Christians all over the world celebrate Christmas on December 25th each year to commemorate the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him). While Christians revere Jesus as the savior and Son of God, Muslims also believe in Jesus and revere him as a prophet in accordance with the Islamic belief in all prophets of God. The Holy Quran sets forth this belief in God’s prophets, stating, “Say ye, ‘We believe in Allah…and what was given to all other Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them…’” (Holy Quran 2:137).
While Muslims do not celebrate the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) on Christmas, Islam does acknowledge his virgin birth. The 19th chapter of the Quran, called Maryam after Mary (mother of Jesus), outlines Jesus’ virgin birth as an immaculate conception and refutes any possibilities that the birth of Jesus was illegitimate. Such is the high status of Jesus (peace be upon him) in Islam. Islam views Jesus as a prophet of God who was a human being and rejects the doctrine of divinity. It teaches that the title “Son of God” was employed in a metaphorical sense for referring to God’s chosen one. Jesus (peace be upon him) most certainly holds a special place in Islam, so I wish to convey warm wishes to my Christian friends.