The significance of Jesus’ extraordinary Protection at the Last Judgement

Allah protects Jesus (produced by chatgpt)

In Maide 5:110, Jesus’ protection from angry Jews is mentioned as the fifth favour bestowed by Allah upon Jesus: "And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: 'This is nothing but evident magic'".

Muslim exegetes interpret this passage as an allusion to Jesus’s removal from the earth. ‘God further reminds Jesus of His favours when He extended His protection to him against the Israelites who, when he produced all these miracles, denied him claiming

that they were plain sorcery. ... God protected him and they were unable to kill or crucify him, as they were keen to do. God simply gathered him and elevated him to Himself’¹ In other words, they understand that Allah prevented the Children of Israel from harming Jesus by taking him away from the earth, so that they unwittingly crucified someone else in his place, mistaking him for Jesus. This is in line with the substitution theory. God did not stop the Jews, but snatched Jesus away right from under their noses.

In my view, there are several reasons that argue against this interpretation:

- The word ‘kefeftu’ (restrain) used here means ‘to strike with the hand’ or ‘to push away’ and can also mean ‘to repel or render a person ineffective by hand or by other means’² Given this meaning of the word, Allah’s action must be understood as actively preventing the Children of Israel. If one were to read the substitution theory into this passage, Allah would not be actively opposing the Children of Israel, who continued to kill unhindered – only not Jesus, but someone who resembled Jesus. According to this theory, Allah is actively involved in removing Jesus, but not in stopping the Jews. To do justice to this choice of words, let us look for an incident in which Allah actively prevents the Children of Israel from harming Jesus.

- It is clear that this is not about saving Jesus from the death ordained by God (see Al-i Imran 3:55), as just a few verses later, in Maide 5:117, this death is also explicitly mentioned: ‘... And I bore witness to what they did as long as I dwelt in their midst; but since Thou hast caused me to die, Thou alone hast been their keeper for Thou art witness unto everything. ...’ (M. Asad). It has already been established that this allusion to Jesus’ death in Maide 5:117 cannot refer to an event at the end of world history, as otherwise Jesus would have been a witness over his followers until his death, that is, throughout the entire course of world history. Since Jesus is said to have died and, in this case, Allah did not protect him (v. 117), it is therefore clear that v. 110 alludes to earlier attacks by the Jews on Jesus, which took place before the events surrounding his death. These attacks were, however, thwarted by God, so that Jesus was spared for the time being (v. 110).

- As has already been discussed at length in the blogs in the category ‘Jesus’ Removal from Earth’, the Qur’an does not support the Muslim substitution theory of his removal, but rather defends the Christian view of Jesus’ death on the cross. The interpretation of the text proposed by many Muslim exegetes in connection with Maide 5:110 contradicts the overall testimony of the Qur’an regarding Jesus’ departure from the earth, which is why it cannot be accepted.

We are therefore left with no choice but to find an alternative interpretation of this passage – one in which Allah takes more active measures against the Children of Israel, which refers to events that took place during Jesus’ lifetime, and which is consistent with Jesus’ death on the cross.

Allah protects Jesus from the attacks of the Children of Israel

In the Gospel, we read time and again how God rescued Jesus from the hands of the Jews. One example of this is Luke 4:22–30, when Jesus was preaching in his home town of Nazareth. His listeners demanded a miracle, such as the one he had previously performed in the neighbouring town. Jesus, however, refused to perform a miracle merely for show.

‘All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way’ (Luke 4:28-30).

Stoning Scene

Just as described in Surah Maida 5:110, some force prevented the Jews in Nazareth from throwing Jesus down the slope – one could also interpret this as Allah preventing them from carrying out their plan. In total, the Gospel records eight failed attempts by the Jews to kill Jesus (in addition to the attempt mentioned above, there are also: Matthew 12:1–14; Mark 2:23–3:6; Luke 6:1–11; John 5:1–18; John 7:32, 44; John 8:48–59; John 10:31–39; John 11:45–57; Mark 11:15–18; Luke 19:45–48; Matthew 21:33–46; Mark 12:1–12; Luke 20:9–19).

