The prophet, sometimes referred to as the messenger, of Islam claims to be superior to the Lord Jesus of the Bible. Yet when one considers the character, dispositions, goals, and the way these were carried out in the lives of these two individuals, the difference is so vast that there is, in fact, hardly any real basis for comparison. Just as Satan attempted to make himself equal to God and even exalt himself above God, without success, so no one else can successfully claim equality with, or superiority over, the Lord Jesus Christ. The biblical presentation of the Lord Jesus is briefly discussed first, followed by that of Mohammed. There is some overlap with what was covered in chapters 5 and 6.
According to the Bible, Jesus is the Son of God, and He is Himself God, who came into the world in human form for a specific purpose. God, who is love, desires to redeem humanity, which is spiritually dead because of the fall. Therefore, He creates within the body of the virgin Mary the God-Man through whom He intends to deliver humanity from this spiritual death. The Lord Jesus is born and becomes the Redeemer, sent by God as a blessing to the world. A short quotation follows concerning God’s message, delivered by an angel, to the virgin Mary, through whom God chose to send Jesus into the world:
Luke 1:31–35: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And 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.”
As stated above, according to the angel, Jesus, the Son of God, is the Word who became flesh:
John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
But why was this necessary? Because:
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
1 John 3:8: “…. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
The Lord Jesus came in humility to serve, not to be served. He served by obtaining redemption for humanity through His suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection:
Matthew11:29: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls,”
Matthew 20:28: “…, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.“
Philippians 2:6–8: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
Therefore, the sinful person who believes and gratefully accepts the Lord Jesus’ gift of redemption can say with the apostle Paul:
Ephesians 1:7: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
Furthermore, the love of God is evident in everything the Lord Jesus teaches, and His actions confirm this love. Jesus was without sin, and His sinlessness is nothing less than perfect love. Love is the fulfilment of the law, and He came to fulfil the law.
Yet there are liars who refuse to acknowledge that the Lord Jesus is the Anointed One of God:
1 John 2:22–23: “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
Can the Son of God be anything other than a divine being, despite the humanity He received from His earthly mother? Why would God exalt an ordinary man like Mohammed above His Son Jesus Christ, as claimed in the Qur’an and the Hadith?
Mohammed permits himself to speak in the Qur’an about Jesus’ birth. It partially corresponds to the true account in the Bible. According to the Qur’an, Mary experienced a supernatural conception for Jesus’ birth:
Sura 3:46: “She (Mary) said: ‘O my Lord, How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?’ He said: ‘Even so; Allah creates what He wills; when He has decreed a matter, He but says to it, ‘be’ and it is.”
The Qur’an is correct in denying that Allah had a son. According to the Qur’an, Allah does not wish to call the son he supposedly caused by saying “Be” his son. If Allah were the true God, Islam would struggle to explain whom Jesus could call His Father. A father is not merely someone who physically begets but also mean the source of origin or the cause of something. Therefore, Jesus of the Bible can call Yahweh, the true God, His Father.
The Qur’an denies Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Sura 4:157 claims that the Messiah, Jesus, was not killed, but was instead taken alive into heaven, according to:
Sura 4:157–158: “That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah, but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:- Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; …”“
Thus, according to the Qur’an, Allah takes Jesus alive into heaven, while the so-called final prophet, Mohammed, died at 62, was buried, and has never appeared again.
The Qur’an also refers to Jesus as “the Messiah” (Sura 4:171). Messiah is a Hebrew word meaning “Anointed One,” also translated as Christ in some English versions of the Qur’an. Messiah means that He (Jesus) was anointed by God for the work of redemption He came to accomplish. Yet the Qur’an denies that Jesus is the Redeemer. The Qur’an is correct only in the sense that Allah is not the father of Jesus. Allah had, in fact, nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, for Jesus is the Son of the true God, Yahweh, who came to redeem and reconcile to Himself those who would believe and accept Him.
