Muhammad vs Jesus: Stark Contrasts
When comparing the lives and teachings of Muhammad and Jesus, we encounter two fundamentally different figures who claimed divine authority but lived radically different lives. These differences are not minor variations but reveal contrasting approaches to power, violence, relationships, and the nature of God's kingdom.
Their Births and Early Lives
Jesus was born to a virgin in humble circumstances, announced by angels, and worshiped by wise men who recognized him as the promised King (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2). He grew up in obscurity as a carpenter's son, living a sinless life from birth. Islamic sources acknowledge the virgin birth (Quran 19:16-21), yet deny his divinity.
Muhammad, according to Islamic tradition, was born in Mecca around 570 AD to ordinary parents. His father died before his birth, and his mother when he was six. While Muslim tradition surrounds his birth with miraculous signs, these accounts developed centuries after his death and are not found in the earliest Islamic sources.
Their Messages and Missions
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God—a spiritual kingdom not of this world (John 18:36). His message centered on repentance, forgiveness, love for enemies, and reconciliation with God through faith. He promised eternal life through belief in him: "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die" (John 11:25).
Muhammad proclaimed submission to Allah and established a comprehensive legal, political, and military system. The Quran states: "This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion" (Quran 5:3). Islam became not just a faith but a complete civilization encompassing law, governance, warfare, and daily life.
Their Use of Violence
Jesus never took up the sword. When Peter drew his sword to defend him, Jesus rebuked him: "Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52). He taught love for enemies: "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). He willingly went to the cross, praying for his executioners: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).
Muhammad led and authorized numerous military campaigns. Islamic sources record he participated in at least 27 battles and authorized 38 other military expeditions. The Quran contains verses commanding warfare: "Fighting has been enjoined upon you while it is hateful to you" (Quran 2:216). Muhammad personally ordered executions, including the beheading of 600-900 Jewish men of the Banu Qurayza tribe after their surrender (Sahih Bukhari 5:59:448).
"And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush." (Quran 9:5)
Their Relationships with Women
Jesus treated women with revolutionary dignity for his time. He spoke publicly with women (John 4), defended them from stoning (John 8:1-11), appeared first to women after his resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10), and included women among his followers. He remained celibate and never married, maintaining absolute moral purity.
Muhammad had at least 11 wives, including Aisha, whom he married when she was six years old and consummated the marriage when she was nine (Sahih Bukhari 5:58:236, Sahih Muslim 8:3310). His wives included Safiyya, a Jewish woman whose husband he had killed in battle. The Quran gave Muhammad special privileges regarding marriage that other Muslims did not have (Quran 33:50).
"The Messenger of Allah married me when I was six years old, and consummated the marriage with me when I was nine, and I used to play with dolls." (Sahih Muslim 8:3311)
Their Deaths and Claims
Jesus predicted his death and resurrection repeatedly (Matthew 16:21, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22). He died voluntarily as a sacrifice for sin: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends" (John 15:13). Three days later, he rose from the dead, appearing to over 500 witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:6), validating all his claims.
Muhammad died in 632 AD, likely from illness or poisoning. According to Sahih Bukhari (5:59:713), a Jewish woman had poisoned him years earlier at Khaibar, and he felt the effects until his death. He made no prediction of resurrection and offered no definitive proof of his prophethood beyond the Quran itself, which he claimed was miraculous.
Their Teachings on Forgiveness
Jesus taught unlimited forgiveness. When asked how many times to forgive, he said "seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:22)—meaning without limit. He forgave those who crucified him and commanded his followers to do likewise.
Muhammad taught both forgiveness and retaliation. The Quran states: "And if you punish [an enemy], punish with an equivalent of that with which you were harmed. But if you are patient - it is better for those who are patient" (Quran 16:126). However, Islamic law (Sharia) prescribes specific punishments for various offenses, including death for apostasy and adultery.
Their Claims About Themselves
Jesus claimed to be God in human form: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). He accepted worship (Matthew 14:33, John 9:38), forgave sins (Mark 2:5-7), and claimed authority over the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). He said, "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58), using the divine name from Exodus 3:14.
Muhammad consistently denied being divine. The Quran states: "Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him" (Quran 3:144). He claimed only to be a warner and messenger, though he is considered the final and greatest prophet in Islam.
Their Miracles
Jesus performed numerous public miracles verified by hostile witnesses: healing the blind, deaf, and paralyzed; raising the dead; calming storms; walking on water; multiplying food. Even his enemies didn't dispute his miracles, only their source (Matthew 12:24).
Muhammad performed no public verifiable miracles according to the Quran itself: "And they say, 'Why are not signs sent down to him from his Lord?' Say, 'The signs are only with Allah, and I am only a clear warner'" (Quran 29:50). Later Islamic tradition invented miracle stories, but these are not found in the earliest sources.
Biblical Contrast
The Bible presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, the promised Messiah who would suffer for humanity's sins (Isaiah 53). Jesus embodies God's love: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" (John 3:16).
Christianity teaches salvation by grace through faith, not works: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus' death and resurrection provide the way to reconciliation with God.
The contrast is stark: Jesus came as a suffering servant, Muhammad as a conquering prophet. Jesus brought a message of sacrificial love, Muhammad a system of law and submission. Jesus died for his enemies, Muhammad fought against them. Jesus rose from the dead, Muhammad remains in his grave.
Questions to Consider
- Why did Jesus refuse political and military power while Muhammad embraced it?
- How does the sinless life of Jesus compare to Muhammad's documented actions in warfare, marriage, and leadership?
- What does it mean that Jesus performed public miracles while Muhammad claimed only the Quran as his miracle?
- Why did Jesus die willingly while Muhammad died unexpectedly from illness?
- How does Jesus' resurrection validate his claims in ways that Muhammad's death does not?
- Which approach better reflects the character of a loving God—Jesus' command to love enemies or Muhammad's authorization of warfare against unbelievers?
- If Jesus and Muhammad taught contradictory messages about God's nature and the path to salvation, can both be true prophets from the same God?
- What does Muhammad's special privileges regarding marriage and warfare suggest about the human origin of these revelations?