Islamic view of Jesus' death

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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. 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, 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, ^{[Qur'an 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.^[1]

Contents 1 Jesus lives 1.1 Substitution interpretation 1.2 Swoon hypothesis 2 Jesus died 3 Esoteric interpretations 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Jesus lives

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

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.^[2]

[edit] Substitution interpretation

While Christians believe Jesus was crucified, Muslims believe he was raised to heaven without being put on the cross and Allah (God) transformed another person to appear exactly like Jesus to deceive the Romans and he was crucified instead of Jesus. Jesus was ascended bodily.

The substitute has been a great source of interest among Muslims. Two categories of people emerge: volunteers and victims. Common interpretation is that Allah (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 Allah (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.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 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, linguisticly, 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.^[3].

Also, supporting the swoon hypothesis, Shabir Ally said ^[4]

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.

[edit] Jesus died

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Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, an 11th century Maliki jurist, writes that there have been differences of opinion on this issue^[5] 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.^[6]. (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.^[7][1][8][9]

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, ^{[Qur'an 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.^[7][8] Geoffrey Parrinder discusses different interpretations of the Qur’anic verse ^{[Qur'an 19:33]} and writes in his conclusion that ‘the cumulative effect of the Qur’anic verse is strongly in favor of a real death’.^[10]

For understanding the traditional translation, see this article.

3.55

O Jesus! I will cause you to die of natural causes and I will exalt you in honor in My Court...

—Qur'an, ^{[Qur'an 3:55]} as per QXP translation

The following translations or translators translate "to die" ^[11]

• 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".

3.144
According to Qur'an, every prophet (messenger) dies. However, this verse is still valid to Islamic view of Jesus, as he will descend before the Day of Judgment and die a natural death ^[12] (see second coming).

And Muhammad is no more than a messenger; the messengers have already died before him...

—Qur'an, ^{[Qur'an 3:144]}

Some of the companions thought that the Prophet was not dead. Abu Bakr went in, and seeing that life had departed, ascended the pulpit and read this verse, which had a magical effect upon his hearers, all of them being convinced that the Prophet had died, as all prophets had died before him. . . . This verse affords a conclusive proof that Jesus Christ was also dead; otherwise Abu Bakr's argument could not have silenced the doubters of the Prophet's death."

[edit] 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.^[13]

[edit] See also

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

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Tariq Hashmi. The Second Coming of Jesus. Renaissance - Monthly Islamic Journal, 14(9). September 2004.
2. ^ The death of Jesus: Reality or Delusion (Muslim World 70 (1980) pp. 91-121)
3. ^ "CRUCIFIXION OR CRUCI-FICTION", By Ahmed Deedat
4. ^ debate with Dr. William Lane Craig, "Did Jesus of Nazareth Physically Rise from the Dead?", held on Monday, March 4, 2003 at the University of Toronto
5. ^ Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, Al-Istidhkar, Ist ed., vol. 26, (Cairo: Daru’l-Wa‘i Halb, 1993), p. 235
6. ^ Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, Al-Istidhkar, Ist ed., vol. 26, (Cairo: Darul Wa‘i Halb, 1993), p. 236
7. ^ ^{a b} Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, Qur'anic Verse regarding Second Coming of Jesus.
8. ^ ^{a b} Islahi, Amin. Tadabbur-i-Qur’an, 1st, Lahore: Faran Foundation. OCLC 60341215.  vol.2, p.243
9. ^ Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali (Al-Azhari). "The thematic commentary of the Qur’an", explanation of verse 3:55
10. ^ Geoffrey Parrinder, Jesus in the Quran, p.121, Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1996. ISBN 1-85168-094-2
11. ^ Compared Translations of the meaning of the Quran - 3:55
12. ^ Mufti A.H. Elias, "Jesus (Isa) A.S. in Islam, and his Second Coming", Islam.tc, Retrieved April 14, 2007
13. ^ Encyclopedia of Islam, Jesus article. cf. L. Massignon, Le Christ dans les Évangiles selon Ghazali, in REI , 1932, 523-36, who cites texts of the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa, a passage of Abu Hatim al-Razi (about 934), and another of the Isma'ili da'i Mu'ayyad fid-din al-Shirazi (1077).

[edit] 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