The symbols { } are used for clarification purposes only
One of the major things that keeps Christians and Muslims apart is the concept of the crucifixion. That is why it is an important element to honestly study in the search for the truth.
While the Christians take the crucifixion as by far the most important cornerstone for their faith, Islam gives its attention to it (outwardly at least) in only a meager way. This brings to the Christians a feeling of uneasiness and at times mistrust in the Islamic Faith.
That they {the ruling Jews at that time} 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 {AS SUCH}, 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 {they didn’t cause his death}: Q (4:157)
Whether one believes that Jesus (pbh) was never on the cross OR that he was taken down from the cross ALIVE {(like he prophesied when he discussed the Sign of Jonah (pbh)*} and healed himself with GOD’s PERMISSION {in answer to the faithless taunt of ‘Physician Heal Yourself’!**} in the tomb doesn’t really matter.
*For as Jonah was {ALIVE} three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so {the same will happen to} the Son of Man {who} will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew (12:40)
**And he said unto them, You will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard {you have} done in Capernaum, do also here in your country {on yourself}. Luke (4:23)
What does matter is that GOD IS ONE GOD WHO HAS NO PARTNERS.
Historically, as far as the ‘church’ is concerned, Jesus (pbh) OFFICIALLY became crucified, died on the cross and rose up from the dead in around 148 AD due to the ‘investigative’ work of the Roman church father, philosopher/scholar Justin Martyr who believed he proved that point against his detractors.
Therefore, ALL CONTRARY OPINIONS built up over a century plus before this time were lumped into one sum and considered heretical and deemed dangerous to the ‘Church Proper’. And the compilation of a Testament (concerning correct beliefs) could now proceed.
Because an organization (church) divided against itself cannot stand, purges of any contrary view were deemed necessary. The SYMBOL OF THE CROSS soon became ‘idolized’ as something that needed to be ‘touched’ so that it might ‘heal’ broken bodies and to mend hearts. In other words, it became an amulet to heal even if it was made of plastic, wood, dried and twisted vines or other material.
The notion of the cross as can be found in some of Paul’s writings (Galatians for example***) seems quite different. How so?
He depicts his joy in having himself having been crucified in Christ! So, if this is true and he is standing around in a normal everyday posture, then crucifixion must mean something different to him at that moment than just a method of execution!
***“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live {as my self}, but Christ lives in me****… Galatians (2:19-20)
****Of course, having Christ ‘inside of‘ Paul doesn’t mean that a diminutive Jesus is actually swimming around in his blood stream. He means, of course, something different! And that should form a key to understanding ‘the crucifixion story’.
This may lead people to the truer meaning of the crucifixion (being put under subjugation of one’s true self) which can be found in Isaiah Chapter 53 among other places.
For when one suggests in their own language, with their own type of phrasing, that ‘one must carry one’s own cross in life if one desires to enter Paradise; one must look for a deeper meaning than just a crude way to torture a criminal.
And if it is self-crucifixion, then one must carry his/her own cross METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING OF COURSE! This, the New Testament asks, in that particular time-frame or Ummah (religious setting), those of that particular persuasion to do.
For Muslims, the basic answer to the question of what the Quranic passage (4:157) is talking about can be taken from the idea that ALLAH will not permit the Muslim Ummah to agree to an error.
At-Tirmidhi narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Messenger of Allah (pbh) said: “ALLAH will not cause my Ummah to agree on falsehood; the hand of ALLAH is with the main body of the Muslims.” Classified as hasan by al-Albaani.
Only the accredited scholars are being talked about here and not the run-of-the-mill worshiper.
The Prophet (pbh) said: “Those of you who live long after me shall witness great differing. So upon you is (to follow) my Sunnah, and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs {the first four Caliphs}, hold tightly to it and bite onto it with your molar teeth. And be warned of newly-invented matters (in the {practice and ideals of} Religion), as every newly-invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance.” Sunan Abu Dawood
The Messenger of ALLAH, (pbh), also said, “Without doubt, my Ummah will never be gathered upon misguidance. Whenever you see disagreement, hold fast to the greater majority.” Ibn Majah
And in general, to my understanding at least, the great majority of Muslim Scholars following on the path of the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbh) and the actions and understandings of the four rightly-guided Caliphs concerning the crucifixion concept is that there was a ‘substitution’ for Jesus the son of Mary (pbh) on the cross. This is called in general parlance the ‘Substitution Theory’.
Due to the fact that it is stated by THE CREATOR HIMSELF in the pure Arabic form in the Quran that Jesus (pbh) was neither killed nor crucified, that statement, whether it is understood or not, is totally accurate! ALLAH KNOWS BEST!
Another thing that keeps Christians and Muslims apart is the knowledge concerning Prophet Muhammad (pbh) to come namely, as the Spirit of truth.
But the Christians consider Jesus (pbh) the crowning achievement of the prophets as well as a type of ‘deity’. There then becomes no need for GOD to send a prophet to straighten out the crookedness of the world. However:
But they will treat you like this on account of my name, because they are ignorant about the ONE {GOD} who sent me.
If I had not come and spoken to them {from the very beginning as the Word – Mankind was but ONE NATION or HOMOGENEOUS BODY, but differed (later). Had it not been for a Word that went forth BEFORE from your LORD, their differences would have been settled between them. Q (10:19)}, they would not be guilty of sin.***** NOW, however, THEY HAVE NO EXCUSE for their sin.
{Therefore}, Whoever hates me {by making deliberate lies about me} hates my {GOD} FATHER as well.… John (15:21-23).
