عِيسَى
Isa
His personal name in Arabic, used throughout the Qur'an. Corresponds to "Jesus" / Hebrew "Yeshua."
عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ
Isa ibn Maryam
"Jesus, son of Mary" — his most common full designation in the Qur'an, emphasizing his human mother and that he has no father.
الْمَسِيح
Al-Masih (the Messiah)
"The Anointed One." Used as a title of high honor, though Islamic theology does not attach to it the same meaning as in Christian doctrine.
كَلِمَتُهُ
Kalimatullah (Word of God)
Describing him as brought into being by God's creative word "Be" (Qur'an 3:45, 4:171).
رُوحٌ مِّنْهُ
Ruhullah (a spirit from Him)
"A spirit from Him" — referring to the soul breathed into Mary by the angel Gabriel at God's command (Qur'an 4:171).
نَبِيّ
Nabi (Prophet)
One who receives revelation from God (Qur'an 19:30).
رَسُول
Rasul (Messenger)
A prophet additionally sent with a scripture and a mission to a people (Qur'an 3:49, 61:6).
عَبْدُ اللَّه
'Abdullah (Servant of God)
His own self-description as an infant: "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah" (Qur'an 19:30) — foundational to the Islamic view of his status.
آيَة
Ayah (a Sign)
He and his mother are called "a sign for the worlds" (Qur'an 21:91, 23:50).
وَجِيه
Wajih (Honored/Distinguished)
Described as "honored in this world and the Hereafter, and among those brought near [to Allah]" (Qur'an 3:45).
Each of these titles is used deliberately in the Qur'an to affirm Jesus's extraordinary,
elevated station among the prophets, while consistently steering the reader away from the
conclusion that he is divine. He is "a Word from God" — not God the Word. He is "a
spirit from Him" — a created soul, not a portion of God's own essence. He is "the
Messiah" — a title of distinction, not evidence of a metaphysical claim to godhood.
This careful, repeated pairing of exaltation with clarification is a defining feature of how
the Qur'an speaks about Jesus throughout its text.