Why do Muslims not believe Jesus is God?

Why This Question Matters

For Christians who believe in the divinity of Jesus, Islam’s position can initially sound like a rejection of his importance. It is actually a distinction between honoring a Messenger of Allah and giving a created messenger the worship that belongs only to the Creator.

Islamic Perspective

Jesus himself is presented in the Qur’an as calling people to worship Allah, saying that Allah is his Lord and their Lord. The Qur’an explicitly rejects saying that Allah is the Messiah and identifies Jesus instead as a Messenger. His miracles do not make him divine because the Qur’an repeatedly states that he performed them by Allah’s permission. His fatherless birth also does not establish divinity: Allah compares the creation of Jesus to Adam, who had neither father nor mother but was created by Allah’s command. The Qur’an calls Jesus Allah’s Word directed to Mary and a spirit from Him, but the same verse explicitly identifies Jesus as a Messenger, commands people not to say 'Three,' and declares that Allah is One. Islam therefore gives Jesus the honored status Allah gave him without raising him to the status of the Creator.

Key Points

• Jesus called people to worship Allah, not himself.
• Jesus described Allah as his Lord.
• The Qur’an explicitly identifies Jesus as a Messenger of Allah.
• His miracles occurred by Allah’s permission.
• A miraculous birth does not make a created person divine.
• Adam was created without either a father or mother, yet was not divine.
• Calling Jesus Allah’s Word does not mean that Jesus is Allah.
• Worship belongs to Allah alone.

Supporting Evidence

• Qur’an 3:49–51 records Jesus performing miracles by Allah’s permission and saying that Allah is his Lord and the Lord of his people, so they should worship Him.
• Qur’an 5:72 states that Jesus called the Children of Israel to worship Allah, his Lord and their Lord.
• Qur’an 5:75 identifies Jesus as a Messenger and points to his human dependence by stating that he and his mother ate food.
• Qur’an 3:59 compares Jesus’s fatherless creation with Adam, whom Allah created without either father or mother.
• Qur’an 4:171 calls Jesus a Messenger of Allah and His Word directed to Mary, then explicitly commands people not to say 'Three' and declares that Allah is One.

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