Dawud, Maryam, Isa and the Mission of Muhammad
The Prophet Dawud (David)
Dawud is one of the great prophet-kings of Islam. His story begins in Surah 2:249–251, where the young Dawud fights in the army of Saul (Talut in the Qur’an) against Goliath (Jalut). The narrative closely parallels 1 Samuel 17 but with theological emphasis: Dawud’s victory is not a result of his personal courage but of Allah’s power working through him. The verse states: “So they routed them by Allah’s leave, and Dawud killed Jalut; and Allah gave him the kingdom and wisdom.” Victory belongs to Allah; the role of the warrior is to be a willing instrument.
Dawud is also famous as a craftsman: he made armour. The Qur’an mentions this as a divine gift — Allah taught him to make coats of mail. This detail connects practical skill and craftsmanship to prophethood, showing that the prophets were fully engaged in the world rather than withdrawn from it.
Dawud is the author of the Zabur. Surah 17:55 affirms: “And We gave the Psalms to Dawud.” Muslims regard the Zabur as a genuine earlier revelation from Allah, alongside the Tawrat (Torah revealed to Moses) and the Injil (Gospel revealed to Isa). All three earlier scriptures are regarded as authentic in their original form, though Muslims believe they have been altered or corrupted over time, which is why the Qur’an was sent as the final, preserved revelation.
Maryam and the Birth of Isa
Maryam holds a unique position in Islam. She is the only woman mentioned by name in the Qur’an. An entire surah — Surah 19, which bears her name — is devoted to her story. This alone indicates her exceptional status: she is honoured as among the greatest women of all time and as a model of purity, devotion and submission to Allah.
Surah 19 describes the annunciation. The angel Jibril (Gabriel) appears to Maryam in the form of a man. He tells her Allah will give her a pure son. She asks: “How shall I have a son when no man has touched me, and I have not been unchaste?” Jibril replies: “So it will be. Your Lord says: It is easy for Me. And We will make him a sign to the people.” Isa is born miraculously, without a human father, by Allah’s direct creative command.
When Maryam presents the newborn Isa to her people, they accuse her of immorality. The infant Isa speaks from the cradle — a miracle unique to Islamic and certain apocryphal Christian traditions — declaring: “I am indeed a servant of Allah. He has given me the Book and made me a prophet.” This declaration is significant: even as a newborn, Isa affirms his status as a servant and prophet of Allah, not divine.
From a Humanist or atheist perspective, visions such as the visitation of Jibril to Maryam are not real supernatural events and provide no proof that Allah exists. They might argue that angelic visitations are a common feature of ancient religious narratives and reflect the way pre-scientific cultures explained unusual births or the founding of religious movements. A naturalistic reading would explain Maryam’s experience as a vision, a dream, or a later legendary development in the tradition.
Muslims respond that the annunciation is attested in both the Qur’an and the earlier Christian scriptures (the Gospel of Luke), giving it corroboration across revelation traditions. For Muslims, the miracle of Isa’s birth is a sign (ayah) of Allah’s power — just as he created Adam from dust with no father and no mother, he created Isa from Maryam with no father. Both are signs of the same creative power that sustains the universe.
The Prophet Isa: Life, Mission and Ascension
Isa is one of the five greatest prophets in Islam (the Ulu l-Azm, or prophets of firm resolve). He performed miracles: healing the blind and the leper, raising the dead, and breathing life into clay birds. He received the Injil (Gospel) as a revelation from Allah. In Surah 61:6, Isa is recorded as foretelling: “And remember when Isa son of Maryam said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am Allah’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah before me and bringing good news of a messenger to come after me whose name shall be Ahmad.’” Muslims read “Ahmad” (another name for Muhammad) as Isa’s prophecy of the final prophet.
The most theologically significant passage about Isa is Surah 4:157–158, which deals with the manner of his death or departure from the world. The verse states: “And for their saying, ‘We have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Maryam, the messenger of Allah’ — they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them. Those who disagree about it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except conjecture. They certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself.”
This passage is the basis for the Islamic teaching that Isa was not crucified. Most Muslim scholars throughout history have interpreted the verse to mean that Allah raised Isa to himself before the crucifixion took place, and that someone else (or an illusion) was crucified in his place. This is a carefully held theological position — it does not deny that crucifixions happened in Roman Palestine, or that Jewish and Roman authorities sought to kill Jesus. It affirms that Allah protected his messenger from death in this way.
Surah 4:157–158 states that Isa “was not killed, nor was he crucified, but it was made to appear so.” Most Muslim scholars interpret this to mean Allah raised Isa before crucifixion occurred. This is an Islamic theological position — not a denial of history. Christians believe Isa (Jesus) died and rose; Muslims affirm he was raised to Allah without dying. This is the central Muslim–Christian divergence on Isa.
The Mission of Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation in 610 CE in the cave of Hira near Makkah. Surah 26:213–217 records Allah’s command to Muhammad to begin preaching openly: “And warn your nearest kin.” This was the beginning of the public mission — Muhammad first approached his own clan and family, many of whom rejected him. The Qur’an records both the command to preach and the resistance he encountered.
Muhammad’s mission was to deliver the final and complete revelation from Allah, restoring the pure Tawhid that earlier prophets had taught but which human communities had corrupted. The Qur’an describes him as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Khatam al-Nabiyyin) — the last and final messenger, after whom no further prophet will come. His preaching met fierce opposition from the Quraysh tribe of Makkah, who had economic and social interests in maintaining the polytheistic religion of the Ka’ba.
The Islamic mission to call others to submission to Allah (Islam means “submission”) raises questions for non-religious thinkers about religious freedom and pluralism. Humanists would argue that in modern, pluralistic Britain, trying to convert other people to one’s religion shows a lack of respect for their autonomy and right to their own beliefs. They might also question the assumption that one religion possesses the final, complete truth.
Muslims respond that the Qur’anic command to preach is a command to invite and persuade — not to compel. Surah 2:256 states: “There is no compulsion in religion.” The model of Muhammad’s preaching in Makkah — enduring persecution for thirteen years before any military defence was permitted — shows that the Islamic approach to mission is fundamentally one of patient witness, not force. Divergent Muslim communities today interpret “calling to Islam” differently: some emphasise personal moral example; others engage in formal da’wah (invitation); others focus on social justice work as a form of witness.
In Surah 61:6, Isa foretells the coming of “a messenger after me whose name shall be Ahmad” — Muslims interpret Ahmad as another name of Muhammad. This places Isa in the prophetic chain that culminates in Muhammad, and frames the Injil (Gospel) as pointing forward to the final prophet. For Muslims, Christianity and Islam are not competing religions but successive stages of the same divine revelation.