How does Islam view Jesus (as)?

For Islam, Jesus (as) is a chosen servant and one of the holiest prophets of God, bearing the special title of Messiah. Every Muslim must believe in him, yet he is a human being and not the Son of God.

For Islam, Jesus (as) belongs to the community of prophets. A Muslim makes no distinction between the prophets of God in the sense that all of them brought messages from God and all must be believed. A Muslim who rejects Jesus (as) is no longer a Muslim. This is distinctive of Islam, for it requires belief in all the prophets, wherever and whenever they came.

The Holy Qur’an gives Jesus (as) the special title of Messiah. It is tied to a special task. He did not come to replace the religion of the Torah, but to renew the attitude within it. The Torah also knew forgiveness, yet in the course of history retribution had come to the fore. Jesus (as) placed forgiveness and mercy back at the centre.

The Holy Qur’an also confirms that Jesus (as) was born miraculously without a father, and that his mother Mary was a pure and truthful woman. But a miracle does not make him God. He was created at a particular time, whereas God is eternal. When the Bible calls him the Son of God, it is an expression of closeness and affection, just as it also calls the children of Israel children of God.

So Muslims honour Jesus (as) as one of the holiest servants of God. Seeing him as a human being and a prophet takes nothing away from his greatness. Rather, it preserves the oneness of God that he himself preached.