Introduction for the Muslim reader
In the Islamic faith, all prophets without exception had a clear message:
Worship God alone.
The prophet is not the focus of faith, but rather points people to God and then hides behind the message.
But when we read the Gospels, we notice something different about Jesus’ way of calling.
He doesn’t just say, “Return to God.”
Rather, he repeatedly says:
“Follow me.”
“Come to me.”
“Who believes in me?”
Here the question arises: Was Jesus calling to God only…or was he calling people to himself?
The difference between “Believe in God” and “Believe in Me”
In the Old Testament, prophets called the people to believe in God. But Jesus says:
“You believe in God, believe in me too.” (John 14)
Here he positions himself not only as a carrier of the message, but as a person who should be the subject of faith itself.
In Islamic thought, belief in God is a duty, but belief in the person of the Prophet means believing him as a messenger, not making him the focus of salvation.
But in the Gospel, faith in Jesus is not belief in a prophet, but rather trust in his very person.
“Follow me”: an unusual invitation
When the prophets called people, they said: “Follow the law of God.”
As for Jesus, he simply passed by and said: “Follow me.”
He was not referring to a book in his hands, nor to a new system of law, but to himself.
He even said:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”
This kind of demand for absolute loyalty would not normally come from a prophet.
“I am the way”
In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
He did not say: “I will show you the way.” Rather, he said: “I am the way.”
In Islam, the path is Islam itself, and the prophets guide it.
But here, the path is not a system… but a person.
Jesus as the center of salvation
In Christian teaching, salvation is achieved not only by obedience to the commandments, but by a relationship with Christ.
- “Whoever believes in me has eternal life.”
- “I am the resurrection and the life.”
- “Without me you can do nothing.”
These expressions place Jesus at the center of the relationship between man and God.
Here lies the problem:
Is it permissible for a prophet to put himself in this position?
How did his contemporaries understand his words?
What is noteworthy is that many in his time saw in his statements a claim that went beyond the limits of prophecy.
They accused him of:
- He makes himself equal to God
- He asks for himself what he asks for God
Whether we agree with their interpretation or not, they realized that his words were not normal.
A question worth pondering
If Jesus was just a prophet, why did He make faith in Him a condition for eternal life?
Why didn’t he just say:
“Believe in God and obey His commandments”?
Was he exaggerating? Or was it revealing a deeper identity?
Open conclusion
The issue is not a comparison between two religions, but rather an honest reading of the texts.
Jesus in the Gospel appears not only as a guide to God, but as a living bridge between man and God.
The question remains for every Muslim reader who considers the Gospels fairly:
Can a prophet be the same way?
Or was Jesus declaring something greater than prophecy?