Jesus and the Kaaba: A Critical Examination of Muhammad’s Claim

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba

Shimba Theological Institute

Introduction

Islamic tradition contains various narrations (ahadith) in which the Prophet Muhammad claimed to have seen or interacted with biblical figures, including Jesus. Among these is a peculiar report in Sahih al-Bukhari where Muhammad asserted that he saw Jesus performing ṭawāf (circumambulation) around the Kaaba in Mecca. This claim raises significant historical, theological, and logical concerns. Not only does this narration contradict the biblical record of Jesus’ ministry, but it also suggests a profound inconsistency in Muhammad’s prophetic claims, calling into question the authenticity of his revelations.

The Hadith in Question

Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 55, Hadith 649 records:

Narrated Ibn Umar:
The Prophet said, “I saw Jesus, Moses, and Abraham. Jesus was of red complexion, curly-haired and broad-chested. Moses was of brown complexion, straight-haired and tall, as if he was from the people of Az-Zutt. Abraham was of similar appearance to your companion (i.e., Muhammad).”
In another narration, Muhammad claimed that he saw Jesus performing circumambulation of the Kaaba along with other prophets.

(Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 649; Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5834).

---

Historical and Theological Inconsistencies

1. Jesus Never Traveled to Arabia

The New Testament is clear that the ministry of Jesus Christ was limited to Israel and its surrounding regions (Matthew 15:24; Luke 4:43). Nowhere is there evidence—biblical, historical, or archaeological—that Jesus ever set foot in Arabia, much less Mecca.

2. Idolatry and the Black Stone

Jesus consistently condemned idolatry and pagan practices (Matthew 4:10; John 4:21–24). The Kaaba’s rituals, including the kissing of the Black Stone, were rooted in pre-Islamic paganism. To place Jesus in this environment, performing acts of worship associated with idolatry, is an affront to His divine mission and biblical teaching.

3. Contradiction with the Biblical Image of Christ

Jesus is portrayed in Scripture as the sinless Son of God who came to fulfill the Law and reveal the Father (John 14:9). Associating Him with a pagan shrine undermines His divine authority and purity.

---

Contradictions with the Qur’an Itself

Even within Islamic scripture, Muhammad’s hadith about Jesus in Mecca creates contradictions:

1. Qur’an 3:45–46 — Jesus is announced as al-Masīḥ, the Messiah, who will speak from the cradle and in maturity. The Qur’an situates His mission entirely in Israel, not Arabia.

2. Qur’an 19:30–33 — Jesus declares, “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.” This blessing was tied to His mission in Israel, not a pilgrimage to Mecca.

3. Qur’an 5:110 — Allah recounts to Jesus His miracles among the Children of Israel. No mention of Mecca.

4. Qur’an 43:59 — Jesus is said to be “an example to the Children of Israel,” not Arabs.

Thus, Muhammad’s hadith about Jesus at the Kaaba not only contradicts the Bible but also clashes with the Qur’an’s own testimony about Jesus’ identity, mission, and historical setting.

---

Islamic Scholarly Commentary on the Hadith

Muslim exegetes themselves struggled to reconcile these narrations:

• Ibn Kathir (in Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim) acknowledged the hadith but treated it as a visionary experience rather than a literal historical event. He suggested that Muhammad may have been shown symbolic images in a dream. However, this explanation contradicts the way Bukhari presents the hadith as a direct prophetic vision.

• Al-Tabari (in Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk) recorded similar reports but left them largely uninterpreted, reflecting the difficulty of reconciling them with known history. His silence indicates the discomfort Islamic historians felt when confronted with these claims.

• Al-Nawawi (in his commentary on Sahih Muslim) interpreted Muhammad’s vision of Jesus at the Kaaba as metaphorical, meaning that the prophets were shown as “spiritually affirming” the Kaaba, not physically performing rituals there. Yet this forced allegorical reading departs from the plain wording of the hadith.

The fact that Muslim scholars could not agree — and often resorted to metaphor, dream imagery, or silence — shows that the hadith was problematic even for Islam’s own tradition.

---

Theological Implication: A False Prophecy

If Muhammad claimed to have seen Jesus at the Kaaba, this is a false prophecy because it misrepresents the historical Jesus. The Bible warns against false prophets who proclaim lies in the name of God (Deuteronomy 18:20–22; Matthew 24:24). By fabricating such visions, Muhammad undermines his own credibility as a prophet.

---

Allah’s Silence and Theological Consequences

If Allah were the true God, he would not allow his supposed prophet to propagate falsehoods about revered figures such as Jesus. Instead, the Qur’an permits and even supports these contradictions. This suggests that Allah of the Qur’an is not the God of the Bible but a different entity altogether—one that failed to preserve divine truth.

---

Conclusion

The hadith claiming that Jesus ran around the Kaaba is historically implausible, theologically offensive, and prophetically false. It contradicts both the biblical record and the Qur’an’s own testimony about Jesus. Furthermore, the discomfort of Muslim exegetes like Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari, and Al-Nawawi shows that even within Islam this narration was seen as problematic. Rather than affirming divine revelation, such hadith distort the mission of Christ and expose the inconsistencies within Islamic tradition.

The God of the Bible does not confuse or contradict Himself (Numbers 23:19; 1 Corinthians 14:33). This evidence strongly supports the conclusion that Muhammad was not a true prophet, but a man speaking visions from his own imagination.

---

References

• The Holy Bible (KJV, ESV, NIV).

• Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 649.

• Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5834.

• The Qur’an: 3:45–46; 19:30–33; 5:110; 43:59.

• Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim.

• Al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa’l-Muluk.

• Al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim.

• Deuteronomy 18:20–22; Matthew 4:10; John 14:9; 1 Corinthians 14:33.

• Cragg, Kenneth. The Event of the Qur’an: Islam in Its Scripture.

• St. Clair-Tisdall, W. Sources of the Qur’an: Original Materials and the Origins of Islam.

---

✍️ Written by Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

---