The Sinlessness of Jesus

As a Muslim, you know Allah, but do you know Isa, Jesus Christ, whom God sent?

The Quran urges you to read about Isa in the Quran and in the Bible (Sura 5:46; 10:94-95). The purpose of this article is to demonstrate to our Muslim’s brother & sisters just how close the teachings about Jesus actually are in both the Quran and the Bible.

The Quran teaches that Jesus is unlike any other prophet. It may be surprising to Muslims, but we believe that we can further show that the Quran actually confirms who Christians say that Jesus is!

The Sinlessness of Jesus

According to the Bible, Jesus is the only person who ever lived who was entirely without sin. The book charges all men, from Adam onwards, as being under the power of sin (Romans 3:9), and as having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; (Romans 3:9)


Only Jesus is excepted. Numerous passages record the sinlessness of Jesus including 1 Peter 2:222 Corinthians 5:211 John 3:5, etc.

Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth; (1 Peter 2:22)

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him, (2 Corinthians 5:21)

and in Him there is no sin, (
1 John 3:5)

The Quran too declares that Jesus was without sin. When the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) appeared to Mary to announce her conception of Jesus, he said:

I am only a messenger of your Lord, to announce to you a (ghulaaman-zakiyyan) faultless son (Surah 19:19).

The words used in Arabic to describe him are ghulaaman-zakiyyan, “a most-holy boy.” The word zakiyya, meaning “blameless,” appears only twice in the Quran.

The other occasion is in the story about Moses in which he met a young man who is described as being innocent. But in this case, the word was only referring to the young man’s innocence of any crime deserving of death (al-Kahf 18:74) , but in Jesus’ case, the angel was describing his whole personality and character before he was even born. “Faultless” or “blameless” clearly means without sin.

So the Quran confirms the biblical teaching that Jesus was the only sinless person who ever lived as the Quran nowhere describes anyone else in this way. On the contrary, the Quran acknowledges the sins of the other prophets and specifically refers to the sins of Adam (Sura 7:23), Abraham (26:82), Moses (28:16), Johan (37:142), and Muhammad (47:19, 48:2).

Sins of Adam (Sura 7:23)
They said, “Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers

Abraham (26:82)
And who I aspire that He will forgive me my sin on the Day of Recompense.”

Moses (28:16)
He said, “My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,” and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Johan (37:142)
Then the fish swallowed him, while he was blameworthy

Muhammad (47:1948:2)
So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allah knows of your movement and your resting place.


In the case of Muhammad the Quran expressly commands him to ask forgiveness (wastaghfir) of his sins (dhanbika). The words used are employed throughout the Quran in the same context and there can be no doubt about their meaning, despite the subtle attempts of many Muslim commentators to reduce them to less imposing terms (such as to ask for “protection” from his “shortcomings”).

“One of Mohammad’s followers asked him if he could carry his sin for him. Mohammad admitted that he could not for the reason that he had his own sin (dhanbto carry. At the same time, Mohammad confessed that Jesus alone of those born on earth was exclusively born without being touched by the devil. Who then, can bear your sin, if not the sinless sin-bearer who came to die for you, that you need never die?”

The Hadith also records that Jesus was sinless. Muhammad himself believed this! Mary and her Son (Jesus) were the only ones whom Satan was unable to touch.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (saw) as saying: The satan touches every son of Adam on the day when his mother gives birth to him with the exception of Mary and her son (Jesus)Sahih Muslim (Vol 4, pg 1261)

Abu Huraira said, “I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, ‘There is none born among the off-spring of Adam, but Satan touches it. A child therefore, cries loudly at the time of birth because of the touch of Satan, EXCEPT MARY AND HER CHILD.” Then Abu Huraira recited: “And I seek refuge with You for her and for her offspring from the outcast Satan” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 55, Number 641; see also Volume 4, Book 54, Number 506)

The Quran confirms the Above :

Remember when a women of Imran said, ‘My Lord, I have vowed to Thee what is in my womb to be dedicated to Thy service. So do Thou accept it of me; Verily Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’ But when she was delivered of it, she said, ‘My Lord, I am delivered of a female,’ – and ALLAH knew best of what she was delivered and the male she desired to have was not like the female she was delivered of – ‘and I have named her Maryand I commit her and her offspring to Thy protection from Satan, the rejected.’ Quran Sura3:35-36.

Why is Jesus sinless? As we look in detail at the Quran further in this article, we can see that the only reasonable explanation is that he is the Son of God. Jesus taught that he and the Father are one (John 10:30), and he will, therefore, always do the will of the Father. If he did anything independently of the Father, he would no longer be one with him. One who is always doing the absolute will of his Father cannot be sinful—because, as the Son of God, he too is absolutely holy and always does what is pleasing to the Father (John 8:29).