After Jesus healed a man who had been ill for 38 years, the Jewish religious leaders decided to kill Jesus (John 5:18). Some time later, the Jewish leaders sent servants to arrest Jesus (John 7:32). The servants were so inspired by Jesus’ teaching that they returned empty-handed, preferring to endure the criticism of their superiors rather than harm Jesus (John 7:44–49). God stirred up genuine enthusiasm in the servants, thereby preventing their superiors from harming Jesus for the time being.

Following a later altercation, some Jews in the temple ‘picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds’ (John 8:59). In this instance, God actively prevents the Jews from finding Jesus, who had gone into hiding.

During a further encounter later on, ‘Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him’ (John 10:31). Through reasoning, Jesus persuaded them to put the stones down again. Nevertheless, ‘… they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.they tried once more to arrest him. But he slipped out of their hands’ (John 10:39). God actively prevented Jesus’ opponents from seizing him.

After Jesus raised Lazarus, who had been dead in the tomb for four days, the Jews resolved to kill Jesus once more:

‘Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.' (Joh.11:47-53).

Allah thwarted these plots by the Children of Israel on each occasion, until the time appointed by God when, according to His plan, Jesus was to be put to death on the cross: ‘Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified [through death on the cross] ’ (Joh. 12:23). It was only when Allah deemed it appropriate that the Jews succeeded in having Jesus crucified at the hands of the Romans.

This digression demonstrates that Allah prevented the Children of Israel from harming Jesus on many occasions. However, this mercy does not contradict the fact that these Children of Israel ultimately had Jesus crucified by the Romans, thereby fulfilling Allah’s actual plan (Al-i Imran 3:54). In each of the cases mentioned above, God’s intervention is actively directed towards preventing the Children of Israel from acting. With the help of the Gospel, it is therefore possible to find an alternative interpretation of these words in Maide 5:110 which is consistent with the overall testimony of the Qur’an and differs from the substitution theory.

The significance of Jesus’ extraordinary Protection at the Last Judgement

The question now arises as to the significance of Jesus’ extraordinary protection at the Last Judgement. Why does Allah mention this on this occasion as a mercy shown to Jesus?

We find the answer to this question in two passages of the Gospel:

- ‘At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come’ (Joh. 7:30).

- ‘He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts near the place where the offerings were put. Yet no one seized him, because his hour had not yet come’ (Joh. 8:20).

It was only when Jesus’ ‘hour’ had come that the children of Israel were able to seize him and have him condemned (John 12:23 ff.). Immediately before his arrest, Jesus confirms once again that his hour had indeed come (John 17:1).

By mentioning Jesus’ protection from the Jews, Allah thus points out that nothing happened in Jesus’ life that had not been meticulously planned by God. Only Allah’s plan was fulfilled in Jesus’ life; no human being could interfere. The Jews in Muhammad’s time boasted: ‘Behold, we have slain the Christ Jesus, son of Mary, [who claimed to be] an apostle of God!" ...’ (Nisa 4:157; Muhamad Asad). To this, Allah counters at the Last Judgement: ‘You could do nothing to Jesus unless I gave you my express permission’. And in response to Satan’s doubt as to whether Jesus could truly be God’s chosen Messiah, since God might not protect him from harm (see Matt. 4:5–7), Allah replies at the Day of Judgement that He did indeed

protect His Messiah from all external, human attacks: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone’ (Mt. 4:6 zitiert aus Ps. 91:12).

By mentioning this grace, Allah confirms once again that Jesus is His chosen Messiah. Neither Satan’s doubts nor the Jews’ boasting prove to be of any significance. Only Allah’s plan has been fully fulfilled and realised in every aspect of Jesus’ life and deeds.

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1 Sayyid Qutub, In the Shade of the Quran, s. 1337. See also Fahreddin Er Razi, Vol. 9, s. 281 in https://archive.org/details/tefsir-fahreddin-er-razi-17.-cilt/Tefsir-Fahreddin-Er-Razi-09.Cilt_/page/n281/mode/2up (visited, 04/08/2025);

2 See explanation of terms 'k-f-f' in Râgıb el-İsfehânî'nin el-Müfredât fî Garîbi'l Kur'ân eserinde;K-f-f - ك ف ف in https://www.kuranmeali.com/Aciklama.php?id=1251&islem=mufredat&kok=%D9%83%20%D9%81%20%D9%81 (visited, 04/8/2025).