The Quran and the Crucifixion

Muslems believe that Christ was born of a Virgin, was the Messiah of the Jews, that He ascended into Heaven, and will defeat the Antichrist at the end of time. However, they do not believe that Christ was crucified:

“That they said (in boast) “We killed the Messiah Isa [i.e. 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.
No, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.” (4:157-158)

The interesting clause is the part reading: “but so it was made to appear to them.” Many Muslim scholars believe that the crucifixion happened as an illusion to confound the Jews or that Judas was mistakenly taken and crucified. Whatever happened, Muslims do believe that it “appeared” that Christ was crucified. The Ahmadi Muslims interpret the apparent crucifixion in terms that Christians would identify as Docetic, and must Muslims believe the Ahmadi interpretation to be heretical.

I hope to post some interesting information about the place of Fatima (Muhammad’s daughter) and the Blessed Virgin Mary in Islam.