Short answer: Islam and Christianity are both Abrahamic faiths. Both believe in one Creator, in prophets and revelation, in angels, and in a Day of Judgement followed by heaven and hell. Both honour Jesus and his mother Mary. The deepest difference is about who Jesus is: Christians believe he is the Son of God and part of the Trinity, who died on the cross and rose again; Muslims believe he is a great prophet and the Messiah, born of a virgin, but a human servant of God who was not crucified and was raised up to God. Muslims also believe Muhammad ﷺ is the final prophet, which Christians do not accept.
This page describes Christian beliefs in the way most Christian churches describe them, and Muslim beliefs from the Quran and the hadith. Christians are a large and varied family, so some groups will see things differently.
What Islam and Christianity share
- One Creator who made the heavens and the earth, the God of Abraham.
- Prophets and revelation: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, John the Baptist and others appear in both the Bible and the Quran.
- Jesus as the Messiah (in Arabic al-Masih), born of the Virgin Mary, who worked miracles and will return at the end of time.
- Angels, including Gabriel (Jibril), who brought the news of Jesus' birth to Mary.
- A final judgement, resurrection of the dead, and heaven and hell.
- Prayer, fasting and charity as acts of devotion, and a strong ethic of honesty, mercy, care for the poor and family life.
The Quran invites the two communities to start from that common ground:
قُلْ يَٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ تَعَالَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍۢ سَوَآءٍۭ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ شَيْـًۭٔا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًۭا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَقُولُوا۟ ٱشْهَدُوا۟ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ ﴿٦٤﴾
Qul yaa Ahlal Kitaabi ta'aalaw ilaa Kalimatin sawaaa'im bainanaa wa bainakum allaa na'buda illal laaha wa laa nushrika bihee shai'anw wa laa yattakhiza ba'dunaa ba'dan arbaabam min doonil laah; fa in tawallaw faqoolush hadoo bi annaa muslimoon
Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you - that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."
Quran 3:64 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Imran
Jesus in the Quran
Many Christians are surprised by how much the Quran says about Jesus, whom it calls Isa ibn Maryam, Jesus son of Mary. He is named in the Quran 25 times, and given titles that no other prophet has: the Messiah, a Word from God and a spirit from Him. The Quran tells of the annunciation to Mary:
إِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍۢ مِّنْهُ ٱسْمُهُ ٱلْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ٱبْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيهًۭا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْءَاخِرَةِ وَمِنَ ٱلْمُقَرَّبِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾
Iz qaalatil malaaa'ikatu yaa Maryamu innal laaha yubashshiruki bi Kalimatim minhus muhul Maseeh u 'Eesab nu Maryama wajeehan fid dunyaa wal Aakhirati wa minal muqarrabeen
[And mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah].
Quran 3:45 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Imran
It also describes his miracles: speaking as a baby in the cradle to defend his mother, making a bird from clay that became a living bird, and healing the blind and the leper and raising the dead, "by permission of Allah" (3:49 and 5:110). In Surah Maryam, the baby Jesus speaks of himself:
قَالَ إِنِّى عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ ءَاتَىٰنِىَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ وَجَعَلَنِى نَبِيًّۭا ﴿٣٠﴾
Qaala innee 'abdullaahi aataaniyal Kitaaba wa ja'alanee Nabiyyaa
[Jesus] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.
Quran 19:30 · Sahih International · Read Surah Maryam
So Muslims love and respect Jesus. A Muslim cannot be a Muslim without believing in him as a prophet. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "I am the closest of people to Jesus son of Mary in this world and the next. The prophets are brothers" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3443). Read his story on the Prophet Isa (Jesus).
Mary in the Quran
Mary (Maryam) is the only woman named in the Quran, and a whole chapter, Surah Maryam, carries her name. The Quran honours her above the women of the worlds:
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَٱصْطَفَىٰكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَآءِ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾
Wa iz qaalatil malaaa'ikatu yaa Ya Maryamu innal laahas tafaaki wa tahharaki wastafaaki 'alaa nisaaa'il 'aalameen
And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.
Quran 3:42 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Imran
Muslims believe in the virgin birth, as Christians do. The Quran compares the creation of Jesus without a father to the creation of Adam without father or mother (3:59).
Where the two faiths differ
| Question | Most Christians believe | Muslims believe |
|---|---|---|
| God | One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the Trinity). | One God, Allah, single and indivisible, with no partner or son (112:1-4). This oneness is tawheed. |
| Jesus | The Son of God, fully God and fully man. | A prophet and the Messiah, a servant of God, honoured but not divine (4:171, 5:75). |
| The crucifixion | Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day. | He was not killed or crucified; it was made to appear so, and God raised him up to Himself (4:157-158). |
| Sin and salvation | All people inherit original sin; salvation comes through faith in Christ's sacrifice. | No inherited sin: Adam repented and was forgiven (2:37), and no soul carries another's burden (53:38). Salvation is by God's mercy, with faith and good deeds. |
| Scripture | The Bible, Old and New Testaments, inspired by God and written by many authors. | God revealed the Torah, Psalms and Gospel (Injil) to earlier prophets. The texts people hold today are not those revelations exactly as given. The Quran is God's final word. |
| Muhammad ﷺ | Not recognised as a prophet. | The final prophet, sent to all people. |
| The Holy Spirit | The third person of the Trinity. | Usually understood as the angel Jibril (Gabriel), whom the Quran calls Ruh al-Qudus, "the Pure Spirit", who brought down revelation (16:102). |
| The return of Jesus | Christ will come again in glory. | Jesus will return, defeat the false messiah (Dajjal) and rule justly by Islam (Sahih al-Bukhari 3448; Sahih Muslim 155). |
The Trinity and the oneness of God
The Quran speaks directly to Christians about the Trinity, in a tone of warning but also of appeal: "O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him" (4:171). For Muslims, worship belongs to God alone, so worshipping Jesus, however beloved, is to give a created being what belongs only to the Creator.
