, yet he ultimately submits to the will of the Father, signifying his willingness to endure the suffering for the sake of fulfilling his mission of redemption.

Here, we must not mistake that this is a cup prepared by God for Jesus, but rather that cup which all mankind was due, Jesus was going to drink of it in our place. Hebrews 2:14-15 enunciates this when it says 'Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He likewise shared in their humanity, so that through death he could destroy the one who holds the power of death (that is, the devil), and set free those who were held in slavery all their lives by their fear of death.'

What is the will of God?

And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.[Mat 26:39] 

Jesus submits to God's will. But what is the will of God he is referring to? You can find it by scrolling up a few verses.

Just a few verses earlier Jesus declared His death and subsequent resurrection.

And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again. [Matthew 20:19]

Just a few chapters before Jesus declared the reason this would happen.

Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. [Matthew 20:28]

In this book of Matthew, Jesus foretold His death and resurrection many times:

From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. [Matthew 16:21]

And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: [Matthew 17:22]

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, [Matthew 20:18]

Mat_26:2  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. [Matthew 26:2]

Again, what is the will of God as defined by Jesus?

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. [John 6:40]

And how is this will of God i.e., giving of everlasting life to be accomplished? How will they see the son that they may believe on Him? When He is lifted high on the cross!

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [John 3:13-16]

Dear Muslim, are you sure you want to appeal to these passages to claim Jesus is a Muslim? Are you sure Jesus submitted to Allah, who is a father to no one? Did Allah send Jesus to die for the sins of the world and rise again to give everlasting life?

Moreover, here in the same chapter, that same night before Jesus went out and prayed to His Father about the cup he was going to drink, He declared that He was going to die for the forgiveness of sins and rise again?

Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. [Matthew 26:31-32]

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. [Matthew 26:26-29]

You cannot know Allah's forgiveness until the day of judgement, but there is forgiveness through the blood of Jesus NOW. As a Muslim, you do not have a valid reason to object to Jesus' substitutionary death because your scriptures validate substitution for forgiveness of sins.

I desire that thou shouldest be laden with my sin and thy sin, and so become an inhabitant of the Fire; that is the recompense of the evildoers. Qu'ran 5:29, Arberry

Abu Musa' reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:

When it will be the Day of Resurrection Allah would deliver to every Muslim a Jew or a Christian and say: That is your rescue from Hell-Fire. Muslim:2767a

Abu Burda reported on the authority of his father that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) said:

No Muslim would die but Allah would admit in his stead a Jew or a Christian in Hell-Fire. 'Umar b. Abd al-'Aziz took an oath: By One besides Whom there is no god but He, thrice that his father had narrated that to him from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Muslim:2767b

Abu Burda reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

There would come people amongst the Muslims on the Day of Resurrection with as heavy sins as a mountain, and Allah would forgive them and He would place in their stead the Jews and the Christians. (As far as I think), Abu Raub said: I do not know as to who is in doubt. Abu Burda said: I narrated it to 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz, whereupon he said: Was it your father who narrated it to you from Allah's Apostle (ﷺ)? I said: Yes. Muslim:2767d

A man (being a sinner), cannot bear another man's sin, only God can do it, which Jesus did. May the Lord Jesus visit you and grant you deliverance and eternal life. Amen!