They Did Not Kill Him

Here the Qur'an is very clear. The Qur'an does not beat about the bush; it confuses nothing; it makes the matter very clear. This is what Allah says. The general belief among Christians — there are various beliefs, in fact, among the different Christian denominations and sects — was that Jesus was killed on the cross: that it was Jesus, since he was captured, he was taken, he died on the cross, he was buried, he came back to life after some three days, and then he ascended to heaven. Many of them hold a belief in the ascension to heaven. All of those locations may be seen by a visitor to Jerusalem, to Masjid al-Aqṣā and its surroundings: there is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and there is the place from which ʿĪsā may have gone — they say it is another area — and the rest.

The Muslims do not believe that Jesus was killed on the cross at all. He did not die. That is absolutely clear, and there is no doubt of it. What, then, happened to ʿĪsā? Who died on the cross? Someone did die on the cross, for it was witnessed by a great crowd, and it has come down by a continuous, contiguous transmission. So who died on the cross? For it certainly looked like Jesus; people thought it was Jesus. That is what Allah (swt) explains here. Two reasons are given — or rather two explanations. The tafsīr of al-Qurṭubī, of Ibn Kathīr, and of many others who supply this detail, relate that there are two accounts, two possibilities. The Qur'an mentions certain things, but as to the further detail there are two possibilities. One is that the person who died on the cross was in fact one of the disciples of ʿĪsā, who had volunteered to be like him and changed garments with him; Allah made him appear like ʿĪsā, and it was he who faced all of that persecution up there, while ʿĪsā was raised up to heaven. The other version is that the man who came in to seize ʿĪsā — to see whether ʿĪsā was there with his disciples — did not find ʿĪsā when he went in, and when he came out again was made to appear like Jesus (peace be upon him). He was seized, and protested, naturally — but all criminals protest. He looked the part, and Allah can do whatever He wishes. He was killed up there. That is why, in the Bible, there is, it appears, whoever is up there saying: why did you forsake me? Why did you forsake me? Those words are there: why did you forsake me? ʿĪsā was raised up.

This is what Allah says, and it should be read carefully. They say: we have killed the Masīḥ, the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah. They did not kill him. They did not crucify him. He is not on that cross at all. The matter was made very confusing for them; it was made very ambiguous for them. Clearly this gives the understanding that they thought it was he, but it was not. And those who differ concerning him are themselves in doubt; they have no certainty, whatever they may say. They have no certainty. That is why the various Christian denominations differ among themselves. They have no serious knowledge, no certainty, no true knowledge of this. They follow only conjecture; they follow only speculation. It is all estimation in their minds — this is what we think happened — because they do not know the reality. And then Allah — who, as said, generally does not use many words, yet mentions so many different things — says it again: they certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him up to Himself. Allah has the might to do this, and He has the wisdom and the power to do it.

Then it says — there are several interpretations of that verse, 159 — that many of those who claim to follow Jesus (peace be upon him), before they die, before they breathe their last, are shown the reality and then understand the truth; but by then it is too late. It then continues: further condemnations, further reasons for their plight — their consuming usury when they had been prohibited from it, and their consuming the wealth of people unjustly. And We have prepared a severe punishment for those who disbelieve. Then Allah speaks of the good among them: those of them who have solid knowledge, firmly grounded knowledge, and the believers — they believe in what has been revealed to you and in what was revealed before. They have updated; as noted before, they have upgraded to the new religion, the refreshed religion.