Intro
For many people, prayer is the most personal form of worship. So it makes sense that the question of praying to Jesus feels heavy, especially for a Muslim. If Jesus is only a prophet, praying to Him is clearly wrong. If Jesus is God the Son in the flesh, praying to Him is exactly what the apostles did and taught.
The Bible is strict about prayer. Prayer is not a small thing handed out to any spiritual figure. God alone hears and answers prayer (1 Kings 8:38–39, Psalm 65:2). Praying to angels, idols, or dead saints is forbidden (Deuteronomy 18:10–12, Exodus 20:3–5). The Old Testament is united on this.
So when the New Testament shows believers praying to Jesus, that is not a minor detail. It is a theological statement about who Jesus is.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, is stoned to death in Acts 7. As he is dying, he looks up and sees “the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55). His final words are a direct prayer: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Stephen is not praying to the Father about Jesus. He is praying to Jesus. In his last breath, he calls on the same Lord who called on the Father from the cross (Luke 23:46).
Paul defines Christians as “those who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours” (1 Corinthians 1:2). The phrase “call on the name of the Lord” comes from Joel 2:32, where it refers to calling on YHWH. Paul applies it to Jesus without flinching. He even says in 2 Corinthians 12:8 that he pleaded with the Lord three times about his thorn in the flesh — and the Lord’s reply is Christ’s voice: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
The last prayer of the Bible is a prayer to Jesus. Revelation 22:20: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” The New Testament opens with God sending His Son and closes with the church praying directly to the Son to come back.
This does not replace prayer to the Father. The Lord’s Prayer begins, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Christians mostly pray to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit. That is the normal pattern. But the New Testament also clearly records prayer directed to Jesus, and it is never treated as a problem. It is treated as obvious, because the apostles knew who He was.
So if someone asks, “Is praying to Jesus wrong?” — the honest answer depends on who Jesus is. If He is merely a man or a prophet, then yes, it would be wrong, and the New Testament would be in serious error. If He is God the Son, then praying to Him is praying to God, and refusing to do so would be refusing the God who came near.
Christians pray to Jesus because the Bible invites them to, because the apostles did it, and because Jesus receives prayer the way only God can — hearing millions of cries at once, answering in every language, knowing every heart. That is not the job description of a prophet. That is the God of Scripture.
Praying to anyone other than Allah is explicitly forbidden in Islam. Muslims ask this question because, if Christians really pray to Jesus, it looks like the clearest case of shirk imaginable. The question deserves a real biblical answer, not a dodge.
Why Muslims Ask This
Christians believe prayer belongs to God alone, and that praying to Jesus is praying to God — because Jesus is God the Son. The New Testament shows believers praying to Him, and Christians continue that practice today.
Christian View
Islam teaches that all prayer (du’a and salah) must be directed to Allah alone. Praying to Jesus, a prophet, is shirk. Christians agree the principle is right — prayer belongs to God — but disagree that Jesus is merely a prophet. That difference of identity changes everything.
Islamic View
Prayers directed to Jesus:
Acts 7:59 — Stephen prays, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
2 Corinthians 12:8–9 — Paul pleads with the Lord three times, and Christ answers.
1 Corinthians 16:22 — “Maranatha” — “O Lord, come!”
Revelation 22:20 — “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”
Calling on the name of Jesus as calling on the Lord:
1 Corinthians 1:2 — the church is those who “call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 10:13 — “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (quoting Joel 2:32 and applying it to Jesus in context).
Acts 9:14, 21 — Christians are identified as those who call on the name of Jesus.
Prayer to the Father through the Son, in the Spirit:
John 14:13–14 — “whatever you ask in My name, that I will do.”
Ephesians 2:18 — through Jesus we have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Biblical Basis
“Jesus told us to pray to the Father, not to Him”
He taught us to pray, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). He also said, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:14). Both are true at once. Christians pray to the Father through the Son, and they also pray to the Son — because the apostles did.
“Prayer to Jesus must be shirk”
Only if Jesus is a creature. Stephen prayed to Jesus as he died. Paul pleaded with the Lord Jesus over his weakness. The New Testament records these prayers as normal Christian behaviour, not error. Read Is Christian Worship Shirk? for the underlying question.
“Early Christians did not pray to Jesus — the church invented it later”
The New Testament documents are from the first century. They already show prayer to Jesus. Pliny the Younger, a Roman official writing around AD 112, reports that Christians sing to Christ “as to a god.” This practice is apostolic, not medieval.
“Jesus is not everywhere — how can He hear prayer?”
The Bible presents Jesus as exalted at the Father’s right hand and active in His church (Matthew 28:18–20, Ephesians 1:20–23). If Jesus shares the divine nature, hearing prayer is not a stretch. If He does not, the New Testament is wrong about Him.
Common Objection
Praying to Jesus is not wrong. It is what the New Testament shows the first Christians doing, often at the most serious moments of their lives — dying, suffering, calling out to be saved.
It is not shirk, because Jesus is not a second god. He is God the Son, who receives prayer because prayer belongs to God, and He is God.
Conclusion
Why this matters
Prayer is one of the most honest spiritual instincts a human being has. When life breaks open, we call out. Who you call out to tells you what you actually believe.
If Jesus is a prophet, you will call out to God and ask Him to remember Jesus’ example. If Jesus is Lord, you will call out to Him by name — because He hears, He knows you, and He invites you to come.
The gospel does not just tell you about prayer. It gives you a Saviour who answers it.
Why It Matters
Read Who Is Jesus in Christianity? for the bigger picture, and Did Jesus Ever Claim to Be God? to see why Christians pray to Him.
Some assume Christians only pray to Jesus, or only pray to the Father. The New Testament shows both. Most prayer is to the Father through the Son in the Spirit. Direct prayer to Jesus is also present and is never treated as a mistake.
The Greek phrase epikaleō to onoma — “call on the name” — is Old Testament language for calling on YHWH (Genesis 4:26, Joel 2:32). The New Testament uses this same phrase for calling on Jesus (Acts 9:14, Romans 10:13). That is a deliberate theological move.
FAQs
Should I pray to the Father or to Jesus?
Does praying to Jesus break the first commandment?
Did Jesus Himself pray?
Can a Muslim pray to Jesus?
Is praying in Jesus’ name the same as praying to Jesus?
Author
Shafraz Jeal
Shafraz Jeal is the founder of By Design Ministry, created to help people discover Jesus, understand the Bible, and grow in faith. After encountering Christ in 2016, his life was radically changed, and that journey continues to shape everything he shares.