As in the Qur’an, Mohammed also claims in the Hadith that Jesus did not die and rise again. He does, however, claim that Jesus is still alive in heaven after 2,000 years, and that He will return to earth in the last days to judge humanity and reign:
Al-Bukhari Vol. 4, Bk 55, No. 657: “Narrated Abu Huraira: “Allah’s Apostle said, ‘By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler);”’
According to Karim, Vol. 4: bl. 50 Jesus will subdue and kill a strange being named Dajjal, establish Islam as the only religion on earth, and then die:
“Then Jesus who is alive in heaven will descend from heaven and kill Dajjal with his own hand.” On page 80 Jesus shall then, among other things, establish the Shariat (Mohammed’s law): “After this Jesus will die and he will be buried …”
Because of this distortion of the facts concerning Jesus’ coming to earth, Muslims do not realize that Jesus also accomplished redemption and reconciliation with God for them, if only they would believe and accept it. Yet this is made extremely difficult by the severe punishment for apostasy in Islam.
In contrast to the humility of Jesus, as discussed above, the Qur’an is filled with Muhammad’s grandiose self-exaltation. Numerous passages insist on obedience to him. A few examples:
Sura 3:132: “And obey Allah and the Messenger. that ye may obtain mercy.” Sura 4:80: “He, who obeys the Apostle (Mohammed), obeys Allah,”
Sura 5:92: “Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger,“
Sura 8:20: “O ye who believe! Obey Allah and His Messenger, and turn not away from him when ye hear (him speak).”
Sura 24:54 says: “Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger.”
Those who do not obey Mohammed face severe consequences:
Sura 48:13: “And if any believe not in Allah and His Messenger, We have prepared, for those who reject Allah, a Blazing Fire!”
Sura 58:5: “Those who resist Allah and His Messenger will be humbled to dust, as were those before them: for We have already sent down Clear Signs. And the Unbelievers (will have) a humiliating Penalty,”
Sura 58:20: “Those who resist Allah and His Messenger will be among those most humiliated.”
Sura 59:4: “That is because they resisted Allah and His Messenger. and if any one resists Allah, verily Allah is severe in Punishment.”
The Hadith agrees concerning Mohammed’s exalted status:
Al-Bukhari Vol. 4, Bk 55, No. 626: Narrated Abu Huraira: “The Prophet became angry, till anger appeared on his face, and said, “Don’t give superiority to any prophet amongst Allah’s Prophets, for when the trumpet will be blown, everyone on the earth and in the heavens will become unconscious except those whom Allah will exempt. The trumpet will be blown for the second time and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Moses holding Allah’s Throne.”
Karim, Vol. 4, p. 323: “the Messenger of Allah said: I shall be the leader of the children of Adam on the day of Resurrection and there’s no boast, and in my hand will be the standard of praise and there’s no boast, and there will be no Prophet on that day, Adam or anybody who will not be under my standard, and I shall be the first of those who will burst out of the earth and there’s no boast.”
According to the Bible, Jesus committed no sin, and Islam does not dispute this. This creates a difficulty for Islam, because both the Hadith and the Qur’an make it clear that Muhammad did commit sin. Although Karim’s Al-Hadis claims Mohammed was sinless, this is contradicted by Al-Bukhari’s Hadith and the Qur’an:
Al-Bukhari Vol. 8, p. 213: “I heard Allah’s Messenger saying. ‘By Allah! I ask forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.’”
And from the Qur’an:
Sura 48:1–2: “Verily We (Allah) have granted you (Mohammed) a manifest Victory: That Allah may forgive you your faults of the past and those to follow; fulfil His favour to you; and guide you on the Straight Way;”
Clearly, the victory he achieved on the battlefield earned him forgiveness for past and future “faults.” In Islam, good deeds cancel out bad deeds, and in this case Mohammed’s military success was enough to cover all his sins. This presents a translation problem if he were supposedly sinless. If “faults” are not sins, why must they be forgiven or covered? And why must a sinless person be guided on the “straight way”?
As noted earlier, the Qur’an does not clearly define sin, making it difficult to determine whether someone has sinned. Yet from the Qur’an and Mohammed’s traditions (the Hadith), including those quoted here, many of Mohammed’s actions would, according to the biblical definition, be considered serious lovelessness, and therefore sin.
Mohammed’s loveless actions are repeatedly confirmed in the quotations. All loveless actions are sin. His love for women, however, is so important to him that Allah grants him a special exemption concerning wives. According to the Qur’an, he may have more wives than other Muslim men. This is discussed next.