The Natural Death of Jesus

The death of Hadhrat Jesus as  in Islamic Christology is a complex and controversial subject. In some Islamic circles, the crucifixion of Hadhrat Jesus as  was denied altogether. Instead, according to some Muslim scholars, Allah miraculously transformed a disciple of Hadhrat Jesus as  into the physical image of Hadhrat Jesus as , and the Jews crucified the disciple, thinking him to be Hadhrat Jesus as . This concept may be called the "Substitution theory." Hadhrat Jesus as , having been saved from such suffering and death, ascended to God in Heaven. As mentioned in the previous articles, the substitution theory and eventual physical ascension of Hadhrat Jesus as  is not substantiated by the Quran and Hadith. Rather, the Quran and Hadith is clear that Hadhrat Jesus as  died a natural death. However, the theory of substitution has figured prominently in Islamic tafsir literature. The purpose of this final part is to explain how the substitution theory was i...