Jesus’ Death in the Qur’an and Ḥadīth — A Scholarly Challenge to the Denial

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba — Shimba Theological Institute

Abstract. Many Muslims assert that ʿĪsā (Jesus) was neither killed nor crucified, citing Qurʾān 4:157 as definitive. Yet the Qurʾān itself contains verses that — when read plainly and in their exegetical context — speak of Jesus’ death (and later resurrection/raising). Likewise, some ḥadīth literature and classical tafsīr treat his death as an eventual reality (whether before or after the eschatological return). This article lays out the Qurʾānic and ḥadīth evidence that supports the proposition “Jesus dies,” asks why a straightforward reading is often resisted, and invites Muslim scholars to reconcile apparent tensions honestly and transparently.

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1. Plain Qurʾānic Statements that Speak of Death

Two Qurʾānic verses are central to this discussion:

1. Sūrat Maryam (19:33). The infant ʿĪsā speaks: “And peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive.” This is an explicit first-person declaration that includes the day “I die.” The verse appears in the cradle-speech narrative and is unambiguous in wording. (Quran.com)

2. Sūrat Āl ʿImrān (3:55). In many translations and readings this verse contains the verb mutawaffīka (I will cause you to die / will cause you to be taken in death) followed by rafiʿuka (I will exalt you). Numerous readers and exegetes point out that the sequence—death followed by exaltation—naturally reads as death preceding the elevation. (Those who argue for an interpretation that means “I will cause you to be taken up alive” must explain the grammatical and contextual difficulty such readings introduce.) (Al Hakam)

These two verses together form strong textual ground for the claim that the Qurʾān envisages a genuine death for ʿĪsā (either in history or as a final event).

Load-bearing claim citation: the literal text of 19:33 and the wording and readings of 3:55 are primary evidence. (Quran.com)

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2. The Commonly Cited Verse of Denial (4:157) — What It Says and What It Does Not

Sūrat An-Nisāʾ (4:157) reads in many translations: “And [for] their saying, ‘Indeed, we killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary’ — but they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; it was made to appear so to them…” This verse is the scriptural basis for the widespread Muslim claim that Jesus was neither crucified nor killed. (Quran.com)

However, there are several interpretive pathways Muslims have taken:

• Apparent substitution theory: someone was made to resemble Jesus and was crucified in his stead (classical view).

• Apparent-vision theory: the crucifixion was an illusion; Jesus was neither crucified nor killed.

• Spiritual/representational readings: the verse denies any salvific or ontological significance to the crucifixion rather than denying an actual bodily death.

Each interpretation attempts to reconcile 4:157 with other Qurʾānic statements. But none of these interpretive moves removes the plain meaning of 19:33 or 3:55; rather, they read 4:157 as denying the Jewish/Christian boast “we killed him,” while still permitting Jesus’ eventual death in God’s timing. Readers should face the cognitive tension: how do we reconcile a verse that plainly says “I die” with another that says “they did not kill him”?

Load-bearing claim citation: the language of 4:157 and the existence of multiple classical readings. (Quran.com)

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3. Classical Tafsīr and Scholarly Notes That Recognize Jesus’ Death

Classical exegetes register the wording of 19:33 and treat it as significant. For example, Ibn Kathīr and other commentators note the phrase “the day I die” and discuss narrations and readings that speak of Jesus’ death and his being raised. Some modern Muslim writers also point to 3:55’s wording (mutawaffīka) as an admission of death followed by exaltation. Tafsīr collections and commentaries often wrestle with how to harmonize these verses with 4:157. (QuranX)

Thus, there is a long exegetical history that acknowledges the textual problem and treats Jesus’ death as a theologically meaningful datum in some senses.

