The word Islam means submission to Allah. As part of this submission, Muslims (the followers of Islam) hold to five pillars, which include fasting during Ramadan, making a trip to Mecca, giving to the poor, praying five times a day, and proclaiming that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.

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The origins of Islam can be traced back to Muhammad, born in Mecca in 570 AD in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Muslims claim that in c. 610 AD, Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel, who revealed that the polytheistic beliefs of the day were wrong and that there was only one God. When Muhammad began to teach these monotheistic revelations to his hometown of Mecca, it conflicted with their polytheistic beliefs, drawing intense persecution of both Muhammad and his followers. Hence, in 622 AD, Muhammad fled to Medina in what became known as the "Hijra," or flight. Although Muhammad died in 632 AD, it was not before his teachings had taken an unbreakable stronghold.​ 

 

Following Muhammad's death, Islam began to spread throughout the world. Today, The World Population Review claims that "Islam, with over two billion followers, is the second-largest religion globally and projected to outnumber Christians by 2050."¹​ This remarkable growth should be no surprise - Genesis 17:20 promises that the descendants of Ismael will be a great nation, and some Arab Muslims believe to be from Ishmael's line.²​ Hence, because Islam is backed in part by a people group promised by God to be a great nation, it's inevitably here to stay. So with that in mind, let's be ready to defend the faith by examining the Muslim Holy Book, the Quran, against the truth of God's Word. 

 

Error: Islam Denies the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ

 

The Quran in chapter 2 verse 136 states, "Say, ˹O believers,˺ 'We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us; and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants; and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. And to Allah we all submit.'"³ In this verse, Jesus Christ is listed among the likes of Moses and Ishmael, yet the Quran says that there’s no distinction between Jesus and these other men.

 

Truth: To call Jesus just another prophet or man is completely contrary to Scripture. Consider just a few of the differences between God and man:

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• Jesus was God, the rest were not. John 10:30: "I and my Father are one."

• Jesus was sinless, the rest were not. 1 John 3:5: "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."

• Jesus was born of a virgin, the rest were not. Isaiah 7:14: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

• Jesus could provide salvation, the rest could not. Acts 4:12: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

• Jesus alone deserves our worship, the rest do not. Philippians 2:9-10: "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." 

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Error: Islam Denies the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (continued)

Quran 3:59 states, "Indeed, the example of Jesus in the sight of Allah is like that of Adam. He created him from dust, then said to him, 'Be!' And he was!"⁴ Here, the Quran teaches that Jesus was created just like Adam.

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Truth: To say that Jesus was created just like Adam is a contradiction of Colossians 1:16-17, which records: "For by him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Consider further John 1:3, which states of Jesus Christ: "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."

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Error: Islam Denies the Death of Jesus Christ  

 

Quran 4:147 writes, "and for boasting, 'We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah.' But they neither killed nor crucified him—it was only made to appear so. Even those who argue for this ˹crucifixion˺ are in doubt. They have no knowledge whatsoever—only making assumptions. They certainly did not kill him."⁵ Here, the Quran teaches that Jesus didn't really die on the cross - it only looked like He did. 

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Truth: Consider the seriousness of claiming that Jesus died (and hence denying His resurrection). In order to have salvation, Jesus had to die for the sins of the world and defeat death. Hebrews 9:22 states, "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [of sins]." 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 records, "3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

 

The Bible says that the "wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:23) and hence, the only way to satisfy God's wrath upon mankind for his sin is the death of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ (John 1:29). 1 John 2:2 records, "And he [Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." By dying on the cross and rising again from the grave, Jesus defeated death, paid the penalty for our sins, and opened wide the door of salvation to any and all who believe on His name.⁶

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Before we continue, consider how Islam thus far has presented Jesus Christ: He was created, equal to man, and did not truly die on the cross. Keep in mind that Satan does not care what one does with God, as long as one does nothing with Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus is the only way to eternal life: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Consider also how that 1 John 5:12 records very simply: "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 

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Ever since the garden of Eden, Satan's whole mission has been to defeat Christ. Though Satan will attack Jesus by any means, Genesis 3:15, known as the proto-evangelium (the first mention of the gospel), records that Christ will be the final victor: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed, it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Although Satan bruised the heel of Christ on the Cross, Jesus' death and resurrection dealt a death-inducing blow to Satan's head.

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Error: The Quran Condones Hatred

 

Consider the following verses: Quran 9:29: "Fight those who do not believe in Allah and the Last Day, nor comply with what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, nor embrace the religion of truth from among those who were given the Scripture, until they pay the tax, willingly submitting, fully humbled."⁷ Quran 2:216: "Fighting has been made obligatory upon you ˹believers˺, though you dislike it. Perhaps you dislike something which is good for you and like something which is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know."⁸ The Quran teaches its followers to engage in Jihad, or Holy War, against those that are non-muslims. Certainly, not all Muslims believe in a holy war against unbelievers. However, modern-day examples prove that both Jihad and Jihadi propaganda is alive and well in some parts of the world.

 

Consider the October 7th Massacre, which was Jihad, or Holy War, against the nation of Israel. The US Department of Justice even pointed out this fact: "From its inception, Hamas’ stated purpose has been to create an Islamic Palestinian state throughout Israel by eliminating the State of Israel through violent holy war, or jihad…. The defendants charged in the complaint are all senior leaders of Hamas who have orchestrated, overseen, and supported Hamas’s decades-long campaign of terrorism, including the October 7 Hamas Massacres."⁹

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Although while many people do not actively engage in Jihad, it has been increasingly evident that active support for Jihad has grown rapidly, even among non-Muslims and in the United States.

