Did Allah deceive people into thinking that Jesus was crucified, thereby promoting a religion he condemns?  Does not Allah teach Muslims to harshly judge the Christians for believing in the deception that he himself perpetrated? Does Islam ultimately teach that Allah is a deceiver? The answer is a resounding, yes.

• Surah 4:157, “That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Apostle of Allah’ – but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not.”(Yusuf Ali translation)
• Surah 4:157, “And because of their saying: ‘We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, Allah’s messenger’ – they slew him not nor crucified him, but it appeared so unto them; and lo! those who disagree concerning it are in doubt thereof; they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they slew him not for certain.” (Pickthall translation)
• Surah 4:157, “And their saying: ‘Surely we have killed the Messiah, Isa son of Marium, the messenger of Allah’; and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them so (like Isa) and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt about it; they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, and they killed him not for sure.” (Shakir translation)

We can see from the three different translations of the Quran, done by three different Muslim translators, that Jesus was not crucified, but it was made to look as though he was crucified. We then have to ask who is the one who perpetrated this deception.  If Christians are deceived in believing that Jesus dies on the cross, who is their deceiver?  We find the answer in different Islamic commentaries.

• “God cast his [Jesus’s] likeness to him and so they thought it was him [Jesus].”¹http://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=4&tAyahNo=157&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2, tafsir al-Jalalayn, brackets in the original
• “Allah made Tatianos look like Jesus and so they killed him instead of him.”[ibid. Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas]
• “It is said God caused the resemblance of [Jesus] to fall on one who slandered him, and he was killed and crucified in his place.”²ibid. Al Qushairi Tafsir
• “…it is widely understood in the Islamic tradition as meaning that Jesus was not crucified or killed at all; it only appeared so unto them, that is, to the Jews as well as to most of Jesus’ followers.”³Nasr, Seyyed Hossein; Dagli, Caner K.; Dakake, Maria Massi; Lumbard, Joseph E.B.; Rustom, Mohammed (2015-11-17). The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary (Kindle Locations 13799-13827). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

So, in Islam, it is Allah who perpetrated the deception so that it appeared Christ was crucified when, according to Islam, he really was not. But this brings up a major concern. How can Muslims trust Allah to be honest with them if it is he who perpetrated the very deception that he himself condemns?  On this account, Allah is the great a deceiver!  This question is raised in Islamic commentary.

“The idea that someone was killed in Jesus’ stead after having assumed his likeness, voluntarily or otherwise, is found widely throughout the commentary tradition. A notable exception to this is al-Rāzī, who finds the idea that God would perpetrate such a deception in the physical realm, particularly as it relates to individual identity, unacceptable. If we cannot rely on our senses to identify individuals, then the proper application of Islamic Law, which is dependent upon physical witnessing and upon the certainty of people’s identities in matters of marriage and so forth, would be called into doubt.”⁴ibid. Nasr, Seyyed Hossein.

Islam condemns Christianity

As I said earlier, Islam condemns Christianity in many ways. However, Christianity is based on the resurrection of Christ which could not have occurred if Jesus had not been crucified. Yet the Quran tells us that Allah is the one who made it appear that Jesus was crucified.  This is an obvious incongruity within Islam.

• Surah 9:30, “The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
• Surah 4:158-159  “Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise – 159. And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment, he will be a witness against them.

Conclusion: Allah is a deceiver

The Islamic commentary says it all. If Allah is the one who perpetrated the deception that brought about Christianity by the “appearance” of the resurrection of Christ, then how can any Muslim rely on his senses and properly apply Islamic law?

We must conclude that the God of Islam is a deceiver who condemns people for the very deception that he himself caused and, as a result, is not the true God.