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Qur’an, Surah 4 (An-Nisa): Women

Medinan period (c. AD 622–632)The Qur’an; tr. E. H. Palmer (1880)

Contains the Qur’an’s only explicit statement on the crucifixion (4:157–158): ‘they did not kill him, and they did not crucify him’, but God raised him. Also 4:171, calling Jesus ‘the apostle of God and His Word’ and rejecting ‘Three’.

What it says of ChristRead the text
About this witness

Surah 4, An-Nisa (“Women”), is a long chapter from the Medinan period (c. AD 622–632), mostly concerned with family law, inheritance, and the community’s relations with others. Within a polemic against those of the People of the Book who broke their covenant, it contains the Qur’an’s only explicit statement about the crucifixion of Jesus (4:157–158).

The passage rejects the claim “we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary”, stating that “they did not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but a similitude was made for them”, and that God raised him up to Himself. The verse names no substitute; the substitution stories found in later commentary are interpretations of it. The mainstream Islamic view holds that Jesus did not die on the cross. The same passage condemns “a mighty calumny” spoken against Mary (4:156).

Verse 4:171 summarises the Qur’an’s portrait: the Messiah is “the apostle of God and His Word, which He cast into Mary, and a spirit from Him”, and Christians are told not to say “Three”. As a seventh-century text the surah is evidence for Islamic teaching about Jesus, not an independent historical source for his death; the earliest sources, Christian and non-Christian such as Tacitus, report his crucifixion under Pontius Pilate.

‘They did not kill him, and they did not crucify him’

But for that they broke their compact, and for their misbelief in God’s signs, and for their killing the prophets undeservedly, and for their saying, ‘Our hearts are uncircumcised,’—nay, God hath stamped on them their misbelief, so that they cannot believe except a few,—155 and for their misbelief, and for their saying about Mary a mighty calumny, and for their saying, ‘Verily, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of God,’ . . . but they did not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but a similitude was made for them. And verily, those who differ about him are in doubt concerning him; they have no knowledge concerning him, but only follow an opinion. They did not kill him, for sure! nay, God raised him up unto Himself; for God is mighty and wise!

Qur’an 4:155–158
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The Messiah, apostle of God and His Word

O ye people of the Book! do not exceed in your religion, nor say against God aught save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, is but the apostle of God and His Word, which He cast into Mary and a spirit from Him; believe then in God and His apostles, and say not ‘Three.’ Have done! it were better for you. God is only one God, celebrated be His praise that He should beget a Son! His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth; and God sufficeth for a guardian.

Qur’an 4:171
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The text

Selected passages concerning Jesus and Mary (4:155–159, 4:163, 4:171–172), in Palmer’s translation; the rest of the surah is omitted. Headings give the standard verse numbers; Palmer’s own marginal numbers, shown every fifth verse, follow an older European numbering and can differ by a few verses. Palmer’s footnotes are omitted. His 1880 translation for the Sacred Books of the East is archaic in places and some renderings are now considered imprecise, so a modern translation is worth comparing.

In the name of the merciful and compassionate God.

The calumny against Mary and the crucifixion (4:155–159)

But for that they broke their compact, and for their misbelief in God’s signs, and for their killing the prophets undeservedly, and for their saying, ‘Our hearts are uncircumcised,’—nay, God hath stamped on them their misbelief, so that they cannot believe except a few,—155 and for their misbelief, and for their saying about Mary a mighty calumny, and for their saying, ‘Verily, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of God,’ . . . but they did not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but a similitude was made for them. And verily, those who differ about him are in doubt concerning him; they have no knowledge concerning him, but only follow an opinion. They did not kill him, for sure! nay, God raised him up unto Himself; for God is mighty and wise!

And there shall not be one of the people of the Book but shall believe in him before his death; and on the day of judgment he shall be a witness against them.

Jesus among the inspired prophets (4:163)

Verily, we have inspired thee as we inspired Noah and the prophets after him, and as we inspired Abraham, and Ishmael, and Jacob, and the tribes, and Jesus, and Job, and Jonas, and Aaron, and Solomon; and to David did we give Psalms.

‘Say not Three’: the Messiah as apostle and Word of God (4:171–172)

O ye people of the Book! do not exceed in your religion, nor say against God aught save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, is but the apostle of God and His Word, which He cast into Mary and a spirit from Him; believe then in God and His apostles, and say not ‘Three.’ Have done! it were better for you. God is only one God, celebrated be His praise that He should beget a Son! His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth; and God sufficeth for a guardian.

170 The Messiah doth surely not disdain to be a servant of God, nor do the angels who are nigh to Him; and whosoever disdains His service and is too proud, He will gather them altogether to Himself.

SourceE. H. Palmer, Sacred Books of the East vols. 6 & 9 (1880), via Wikisource — https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Qur’an_(Palmer)/Nisa LicencePublic domain Cited asR90
People and places in this text
Mary, mother of Jesus3Pontius Pilate1Tacitus1Medina1

Read alongside

Other VoicesQur’an, Surah 3 (Al ʿImran): The Family of ImranMedinan period (c. AD 622–632) · The Qur’an; tr. E. H. Palmer (1880)
Other VoicesQur’an, Surah 5 (Al-Ma’idah): The TableMedinan period (c. AD 622–632) · The Qur’an; tr. E. H. Palmer (1880)
Tacitus, Annals: the Second Medicean manuscript, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence
Witnesses Outside the ChurchTacitus, Annals 15.38–44: the Great Fire and Nero’s punishment of the Christiansc. AD 115–117 · Publius Cornelius Tacitus
The Other GospelsThe Gospel of Judasc. 130–170 (Coptic copy c. 280 ± 60) · Unknown; tr. Mark M. Mattison
← BeforeQur’an, Surah 3 (Al ʿImran): The Family of ImranMedinan period (c. AD 622–632) · The Qur’an; tr. E. H. Palmer (1880)