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Often, you may hear Muslims say that Isa a.s., as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, is the same as Jesus Christ of Nazareth, as mentioned in the Holy Bible. They make this claim by comparing some verses from the Holy Bible with those in the Qur’an. For example, they say according to the Bible, Jesus Christ’s mother is named Mary. They read in the Gospel of Mark 6:3-4, “Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.”
They compare this verse with the one in the Qur’an in Suratul Al-Maidah, 5:75, “The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger….”
Another argument they use is that the name Isa is in the Arabic language. This is not true. Because in Arabic, Jesus is called Yasu’a, not Isa. It should be noted that the Bible existed on earth approximately 1500 years before the Qur’an. (The Qur’an is a post-Bible book).
Our argument for Muslims is who changed the name Yasu’a to Isa? The name Yasu’a is more similar to the name Yehoshua, which is in Hebrew, and in Greek, the language used to write the New Testament, He is called Iesous (pronounced Jesus). The translation of these words into Swahili is Savior.
We read this in Matthew 1:21-23, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Our question is, is Isa a.s. also the Savior and Immanuel as Jesus Christ is?
Another point to consider when examining their differences is about their mothers. Jesus Christ’s mother is Mary, who comes from the tribe of Judah. We read this in Genesis 49:10, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”
This prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We read this in Hebrews 7:14, “For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.”
But when we read about Isa, his mother is from the family of Imran, who is the father of Aaron, Miriam, and Moses. We read this in Suratul Al-Maryam 19:28, “O sister of Aaron! Your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste.”
The interpretation of this verse 19:28 in the Qur’an, translation by King Fahd, p. 405, reads, “This Harun (Aaron) is not the brother of Musa (Moses), but he was another pious man at the time of Maryam (Mary).”
Translation: “This Aaron is not the brother of Moses but was another pious man who lived during the time of Mary.”
According to the Bible, Aaron is the son of Amram and their mother is named Jochebed, and they had three children: Aaron, Miriam, and their younger brother Moses. We read this in Numbers 26:59, “The name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron, Moses, and their sister Miriam.”
Another difference is their creation: **ISA WAS CREATED**. Qur’an Suratul Imran, 3:59, “Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust; then He said to him, 'Be,' and he was.”
But when we read about **JESUS, HE WAS NOT CREATED BUT IS THE WORD OF GOD**.
John 1:1,14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
John 8:58, “Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'”
Furthermore, the Bible informs us that He is the Creator Himself.
John 1:3, “All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.”
Colossians 1:16-17, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
2) (A) **ISA A.S.: AFTER HIS DEPARTURE, (AS MUSLIMS BELIEVE), HE HAS NEVER APPEARED IN ANY WAY.**
(B) **JESUS CHRIST: AFTER HIS DEPARTURE, HE APPEARED TO PAUL (SAUL).**
Acts 9:4, “Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?' And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'”
3) (A) **ISA A.S.: PROPHESIED THE COMING OF MUHAMMAD.** Qur’an Suratul As-Saff, 61:6,
“And (remember) when Jesus, son of Mary, said, ‘O children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah unto you confirming the Torah before me and giving glad tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad (another name for Muhammad).’ But when he came to them with clear proofs, they said, ‘This is plain magic.’”
(B) **JESUS CHRIST SENT THE HOLY SPIRIT ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST.**
John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” In Greek, He is called “Paracletos,” meaning helper or comforter.
John 15:26, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”
John 16:7, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”
4) (A) **ISA A.S.: HIS NAME HAS NO POWER OR SAVING ABILITY BUT IS TWO-TONED.** In Al-Lu’lu’war-Marjani, Volume 1, Hadith 104, p. 64, “The Hadith of Ibn Abbas (r.a) from the Prophet (s.a.w) said, ‘I saw Moses (a.s) on the night of Al-Isra, and he was a tall man with brown curly hair like a man of the Shanua. And I saw Isa (a.s), and he was a man of medium build, inclined to redness and whiteness, with straight hair...’”
(B) **JESUS CHRIST: HIS NAME IS SALVATION.** Acts 4:9-10,12, “If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole… Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Some verses in the Qur’an say Isa a.s. healed the blind. Who were these people? Can we name at least one? Jesus healed the blind Bartimaeus.
Other verses say Isa a.s. raised the dead. Who were these people? Jesus raised Lazarus.