The crucifixion
This is the clearest point of difference in history. The Quran says:
وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا ٱلْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّۢ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا ٱتِّبَاعَ ٱلظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًۢا ﴿١٥٧﴾
Wa qawlihim innaa qatal nal maseeha 'Eesab-na-Maryama Rasoolal laahi wa maa qataloohu wa maa salaboohu wa laakin shubbiha lahum; wa innal lazeenakh talafoo fee lafee shakkim minh; maa lahum bihee min 'ilmin illat tibaa'az zann; wa maa qataloohu yaqeenaa
And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain.
Quran 4:157 · Sahih International · Read Surah An-Nisa
Muslim scholars have explained "it was made to appear so to them" in different ways. Many early commentators said another man was given Jesus' likeness and crucified in his place. Others leave the detail to God. All agree on what the Quran states: Jesus was not killed and God raised him to Himself (4:158).
How Islam asks Muslims to treat Christians
The Quran calls Jews and Christians Ahl al-Kitab, People of the Book, because they received earlier scripture. Muslims are told to discuss faith with them "in a way that is best" and to say, "our God and your God is one" (29:46). The Quran also speaks warmly of Christians in particular: "you will find the nearest of them in affection to the believers those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because among them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant" (5:82).
History has some striking moments of this. When Muslims in Makkah were being persecuted, the Prophet ﷺ sent a group of them to Abyssinia, whose Christian king, the Negus, gave them refuge. When the first revelation came, it was a Christian scholar, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, the cousin of the Prophet's ﷺ wife Khadijah, who told him that this was the same angel who had come to Moses (Sahih al-Bukhari 3). Islamic law allows Muslims to eat the food of the People of the Book and allows a Muslim man to marry a Christian or Jewish woman (5:5), and the Quran tells Muslims to be just and kind to all who do not fight them (60:8).
Questions Christians often ask
Do Muslims worship the same God?
Muslims believe they worship the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, the one Creator, and Arab Christians call God "Allah" in their own Bibles and prayers. At the same time, Muslims and Christians describe God differently, especially on the Trinity, so people answer this question in different ways. The Quran's own words are "our God and your God is one" (29:46).
Do Muslims believe in the Bible?
Muslims believe in the original Torah, Psalms and Gospel as revelations from God. They read the Bible with respect, accept what agrees with the Quran, reject what contradicts it, and leave the rest without affirming or denying it, as the Prophet ﷺ taught (Sahih al-Bukhari 4485).
Is Jesus coming back in Islam?
Yes. In sahih hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said Jesus son of Mary will descend as a just ruler before the Last Day. This belief is shared, in a different form, with Christians. See the signs of the Day of Judgement.
FAQ
What do Islam and Christianity have in common?
Both believe in one Creator, prophets, angels, revelation, a final judgement, heaven and hell. Both honour Jesus as the Messiah born of the Virgin Mary and believe he will return.
What is the main difference between Islam and Christianity?
Who Jesus is. Christians believe he is the Son of God, part of the Trinity, who died and rose again. Muslims believe he is a prophet and a servant of God who was not crucified but was raised up to God.
Do Muslims believe Jesus died on the cross?
No. The Quran says he was not killed or crucified, but it was made to appear so, and God raised him up to Himself (4:157-158).
What is the Injil?
The Injil is the Gospel that Muslims believe God revealed to Jesus. Muslims believe in it as a revelation, while holding that the Gospels in the Bible today are not that revelation exactly as it was given.
Can a Muslim marry a Christian?
The Quran allows a Muslim man to marry a chaste Christian or Jewish woman (5:5). By agreement of the four schools, a Muslim woman may not marry a man who is not Muslim. Many scholars, Hanafi ones among them, advise caution today because of the children's religious upbringing.
Do Muslims believe in the Holy Spirit?
Muslims believe in Ruh al-Qudus, "the Pure Spirit" mentioned in the Quran, which most scholars explain as the angel Jibril (Gabriel). They do not believe the Holy Spirit is a person of God.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Sources
- Quran 3:42, 3:45, 3:49, 3:59, 3:64, 4:157-158, 4:171, 5:5, 5:75, 5:82, 5:110, 16:102, 19:30, 29:46, 53:38, 60:8 and 112:1-4, translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3443, narrated by Abu Hurayrah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3448; Sahih Muslim 155, on the return of Jesus.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3, narrated by Aishah, on the first revelation and Waraqah ibn Nawfal.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4485, on reports from the People of the Book.
- On marriage to a woman of the People of the Book: al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab an-Nikah. The other schools are summarised from their standard manuals.
Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English translation by Sahih International. Hadith gradings are those of the hadith scholars named; where a hadith number is not given, the collection and narrator are cited instead.