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When Allah sent Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) to the Children of Israel around 30 CE, his message carried the same essential truth proclaimed by every prophet from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them all): worship Allah alone, without partners, intermediaries, or rivals. The Quran preserves this original call in its purest form, recording the very first words Isa spoke from the cradle: "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the scripture and made me a prophet" (Surah Maryam 19:30). That his opening declaration was one of servitude, not divinity, establishes with finality the nature of Isa: a human being, created and commissioned by his Lord.
Isa arrived at a time when the religion of Banu Isra'il had undergone centuries of distortion. The Pharisees and temple priests had buried the essence of Musa's monotheism under layers of ritual formalism, nationalist exclusivity, and love of worldly status. They traded the commandments of Allah for human traditions, hoarded religious authority, and turned faith into a mechanism of social control. Ibn Kathir notes in his tafsir that the scholars of that era had become so consumed with the letter of the law that they lost its spirit entirely.
Into this environment, Allah sent Isa with a message of direct servitude, sincere inner worship, and radical moral reform. The Quran records his mission: "And [he will be] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [who will say]: 'Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord'" (Surah Aal Imran 3:49). He healed the blind and the leper by Allah's permission, raised the dead by Allah's permission, and informed people of what they stored in their homes. Every miracle was a sign pointing not to Isa himself but to the One who granted him these abilities.
The Injil (Gospel) revealed to Isa was genuine divine scripture, a confirmation of the Torah with certain modifications permitted by Allah. "And [I have come] confirming what was before me of the Torah and to make lawful for you some of what was forbidden to you" (Surah Aal Imran 3:50). It contained guidance on prayer, fasting, purification of the heart, care for the poor, and the remembrance of death and the afterlife. Its theological core was identical to the Torah before it and the Quran after it: la ilaha illa Allah.
As Imam al-Tabari explains, Isa did not come to abolish the law of Musa but to restore its original intent and ease certain burdens that had been placed upon Banu Isra'il as a consequence of their disobedience.
The Quran narrates a scene from the Day of Judgment in which Allah asks directly: "O Isa, son of Maryam, did you say to the people: 'Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah?'" Isa responds: "Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:116). This testimony is definitive. The claim of Isa's divinity is a human fabrication, one he himself will disown before his Creator.
The concept of the Trinity has no basis in the original message. The Quran states: "They have certainly disbelieved who say, 'Allah is the third of three.' And there is no god except one God" (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:73). Tawhid, absolute and undivided monotheism, was the foundation of his call, as it was the foundation of every prophetic mission.
Among the most significant elements of Isa's mission was the glad tidings he gave of a final messenger. The Quran records: "And when Isa, the son of Maryam, said: 'O Children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad'" (Surah As-Saff 61:6).
This prophecy, pointing toward the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), was a foundational element of the true Injil. Those who later corrupted the scripture worked to obscure or reinterpret this foretelling. Ibn Taymiyyah in al-Jawab al-Sahih discusses at length how traces of this prophecy survive even in the altered Biblical texts, particularly in the references to the "Paraclete" in the Gospel of John.
The mission of Isa represents both a continuation and a turning point in prophetic history. He was the last prophet sent specifically to Banu Isra'il, the seal of Israelite prophethood. His message confirmed the unbroken chain of tawhid stretching from Adam through Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, and all the prophets between them.
Understanding Isa's true message is essential for Muslims, Christians, and all who seek the truth. Islam honors Isa as one of the greatest messengers of Allah, a word from Him cast unto Maryam and a spirit from Him. It rejects only what was falsely attributed to him after his departure: divinity, sonship, and a sacrificial death he never experienced. The Quran corrects the record, and on the Day of Judgment, Isa himself will confirm it.