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Refutations

The Birth of Mithras vs. the Birth of Jesus in the Qur'an — A Refutation of the Similarity Claim

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Refuting the Allegation of Similarity Between the Birth of Mithras and the Birth of Jesus ﷺ

Table of Contents

The Claim

The Allegation The claimant says: The god Mithras was born under a tree and emerged from a rock near a flowing river. This is similar to the story in the Qur’an about the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him), relying on the noble Qur’anic verses from Surah Maryam:

“And the pangs of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said, ‘Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten.’ (23) Then he called to her from beneath her, ‘Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream.’” (24)

First Response — The Qur’anic Account Has No Resemblance

Point 1 In the Noble Qur’an, our master Jesus was born under a palm tree and from a woman — the Virgin Mary — and not from a rock.
Point 2 Mithras was in fact born in a cave — not under a tree, and not near a river — as the claimant falsely describes in his book. The claimant has misrepresented his own cited source.

Second Response — Jesus is Not God

A Fundamental Distinction Our Master Jesus ﷺ is not a god, but rather a human being and a messenger from God Almighty. There is no Muslim who says that he is God or resembles God.

Mithras, on the other hand, was believed by his followers to be a god.

So even if the births were identical in every detail — which they are not — there would still be no valid comparison, because the two figures are categorically different in nature.

Third Response — The Source Itself Refutes the Claim

What Joseph Campbell Actually Wrote

The Claimant’s Own Source The claimant cites Joseph Campbell’s book, page 260, as his source for the alleged similarity.

responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace
responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace

What Campbell Actually Says (p. 260) Mithras was born near the sacred tree and the sacred river — apparently emerging from a rock — holding a torch in one hand and a knife in the other.
The Source Destroys the Claim So according to the claimant’s own cited source, the birth of Mithras involves:
  • A sacred tree (not a palm tree Mary rested against)
  • A sacred river (not the stream Allah provided beneath Mary)
  • Emerging from a rock (not born from a woman)
  • Holding a torch and a knife in his hands

Where exactly is the similarity to the Qur’anic account of the birth of Jesus?

There is no sacred tree in Mary’s story. There is no child emerging from a rock. There are no objects in the child’s hands. The entire comparison collapses under examination of the claimant’s own source.

Archaeological Evidence — What Mithras Actually Looked Like at Birth

Archaeological Location Mithraeum — Under the Church of S. Stefano Rotondo, Rome https://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=mithraeum_s_stephano_rotondo

A statue depicting the birth of the god Mithras — born from a rock, holding a knife in one hand and a torch in the other:

responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace 1
responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace 1

responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace 2
responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace 2

Archaeological Confirmation There are significant differences and ambiguities surrounding the Mithraic religion, and not much verified information survives about it. What archaeology does confirm is that Mithras emerged from a rock — with no mention of a sacred river or a sacred tree in the physical evidence.

Fourth Response — How Would Muhammad ﷺ Have Even Known About Mithraism?

The Most Critical Question The Mithraic religion became extinct hundreds of years before Islam and was replaced by Christianity.

How would Muslims — or the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — have even known about Mithraism?

Did the Prophet ﷺ meet one of the Mithraists? Did he learn about their beliefs? This challenge stands open: provide a single piece of evidence for any contact between the Prophet ﷺ and Mithraism.

No such evidence exists — because the religion had long disappeared from the world before the revelation of the Qur’an.

Fifth Response — The Source Website Contradicts the Claimant

responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace 3
responding to the allegation of similarity between the birth of mithras and the prophet isa peace 3

The Claimant’s Own Linked Website The source website referenced by the claimant confirms that Mithras appeared from a rock — and makes no mention of a sacred river or a sacred tree.

The claimant has been refuted by his own sources, on his own terms.

Historical Note — Christians Themselves Accused Mithraists of Plagiarism It should not be forgotten that the early Christians accused the Mithraists of stealing from their beliefs — not the other way around. The direction of alleged borrowing has always been disputed and the claim remains unproven in any direction.

Closing — The Qur’anic Response to Falsehood

Surah Al-Anbiya (21:18) “Rather, We cast the truth upon falsehood, and it destroys it, and thereupon it departs. And woe to you for that which you describe.”