Muslim and Christian View of History, Jesus, and the Cross

Similarities Between Islam and Christianity

Islam and Christianity hold some beliefs about Jesus in common:

Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary
Jesus did many miracles
Jesus ascended into heaven

Major Differences Between Islam and Christianity

One belief that Muslims and Christians do not hold in common is Jesus’ death by crucifixion. Jesus’ death on the cross is central to Christianity. In fact, its importance can be seen in Christian art, Christian symbols, and the names of Christian institutions such as:

Holy Cross College
Holy Cross Hospital
Holy Cross Church

Whereas the crucifixion takes central stage in Christianity; it does not in Islam. Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross. The Muslim apologist, Ahmed Deedat, got one thing right when he said, “In a nutshell. No Crucifixion — No Christianity!”

The Qur’an claims:

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ 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:-

Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;- (An-Nisa 4:157-158; translated by Yusuf Ali).

Muslim rejection of Jesus’ death on the cross also means that Muslims do not believe in Jesus’ resurrection because resurrection is the reversal of death. Some Muslims, such as the Ahmadiyya, believe Jesus was crucified but did not die on the cross; He only swooned. They believe Jesus was resuscitated in the tomb but not resurrected. Other Muslims believe someone else was made to look like Jesus and was crucified in His place (e.g. Simon of Cyrene, Judas Iscariot). But these are just theories and are not grounded in history.

History, the Christian Faith, and Islam

Unlike the beliefs of Islam, the beliefs of Christians in Jesus’ death are rooted in history. As one scholar pointed out, “The idea that faith must never have anything to do with history…is long overdue a decent burial” (N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, 716). The Islamic belief that Jesus did not die on the cross may have nothing to do with history, but the Christian belief most certainly does. The historical evidence for Jesus’ death includes the following:

Jesus’ death and burial was prophesied in the Old Testament Scriptures.
Jesus testified to His death on several occasions.
There were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death on the cross.
Non-Christians recorded Jesus’ death by crucifixion:
- Josephus (Jewish historian born around A.D. 37 and died A.D. 100) refers to Jesus’ death (Antiquities 18.3.3).
- Tacitus (A.D. 55-120), a renowned historian of ancient Rome wrote around A.D. 115 that Christ was “executed” by Pilate (Annals 15.44).

A major problem with Islam is that Muhammad’s testimony in the Qur’an about the crucifixion came hundreds of years after the event. Muhammad lacks witnesses that the angel Gabriel spoke to him. Muhammad lacks witnesses that the words he spoke are more authoritative than the Christian Scriptures. Muhammad did not and could not produce superior testimony to the historical fact of Jesus’ death on the cross.

The law/Torah requires that a matter be established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6-7). Therefore, the testimonies of Jesus, the Old Testament prophets, Jesus’ followers, and non-Christian historians are believable compared to Muhammad’s denial of Jesus’ death on the cross. To put it simply, the Law of Moses makes it unlawful to believe the Qur’an.

Central to Christianity are the historic events of Jesus’ death on the cross, His burial, and His bodily resurrection. If you disprove the historicity of any of these three events, you disprove Christianity. On the other hand, if you reject Christianity you are rejecting history; you are rejecting what God has done in history through Jesus.

Jesus’ Death on the Cross, the Qur’an, and Islam