سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 157
وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا ٱلْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا ٱتِّبَاعَ ٱلظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًۢا ﴿157﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah ‘Îsâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allâh," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them [the resemblance of ‘Îsâ (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. ‘Îsâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) عليهما السلام]:
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَوْلِهِمْ
waqawlihim
And for their saying
إِنَّا
innā
Indeed, we
قَتَلْنَا
qatalnā
killed
ٱلْمَسِيحَ
l-masīḥa
the Messiah
عِيسَى
ʿīsā
Isa
ٱبْنَ
ib'na
son
مَرْيَمَ
maryama
(of) Maryam
رَسُولَ
rasūla
(the) Messenger
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(of) Allah
وَمَا
wamā
And not
قَتَلُوهُ
qatalūhu
they killed him
وَمَا
wamā
and not
صَلَبُوهُ
ṣalabūhu
they crucified him
وَلَـٰكِن
walākin
but
شُبِّهَ
shubbiha
it was made to appear (so)
لَهُمْ ۚ
lahum
to them
وَإِنَّ
wa-inna
And indeed
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟
ikh'talafū
differ
فِيهِ
fīhi
in it
لَفِى
lafī
(are) surely in
شَكٍّۢ
shakkin
doubt
مِّنْهُ ۚ
min'hu
about it
مَا
mā
Not
لَهُم
lahum
for them
بِهِۦ
bihi
about it
مِنْ
min
[of]
عِلْمٍ
ʿil'min
(any) knowledge
إِلَّا
illā
except
ٱتِّبَاعَ
ittibāʿa
(the) following
ٱلظَّنِّ ۚ
l-ẓani
(of) assumption
وَمَا
wamā
And not
قَتَلُوهُ
qatalūhu
they killed him
يَقِينًۢا
yaqīnan
certainly
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 157)➊ {وَقَوْلِهِمْ اِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيْحَ عِيْسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ :} Here the question arises that the Jews themselves, while acknowledging the messengership of the Messiah (peace be upon him), claim in their assumption to have killed him and even boast about it—how is this possible? The commentators have given several answers to this: The first is that they meant, “The one who claimed to be the Messenger of Allah, we killed him.” The second is that they were calling him “Messenger of Allah” sarcastically. The third is that, because the Jews mentioned the killing of Jesus (peace be upon him) as a matter of pride, Allah Almighty added the words “Messenger of Allah” from Himself to express the honor and dignity of Jesus (peace be upon him), showing how great a personality they claimed to have killed. The fourth is that the Jews had no doubt about the purity of Mary (peace be upon her) nor about the messengership of Jesus (peace be upon him), because on the very day of his birth, as a miracle, Allah Almighty proved the purity of Mary (peace be upon her) and the messengership of Jesus (peace be upon him) before all the Jews through the words of the Messiah (peace be upon him) himself. But when Jesus (peace be upon him) admonished the Jewish nation for their disbelief, polytheism, hypocrisy, and usury, they became intent on killing him, and their sins so distorted their hearts that the great woman whom they had considered pure for thirty years, they accused her of adultery, and the one whom they had sincerely accepted as a Messenger, when he reproved them for their sins, they sought to kill him, to the extent that in their assumption they succeeded in killing him and even began to boast about it. This is an example of how far human nature can go when it is distorted. Even before this, they had killed many messengers.
➋ {وَ مَا قَتَلُوْهُ وَ مَا صَلَبُوْهُ وَ لٰكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ:} The Holy Qur’an clearly refuted the claim of the Jews and stated that neither did they kill the Messiah (peace be upon him) nor did they crucify him, but rather, someone else was made to resemble the Messiah (peace be upon him) for them. They crucified him, thinking that they had put the Messiah on the cross. Who was this person and how was he made to resemble him? The Qur’an or the Hadith of the Messenger do not detail this, but in the next verse it is mentioned that (neither did they kill Jesus (peace be upon him) nor crucify him, rather) Allah Almighty raised him up to Himself. The manner in which the likeness of Jesus (peace be upon him) was made is narrated in an authentic chain from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), as reported by Imam Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir: When the Jews went to capture the Messiah (peace be upon him), he said to his disciples, “Who among you is willing to have my likeness cast upon him?” One disciple agreed, so Allah Almighty raised the Messiah (peace be upon him) up to the heavens, and that young man was transformed into the appearance of the Messiah (peace be upon him). The Jews came and crucified that young man.
➌ {وَ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ لَفِيْ شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ:} After killing the lookalike of Jesus (peace be upon him), those people themselves fell into doubt as to who it was that they had crucified! Some said, “It was indeed the Messiah who was killed,” while others said, “This is not the Messiah, but someone else.” Even they themselves could not be certain that they had actually crucified him; they had nothing but conjecture to follow. Certain knowledge was far from them; they themselves were in disagreement and doubt as to who was killed. This disagreement existed among the Jews as well as among the Christian sects, some of whom say that the human body (nasut) of Jesus (peace be upon him) was crucified and the divine part (lahut)—that part of him which was God— was raised up. Some believe both were crucified, and so on. The Holy Qur’an declared all of them to be false.
