Jesus vs. Muhammad — The Complete Character Comparison

Jesus on his own sinlessness (John 8:46):
"Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?"
No one answered. Jesus publicly challenged the entire crowd to identify one sin he had committed. No one could.

NT testimony: 2 Corinthians 5:21 — "He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf." Hebrews 4:15 — "tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin." 1 John 3:5 — "in him there is no sin."

Muhammad commanded to seek forgiveness for his sins — in the Quran:
Surah 40:55: "Then have patience. God's promise is true. Implore forgiveness for your sin."
Surah 47:19: "Know that there is no deity except Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin."
Surah 48:1-2: "We have given you a glorious victory, so that Allah may forgive you your past and future sins."

From the hadith (Sahih Bukhari 9:482):
Muhammad prayed: "O Allah! Forgive me the sins that I did in the past or will do in the future, and also the sins that I did in secret or in public."

The comparison:
Jesus publicly claimed and demonstrated sinlessness. The Quran — Islam's highest authority — commands Muhammad to seek forgiveness for his sins, past and future. Islamic theology has a doctrine of 'isma (prophetic sinlessness) that they apply to Muhammad — but the Quran itself does not support this doctrine and actively contradicts it.

Jesus's miracles in the Quran itself (Surah 5:110):
"O Jesus, son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and when I taught you writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you made from clay the form of a bird, with My permission, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird, with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper, with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead, with My permission."

The Quran gives Jesus miracles including: creating life, healing blindness from birth, healing leprosy, raising the dead. These are the greatest categories of miracle in any tradition.

Muhammad denied miracles in the Quran (Surah 6:37):
"They say: 'Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord?' Say: 'Allah is certainly able to send down a sign, but most of them do not know.'"

Surah 13:7:
"The disbelievers say: 'Why has no sign been sent down to him from his Lord?' You are only a warner."

Surah 17:59:
"And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs except that the former peoples denied them."

Muhammad Asad (Muslim scholar) commenting on Surah 17:59:
"He [Muhammad] was not empowered to perform miracles similar to those with which the earlier prophets are said to have reinforced their verbal messages. His only miracle was and is the Quran itself."

The devastating conclusion:
The Quran — Islam's own highest authority — gives Jesus miraculous credentials far beyond anything it gives Muhammad. Jesus heals the blind, heals lepers, and raises the dead in the Quran. Muhammad in the Quran has no miracles — only the Quran as his miracle. If the Quran itself exalts Jesus's miraculous credentials above Muhammad's, on what basis does Islam claim Muhammad is the greatest prophet?

Jesus on enemies (Matthew 5:44):
"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

Jesus at his crucifixion (Luke 23:34):
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Muhammad's assassination orders — documented from Islamic sources (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah):

Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf: A Jewish poet in Medina who wrote satirical verses about Muhammad. Muhammad asked his companions: "Who will deal with Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf? He has maligned Allah and His Messenger." Muhammad ibn Maslama volunteered, went to Ka'b under the pretense of friendship, and killed him by stabbing him repeatedly. Muhammad said "Kill him" — a man whose only offense was writing critical poetry. (Sirat, pp.367-368; Bukhari 5:59:369)

Abu Afak: A 120-year-old Jewish man who wrote a satirical poem criticizing Muhammad. Muhammad said: "Who will deal with this rascal for me?" Salim ibn Umayr killed him at night while he slept. (Sirat, p.675; Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat, Vol 2, p.31)

Asma bint Marwan: A poetess who criticized the murder of Abu Afak. Muhammad asked: "Who will rid me of Marwan's daughter?" Umayr ibn Adiy went to her house at night, removed a nursing child from her breast, and killed her. Muhammad's response when told: "You have helped God and His apostle, O Umayr!" (Sirat, pp.675-676)

The comparison is total:
Jesus: Prayed for his murderers while being crucified. Told his followers to love their enemies and pray for persecutors. Never ordered harm to any critic.
Muhammad: Ordered the assassination of poets and critics. Praised those who carried out the killings. Applied the principle "kill those who change their religion" (Bukhari 9:84:57).

Surah 9:5 — "The Sword Verse" (revealed in 9 AH — the last major Surah):
"And when the sacred months have passed, kill the polytheists wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them go their way."

Surah 9:29 — The command regarding Christians and Jews:
"Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture — until they give the jizyah willingly while they are humbled."

Classical Islamic scholars on abrogation:
Ibn Kathir's commentary on 9:29: "The Order to fight People of the Scriptures until they give the Jizyah... Allah commanded His Messenger to fight the People of the Scriptures... Paying Jizyah is a Sign of Kufr and Disgrace."

The Encyclopaedia of the Quran identifies 9:5 as "the sword verse (ayat al-sayf)" which classical scholars used to abrogate more peaceful earlier verses. Al-Suyuti listed 9:5 as abrogating approximately 124 earlier verses that called for patience and peaceful preaching.

The options the Quran gives non-Muslims (9:29):
(1) Convert to Islam, (2) Pay the jizyah (discriminatory tax) and live in humiliation under Islamic governance, (3) Be fought. This is not a wartime emergency measure. Ibn Kathir says Muhammad prepared an army to fight the Byzantine Christians (who had not attacked Muslims) specifically because of 9:29.

Contrast with Jesus (Matthew 22:21):
"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." Jesus paid taxes to Rome, an occupying pagan empire. He never advocated fighting non-Christians, taxing them into submission, or requiring conversion as the alternative to war.

The Islamic sources:
Sahih Bukhari 5:58:234: "The Prophet married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consummated that marriage when she was nine years old."
Sahih Bukhari 5:58:236: "Narrated Hisham's father: Khadija died three years before the Prophet departed to Medina. He stayed there for two years or so and then he married Aisha when she was a girl of six years of age, and he consummated that marriage when she was nine years old."
Sahih Muslim 8:3310: "Aisha reported: Allah's Apostle married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house when I was nine years old."

Additional context:
Muhammad had 11-13 wives total. One (Khadija) was 15 years older than him. One (Aisha) was 40+ years younger. He also received a special exemption from Allah's own limit of four wives (Surah 33:50) — a verse his wife Aisha is reported to have commented on sarcastically: "It seems to me that your Lord hastens in fulfilling your wishes and desires" (Sahih Bukhari 6:60:311).

Jesus: Celibate. Never accused of sexual misconduct by any source including his enemies.