In the name of Allaah, the most beneficent, the most
merciful.
JESUS, A MUSLIM, WAS NEITHER KILLED, NOR CRUCIFIED.
We have also seen that the utterances of Jesus
have been supportive of and predicting about the rise of Muhammad (pbuh), and
through him the belief Islaam and the believing nation of Muslims, to which his
followers are required to join.
In John 16: 12 & 13, Jesus says:
“I have yet many things to say unto you,
but you cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth; ”
In an earlier
article, we have seen that this prophecy by Prophet Jesus (pbuh) refers to
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), whose arrival his followers were directed to await.
The many things that Jesus would have liked to tell his followers have not been
told to them, not because Jesus did not know them, but only because his
followers were not ready to bear them at that time: “.....
but you cannot bear them now.”
When Jesus (pbuh) states “you cannot bear them
now”, it only refers to his followers and does not include himself, because he
did not say: “WE cannot bear them now”.
Since Jesus didn't count himself among them in
this matter, it means he was ready to bear them: the guidance that the expected
prophet will bring. He was aware of them and he was ready to bear them. But did
he follow in action what he knew and was ready for? Yes. He did much of what a
Muslim would do and is expected to do. In fact, this begins to happen even
while he anticipates arrest by the Roman rulers.
He comes to know that he will be betrayed by one
of his disciples, Judas, into the hands of the Jews, who intended to kill him.
Apart from this, the other thing that makes him sorrowful is that he was
expecting to do many things that a Muslim does. He was looking forward to the
joy of doing all those things; but now his end is staring on the face. He tells
his disciples:
“My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death:
tarry ye here, and watch.”
(Mark 14:34)
The one thing that he can surely do, before he
is arrested, is to pray to the Lord as a Muslim prays. So he prays like a
Muslim and does prostration (Sajda), touching his forehead to the ground:
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed....” (Matthew 26:39)
What is his prayer to the Lord? The verse (Matthew 26:39) continues:
“...saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as you will.”
Mark 14:36 says about his prayer: “And he said,
Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto thee; take away this cup from me:
nevertheless not what I will, but what you will.”
Luke 22:42 says about Jesus’ prayer: “Saying,
Father, if you be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but your, be done.”
The common thing observed from the above verses
is: Jesus (peace be upon him) prays to the Lord to save him from the
anticipated persecution at the hands of the Jews; yet not as Jesus wishes but
as the Lord wills. Do you realize what Jesus is stating at this moment ? He subdues his wishes and submits himself to the will of
Allaah. In other words, Jesus declares his Islaam, submission, at
that moment.
As already explained in Article 1 in this
series: A Muslim is one who has submitted to the will of Allaah. Islaam means
submission (to the will of Allaah), while it also means Peace. Thus, by
declaring his submission to the will of Allaah, Jesus declared himself to be a
Muslim.
It was also mentioned in Chapter 2 that Jesus
(pbuh), as also the other prophets before him, called themselves ‘Muslims’.
But, then, why their followers were not named as
‘Muslims’, too ?
If the followers of the different other prophets
were also to be called as ‘Muslims’, then there would have been confusion in
distinguishing between the true Muslims (who believe in all the prophets) and
the followers of other prophets (who believe in some prophets and disbelieve in
the rest). Belief in all the messengers of Allaah is a basic requirement to be
called a Muslim. Allaah tells the Muslims in Qur’aan :
“ Say ( O Muslims ) : We believe in Allaah and
that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and
Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus
received, and that which the Prophets received from their Lord. We make no
distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. ” (2:136)
Thus, Jesus (pbuh) practised Islaam, i.e., Submission
and he got Islaam, i.e., Peace. How ?
“ And there appeared an angel unto him from
heaven, strengthening him.”
This is in appreciation of his act of Submission
and as an answer to his prayers. The Bible just says that the angel
strengthened him. Surely, he was not lacking in physical strength at that
moment but what he needed most desperately was solace and assurance from the
Lord that he would be saved from the arrest and wanted the freedom to perform
the things he wanted to do as a Muslim.