 

Consider the following examples of how jihadist support has appeared in the US:

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• Rashib Talib, US representative from Michigan, “…posted a video to X last week that features clips of protestors chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ and ‘free Palestine.’”¹⁰ David Adesnik, Vice President of Research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, wrote that "from the river to the sea originated as a call for the use of force to replace Israel with a Palestinian state."¹¹

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• NBC News (2025) reported: "New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani says that he supports ‘freedom and justice and safety’ for Israelis and Palestinians, but he refuses to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada,’ which some see as a call to violence."¹² According to the American Jewish Committee, this is “a phrase [globalize the intifada] using the Arabic word for ‘uprising’ or ‘shaking off,’ whose message encourages resistance, most prominently in the form of violence, against Israel. Calls to ‘globalize’ contribute to the targeting of Jews, Israelis, and institutions that support Israel around the world.”¹³

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• Rachel Zegler, the actress, said in a tweet: "and always remember, free palestine."¹4 Anat Vidor, president of the Woman's International Zionist Organization, said, "‘Freeing Palestine’ is not a call for peace and security for two peoples; it is active support for the Arabs’ campaign of extermination against Jews. The ultimate goal is – and every Gazan would confirm this – a barbaric and bestial massacre of all Jews, compared to which the Holocaust would appear polite and civilized."¹⁵ 

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Although numerous other examples exist, here is a US congresswoman, a NYC candidate, and a prominent actress, showing that Jihadist ideology is alive and within the United States, too. 

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Truth: Consider now what the Bible has to say about violence towards Israel and others. First, mankind is commanded to love His enemies: Matthew 5:43-44: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." Jesus makes it clear that even our enemies are to be loved — certainly not killed or spoken evil against. Unfortunately, Jihad promotes just that — evil against your supposed "enemies" in order to convert them to your religion.

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But notice that not only is Jihad wrong in and of itself, Jihad towards Israel is doubly wrong because Israel has a right to the land: "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." Clearly, God promised the modern-day land Israel is on right now (and even more than they currently have!) to Abraham’s descendants, the modern-day nation of Israel. This promise by God Himself is affirmed in Genesis 17:8: "And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God."

In summary, not only is Jihad wrong against any "non-believer," Jihad is twice as wrong against the nation of Israel, God's chosen people, who have been promised by God Himself the land.

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Christianity, unlike Islam and other major religions in the world, clearly shows that Jesus Christ is the eternal God, the Savior of the world Who defeated death, and the eternal King of Kings. We can rest in t​​he fact that salvation is only made possible by Christ's payment for our sins on the cross, and His defeat of death and hell with His resurrection. The moment one repents of their sins and turns to Christ alone for their salvation, Christ will forgive them and give them eternal life in heaven. 

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Endnotes

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1. World Population Review. “Muslim Population by Country 2025.” World Population Review, 2025. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/muslim-population-by-country. Accessed October 1, 2025.

2. Macaulay, Dr. Elizabeth. “Islam, an Introduction.” Smarthistory, August 7, 2025. https://smarthistory.org/introduction-to-islam/. Accessed October 1, 2025.

3. Khattab, Dr. Mustafa. The Clear Quran: A Thematic English Translation. Surah Al-Baqarah 2:136. Quran.com. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://quran.com/2/136.

4. Khattab, Dr. Mustafa. The Clear Quran: A Thematic English Translation. Surah Al-‘Imran 3:59. Quran.com. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://quran.com/3/59.

5. Khattab, Dr. Mustafa. The Clear Quran: A Thematic English Translation. Surah An-Nisa 4:157. Quran.com. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://quran.com/4/157.

6. The Holy Bible, King James Version. Hebrews 9:22; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 6:23; John 1:29; 1 John 2:2.

7. Khattab, Dr. Mustafa. The Clear Quran: A Thematic English Translation. Surah At-Tawbah 9:29. Quran.com. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://quran.com/9/29.

8. Khattab, Dr. Mustafa. The Clear Quran: A Thematic English Translation. Surah Al-Baqarah 2:216. Quran.com. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://quran.com/2/216.

9. U.S. Department of Justice. “Justice Department Announces Terrorism Charges Against Senior Leaders of Hamas.” Justice.gov, September 3, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-terrorism-charges-against-senior-leaders-hamas. Accessed October 1, 2025.

10. Hageman, Harriet. “Hageman’s Had Enough Votes to Censure Tlaib Supporting Terrorist Organization.” Hageman.house.gov, U.S. House of Representatives, n.d. https://hageman.house.gov/media/in-the-news/hagemans-had-enough-votes-censure-tlaib-supporting-terrorist-organization. Accessed October 2, 2025.

11. Adesnik, David. "How Facebook Whitewashes 'From the River to the Sea'." Foundation for Defense of Democracies, October 21, 2024. https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2024/10/21/how-facebook-whitewashes-from-the-river-to-the-sea/. Accessed October 2, 2025.

12. “Asked to Condemn the Phrase ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ Mamdani Says Mayors Shouldn’t Police Speech.” Meet the Press, NBC News, June 29, 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/asked-to-condemn-the-phrase-globalize-the-intifada-mamdani-says-mayors-shouldn-t-police-speech-242433605564. Accessed October 2, 2025.

13. American Jewish Committee. “Globalize the Intifada.” Accessed October 2, 2025. [Insert original link if available].

14. Zegler, Rachel. Tweet. April 8, 2025. “and always remember, free palestine.”

15. Vidor, Anat. “‘Free Palestine’? Snow White should keep her poisoned apples to herself - opinion.” The Jerusalem Post, April 8, 2025. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-849205. Accessed October 2, 2025.