Two Jesuses: The Qur’anic Isa vs. the Biblical Jesus – 

A Case of Identity Theft?

“Who do you say that I am?”
— Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 16:15)

Two global religions claim him. Both revere his mother. Both call him Messiah. Yet the portraits they paint could not be more different. The Jesus of Islam — known as ʿĪsā ibn Maryam — is not a crucified Savior, not the Son of God, and not the founder of Christianity. He is a Muslim prophet, preaching monotheism and predicting Muhammad.

But is this the historical Jesus? Or is Islam’s Isa a rebranded version of a figure it could neither accept nor ignore?

In this post, we compare the Biblical Jesus and the Islamic Jesus directly — not through theology, but through text, evidence, and logic.

I. Identity and Origin

ElementBiblical JesusIslamic Jesus (ʿĪsā)
NameJesus (Yeshua, "God saves")ʿĪsā (Arabicized form; lacks Hebrew etymology)
MotherVirgin MaryVirgin Mary (Maryam)
LineageDavidic, through legal father Joseph (Matt 1:1–16; Luke 3:23–38)No paternal genealogy — son of Mary only
Time1st-century PalestineSame era, but details are vague or anachronistic
IdentitySon of God, Messiah, Lord, SaviorProphet, Messiah, Servant of Allah

Analysis:
The Biblical Jesus emerges from Jewish Messianic expectations, with deep roots in Hebrew prophecy and genealogy. The Qur’anic Jesus appears cut off from Jewish history, lacking lineage, theology, or textual continuity.

II. Mission and Message

ElementBiblical JesusIslamic Jesus
Primary MessageThe Kingdom of God through repentance, grace, and personal faith in HimMonotheism (tawḥīd), obedience to Allah, prophecy of Muhammad
Claims about Self“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), forgives sins, accepts worshipDenies divinity (Q. 5:116), says he is only a messenger (Q. 5:75)
DiscipleshipCalls disciples to follow him personallyHas ḥawāriyyūn, but Qur’an gives no moral teachings or sermons
TeachingsRich moral and theological instruction (parables, sermons)No preserved teachings in Qur’an — only statements of identity and miracles
SalvationThrough his death and resurrectionThrough obedience to Allah and sharia, not Jesus

Analysis:
The Jesus of the Gospels teaches a relational faith centered on himself. Islam’s Isa preaches submission to external law, with no personal salvific role. Islam removes the theological heart of Jesus’ message and replaces it with generic monotheism.

III. Death and Resurrection

ElementBiblical JesusIslamic Jesus
DeathCrucified under Pontius Pilate (attested by Christian, Jewish, Roman sources)Was not crucified; someone else was substituted (Q. 4:157)
ResurrectionBodily resurrection on the third day; seen by many witnessesNo resurrection — was raised bodily to heaven before crucifixion
Purpose of DeathAtonement for sins of humanity (Mark 10:45; Romans 5:8)No atonement; Allah does not need sacrifices
Post-Resurrection AppearancesNumerous witnesses, 40 days of teaching (Acts 1:3)None
AscensionAscends after resurrectionAscended before crucifixion event

Analysis:
The crucifixion and resurrection are central pillars of the historical and theological Jesus. Islam denies both — effectively gutting Jesus’ identity and replacing it with a fictional alternative, unsupported by history.

IV. Titles and Nature

TitleBiblical MeaningIslamic Reinterpretation
Son of GodDivine Sonship, second person of the TrinityDenied completely as blasphemy (Q. 112:3, Q. 5:72)
Messiah (al-Masīḥ)Anointed Savior, King of Israel, Son of DavidVague honorific; not associated with kingship or atonement
Word of God“In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God” (John 1:1)A created word by which he was formed (Q. 3:45), not divine
Spirit from GodDivine nature (John 3:34, 1 Cor 15:45)Not divinity — just a created spirit “from Him” (Q. 4:171)

Analysis:
Islam borrows the titles of Jesus from Christian tradition, but empties them of their original meaning. This is not preservation — it is rebranding without substance.

V. Future Role

ElementBiblical JesusIslamic Jesus
Future ReturnReturns as judge, King of kings (Rev 19–20), to establish eternal kingdomReturns to kill the Dajjāl, destroy the cross, abolish Christianity, and establish Islam (hadith)
Judgment RoleFinal judge of all humanity (John 5:22; Matt 25:31–46)Participates in judgment, but Allah is ultimate judge
EstablishesNew Heaven and EarthGlobal Islamic rule (hadith-based, not in Qur’an)

Analysis:
The Biblical Jesus returns to fulfill his identity as Savior and King. The Islamic Isa returns to affirm Islam and refute Christianity — a later polemic development, not rooted in 1st-century belief.

VI. Theological Trajectory

The Biblical Jesus:

  • Begins in Jewish prophecy

  • Is grounded in historical 1st-century Palestine

  • Lives, teaches, dies, and rises as a public figure

  • Founds Christianity

  • His followers preserve his words in manuscripts, liturgy, theology, and martyrdom

The Islamic Jesus:

  • Appears 600 years later with no historical trail

  • Does not found a religion or leave followers

  • Denies the core of his Biblical mission

  • Exists only in the text of the Qur’an, which gives no eyewitness source

  • Is reshaped to fit Muhammad’s theological needs, not history

Conclusion: Which Jesus Aligns with History?

All early sources — Christian, Jewish, Roman — affirm:

  • Jesus was crucified

  • He had followers who believed he rose from the dead

  • His teachings inspired a rapidly spreading movement

Islam denies all of these — and yet offers no verifiable alternative. No Injīl, no sayings, no disciples, no movement between the 1st and 7th centuries.

The Islamic Isa is a retroactive construction:

  • Derived from apocryphal gospels

  • Recast in Islamic theology

  • Disconnected from the 1st-century Jewish world

  • Used to validate Muhammad, not to preserve Jesus

This is not preservation of the real Jesus. It is identity theft.

Think I’ve Misrepresented Islam or Christianity?

This comparison is based on direct texts from the Bible and the Qur’an, along with historical sources. If you believe I’ve mischaracterized any point, I invite you to respond with:

  • The specific source (Qur’an, tafsir, Gospel, etc.)

  • The passage in question

  • A reasoned explanation

Let the evidence speak.

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