*****Without this Quranic verse, the ‘they would not be guilty of sin’ would not make any sense if Jesus is talking about his temporal being at that time only.
And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: “O Children of Israel! I am the apostle of ALLAH (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be AHMAD {derivative of MUHAMMAD}.” But when he came to them with Clear Signs {of his true prophethood}, they said, “this is evident sorcery!” Q (61:6)
The proof that Prophet Muhammad (pbh) is foretold in their various Holy Books is totally irrefutable to a person who has a ‘trustworthy spirit’ and an honest and clear heart!
But that is not easy to obtain if one does not apply him or herself in an open and humble manner! And with this world’s so-called ‘wonderful’ distractions and other bedazzlements, one is really hard pressed to open the heart and connect the mind.
Sometimes this world is like a circus because it seemingly has something to amuse and cause distraction for everybody. That does make life interesting, however.
An example of ‘new age’ thinking is the realization of the concept of ‘Seer’ versus ‘Prophet’. Both the New Testament and the hadith literature talk about false prophets that will come and as a result of this, they will confuse a section of mankind.
There is also the danger of a group generically called seers. These people claim or their organization or an organization supporting them claims that they can look into the past or future and describe certain events that have happened in the distant past or will happen in the future.
The reason for these events may be difficult to understand unless we understand that mankind was once a united body moving together much like a flock of bodiless birds flying or swarming in unison******.
*******Mankind was but ONE NATION {or HOMOGENEOUS BODY}, but differed (later). Had it not been for a Word that went forth BEFORE from your LORD, their differences would have been settled between them. Q (10:19)
In the beginning mankind didn’t begin life as a fleshy creature. He was just in spirit form only and what dimensions he could exist in or travel in or how he performed within a group belongs to the UNSEEN and knowledge of these things should be classified as speculation only!!!!!
But apparently such souls branched out and eventually, however that may have occurred, took on experiences or developed interests which helped to make or ‘form’ their various ‘personalities’.
A person has to be careful when considering certain claims made about individuals such as seer-types due to the fact that many cheats and criminal elements have been found among us and keep on surfacing for the purpose of deluding mankind.
One of the best ways to be careful about these people is to actually concentrate on the ‘misses’ a so-called seer has. The selling point or the ‘wow point’ for these people is always the claim concerning how they supposedly predicted something to happen which apparently came true.
However, for a proper balance it is best for the inquiring mind to concentrate on the things that they got wrong in order to put a more realistic idea forward.
So, how can such a so-called knowing/insightful/seeing/ person, who sees things that others supposedly cannot, be so erring in whatever they got wrong!?
This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that these so-called seers cannot be completely depended upon EVEN IF THEY ALREADY HAD MADE MANY CORRECT NEAR-FUTURE PREDICTIONS.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t people who can ‘feel’ a true feeling about so-called past or future events. But why have blind trust in just any source when GOD’s WORD in THE TESTAMENTS are available to show the WAY?
It is true that there are maligned individuals in that department also who give false meanings to the sacred verses! So, one has to maneuver through that minefield while putting their complete trust in GOD.
Therefore, it is expedient to try and find that ‘Spirit of truth’ as talked about in the Gospel of John (especially in Chapter 16:13-15) and let him come into one’s heart in earnest.
Once again, the best and truest form of finding out about things is to go to the records that have a greater percentage of accuracy than mere so-called seers whether they be helpful or not.
These records are the Holy Books especially the Quran and hadith literature! However, these things have to be studied with care and NOT misused or abused as several have done.
The description of such an ‘entity’ found in the Gospel of John when added together with Isaiah chapter 42, Zephaniah chapter 3 verses 9 and 10 and other things found in these Testaments including true historical evidence go on to show us who this individual really is and how he appeared in his ‘physical form’ {human, fleshy form or homo sapien-type body as a member of the human race as all should do when entering into this phase of earthly, human development}.******
******AbdAllah ibn Mas’ud narrates that the Messenger of ALLAH (pbh) said: “Each one of you is constituted in the womb of the mother for forty days, and then he becomes a clot of thick blood for a similar period {forty days}, and then a piece of flesh for a similar period {forty days}. Then ALLAH sends an angel who is ordered to write four things. He is ordered to write down his deeds, his livelihood, his (date of) death, and whether he will be blessed or wretched (in religion). Then {and only then} the soul is breathed into him…” (Bukhari)
Abu Huraira reported ALLAH’s Messenger (pbh) as saying: There was an argument between Adam and Moses. Moses said to Adam: You are our father {our standard (SIGN) for our shapes amongst other things}. You did us harm and caused us to get out of Paradise. Adam said to him: You are Moses. ALLAH selected you (for direct conversation with you) and wrote with HIS OWN Hand the Book (Torah) for you. Despite this, you blame me for an act which ALLAH had ordained for me forty years before HE created me. ALLAH’s Apostle (pbh) said: “This is how Adam came the better of Moses.”
It’s not for naught that Jesus the son of Mary, the SON of Man, will become the chosen or ‘anointed one’ on his return and the king to rule a kingdom with ISLAM as his STANDARD and the believers as his supporters!
The similitude of Jesus before ALLAH is as that of Adam; HE created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was. Quran (3:59)
Jesus {as the culmination of what he was, is now known as ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (عيسى بن مريم in the Paradise} did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. John (21:25)
And this is coming from the man who has the most detailed description of Prophet Muhammad (pbh) that can be found in the New Testament.