So, Jesus the Muslim (peace be upon him) had
prayed in ARABIC: “Yaa Ilaahi, Yaa Ilaahi, Lima
Sabaqtanee ? ”. Does the phrase sound familiar ? Yes, this is what he
asked the Lord at that moment. “O my Lord, O my Lord, Why
have you advanced me (in my end) ? ”
Since he wished to do important things which a
Muslim must do while he is still alive, the threatened end troubles him. So his
prayer: “ O my Lord, O my Lord, Why have you ADVANCED ME ? ”
Having not understood what he said, but actually
having misunderstood what he said, the writers of the Gospel shifted these
words into a situation where it fitted according to their understanding and
scheme. The prayer has thus been misunderstood and then quoted out of context.
He did not utter such words at the cross, where he was never taken. They say that Jesus said: "Eli, Eli, Lama
Sabachtani? that is to say: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? "(Matthew 27:46)
The above statement attributed to Jesus is
totally wrong, because:
1. God will never forsake His messenger.
2. Jesus, who submits himself to the will of the
Lord, will never utter such a
word.
(Please refer to the three verses quoted above:
Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36 and Luke 22:42)
The prayer of Jesus (pbuh) did not go
unanswered, but was answered through the angel which appeared, in order to
strengthen him. Luke 22:43 : “ And there appeared an angel unto him from
heaven, strengthening him.”
What message did the angel carry from the Lord,
in reply to Jesus’ question: “ O my Lord, O my Lord, Why have you advanced me ?
”
Let us turn to Qur’aan, 3:55 :
“When Allaah said: O Jesus ! I will complete
you(r term)
and cause you to ascend unto Me
and cleanse you of those who disbelieve...”
Allaah assures that Jesus will be saved from the
Jews and that his term and what is destined for him is guaranteed for him and
that Allaah will cause Jesus to ascend unto Him. The Bible agrees that Jesus
ascended unto heaven (Luke 24:51), but the main dispute is about what happened
in between: the alleged crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus (pbuh).
Allaah says in Qur’aan that they neither killed
him nor crucified him, but it was made to appear so unto them. In many places
in Qur’aan, it has been mentioned that Jews used to kill the prophets unjustly.
But in the case of Jesus (pbuh) it vehemently denies that they killed him or
that they crucified him. This is because Qur’aan will not contain anything
except truth.
Sura 4, Verses 157 & 158:
“and their saying : we killed christ Jesus, son
of Mary, The messenger of Allaah
- but they killed him not, nor crucified him,
but it was made to appear to them so;
and those who disagree concerning it are full
of doubts;
they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of
a conjecture;
For surely they killed him not; but Allaah took
him up unto Himself;
and Allaah is ever mighty, wise.”
Let us now do a deeper study of the above verses
of Qur’aan, so that we may be rightly guided into the truth. Allaah says in
Qur’aan not only that Jesus was not killed, but also that he was not
crucified, either. Those who do not accept the truth or those who accept
only a part of the truth will never get at the truth.
As a result,
1. those who wish to prove that Jesus was crucified,
but did not die at the cross; and
2. those who believe that Jesus was crucified
and killed at the cross,
have equally failed to convince and provide
clear-cut answers to the many points that beg a solution.
Allaah has said: “......and those who disagree
concerning it are full of doubts.”
Those who disagree that he was neither killed
nor crucified, are full of doubts.
So, before proceeding with our study, let us not
disagree and let us not be in doubt any more. But let us fully believe in what
Allaah, The Exalted, says, so that we may be correctly guided. Allaah says to
Muhammad (pbuh), about Qur’aan: “And We sent down the Book to you for the
express purpose, that you should make clear to them those things in which they
differ, and that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe.”
(16:64)
Allaah has said three things about the alleged
crucifixion of Jesus:
1. They didn't kill him.
2. They didn't crucify him.
3. But it was made to appear to them so.
In the case of an affirmative sentence, like:
“They killed him” , there is no doubt. Everything is clear. 1. The Offender 2.
The Offence 3. The Offended. But once the word “NOT” comes in and makes it a
negative sentence, like: “They DID NOT kill him”, there is a possibility to
vary the meaning in three ways by shifting the stress alternatingly on the rest
of the three words:
2. “They did not kill him” in this context
would mean that they just tortured him but did not kill him.
3. “They did not kill him” would mean that they
killed somebody else.
We should remember that Qur’aan is not denying
the events wholesale by saying: “No. Nothing
happened. Nobody did anything to anybody.” It is not saying so.
Therefore, let us study further and consider for elimination, two out of the
three possible variations of the sentence “They did not kill him” mentioned
above.
