The denial of Jesus divinity in the Quran is one of the primary methods the text has of minimizing his role relative to Christian Christology and upholding the basic Muslim tenet that there is no god but the one and true God (la ilaha illa allah). Jesus is mentioned 25 times by name in the Quran, as opposed to Muhammad’s five singular mentions, in addition to being called the spirit, word, messenger, and prophet of God . While a central figure, each mention ensures that Jesus is seen as being nothing more than a servant on a mission. This contradistinction is the principle distinguisher between the Biblical Jesus and the Quranic Jesus. The Quran goes as far as to address the contemporaries, and possibly people of all time, by confronting Jesus’
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Nevertheless, contemporary schools of thought portray him as nothing more than a prophet, with today’s followers granting him as much reverence as the other prophets, though nowhere near as much as that given to the prophet Muhammad. Likely due to the currents of traditionalism, modern Tafsir and Islamic scholarship (the last 100 years), has turned to history in order to trace the different kinds of thought and customs which played a hand in making the Quran. In doing so, it is also looking into the historical Christology of Islam, calling into question the authenticity of the Gospel accounts and surprisingly relying on the Christian Gospels as sources of information. In an effort to reach into the roots of Islam and preach the traditional tenets of the faith, Sunni scholars are looking to what was the dawn of Tafsir literature and Islamic history in order to gain a better understanding. Through a retrospective lens, this era was the time of Islamic Golden Age, when progressivism and tolerance helped forge an empire that spread Islam as a faith more rapidly than any other in the civilized world. A helpful 180° turn to history comes at a time when Islam, especially Sunni Islam, is being judged for its overly traditional ways and failure to adapt to a contemporary world. While historical and comparative religious studies throughout the centuries have transformed Christians’ understanding of the Old and New Testaments, the same cannot be said of Islam or Islamic Christology. In doing so, Sunni Islam might begin to undergo a much-needed period of self-discovery which reforms Muslims traditional concepts of faith, including their understanding of Jesus Christ and the much broader Islamic
Nevertheless, contemporary schools of thought portray him as nothing more than a prophet, with today’s followers granting him as much reverence as the other prophets, though nowhere near as much as that given to the prophet Muhammad. Likely due to the currents of traditionalism, modern Tafsir and Islamic scholarship (the last 100 years), has turned to history in order to trace the different kinds of thought and customs which played a hand in making the Quran. In doing so, it is also looking into the historical Christology of Islam, calling into question the authenticity of the Gospel accounts and surprisingly relying on the Christian Gospels as sources of information. In an effort to reach into the roots of Islam and preach the traditional tenets of the faith, Sunni scholars are looking to what was the dawn of Tafsir literature and Islamic history in order to gain a better understanding. Through a retrospective lens, this era was the time of Islamic Golden Age, when progressivism and tolerance helped forge an empire that spread Islam as a faith more rapidly than any other in the civilized world. A helpful 180° turn to history comes at a time when Islam, especially Sunni Islam, is being judged for its overly traditional ways and failure to adapt to a contemporary world. While historical and comparative religious studies throughout the centuries have transformed Christians’ understanding of the Old and New Testaments, the same cannot be said of Islam or Islamic Christology. In doing so, Sunni Islam might begin to undergo a much-needed period of self-discovery which reforms Muslims traditional concepts of faith, including their understanding of Jesus Christ and the much broader Islamic