Sometimes I wonder why Muslims reject the clear scientific and historical evidence for Jesus’s divinity and resurrection. The information is available—it has been recorded and verified by historians and eyewitnesses, both Christian and non-Christian alike, for centuries.
As someone who was born and raised in a Muslim country, in a Muslim family, and now lives as a practicing Christian, I understand why.
There are several reasons why Muslims reject the divinity of Jesus and misunderstand the central message of the Christian faith. Here are a few:
Muslims Reject the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Because the Quran Says So
For every Muslim, the Quran is the ultimate authority—the word of Allah, believed to be perfect and infallible. Because it is considered the final revelation, it cannot be false or changed. The word “Islam” itself means “submission”—a complete surrender to the words and commands of Allah as delivered through His prophet Muhammad.
While the Quran contains some Biblical stories, it presents them with major discrepancies. One of the most significant is the divinity of Christ. Jesus is mentioned 93 times in the Quran, but in every surah (verse) where He is referenced, the author deliberately strips Him of His identity as the Son of God and the Messiah.
For example, in Surah An-Nisa (4:157–159, 4:171–172):
- 4:157 denies the crucifixion — “they did not kill him nor crucify him.”
- 4:158 states that God raised Him up.
- 4:171 affirms Jesus as the Messiah and a Word from God, a spirit from Him—but denies His divinity.
- 4:172 declares that Jesus never scorned being a servant of God.
For a Muslim, to consider the divinity of Jesus or His relationship with the Father is a grave sin. In Islam, God cannot become human—He cannot live as a human, die, and be resurrected. Allah is viewed as too transcendent, too majestic to inhabit a human body that eats, sleeps, and experiences human weakness. The incarnation is an impossibility because Allah is considered too perfect to lower Himself in such a way.
This leads to a broader question: why would God create human beings in the first place? In Islam, humans are created by Allah but not in His image, unlike the Judeo-Christian view that puts an emphasis on the creation of both men and women in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). This fundamental difference creates a significant tension between these two worldviews. In Islam, Jesus cannot be divine or resurrected, because Allah would not—and could not—do such a thing.
Moreover, the idea of God humbling Himself out of love for His creation, even to the point of dying on a cross, is foreign to the Islamic worldview. The Quran lists 99 names of Allah, but love is not among them. He is named Al-Wadud which means loving (active expression of love) but not love itself. The idea that God is love (as stated in 1 John 4:8) is unique to Christianity.
Different Views of Atonement
To admit the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is to admit His divinity and His role in taking on human sin. In Christianity, sin is inherited—it entered the world through Adam and Eve and now infects all of humanity. We are born sinners.
In contrast, Islam sees sin differently. Sin is individual and not inherited. People are born in a state of purity, and everyone is born a Muslim. Sin is atoned for annually, especially during the month of Ramadan through fasting, prayer, and good deeds.
The concept of one man—Jesus—taking away the sins of all humankind makes little sense in Islam. If sin isn’t seen as something that separates us from God permanently and systemically, then Jesus’s death and resurrection seem unnecessary or even pointless from the Islamic perspective.
The Difference Between the Ethos of Islam and Christianity
Islam is more than a religion—it is a socioeconomic and political system woven into the traditions of Muslim society. Even in the most secular Muslim countries, Islam plays a crucial cultural role. You can’t separate Islam from a society that identifies as Muslim, whether conservative or secular. It is a comprehensive way of life.
To leave Islam is to leave everything—family, community, culture, and tradition.
It is also important to note that Islam is not as esoteric or spiritual as Christianity. What do I mean by that? Although, there are some minority sects of Shia Islam—such as Sufis, Shia Ismailis, and Alawites—emphasize spirituality and mysticism, the vast majority of Muslims are Sunni. Sunni Islam focuses primarily on practical, earthly matters. Islamic law dictates daily life—from how to dress, eat, and bathe, to how one conducts family life and public affairs.
What Jesus accomplished on the cross is hard to explain to a Muslim because it goes against human logic and the practically of the every day life. I often hear from my Muslim brothers and sisters: Why did He have to die? Wasn’t there another way? If He is God, why would He need to die? Also, how can God die?
These are valid and deeply thoughtful questions. But to truly grasp the answer, one must temporarily set aside the Islamic worldview and consider something new. If we judge the Jesus of the Quran by the standards of the Bible, the contradiction is immediate and irreconcilable.
To understand the Jesus of the Bible, Muslims need to acknowledge that there are historical sources beyond the Quran—and even the Bible—that verify Jesus’s identity and the Biblical accounts more accurately than the Quran, which came 600 years after Christianity was already well-established in the Near East.
These facts must be approached with humility rather than hostility. When theological differences are seen as threats rather than opportunities for reflection, dialogue becomes impossible. But when we open our minds and hearts, we create space for meaningful, respectful conversations. There is no doubt that Jesus has and always will be a controversial historical figure because of the bold claims that He made and what He did on the cross.
As C.S. Lewis famously wrote in Mere Christianity:
“A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool; you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us.”
Many years ago, I made the decision to surrender my will to the Son of God—the One who bore the sins of the world to offer us eternal life. Nothing is more powerful, more beautiful, or more compelling than that.
Let us humble ourselves before the Almighty and allow Him to lead us into truth.
Selah.
Sources:
Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. HarperOne, 2001.
The Qur’an. Translated by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, Oxford University Press, 2004.
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Zondervan, 2011.
Fariza 