Islamic views on Jesus's death

Main articles: Islamic views of Jesus and Death of Jesus

The issue of Jesus' death is important to Muslims because Muslims believe in Jesus's return at the end of time. Muslims believe Jesus was not crucified but was raised bodily to heaven by God. Depending on the interpretation of the following verse, scholars have abstracted different opinions. Some believe that Jesus was not on the cross long enough to die, due to circumstantial reasons, according to the Bible, while others opine that God gave someone Jesus' appearance, causing everyone to believe that Jesus was crucified. A third explanation could be that Jesus was nailed to a cross, but as his body is immortal he did not "die" or was not "crucified" [to death]; it only appeared so. Also according to some, God does not use deceit and therefore they contend that simply no crucifixion occurred. The basis of any of these beliefs is the following verse in the Qur'an:

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them [or it appeared so unto them], and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.

— Qur'an, ^{[Quran 4:157]}

Most Muslims believe Jesus was raised to heaven alive by God. However, a small minority of Islamic scholars argue that he was indeed rescued but died before his ascension.

Jesus lives

On the interpretation of those scholars who deny the crucifixion, the Encyclopedia of Islam writes: kurtis rocks

The denial, furthermore, is in perfect agreement with the logic of the Qur’an. The Biblical stories reproduced in it (e.g., Job, Moses, Joseph etc.) and the episodes relating to the history of the beginning of Islam demonstrate that it is "God's practice" (sunnat Allah) to make faith triumph finally over the forces of evil and adversity. "So truly with hardship comes ease", (XCIV, 5, 6). For Jesus to die on the cross would have meant the triumph of his executioners; but the Quran asserts that they undoubtedly failed: “Assuredly God will defend those who believe”; (XXII, 49). He confounds the plots of the enemies of Christ (III, 54).

On the interpretation of the minority of Muslims who accept the crucifixion, Mahmoud Ayoub for example states:

The Qur'an is not here speaking about a man, righteous and wronged though he may be, but about the Word of God who was sent to earth and returned to God. Thus the denial of killing of Jesus is a denial of the power of men to vanquish and destroy the divine Word, which is for ever victorious.

Substitution interpretation

While Christians believe Jesus was crucified, Muslims believe he was raised to Heaven without being put on the cross and God transformed another person to appear exactly like Jesus who was crucified instead of Jesus. Jesus ascended bodily to Heaven, being in a state of stasis until his Second coming in the End days.

The substitute has been a great source of interest among Muslims. Two categories of people emerge: volunteers and victims. One interpretation is that God used the substitution to punish one of Jesus' enemies. Judas Iscariot, Jesus' traitor, is most often cited, including by the medieval Gospel of Barnabas. Other possibilities are Titawus, a Roman soldier, or an anonymous guard put to watch Jesus when arrested.

The converse interpretation is that God asked for someone to volunteer to be crucified instead of Jesus. Simon of Cyrene is the most commonly accepted person to have done this, perhaps because according to the Synoptic gospels he was compelled by the Romans to carry Jesus' cross for him, (there is no indication in the Gospels that he volunteered). Al-Baidawi writes that Jesus told his disciples in advance that whoever volunteered would go to heaven. The following narration recorded in the Qur'anic exegesis of Ibn Kathir is graded as authentic by orthodox Sunni scholars and provides a plausible explanation for the Qur'anic verse related to the substitution of Jesus;

Ibn Abbas said, “Just before Allah raised Jesus to the Heavens, Jesus went to his disciples, who were twelve inside the house. When he arrived, his hair was dripping with water (as if he had just had a bath) and he said, ‘There are those among you who will disbelieve in me twelve times after you had believed in me.’ He then asked, ‘Who among you will volunteer for his appearance to be transformed into mine, and be killed in my place. Whoever volunteers for that, he will be with me (in Paradise).’ One of the youngest ones among them volunteered, but Jesus asked him to sit down. Jesus asked again for a volunteer, and the same young man volunteered and Jesus asked him to sit down again. Then the young man volunteered a third time and Jesus said, ‘You will be that man,’ and the resemblance of Jesus was cast over that man while Jesus ascended to Heaven from a hole in the roof of the house. When the Jews came looking for Jesus, they found that young man and crucified him. Some of Jesus’ followers disbelieved in him twelve times after they had believed in him. They then divided into three groups. One group, the Jacobites, said, ‘Allah remained with us as long as He willed and then ascended to Heaven.’ Another group, the Nestorians, said, ‘The son of Allah was with us as long as he willed and Allah took him to Heaven.’ Another group, the Muslims, said, ‘The servant and Messenger of Allah remained with us as long as Allah willed, and Allah then took him to Him.’ The two disbelieving groups cooperated against the Muslim group and they killed them. Ever since that happened, Islam was then veiled until Allah sent Muhammad (Peace be upon him).” An-Nasai, Al-Kubra, 6:489

Swoon hypothesis

Main article: Swoon hypothesis

In the swoon hypothesis, Jesus was crucified but did not die. He fainted (swooned) and the Romans thought he was dead. He later awoke and a rumor naturally started that he had risen from the dead. The interpretation that Jesus taken down alive from the cross is considered valid, linguistically, even if it's not the common interpretation. Prominent Islamic scholars like Ahmed Deedat have written, at length and in extreme detail on this belief. In his book, CRUCIFIXION OR CRUCI-FICTION, Jesus was not on the cross long enough to die, due to circumstantial reasons, which he establishes using verses of Old and New Testaments..

