Miracles and Prophetic Integrity: A Theological Comparison between Jesus and Muhammad

Title:
Miracles and Prophetic Integrity: A Theological Comparison between Jesus and Muhammad

Author:
Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

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Abstract

This article explores the nature, purpose, and theological authenticity of the miracles attributed to Jesus Christ in the Bible and those ascribed to Muhammad in Islamic sources. Grounded in Christian and Islamic textual analysis, this study argues that the miracles of Jesus were acts of compassion and divine confirmation, while the miracles associated with Muhammad—often supernatural in form—lack historical corroboration and deviate from biblical prophetic tradition. Furthermore, the study critiques apocryphal attributions that portray Jesus as performing trivial wonders, suggesting such accounts are inconsistent with the nature of biblical revelation.

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Introduction

The use of miracles in religious texts often serves as divine validation of a prophet's message. However, not all miracle claims are equal in theological coherence, moral intent, or historical verification. Within Christian theology, miracles are acts of divine mercy and signs pointing to the kingdom of God (John 20:30-31). In contrast, many miracles attributed to Muhammad in Hadith literature are either unverifiable or serve no clear salvific or compassionate function. This article seeks to examine the authenticity, purpose, and theological consistency of such miracles by comparing biblical narratives of Jesus and the apostles with Islamic traditions surrounding Muhammad.

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1. Jesus' Miracles: Divine Power with Compassion

Jesus' miracles, as recorded in the New Testament, are rooted in love, compassion, and the affirmation of His divine mission. His first miracle—turning water into wine at Cana—was not for spectacle but to spare a poor couple from social disgrace (John 2:1–11). His acts of healing the blind (Mark 10:46–52), cleansing lepers (Luke 17:11–19), feeding multitudes (Matthew 14:13–21), casting out demons (Mark 5:1–20), and raising the dead (John 11:1–44) reflect divine compassion rather than showmanship.

Significantly, Jesus never performed miracles for entertainment. His ministry emphasized the kingdom of God, repentance, and reconciliation (Luke 4:18–19). Unlike pagan miracle-workers or mythological figures, Jesus’ signs were consistent with Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 35:5–6) and served to authenticate His identity as the Messiah and Son of God.

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2. Apocryphal Accounts and the Clay Bird Story

The Qur’an presents a story in which Jesus creates a bird from clay and breathes life into it (Qur’an 3:49; 5:110). This narrative does not appear in the canonical Gospels but closely resembles stories from the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, a non-canonical text composed in the second century and rejected by the early Church as heretical.

Church Fathers such as Irenaeus and Origen dismissed these writings as Gnostic fabrications with no apostolic authority. Scholars note that these stories reflect a distorted image of Jesus, portraying Him as a child magician rather than the Messiah (Ehrman, 2003). Thus, the Qur'anic inclusion of such narratives, while affirming Jesus’ miraculous birth, borrows from apocryphal sources rather than from divinely preserved Scripture.

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3. Old Testament Prophets: Purposeful and Verifiable Signs

Biblical prophets such as Moses, Elijah, and Elisha performed miracles as signs of divine authority and for the deliverance of God's people. Moses parted the Red Sea to save Israel (Exodus 14), Elijah called down fire to affirm the true God (1 Kings 18), and Elisha raised a child from the dead (2 Kings 4). These were not acts for spectacle but pivotal moments in redemptive history.

In the New Testament, Jesus’ disciples—especially Peter and Paul—continued this prophetic tradition. Peter healed the lame (Acts 3:1–10), and Paul raised the dead (Acts 20:7–12), but always to authenticate the Gospel.

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4. Muhammad's Claimed Miracles: Lack of Historical and Theological Substance

Islamic tradition attributes various miracles to Muhammad, such as water flowing from his fingers, trees weeping, and the alleged splitting of the moon (Sahih Bukhari 4.56.831; Qur’an 54:1). Yet these claims are conspicuously absent in the Qur’an itself, which presents Muhammad primarily as a "warner" (Qur’an 88:21) and not as a miracle-worker.

The lunar splitting miracle (Qur’an 54:1–2), interpreted by some Muslims as literal, lacks external historical confirmation, especially from civilizations such as the Romans, Persians, or Chinese, who meticulously recorded astronomical events. Furthermore, many of Muhammad’s miracles—like riding the Buraq to Jerusalem (Isra and Mi’raj)—are unverifiable visionary experiences (Qur’an 17:1) rather than witnessed, public signs.

Unlike Jesus, Muhammad did not perform any miracle to heal the sick, restore sight to the blind, or raise the dead. Even Muslim scholars like Al-Ghazali acknowledged the Qur’an itself as Muhammad’s primary "miracle" (i’jaz), making his signs more literary than supernatural.

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5. Moral Contrasts and Prophetic Integrity

Prophetic integrity involves not only public works but private character. Jesus lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), called others to humility (Matthew 5–7), and demonstrated sacrificial love. In contrast, Muhammad’s life raises ethical questions: multiple wives (Qur’an 33:50), including a marriage to a minor (Sahih Bukhari 5.58.234), and controversial political and military actions (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah).

Christian theology holds that prophets do not merely speak God's Word but embody it (John 1:14). Therefore, when prophetic character contradicts divine holiness, the authenticity of the messenger is called into question.

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Conclusion

This comparative study illustrates that the miracles of Jesus Christ, rooted in love and historical testimony, stand in stark contrast to the often unverifiable and theatrically styled miracles attributed to Muhammad. Moreover, Jesus' actions consistently reflected divine compassion and moral perfection, qualities essential to true prophetic identity. The apocryphal distortions of Jesus as a magician—and the adoption of such tales into the Qur'an—only serve to emphasize the distance between biblical theology and later religious innovations. Real prophets, as shown in Scripture, act not to impress but to serve.

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References

• Ehrman, B. D. (2003). Lost Scriptures: Books that Did Not Make It into the New Testament. Oxford University Press.

• Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV).

• Ibn Ishaq. Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by A. Guillaume. Oxford University Press, 1955.

• Sahih al-Bukhari. Hadith Collection.

• The Qur'an. Trans. M. A. S. Abdel Haleem. Oxford University Press, 2004.

• Al-Ghazali. The Incoherence of the Philosophers.

• Irenaeus. Against Heresies.

• Origen. On the First Principles.

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