Questions and Answers on Islamic Doctrine

Question 29: Muslims claim to love Jesus, honour him, and believe in his message.  Why then do they prefer Muhammad to him?  Jesus is after all not only a messenger, but also the son of God.

Answer 29: There are two parts to this question:

A. We, as Muslims, truly believe that Jesus, son of Mary, is one of the prophets belonging to the elevated category of ulu al’azm prophets (possessors of steadfastness).  Muslims love him, honour him and do believe in his message.  However, Muslims consider him to be a servant to God and not a son of Him.

B. It is up to God to establish  hierarchy among his messengers based on His divine wisdom.  He made prophet Muhammad (pbuh) special in certain respects.  He is the seal of the prophets.  His message completes and abrogates all that came before him.  He was also known as God’s intimate.  Also, he was sent to all of the creation.