Prophet’s Warning Against Excessive Praise
📖Sahih al-Bukhari 3445
Narrated `Umar: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle.”
Explanation:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ warned Muslims not to fall into the same trap that Christians did — exaggerating the status of Jesus (peace be upon him) until they ended up calling him the Son of God, worshipping him, and directing prayers to him instead of Allah.
He clarified:
- He is not divine,
- He is not to be worshipped,
- He is a servant of Allah, and nothing more.
This is a message of pure Tawheed (monotheism) – keep all worship and glory where it belongs: with Allah alone, The praise mentioned in the hadith refers to worship-like praise, as if making someone divine. It’s not about showing respect
Bible Passages – Did Jesus Ask to Be Praised or Worshipped?
No – in fact, Jesus himself always praised God, not himself.
John 5:30
“By myself I can do nothing… I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
Matthew 26:39
“He fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘God, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.’”
Jesus never told people to worship him, but always pointed back to God as the only one worthy of worship. The Qur’an affirms this truth and corrects what came later.
Quranic Context:
📖Quran 5:116
And [beware the Day] when Allah will say, “O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as gods besides Allah?’” He will say, “Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right to. If I had said it, You would have known it…”
Jesus will deny ever asking for worship, just like Muhammad ﷺ denied exaggeration about himself.
📖Quran 3:79
It is not for a human [prophet] that Allah should give him the Scripture and authority and prophethood and then he would say to the people, “Be worshippers of me rather than Allah.” Rather, [he would say], “Be devoted to the Lord…”
📖Quran 18:110
Say, “I am only a man like you, to whom has been revealed that your god is only One God. So whoever expects to meet his Lord—let him do righteous work and not associate in the worship of his Lord anyone.”
Summary:
The Prophet ﷺ stopped all forms of over-praise, making it clear: he is a slave and messenger of Allah, not divine. Jesus too never asked for worship – he submitted to God just like every other prophet, Islam brings the correction: praise the message, not the messenger — and worship only the One who sent them all: Allah.