There is no doubt as to The Offender. The Jews
themselves claim to have done the deed and we all know of their complicity. Now
the doubt remains about Two Things: The Offence and The Offended. About the
second possibility that “They did not kill him” would mean that they crucified
him but he escaped death, Allaah denies that too. The next part of the verse
eliminates that possibility by saying: They did not crucify him. Having
eliminated the first two possibilities, only the third one survives: “They did
not kill him.” Yes, it was not him that they crucified and killed, but someone
else. So, let us write that part of the verse, by putting the stress on the
right word:
they did not kill him;
they did not crucify him;
but it was made to appear to them so.
It was made to appear to them that they
crucified Jesus and killed him. They did not kill nor crucified Jesus (pbuh).
Having fully believed in Allaah’s words, let us
now move on to find evidence of the truth in The Bible
in support of it.
1. First of all, while Jesus was awaiting arrest
by the soldiers, what he tells his disciples is that
a) “sleep on now, and take rest: it is enough,
the hour is come; behold, the son of man is betrayed into the hands of the
sinners.” (Mark 14:41)
b) “the son of man is betrayed to be crucified”
(Matthew 26:2)
Jesus never said he will be crucified, but only
reveals the intention with which he will be betrayed: “betrayed
to be crucified”.
2. Jesus says in Matthew 26:24: “The son of man
goes as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the son of man is
betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born”.
b) About the betrayer he says: “it had been
good for that man if he had not been born”, a nice way of wishing death for the
betrayer.
Even after this curse by the messenger of
Allaah, is there a way that the betrayer will continue to live ? Thus, in the
above verse, it has been determined as to who is destined to go and who is
destined to die.
3. The betrayer Judas comes in to identify
Jesus, when it is dark, along with a large number of soldiers , carrying
lanterns, torches and weapons. The stage is perfect for the change of form of
the betrayer and the betrayed, as more confusion follows: From Mark 14:44,
Matthew 26:48 and Luke 22:47, which are quoted below, it is proved that Judas
drew near unto Jesus to kiss him, so as to identify him.
Mark 14:44 : And he that betrayed him had given
them a token, saying, whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and
lead [him] away safely.
Matt 26:48 Now he that betrayed him gave them a
sign, saying, whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.
Luke 22:47 : And while he yet spoke, behold a
multitude, and he that was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them,
and drew near unto Jesus to kiss him.
From John 18:3 to 18:6 which is mentioned below,
we come to know of another enabling factor:
18:3. Judas, having received a band of men and
officers from the chief priests, comes inside with lanterns and torches and
weapons.
18:4. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that
should happen to him, went forth, and said unto them, whom do you seek?
18:5. They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus says unto them, I am [he]. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with
them.
18:6. As soon as he had said unto them, I am
[he], they went backward, and fell to the ground.
From verse 6 above, we notice one strange thing:
as soon as Jesus identifies himself, “I am (he)”, the great crowd that had come
in falls to the ground. As Judas stood near Jesus (after kissing him) and as
the crowd fell to the ground along with the lanterns they brought, the
situation was perfect for the exchange of faces, so that those who came to
arrest him do not notice it. Then the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus, take
away Judas instead, while Jesus escapes along with his other disciples, who all
fled the scene.
Mark 14:50 : And they all forsook him, and fled.
(The readers of Bible normally take it to mean
that the disciples forsook Jesus and fled. It is shameful to think that all the
disciples of Jesus forsook him at the most crucial hour of his life. Qur’aan
testifies that the disciples expressed their belief and loyalty:
Therefore, it was Judas whom the disciples
rightly forsook and all of them fled with Jesus.)
4. Now Judas is caught in an unbelievable
situation, which nobody else would have experienced. Even if he tells the
truth, nobody will believe it, but only think him to be Jesus trying to escape
death. So it is better for him that he endures whatever happens. Some verses
from the Bible are quoted below, to show how Judas behaves at the trials at the
high priest's place. Whenever you encounter below the name Jesus, in the
biblical verses, you have to take it as Judas, so that you may understand what
the people on the scene and people in the past 2000 years have failed to
comprehend.
John 18:19 to 18:23
18:19 “ The high priest therefore asked Jesus of
his disciples, and of his teaching.
18:20 Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the
world; I always taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, where the Jews
always meet; and in secret have I said nothing.