The name we are given is only one name with salvation, the name of Jesus Christ. How is the name Isa a.s., which has no salvation, associated with the name Jesus Christ of Nazareth, which has salvation?
Acts 16:31, “So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”
5) (A) **ISA A.S.: HE IS NOT THE SON OF GOD.** Qur’an Suratul Al-An’am, 6:101, “He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He has no consort? He created all things, and He has knowledge of all things.”
Qur’an Suratul At-Tawba (Repentance), 9:30, “The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah,’ and the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the son of Allah.’ That is their saying with their mouths, resembling the saying of those who disbelieved aforetime. Allah’s curse be on them:
how they are deluded away from the truth!”
The doctrine of the Sonship of God as taught in the Bible is not found in the teachings and beliefs of Islam; therefore, Isa a.s. is not the Son of God.
(B) **JESUS CHRIST: HE IS THE SON OF GOD.** Luke 1:30-31,35, “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’”
Therefore, Isa is not the Son of God, but Jesus is the Son of God. Therefore, Jesus is not Isa.
6) (A) **ISA A.S.: HE IS NOT GOD INCARNATE.** Suratul Al-Maidah (The Table Spread), 5:72-73, “Certainly they disbelieve who say: ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’ But the Messiah said: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the wrongdoers, there will be no helpers. Surely, disbelievers are those who said: ‘Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity).’ But there is no deity except One Allah. If they do not desist from what they are saying, surely a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them.”
(B) **JESUS: HE IS THE WORD OF GOD INCARNATE.** John 1:1,14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
7) (A) **ISA A.S.: HE WAS NEITHER CRUCIFIED NOR KILLED.** Qur’an Suratul An-Nisaa (The Women) 4:157-158, “And because of their saying (in boast), ‘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 they killed that 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.”
(B) **JESUS CHRIST: HE WAS CRUCIFIED ON THE CROSS.** John 19:18,31,33, “There they crucified Him, and with Him two others, one on either side, and Jesus in the center… Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away… But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”
8) (A) **ISA A.S.: HE DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE WORSHIPPED BY ANY HUMAN.** Qur’an, Suratul Al-Maidah, 5:116, “And [beware the Day] when Allah will say, ‘O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?’’ He will say, ‘Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.’”
(B) **JESUS DESERVES TO BE WORSHIPPED BY HUMANS AND ANGELS.** Matthew 2:2, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
John 9:35-38, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.’ Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe!’ And he worshiped Him.”
Philippians 2:10-11, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Hebrews 1:6, “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’”
9) (A) **ISA DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE AN INTERCESSOR FOR PEOPLE TO GOD.** Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.6, Hadith no. 3, The Noble Qur’an, English Translation, p. 8, “…….Go to Musa, the servant of Allah who spoke to Allah directly and was given the Torah. So they will go to him and he will say, ‘I am not fit for this task of intercession,’ and he will mention his mistake of killing a person who was not a killer, and so he will feel ashamed before his Lord and will say, ‘Go to Isa, the servant of Allah, His Messenger, His Word and a soul created by Him.’ Isa will say, ‘I am not fit for the task of intercession…’”
(B) **JESUS DESERVES TO BE AN INTERCESSOR FOR HUMANS TO GOD.** 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 7:24-25, “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
10) (A) **ISA IS JUST ANOTHER PROPHET LIKE OTHERS.** Qur’an Suratul Baqarah (The Cow), 2:136, “Say (O Muslims): ‘We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and to Al-Asbat (the twelve sons of Jacob), and that which has been given to Moses and Jesus, and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted.’”
(B) **JESUS IS ABOVE ALL THINGS.** Ephesians 1:20-23, “Which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
11) (A) **ISA, WHEN HE RETURNS, WILL MARRY AND HAVE CHILDREN.** Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol. 2, p. 1159, Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 92, “When Isa returns, he will live for forty years, during which he will marry and have children, and will perform the pilgrimage.”
(B) **WHEN JESUS RETURNS, HE WILL COME TO TAKE UP THE CHURCH, WHICH IS THE BRIDE.** Ephesians 5:25-26, 32-33, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word… This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
Revelation 19:7, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
12) (A) **ISA WILL DIE AFTER LIVING FOR FORTY YEARS.** Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol. 2, p. 1159, Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4310, Sahih Muslim, vol.1, p. 92, “When Isa returns, he will abolish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist, and he will live on earth for forty years and then die. After his death, he will be buried next to Muhammad.”
