Overview
Following the Worship of Jesus
notes
More Than a Religious Label
notes
Whom Did Jesus Worship?
history
Jesus in a Prophetic Tradition
scripture
The Quranic Jesus: Messiah and Servant
Key passage
Quran
وَجَعَلَنِى مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ وَأَوْصَٰنِى بِٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَٱلزَّكَوٰةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّۭا
سورة مريم · الآية ٣١
And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive
Quran 19:31
Translation: Saheeh International
scripture
Jesus's Worship in the Gospels
Key passage
Bible
He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”
Matthew 26:39
Version: World English Bible
argument
Where Muslim Practice Resembles Jesus's Pattern
interpretation
A Fair Comparison
argument
Islam's Invitation Through Jesus
summary
The Central Takeaway
notes
Frequently Asked Questions
A: No. Christians follow Jesus according to their own understanding: faith in his person and imitation of his character. The comparison focuses on recorded daily practices and lets readers weigh what the resemblance means.
Q: If Muslims do not worship Jesus, why do they pray the way he prayed?
A: Because Muslims worship the God Jesus prayed to. Islam teaches that all prophets practiced one way of devotion to the one God, which Jesus's recorded practice confirms.
Q: Did Jesus eat pork?
A: The Gospels never record it, and as an observant Jew he kept the Torah's food laws, which forbid pork. Christians who eat pork rely on later passages such as Mark 7 and Acts 10, understood as ending the food laws. Muslims continue the abstention Jesus himself practiced.
Q: Is saying 'God willing' really in the Bible?
A: Yes. James 4:15 reads: "For you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that.'" The Quran gives the same command in 18:23-24, and Muslims practice it daily as insha'Allah.
Q: Does this comparison prove Islam is true?
A: By itself, no. It is one strand of evidence alongside the larger questions of God, the Trinity, and worship.
sources
Further Reading
The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature — Tarif Khalidi. How Jesus is loved, quoted, and remembered inside the Islamic tradition.Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels — Geza Vermes. A classic academic study of Jesus within the Judaism of his time.The Historical Figure of Jesus — E. P. Sanders. An accessible historical portrait of Jesus's life and practice.The Imitation of Christ — Thomas a Kempis. The most famous Christian statement of what imitating Jesus has meant.Mere Christianity — C. S. Lewis. A popular presentation of the mainstream Christian understanding of following Christ.
Sources
Sources and further reading
Primary texts and works cited in this article.
The Quran — Tanzil Uthmani text with Saheeh International translation
quran
Source linkUthmani-script Arabic text from Tanzil with the Saheeh International English translation.
The Holy Bible, World English Bible (public domain)
bible
Source linkPublic-domain English translation from the World English Bible.
The Muslim Jesus: Sayings and Stories in Islamic Literature
book | Tarif Khalidi
A Cambridge-published collection showing how deeply Jesus is woven into Islamic devotional literature.
Jesus the Jew: A Historian's Reading of the Gospels
book | Geza Vermes
A classic academic study of Jesus within the Judaism of his time.
The Historical Figure of Jesus
book | E. P. Sanders
An accessible historical portrait of Jesus's life and practice.
The Imitation of Christ
book | Thomas a Kempis
The most famous Christian statement of what imitating Jesus has meant.
Mere Christianity
book | C.S. Lewis
A classic popular presentation of the mainstream Christian case, included so readers can hear that position from one of its best-known advocates.