18:21 Why ask you me? ask them which heard me,
what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.
18:22 And when he had thus spoken, one of the
officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand (or with a rod),
saying, Answer you the high priest so?
18:23 Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil,
bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smite you me? ”
Thus the betrayer-in-a-dilemma Judas speaks
evasively. He cannot preach what Jesus used to preach in the temple and in the
synagogue. He neither has the authority nor the ability to repeat what Jesus
used to preach. Anyway, he certainly cannot answer them if they question him
further in religious matters. Had it really been Jesus, he would not have
missed the opportunity to tell the priests of his teachings. But here, Judas
evades the issue by saying: “I always spoke openly;
I said nothing in secret; Ask them which heard me; They know what I said; If I
spoke well, why you smite me.” , etc.
Matthew 26:
26:62 “And the high priest stood up, and said
unto him, Answer you nothing? what is it which these witness against you?
26:63 But Jesus held
his peace. And the high priest said unto him, I adjure you by the living
God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ,
the Son of God.”
When some false witnesses testify against Jesus
(Judas), the high priest begs Judas for an answer. But Judas remains quite.
Then what the priest presses Judas to answer is not whether he is guilty or not
but “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the
Christ”.
So the main question raking their brains is whether this person really is Jesus.
26:64 “Jesus said unto him, You have said:
nevertheless I say unto you, Henceforth you shall see the Son of man sitting at
the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Judas does not say “I am Jesus”, but lets the
priest take as true what he thinks, by saying: “You have said” and then
continues “Henceforth you shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of
Power” instead of speaking in the first person “henceforth I shall sit at the
right hand of Power.”
Then they condemn him to death by holding him
guilty of blasphemy. One more thing you must note now is that in this session,
the process of disfiguring Judas’ face has slowly begun.
26:67 Then did they spit in his face and buffet
him: and some smote him with the palms of their hands (or rods). This is quoted
also in Luke 22:64.
5. Peter, who apparently witnessed what happened
at the time of arrest, follows Judas to the priest's hall, so as to see what
happens to Judas. The priest's servants come and question Peter three times
whether he is a disciple of that person, (deeming Judas to be Jesus), but he,
naturally, denies all the three times, as predicted by Jesus. Peter who was
very loyal to Jesus and had told Jesus (in Matthew 26:35) “Even if I must die
with you, [yet] will I not deny thee.” had to deny the person thrice because he
cannot affirm to be the disciple of Judas, whom they deem to be Jesus.
6. Another account of the second session with
the priests that took place on the day after the arrest, is given in Luke 22:66
to 68 :
22:66 : And as soon as it was day, the elders of
the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him
into their council, saying,
22:67 Are you the Christ? tell us. And he said
unto them, If I tell you, you will not believe:
22:68 And if I also ask [you], you will not
answer me, nor let [me] go.
Again, they want to know if he is Jesus. And he
tells them: If I tell you (that I am Judas), you will not believe. And if I ask
you (what happened to Jesus), you will not answer me, nor let me go.
7. In the trial that takes place before the
governor Pilate, again the dominant question is: Are you the Christ? And most
of the time Judas says: YOU say it. (That is YOUR statement, NOT MINE.) On
other occasions, he remains silent like a stone. Please refer Luke 23:3, Mark
15:2, Mark 15:5, Matthew 27:11, Matthew 27:12. Matthew 27:14.
8. Jesus is brought for trial before another
official Herod:
Luke 23:8 and Luke 23:9 :
23:8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding
glad: for he was desirous to see him of a long season, because he had heard
many things of him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him.
23:9 Then he questioned with him in many words;
but he answered him nothing.
Poor Herod, he has been longing to witness some
of the miracles that he had heard Jesus performing. But can Judas perform those
miracles ? On the other hand, he avoids talking straight to even somebody who
is sympathetic and glad to see him, because he is not what Herod deems him to
be: he is not Jesus.
9. By talking evasively and at times refusing to
talk, Judas somehow managed to avoid being found guilty by the Governor and
other officials. But the Jews do not wish to lose face by retreating from the
actions already taken to have Jesus killed. Hence, upon their stubborn
insistence , he is condemned to be crucified. Before they take him to the
cross, more injury is done to him:
Mark 15:19 : And they smote him on the head with
a reed, and did spit upon him.
