The crucifixion of Esa

[Sakinah Freeman]

I posted an excerpt from a book entitled, 'Jesus(Esa) - The Prophet who Didn't Die' from IqraSense.com on my Facebook page and it solicited a question from one of my Facebook friends. After reading the excerpt he posted,

"As far as the crucifixion of Christ is concerned, why would God confuse people by making a man that is not Jesus look like Jesus so that people would believe that Jesus was crucified?" I posted that I did not know the answer, but would try to find a scholar that could respond to his concern. I am sincerely looking for some help on this matter.

[ummtaalib]

Assalaamu 'alaykum sister Sakeenah and welcome to the forum.

 

Can you please add the excerpt here? InshaAllah we'll try and get an answer however the first thing for a Muslim (if the questioner is a Muslim) is that we do not question the decisions of Allah subhaanahu wata'ala.

[ummtaalib]

The relevant verses of the Noble Qur'an in red. Please see the Highlighted part in large font in the last paragraph. InshaAllah it answers the question...

 

 

- and for their disbelief and for what they said against Maryam as a grim imputation, [156] and for their saying, "We have certainly killed the Masih 'Isa (Jesus) the son of Maryam, the Messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but they were deluded by resemblance. And those who disputed in this matter are certainly in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it, but they follow whims. And it is certain that they did not kill him, [157]

but Allah lifted him towards Himself. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise. [158]

 

 

In the present verses (157-158) of Surah al-Nisa', it has been made explicit that they did not kill nor crucify Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S), rather, what actually happened was that they were deluded by resemblance.

 

How Were the Jews 'Deluded by Resemblance'?

While explaining the words of the Qur'an: (but they were deluded by resemblance), master exegete, Dahhak says: It so transpired that, following the intention of Jews to kill Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) his disciples assembled at a given place. Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) joined them there. It was Iblis who gave the address of Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) to the execution squad standing ready for the mission.

Four thousand men surrounded the suspected house. Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) said to his disciples: 'Is one of you willing to go out and be killed and then be in Paradise with me?' One of them offered to do so. Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) gave him his shirt and head-cover. Then, cast on him was the resemblance of Jesus and as soon as he came out, the Jews, believing him to be Jesus, caught him and crucified him, and Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) was lifted. (Qurtubi)

According to some reports, the Jews had sent a person known to Arabs as Teetlanoos to kill Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S). He did not find Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) in the house for he was already lifted by Allah towards Himself. So, when this person came out of the house, he had been made to resemble the looks of Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S). The Jews took him to be Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S). Thus, they took away their own man and killed him. (Mazhari)

There is room for whichever of the situations came to pass - the Holy Qur'an has not determined any particular situation. Therefore, Allah alone knows what really happened. However, this sentence of the Holy Qur'an seen with other exegetical reports does yield the common factor that the Jews and Christians were subjected to compelling delusion. The event as it took shape remained hidden from them, though they did advance all sorts of claims based on their conjectures which only landed them into mutual differences. This is what the Holy Qur'an points out to in the following words:

And those who disputed in this matter are certainly in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it, but they follow whims.

It means that they do not have certitude based on any true knowledge. The diverse claims put forward by those who have differed in the case of Masih (A.S) are simply based on doubt and conjecture. The truth of the matter is that they certainly did not kill Masih (A.S), rather Allah lifted him towards Himself.

According to some other reports, when some of them woke up to what had happened, they said, 'We seem to have killed our own man, for the man we have put to death resembles Masih (A.S) in face only but not in the rest of the body.

Now, if this man we have killed is Masih (A.S) where, then, is our man? And if this is our man where, then, is Masih (A.S)?'

Verse 158, part of which was referred to immediately earlier, ends at: : (And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise) carrying a significant message. It means that the planning of Jews to kill Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S) was insignificant as matched against the Power of Allah who has taken it upon Himself to protect Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S). Might and mastery are His domain. If materialists in their single-track isolation, remain incapable of understanding the reality of the 'lifting off of Sayyidna 'Isa (A.S), that is their own limitation. As for Allah, He is All-Wise - everything He does is based on wisdom and fitness to whatever end is desired.

 

Read in full

[ummtaalib]

reference 1:

 

 

reference 2:

 

 

reference 3:
Emphasis on last paragraph.

 

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

[ColonelHardstone]

I posted an excerpt from a book entitled, 'Jesus(Esa) - The Prophet who Didn't Die' from IqraSense.com on my Facebook page and it solicited a question from one of my Facebook friends. After reading the excerpt he posted,

"As far as the crucifixion of Christ is concerned, why would God confuse people by making a man that is not Jesus look like Jesus so that people would believe that Jesus was crucified?" I posted that I did not know the answer, but would try to find a scholar that could respond to his concern. I am sincerely looking for some help on this matter.

 

Because there is wisdom in what God does in every aspect; please post the response as follows and let me know the feedback so we can contnue the discussion.

 

Christian Attribution of Divinity to Jesus Christ:

 

Christians were beginning to attribute divinity to Jesus Christ (thinking of him as divine OR son of a Divine). If God would have directly intervened in the process it would have reinforced the (false) belief in the eyes of Christians.

 

God wants to save people from heresy so what did he do?

 

He saved Jesus Christ but in the eyes of people he was crucified. So logical thinking would have been:

• Look he got captured by ordinary people and tortured
• Eventually he got crucified

He couldn't save himself how could he be God.

 

The fundamental argument of the Qur'aan is that Jesus Christ:

1. Was born (miracously) but still had Childbirth
2. He lived amongst people
3. He ate, drank etc
4. And he was captured, tortured and eventually (in the eyes of people) crucified

He was most certainly NEITHER God NOR Son of God. All his attributes were Human. This still remains a very powerful argument until twisted by Paul and others with concoctated tails of resurrection.

 

In the eyes of common sense and logic every ounce of divinity has been refuted and every ounce of humanity (reenforced).

 

He was born, he lived, he was taught captured and then crucified (he was NOT divine).

 

Do you see the point?