Same Name, Different Savior: Unveiling the Profound Differences Between the Qur’anic and Biblical Jesus

By Dr. Tim Orr

The figure of Jesus stands at the crossroads of Christianity and Islam—revered in both, but radically reinterpreted. For Christians, he is the crucified and risen Lord. For Muslims, he is a prophetic forerunner to Muhammad, revered but not divine. While bearing surface-level similarities, these two portraits are ultimately rooted in profoundly different theological visions. The Qur’an and the Bible don’t just disagree on the details; they offer different answers to life’s most important question: Who is Jesus? Understanding these differences isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s essential for anyone engaging in honest interfaith dialogue, sharing the gospel, or seeking to make sense of how two of the world’s largest religions can speak of Jesus in such divergent ways.

The Illusion of Similarity

In many interfaith settings, people are quick to affirm that both Muslims and Christians believe in Jesus. While this affirmation can be a helpful starting point for conversation, it often leads to significant theological confusion if not explored more deeply, particularly given the radically different portraits of Jesus in the two traditions. On the surface, this appears to be a profound point of unity. After all, Jesus—known as ‘Isa in Arabic—is revered in both the Qur’an and the Bible. He is said to have been born of a virgin, performed miracles, and be connected in some way to the end of time. But as Gabriel Said Reynolds explains, such parallels can create an illusion of theological harmony where none exists. Reynolds cautions that just because two figures share the same name does not mean they are the same person, just as Michael Jordan and Michael Bublé are named Michael, but share no substantive identity (Reynolds, 2024). The same logic applies to Jesus and ‘Isa: while they share a name across two traditions, their character, mission, message, and meaning are radically different.

Superficial Overlaps, Divergent Foundations

The Qur’an affirms several things about Jesus that seem familiar to Christians. He is born of a virgin (Qur’an 3:47), performs miracles like healing the blind and raising the dead (Qur’an 5:110), is honored with the title “Messiah” (Qur’an 3:45), and is said to have ascended into heaven (Qur’an 4:158). These similarities often serve as starting points for dialogue but rest on entirely different theological assumptions. For instance, while both traditions affirm Jesus’ miraculous birth and prophetic role, Christianity sees these elements as pointing to his divine nature and redemptive mission. In contrast, Islam interprets them as signs of his exemplary prophethood under the overarching sovereignty of Allah. These differing foundations profoundly shape interfaith engagement: Christians approach Jesus as the incarnate Son of God, while Muslims see him as a herald of Muhammad. As a result, what may appear to be shared ground can often become a point of miscommunication or theological tension unless these underlying assumptions are fully acknowledged. In the New Testament, Jesus heals and raises the dead to demonstrate his divine authority, often declaring, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25, New International Version). In contrast, the Qur’an insists that Jesus performs miracles only “by the permission of Allah” (bi-idhnillah), underscoring his complete submission to God rather than any inherent divinity (Qur’an 3:49).

This difference goes to the heart of each tradition’s understanding of Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus is the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, who reveals God’s very nature. In the Qur’an, he is merely a prophet—exalted, yes, but emphatically not divine. The Qur’an explicitly rebukes Christians who “say Allah is the Messiah” (Qur’an 5:72) and warns that those who believe in the Trinity “have certainly disbelieved” (Qur’an 5:73). As Reynolds explains, these verses are not simply offering an alternative version of Jesus—they represent a polemic against core Christian doctrine (Reynolds, 2018).

The Crucifixion: A Theological Fault Line

Nowhere is the divergence between the Qur’anic and biblical portraits of Jesus more striking than in the question of the crucifixion, which lies at the heart of each tradition’s redemptive framework. For Christians, the crucifixion is the climactic moment of God's plan of salvation, where sin is atoned for, justice is satisfied, and divine mercy is poured out through the suffering of the Son. Without it, there is no resurrection, no defeat of death, and no gospel. In contrast, the Qur’an’s denial of the crucifixion dismantles this redemptive architecture entirely, replacing it with a model where God’s prophet is vindicated without suffering, and where atonement is unnecessary. This theological divergence results in two incompatible understandings of how humanity is reconciled to God—one through grace and the cross, the other through guidance and submission. The crucified Christ stands at the center of Christian faith. As the Apostle Paul writes, “we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23, NIV). Jesus’ death is not just a tragic end; it is the redemptive act by which God reconciles the world to Himself. His resurrection confirms his divinity and the foundation of Christian hope (Romans 4:25).

The Qur’an, however, flatly denies this event. From an Islamic theological standpoint, the denial of the crucifixion preserves the honor and dignity of a true prophet of God. According to many Muslim scholars, God would not allow one of His prophets—especially one as revered as Jesus—to suffer such a humiliating and violent death. Instead, God intervenes to protect Jesus by raising him directly to heaven or substituting another person. This view is grounded in the Qur’an’s emphasis on divine justice and prophetic vindication, and it aligns with the broader Islamic rejection of vicarious atonement as incompatible with God’s nature. In a single, theologically dense verse, it declares: “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them” (Qur’an 4:157). Islamic tradition offers several interpretations—some claim that Judas was crucified in Jesus’ place, others propose that someone else was made to resemble him—but all share a common theme: Jesus was not crucified, and therefore, he was not resurrected. Reynolds points out that this rejection is not peripheral but a direct theological correction of the Gospel narrative (Reynolds, 2009). In place of a suffering Savior, Islam offers a victorious prophet who escapes death, leaving no room for atonement, grace, or substitutionary sacrifice.

