Muhammad was brought up among tribes to whom fighting was a way of life, and we should not be surprised therefore that many of his statements are warlike and had little of the tenderness and compassion of Jesus. But he was also a ‘spiritual’ man and in seeking God he had many dreams, which he necessarily interpreted in the light of his background.

In his search after truth he came across heretical Christians with strange ideas, and naturally found something of what they said off-putting. He was unable to read or write and was thus not in a position to directly consult the Scriptures, even if he could have got hold of a copy, although there were probably copies in local churches. But he also recognised the amount of good that was taught in the Gospel (the Injil - the Evangel) of which they spoke and sought to separate the good from the bad. Thus he recommended his followers to follow and obey the Gospel but rightly warned them against the strange ideas held by these heretics.

The heretics mistakenly believed that the Christian Trinity was made up of God the Father, Mary the mother of God and Jesus her son (a comparatively late heresy). Muhammad rightly saw the fallacy of such a belief. He no doubt asked himself, how could God have come into being at a point in history? and rightly rejected the idea. He was seemingly totally unaware of the true Christian doctrine of the eternal ‘Sonship’ of Christ, that is, that He had come forth from the Father, from the glory which He had had with the Father before the world was (John 17.5) because He was the eternal Creator. His criticisms must be seen in that light.

What he did get badly wrong was the origin of Mary. He confused her with Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron and daughter of Amram.

It must be recognised that the word ‘Allah’ is the Arabic word for God, and is used by Arabic Christians as the term for God. Thus where the text reads ‘Allah’ we could simply translate a God.

Keeping this in mind let us consider the following citation (Quran in italics):

"3.35": When a woman of Imran said: My Lord! surely I vow to Thee what is in my womb, to be devoted (to Thy service); accept therefore from me, surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing.

In this verse the wife of Imran (i.e. Amran, Amram) devoted her coming child to God (Allah) in order to serve Him.

"3.36": So when she brought forth, she said: My Lord! Surely I have brought it forth a female -- and Allah knew best what she brought forth -- and the male is not like the female, and I have named it Marium, and I commend her and her offspring into Thy protection from the accursed Shaitan.

When she brought forth a female child she named it Mariam (Marium,Miriam) and commended her and her offspring to God (Allah) for protection from Satan (Shaitan). (The problem is that Muhammad will then portray Mariam as the mother of Isa (Jesus) Who was born over 1200 years later. Miriam died in the wilderness wanderings He has confused her with Mary.

"3.37": So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance and made her grow up a good growing, and gave her into the charge of Zakariya; whenever Zakariya entered the sanctuary to (see) her, he found with her food. He said: O Marium! whence comes this to you? She said: It is from Allah. Surely Allah gives to whom He pleases without measure.

It was at this point that Muhammad became even more confused, for he sees Mariam as being put under the jurisdiction of Zacharias (Zakariya - the Zacharias of Luke 1). But of course Zacharias was born over 1200 years after the birth of Miriam.

"3.38": There did Zakariya pray to his Lord; he said: My Lord! grant me from Thee good offspring; surely Thou art the Hearer of prayer.

Meanwhile Zacharias asked for a child of his own from God (Allah).

"3.39": Then the angels called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary: That Allah gives you the good news of Yahya verifying a Word from Allah, and honorable and chaste and a prophet from among the good ones.

The angels then called to him as he stood praying in the Temple and announced the good news that God (Allah) was giving him a son who would be named Yahya (John the Baptist).

"3.40": He said: My Lord! when shall there be a son (born) to me, and old age has already come upon me, and my wife is barren? He said: even thus does Allah what He pleases.

As we find also in Luke’s Gospel, Zacharias then questioned how he could have a child when he was old and his wife was barren, but was assured that God (Allah) would do as pleased Him..

"3.41": He said: My Lord! appoint a sign for me. Said He: Your sign is that you should not speak to men for three days except by signs; and remember your Lord much and glorify Him in the evening and the morning.

As a sign of the coming birth he was struck dumb. Luke tells us that it was because he had not believed.

"3.42": And when the angels said: O Marium! surely Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of of the world.

The angel then spoke to Mariam the daughter of Amram, who Muhammad believed was under Zacharias’ jurisdiction, and the destined mother of Isa (Jesus), and promised her that she was chosen above all the women of the world (to give birth to the Messiah). It was, of course, really Mary who was chosen.

