Seven ways the Quran says Jesus is greater than Muhammad
A. Sin
Jesus Christ is the only person in Islam without sin. The Quran says of Jesus,
“Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.”
(Surah 19:19)
The same Quran charges Muhammad with sin repeatedly,
“That Allah may forgive thee of thy sin that which is past and that which is to come, and may perfect His favour unto thee, and may guide thee on a right path”
(Surah 48:2)
And again,
“O Prophet! Why bannest thou that which Allah hath made lawful for thee, seeking to please thy wives? And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
(Surah 66:1)
The hadith has Muhammad constantly asking Allah to forgive to his sins,
“Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) saying.” By Allah! I ask for forgiveness from Allah and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.”
(Sahih Bukhari Book 80 Hadith 4)
Jesus is sinless, Muhammad is sinful.
B. Miracles
Jesus according to the Quran does miracles,
“…I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah’s leave…”
(Surah 3:49)
Muhammad on the other hand, had no miracles,
“And they say, “Why has a sign not been sent down to him from his Lord?…”
(Surah 6:37)
And again,
“And they say: Why is not a sign sent to him from his Lord? Say: The unseen is only for Allah; therefore wait — surely I too, with you am of those who wait.”
(Surah 10:20)
And again,
“ They have said, “It, (the Quran), is only the result of some confused dreams. He is only a poet. He should show us some miracles, as the ancient Prophets had done.”
(Surah 21:5)
Jesus in the Quran performs miracles, Muhammad does not.
C. Knowledge of the unseen
Jesus according to the Quran has knowledge of the unseen,
“…And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.”
(Surah 3:49)
Muhammad on the other hand says,
“Say (O Muhammad, to the disbelievers): I say not unto you (that) I possess the treasures of Allah, nor that I have knowledge of the Unseen; and I say not unto you: Lo! I am an angel. I follow only that which is inspired in me.”
(Surah 6:50)
In Surah 10:20, the Quran tells us only Allah has knowledge of the unseen and Surah 3:49 says Jesus knows the unseen, He knows what you hide in your houses. What would this make Jesus according to the Quran?
D. Guaranteed paradise
During the birth of Jesus, the angel reels out His accolades thus,
“(And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Lo! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah).”
(Surah 3:45)
Jesus is one of those brought near to Allah. Muhammad on the other hand says,
“Say, “I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner.”
(Surah 46:9)
Ibn Kathir elucidates on this with reference to a hadith,
“Narrated ‘Um Al-`Ala:
An Ansari woman who gave the pledge of allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ) that the Ansar drew lots concerning the dwelling of the Emigrants. `Uthman bin Maz’un was decided to dwell with them (i.e. Um Al-`Ala’s family), `Uthman fell ill and I nursed him till he died, and we covered him with his clothes. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) came to us and I (addressing the dead body) said, “O Abu As-Sa’ib, may Allah’s Mercy be on you! I bear witness that Allah has honored you.” On that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “How do you know that Allah has honored him?” I replied, “I do not know. May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you, O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! But who else is worthy of it (if not `Uthman)?” He said, “As to him, by Allah, death has overtaken him, and I hope the best for him. By Allah, though I am the Apostle of Allah, yet I do not know what Allah will do to me…”
Muhammad cannot guarantee anybody paradise because even he himself is not sure of his eternal destiny. Jesus on the other hand is guaranteed paradise from the day of His birth.
E. Creation of life
Jesus in the Quran gives life to a clay object,
“And will make him a messenger unto the Children of Israel, (saying): Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird, by Allah’s leave…”
(Surah 3:49)
Jesus creates life just like Allah does. Our Muslim friends will be quick to remind us that it is by the permission of Allah but saying something is by Allah’s permission does not prove anything. I can claim Jesus did it by my permission as well, talk is cheap. Point is Jesus is capable of giving life in Islam, Muhammad on the other hand had no miracles and thus we can safely conclude he could not give life to anybody.
E. Word and Spirit of Allah
The Quran calls Jesus the Spirit and Word of Allah,
“People of the Book, do not exceed the limits of devotion in your religion or say anything about God which is not the Truth. Jesus, son of Mary, is only a Messenger of God, His Word, and a spirit from Him whom He conveyed to Mary.”
(Surah 4:171)
Again, we are still waiting for the Muslim who would explain what exactly this means to us. Allah’s word is eternal so if Jesus is the word of Allah, it follows that Jesus must be eternal. The Spirit from Allah also has to be eternal so the same logic applies. Whatever this word and this Spirit are, they come from within Allah, so Jesus comes from within Allah as His Word and Spirit. The fact that Jesus is still alive till today corroborates this.
Muhammad on the other hand lets us know there is nothing special about him.
“Say, “I am not something original among the messengers…”
(Surah 46:9)
F. Alive
In Islam, Jesus remains very much alive today,
“And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah’s messenger — they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.
But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise.”
(Surah 4:157–158)
Allah took Jesus to Himself and to prove he is still alive, Jesus is expected to descend from heaven at the last hour,
“Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax…”
(Sahih Bukhari Book 46 Hadith 37)
Muhammad on the other hand is dead, he died of food poisoning (courtesy of a woman who he r*ped after killing her family). Interestingly he died in the exact way Allah said he would if he was fabricating revelation.
“And if he had invented false sayings concerning Us, We would have seized him by the right hand;
Then We would have cut from him the aorta.”
(Surah 69:44–46)
According to the hadith,
“Narrated `Aisha:
The Prophet (ﷺ) in his ailment in which he died, used to say, “O `Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison.”
(Sahih Bukhari Book 64 Hadith 450)
In all of this, there is one big theme and one big question,
Jesus is greater than Muhammad in every conceivable way, He is without sin, of a divine origin (i.e. from within Allah), knows the unseen, does amazing miracles, is capable of giving life, is guaranteed paradise and is still very much alive today, Why in the world do Muslims insist on following a prophet who is sinful, does not know the unseen, incapable of giving life, is unsure of his eternal destiny, could not perform a miracle to save his life and is uhm, DEAD?
Why do our Muslim friends choose to follow the dead Muhammad over the living Jesus? Why do they choose to be uncertain about their eternal destination rather than come to the one who even according to the Quran can give life?
