Sahih al-Bukhari — Hadith 3435
Narrated by Ubadah ibn as-Samit
مَنْ شَهِدَ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَأَنَّ عِيسَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِنْهُ
Translation
The Prophet said: 'If anyone testifies that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah alone who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His slave and His apostle, and that Jesus is Allah's slave and His apostle and His word which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he had done even if those deeds were few.'
Commentary
This hadith is one of the most important statements defining the Islamic creed regarding Jesus. It assigns Jesus four titles: slave of Allah, apostle of Allah, His word (kalimah) bestowed on Mary, and a spirit (ruh) from Him. These titles honor Jesus while firmly placing him within the framework of monotheism — he is a creation of Allah, not divine. The hadith is also significant because it makes belief in Jesus an integral part of the Islamic declaration of faith.