Short answer
No. A Muslim must believe in Jesus. Islam keeps what Christians love in him: his virgin birth, his miracles, his mercy and his return before the end. The Qur'an calls him the Messiah. It calls him a Word from God (﷾) because God (﷾) made him by the word "Be". What Islam sets aside is what others taught about him after he was gone. That means the creeds (statements of belief) of the church councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon. It also means what Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, built on the claim that Jesus died. Paul taught that believers are "justified by his blood". The Qur'an says God (﷾) saved Jesus from the cross and raised him to Himself. What remains is the Jesus of the Qur'an: a man sent by God (﷾), who prayed to God (﷾) and told people to worship Him alone.
Full explanation
Belief in Jesus is part of a Muslim's faith
The Qur'an describes the believers as those who believe in all of God's (﷾) messengers. They make no distinction between them. The Prophet (ﷺ) listed belief in Jesus beside the oneness of Allah (﷾), as part of the faith that leads to Paradise. He named Jesus as Allah's (﷾) servant and messenger and His Word given to Mary. A Muslim who denied Jesus would leave Islam.
“The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."”
Ubada reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: whoever bears witness that none is worthy of worship but Allah alone, without partner, that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, and that Jesus is Allah's servant and messenger, His Word bestowed on Mary and a spirit from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are real, Allah will admit him to Paradise, with whatever deeds he had done, even if they were few.
What Islam keeps: his birth and his honour
The Qur'an gives Mary the good news of Jesus as a Word from God (﷾), the Messiah (God's (﷾) chosen, anointed one). He is honoured in this world and the next, and is one of those nearest to God (﷾). It affirms that she conceived him with no man touching her, by God's (﷾) command "Be". That is why he is called a Word from God (﷾): he came into being by God's (﷾) word. God (﷾) calls him a sign to people and a mercy from God (﷾). The Qur'an compares him to Adam, whom God (﷾) created with no father and no mother.
“Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah;”
“She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is!”
“He said: "So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, 'that is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': It is a matter (so) decreed."”
“The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was.”
What Islam keeps: his miracles
The Qur'an records his miracles: healing those born blind and the lepers, raising the dead, and more. It adds that he did them by Allah's (﷾) leave. Peter, one of his disciples, says the same in Acts. Jesus was a man approved of God (﷾) by miracles which God (﷾) did by him. Muslims accept every one of them as signs from God (﷾).
“"And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;”
“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:”
What Islam keeps: his rescue and his return
The Qur'an says his enemies did not kill him or crucify him. God (﷾) raised him up to Himself. The Prophet (ﷺ) swore that the son of Mary will descend again before the end as a just ruler. Muslims wait for his return as Christians do.
“That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-”
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) swore that the son of Mary will soon descend among the Muslims as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine and end the jizya, and wealth will be so plentiful that no one will accept it. Abu Huraira then recited Qur'an 4:159: none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his death.
What Islam sets aside
The Council of Nicaea (a meeting of church leaders) in 325 declared the Son "of one substance" with the Father, meaning the same being. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 defined Christ as one person in two natures, divine and human. These are the formulas Islam sets aside. They were new formulas, made about 300 and 400 years after Jesus. They are not reports of anything he said. Neither formula appears in the New Testament Gospels.
The creed opens: "We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible". The council confessed the Son as begotten of the Father, true God of true God, and "of one substance" (homoousios) with the Father, and condemned those who said there was a time when he was not.
The council confessed one and the same Christ in two natures, divine and human, and declared him "not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son".
What remains: Jesus, the messenger of God (﷾)
In the Qur'an Jesus tells his people that Allah (﷾) is his Lord and theirs, and to worship Him. He says the same in the New Testament Gospels, calling the Father the only true God (﷾). The Qur'an says what he will state on the Day of Judgment. He only ever told people to worship Allah (﷾), his Lord and theirs.
“"'It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.'"”
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
“"Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.”
What Islam keeps of Jesus, and what it sets aside
- Islam does not ask anyone to give up Jesus. A Muslim must believe in him.
- Islam keeps his virgin birth, his miracles by God's (﷾) leave, his mercy and his return before the end of time.
- Islam sets aside the creeds of Nicaea (325) and Chalcedon (451), written centuries after him, and the teaching that God (﷾) needed his blood to forgive.
