Recordings › Does the Quran Mention a Virgin Birth for Jesus (a.s.)? - Mufti Abu Layth · 25 Oct 2018 › Segment 1 of 3
Why does the Quran call Jesus the Word of God and mention the Holy Spirit with him?
muftis jahannam jahanam jahannum koran quraan al-quran sura soorah suwar soora chapter ayah aya ayat ayaat aayah aayat wahy wahi wahee salam as-salamu alaykum assalamu alaikum assalamualaikum salaams salam alaykum wa alaykum as-salam peace greetingThe Quran's rhetoric about Jesus: the Word of God and the Holy Spirit
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This segment0:05 to 6:33 · 6 min 28 sGeneral teaching
What this part covers
machinesummary, machine-writtenThe Quran uses terms of Jesus that it uses of no other prophet, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, which Muslims do not take literally. He suggests this Christian rhetoric was perhaps meant to build bridges with Christians.
In more detail
Taking up Yasir Qadhi's remark that people who challenge the virgin birth are deviants, Mufti Abu Layth first says the Quran's language about Jesus is styled in ways no Muslim believes literally. He cites the glad tidings to Mary of a word from God in Al Imran (3:45, which he cites as verse 43) and al-Nisa 4:171 (cited as 170), which calls the Messiah God's messenger, his word cast to Mary and a spirit from him, and compares this to the opening of the Gospel of John; he argues that if God's word is uncreated this would tie into Jesus being uncreated, and that the reply that Jesus had no father fails because Adam had none and is not called the Word of God. He lists the verses in which Jesus is helped with the Holy Spirit, 2:87, 2:253 and 5:110, and says the term is used of no other prophet except once of revelation, suggesting this Christian rhetoric was perhaps used to build bridges with Christians and bring them closer to Islam. Checking a verse suggested to him, 58:22, he finds it speaks of a spirit from Him, not the Holy Spirit, which people identify with Jibril, and concludes that the rhetoric about Jesus is different before turning to the virgin birth.
Position stated
Mufti Abu Layth says the Quran uses Christian rhetoric about Jesus, such as the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, perhaps in order to build bridges between the Muslim and Christian communities.
“there's a lot of rhetoric being used when it comes to Jesus that was generally the kind of Christian rhetoric that is used in the Quran perhaps in a sense of building bridges between the Muslim and Christian communities”
Category: teaching
Kind: general teachingTranscript
machine0:05 to 6:33 · click a time to seek · dotted terms open the glossary
he then went on to say about the birth of Jesus and this is something that people are deviants for challenging now regarding Jesus Ali Ali Salaam in the Quran we know the language surrounding Jesus in the Quran is quite interesting okay because it's styled in ways that no Muslim beliefs about Jesus so for example Jesus is referred to on more than one occasion in the Quran as the Word of God
now that doesn't resonate with Muslims we don't believe in Jesus to be the Word of God that's a Christian thing get in the Quran so for example in Ali Imran verse 43 Allah says when giving glad tidings to Mary that they hear that she received glad tidings we kill him at a Minu but of the word coming from God is smoo al maseeh hi Sapna Mariam the Messiah Jesus the Son of Mary that will be his name this the word this is the word of God in another verse in Surat
Annisa 170 in normal Messiah is Sapna maryam rasool allah wa kelly but jesus is the messenger of god and his word which he sent down or threw down on to Mary and the Spirit of God whoa I mean once again what are these these words no Muslim really believes this about Jesus if you want to accept literal nobody believes that another see this is very like like in the Gospel of John that in the beginning there was you know in the beginning there was the word
and the word was with god and the word was god and as muslims if you believe that the word of god is uncreated then by that you ought to it follows almost ties into Jesus being uncreated because he is the word of God now Muslim sayo but by the Word of God here we just mean he was a miracle no but that word of God isn't used for any other prophet and you could say yeah because he didn't have a dad yeah but then you argue that Adam didn't have a dad and you don't refer to Adam as the Kelling Mutulu as
the Word of God so what what is going on why and then the word the Holy Spirit is used with no other prophet I mean it's used once as revelation coming down with the Holy Spirit but otherwise it's used on three occasions just with Jesus and so you have for example Allah says in Surat al-baqarah verse 87 well I get now who will help others and we assisted we gave him a help with the Holy Spirit this was to Jesus in surah Baqarah verse 253 well artena i said 'no Merryman
bayonetta we gave him the clear signs what a Vietnam be Royal quarters and we as helped him with the Holy Spirit in surah maidah verse 1 1 5 Allah says if call Allah yeah i said 'no maryam and when god said oh jesus the son of mary booth corneum a ti-liger remember my blessings upon you and your mother Juana why did it take a yet took a barrow help others when I helped you with the Holy Spirit once again what is this Holy Spirit this is mentioned with any other prophet generally you don't get any of this so there's a lot of rhetoric being used when it comes to Jesus that was
generally the kind of Christian rhetoric that is used in the Quran perhaps in a sense of building bridges between the Muslim and Christian communities and to maybe a find an ally in them and be maybe for many of them to convert and come closer find themselves in greater proximity to Islam and they by embrace the message right
right generally a he says 58:22 what what is that let's see let's see 58 saw rattle okay let me just see oh right no I've passed it sorry one moment I wish they would number in this myself I haven't got it numbered you see
right okay what verse did you say 58 22 21 22 let's I didn't know it doesn't say it doesn't say see this is my point it doesn't say in any verse of the Quran right I I mean see it says we help them with a spirit from him not with the Holy Spirit we're raw hello cutters raw hell cutters is the Holy Spirit not raw raw just
means spirit Holy Spirit which people will say is gibreel now that only comes generally comes wants to do with revelation that we sent down revelation with the Holy Spirit other than that with the only prophet that it is mentioned it is just ASA now my point of mentioning this is that the rhetoric with Jesus is is different so now when it comes to the virgin birth first of all it's a different topic that even in the Bible right now with the exception of the Gospel of Luke and
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Stable id, transcript version and tier are part of the citation. Every change to a transcript is logged.Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 2018-10-25-S01, auto-transcribed, may contain errors. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/cvgwfnbqv0q/s/1/ (accessed 1 November 2026)
- APA 7
Mufti Abu Layth. (2018, October 25). Why does the Quran call Jesus the Word of God and mention the Holy Spirit with him? [Video, segment 2018-10-25-S01, auto-transcribed, may contain errors]. Mufti Abu Layth Archive. Retrieved November 1, 2026, from https://muftiabulayth.org/r/cvgwfnbqv0q/s/1/
- Chicago author-date
Mufti Abu Layth. 2018. "Why does the Quran call Jesus the Word of God and mention the Holy Spirit with him?" Video, segment 2018-10-25-S01, auto-transcribed, may contain errors. Mufti Abu Layth Archive. Recorded October 25, 2018. Accessed November 1, 2026. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/cvgwfnbqv0q/s/1/
- BibTeX
@misc{abulayth-2018-10-25-S01, author = {Mufti Abu Layth}, title = {{Why does the Quran call Jesus the Word of God and mention the Holy Spirit with him?}}, year = {2018}, month = {10}, date = {2018-10-25}, howpublished = {\url{https://muftiabulayth.org/r/cvgwfnbqv0q/s/1/}}, url = {https://muftiabulayth.org/r/cvgwfnbqv0q/s/1/}, organization = {Mufti Abu Layth Archive}, urldate = {2026-11-01}, note = {Segment 2018-10-25-S01, auto-transcribed, may contain errors} }
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