“The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah, and His word that He cast to Mary, and a spirit from Him.” ⦗Q 4:171⦘

In the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections it is reported from ʿUbādah b. al-Ṣāmit that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever testifies that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, that Jesus is the servant of Allah and His messenger, His word which He cast to Mary, and a spirit from Him—Allah will admit him into Paradise whatever his deeds may have been.”

This, then, is the exclusive status the Qur’an assigns to him, and it is precisely the distinction the earlier scriptures also confer upon him, for the Qur’an confirms what is before it of the Scripture and stands as its guardian.

As for the other descriptions they give him and claim are his alone—such as being the Son of God and being the Messiah—others as well are called “son of God” and “messiah” in the Books of Allah.

Likewise, the phrases they use as proof of ḥulūl (indwelling)—for example, that the Lord “appeared in him,” “inhabited,” or “dwelt”—are found in their writings concerning people other than the Messiah. By contrast, the term ittiḥād (union) is not found among them as transmitted from the prophets, whether concerning the Messiah or anyone else, just as their books never attribute to the prophets the expression