Matthew 27:30 : And they spit upon him, and took
the reed, and smote him on the head.
Please note that after first injuring his FACE,
now it is the turn of his HEAD to be injured. Judas is killed at the cross and
later on buried. John does not add dramatic words to this scene of crucifixion,
but quotes what could be reasonable words from the betrayer, while he dies:
2. “ It is finished !
” ... and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)
(not the “Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit ” kind of stuff ! See Luke 23:46).
10. The Bible records that Mary (pbuh), Jesus’
(pbuh) mother, was a witness to the crucifixion.
John 19:25 “Now there stood by the cross of
Jesus, his mother.... ”
While the Bible records the reaction of every
bystander and passer-by, it fails to mention the reaction of Mary (pbuh) the
mother of Jesus, because there was no reaction from her worth mentioning. Since
she knew that the person on the cross was not Jesus, she stood by the cross and
just watched the punishment meted out to the betrayer of Jesus. Had the person
on the cross really been Jesus, she would have reacted hysterically. Because it
was she who bore Jesus with difficulty and delivered him with pains. No mother
will be a mute spectator to such an event.
Qur’aan records the labour pains of Mary, while
she delivered Jesus:
“ And the pangs of
childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm tree. She said: Oh, would that
I had died before this and had become a thing forgotten.” (19:23)
11. The Bible says that Jesus addressed his
mother from the cross as “ Woman ! ” (John 19:26). No mean person will address
his mother as “Woman ! ”. It is only because the person on the cross was Judas
and not Jesus (pbuh) that he address Mary as “ Women ! ” Qur’aan testifies that
Jesus was kind to his mother and said from his cradle : “ And (God has made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and has not made
me arrogant, unblest. ” ( 19 : 32 )
12. And where is Jesus (pbuh) when all this
happens. Jesus had predicted, in Matthew 12:40
“for as Jonah was
three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man
be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Do you know which is the heart of the earth?
Before thinking further, let us consider What is the function of a heart.
It draws blood from other parts of the body for
purification and again sends it back to all the parts. Right ? Can you think of
a place on the earth, which draws people from all parts of the earth and sends
them back, too, after purifying them. And that too at a regular interval, just
like the heart ?
Yes, you guessed it right: it is
It is the belief of Muslims that all the
prophets wished to be a follower of Muhammad, in preference to be born as a
prophet. Only Jesus was granted the wish. Jesus is expected to descend on the
earth again, supported by two angels, during the reign of the expected guided
leader Mahdee. Jesus (pbuh) will live as one of the followers of Muhammad
(pbuh) and follow the shariah (laws) brought by Muhammad. Jesus (peace be upon
him) knew that he will live as a Muslim when he comes back to the earth. But he
could not wait, as we now know, not less than twenty centuries to relish this.
So, when he knows that his days in the earth are not many, he formally submits
himself to the Lord, starts to pray in Arabic, does prostration and now goes on
a pilgrimage to Mecca. (This may not be the first time Jesus is praying like a
Muslim. Qur’aan records what Jesus spoke from his cradle: “And (God) has made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and has
enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive.” ( 19
: 31 ).
(Earlier, he had prayed to the Lord for the
Muslims, in the following manner:
John: 17:20 & 21: 21.
17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father,
[art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me).
And as predicted, he was in the heart of the
earth for three days and three nights.
13. THE JEWS IN A DILEMMA:
Now let us imagine the restlessness of the Jews
after the soldiers brought Judas, thinking him to be Jesus. While, according to
them, Jesus is in their custody, what happened to their man, Judas ? Why did he
not turn up to win accolades from them, for the great betrayal he committed, in
order to please them. This must have greatly disturbed them. Anyway, where is
Judas ?
The answer to this was provided to them by the
other disciple, who was known to the high priest, and made possible the entry
of Peter into the palace.
“John 18:15 : And Simon Peter followed Jesus,
and [so did] another disciple: that disciple was known unto the high priest,
and went in with Jesus into the palace of the high priest.
John 18:16 But Peter stood at the door without.
Then went out that other disciple, which was known unto the high priest, and
spake unto her that kept the door, and brought in Peter.”
That other disciple sounded the high priest of
what happened at the time of arrest, but since it is an unbelievable event for
everyone, they wanted to elicit information from Judas and, hence, kept on
enquiring Judas, whether he is really Christ. On the basis of the information
provided by the other disciple, the high priest’s people tried thrice to rope
in Peter for enquiry, by sending female servants to talk to him, but he
craftily refused to yield. The Jews were in a terrible dilemma.
