The angels announce to Maryam a son named al-Masih, Isa, 'a word from Him.'
Figures in the Quran
Prophet Isa (Jesus) in Islam
Born of a word, healer of the blind, teacher of the Injil — the Quran honors Isa as a messenger and a word from Allah.
Isa, son of Maryam, holds a singular place in the Quran. He is called a word from Allah, a mercy, and a messenger sent to the Children of Israel, confirming the Tawrah before him and bringing the Injil. The Book narrates his birth without a father, his speech as an infant in the cradle, his healing of the blind and the leper by Allah's permission, the table sent down to his disciples, and his being raised by Allah rather than killed. A full surah is named after his mother, another after his family line. Muslims honor Isa as one of the greatest prophets, while the Quran distinguishes its account from the theologies that grew after him.
Timeline
- Announced to Maryam by an angel: a son named Isa, held in honor in this world and the next.
- Born of Maryam without a father, by Allah's word 'Be.'
- Spoke as an infant in the cradle, defending his mother and announcing his prophethood.
- Sent to the Children of Israel with the Injil and wisdom, confirming the Tawrah before him.
- Worked signs by Allah's permission: healing the blind and the leper, reviving the dead, and knowing what people ate and stored.
- Supported by disciples (hawariyyun) who believed in him and in what he brought.
- A table from heaven was sent down at his disciples' request, as recorded in Al-Ma'idah.
- The Quran states he was neither killed nor crucified, but that Allah raised him to Himself (4:157-158).
Key Quranic passages
The infant Isa speaks from the cradle: 'Indeed, I am the servant of Allah.'
Allah reminds Isa of the favors given him — the Gospel, the healings, the raising of the dead by His permission.
The People of the Book are told not to exceed in their religion; Isa is a messenger of Allah and His word.
'He was not but a servant upon whom We bestowed favor, and We made him an example for the Children of Israel.'
Lessons readers draw
The value of these lives in the Quran is not ornament. Each narrative is framed as instruction — patience tested and kept, trust justified late, forgiveness extended from strength. Read the passages above in their full surahs through the links; a biography in the Quran is meant to change the reader, not only to inform them.
Related duas
The figures of the Quran prayed in nearly every scene above. Niyat's dua library collects source-cited supplications — including the prayer of Musa for an eased task and the dua of Yunus from the darknesses — with Arabic, transliteration, and translation.
More figures
Chosen above women
Maryam (Mary)
The only woman named in the Quran, with a surah of her own — chosen, purified, and counted above the women of the world.
Read the life → The most-mentioned nameProphet Musa (Moses)
The name the Quran mentions more than any other prophet — a man who fled a kingdom, argued with its king, and carried a scripture down a mountain.
Read the life → All figuresFigures in Islam
Twelve figures the Quran tells its story through — prophets, Maryam, and the first believers of the Prophet’s household.
Browse all figures →