Prophet ʿĪsā ibn Maryam: A British Muslim Guide to the Miraculous Prophet (UK 2026)

The miraculous prophet whom Christians and Muslims both honour

Prophet ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (Jesus, peace be upon him) is one of the most distinctive figures in the Quran and one of the most consequential prophets in human history. He is named twenty-five times by name in the Quran and referred to as the Messiah (al-Masīḥ) eleven times. He is the only prophet other than Adam who was created without a father. He performed miracles unique to him among all the prophets. And he is the prophet whose return at the end of time the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explicitly told us to await.

For British Muslim families with Christian relatives, friends and neighbours, his story is also one of the most useful bridges between the two communities — provided it is taught accurately, including the points where the Islamic and Christian accounts diverge.

His birth — the miracle without a father

The Quran's account of ʿĪsā's birth is direct and detailed. His mother Maryam (RA) was visited by the angel Jibrīl, who told her she would bear a pure son. She protested that no man had touched her. Jibrīl replied that this was easy for Allah, who creates by His command alone (Surah Maryam 19:21). The Quran is unambiguous that ʿĪsā was conceived without a father, by the direct decree of Allah. Surah Al ʿImrān 3:59 frames the miracle:

﴾إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَىٰ عِندَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ آدَمَ ۖ خَلَقَهُ مِن تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُن فَيَكُونُ﴿
"Indeed, the example of ʿĪsā to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, 'Be,' and he was."

The virgin birth is therefore affirmed by Islam — but framed as no greater wonder than the original creation of Adam, both being decrees of kun fa-yakun. The Quran rejects the deeper Christian conclusion that the virgin birth indicates divinity. Adam was also created without a father; nobody claims Adam was God.

Speaking from the cradle

When Maryam returned to her people with the newborn ʿĪsā, they accused her of unchastity. By Allah's command she remained silent and pointed to the infant. The Quran preserves what happened next:

﴾قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا ۝ وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ﴿
"He said, 'Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I am.'"

(Quran 19:30–31)

Notice the very first words the infant ʿĪsā spoke: "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah." Not the son of God; not God incarnate; the servant of Allah. The Islamic position on his nature is established in his own first recorded words.

His miracles

The Quran lists miracles unique to ʿĪsā among the prophets:

• Healing the blind from birth — restoring sight to those who had never seen.
• Healing leprosy — cleansing the leprous by Allah's permission.
• Raising the dead — bringing the dead back to life by Allah's permission.
• Forming birds from clay — creating the form of a bird from clay, breathing into it, and watching it fly by Allah's permission.
• Knowing the unseen — telling people what they had eaten and stored in their houses.

The Quran is precise about a critical phrase repeated with each miracle: "by Allah's permission" (Surah Al ʿImrān 3:49, Surah Al-Māʾidah 5:110). The miracles were not ʿĪsā's own power; they were Allah's power working through him. This distinction is the entire difference between the Islamic and the orthodox Christian understanding of his nature.

His message and his disciples

ʿĪsā ﷺ was sent to the Children of Israel to confirm the Torah of Mūsā ﷺ and to bring the Injīl — the original gospel revelation. He gathered around him the disciples (al-Ḥawāriyyūn), of whom the Quran speaks with honour (Surah Aṣ-Ṣaff 61:14). His message was the same as every prophet's: monotheism, righteous conduct, preparation for the Day of Judgment.

The Quran preserves a remarkable detail: ʿĪsā prophesied the coming of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by name. "And [mention] when ʿĪsā the son of Maryam said, 'O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Aḥmad'" (Quran 61:6).

The crucifixion — the Islamic position

This is the most important point on which the Islamic and the orthodox Christian accounts diverge. The Quran is unambiguous:

﴾وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ ... وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا ۝ بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ﴿
"They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but it appeared so to them ... they certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself."

(Quran 4:157–158)

The Islamic position is therefore: ʿĪsā was not crucified. Allah raised him alive to the heavens, where he remains until his return at the end of time. The figure crucified by the Romans was someone else — most classical commentators say a betrayer who had attempted to lead the soldiers to ʿĪsā and had his appearance changed by Allah's command.

This is a fundamental disagreement between Islam and orthodox Christianity. Christians hold the crucifixion as the central event of their theology — without it, the doctrine of substitutionary atonement collapses. Muslims hold the Quranic account, which preserves ʿĪsā's honour as a living prophet awaiting his second coming.

The second coming

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught extensively about the second coming of ʿĪsā ﷺ at the end of time. He will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus (a hadith in Muslim 2937 specifies this), kill the Antichrist (al-Dajjāl), break the cross (signalling the end of trinitarian Christian theology), kill the swine, and rule on earth as a Muslim — that is, by Islamic law — for a period before his death and burial in Madinah, in a grave reportedly already reserved next to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The second coming of ʿĪsā is a central article of Islamic eschatology, agreed across Sunni and Shia traditions.

The Islamic and Christian views — a respectful comparison for British Muslim families

Question	Islamic position	Mainstream Christian position
Was Maryam a virgin at his birth?	Yes	Yes
Was ʿĪsā a prophet?	Yes — one of the five great prophets	Yes — and more
Did he perform miracles?	Yes, by Allah's permission	Yes
Is he the Son of God?	No — he is the Servant of Allah	Yes (in classical creeds)
Is he God or part of God?	No — Allah is one without partners	Yes (the Trinity)
Was he crucified?	No — Allah raised him alive	Yes
Will he return?	Yes, at the end of time	Yes

For British Muslim families with Christian friends and family, this table is the basis of respectful conversation. There is more shared than most assume; the disagreements are real and worth holding honestly.

Lessons for British Muslim families

• The virgin birth is real. Don't be embarrassed by this in conversation with Christian friends — Islam affirms it. The disagreement is about what it means, not whether it happened.
• Honour ʿĪsā as a prophet. Always say "peace be upon him" after his name. Speak of him with the reverence due to one of the five great prophets (Nūḥ, Ibrāhīm, Mūsā, ʿĪsā, Muḥammad ﷺ).
• Speak respectfully of Christian friends. The Quran does not authorise contempt for the People of the Book. Mockery of the Christian belief in the divinity of ʿĪsā is unbecoming of a Muslim, even though we hold it to be theologically wrong.
• Teach the second coming. Many British Muslim children have never been told that ʿĪsā will return as a Muslim ruler. This is a major article of Islamic eschatology and worth knowing.

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

For more, see our guides on his mother Maryam bint ʿImrān, on monotheism in Islam, and on the prophetic line including Ibrāhīm and Mūsā. To study the prophetic stories one-to-one with an Al-Azhar-graduate teacher, book a free trial lesson.