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: Islam holds Jesus (Arabic: `Īsā) to have been a messenger and a prophet of God and the Messiah. ... Entombment of Christ by Pieter Lastman The death of Jesus is an event described by the New Testament, as occurring after the Passion of Jesus, as a result of his crucifixion. ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the condemned was tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ...

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, 4:157-158

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] This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ...

Jesus lived

On the interpretation of those scholars who deny the crucifixion, the Encyclopedia of Islam writes: The Encyclopedia of Islam (EI) is a scholarly encyclopedia covering all aspects of Islamic civilization and history. ...

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]

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. Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent. ...

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. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      For other uses, see... The Gospel of Barnabas is a work purporting to be a depiction of the life of Jesus by his disciple Barnabas. ...

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]} According to the Gospel of Mark (15:21-22), Matthew (27:32), and Luke (23:26) Simon of Cyrene (שמעון Hearkening; listening, Standard Hebrew Šimʿon, Tiberian Hebrew Šimʿôn) was compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus as... In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so similar that they are called the synoptic gospels (from Greek, συν, syn, together, and οψις, opsis, seeing). ... Baidawi (Abdallah ibn Umar al-Baidawi Arabic: عبدالله بن عمر البيدوي), Muslim critic, was born in Fars, where his father was chief judge, in the time of the Atabek ruler Abu Bakr ibn Sad (1226-60). ... For other uses, see Twelve Apostles (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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]. The swoon hypothesis is a hypothesis which attempts to explain Jesus apparent resurrection from death described in the Gospels. ... Sheikh Ahmed Hussein Deedat (July 1, 1918 - August 8, 2005), was a Muslim scholar of Comparative religion, an author, lecturer, and an orator. ...

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. Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1892-1977) was a famous Indian Muslim writer and exegete of the Quran. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... A tafsir ( (Arabic: تفسير) tafsÄ«r, Arabic explanation) is Quranic exegesis or commentary. ...

Jesus died

The Quranic verse (4:157-158) mentioned above and Hadith related to Jesus' second return contradict Jesus' death (see Jesus' second coming) - a view supported by majority of Muslims. However, some Islamic scholars like 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 dishonour His messengers, even their dead bodies^{[citation needed]}. Islam holds Jesus (Arabic: `Īsā) to have been a messenger and a prophet of God and the Messiah. ... Islam holds Jesus (Arabic: `Īsā) to have been a messenger and a prophet of God and the Messiah. ... Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (Urdu: جاوید احمد غامدی) (b. ... Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997) was an Indian/Pakistani exegete of the Quran , who became famous for his Urdu exegeses of Quran, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an—an exegesis that he based on Hamiduddin Farahis (1863-1930) idea of thematic and structural coherence in the Quran. ...

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." Thomas McElwain is a Shia Twelver Muslim Islamic scholar, former Christian, that specializes in Islamic Christianity studies. ...

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, 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.^[5][1][6] Geoffrey Parrinder discusses different interpretations of the Qur’anic verse 19:33 and writes in his conclusion that ‘the cumulative effect of the Qur’anic verse is strongly in favor of a real death’.^[7] This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (Urdu: جاوید احمد غامدی) (b. ... Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997) was an Indian/Pakistani exegete of the Quran , who became famous for his Urdu exegeses of Quran, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an—an exegesis that he based on Hamiduddin Farahis (1863-1930) idea of thematic and structural coherence in the Quran. ... Geoffrey Parrinder (April 10, 1910–June 16, 2005), was a professor of comparative religion at Kings College London, Methodist minister, and author of over thirty books. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

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, 3:55 as per QXP translation

The following translations or translators translate "to die" ^[8] This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

• 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". Ali ibn Abu Talha, a Tabi‘in, has reported that `Abd Allah ibn `Abbas said: Mutawaffika connotes Mumayyituka (I am going to give you death).^[9] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... George Sale (1697? - 1736), orientalist, a Kentish man, and practising solicitor. ... Maulana Muhammad Ali 1874-1951 Amir (1914-1951) Muhammad Ali was born in 1874 in Punjab (India). ... Quran alone Muslims, Quranic Muslims or sometimes, anti-hadith Muslims are those Muslims who reject hadith, or preserved traditions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and follow the Quran, a sacred text of Islam, exclusively. ... Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1952) was born in Bombay, India, to a wealthy merchant family. ... Mohammad Habib Shakir, born Cairo 1866, died Cairo 1939, translated the Quran into English. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Ali bin Abu Talha was a well known Muslim tabii and muhaddith (transmitter of Prophetic traditions), particularly from Abdullah ibn Abbas. ... The Tābi‘īn (Arabic: ‎ Followers) are the generation of Muslims who were born after the death of Muhammad but who were contemporary of the Sahaba Companions. As such they played an important part in the development of Islamic thought and philosophy, and in the political development of the early... Abd-Allah ibn Abbas (Arabic: عبد الله ابن عباس ) was a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad. ...

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 ^[10] (see second coming). Islam holds Jesus (Arabic: `Īsā) to have been a messenger and a prophet of God and the Messiah. ...

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

—Qur'an, 3:144

An Ahmadiyyan, Maulana Muhammad Ali writes about verse 3:144:^[11] This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Religions Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Scriptures Quran, Hadith, Languages Urdu, Arabic Ahmadi Muslims (Urdu: Ahmadiyya), is the collective name given to the two distinct groups (The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement) comprising of followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (d. ... Maulana Muhammad Ali 1874-1951 Amir (1914-1951) Muhammad Ali was born in 1874 in Punjab (India). ...

