Jesus and Muhammad: Same Source?

By Steven Masood on
Jesus and Muhammad: Same Source?

On one hand, the majority of Muslim scholars reject the integrity of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures and, yet on the other, they quote from it to support Muhammad’s message and him as being the prophet sent by the same God who sent Jesus.

An Ex-Christian convert to Islam, at a Muslim-Christian gathering, quoted the following Biblical passage to support Muhammad’s prophethood:

“It was he [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).

The Muslim listeners applauded (though ironically, most Muslims do not appreciate Paul, the author of Ephesians. They also do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God: Qur’an 5:72; 9:30; 19:88-92). The Muslim who picked out the above passage as evidence for Muhammad’s claim of prophethood totally avoided the writings of Paul that Muhammad contradicted. Muslims who quote from the Bible tend to blatantly ignore Scriptures about Jesus’ death and resurrection, as well as other important facts with which they don’t agree.

The presenter’s main point was that Jesus’ disciples believed there would be prophets after Jesus. Although I was interrupted several times in my response, I shared that this passage states that Jesus commissions not just one prophet but rather many prophets for the people from his followers. This fulfills the prophecy in Joel which Peter quotes, accounted in Acts 2:14-21. 

According to the passage in Ephesians, Jesus is the one who assigns some to be prophets. Now if Muhammad is a true prophet of God and this is the passage that supports his prophethood, then that would mean that Jesus is God. However, Muslims do not believe that Jesus is God. According to Islamic beliefs, God alone empowers and commissions prophets. They believe God (not Jesus) sent Muhammad. Therefore, even in the light of Islamic teaching, this passage cannot be about Muhammad. Also, this passage’s context affirms that the prophets must speak in the name of Jesus.

Other categories are included in the passage: evangelists, pastors and teachers. What are Muslims going to do about them? The passage also refers to the “body of Christ” which is the church. The church is the body of believers in Jesus. Muslims use the Arabic word Ummah for its body of believers in Muhammad’s teachings. Would this Ummah then believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life?

As God our Father in Heaven sent Jesus, now Jesus sends others with various “jobs” to do. Jesus said to his apostles: “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). These emissaries were sent out to preach Jesus being the only way to the Father: God (John 14:6). Muhammad did not preach that Jesus is the only way to our Father in Heaven. He did not point people to Jesus. Rather, he pointed people towards himself, thus making people his followers, not Jesus’ followers. In the Qur’an, many verses are dedicated to commanding people to obey or “pay heed” to Allah and the messenger/apostle: Muhammad (Qur'an 3:32, 3:132, 4:13-14, 4:59, 4:80, 5:92, 8:1, 8:20, 8:46, 24:52, 24:56, 33:33, 33:36, 33:66, 33:71, 48:17, 49:14, 58:13, 64:12, 72:23).

Muhammad’s message, although mentioning Jesus with some favor, rejects the main reason for Jesus being sent into this world – as the only Savior. Muhammad preached a different message then what Jesus and his followers preached universally (John 8:24; 10:10; Acts 4:11-12; Revelation 5:9; 14:6-7; Mark 14:8-9; John 19:40; John 20:19-22). The Bible gives a very basic criterion to check the veracity of a claimant to be the messenger of Truth. No one can say, “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit’s leading (1 Corinthians 12:3). Muhammad failed to admit this very basic criterion. Islam does not accept Jesus as Lord (Rab). The Qur’an only accepts part of the truth: Jesus being the Son of Man (ibn Adam). Thus, Muslims consider Jesus as “only a servant (Abd).” That is not the whole Truth about Jesus. His Father in Heaven testified concerning Jesus, “This is my beloved Son” and “Listen to him” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35; 2 Peter 1:17; 1 John 5:9-12). Jesus being the Son of God is in fulfillment to God’s promises accounted in 1 Chronicles 17:11-15; Psalm 2:6-8; Psalm 89:26-28; Isaiah 9:6-7.

This brings us to believe that the message of the Bible and the message of the Qur’an do not come from the same God. Hence, we cannot accept that Muhammad came from the same source as Jesus.