Jesus’ Words: Silence vs. Sermon

One of the most overlooked distinctions between the Qur’anic and biblical accounts is the voice of Jesus. In the Gospels, Jesus speaks constantly, teaching in parables, delivering sermons, engaging with religious leaders, comforting the hurting, and revealing the nature of God. His words are the backbone of Christian discipleship. Please think of the Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the Prodigal Son, or his tender words to Mary and Martha in John 11. His teachings have moral beauty, theological depth, and radical compassion.

In stark contrast, Jesus speaks only sparingly in the Qur’an, and when he does, his tone is often confrontational or judicial. For instance, in Qur’an 5:116–118, Jesus denies ever claiming divinity and rebukes his followers for turning him into an object of worship. These statements are more about defending Islamic monotheism than offering ethical or theological instruction. Reynolds notes that none of Jesus’ sayings in the Qur’an appear in the New Testament, and none of the vast body of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels—such as “Love your enemies” or “I am the Good Shepherd”—appear in the Qur’an (Reynolds, 2018).

The Erasure of the Gospel Narrative

When one reads the four Gospels, it’s clear that Jesus is not merely a prophet delivering divine messages—he is the central character in a sweeping narrative of redemption. The Gospels detail his genealogy, his birth, his youth, his baptism, his miracles, his relationships, his trial, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and his final commission to his disciples. These narratives are deeply embedded in Jewish history and geography—Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, the Temple—and filled with specific characters like Peter, Mary Magdalene, Pilate, Herod, and Thomas.

None of this makes its way into the Qur’an. The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist? Missing. The Transfiguration? Omitted. The Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist? Not even hinted at. The post-resurrection appearances that changed fearful disciples into bold apostles? Completely absent. As Reynolds puts it, “Almost everything about Jesus in the Gospels is missing from the Qur’an” (Reynolds, 2018, p. 45). What remains is a significantly condensed and reinterpreted portrayal of Jesus that serves the theological aims of the Qur’anic message rather than preserving the narrative and historical detail emphasized in the Gospels. This depiction reflects the Qur’an’s broader agenda of affirming prophetic continuity while correcting what it views as theological errors in Christian tradition.

A Different Kind of Jewishness

It’s sometimes claimed that the Qur’an presents a “more Jewish” Jesus—a man who obeys the law, denies divinity, and stands in the prophetic tradition. But Reynolds challenges this idea. While the Qur’anic Jesus may align theologically with Jewish monotheism, the rich Jewish fabric of Jesus’ life—his debates about Sabbath, his presence in the Temple, his participation in Jewish feasts—is missing. The Jesus of the Gospels lived and breathed Second Temple Judaism. The Jesus of the Qur’an is dislocated, appearing in a cultural vacuum with no historical setting. As a result, the Qur’an's claim to continuity with biblical tradition is undermined by its lack of narrative, geography, and historical rootedness (Reynolds, 2009).

Conclusion: Not Two Versions, but Two Visions

When all is said and done, we are not dealing with two slightly different accounts of the same person. We are dealing with two fundamentally different theological visions. For Christian apologetics, this distinction is not merely academic—it has direct implications for how we communicate the gospel to our Muslim neighbors. Clarifying who Jesus is according to Scripture becomes a central task in defending the faith and proclaiming salvation. For missions, it underscores the need to thoughtfully and graciously present the biblical narrative of Jesus as both fully God and fully man, crucified and risen, in a way that addresses Islamic misconceptions while inviting genuine engagement with the claims of Christ. The biblical Jesus is God in the flesh, crucified for sin, risen from the dead, and reigning as Lord. The Qur’anic Jesus is a revered prophet, born of a virgin, working miracles by God's leave, denying any divine status, and pointing to another prophet—Muhammad—who will come after him. The Bible offers Jesus as the center of God’s redemptive plan; the Qur’an positions him as a prelude to Islam.

This matters deeply for Christians, especially in interfaith conversations. While we should always engage with humility and love, we must also speak clearly: the Jesus of the Bible is not the Jesus of the Qur’an. Understanding the differences isn’t about winning arguments—it’s about telling the truth. And for Christians, the truth about Jesus is nothing less than the good news of salvation.

References (APA)

Reynolds, G. S. (2009). The Qur'an and its biblical subtext. Routledge.

Reynolds, G. S. (2018). The Qur’an and the Bible: Text and commentary. Yale University Press.

Abdel Haleem, M. A. S. (Trans.). (2005). The Qur’an. Oxford University Press.

Zondervan. (2011). The Holy Bible: New International Version. (Original work published 1973)

Reynolds, G. S. (2024, August 16). What’s different about Jesus in the Qur’an? [Video]. Exploring the Quran and the Bible. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1WWxRrvLWw

Who is Dr. Tim Orr?

Tim serves full-time with Crescent Project as the assistant director of the internship program and area coordinator, where he is also deeply involved in outreach across the UK. A scholar of Islam, Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant, Tim brings over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six academic degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry from Liberty University and a Master’s in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College in London.

In addition to his ministry work, Tim is a research associate with the Congregations and Polarization Project at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. His research interests include Islamic antisemitism, American Evangelicalism, and Islamic feminism. He has spoken at leading universities and mosques throughout the UK—including Oxford University, Imperial College London, and the University of Tehran—and has published widely in peer-reviewed Islamic academic journals. Tim is also the author of four books. Media coverage at the time highlighted the agreements' economic scale and diplomatic novelty. Polling conducted by Pew Research Center in 2020 showed that most Republicans supported Trump's foreign policy approach, including his handling of the Middle East (Pew Research Center, 2020). But they also sidelined Israel, empowered dubious allies, and failed to address the ideological engine behind Islamist strategy. In the long run, that’s not a deal—it’s a disaster waiting to unfold.