Did the Crucifixion of Jesus Happen and Is He Still Alive? A Qur'anic Explanation
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From afar, it seems difficult to reconcile how both communities can hold such unanimous and yet contradictory beliefs. So, does the Qur'an address this issue, and how does it actually present the death of Jesus?
The Qur'an declares that "every soul will taste death..." (21:35). This definitive statement makes it clear that no one will ever be able to evade this fate on earth once they arrive here.
As for Jesus himself, the Qur'an does not give him any exemptions on this divine promise. Allah said to Jesus "...I will terminate your life, and raise you to Me..." (3:55), clearly informing Jesus of his future death.
Death
The Qur'an declares that "every soul will taste death..." (21:35). This definitive statement makes it clear that no one will ever be able to evade this fate on earth once they arrive here.
As for Jesus himself, the Qur'an does not give him any exemptions on this divine promise. Allah said to Jesus "...I will terminate your life, and raise you to Me..." (3:55), clearly informing Jesus of his future death.
The Arabic word 'mutawaffika' has been translated to 'terminate', and this word can have multiple meanings in classical Arabic. However, the Qur'an consistently uses it and its derivatives in other scenarios for death. When the Qur'an is speaking about death, it is referring to the soul leaving the body and returning to Allah permanently.
When Jesus was born, Mary was accused of immorality due to Jesus being born out of wedlock. Upon facing these accusations, Mary had "...pointed to him..." (19:29), meaning Jesus as instructed by Allah, to which the people asked "...how can we talk to someone who is a child in a cradle?" (19:29). It was at this point Jesus spoke to the people to defend his mother and at the end of his speech, Jesus said "...peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am resurrected alive" (19:33). This is a very important statement, as Jesus himself talks of a three stage process of birth, death and then resurrection, the same fate that every other human will face.
Is Jesus alive in the heavens
It is common belief in mainstream Islam that Jesus is alive in the heavens today and is awaiting a return which will coincide with the appearance of an anti-Christ. However, the Qur'an does not support the idea that Jesus is alive in heaven.
On the day of judgement, Jesus himself will confirm the statement that "every soul will taste death..." (21:35) also came true for himself when he will say to Allah "...I was witness over them as long as I was with them, but when You terminated my life, You were watcher over them..." (5:117). Jesus is saying to Allah that he was able to witness his people whilst he was alive, but once Allah took his life, this ability to witness was no longer possible for him.
When Jesus addressed his people as a baby, he said that Allah had given him the "...salat and zakat as long as I am alive" (19:31). These two obligations were mandatory for him like any other believer but only whilst he was alive. If he is alive in the heavens today as claimed, does this mean Jesus is continuing to offer the salat and give the zakat? If so, then who is Jesus paying the zakat to for example.
Reality of the crucifixion
The Qur'an tells us that the Jews had claimed "...we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of
Mary, messenger of Allah..." (4:157). The Jews already had a strong tradition of "...killing of the prophets without
right..." (4:155) so killing Jesus was just another prophet to be killed.
However, Allah rejects their claim when the Qur'an says "...they had not killed him, nor
crucified him, but it appeared to them as if they had..." (4:157). The Qur'an then goes on to state "... they did not kill him for a certainty" (4:157). On a surface level reading, it would appear that Jesus was not crucified at all.
Ancient history records the crucifixion of Jesus as undisputed fact. Every contemporary source from the 1st century, whether they were supporters of Jesus or his enemies, all agree that Jesus was crucified and no one is known for disputing that a crucifixion took place.
Meaning of not being killed
When all the verses of the crucifixion are read together, there appears to be a contradiction as the Qur'an first denies the enemies killed Jesus and then it says "...it appeared to them as if they had..." (4:157).
To understand what it means when Allah says"...they had not killed him, nor crucified him, but it appeared to them as if they had..." (4:157), we must look at how Allah speaks of the martyrs. Allah tells the believers "... do not say of those who are killed in the cause of Allah that
they are dead; no, they are alive but you do not perceive" (2:154). This is the exact same language used when talking of Jesus' crucifixion. Physical death is just a perception and not a defeat because "...it appeared to them as if they had..." (4:157) been successful when an enemy had killed someone defending Allah's system.
The families of the martyrs mourned and buried their dead and if the grave was dug up at a later date, they would find a decomposed body. So when Allah says "...they are alive but you do not perceive" (2:154), Allah is speaking about a metaphorical death and not a literal one. In this and in the case of Jesus, not being killed actually means not being defeated, meaning the message lives on through their sacrifices.
Continuing with the theme, when the Muslims were on the battlefield, the Qur'an says "it was not you who killed them, but it was Allah who killed them.
And it was not you who launched when you did, but it was Allah who launched..." (8:17). This was clearly not the reality for the people on the ground but they did not perceive that it was Allah Who "...sent upon them a wind and invisible
soldiers..." (33:9) to fight the enemy.
When we look elsewhere in the Qur'an, we can see why killing through crucifying was performed. The great tyrant Pharaoh would threaten those who refused to take him as their lord by saying "...I will
crucify you all" (7:124 & 26:49), and "...I will crucify
you on the trunks of the palm trees..." (20:71). This execution method was used as a deterrent to put an end to something.
In the case of Jesus, the Jews took issue with Jesus' teachings and wanted to put a stop to it. Just like Pharaoh before them, they believed that executing Jesus whilst he and his followers were weak in both number and power, would stamp out his teachings once and for all. When the Qur'an says "... they did not kill him for a certainty" (4:157), it means the Jews ultimately failed in their aim of destroying Jesus' message.
Today, Christians are the largest religious group in the world and when combined with the Muslims, Jesus is revered by over half the worlds peoples, all trying to follow in his legacy. On the other hand, the ones who tried to silence Jesus through crucifixion, remain an insignificant minority.
Resurrection
Christians believe that when Jesus' body was taken down and placed in a tomb after the crucifixion, his body disappeared from his tomb as he was raised up by Allah. This is actually somewhat supported by the Qur'an itself.
When a person falls asleep, "Allah seizes the souls at the time of their death..." (39:42), and "...He then keeps those that have been overtaken by death..." (39:42). For those people whose time of death has not yet arrived, Allah "... sends the others back until a predetermined time..." (39:42).
Fallacy of returning to earth
There is a belief in both traditional Islam and Christianity that Jesus is alive in the heavens and is awaiting a return to earth once more before the day of judgement. However, the Qur'an does not support this understanding at all. Once a person's life has been terminated, the way of Allah prevents such a person making a return to earth. Allah says "...there is a partition to prevent them from going back until the Day they are all resurrected" (23:100). The Qur'an never presents anyone as an exception to this rule.
Conclusion
The Qur'an does not deny that a crucifixion took place and aligns with the historical record that Jesus died. However, the Qur'an denies the success of achieving the aims of the killers rather than denying the event itself. The raising of Jesus is also supported but only after his death which appears to agree with the biblical telling's of the event. However, a return of Jesus to earth before the day of judgement is not supported.