Jesus. The fellow is not even trying to save
himself, being unable to overcome the humiliation wrought on him by the Lord.
2. If they disclose the truth and spare Judas,
they have to bear the shame of having failed to kill Jesus. So they decided to
kill Judas and claimed to have killed Jesus.
Now, they face another problem: How to account
for the missing Judas. So, their soldiers removed Judas’ body from the grave,
while everybody was observing the Sabbath - (the compulsory religious holiday
on Saturdays.) Then they disfigure the face more, because that is the only
thing that has the resemblance of Jesus. After this is done, he is now
perfectly Judas. To account for the injury to the face and the head, they
spread the news that is reported in Acts 1:18 :
“Acts 1:18 Now this man obtained a field with
the reward of his iniquity; and falling headlong , he burst asunder in the
midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”
Is it not enough that they have disfigured his
head and face. What is the necessity to cut open his stomach and spread the
news that: “ he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”
The fact that all this was done by the Jews, by
bribing the watchmen or the soldiers, is recorded in Matthew 28:11 to 28:15
“Matthew 28:11 : Now when they were going,
behold, some of the watch came into the city, and informed unto the chief
priests all the things that were done.
28:12 And when they were assembled with the
elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
28:13 Saying, Say you, His disciples came by
night, and stole him [away] while we slept.
28:14 And if this come to the governor’s ears,
we will persuade him, and secure you
28:15 So they took the money, and did as they
were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this
day.”
And to make it appear that it was really Jesus
whom they arrested and to make the people believe that Judas was roaming freely
after the arrest took place, they spread the lie that he came to the temple and
threw back the silver coins he received as bribe from them: “Matthew 27:5 : And
he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” That this verse is a total lie is
borne by the fact that the other accounts talk of Judas falling headlong and his bowels gushing out. (Acts 1:18)
14. In respect of the later events:
a. at the grave where they buried Judas and
b. where Jesus meets his disciples, etc.
we find a lot of difference in the narration of
Luke, John, Matthew and Mark, just as in respect of the earlier events. It is a
waste of time counting and comparing the different and conflicting details.
Hence, only those details that are important in view of the truth revealed
above, are mentioned.
15. a) When Mary Magdalene goes to the grave,
she finds that the stone covering the grave of Judas is already removed.
“Mark 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who
shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the
stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a
young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they
were affrighted.”
Points to be noted in the above verses: 1. The
heavy stone was already rolled away by the soldiers of the governor. 2. People
perform the pilgrimage rites in Mecca wearing white clothing.
b) Mary Magdalene sees two angels in white
sitting. (John 20:12) Just as the Muslims believe that The Almighty will
provide two angels for Jesus’ descent from heaven, when he comes again,
similarly these two angels have made possible his pilgrimage to Mecca.
c) Luke 24:4 & 24:5
24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much
perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
24:5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down
[their] faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among
the dead?
The two men in shining garments are angels, who
refer Jesus as the living, and not as the resurrected.
d) John 20:14: “And when she had thus said, she
turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
20:15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest
thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto
him,” etc.
Points to be noted: She saw Jesus standing, and
knew not that it was Jesus, because she supposed him to be the gardener. She
could not recognize Jesus, because of the changed face and deemed him to be the
gardener because of the simple cloths worn while performing pilgrimage rites.
Moreover, he would have had a shaven head, another rite of the pilgrimage.
e) John 20:17 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me
not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say
unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your
God.”
Things to be noted:
1. Jesus tells her “Touch me not”.
However, when Jesus meets his disciples later,
he asks them to touch him and handle him, but here he forbids her. The reason:
As a good Muslim, he avoids being touched by the lady.
2. Jesus says: " I am not yet ascended to
my Father: "
That means he knew that he was supposed to
ascend only, as the Almighty had already informed him through the angel. His
statement shows that he did not expect himself to
die, nor resurrect, but only ascend.
f) The same day evening, Jesus appears before
his disciples and says: “Peace be unto you”,
(i.e., Assalaamu Alaikum,) as a Muslim. .
g) Luke 24:13 to 24:24 is quoted below. In this
event, two disciples walking together while going to a village, are joined by
Jesus. Jesus enquires them as to what they are talking and why they are sad.
