ABSTRACT
Whether Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the cross has been a key “theological” issue that Muslims have been debating from the first century of Islam. Although the Qur'an does not elaborate on this issue, and makes a brief reference to it in only one or two verses, Muslim theology and Qur'anic interpretation have strongly maintained the idea that Jesus was neither crucified nor killed. In fact, this has been the dominant position throughout much of Muslim history. This is likely to be an example of a theological position that was adopted very early on in Islam and has exerted a strong influence on how pre-modern Muslim commentators have interpreted the relevant Qur'anic texts. In a wider sense, it is an example of a dominant theological position that is pushing for a particular interpretation. How Muslims arrived at such a theological position is not within the scope of this chapter: what is relevant for the purpose of this inquiry is that the macro context of the pre-modern society favoured ideas such as the miraculous saving of a prophet from death, substitution of someone else for him, or raising him in body and spirit to the heavens. Although “miracles” can occur, other readings are possible for the relevant verse. In the macro context of the pre-modern period such alternative readings were not generally entertained even though one can find a degree of uneasiness on the part of some commentators about accepting the traditional narratives on this issue (for example, Razi). However, in the modern period, within a scientific worldview that is influenced by ideas such as reason and critical examination of theological positions, it is possible to rethink such positions particularly if there are no clearly spelt out texts in the Qur'an or in the mutawātir hadith (a hadith whose authenticity is beyond any doubt, according to hadith scholars) to support the position. Thus, although the premodern theological position regarding the crucifixion and death of Jesus is still dominant, other ideas are also emerging. This chapter will give the reader a sense of how Muslims interpreted the key phrase of Qur'an 4:157 in the pre-modern period and some of the variety of ways in which commentators are approaching the question today, in a different context.
