Islam_in_Focus_text

hiliri. The story was climaxed and dramatized at this stage,
and religious mournings became sacred for the Christians as
was wailing for the Jews.
A plot was planned to crucify Jesus; an actual execution
on the cross took place; someone was really crucified. But it
was not Jesus; it was someone else who was crucified in his
place.
As for Jesus himself, God came to his rescue and saved
him from the enemies. God crowned his mission on the earth
by saving him from violent death and raising him up high to
Heaven. Whether he was raised in rank by means of excel-
lence or whether he was raised alive in soul and body or in
soul only after he died a natural death has not much bearing
on the Islamic beliefs. It is no article of Faith, because what
is important and binding to a Muslim is what God reveals;
and God revealed that Jesus was not crucified but was raised
to Him. The Qur'an relates the end of Jesus as follows:
"The people of the Book ask you
(Muhammad) to cause a book to descend
to them from Heaven: indeed they asked
Moses for an even greater (miracle), for
they said: 'Show us God in public'. But
they were dazed, for their presumption,
with a thunder and lightning. Yet they
worshiped the Calf even after clear signs
had come to them; even so We forgave
them; and gave Moses manifest proofs of
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