Jesus greeted his followers by saying "Peace be upon you". In chapter 20:19, the anonymous author of the Gospel according to John wrote the following about Jesus after his supposed crucifixion: "Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' " This greeting was according to that of the prophets, as mentioned in the books of the Old Testament. For example, in 1st Samuel 25:6, Prophet David instructed emissaries whom he sent to Nabal: "And thus you shall salute him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.' " The Qur'an instructs all who enter homes to give greetings of peace;19 and those entering paradise will be greeted similarly by the angels.20 Whenever Muslims meet each other, they use this greeting.
"Jesus (peace be upon him) greeted with ‘Peace be to you,' a beautiful practice that echoes Islam's way. The Bible records him saying, ‘Peace be to you' (John 20:19) to his disciples, offering a blessing of calm and goodwill, just as prophets did. The Qur'an describes him as a mercy: ‘And peace be upon me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive' (Surah Maryam, 19:33). This greeting reflects his role as a messenger of Allah, spreading peace as a sign of faith.
In Islam, we say ‘As-salamu alaikum'—‘Peace be upon you'—following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who said, ‘Spread peace among yourselves' (Sahih Muslim). Jesus' use of this shows his connection to the prophetic tradition, submitting to Allah's command to foster harmony. It's not a divine trait but a human one, linking him to Islam's message: peace through devotion to the One Creator."
This dawah argument relies on superficial linguistic similarity rather than theological substance. Let's address its main points biblically and contextually:
Yes, Jesus said, "Peace be with you" — but greetings of peace existed across cultures long before Islam. The Hebrew "shalom aleichem" (peace be upon you) was a common Jewish greeting centuries before Muhammad. Jesus, being a Jew, naturally used the cultural idiom of His people (Luke 24:36).
Therefore, the similarity to "As-salamu alaikum" is linguistic, not theological evidence that Jesus practiced Islam.
In John 20:19-21,Jesus doesn't merely wish peace; He imparts it. Earlier in John 14:27,He says, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you."
Jesus gives peace as its source — something no mere prophet could claim. He speaks peace into fearful hearts after His resurrection, showing divine power and lordship over life and death.
Quoting Surah Maryam, 19:33 doesn't prove Jesus was Muslim; it reflects the Qur'an's later reinterpretation of biblical history. The Qur'an (written 600 years after Christ) borrows biblical figures but recasts them within an Islamic framework that denies Jesus' deity and crucifixion — both central to the Christian Gospel (John 1:1, 1:14,Colossians 2:9).
Appealing to the Qur'an to explain Jesus' behavior is anachronistic — it places Islamic concepts into a first-century Jewish context.
The dawah script claims Jesus' use of "peace" shows submission to Allah. Yet Scripture teaches Jesus was not merely a messenger sent to obey, but the divine Son sent to save:
"As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you" (John 20:21).
Here, Jesus commissions His disciples with divine authority, paralleling the Father's sending of the Son. This implies equality of nature and purpose, not subordination as a mere prophet.
Islam presents peace as behavioral — achieved through submission. Christianity presents peace as relational — granted through reconciliation with God by Christ's sacrifice:
"Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1).
The peace Jesus gives flows from His divine atonement, not from human effort.
The greeting "Peace be with you" shows Jesus' compassion, not His Islamic identity.
Linguistically: it's Jewish. Theologically: it's divine. Redemptively: it points to the peace of salvation, not ritual submission.
Thus, while Islam borrows the language of peace, only Christ, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), truly grants it — through His death and resurrection.