And He—exalted be He—also says:

“Those who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary,’ have certainly disbelieved. The Messiah himself said, ‘Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates anything with Allah, Allah has made Paradise forbidden to him, and his refuge will be the Fire; and the wrongdoers shall have no helpers.’” [al-Māʾidah: 72] (72)

“Those who say, ‘Allah is the third of three,’ have certainly disbelieved. There is no god except the One God; and if they do not desist from what they say, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them.” [al-Māʾidah: 73] (73)

“Will they not turn in repentance to Allah and seek His forgiveness? Allah is All-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; messengers passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make the signs clear to them, then look how they are turned away. Say, ‘Do you worship, instead of Allah, that which can neither harm you nor benefit you? Allah alone is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.’” [al-Māʾidah: 74–76] (76)

“Say, ‘People of the Book, do not go to extremes in your religion beyond the truth, and do not follow the whims of a people who went astray before, led many others astray, and themselves strayed far from the right path.’” [al-Māʾidah: 77]

Thus Allah mentions the disbelief of the Christians for their claim that He is the Messiah on two occasions, and He states that the Messiah is nothing but a messenger—messengers having passed away before him—so his utmost station is that of messengership. The same wording is used concerning Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “Muhammad is no more than a messenger; messengers have passed away before him.”