Short answer
No. God (﷾) has no son, and the Qur'an never calls Jesus the son of God. In the Bible, "son of God" is a title of God's (﷾) favour, not a claim to be God. God (﷾) calls Israel "my son, even my firstborn". To the king of Israel He says, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee". Of Solomon He says, "he shall be my son". Luke calls Adam "the son of God". Even "only begotten" is used of Isaac, though Ishmael was older and still alive. When a crowd accused Jesus of making himself God, he answered from the Psalms. His claim, he said, was "I am the Son of God", in that same sense of honour. Islam's answer is in the Qur'an: "He begetteth not, nor is He begotten".
Full explanation
God's sons and firstborns before Jesus
To see what the title means, look at how the Bible uses it. The Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) gives it to many. God (﷾) calls the nation of Israel His son and firstborn. He calls Ephraim, a tribe of Israel, His firstborn. He says to the king, "Thou art my Son", and of Solomon, "he shall be my son". Luke's family tree of Jesus ends with Adam, "the son of God". None of them is thought to share God's (﷾) nature.
“And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:”
“They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
“I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
“And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:”
“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”
"Firstborn" is a rank, not a birth
Even "firstborn" does not always mean the first one born. David was the youngest of his father's sons, yet God (﷾) says, "I will make him my firstborn". The same psalm calls David God's (﷾) servant, and has him call God "my father, my God". A youngest son cannot become the first one born. So here "firstborn" is a rank that God (﷾) gives. When Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, calls Jesus "the firstborn of every creature", he uses the same language of honour.
“And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.”
“He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.”
“I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:”
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”
"Only begotten" is also said of Isaac
The same is true of "only begotten" (only fathered). Hebrews, a letter in the New Testament, calls Isaac Abraham's "only begotten son". It uses the same Greek word, monogenes, that John uses of Jesus. Yet Isaac was not Abraham's only son, nor his first. Abraham was eighty-six when Ishmael was born and a hundred when Isaac was born. Both sons buried him. The word marks favour and promise, not nature.
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,”
“And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.”
“And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.”
“And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;”
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
"This day have I begotten thee"
The words Hebrews applies to Jesus were first spoken to the king of Israel in Psalm 2. Acts, the book that tells of the early church, applies them to God's (﷾) raising up of Jesus. That was an event in time. In the Bible this begetting happens on a day. It is an appointment, as it was for Israel's king. It is not an eternal birth from God's (﷾) own nature.
“I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”
“So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.”
“God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”
| Who | What God (﷾) says of him |
|---|---|
| Israel, the nation | “Israel is my son, even my firstborn” (Exodus 4:22). |
| Ephraim | “Ephraim is my firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9). |
| The king of Israel | “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee” (Psalm 2:7). |
| David, the youngest son | “I will make him my firstborn” (Psalm 89:27). |
| Solomon | “he shall be my son” (2 Samuel 7:14). |
| Jesus | “the firstborn of every creature” (Colossians 1:15). Hebrews gives him the words of Psalm 2:7, first spoken to the king. |
None of the others is thought to share God's (﷾) nature. In the Bible “son of God” is a title of God's (﷾) favour, not a claim to be God.
Son of God, son of David, Son of Man
The Gospels also call Jesus the son of David and the son of Abraham. He most often calls himself the Son of Man. Being called the son of David did not make Jesus equal to David. Being called the son of Abraham did not make him equal to Abraham. In the Bible "son of" marks a relation of descent or of honour. It does not by itself make the son equal to the one named.
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
“And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
No father does not make a son of God
Some say Jesus is the Son of God because he had no human father. But Adam had neither father nor mother, and Luke calls him "the son of God". Hebrews says Melchizedek, a priest-king in Abraham's day, was "without father, without mother". Neither is God. The Qur'an makes the same point: Jesus is like Adam, created by God's (﷾) command.
“Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.”
“Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.”
“The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was.”
| Who | Father | Mother | What the Bible says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus | No human father | Mary | Calls him the Son of God. Some say this is because he had no human father. |
| Adam | None | None | Luke calls him “the son of God”. |
| Melchizedek | None given | None given | Hebrews calls him “without father, without mother”. |
Having no father does not make anyone God: the Bible does not call Adam or Melchizedek God (﷾). The Qur'an says Jesus is like Adam, created by God's (﷾) command.
Jesus' own answer
When the crowd said he was making himself God, Jesus answered from Psalm 82. There, human judges are called gods and children of the Most High. He then said that his claim was to be the Son of God. He used the Bible's own language of honour to show that the title was not blasphemy (an insult to God (﷾)).
