What Islam Teaches About Jesus and the Prophets

Here's something many people don't realize: Muslims are required to believe in Jesus and Moses as prophets of God. Belief in God's prophets is a fundamental part of Islam.

Muslims honor Jesus as the Messiah, believe he was born miraculously to Mary, and believe he performed miracles by God's permission. They also believe Jesus will return before the Day of Judgment.

So Islam isn't presenting itself as a completely new message that appeared 1,400 years ago. Muslims understand it as a continuation of the message delivered through the prophets throughout history: worship one God and submit to Him. The difference is that Muslims believe Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the final messenger.

Even the word Islam tells you something about the faith. It refers to submission to God and comes from the same Arabic root as salam, meaning peace. At its heart, Islam is about recognizing one Creator and living in accordance with His guidance.

Now think about that. If Muslims and Christians recognize many of the same prophets and trace their religious traditions back to the God of Abraham, why are their followers so often portrayed as enemies?

Could it be that people have spent so much time focusing on their differences that they've overlooked what their faiths share?

It's worth looking into. Throughout history, religion has been intertwined with political power, wars, and struggles for influence. People have sometimes used religious beliefs to divide communities and justify their actions.

That's why we shouldn't accept every story we're told without question. We should read the scriptures, look at the historical record, and examine the actions of people who claimed to speak for God. The goal isn't to condemn an entire religion. It's to understand what the faith actually teaches and separate those teachings from the actions of people who use religion for their own purposes.

Why Are People in the West Exploring Islam?

People explore Islam for different reasons. Some are searching for a deeper connection with God. Others are looking for guidance on how to live, raise a family, treat people fairly, or find a greater sense of purpose.

Islam addresses everyday life as well as spirituality. It teaches prayer, charity, personal discipline, responsibility toward others, and accountability before God.

Another subject that comes up is the relationship between religion and science.

Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” Whatever one's view of that statement, it raises an interesting question: must faith and scientific inquiry always be at odds?

The Quran repeatedly encourages people to reflect on nature, the heavens, the earth, and the creation of life. Muslims also point to its descriptions of human development before birth as passages worth examining in discussions about revelation and science.

These discussions invite people to ask questions about the relationship between scripture, the natural world, and our place in it.

Ultimately, people come to Islam for many reasons. Understanding those reasons requires listening to Muslims themselves rather than relying entirely on stereotypes or what others say about their faith.

Returning to the Message

Muslims and Christians don't have to give up their beliefs to recognize the connections between their traditions. They can study each other's scriptures, learn about the prophets they share, and question narratives that encourage them to hate one another.

Disagreement doesn't have to mean hostility. And understanding another person's faith doesn't mean abandoning your own.

The bigger question is whether we're willing to look beyond the divisions we've inherited and search for the truth ourselves.

One Creator. A shared prophetic tradition. A search for truth beyond manipulation, division, and inherited hostility.

Perhaps that's a better place to begin than treating one another as enemies.