"3.43": O Marium! keep to obedience to your Lord and humble yourself, and bow down with those who bow.

Mariam was to ensure that she continued in obedience and true worship.

"3.44": This is of the announcements relating to the unseen which We reveal to you; and you were not with them when they cast their pens (to decide) which of them should have Marium in his charge, and you were not with them when they contended one with another.

Then Mariam was assured that she had been chosen by lot when the angels had cast lots to see who should have responsibility for Mariam. (This is not the Bible’s view of the situation).

"3.45": When the angels said: O Marium, surely Allah gives you good news with a Word from Him (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, worthy of regard in this world and the hereafter and of those who are made near (to Allah).

Mariam was then assured that she would receive a Word from God (Allah) Whose Name would be the Messiah, Isa (Jesus), son of Mariam, Who would be regarded highly. (Thus Muhammed knew that the title ‘the Word’ applied to Jesus, but had no conception of why. In the Bible it is in context and is quite clear. But Muhammad just picks it up as a title from nowhere because the heretics he had met had mentioned it).

"3.46": And he shall speak to the people when in the cradle and when of old age, and (he shall be) one of the good ones.

The child Who would be born would talk while still in His cradle (one of the teachings of later heretical Christian teaching) and when He was of old age. (Muhammad seemingly forgets that God is going to take Him up to Himself), and that He will be ‘one of the good ones (the prophets?).

"3.47": She said: My Lord! when shall there be a son (born) to I me, and man has not touched me? He said: Even so, Allah creates what He pleases; when He has decreed a matter, He only says to it, Be, and it is.

Mariam then asks how she can have a child when she has had no relations with a man and is a virgin. The angel’s reply is that God can create what He pleases.

"3.48": And He will teach him the Book and the wisdom and the Taurat and the Injeel.

And when Isa (Jesus) is born God will teach Him the Book (the Bible or the Quran) and the Wisdom (the wisdom literature) and the Taurat (the Torah, the Jewish Law) and the Injeel (the Gospel).

"3.49": And (make him) an apostle to the children of Israel: That I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I determine for you out of dust like the form of a bird, then I breathe into it and it becomes a bird with Allah's permission and I heal the blind and the leprous, and bring the dead to life with Allah's permission and I inform you of what you should eat and what you should store in your houses; most surely there is a sign in this for you, if you are believers.

And Isa (Jesus) will be made an Apostle to the children of Israel (as Hebrews 3.1 also states). We are then given words of Jesus in which He declares that he would form out of clay the form of a bird and would breathe into it, giving it life with God’s (Allah’s) permission. This was one of the false notions of Christian Gnostic heretics. It was in fact not the kind of miracle that Jesus performed, but Muhammad did not know that. He was not fully familiar with the Gospels.

The remainder of the miracles are in accordance with the Gospels for they were miracles of compassion, not of self-glorification. He presumably learned about them from the heretics.

He would also teach them what they should eat. The reference here is to the Jewish laws of uncleanness, and Muhammad probably had in mind especially the eating of pork. What he did not realise was that Jesus had set aside the laws of uncleanness as no longer relevant (Mark 7.19).

"3.50": And a verifier of that which is before me of the Taurat and that I may allow you part of that which has been forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a sign from your Lord therefore be careful of (your duty to) Allah and obey me.

He would also be a verifier of the Taurat (Torah-Law of Moses). Indeed He was far more than that for He took the Law to a new level in the Sermon on the Mount. It will be noted that there is nothing like the Sermon on the Mount in the teaching of Muhammad. It was beyond his scope (and indeed that of anyone else). The people therefore were to be careful of God and were to obey Isa (Jesus) Himself.

"3.51": Surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.
"3.52": But when Isa perceived unbelief on their part, he said Who will be my helpers in Allah's way? The disciples said: We are helpers (in the way) of Allah: We believe in Allah and bear witness that we are submitting ones.
"3.53": Our Lord! we believe in what Thou hast revealed and we follow the apostle, so write us down with those who bear witness.
"3.54": And they planned and Allah (also) planned, and Allah is the best of planners.

When the people were unresponsive Isa (Jesus) would then call His disciples who would respond to Him.

