Prophet Isa (Jesus) ΨΉΩΩΩ Ψ§ΩΨ³ΩΨ§Ω
The Messenger of Allah β Spirit and Word of Allah
"The Messiah, son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him."
β Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:75
Prophet Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), peace be upon him, holds a unique and honoured position in Islam. He is one of the greatest Messengers of Allah, born through a miracle, sent with a divine message, and raised to Allah before his enemies could harm him. His story β as told in the Quran β is one of the most profound accounts in all of revelation.
This account is drawn from the tradition of Ibn Kathir, one of the most respected scholars of Quranic exegesis, and is grounded throughout in the verses of the Glorious Quran.
πΏ The Story of Maryam (Mary)
The story of Prophet Isa (AS) begins with his mother, Maryam β one of the greatest women who ever lived. Her mother, Hannah, had long been childless. In her longing for a child, she turned to Allah with complete sincerity, vowing to dedicate the child to the service of Allah's house in Jerusalem. Allah accepted her prayer and she conceived.
When she gave birth to a girl, she was surprised β she had expected a boy who could serve in the temple, as women were not traditionally accepted there. She named her Maryam and prayed: "I seek refuge with You for her and her offspring from Satan, the outcast." (Surah Al-Imran 3:36)
Allah accepted Maryam into His service. The Prophet Zakariyah (AS) β her aunt's husband β became her guardian. He built a private room in the temple for her, and she grew up in devoted worship of Allah. Whenever Zakariyah entered her room, he found her supplied with provisions out of season. When he asked her where they came from, she replied simply: "It is from Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit."
The Prophet Muhammad ο·Ί said: "The best of the world's women is Mary (in her lifetime), and the best of the world's women is Khadijah (in her lifetime)." β Sahih Al-Bukhari. Maryam's status in Islam is one of absolute honour and purity.
β¨ The Miraculous Birth of Isa (AS)
While Maryam was praying in her room, the Angel Jibreel appeared before her in the form of a man. Filled with fear, she said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent (Allah) from you, if you do fear Allah."
The angel reassured her: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, to announce to you the gift of a righteous son." Maryam was astonished: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?" The angel replied: "So it will be. Your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me. And We wish to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us. It is a matter already decreed.'" (Surah Maryam 19:18-21)
The birth of Isa (AS) was without a father β a miracle from Allah, just as Adam (AS) was created without a father or mother. Maryam felt the weight of this miracle deeply. She withdrew from the city and gave birth alone near a dry palm tree, crying out: "Would that I had died before this and been forgotten!"
But Allah comforted her β a stream appeared beneath her, and fresh dates fell from the dry palm tree. Then, miraculously, the newborn baby spoke: "If you meet any person, say: 'I have vowed a fast unto the Most Beneficent, so I shall not speak to any human being today.'"
"He (Jesus) said: 'Verily! I am a slave of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet, and He has made me blessed wheresoever I be, and has enjoined on me prayer and Zakat as long as I live, and dutiful to my mother. And Salam (peace) be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive!'"
β Surah Maryam 19:30-33
π His Mission and Message
Prophet Isa (AS) was sent to the Children of Israel with a clear message: to worship Allah alone, to uphold the spirit of the Torah while correcting its misuse, and to call people away from hypocrisy and materialism. He challenged the Pharisees β the Jewish priests β who had reduced religion to hollow rituals and personal gain.
He taught that the commandments of Allah were not merely rules of outward conduct β they were calls to inner purity. He declared that he had not come to destroy the Torah but to fulfil its true spirit. He called people to mercy, sincerity, and worship of the One Allah.
Allah blessed him with extraordinary miracles β by Allah's permission, he healed those born blind, cured lepers, and brought the dead back to life. He could tell people what they had eaten and what they had stored in their homes. He fashioned a bird from clay and breathed life into it. All of these were signs from Allah β not proof of divinity, but of prophethood.
π The Table from Heaven
Among the greatest miracles granted to Isa (AS) was the descent of a table of food from heaven, at the request of his disciples. They said: "O Jesus, son of Mary! Can your Lord send down to us a table spread with food from heaven?" Isa (AS) replied: "Fear Allah, if you are indeed believers."
They persisted, saying they wished to eat from it and increase in certainty of faith. Isa (AS) prayed: "O Allah, our Lord! Send us from heaven a table spread that there may be for us β for the first and the last of us β a festival and a sign from You." Allah answered his prayer and sent down the table, warning that any who disbelieved after this sign would face a punishment unlike any other. (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:112-115)
It is said that thousands partook of the food that day, yet it was never exhausted. The day became a holy commemoration for his disciples.
βοΈ Raised to Allah β The Islamic Belief
When the enemies of Isa (AS) β the Jewish priests and the Roman authorities β plotted to kill him, Allah intervened. The Quran is clear and unambiguous on this: Isa (AS) was not crucified and was not killed. Allah raised him to Himself, and what the people crucified was another man made to resemble him.
"And because of their saying: 'We killed Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah,' but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man. And those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no certain knowledge; they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely, they killed him not. But Allah raised him up unto Himself. And Allah is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise."
β Surah An-Nisa 4:157-158
Allah also declared: "O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to Myself and clear you of those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve till the Day of Resurrection." (Surah Al-Imran 3:55)
π The Islamic View of Prophet Isa (AS)
Islam holds Prophet Isa (AS) in the highest esteem as one of the five greatest Messengers of Allah β the Ulul Azm. Muslims believe in him, love him, and honour him. However, Islam is clear that he was a human being and a prophet β not divine, not the son of Allah, and not part of a trinity.
Allah affirms in the Quran: "O people of the Scripture! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of Allah aught but the truth. The Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit created by Him; so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not: 'Three (trinity)!' Cease! It is better for you. For Allah is the only One God." (Surah An-Nisa 4:171)
And Isa (AS) himself declared: "Verily, Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him alone. That is the Straight Path." (Surah Maryam 19:36) β a message entirely consistent with every prophet before and after him.
"Such is Jesus, son of Mary. It is a statement of truth, about which they dispute. It befits not the Majesty of Allah that He should beget a son. Glorified and Exalted be He above all that they associate with Him. When He decrees a thing, He only says to it: 'Be!' β and it is."
β Surah Maryam 19:34-35
Ψ΅ΩΩ Ψ§ΩΩΩ ΨΉΩΩΩ ΩΨ³ΩΩ β Peace be upon him