“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?”
“I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”
What Christians mean by "the Son"
Christians read the title differently. They read John 3:16 as teaching that Jesus is God's one and only Son in a unique sense. In 325 the church leaders at Nicaea agreed on a creed (a statement of belief). It defines him as begotten of the Father, true God (﷾) of true God (﷾), of one substance with the Father. On this reading, "Son of God" means sharing God's (﷾) own nature.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
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.
What the Qur'an says
The Qur'an states that God (﷾) does not beget and was not begotten, and that nothing is like Him. It calls the claim that God (﷾) has taken a son a monstrous thing. For everyone in the heavens and the earth comes to Him as a servant. It compares Jesus to Adam: both were created by God's (﷾) command, and neither is His son. It also records that the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. It says that in this they imitate the unbelievers of old. This is Islam's answer: God (﷾) is One, and Jesus is His servant and messenger.
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
“They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!" Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious. For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son. Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant.”
“No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him: (if there were many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) from the (sort of) things they attribute to Him!”
“The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: "Be". And he was.”
“The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!”
Verse by verse
John 3:16 — Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Cited for
Christians read "only begotten" (monogenes) as "one and only": Jesus is the unique Son who shares God's nature.
The response
Hebrews uses the same word for Isaac, though Ishmael was older and still alive. Isaac was "only" as the son of the promise, the one chosen and favoured. The word marks a unique place in God's (﷾) plan. It says nothing about sharing God's (﷾) nature.
Where it lands — If monogenes does not make Isaac divine, it does not make Jesus divine.
Hebrews 1:5 — Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 1, verse 5
“For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”
Cited for
Christians hold that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, so "this day" speaks of an eternal relationship.
The response
The words come from Psalm 2, spoken to the king of Israel. Acts applies them to God's (﷾) raising up of Jesus, an event in time. In the Bible this begetting is on a day, and it is an appointment. The idea of a begetting before all ages is not in these verses.
Where it lands — The Bible's own use of "this day have I begotten thee" is royal appointment, not eternal divine birth.
John 10:33 — Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 33
“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
Cited for
The crowd understood "Son of God" as a claim to be God, and wanted to stone him for it.
The response
Jesus did not accept their charge. He answered from Psalm 82, where men are called gods and children of the Most High. He said that his claim was to be the Son of God. He corrected them with the Bible's language of honour. The crowd had also heard "I and my Father are one". But "one" need not mean one being: Jesus prays that his disciples "may be one, even as we are one".
Where it lands — Jesus' own answer shows that "Son of God" is not a claim to be God.
Perspectives
Mainstream Christian
Jesus is the eternal Son of God, begotten of the Father, true God of true God, and of one substance with Him. His sonship is unique and different in kind from that of Israel or the kings.
John calls Jesus God's "only begotten Son", which Christians read as a unique sonship that shares God's nature.
Rebuttal
Granted: John does call Jesus God's "only begotten Son". But Hebrews uses the same Greek word for Isaac, though Ishmael was older and still alive. The word marks a unique place in God's (﷾) plan, not a share in God's (﷾) nature.
Hebrews sets the Son above the angels by applying to him the words "Thou art my Son".
Rebuttal
Granted: Hebrews does apply "Thou art my Son" to Jesus. But the words come from Psalm 2, said to Israel's king, and Acts applies them to an event in time. Even his rank is given: in the same chapter, "God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows".
The Islamic perspective
"Son of God" in the Bible is a title of honour given to those God (﷾) chose: Israel, David, Solomon, Adam and others. Given to Jesus, it makes him a chosen servant of God (﷾), not God. God (﷾) neither begets nor is begotten. The Qur'an never calls Jesus the son of God, and it rejects the claim that God (﷾) has taken a son.
The Bible calls Israel, Ephraim, David, Solomon and Adam God's son or firstborn.
God (﷾) "makes" David His firstborn, though David was the youngest son, so "firstborn" is a rank.
Hebrews calls Isaac Abraham's "only begotten son" (monogenes), though Ishmael was fourteen years older and still alive.
"This day have I begotten thee" was first said to Israel's king. In the Bible it marks an appointment on a day, not an eternal divine birth.
Jesus was accused of making himself God. He answered from Psalm 82 that what he had said was that he is the Son of God.
The Qur'an teaches that God (﷾) does not beget and is not begotten. Taking a son is beneath His majesty.