The Talmidi community has laboured long and hard to restore the original Jewishness of the Prophet Yeshua, because his Jewish identity was stolen from him by Paul of Tarsus. It therefore comes as something of a surprise to learn that there are some pro-Islamist individuals out there, who dubiously claim to be Followers of the Way, but strangely use Islamic terminology to describe Yeshua (or Issa) and his teachings, and insist that he was a Muslim. Someone who claims to be a Follower of the Way, but who simultaneously tries to erase his Jewish identity and islamise him, is doing no better than what Paul of Tarsus did.
Just like most people, I‘ve known for a very long time that Islam holds Yeshua to have been a Muslim, so that is not what irks me; it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Over the years, it is always surprising to learn that even some ‘so-called‘ Followers of the Way believe that he was a Muslim, and that he taught Islam, rather than faithfulness to the Jewish religion.
Some even refer to his ministry and prophethood as a ‘Caliphate’, even though a Caliphate is an empire ruled by a Caliph (literally, ‘deputy’ – that is, of Muhammad). A Caliphate is an Islamic form of state governance, based on Sharia law, representing the political and spiritual leadership of the global Muslim community (the ummah). It is led by a caliph, a successor or deputy to Muhammad, tasked with upholding Islamic law, and managing Islamic societal affairs.
In complete contrast, Yeshua, as a Jewish prophet, never ruled by Sharia law, and never taught one jot or tittle of Sharia law. Yeshua was not called to rule, he was called to serve – he had a ministry, not a caliphate. Yeshua’s ideal of leadership (service) and that of Muhammad (totalitarian rule), are at completely polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.
Furthermore, Yeshua encouraged his followers to have a close personal relationship with God; this is not allowed in Islam (Quran 19:92-95). Like many Jews of his time, Yeshua called God ‘our heavenly Father’ (abbun d’bishmáyyā in Aramaic); this is also forbidden in Islam, since Allah has no children, only slaves (Quran 19:93).
The artificial Muhammadan construct that is Issa in the Quran would absolutely have affirmed the revelation of the Quran, and completely approved of everything that Muhammad did and taught. Muhammad‘s premise was that all true prophets must have agreed with Islam (which, to be honest, is an inherently weak argument). On the other hand, there is no credible, scholarly basis to say that the historical Jewish Yeshua would have submitted to Muhammad, to the Quran, or to the Islamic Allah, as defined by Islamic revelation seven centuries later. There is no evidence that Yeshua would have identified with, anticipated, or affirmed Islam as it is defined and described in the Quran.
At the end of this article, I have listed some Muslim beliefs about Yeshua that neither Christianity nor Talmidaism accept.
Islamic Supercessionism
Superimposing Islamic language and terminology onto the life of Yeshua does not make him a Muslim, no matter how hard and how long someone tries. Claiming that Yeshua was a prophet of Islam is not only anachronistic (since Islam as an ideology did not exist until the 7th century CE), it is also cultural supercessionism, if not cultural appropriation. To have someone who considers themselves a Follower of the Way, also claim that Yeshua was a Muslim, is a perversion of everything good that Yeshua stood for; there are many alarming things that the Quran proclaims and which Muhammad taught and did, which would absolutely horrify Yeshua and shake him to the core.
The Quran says that Muhammad was the first Muslim (6:161-163, 39:11-12). Allah then changes his mind 3 times, and eventually claims all previous Hebrew prophets for Islam (e.g. 7:143, 2:132, 20:115), thus obliterating their Jewish and Israelite identities.
Throughout history, it has been standard Islamic practice, as they expanded their brutal empire by the sword, to forcibly take over non-Muslim areas, buildings and institutions, and rebrand them all as Islamic. In the violent expansion of their imperialist and colonialist project, appropriating and subsuming other cultures is what they have always done.
After having laboured and studied hard to reclaim Yeshua the Jew for the Israelite faith, so that Talmidis can go forward with a realistic image of who and what Yeshua truly was, it comes as something of a face-palming moment when certain ‘so-called’ Followers of the Way claim that Yeshua was actually a true Muslim, and use Islamic imperialist and colonialist terms to describe him and his ministry.
You cannot follow two religions at the same time, or two ethical systems, with sharply divided loyalties and values, and still consider oneself to be a Follower of the Way. My dearest brothers and sisters, either one is a Talmidi, or one is a Muslim – one cannot be both. Our ethical values are completely different. Our fundamental approach to God, to life and to religion are completely different.
Why Yeshua was not a Muslim
Islam, when referring to Hebrew prophets, applies the term ‘Muslim‘ very loosely. Some Muslims claim that Yeshua was a Muslim simply because “he submitted to God”, but that is intellectually fraudulent and dishonest – I myself submit completely to God, but there is nothing Islamic or Muslim about me. I could not be described as a Muslim, because I do not accept that Muhammad was a prophet – his cruelty and his murderously authoritarian behaviour prove that he was nothing like a true prophet of God. Nor do I accept the validity of the Quran – I believe it was all made up in the mind of Muhammad. And I refuse to worship Allah; to follow the cruel, totalitarian ideology of Allah would be a betrayal of the One True God I worship.