They narrate the whole story from being condemned to death to the vision of
angels at the sepulchre. If it were Jesus who suffered all that, then he would
not pretend ignorance and listen again to all that which he himself has
suffered, as they think. Only because he was absent and went on the pilgrimage
to Mecca, he did not know of what happened in his absence and, hence, he is
enquiring and listening to the whole story.
Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that
same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore
furlongs.
24:14 And they talked together of all these
things which had happened.
24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they
communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
24:16 But their eyes were holden that they
should not know him.
24:17 And he said unto them, What manner of
communications [are] these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are
sad?
24:18 And the one of them, whose name was
Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and
hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And
they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in
deed and word before God and all the people: 24:20 And how the chief priests
and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.
24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which
should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since
these things were done.
24:22 Yea, and certain women also of our company
made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
24:23 And when they found not his body, they
came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he
was alive.
24:24 And certain of them which were with us
went to the sepulchre, and found [it] even so as the women had said: but him
they saw not.”
This is another proof that it was Judas who
suffered death at the cross.
h) Back in Jerusalem, Jesus has another session
with the eleven disciples:
1. “Luke 24:36 : And as they thus spoke, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them, and says unto them, Peace [be] unto you.
24:37 But they were terrified and affrighted,
and supposed that they had seen a spirit.” Having seen the dead body of Judas, they
were now 100 % sure of his death. Hence, when Jesus appears there with Judas’
face, they are terrified and affrighted and supposed that they had seen a
spirit.
2. Luke 24:38: “And he said unto them, Why are
you troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
24:39 Behold my hands
and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath
not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
24:40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed
them [his] hands and [his] feet.”
John repeats similarly in 20:20 :
John 20:20: “And when he had so said, he shewed unto them [his] hands and his side. Then
were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.”
From the above, we can understand fully well,
that Jesus’ face is not the identity of the person, at that moment, because it
looked like Judas’. Hence, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself”
and “when they saw his hands and his sides they were glad they saw the Lord ”
3. Luke 24:41 “ And while they yet believed not
for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
24:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled
fish, and of an honeycomb.”
Fish is the only thing that a Muslim can obtain
from anyone and eat. The meat of other (permitted) animals and birds should be
properly slaughtered in the manner taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and by
mentioning the name of Allaah over it, while slaughtering. Hence, the other
meat cannot be obtained from everybody.
4. John 20:30 “And
many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book.”
Most important of which should be: restoration
of his face, as it looked before.
The Bible does provide a clue that Jesus' face
was restored to its original appearance, before his ascension unto heaven.
In the verse of John 21:12, which is in the
context of the events just before his ascension, it is written:
“ Jesus saith unto them, Come [and] dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing
that it was the Lord.” This time, there is no need to see his hands and
his feet to know that it is Jesus.
Now, it is time to thank the Almighty for
opening our eyes to the truth, by accepting Islaam. We now know for certain
that:
2. Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a slave and
a messenger of Allaah and the last of the prophets, whom all the people have to
follow. This has been foretold in The Bible.
3. Idols and graven images are forbidden.
4. Allaah sent messengers to all nations.
5. Jesus (peace be upon him) too is a slave and
a messenger of Allaah, but sent only for (the lost sheep of) the house of
Israel.
6. Jesus is a creation of Allaah; he is not His
son and has no portion whatsoever in His Sovereignty.
7. Jesus was not killed, nor crucified. It was
his betrayer who was killed on the cross.
The next time you see a cross, you would know
that it is not a sign that relates to Jesus, but something that denotes the
punishment his betrayer deserved and got.
But..., should we have a memorial to commemorate
the betrayer of a mighty messenger of Allaah ?
Qur'aan: 5: 83 to
86.
83. When they
listen to that which has been revealed unto the messenger, you see their eyes
overflow with tears because of their recognition of the truth. They say: Our
Lord, we believe ; write us down as among the witnesses.
84. How should we
not believe in Allaah and that which has come unto us of the truth and we hope
that our Lord will admit us to the company of the righteous folk.
85. Allaah has
rewarded them for what they said : Gardens underneath which rivers flow,
wherein they will abide for ever. That is the reward of the good people.
86. But those who
disbelieve and deny Our signs, they shall be companions of hell-fire.
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