Do Muslims believe in the virgin birth?
Yes. Muslims believe Mary (Maryam) gave birth to Jesus as a virgin, without any father, by a miracle from God. This belief comes straight from the Quran. But in Islam the virgin birth shows God's power, not that Jesus is divine.
What the Quran says
When the angel told Mary she would have a son, she was shocked: "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?" The answer was simple: "Such is Allah; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is" (Quran 3:47).
In Surah Maryam she asks the same question, and the angel says, "It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us" (Quran 19:20-21). Another verse adds that God made "her and her son a sign for the worlds" (Quran 21:91).
For Muslims, denying the virgin birth would mean denying clear verses of the Quran. See What does the Quran say about Mary?
Born without a father, but not God
Some Christians see the virgin birth as proof that Jesus is the Son of God. The Quran answers this with a comparison:
The logic is clear: Adam had neither a father nor a mother, and no one calls him divine. Jesus had a mother but no father. Both were created by God's command, "Be." The miracle points to the Creator, not to a divine nature in the one created. See Do I have to believe Jesus isn't God to become Muslim?
How it compares with other beliefs
- Most Christians: believe in the virgin birth, as Muslims do, though they connect it with Jesus being the Son of God.
- Some liberal Christians: see it as symbolic. Muslims hold it as literal fact.
- Judaism: does not accept Jesus as the Messiah, so it doesn't hold this belief.
So a Muslim and a traditional Christian actually agree more here than many people expect.
What about science?
Some people ask how a birth without a father is possible. Muslims believe miracles are, by definition, events God causes outside the usual pattern of nature. The same God who set up the normal way of having children can make an exception when He wills. That's exactly why the Quran calls Jesus a "sign": something that makes people stop and think about God's power.
Mary's honor in Islam also comes from this. The Prophet ﷺ said that Satan touches every newborn, "except Mary and her child" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3431). Muslims defend her purity strongly.
- Muslims believe Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, without a father.
- The Quran presents it as a miracle and a sign from God.
- Like Adam, Jesus was created by God's command "Be."
- The virgin birth doesn't make Jesus divine in Islam.
People also ask
Do Muslims believe in prophets after Muhammad?
No, Muslims believe Muhammad is the last prophet, the seal of the prophets. Learn what this means and how Jesus' return fits in.
Read the full answer →Do Muslims and Christians share the same prophets?
Yes, Muslims and Christians share many prophets, from Adam and Noah to Moses and Jesus. See who they are and where the two faiths differ.
Read the full answer →Do Muslims believe Jesus will come back?
Yes, Muslims believe Jesus will come back before the Day of Judgment to rule justly, defeat the Dajjal, then die naturally.
Read the full answer →Do Muslims believe Jesus was crucified?
No, Muslims believe Jesus was not crucified or killed. The Quran says it was made to appear so, and God raised him up to Himself.
Read the full answer →Do Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah?
Yes, Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah (al-Masih), a title the Quran gives only to him, but as an honored prophet, not as God.
Read the full answer →