An Open Letter to Our Christian Friends

In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

Why This Letter Exists
This letter is written with sincerity, respect, and a shared love for Jesus (peace be upon him).
 It is not written to offend, provoke, or dismiss your faith.
 It is written because Jesus matters.
 Because truth matters.
 And because God matters.

If you are reading this, we ask only one thing of you:
Please read with an open heart and an honest mind.

Our Shared Love for Jesus
You may be surprised to learn this, but Muslims love Jesus.

We believe in:

A Muslim cannot be a Muslim without believing in Jesus.

But love does not require worship.
And honor does not require divinity.

An Honest Question Worth Asking
We ask you, gently and sincerely:
Did Jesus ever clearly say, “I am God. Worship me”?

Not a metaphor.
Not an interpretation.
Not a conclusion reached centuries later through councils and creeds.

If this declaration were central to salvation, would it not be unmistakable?

Instead, the Bible records Jesus saying:

 “I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17)
“The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28)
 “I can do nothing by myself” (John 5:30)

We find Jesus praying to God (Luke 6:12), thanking God (Matthew 11:25), submitting to God (Matthew 26:39), and teaching others to worship God (Matthew 4:11). 

This is not the language of God, it is the language of a devoted servant.

How the Prophets Spoke About God
The prophets before Jesus were clear and united in their understanding of God:

“God is not a man, that He should lie.”
Numbers 23:19

God does not grow tired (Isaiah 40:28).
 God does not feel hunger (Psalm 50:12)
  God does not sleep (Psalm 121:4) or pray.

Yet Jesus experienced all of these realities.

If Jesus prayed (Luke 5:16), then who was he praying to?
 If he experienced hunger and weakness, how could he be God?

Islam teaches that God is One. His Oneness encompasses over His characteristics and attributes - eternal, independent, unchanging, and His resemblance cannot be found in any other being. This belief lies at the heart of true monotheism.

Miracles Are Signs - Not Identity
Jesus healed the blind, cured lepers, and raised the dead, by God’s permission.

Other prophets performed miracles as well. Moses split the sea. Elijah raised the dead. Elisha healed the sick.

Miracles are signs of prophethood, not proofs of divinity.

Jesus never took credit for his power. He consistently pointed beyond himself, to God.

Mary and Jesus in the Qur’an and the Teachings of Islam
One of the most remarkable facts about Islam is how profoundly it honors both Mary (Maryam) and Jesus (ʿĪsā) (peace be upon them).

Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an, and an entire chapter is named after her (Surah Maryam, Qur’an 19). She is described as pure and chosen over the women of all the worlds (Qur’an 3:42).

Jesus is mentioned by name dozens of times in the Qur’an. His miraculous birth, his moral character, his message, his miracles, and his future return are all affirmed with clarity and reverence.

In the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Jesus holds a unique and honored position. Muslims are taught to send peace upon him, to believe in his mission, and to await his return near the end of time (Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī; Saḥīḥ Muslim).

Importantly, Islam makes a clear distinction:

  • Jesus is deeply honored
  • But worship belongs to God alone

This balance preserves both love and truth, reverence without exaggeration.

An Invitation to Look for Yourself

We invite you, sincerely and respectfully, to look these things up for yourself.
Read what the Qur’an says about:

  • Mary’s devotion and purity
  • Jesus’ birth and mission
  • His miracles, message, and return 

Explore what the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad teach about Jesus and Mary (Peace be upon them).

You are not being asked to rely on secondhand explanations.
 You are invited to read the sources directly.

Just as Christians value reading the Bible in context, Islam invites seekers to read the Qur’an thoughtfully and honestly.

A Question of Justice and Mercy

Christian theology teaches that all humanity is born in sin, and that God required the suffering and death of an innocent man, Jesus, to atone for it and absolve the guilty.

We ask, respectfully and thoughtfully:

  • If every child is born bearing a sin they did not commit, where is God’s innate mercy and justice?
  • Is justice fulfilled by punishing the innocent?
  • Can moral responsibility be transferred from one soul to another?
  • Does God require blood in order to forgive?

Islam teaches something both morally coherent and spiritually profound: that God forgives directly, that repentance is personal, and that no soul bears the burden of another (Qur’an 6:164).

No Inherited Sin: Every child is born pure, in a state of fitrah (natural innocence). Sin is not an inherited condition, but a consequence of conscious choices.

This view preserves God’s absolute justice; where no soul is punished for another’s crime, and His limitless mercy, which requires no payment to be granted.

God saved Jesus. He did not abandon him.

Jesus Will Return
Islam does not end the story of Jesus, it completes it.

Muslims believe Jesus will return near the end of time to restore truth, correct misunderstandings, and reaffirm sincere worship of the One God. He will return not as God, but as a servant of God, living by divine guidance.

This is not about reducing Jesus.
 It is about restoring clarity.

Not Rejection - But Restoration

Islam does not reject Jesus.
 It restores him.

We do not lower his status, we protect it:

  • From exaggeration
  • From theological confusion
  • From being transformed into an object of worship 

We return him to what he always was: A noble prophet calling humanity to worship God alone.

An Invitation, Not a Demand
If what you have read has stirred questions in your heart, we invite you, not to abandon Jesus, but to understand him more clearly.

Islam does not ask you to reject Jesus. It asks you to see him as he truly was: a messenger of God, a servant devoted to God, and a caller to pure monotheism.

To explore Islam is not to step away from faith, it is to step deeper into the very foundation upon which all prophets stood.

Islam teaches that God is One, without partners; that forgiveness comes directly from Him; that salvation is rooted in faith, repentance, and righteous action; and that every soul stands before God individually.

No intermediaries.
 No inherited guilt.
 No confusion, only clarity.

You are not asked to accept blindly.
 You are invited to reflect, question, and seek.

Read the Qur’an with the same sincerity you would hope for from someone reading the Bible. Ask God, humbly and honestly, to guide you to what is true.

The God of Abraham hears sincere prayers.

And if Islam is true, then it is not foreign.
 It is familiar.
 It is the faith of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all).

“Indeed, God guides whom He wills to a straight path.”

Peace be upon Jesus.
 Peace be upon Mary.
 Peace be upon all who follow the truth.


Learn more at:
whowasJesus.org