Correspondence: Jesus was Nailed to the Cross
The Light (Pakistan), 15th May 1922 Issue (Vol. 1, No. 11, p. 3)
To:
The Editor
The Light
Lahore
Dear Sir,
In your issue of The Light of the first instant one, Mr. Ghulam Muhammad asserts in reply to a question whether Jesus (on whom be peace!) was crucified, that
“Jesus was undoubtedly nailed to the cross with two thieves on either side of him but he did not die on it.”
This assertion, I am afraid, is in direct contradiction to the plain teachings of Islam. The Holy Quran unambiguously negatives the assertion of the Jews that Jesus was nailed to the cross when it says:
“ma qatalu hu wa ma sala bu hu.” (That is, the Jews neither nailed Jesus to the cross nor did they kill him.) [The Holy Quran, 4:157]
And, again, the translation of the Quranic words
“ya Isa Inni muta waffi ka” [The Holy Quran, 3:55]
as
“O Jesus, I will cause thee to die,”
is incorrect as the words
“muta waffi ka”
at this place does not mean
“I will cause thee to die.”
It means,
“O Jesus! I will take thee fully (into My protection).”
A consideration as to what called forth this promise of God would substantiate my interpretation. The verse previous to the one quoted shows that the Jews planned to arrest Jesus (on whom be peace!) and crucify him. At that moment, naturally, Jesus (on whom be peace!) must have invoked God’s protection from the machinations of his enemies, so God assured him that He would take him into His protection.
To say that Jesus feared death is a gross libel on him. When one’s life, death, sacrifices and prayers are wholly and solely for God, the Lord of the worlds, is it compatible with the dignity of a prophet of God to invoke His protection in fear of his death? Such an idea should be very remote from the mind of a true Muslim.
One more proof and I have done. God says,
“O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember my favour on you when I withheld the children of Israel from you when you came to them with clear signs, but those who disbelieved among them said: This is nothing but clear enchantment” (The Quran, 5:110).
This verse closes this discussion once and for all. Apart from nailing Jesus (on whom be peace!), the Jews were unable even to lay their hands on him.
As you have given publicity to Mr Ghulam Muhammad’s reply, I trust you would give publicity to this letter of mine in your next issue of The Light in its entirety.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Truly yours,
(Sd. [Signed]) Thaffar
Response from the Editor of ‘The Light’:
The whole question hinges on the meaning of tawaffa. But there is no authority in the Arabic language to support the view that it means to
“take anyone fully into one’s protection.”
It invariably means to
“cause one to die.”
The verse quoted by the correspondent does not show that he was not nailed to the cross. It means, on the other hand, that the Jews could not bring about his death on the cross, which was their only motive to discredit his claim.
This is also the significance of the other verse quoted by the correspondent.
For full discussion on the question, please read The Ahmadiyya Movement in English, or Masih-i-Maud in Urdu, both of which can be had from the Manager, The Light.
The Editor
The Light