Load-bearing claim citation: tafsīr references for 19:33 and 3:55. (QuranX)

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4. Ḥadīth and Later Traditions

Several post-Qurʾānic traditions and Muslim histories treat Jesus’ earthly existence as culminating in death (especially after his eschatological return). Works that collect prophetic reports or later historical accounts — for instance, writings that quote earlier exegetical traditions — sometimes assert that ʿĪsā will return, live a period of years, and then die and be buried. Ibn al-Jawzī’s Al-Wafāʾ and related reports preserve traditions that the Prophet (or early transmitters) spoke of Jesus’ eventual death and burial. While hadith evidence varies in strength and provenance, the presence of such traditions in the Muslim corpus complicates the absolutist claim “the Qurʾān and ḥadīth uniformly deny Jesus’ death.” (Hadith of the Day)

Load-bearing claim citation: presence of post-Qurʾānic traditions speaking of death after return. (Hadith of the Day)

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5. Questions for Muslim Theologians and Believers

1. How do you reconcile 19:33’s plain “the day I die” with a strict, universal denial that Jesus ever died? If 19:33 is literal, whose death is being referenced if not Jesus’?

2. What grammatical and contextual arguments justify reading mutawaffīka in 3:55 as other than death? Several exegetes take that verb to mean “cause to die” — if so, why prefer interpretive moves that avoid death?

3. Does 4:157 deny only the Jewish/Christian boast (“we killed him”) rather than every possible death of Jesus? If so, what interpretive mechanism distinguishes “they did not kill him” from “he will never die”?

4. When later Muslim traditions speak of Jesus returning and then dying, how are those traditions to be weighed against the common modern claim that Islam uniformly denies Jesus’ death? Are those traditions to be dismissed, explained away, or accepted?

These are not mere rhetorical questions: they are invitations to fuller exegesis and to honest engagement with texts and traditions.

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6. Expository Commentary: A Concise Argument That Jesus Died

1. Literal reading of 19:33 — the infant Jesus’ words include “the day I die.” A literal, face-value reading affirms death. (Quran.com)

2. Syntactic reading of 3:55 — the phrase mutawaffīka is commonly rendered “I will cause you to die/ I will take you in death”; the sequencing (death then exaltation) favors death preceding exaltation. (Al Hakam)

3. 4:157 does not necessarily preclude death — it emphatically denies that they killed him or that they achieved the boastful claim “we killed the Messiah.” It can be read as a denial of the perpetrators’ claim, not a metaphysical denial of any death. (Quran.com)

4. Historical/traditional layers — later Muslim writings and some hadith strands describe Jesus’ return, subsequent life, and eventual death — indicating that at least some streams within Islamic tradition accept the concept of Jesus’ death. (Hadith of the Day)

Taken together, these points make a strong prima facie case that the Qurʾān and Islamic tradition do not unambiguously require a perpetual denial of Jesus’ death.

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7. Conclusion and an Open Scholarly Challenge

If Muslims insist on a total and perpetual denial that Jesus ever died, they must offer robust explanations for:

• the plain wording of 19:33 (“the day I die”);

• the grammatical implications of 3:55 (mutawaffīka); and

• the existence of later traditions that speak of Jesus’ death after his return.

I invite Muslim exegetes to publish careful, fully documented responses that engage the verses and narrations above directly — not by assertion, but by argument. Honest inter-confessional scholarship benefits both communities and deepens mutual understanding.

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References & Selected Bibliography

Qurʾānic verses (primary texts):

• Qurʾān 19:33 (Sūrat Maryam). (Quran.com)

• Qurʾān 4:157 (Sūrat An-Nisāʾ). (Quran.com)

• Qurʾān 3:55 (Sūrat Āl ʿImrān) and treatments discussing mutawaffīka. (Al Hakam)

Tafsīr and classical commentary:

• Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr on Sūrat Maryam (19:33). (The Quran Blog - Enlighten Yourself)

• Collections of tafsīr comments collected at QuranX and related sites on 19:33. (QuranX)

Articles and modern discussions:

• “Proving the death of Jesus from the Holy Qurʾān” — Al Hakam analysis (discussion of 3:55 and Quranic sequence). (Al Hakam)

• Scholarly article: “It Was Made to Appear Like That to Them” — discussion of the Qurʾān’s denial of crucifixion and scholarly responses. (Reformed Faith & Practice)

Hadith / later traditions:

• Ibn al-Jawzī, Al-Wafāʾ (tradition collection referencing Jesus’ return, life after return, and death). Summaries and discussions available in modern compilations and articles. (Hadith of the Day)

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