- What remains is the Jesus of the Gospels: a man sent by God (﷾), who prayed to God (﷾) and told people to worship God (﷾) alone.
Forgiveness without blood, in Jesus' own words
While he was still preaching, Jesus told a paralysed man his sins were forgiven. The crowd praised God (﷾) for giving such power to men. Jesus taught his disciples to ask God (﷾) for forgiveness directly. When a man asked how to gain eternal life, he said nothing of his blood. He said keep the commandments. The Qur'an says the same of Adam: he turned to his Lord and was forgiven.
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
“But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.”
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
“And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
“Then learnt Adam from his Lord words of inspiration, and his Lord Turned towards him; for He is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”
Verse by verse
Romans 5:9 — Epistle to the Romans, chapter 5, verse 9
“Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”
Cited for
Without the blood of Jesus there is no forgiveness. To leave the cross behind is to leave Jesus himself.
The response
Jesus forgave the paralysed man long before any talk of a cross. Matthew says the crowd glorified God (﷾) for giving such power to men. Jesus taught his disciples to ask God (﷾) to forgive them. When asked the way to eternal life, he said keep the commandments. So forgiveness did not wait for a cross. Jesus gave it, and taught people to ask God (﷾) for it, with no blood shed.
Where it lands — A Muslim keeps what Jesus himself taught and did about forgiveness: God (﷾) forgives those who turn to Him, with no blood required.
Matthew 26:28 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, verse 28
“For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Cited for
Jesus himself said his blood was shed for the remission of sins.
The response
The Qur'an says Jesus was not killed or crucified (4:157). So a Muslim does not accept a saying that makes his death the price of forgiveness. Only Matthew has the words 'for the remission of sins'. Mark and Luke, telling the same supper, do not (Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20). The New Testament Gospels also show him forgiving sins while he was still preaching (Mark 2:5; Matthew 9:8). They show him teaching people to ask God (﷾) for forgiveness (Matthew 6:12). They show him sending a seeker of eternal life to the commandments (Matthew 19:16-17).
Where it lands — Jesus' own practice of forgiveness needed no blood, and the Qur'an denies the death this saying assumes.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Christians say Jesus is God the Son, and his death on the cross paid for sin. They hold that a faith which denies his divinity and his atoning death keeps the name of Jesus but loses the Saviour.
Paul teaches that believers are justified by the blood of Jesus.
Rebuttal
Paul did write this. But Jesus, while still preaching, forgave a man's sins and taught his disciples to ask God (﷾) to forgive them. He sent a seeker of eternal life to the commandments. Of the three accounts of that supper, only Matthew has "for the remission of sins".
The creeds of Nicaea and Chalcedon define Jesus as of one substance with the Father, one person in two natures.
Rebuttal
The councils did define it so. But those words are not in the New Testament Gospels. There Jesus calls the Father "the only true God" and says "my Father is greater than I".
Christians hold that faith in Jesus' divinity and atoning death is needed for salvation.
Rebuttal
Christians do hold this, but when a man asked Jesus how to gain eternal life, he said to keep the commandments. God (﷾) forgives the one who turns to Him: the Qur'an says Adam turned to his Lord and was forgiven. Jesus also said eternal life is knowing "the only true God", and the one He sent.
The Islamic perspective
Islam does not ask anyone to give up Jesus. It asks them to give up what later creeds and teachers said about him. Belief in Jesus as God's (﷾) messenger is part of the faith the Prophet (ﷺ) taught, and a Muslim loves and honours him.
The Qur'an requires belief in all of God's (﷾) messengers, with no distinction between them.
The Prophet (ﷺ) named belief in Jesus as part of the faith that leads to Paradise. It is belief in him as Allah's (﷾) servant, messenger and Word.
The Qur'an affirms Jesus' virgin birth, his miracles, his honour and his raising to God (﷾).
The Qur'an says Jesus was neither killed nor crucified, but raised to God (﷾).
The Prophet (ﷺ) said the son of Mary will return as a just ruler.
The definitions of Nicaea (325) and Chalcedon (451) came centuries after Jesus and are not in the New Testament Gospels.
In the New Testament Gospels, Jesus declared sins forgiven long before the cross Christians speak of. He pointed a seeker of eternal life to the commandments.