Jesus did not die nor was he crucified; it was Judas Iscariot who was made to look like Jesus and was crucified instead.

The claim that Jesus did not die on the cross is a common assertion among Muslims, often supported by interpretations of Quranic verses such as Surah 4:157. However, early Islamic scholarship, particularly the works of scholars like al-Tabari, reveals a more complex understanding of Jesus' final moments. Al-Tabari recounts a detailed narrative in which Jesus, aware of his impending death, gathers his apostles and expresses his grief and fear. This account suggests that Jesus did indeed anticipate his crucifixion and death, contradicting the claim that he escaped this fate. Furthermore, the narrative describes Jesus serving his apostles and urging them to pray for him, indicating his acceptance of his destiny. The mention of betrayal by one of his apostles and the subsequent events leading to his arrest align closely with the Christian accounts of the Passion, reinforcing the idea that Jesus' death was a significant and acknowledged event in early Islamic thought. In addition, the diversity of early Muslim interpretations regarding Jesus' death points to a lack of consensus on this issue, suggesting that the modern Muslim claim may not reflect the views of early Islamic scholars. This historical context highlights the complexity of the topic and challenges the simplistic assertion that Jesus was not crucified.