Do Muslims believe in John the Baptist?
Yes. Muslims believe John the Baptist, called Yahya in Arabic, was a prophet of God. He was the son of the prophet Zechariah (Zakariya) and a cousin of Jesus. The Quran praises him for his purity, wisdom and devotion from a young age.
A miracle birth to an elderly father
The Quran tells how Zechariah, old and with a wife who had been unable to have children, prayed sincerely for a son. While he was "standing in prayer in the chamber," the angels gave him good news of John, "confirming a word from Allah," honorable and "a prophet from among the righteous" (Quran 3:39). God told him, "We have not assigned to any before [this] name" (Quran 19:7).
The "word from Allah" that John confirmed is understood by Muslim scholars to mean Jesus, who is called a "word" from God in the Quran. So John's mission was closely tied to his cousin's.
Zechariah's story is a favorite for anyone who has been praying for something for a long time. See Is it okay to keep making the same dua for years?
How the Quran describes him
God says to him, "O John, take the Scripture with determination," and adds that He gave him judgment "while yet a boy," along with "affection from Us and purity, and he was fearing of Allah" (Quran 19:12-13). Then comes a beautiful blessing:
Almost the same words are later spoken by Jesus about himself (Quran 19:33), another link between the two cousins.
John in the hadith
During his Night Journey, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ met John and Jesus together in the second heaven. He described them as "cousins," and they greeted him, "Welcome, O Pious Brother and Pious Prophet!" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3430).
Another hadith says God gave John five commandments to teach the Children of Israel, the first being to worship God alone without partners (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2863, graded sahih). He gathered the people in Jerusalem to deliver them.
Similarities and differences with Christian belief
- Shared: John's miraculous birth to Zechariah and his wife (named Elizabeth in the Bible), his strict, devoted life and his family tie to Jesus.
- Different focus: the Quran doesn't describe the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. Islam presents John as a prophet in his own right, not only as a forerunner.
- Same message: like every prophet, John called people to worship one God. See Do I have to believe in all the prophets to become Muslim?
- John the Baptist (Yahya) is a prophet in Islam.
- He was born by a miracle to the elderly prophet Zechariah.
- The Quran praises his purity, wisdom and fear of God.
- The Prophet ﷺ met him with Jesus in the second heaven.
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