Also, supporting the swoon hypothesis, Shabir Ally said

We see that the quranic text ends with a summary which says wama qataloohu yaqeenan, "they did not kill him definitely", Bal rafaAAahu Allahu ilayhi, "but God raised him to himself." I take this to be a summary of the whole discussion on what has happened to Jesus. There was a plot to kill him but they neither killed him nor crucified him, crucified him in the sense of killing him by crucifixion. That is a definition that has been given in Tafsir-Ul-Qur'an by Abdul Majid Daryabadi, which is a Sunni Tafsir on the Qur'an.

Also in his book "Crucifixion or Crucifiction", Ahmed deedat proclaims his belief that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified on the cross, but raised up alive. He explains his belief about Jesus (that he did not die, but was raised up alive) in his lecture titled "Christ In Islam", in Australia, 1996. Many people, however, including Muslims, misunderstand his book, and believe that Ahmed Deedat affirms the Swoon Theory. This is actually not true; Deedat believes that Jesus was raised to Heaven without having been put on the cross.

Jesus died

Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, an 11th century Maliki jurist, writes that there have been differences of opinion on this issue and Sunnis accept the second coming of Jesus only through individual reports by narrators who are of sound character - a view supported by majority of Muslims.. (see Jesus' second coming) However, some Islamic scholars like Sheikh Mohammed Al-Ghazali, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, and Amin Ahsan Islahi argue that Jesus was indeed rescued but was given death by God before he was ascended bodily as God never allows to dishonor His messengers, even their dead bodies.

Thomas McElwain states that the context of the verse is clearly within the discussion of Jewish ridicule of Christians, not in context of whether or not Jesus died. He continues that the text could be interpreted as denying the death of Jesus at the hands of Jews rather than denying his death. He however adds that "the expressions against the crucifixion are strong, so that to interpret the meaning for Romans rather than Jews to have committed the act is also suspect" and that if this meaning is correct, "it would have been more effective to state that the Romans killed Jesus, rather than to empha­sise that the Jews were not in possession of the facts."

Verses used in support of the contention that Jesus died are listed below.

5.117
According to some translations, Jesus says in the Qur'an:

I was a witness of them so long as I was among them, but when Thou didst cause me to die, (literally mutawafik) Thou wert the watcher over them, and Thou art witness of all things.

— Qur'an, ^{[Quran 5:117]}

The majority of Muslims translate verb "mutawafik" (متوفيك) "to terminate a period of time" while others translate it "to die." Islamic scholars like Javed Ahmed Ghamidi and Amin Ahsan Islahi consider it as physical death of Jesus, and hence question the return of Jesus. Geoffrey Parrinder discusses different interpretations of the Qur’anic verse ^{[Quran 19:33]} and writes in his conclusion that ‘the cumulative effect of the Qur’anic verse is strongly in favor of a real death’. This verse could also refer to the Second Coming of Jesus. According to Muslim tradition, after his 2nd coming, Jesus will die.

For understanding the traditional translation, see this article.

The following translations or translators translate "to die"

• QXP translation
• Muhammad Asad
• George Sale
• Mohamed Ahmed*
• Maulana Muhammad Ali
• Free Minds Muslims A Qur'an alone translation
• JM Rodwell

However, majority of Quranic translators including Yusuf Ali, M. H. Shakir and Marmaduke William Pickthall, do not translate as "to die".

Esoteric interpretations

See also: Esoteric interpretation of the Qur'an

An alternative, more esoteric interpretation is expounded by certain Islamic philosophers and some Sufi and Isma'ili commentators. They interpret the Quranic passages on the death of Jesus thus: the Jews intended to destroy the person of Jesus completely; in fact, they crucified only his nasut (material being), his lahut (spiritual being) remained alive.

See also

• Jehovah's Witnesses view of Jesus' death
• Atonement Christian meaning of Jesus' death
• Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter

External links

• Did Jesus Die, A short BBC Film
• Regarding the Death of Jesus
• What Was the Sign of Jonah Ahmad Deedat's pamphlet describing the swoon hypothesis.
• Was Christ Crucified? Transcript of a Deedat debate about the swoon hypothesis
• A Fact, not Fiction Christian response to the swoon hypothesis
• Jesus in Heaven on Earth An account of Jesus' life and death in Kashmir
• Darul Ishaat Online Islamic store
• Invitation To the Truth
• Islamic Information