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Muslims believed Jesus DIED

Published on: October 25, 2025

Muslims believed Jesus DIED

Muslims believed Jesus DIED

Rob Christian

Claim:
Early Muslims believed that Jesus Christ (ʿĪsā ibn Maryam) actually died and was resurrected, as supported by early Islamic texts and scholars.

1. Quranic Evidence​

In Quran 3:55, Allah says:

“O Jesus, I shall make thee die and lift thee to Myself.”

The Arabic word "mutawaffīka" (متوفيك) derives from wafāt, meaning death.
Early interpreters, including Ibn ʿAbbās, confirmed that mutawaffīka clearly implies actual death, not mere sleep or ascension.

Linguistic Point​

  • The word "mawt" (موت) in Arabic unambiguously means death.
  • Scholars argued that if this word had been used directly for Jesus, there would be no debate about his death.

2. Commentary from Early Scholars​

Ibn ʿAbbās​

In his commentary, Ibn ʿAbbās interpreted mutawaffīka as “Allah caused Jesus to die.”

Imam Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī​

In his Tafsīr al-Kabīr, Rāzī acknowledged a significant dilemma:

Denying Christ’s crucifixion and death undermines the testimony of mass transmission (tawātur) a principle that also validates prophethood.
Rejecting tawātur therefore undermines the prophethood and even existence of Muhammad, Jesus, and all prophets.

Imam Mālik ibn Anas​

Founder of the Mālikī school, Imam Mālik is recorded as saying that Jesus died at age 33.

3. Historical Perspective on the Crucifixion​

In Quran 46:35, it is mentioned that certain prophets were crucified on wood until death pointing uniquely to Jesus, as no other prophet was historically crucified.

Furthermore, there is no authentic hadith where Prophet Muhammad explicitly denies the death or crucifixion of Christ.
This implies that the denial emerged later in Islamic interpretation.

4. Later Interpretations and Doctrinal Shifts​

Centuries later, in the 11th century, the scholar Ibn Ḥazm al-Andalusī (d. 1064 CE) offered a modified view in al-Fiṣal fi al-Milal:

  • He affirmed that Jesus did indeed die.
  • However, he denied that Jesus was killed or crucified, calling those who said so disbelievers (kuffār).

This subtle redefinition accepting death but rejecting crucifixion marked the beginning of a shift in Islamic thought.
It reflected a theological attempt to differentiate Islam from Christianity while preserving the Quranic wording.

5. Conclusion​

  • Early Islamic scholars and companions interpreted Quranic verses to mean that Jesus Christ died and was later raised by Allah.
  • Over time, later theologians altered this understanding to reject the crucifixion in order to distance Islam from Christian theology.
  • The evidence suggests that early Muslims shared a belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus, which was later revised and denied by later interpreters.

Summary Insight:
The earliest Islamic view affirmed the death of Jesus. Later reinterpretations beginning with Ibn Ḥazm — gradually reshaped the doctrine, introducing a denial of crucifixion to counter Christian beliefs.

References​

  • Rob Christian. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmtq_duY6EA
  • Quran 3:55, 46:35 (English translations).
  • Classical Islamic commentaries: Ibn ʿAbbās; Fakhr al‑Dīn al‑Rāzī; Imam Mālik ibn Anas; Ibn Ḥazm.