In discussions about whether the Hebrew prophets were “Muslim,” the term is often introduced in a very broad sense, meaning simply, “one who submits to God.” At that level, the claim appears straightforward and difficult to dispute. However, when examined more closely, proponents admit that the term “Muslim” is not being used in such a purely abstract sense, but carries instead a very specific doctrinal meaning: one who submits to a God as defined by the Quran, one who unquestioningly accepts the authority of Muhammad, and who follows the framework of Islam as a distinct religious system. The tension arises from holding these two definitions simultaneously – one broad and universal, the other narrow and particular – and moving between them with apparent ease as needed. This allows the term to be applied retrospectively to figures who did not share any of that doctrinal framework. Yet the distinction remains significant. One may submit wholeheartedly to God, as I do, while explicitly rejecting the specific claims that define Islam, and therefore not be a Muslim in any meaningful doctrinal sense.
The Differences matter, not the Similarities
When you are trying to work out if someone was or was not something, you don’t look at what they have in common, you look at where they differ. If you only look at what they have in common, then you could equally conclude that a dog must be a type of cat, just because they both have claws, paws, fur, canine teeth, and walk on four legs.
Just like many Jews and most Christians, Yeshua called God ‘Father’. He taught us a deep, close, personal relationship with God. According to the Quran, these two things alone would instantly disqualify Yeshua as a Muslim, as well as all his ancient Jewish followers.
Islam in general takes Yeshua as a prophet of Islam, and pilfers the identities of all Hebrew prophets to make them into Muslim prophets who taught Islam. Not even Christianity claims that the biblical Hebrew prophets were Christians who taught Christianity. Bottom line is that Muslims all claim that Yeshua was a Muslim, not a Jew.
This is a list of things which would disqualify Yeshua from being described as a Muslim:
1. Yeshua was obedient to the teachings of YHVH, Moses and the biblical prophets; A Muslim in complete contrast is obedient to the words of Allah in the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad (what Yeshua was obedient to, and what a Muslim is obedient to, are not the same)
2. Yeshua was Torah-observant; not a single Muslim is Torah-observant
3. Yeshua observed the Sabbath and the Jewish festivals; not a single Muslim observes the Sabbath or any of the Jewish festivals
4. Yeshua prayed facing the Temple in Jerusalem; not a single Muslim prays towards the Temple (many of them deny the Temple ever even existed); instead Muslims pray towards the Kaaba in Mecca.
5. Yeshua operated within a Jewish legal framework and references; a Muslim operates within an Islamic legal framework (Sharia), which is quite different; the legal values, ideals and principles of Islam and Judaism are very different
6. Yeshua’s primary audience was the Jewish people; the Quran and Muhammad taught that the Jewish people should be exterminated
7. Yeshua was a prophet of the God of Israel; Muhammad was a Messenger of Allah (they are different Gods, and in the 7th century, most Jews refused to accept Muhammad as a prophet, since he did not fulfil the criteria for a prophet)
And now, in detail (the list of Muslim beliefs about Yeshua appear right at the end):
1. Identity and religious framework
- Born, lived, and died as a Jew in the Galilee and Judaea (i.e. within the Land of Israel)
- Operated entirely within the ethical world of the Miqra (Hebrew Scriptures)
- Addressed Israel as his primary audience
- Identified with the people and covenant of Israel
2. Torah observance
- Affirmed the Torah as authoritative
- “I have not come to abolish the Law…” (Matthew 5:17)
- Observed:
- Sabbath
- Dietary laws (as a Jew of his time)
- Pilgrimage festivals (e.g. Passover)
3. Worship practices
- Prayed in the Jewish manner (standing or kneeling, using blessing formulas, Psalms etc)
- Worshipped in:
- Synagogues
- The Jerusalem Temple
- Referred to God using Jewish covenantal language (e.g. “God of Israel,” “Father” etc)
4. Teaching style and content
- Taught using:
- Parables (a Jewish teaching method)
- Midrash-like interpretation of Scripture
- Engaged in intra-Jewish legal debates (e.g. on Sabbath, purity)
- Quoted and interpreted the Miqra extensively
5. Relationship to Jewish groups
- Debated with:
- Pharisees
- Sadducees
- These debates reflect internal Jewish discourse, not a different religion
6. Messianic framework
- Operated within Jewish expectations of:
- The Messiah
- Restoration of Israel
- His followers identified him using Jewish categories and terminologies, not Islamic ones
7. Language and culture
- Spoke Aramaic (and likely Hebrew)
- Lived fully within the Jewish cultural life of 1st-century Judea and the Galilee
8. What he did not do (key absences relative to Islam)
- He did not:
- Self-identify as a ’Muslim’ in any historical sense
- Follow or teach any part of the Qur’an
- Acknowledge Muhammad
- Use Islamic legal categories (e.g. ummah, sharia)
- Perform Islamic ritual forms (e.g. salat as later standardised)
- Teach in Arabic or within an Arabian context
- Teach that all Jews should be exterminated, as Muhammad did
