The Crucifixion of Jesus (a.s.) in Islam & Christianity

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is an article regarding the crucifixion of Jesus (a.s.) from the Christian and Muslim point of view: The Crucifixion in Islam & Christianity.  The Arabic original of this article, by Fr. Georges Massouh, professor of Islamic Studies at Balamand University, appeared in an issue of an-Nahar.  The following is extracted from that article. 

Christianity is based on faith in the resurrection of Christ from the dead after his crucifixion.  Someone who denies the Cross or the Resurrection removes himself from Christianity.  For this reason, the Cross is considered to be the sign and symbol of Christianity.  In contrast, Islam, on the basis of the Qur’an denies the crucifixion of Christ (a.s.), and adopts an opinion that had spread among certain Christian sects that Christ was not crucified but that it seemed to the Jews that they crucified him.  These two beliefs, the Christian and the Islamic, will not be change and debate among the two sides is useless for changing perspectives or for bringing them closer together. 

The Gospel according to Barnabas will not change the certitude of faithful Christians in Christ’s (a.s.) crucifixion, especially given the consensus of experts that this so-called Gospel according to Barnabas was written some time during the 14^th and 16^th centuries, that is centuries after the spread of Islam, and that the book has no connection to the apocryphal books which appeared in the first two centuries of Christianity.  Thus, it seems bizarre that some Muslims rely on this counterfeit gospel in order to support their belief that Christ was not crucified, when the history of Christian apocryphal literature has many accounts resembling the Qur’anic account.  It is also known that the Gospel according to Barnabas contradicts certain basic Islamic beliefs, since it says that “the Prophet Muhammad is the awaited Christ,” which contradicts the Islamic account of the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.). 

In the first centuries of Christianity, certain Gnostic sects appeared which believed that the world of matter and the body is a corrupt world, and so they denied the belief that Christ (a.s.) had a real body, only having “the resemblance of a body.”  The most important of these sects was that of the Docetists, or Resemblancists who were refuted by Ignatius of Antioch who affirmed the reality of the Incarnation when he said, “If Christ only had an apparent body, then he only apparently suffered, and so we only apparently received redemption.” 

Likewise, Irenaeus of Lyons combated the heresy of Basilides who said that Christ was not crucified, but rather Simon of Cyrene who bore the Cross of Christ on the path to Golgotha was the one who was crucified.  Basilides said, “Simon was the one who was crucified, unknowingly and erroneously, after his form was changed to resemble that of Jesus, while Jesus’ form was changed to that of Simon, and he mocked the leaders.”  In the apocryphal book called the Acts of John, which was written in the end of the 2^nd century, the statement, “I am not the one who was hung upon the cross” is attributed to Jesus (a.s.). 

There is also the sect of Cerinthians who followed Cerinthus, and believed in the existence of two persons in Jesus Christ (a.s.): the first person whose name is Jesus who was born of Joseph and Mary like all humans and suffered and died and rose from the dead, while the second person whose name is Christ is a spiritual being who cannot suffer and so “Christ” was “freed” of Jesus (a.s.) at the time of the crucifixion and ascended into heaven: “So, Jesus alone was crucified while Christ was saved from torment.” 

In contrast, the Qur’an only Treats the question of Christ’s (a.s.) crucifixion in a single verse where it affirms that the Jews did not kill Christ (a.s.) but rather that this was Made to seem to happen to them. 

سُوۡرَةُ النِّسَاء

وَقَوۡلِهِمۡ إِنَّا قَتَلۡنَا ٱلۡمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ٱبۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمۡ‌ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّ۬ مِّنۡهُ‌ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍ إِلَّا ٱتِّبَاعَ ٱلظَّنِّ‌ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينَۢا (١٥٧) 

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. ― (Surah an-Nisa’:157) 

In the same verse, it Talks about his being raised to heaven.  The Qur’an does not provide information or details about this event, leaving the door open to two readings: either the Jews crucified another person upon whom the image of Jesus (a.s.) had been cast or that the entire event of the crucifixion was made to seem to them to have happened.  For this reason, there is a large number of differing Islamic accounts about what happened to Christ (a.s.) in the period of time between his being Saved from the cross and his ascension to heaven and his second coming. 

As for the person who took the place of Christ (a.s.) on the Cross, his name differs according to the account.  Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi (r.a.) in his commentary provided five accounts about this person who was made to look like Christ for them.  In the first account, “They took a man and killed him and crucified him and dressed him like Christ (a.s.) for the people”.  Another said a certain “Titayus”, one of the companions of Judas, was crucified n his stead.  Yet another said they assigned a man to guard Jesus (a.s.) and God Cast his resemblance upon that guard, and they killed him while he said, “I am not Jesus”.   Another account went, when the Jews planned to take him, Jesus (a.s.) had ten of his companions with him.  He said to them, “Who wishes to purchase heaven by having my resemblance Cast upon him?” 

One of them said, “I do.”  So, God Cast Jesus’ (a.s.) image upon him, and he was brought out and killed. 

And finally, a man from among the companions of Jesus was a hypocrite, so God “Cast Jesus’ (a.s.) resemblance upon him, and he was killed and crucified.” 

Imam ar-Razi (r.a.) admitted that “these accounts are contradictory and confused, and God Knows best the truth of the matter.” 

Despite the heresies and sects which denied the crucifixion of Christ (a.s.), Christianity continued to hold fast to the Cross as a basic belief for Salvation.  And despite the proliferation of Islamic tales about the end of Christ’s (a.s.) life on earth, the Islamic belief remains deeply rooted that Christ (a.s.) was not crucified.  However, all this does not prevent Christians and Muslims from working together for the good of humanity.