(B) **JESUS, AFTER HIS RESURRECTION, IS ALIVE FOREVERMORE AND DOES NOT DIE AGAIN.** Romans 6:9, “Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.”
Hebrews 7:24-25, “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who
come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Revelation 1:17-18, “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’”
13) (A) **WHEN ISA WAS BORN, A VOICE OF COMFORT CAME FROM UNDER THE GROUND.** Qur’an Suratul Maryam, 19:23-24, “And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said, ‘Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.’ Then he called her from below her, ‘Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream.’”
Islamic teachings explain that under the ground, there is an animal that knows the verses of the Qur’an.
Qur’an in Suratul Al-Naml, 27:82, “And when the Word befalls them, We will bring forth for them a creature from the earth, speaking to them, that the people were of Our verses not certain [in faith].”
(B) **WHEN JESUS WAS BORN, ANGELIC VOICES CAME FROM ABOVE.** Luke 2:13-16, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’ So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.”
14) (A) **ISA HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF VARIOUS THINGS.** In Al-Lu’lu’ war-Marjan, book 3, Hadith no. 1528, p. 883, “Hadith of Abu Huraira (r.a) from the Prophet (s.a.w) said, ‘Isa Ibn Mariam (a.s) saw a man stealing and asked him, ‘Did you steal?’ He said, ‘No, by Allah, there is no god but Him.’ Isa (a.s) said, ‘I believed in Allah, and my eye has lied to me.’”
(B) **JESUS KNOWS EVERYTHING.** John 1:47-48, “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to Him, ‘How do You know me?’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’”
John 2:24-25, “But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”
15) (A) **ISA A.S.: HIS MOTHER WAS FOUND BESIDE A MOSQUE WHEN SHE RECEIVED THE NEWS OF HIS BIRTH.** Qur’an Suratul Maryam, 19:16-17, “And mention in the Book, [the story of] Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place toward the east. And she took, in seclusion from them, a screen. Then We sent to her Our angel, and he represented himself to her as a well-proportioned man.”
(B) **JESUS CHRIST: HIS MOTHER WAS FOUND AT HER HOME IN NAZARETH.** Luke 1:26-28, “Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!’”
16) (A) **THE PREGNANCY OF ISA WAS OF ONE DAY.** Qur’an Suratul Maryam, 19:21-22, “[The angel] said, ‘Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.’ So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place.”
(B) **THE PREGNANCY OF JESUS: THE DAYS WERE FULFILLED.** Luke 2:6-7, “So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
Note: The sixth month mentioned in Luke 1:26 refers to the age of the pregnancy of John inside Elizabeth’s womb. Luke 1:36, “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.”
Note: The manger mentioned here means a feeding trough for animals in a stable. In Greek (the language in which the New Testament was written), this is called “Fatne,” and in English, it is called “a manger.”
17) **WHEN ISA (A.S.) RETURNS, HE WILL BREAK THE CROSSES AND KILL THE PIGS.** Mishkat Al-Masabih, vol. 3-4, p. 20, Hadith no. 753, “The Hour will not be established until the son of Maryam (Isa a.s.) descends among you as a just ruler. He will break the crosses (of the Christians in the churches) and kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya (tax); and wealth will become so abundant that nobody will accept it.” Also, see Sahih Bukhari, vol. 3, Hadith no. 425, Al-Lu’lu’ war-Marjan, vol. 1, Hadith no. 95, p. 51, The Noble Qur’an, p. 757.
(B) **WHEN JESUS CHRIST RETURNS, HE WILL SEND HIS ANGELS TO GATHER THE SAINTS.** Matthew 24:30-31, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
### WARNING OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH
Matthew 24:24, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (See also Mark 13:22)
John 8:24, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
YOU, THE ELECT, WILL YOU BE DECEIVED AND MISLED TO BELIEVE THAT INDEED ISA A.S. IS JESUS CHRIST? IF YOU BELIEVE SO, YOU WILL BE DECEIVED AND MISS THE SALVATION OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!
### JESUS CHRIST, HE IS IMMANUEL, WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE!!!! (ISAIAH 9:6, MATTHEW 1:23)
Shalom,
Dr. Max Shimba for Max Shimba Ministries
Max Shimba Ministries