- He did not hold or teach the Islamic values tht the Quran and Muhammad taught (e.g. that women are inferior to men, allow polygamy or beating women in marriage, allow rape, advocate marriage or sexual intercourse with children, forbid doubt or questioning in matters of religion, allow forced conversions, allow spreading of religion by violence, that apostates should be killed, teach collective punishment, teach pre-destination, that lying is acceptable, that salvation is only through absolute unquestioning obedience, that people of other religions should be killed, that heaven is all about men having eternal sex with virgins, etc etc etc)
9. Theological differences (historical record)
- Used language about God that differs greatly from Islamic formulations
- Did not present himself within the prophetic sequence culminating in Muhammad
10. Chronological reality
- Lived in the 1st century CE
- Islam emerged only in the 7th century CE
This alone means:
- He cannot be a ’Muslim’ in the historical sense of belonging to that later religious community
Bottom line
Historically speaking:
- Yeshua is best understood as a Jewish teacher and prophet within Second Temple Judaism
- The claim that he was ’Muslim’ depends entirely on a later theological redefinition of the word ’Muslim’, not on any historical evidence
Some Muslim Beliefs about the Life of Yeshua
In the Quran, the Hadiths and various writings, there are a number of beliefs about Isa (Jesus / Yeshua) which are not found in the gospels. A number of them, however, do appear in fringe, heretical Christian, early mediaeval apocryphal literature, and Muslims ended up including them in their tradition:
1. Talking as a baby: all Muslims believe that Jesus (Isa) spoke from the cradle as a newborn. This is considered one of his primary miracles in Islam and is explicitly documented in the Quran (19:29-33, 3:46, 5:110). He spoke to say that he was a prophet, that he was given the Scripture (Injil, the Gospel), and that he was a servant of Allah. This probably originates in Christian works (various Infancy gospels), where Jesus speaks and tells everyone that he is the divine Son of God.
2. Bringing Clay Birds to Life: One of the most famous miracles of Jesus in the Quran (3:49 and 5:110) is that he fashioned birds out of clay, breathed into them, and they became living, flying birds by God’s leave. While this appears in the apocryphal Infancy Gospel of Thomas, it is absent from the canonical Bible and Talmidi teachings.
3. The Banquet from Heaven: The Quranic chapter Al-Ma’idah (The Table, surah 5) is named after a supposed miracle where Jesus’s disciples requested a sign. Jesus prayed to God, and a table miraculously descended from heaven, fully laden with food.
4. Jesus predicted the coming of Muhammad: In Surah 61:6, Jesus tells the Jews: “O Children of Israel! I am truly Allah’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving glad tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad”. Ahmad is the heavenly name of Muhammad.
5. The Talking Skull: Jesus comes across an old skull on the road. He prays to God to give the skull the power of speech. The skull then recounts its former life as a powerful king or a sinner, describing the experience of death and the afterlife. Jesus uses this ’testimony from the grave’ to teach his disciples about the vanity of worldly power—a narrative style more common in Persian and Arabic folklore than in Christian scripture
6. He was not a tribulation-prophet: While the gospels portray Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet, and Talmidaism views him as a tribulation prophet, there is no prophetic purpose to his ministry in the Quran except to affirm belief in Allah and Islamic theology, and to predict the coming of Muhammad. There is no mention of the Kingdom of God as Yeshua expounds it, or any sense of urgency – in Judaism, prophets come to give warnings to people, to change and repent; in Islam, prophets are there to give new revelations. Islamic theology generally struggles with the idea of a prophet ‘failing’ or being killed, or being a tragic figure who warns of a doom that actually happens
7. Jesus was not crucified: Most Muslims believe Jesus was not crucified, but it was made to appear that way (Surah 4:157) – someone else was crucified in his place, and he himself was made to ascend alive into heaven before the crucifixion took place.
8. No Resurrection: This means that there was no resurrection, since Isa (Yeshua) did not die before God took him alive into heaven
9. Where Jesus will land at his second coming: Islamic prophecy specifically names his landing spot. He is said to descend from heaven leaning on the wings of two angels at the White Minaret on the eastern side of Damascus, Syria.
10. What Jesus will do at his second coming: Muhammad taught that when Jesus returns at the end of time, he will break the cross (symbolising the end of Christianity), kill a pig (signalling the end of all previous religious laws given by Allah), and abolish the jizya tax (since everyone will be Muslim by then).
11. Eventual burial in Medina: Mainstream Islam teaches that after Jesus returns and defeats the Dajjal (Antichrist), he will live on Earth for 40 years, marry, and eventually die a natural death. Islamic tradition holds that he will be buried in Medina, Saudi Arabia, in a vacant spot next to the Prophet Muhammad in the Green Dome of the Prophet’s Mosque.