Masih (title)

al-Masīḥ (Arabic: المسيح) is an Arabic rendition of the Hebrew title Māshīaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ, 'Messiah') or the Greek title Khristós (Χριστός, 'Christ'), meaning "the anointed one". It is derived from the Arabic root msḥ, meaning 'to rub, wipe, anoint'. It is the common word used by Arab Christians for 'Christ', a usage which was adopted by both Christians and Muslims in a number of languages influenced by Arabic. It also occurs eleven times in the Quran as a title for Jesus (ʿĪsā), both followed by his proper name as "the Messiah/Christ Jesus the Son of Mary" (three times) or "the Messiah/Christ the Son of Mary" (five times) and independently as "the Messiah/Christ" (three times). The title was interpreted in many different ways by Muslim exegetes, all of which tended to downplay the connection of the word to Jesus' central role in Christianity as the savior-God.