The Missing Baptism: A Critical Theological Challenge to the Qur'anic Representation of Yahya (John the Baptist)
By Dr. Maxwell Shimba | Shimba Theological Institute
Abstract
While the Qur'an claims to affirm the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel, significant theological practices such as baptism — foundational in the biblical narrative through the ministry of John the Baptist — are conspicuously absent from the Islamic scripture and practice. This article critically examines the portrayal of Yahya (John the Baptist) in the Qur'an, his omission as a baptizer, and the broader Islamic rejection of baptism, exposing this as a fundamental failure of the Qur'an to substantiate its claim as a confirmation of prior divine revelation. Moreover, it interrogates the credibility of Muhammad’s prophethood against the biblical and prophetic tradition, highlighting Islam’s theological gaps and inconsistencies.
Introduction
Islam asserts that the Qur'an was sent as a confirmation of the scriptures before it — namely the Torah (Tawrat), Psalms (Zabur), and Gospel (Injil). However, one of the profound practices attested to in both the Old and New Testaments — baptism — finds no place in the Qur'an nor in the practice of Prophet Muhammad. Even more perplexing is the Qur'anic mention of Yahya (John the Baptist), a figure known exclusively in biblical history for his ministry of baptism, without a single reference to his baptizing mission. This theological inconsistency raises critical questions about the reliability of the Qur'anic narrative and its authenticity as divine revelation.
The Absence of Baptism in the Qur'an
The Bible unmistakably records John the Baptist as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:3), who baptized multitudes and notably Jesus Christ himself (Matthew 3:13-17). Baptism was a profound symbol of repentance and spiritual renewal, central to John’s prophetic office.
Yet, the Qur'an — despite mentioning Yahya multiple times (Qur'an 19:7-15; 3:39) — is entirely silent on his role as a baptizer. This omission is deeply problematic. If the Qur'an is truly a confirmation of the Gospel, why does it fail to affirm one of the most public, prophetic, and messianic acts in Christian theology: the baptism of Jesus by John?
Furthermore, baptism is absent as a religious rite in Islam. No command, narrative, or practice of baptism exists in the Qur'an, nor was Muhammad himself baptized, a stark divergence from the prophetic pattern in which Jesus partook of baptism, and His disciples continued the practice (Acts 2:38-41).
This silence leads to a series of theological and historical questions:
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Why does Yahya not baptize in the Qur'an if he is the same historical person as John the Baptist?
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Why is baptism neither preserved nor practiced in Islam if the Qur'an claims to affirm the Gospel?
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Why did Muhammad, whom Muslims claim to be the seal of prophets, not undergo baptism?
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Why is there no record of baptism among Muhammad’s followers in the earliest Islamic community?
These questions reveal severe discontinuity between the biblical and Qur'anic narratives, undermining the Qur'an’s claim to authenticate prior revelations.
The Puzzling Name ‘Yahya’ — A Non-Historical Anomaly
Another significant concern is the name ‘Yahya’ itself. The Qur'an names John the Baptist as Yahya, a designation absent from the Hebrew Bible, Jewish historical records, or even Christian texts. The biblical and historical name is Yochanan in Hebrew, translated John in English, and Yuhanna in Arabic — a name preserved in the Arabic Bible to this day.
This anomaly raises pressing historical and philological questions:
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What is the origin of the name Yahya?
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Why is it unknown in Jewish and Christian records, including ancient Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, and even early Arabic Christian writings?
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Why did the Qur'an introduce a non-historical name while claiming to recount the same prophetic history?
Such discrepancies suggest that the Qur'anic authors may have lacked direct knowledge of biblical texts or relied on altered oral traditions, further casting doubt on the Qur'an's claim of confirming prior scripture.
Theological Incoherence: If Yahya Was a Muslim, Why No Baptism in Islam?
Muslim exegetes claim all biblical prophets were Muslims, including Yahya. If so, why was Yahya’s defining prophetic act — baptism — neither continued nor affirmed in Islam? Why did Prophet Muhammad, regarded as the seal of the prophets, not institute baptism as part of Islamic ritual, especially when he claimed to follow the prophetic traditions?
The Qur'an’s failure to even acknowledge baptism exposes a theological inconsistency:
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If Yahya was a Muslim prophet, as Islam claims, why did he baptize while other Muslim prophets allegedly did not?
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Why did this practice, supposedly divinely sanctioned, vanish entirely by the time of Muhammad?
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How does the absence of baptism reconcile with Islam’s claim of confirming the Gospel when baptism was central to Jesus’s ministry (Mark 1:9-11) and commanded to His disciples (Matthew 28:19)?
This theological incoherence suggests either a historical break between Islam and authentic biblical tradition or that Islam emerged independently, borrowing selectively from biblical narratives without preserving their core theological meanings.
Conclusion: An Unsubstantiated Claim of Continuity
The absence of baptism in Islam — both in scripture and practice — alongside the historically untraceable name ‘Yahya’ and the omission of John the Baptist’s defining ministry, exposes a fatal flaw in the Qur'an’s claim to confirm previous revelations. Muhammad’s prophetic credentials further suffer when contrasted against biblical standards, as he neither underwent baptism nor acknowledged it as a divine ordinance.
This glaring omission reveals that the Qur'an is neither a faithful confirmation of the Gospel nor a continuation of the authentic prophetic tradition. Instead, it selectively appropriates biblical figures while detaching them from their historical and theological contexts.
In this light, the Qur'an’s claim to divine origin becomes increasingly untenable. It fails to meet the very standards it sets for itself — to affirm the prior books — and thereby exposes itself, and Muhammad, as inconsistent with the tradition it professes to uphold.
References
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The Holy Bible, New International Version.
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The Qur'an (Translations by Yusuf Ali, Pickthall, and Sahih International)
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Encyclopaedia Judaica, “John the Baptist”
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Geisler, Norman L. & Saleeb, Abdul. Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross
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Guillaume, A. The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah
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