The Quran affirms that Jesus' disciples were messengers sent by God, similar to the prophets.

The Quranic passage in Surah 36:13-29 recounts a story of messengers sent to a city, which some interpret as referring to Jesus' disciples. However, the Christian perspective emphasizes that the role of the apostles extends beyond mere messengers; they were chosen by Jesus Himself to spread the Gospel and establish the Church. The apostles were witnesses to Christ's life, death, and resurrection, which is a foundational aspect of their mission. In contrast, the Quran's narrative does not provide the same theological significance to the disciples as it does to the prophets in Islam. Furthermore, the interpretations by Islamic scholars, such as Tafsir al-Jalalayn and Ibn Abbas, suggest that the messengers in the Quranic story are not directly equated with the apostles of Jesus in the Christian sense. The apostles' authority and mission are derived from their direct commission by Christ, which is not paralleled in the Quranic account. Therefore, while the Quran acknowledges the role of messengers, it does not affirm the same apostolic authority that Christians attribute to the disciples of Jesus. In summary, the Christian understanding of the apostles as divinely appointed witnesses to the resurrection and bearers of the Gospel message is distinct from the Quranic portrayal of messengers. This distinction is crucial in understanding the unique role of the apostles in Christianity compared to the broader category of messengers in Islam.