For Muslims
Isa al-Masih in the Qur'an and Hadith, set beside the Christian hope, so both traditions can see where they meet and where they part.
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Isa in the Qur’an
- The Messiah. 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” (Qur’an 3:45).
- Raised to God. Qur’an 4:157-158 says Jesus was not killed or crucified, “rather, Allah raised him to Himself.” Christians, by contrast, proclaim that he died on the cross and rose again. This is the deepest difference between the two accounts.
- A sign of the Hour. “And indeed, he is a sign of the Hour” (Qur’an 43:61; wording varies between translations). Many classical commentators read this as his return before the Day of Judgement.
Isa’s return in the Hadith
- Descent at Damascus. Sahih Muslim 2937 describes Isa descending by the white minaret east of Damascus and killing al-Masih ad-Dajjal, the false messiah, at the gate of Lud.
- A just judge. Sahih al-Bukhari 3448: “The son of Mary will soon descend among you as a just ruler.”
Where the two hopes meet
| Question | Christian teaching | Islamic teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Who returns | Jesus, the same one who ascended (Acts 1:11) | Isa, son of Maryam |
| The great deceiver | The Antichrist, “the man of lawlessness” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8) | Al-Masih ad-Dajjal |
| His defeat | “The Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth” (2 Thessalonians 2:8) | Slain by Isa at Lud (Sahih Muslim 2937) |
| Who Jesus is | The Son of God, crucified and risen | A prophet and messenger, raised alive to God |
Still to write
- A side-by-side timeline of the end times in both traditions.
- Classical tafsir on Qur’an 4:159 and 43:61.
- Review of this page by Muslim and Christian scholars.