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."

Ahmadiyya view

According to Ahmadiyya sect, after a period Jesus migrated to Kashmir with his Mother Mary to search for the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel where he spent rest of his life and died there.^[12] Jesus took the name Yuz Asaf.^[13] Yuz Asaf was venerated by Hindus and died a natural death at the age of 120. Muslims who disagree consider this belief heresy. To support this theory Ahmadiyya Community presents following Quranic verses:^[14] Ahmadi Muslims are followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. ... Kashmir (or Cashmere) may refer to: Kashmir region, the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent India, Kashmir conflict, the territorial dispute between India, Pakistan, and the China over the Kashmir region. ... “Saint Mary” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Israelite Diaspora be merged into this article or section. ... Yuz Asaf (Kashmiri: युझ असफ, یوذسف), Judasaf, Yus Asaph, or Shahzada Nabi Hazrat Yura Asaf is the name of a prophet revered among the Sabians. ... A Hindu ( , Devanagari: हिन्दु), as per modern definition, is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, and the religious, philosophical and cultural system that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ...

And We made the son of Mary and his mother as a Sign: We gave them both shelter on high ground, affording rest and security and furnished with springs

—Qur'an, 23:50-1

. Mary Magdalene came to his tomb and revived him. His ability to survive the crucifixion is considered proof of his prophethood. This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The penitent Mary Magdalene, a much reproduced composition by Titian. ...

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.^[15] An esoteric interpretation of the Qur’an is an interpretation of the Qur’an which includes attribution of esoteric or mystic meanings to the text by the interpretater and in this aspect its method is different from the conventional exegesis of the Qur’an called tafsir. ... The Ismaili (Persian: اسماعیلیان Esmâiliyân) branch of Islam is the second largest Shia community, after the Twelvers who are dominant in Iran. ...

See also

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

Main articles: Jehovahs Witnesses and Death of Jesus The Jehovahs Witnesses view of Jesus death differentiates itself from the traditional Christian view in that they do not consider Jesus to have been crucified on a cross, and present a number of arguments to support their stance. ... For other uses, see Atonement (disambiguation). ...

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. ^ Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, Qur'anic Verse regarding Second Coming of Jesus.
6. ^ Islahi, Amin. Tadabbur-i-Qur’an, 1st, Lahore: Faran Foundation. OCLC 60341215.  vol.2, p.243
7. ^ Geoffrey Parrinder, Jesus in the Quran, p.121, Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 1996. ISBN 1-85168-094-2
8. ^ http://www.islamawakened.com/Quran/3/55/default.htm
9. ^ Yusuf ibn Abd-al-Barr, Al-Tamhid, vol. 14, (Maktabah Al-Mu’id), p. 203
10. ^ Mufti A.H. Elias, "Jesus (Isa) A.S. in Islam, and his Second Coming", Islam.tc, Retrieved April 14, 2007
11. ^ (Ali, Holy Quran [USA; Ahmadiyyah Anjuman Isha'at Islam Lahore Inc., 1995], pp. 168-169, f. 496 emphasis ours) as quoted [1]
12. ^ "Death of Jesus", by Shahid Aziz, Bulletin October 2001, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore (UK), [2]
13. ^ http://www.alislam.org/topics/jesus/index.php
14. ^ http://www.alislam.org/quran/tafseer/?page=698&region=EN
15. ^ 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).

Al-Mawrid is an Islamic research institute in Lahore, Pakistan founded in 1983 and then re-established in 1991. ... Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (Urdu: جاوید احمد غامدی) (b. ... Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997) was an Indian/Pakistani exegete of the Quran , who became famous for his Urdu exegeses of Quran, Tadabbur-i-Qur’an—an exegesis that he based on Hamiduddin Farahis (1863-1930) idea of thematic and structural coherence in the Quran. ... Tadabbur-i-Qur’an is a tafsir (exegeses) of the Quran by Amin Ahsan Islahi based on the concept of thematic and structural coherence, which was originally inspired by Allama Hamiduddin Farahi. ... Lahore (Urdu: لاہور, Punjabi: لہور, pronounced ) is the capital of the province of Punjab, and is the second most densely populated city in Pakistan. ... OCLC Online Computer Library Center was founded in 1967 and originally named the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC). ... Geoffrey Parrinder (April 10, 1910–June 16, 2005), was a professor of comparative religion at Kings College London, Methodist minister, and author of over thirty books. ... Yusuf ibn Abd-Allah, known as Ibn Abd-al-Barr [1] (463/1070) [2] (b. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... The Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity (also variously known as the Epistles of the Brethren of Sincerity, the Epistles of the Brethren of Purity or Epistles of the Brethren of Purity and Loyal Friends; Arabic:رسائل أخوان الصفا و خلان الوفا Rasail ikhwan as-safa wa khillan al-wafa) was a large encyclopedia[1... Abu Hatim al-Razi (b. ... A caller to Islam is someone who invites or calls non-Muslims to become Muslims, and so is the Islamic equivalent of a Christian missionary; the activity of such a person is referred to as Dawah. ... Al-Muayyad fid-Din al-Shirazi (1000 - 1078 CE) was an 11th century Ismaili scholar, philosopher-poet, preacher and theologian of Persian origin. ...

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