Islam, Jesus' Death and the Bible


Islam, Jesus' death and the Bible... This almost sounds like a mathematical equation. For me, an avid practitioner of inter-faith dialogue with Arab Muslims, this equation is quite scientific. Each variable in the equation has its place and significance. By Islam, I generally speak of what is written about Jesus in the Quran; though I am careful to understand that there can be a big difference between what is written in the book and what the religion of Islam may teach. By Jesus death I refer to the crucifixion and death of Christ. Of note, the Muslim view of Jesus explicitly denies Christ's death and crucifixion. By the Bible I speak of the rest of the story.
That is, what is written about Jesus' death in the Bible. Putting all these pieces together is one way of leading men to the truth of God's Gospel.
This equation, Islam, Jesus' death and the Bible is a road map. In speaking with Muslims my aim is not to argue or be proven right. My aim is to lead men to the Living Christ and His truth. Discussing the topic of Jesus' death and resurrection are central to the Gospel message, but before diving into this touchy subject with Muslims I launch off of the common ground found in what is written about (Jesus) Isa in the Quran, namely, what is written about his death.
Time simply does not allow a full treatment of this important subject in this brief article. However, two of the main verses that I point to are discussed herein. Remember,
Islam + Jesus' death + the Bible = John 8:32
Let's quickly examine two major Quranic verse dealing with Jesus' death. Keep in mind, there are other verses in the Quran that touch on the subject.
Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute. Sura 3:55
You'll notice that the English translation of this verse makes no mention of Jesus' death. This is both convenient and unfortunate. In fact, the Arabic word, mutawafeek, that clearly says "I will cause you to die", has been translated "raise thee to myself" in the English translation. Any Arabic speaker would instantly know this. Allah, speaking in this verse, said that He'd cause Jesus to die. The significance of this is clear. Was Allah lying? God forbid. Was He mistaken? This is an easy springboard to lead one from the Quran to the truth of what the Bible says about Christ's death. The next verse agrees with this exactly and reads as follows:
Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things. Sura 5:117
The same Arabic verb is used in this verse, only this time, it's Jesus saying that Allah caused him to die. This time the Arabic word is tuwafaytany. Again, I simply ask Arab Muslims what this Arabic word means literally.
So, we have Islam, Jesus death... the next step is to introduce the Bible. The Bible contains the rest of the story of Christ's death and resurrection. Many Muslims have been introduced to the Bible and Christ, Himself, using this simple equation; Islam, Jesus' death and the Bible. I pray you'd continue to study this important subject and be encouraged to use this tool as well.
Wadia Abdullah Ibn Az-Zahir is an ardent follower of Christ who travels extensively throughout the Middle East sharing the Gospel with Arab Muslims. There's much more about using the Quran and starting with the equation, Islam Jesus death and the Bible, that can help us all produce more fruit. Wadia's simple approach uses these types of Quranic bridges to Christ and is field tested and Christ honoring.http://www.islamandjesus.com.