The Prophet Isa (as), or Jesus, remains a religious figure revered by billions of Muslims across the world. Allah (S) mentions Isa’s (as) miraculous birth in Surah Maryam in the Quran. The Quran also contains descriptions of numerous miracles performed by Isa (as), including talking in the cradle and breathing life into the dead.

There is no denying Isa’s (as) lofty status among the Prophets of Allah (S) and humankind. Culturally, many Muslims point to Jesus to make a connection with Christians, especially this time of year, with celebrations of his birth at Christmas time (though exactly when he was born is not known). As holiday lights go up, there seems to be a rise in the attestations that Muslims love Jesus too. There’s nothing wrong with proclaiming reverence for Isa (as). However, I often wonder if Muslims fully appreciate the very different conceptualizations of Jesus based on Islamic and Christian teachings.

Basically, do Muslims consider who Jesus is to Christians as a deity and the ramifications of simply asserting love for him without recognizing that for Muslims, Isa (as) is not worshiped in that same way?

I also wonder if Muslims’ concepts of Jesus align more with Eurocentric depictions of the prophet, with blond hair, blue eyes and white skin, alienating Isa from his brownness. When Muslims say to Christians that they also love Jesus, do they really love Isa as described in Islamic teachings?

The recognition that only Allah (S) is worthy of worship (la ilaha illa llah) remains at the foundation of the Islamic faith. Allah (S) has no partners, parents or progeny. We are all his creation, including Isa (as). A fundamental understanding about Isa (as) in an Islamic context is that he is a prophet and messenger sent to the Children of Israel. Although his birth was miraculous, it did not make him less human. Allah (S) says:

“Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is.” [Quran 3:59]

So in an Islamic cultural context, and between Muslims, asserting a love of Jesus is of a prophet of Allah (S) and, while our love for prophets is special, it remains incomparable to the love we ideally have for Allah (S). However, in the broader, interfaith context, there is a potential for that love to be interpreted as something different because the concept of Jesus is diverse in those spaces.

So, to proclaim a love for Jesus as a Muslim, without presenting what that means (and the differences between what we believe of Jesus and what Christians believe), can lead people outside of the faith to possibly infer that that love comes with the belief in their conceptualization for Jesus, which may categorize him as the son of God or God himself.

Thus, it is critical that Muslims clarify who Jesus is to us in an Islamic context and make it clear that while we might be talking about the same man, we do not conceptualize him in the same way.

It is important for Muslims to make the necessary distinction between the Isa (S) we love and the Jesus of the Christians. Instead of leaving it off at, “we love Jesus too,” make sure the listener fully understands who he is for us and avoid any misunderstandings that may arise without clarification.

The Church and media inundate our society with a singular depiction of the prophet Jesus. Billions of people pray to white Jesus every day, and those of us who do not see him as a deity must still contend with cultural homogeneous imagery, rooted in Eurocentricity, that embeds Jesus as white in the devotional zeitgeist.

However, Muslims have a different description of Isa (as) in a hadith, wherein the Prophet Muhammad (saw) describes him as having a “red complexion, curly hair and a broad chest.” In another hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) describes Isa (as) as having, “brown complexion.” Whether red or brown, the description doesn’t come close to the prevailing depictions of Jesus throughout the globe as having white skin, blond hair and blue eyes.

In our post-colonial and chattel slavery society, how many many Muslims align their conceptualization of Isa based on the description from Prophet Muhammad (saw), and how many see the Jesus of the colonizers and enslavers?

I also wonder how many Muslims have a hard time grasping the idea of a brown Isa (as), let alone love him as they might the white Jesus fed to us through the media.

It may be a noble thing for Muslims to assert their love for Jesus, especially in interfaith gatherings or articles proclaiming how important Jesus is to us. But providing clarity as to who we mean for ourselves and when engaged in interfaith dialogue is critical in making a distinction between loving Isa (as) the prophet of Allah (S), and not someone or something else.