"3.55": And when Allah said: O Isa, I am going to terminate the period of your stay (on earth) and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you of those who disbelieve and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve to the day of resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, so I will decide between you concerning that in which you differed.

Isa (Jesus) was not to be allowed to grow to old age (contradicting 3.46). There is nothing in this language that says that Jesus would not die. Indeed death is usually the way in which God terminates our lives on this earth. Furthermore 19.33 states quite clearly that He will die. But then He would ascend to God (Allah). And in the end it would be God Who would discern between the believers in Christ and His words and the unbelievers.

"3.56": Then as to those who disbelieve, I will chastise them with severe chastisement in this world and the hereafter, and they shall have no helpers.

The unbelievers would suffer punishment in the afterlife, with no one to help them.

It will be noted that once we have sorted out the historical contradictions, the only aspect of the teaching which is unBiblical is making Zacharias Mariam’s guardian, when Zacharias lived in Judea whilst Mary lived in Nazareth.

The birth of Jesus is again dealt with in 19.20-36.

"19.20": She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?

Mariam again emphasises that she is a virgin.

"19.21": He said: Even so; your Lord says: It is easy to Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed.

God (Allah) replies that the situation is not difficult for Him, and that it is intended to be a sign to men and is a sign of His compassion.

"19.22": So she conceived him; then withdrew herself with him to a remote place.

Once she has miraculously conceived she withdraws to a remote place.

"19.23": And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten!

Experiencing painful labour pains she finds comfort under a palm tree and wishes she could have died and thus avoided such pain.

"19.24": Then (the child) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you;

Once again we learn that Isa could speak from the moment of birth, the kind of fantastic miracle that had little purpose but was common in the spurious Gospels, and thus among the heretical Christians that Muhammad had met. Muhammad did not realise that this kind of thing was unBiblical. Did Allah also not realise?

"19.25-26": And shake towards you the trunk of the palmtree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates. So eat and drink and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent God, so I shall not speak to any man today.

Note that Isa also knows all about palm trees from birth!

"19.27": And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Marium! surely you have done a strange thing.

When Mariam comes among the people with the baby they appear to recognise that the birth was a miracle.

"19.28": O sister of Haroun! your father was not a bad man, nor, was your mother an unchaste woman.

They address her as the sister of Haroun, that is Aaron. Muhammad is still confusing her with Miriam the sister of Moses and Aaron.

"19.29": But she pointed to him. They said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle?

Mariam points to Isa indicating that they should ask Him, which astonishes them and they ask how they could possibly chat with a baby.

"19.30": He said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet;

The baby has no difficulty in talking and is already aware that He has ‘the Book’ (the Holy Bible. It could not be the Quran otherwise Isa would have had the Quran before Muhammad) and has been made a prophet. The fantasy continues!!

"19.31-33": And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live, And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed; And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.

Note here that in His reply Isa declares that He is going to die. Thus Muhammad believed that Isa did literally die. But after that He would be raised to life. Unlike what has gone before, this is completely in accordance with the true Gospels.

"19.34": Such is Isa, son of Marium; (this is) the saying of truth about which they dispute.

This is a summary verse which solves the disputes going around about Isa.

"19.35": It beseems not Allah that He should take to Himself a son, glory to be Him; when He has decreed a matter He only says to it "Be," and it is.

The fact that God (Allah) is seen as only needing to say ‘Be’ in order for something to come into existence, e.g. Isa, demonstrates that what is meant here is that God would not produce a son by natural means. He is anwering the heresy that Jesus became God’s son by being born of Mary, with the three together being seen as God. That would clearly be a foolish idea and Muhammad was perfectly right to reject it. But this says nothing about ‘eternal sonship’ which is not sonship in any earthly sense.

"19.36": And surely Allah is my Lord and your Lord, therefore serve Him; this is the right path.

Isa then commences His minstry from birth by urging the people to serve the Lord.

A few verses further on it is confirmed that the Haroun mentioned was the brother of Moses:

"19.51": And mention Musa in the Book; surely he was one purified, and he was an apostle, a prophet.

"19.52": And We called to him from the blessed side of the mountain, and We made him draw nigh, holding communion (with Us).

"19.53": And We gave to him out of Our mercy his brother Haroun a prophet.