Introduction
One of the most contested issues between Christianity and Islam is the crucifixion. The death of Jesus (PBUH) on the cross is taken by Christians as an almost indisputable fact of history. Yet, the Quran makes the bold claim that Jesus (PBUH) was not crucified. In this blog, we're going to see that the Quran has a remarkable insight into Biblical prophecy which proves that the Messiah was saved by God Almighty.
Biblical Prophecy
The New Testament reports the following encounter between Jesus (PBUH) and Satan. “Then the Devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said; ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’. Jesus answered him: ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test’.” (Matthew4:5-7; The Bible)
Here Satan tested Jesus (PBUH) with a diabolical challenge. The biblical prophecy foretold those angels will protect you, so prove it right by throwing yourself from a great height. Now notice the response of Jesus (PBUH)! He does not accuse Satan of twisting scripture, rather he says ‘It is also written’ which is an affirmation that the prophecy is indeed about him. Christian Bible commentaries confirmed that the quoted prophecy is messianic.
The Jamison, Faucet, and Brown commentary states: Jesus said unto him, “It is written again,” as if he should say, “True, it is so written, and on that promise I implicitly rely.”
The Pulpit commentary states. ‘The devil, appealing to Jesus’ consciousness of abiding communion with God, bids him enjoy to the full promise of God's protection’. John Calvin's commentary states: ‘Satan is not wrong in inferring from this passage that angels have been given to Christ, to wait on him, to guard him, and to bear him on their hands.
Let's now take a closer look at the prophecy applied to Jesus. It's quoted from the Old Testament (Psalm 91:10-16): “No harm will overtake you; no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ‘Because he loves me’, says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble, and I will deliver him and honor him. With long life, I will satisfy him and show him my salvation”.
We can see that this prophecy and Psalm 91 mention that Jesus (PBUH) will not be harmed. The angels will guard him, and God will rescue and deliver him. Now this is where the prophecy gets even more interesting. We find the Hebrew name of Jesus (PBUH). Yeshua is the very last word in the prophecy. The Hebrew word Yeshua means salvation. So not only does this prophecy explicitly foretell the Messiah is saved, but it even foreshadows his very name, Yeshua. Any claims of a crucified Jesus completely contradict this prophecy.
Saint Augustine, an early Church father and one of the greatest Church theologians in history, discussed Psalm 91 in depth. Augustine fully acknowledged that the mention of the angels lifting up was in reference to Jesus (PBUH). When it came to those portions of the prophecy that are problematic from a Christian perspective, such as the mention of ‘being rescued’ and ‘protected’, Augustine arbitrarily switched his interpretation to the Church, IE, the entire body of Christians.
This is even though the entire prophecy addresses a single person, which is demonstrated by its consistent use of pronouns in the singular, such as you, he, and him. This goes to show that even church fathers struggled when it came to reconciling Psalm 91 with the New Testament claims of a crucified Jesus. This is why they had to resort to twisting the prophecy.
Quran’s stance on the Crucifixion
“They did not kill him, no did they crucify him, though it was made to appear like that to them; those that disagreed about him are full of doubt, with no knowledge to follow, only assumption: They certainly did not kill him. God raised him up to Himself. God is Almighty and Wise”. (Holy Quran; 4:157-158)
The Quran is crystal clear. Jesus (PBUH) was saved from the crucifixion, being raised up to God, alive and unharmed. These verses show remarkable insight when we analyze them in detail. The Quran’s claim that Jesus (PBUH) was saved by being raised up perfectly mirrors the prophecy in Psalm 91 which foretold that Jesus (PBUH) would be saved by being lifted by angels. We can see that what the Quran reports about Jesus (PBUH) is in fact the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would not be harmed.
The foundation of Christianity is the crucifixion. For the Quran to come along nearly 600 years later and challenge it is quite bold. Let's consider this from a psychological perspective. If Muhammad (PBUH) was a false prophet, then he would have just gone along with New Testament claims that Jesus (PBUH) was crucified. This would have made it easier for Christians to convert to Islam. So, there would have been a lot again. But Islam is not about what is convenient, it's about the truth!
The implications of the Quran’s position are far-reaching and go beyond Islam. One of the reasons that Jewish people reject Jesus (PBUH) is because of the crucifixion. They know that the Messiah cannot be crucified based on Old Testament prophecies that we have seen. The Messiah is supposed to be someone who will be victorious, so any claim that he was whipped, tortured, and died in humiliation is a contradiction. So, the New Testament claims that Jesus (PBUH) died ironically justifies the Jewish rejection of him. The Quran removes this tumbling block of a crucified Messiah and paves the way for the Jewish people to accept Jesus (PBUH).
Conclusion
Many have criticized the Quran and its audacity in challenging the New Testament crucifixion narrative. We have seen that it is in fact the New Testament accounts written by anonymous authors, decades after Jesus (PBUH), which claimed that Jesus (PBUH) was crucified, a complete contradiction of the Old Testament prophecy that the Messiah would be saved from death. These prophecies are a vindication of the Quran’s position and proof of its tremendous insight into the actual life and mission of the Messiah.
That is all for now. Please stay tuned for the next blog. May God Almighty bless you all! Assalamalaikum!
well researched 👍