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Church of God Message
HINDUISM, SIKHISM AND ISLAM: ARE THESE GOD'S RELIGIONS
CHAPTER 13
Quran on Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
The Quran appears to deny the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The following quotes are from the translation by M.H. Shakir:
[3.55] “And when Allah said: O Isa [Jesus’ Arabic name], I am going to terminate the period of your stay (on earth) and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you of those who disbelieve and make those who follow you above those who disbelieve to the day of resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, so l will decide between you concerning that in which you differed.
Translation of this verse by Abdullah Yusuf Ali reads this way:
“Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.”
The Muslims interpret this verse to mean that Jesus did not die but ascended to God. This interpretation is made when this verse is read in conjunction with other verses.
[19.33] And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.
The sequence of events mentioned in the life of Jesus in this verse is His birth, then death and then His resurrection; exactly as the sequence in the Bible. This verse does not mention the return of Jesus Christ to earth as mentioned in the Bible. Muslims claim that the sequence in Jesus’ life is birth, then ascension, then return to earth, then death and then resurrection? This passage in the Quran is also speaking of the resurrection of Jesus and not His ascension to God without first dying as claimed by Muslims. Thus, this verse is contrary to the prevailing Muslim view.
With these verses, the Quran seems to say things similar to the Bible. But next look at Sura 4:157-158:
[4.157-158] “And their saying [meaning the Jews’ saying]: Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium [Mary’s Arabic name], the apostle of Allah; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure. 158 Nay! Allah took him up to Himself; and Allah is Mighty, Wise.”
Here in verse 157 the Quran is saying that the Jews boast that they killed Jesus the Messiah, but denies that they killed Him or crucified Him; it just appeared to them to be so. The Quran then flatly denies that they killed Him, but that Allah took Him up to himself.
The same two verses are translated in the translation by the King Fahd Complex for the printing of the Quran in Madinah, SA with commentary in this way:
[4.157-158] And because of their saying (in boast), “We killed Messiah Isa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allah” – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of Isa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man) and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no certain knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely they killed him not [i.e Isa (Jesus)] son of Maryam (Mary)]. 158 But Allah raised him [Isa (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he is in the heavens). And Allah is ever All-powerful, All-wise.”
The words in verse 157, “but the resemblance of Isa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man)” are not a literal translation but added as a commentary based on a Hadith [which are the sayings of the companions of Mohammad based on what Mohammed said or did] narrated by Ibn Abbas mentioning that Muhammed told about the last day of prophet Isa on Earth that he gathered his pupils in a house and asked them "who among you shall be given my appearance to be crucified in my place and be my companion in Paradise?" The youngest among them stood up and said: "I"”
This may be the reason for the Muslim belief that another disciple who looked like Him was substituted for Jesus to be crucified to die on the cross, but the people thought it was Jesus who was crucified and died.
When we consider these verses that discuss Jesus Christ’s death or ascension to God, we see that the Quran does not give us its own detailed version of what actually happened at the crucifixion, or death or resurrection of Jesus Christ. It just seeks to discredit the detailed version of events contained in the Bible. The Koran does not give us a clear picture of the events surrounding those 4-5 days of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
While these verses in the Quran are open to alternate interpretations, the Muslims interpret them to believe that in essence Jesus was not crucified and did not die on the cross but ascended to Allah in heaven. Since He did not die, there was no need for Him to be resurrected from death. Thus, the Koran denies the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But according to the Bible these are a central part of God’s Plan of salvation for mankind in Christianity.
Since these verses in the Koran can be interpreted in different ways, it has led to many theories among the Muslims to try and explain the actual event of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as described in the gospels in the Bible. These theories include:
1) Jesus didn’t actually die, He simply swooned or went into a coma and appeared to be dead, but woke up after 3 days and was claimed to have been resurrected.
2) Jesus did actually die, but his disciples stole the body. This saying was actually reported among the Jews and is mentioned in the Bible. But it contradicts Sura 4:157 in the Quran which asserts that Jesus did not die.
3) There was a person who was crucified and died, but it was another person substituted for the real Jesus. So it wasn’t Jesus who actually died. Since He did not die, He could be claimed to have been resurrected the third day. This theory as mentioned earlier is not in the Quran but based on a Hadith, which could be just conjecture on the part of the one to whom the Hadith is attributed. (Can you imagine Jesus asking another person to die on His behalf according to what else is written about Him in the Bible. He said in John 15:13, “13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” That is what Jesus did. It is simply unimaginable that He would ask a close friend to be crucified on His behalf.)
4) Muslims also say that there was no need for another man to die for the sins of other men. That is unfair. So they question the story of the death of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind. That is why they do not believe the story of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.
5) The whole resurrection story is a myth.
6) Some even go so far as to say that Jesus is a myth
You can see that these theories to try and discredit the Biblical account of the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus by first accepting what the Quran claims about Jesus are contradictory among themselves. Some of these theories claim that Jesus died whereas others claim He did not.
Even the account in the Koran itself about the event is contradictory. Sura 4:157 says Jesus was not killed whereas Sura 19:33 says Jesus died or will die and be resurrected. To reconcile these two verses Muslims have invented the sequence in the life of Jesus to be the life, ascension to God, return to earth, then death of Jesus Christ, and then resurrection. But this sequence contradicts the sequence in Sura 19:33 which says: “And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.”
We have already discussed what a diabolical liar would do to discredit a true story in order to deceive. He would try to spread lies that the message of the crucifixion, death and resurrection was lies and pure fiction. That is what Satan the devil, masquerading as the true God but under the name Allah does in the Quran.
Before we prove that the crucifixion, death and the resurrection of Jesus are true events, we must understand why His life, death and resurrection were necessary.
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