➋ {وَ مَا قَتَلُوْهُ وَ مَا صَلَبُوْهُ وَ لٰكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ:} The Holy Qur’an clearly refuted the claim of the Jews and stated that neither did they kill the Messiah (peace be upon him) nor did they crucify him, but rather, someone else was made to resemble the Messiah (peace be upon him) for them. They crucified him, thinking that they had put the Messiah on the cross. Who was this person and how was he made to resemble him? The Qur’an or the Hadith of the Messenger do not detail this, but in the next verse it is mentioned that (neither did they kill Jesus (peace be upon him) nor crucify him, rather) Allah Almighty raised him up to Himself. The manner in which the likeness of Jesus (peace be upon him) was made is narrated in an authentic chain from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), as reported by Imam Ibn Kathir and Ibn Jarir: When the Jews went to capture the Messiah (peace be upon him), he said to his disciples, “Who among you is willing to have my likeness cast upon him?” One disciple agreed, so Allah Almighty raised the Messiah (peace be upon him) up to the heavens, and that young man was transformed into the appearance of the Messiah (peace be upon him). The Jews came and crucified that young man.
➌ {وَ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ لَفِيْ شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ:} After killing the lookalike of Jesus (peace be upon him), those people themselves fell into doubt as to who it was that they had crucified! Some said, “It was indeed the Messiah who was killed,” while others said, “This is not the Messiah, but someone else.” Even they themselves could not be certain that they had actually crucified him; they had nothing but conjecture to follow. Certain knowledge was far from them; they themselves were in disagreement and doubt as to who was killed. This disagreement existed among the Jews as well as among the Christian sects, some of whom say that the human body (nasut) of Jesus (peace be upon him) was crucified and the divine part (lahut)—that part of him which was God— was raised up. Some believe both were crucified, and so on. The Holy Qur’an declared all of them to be false.
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
157. 1. From this it became clear that the Jews were neither able to kill nor crucify ‘Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام, as was their plan. As has already been briefly detailed in the footnote to verse 55 of Surah Al ‘Imran.
157. 2. This means that when ‘Isa عليه السلام became aware of the conspiracy of the Jews, he gathered his disciples, whose number was 12 or 17, and said: “Is there anyone among you who is willing to be killed in my place?” so that Allah would make his appearance like mine. A young man volunteered for this. Thus, ‘Isa عليه السلام was raised up to the heavens from there. Later, the Jews came and took that young man and crucified him, who had been made to resemble ‘Isa عليه السلام. The Jews continued to believe that they had crucified ‘Isa عليه السلام, whereas ‘Isa عليه السلام was not even present there at that time; he had already been raised up to the heavens with his physical body (Ibn Kathir and Fath al-Qadir).
157. 3. After killing the person who resembled ‘Isa عليه السلام, one group continued to say that ‘Isa عليه السلام had been killed, while another group, who realized that the crucified person was not ‘Isa عليه السلام but someone else, some say that they even saw ‘Isa عليه السلام ascending to the heavens. Some say that this difference refers to the disagreement among the Christians themselves, as one sect said that ‘Isa عليه السلام was crucified in body but not in divinity (Lahut). The Melkites said that the killing and crucifixion occurred completely in both humanity (Nasut) and divinity (Lahut) (Fath al-Qadir). In any case, they remained in disagreement, confusion, and doubt.
157. 2. This means that when ‘Isa عليه السلام became aware of the conspiracy of the Jews, he gathered his disciples, whose number was 12 or 17, and said: “Is there anyone among you who is willing to be killed in my place?” so that Allah would make his appearance like mine. A young man volunteered for this. Thus, ‘Isa عليه السلام was raised up to the heavens from there. Later, the Jews came and took that young man and crucified him, who had been made to resemble ‘Isa عليه السلام. The Jews continued to believe that they had crucified ‘Isa عليه السلام, whereas ‘Isa عليه السلام was not even present there at that time; he had already been raised up to the heavens with his physical body (Ibn Kathir and Fath al-Qadir).
157. 3. After killing the person who resembled ‘Isa عليه السلام, one group continued to say that ‘Isa عليه السلام had been killed, while another group, who realized that the crucified person was not ‘Isa عليه السلام but someone else, some say that they even saw ‘Isa عليه السلام ascending to the heavens. Some say that this difference refers to the disagreement among the Christians themselves, as one sect said that ‘Isa عليه السلام was crucified in body but not in divinity (Lahut). The Melkites said that the killing and crucifixion occurred completely in both humanity (Nasut) and divinity (Lahut) (Fath al-Qadir). In any case, they remained in disagreement, confusion, and doubt.
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
157. And for their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger [207] of Allah." But they neither killed him nor crucified him, but it was made to appear so to them. And those who differ concerning it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they certainly did not kill him, for sure.
[207]
The Slanders of the Jews:
The seal of wretchedness that Allah placed upon the hearts of the Jews was not only for the reasons already mentioned above. Rather, their list of crimes continues further. Among these was that they accused Lady Maryam ؑ of immorality and called our master ‘Isa ؑ illegitimate, attributing him to our master Zakariyya ؑ. Another crime was that they claimed to have killed our master ‘Isa ؑ by crucifying him. That is, not only did they deny both the miraculous birth and death of our master ‘Isa ؑ, but they also continued to level accusations against both mother and son. For these accusations and their answers, see the footnotes to Surah Al ‘Imran, verses 54 and 55.
[207]
The Slanders of the Jews:
The seal of wretchedness that Allah placed upon the hearts of the Jews was not only for the reasons already mentioned above. Rather, their list of crimes continues further. Among these was that they accused Lady Maryam ؑ of immorality and called our master ‘Isa ؑ illegitimate, attributing him to our master Zakariyya ؑ. Another crime was that they claimed to have killed our master ‘Isa ؑ by crucifying him. That is, not only did they deny both the miraculous birth and death of our master ‘Isa ؑ, but they also continued to level accusations against both mother and son. For these accusations and their answers, see the footnotes to Surah Al ‘Imran, verses 54 and 55.
