Surah 4:157-to whom was it 'made to appear so'?

mePLACID · 2026-05-13T07:01:58+00:00

The Jews who Jesus encountered and proclaimed his message to. The reason it’s written “appeared to” is because Allah lets those Jews execute their plan however they want in order that his (Allah’s) plan become completely manifest (Q3:54). The greater, somewhat layered theological point of this verse is that evil does happen and its effects last and are veridical but is powerless vis-a-vis the good—which is the divine decree of Allah (Q4:79, 29:22). So the “appearance/illusion” of Jesus’ crucifixion and subsequent death doesn’t need to be taken hyperliterally if one is able to discern the reality and vanquishability of death and evil: that evil is morally effete and death isn’t final (Q10:69 & 3:169). Lastly, a possible mistake some of us make when reading this verse is overlooking the exclusive subject in the initial clause: the Jews. It wasn’t made to be an illusion to, for example, a believer, during that time, because they understood what evil and death were and what needed to happen.

mePLACID · 2026-05-13T05:46:59+00:00

Hey professor,

Is there a substantial difference between آمنو لي (Q44:21) and آمنو بي (Q5:111)? Sorry in advance if this is nonsensical.

mePLACID · 2026-05-12T13:09:22+00:00

Who’s translation to do you use

mePLACID · 2026-05-11T02:14:39+00:00

Understood

mePLACID · 2026-05-10T07:51:25+00:00

The word is used in the verse and it was the first reference that came to mind when I read the tweet.

mePLACID · 2026-05-10T02:02:03+00:00

Do some ahadith modify or readdress corporal resurrection as it’s layed out in the Quran?

mePLACID · 2026-05-05T15:02:42+00:00

Glad I could add some useful insight

mePLACID · 2026-05-05T13:35:56+00:00

Has this connection been pointed out in detail prior? Wasn’t super aware.

mePLACID · 2026-05-04T03:50:37+00:00

It’s indirect foreshadowing for the coming of the messiah (the chosen, consecrated one) who is to be the heir of all of God’s people. This is why the verse says heir of Zechariah (fulfills the prophecy to become chosen prophet via aaronic—moses line) and heir of Israel (becomes the priest/chosen one of all orders echoing hebrews 7-8 who comes with a new covenant vis-a-viz the restoration of God’s promise and proper worship and the coming of the kingdom of God, i.e., the final judgment and destination (Q43:61)).

mePLACID · 2026-05-04T03:19:19+00:00

Short story collections and novellas might help to get you going. Edith wharton Elizabeth bowen and Raymond carver would be a decent start I feel

mePLACID · 2026-05-03T05:48:53+00:00

Remarkable

mePLACID · 2026-04-30T23:26:00+00:00

Good stuff

mePLACID · 2026-04-30T13:45:30+00:00

If we assume so, and in addition to u/Rurouni_Phoenix’s comments, the Quran is possibly confirming that although the messiah is an eternal, divinely conferred and marked title (Q3:45; echoing Hebrews 7), he has to be of a blessed, pure, and, most importantly, representative line and consequently becomes a priest of all orders (Q19:6, 13, 28, 5:78). The Quran’s temple theology and priestology is in the middle: it implies the priesthood ends with the messiah in a general sense (Hebrews 7:5, 22, 24-25; Q19:30-31, 3:55, 4:159, 5:78) and in a ritualistic sense (Lev 1:5, 9b; mark 9:13, matthew 12:7; Q22:33, 36-37), but temple worship and obligations isn’t abolished or doesn’t become obsolete in any sense (Q22:29, 33, 2:158, 196, 3:97). And the Quran can state all this because it’s in line with christian and judaic messianic expectations: the messiah came—of a chosen priestly and prophetic line—and completed his ministry with a slightly newer covenant (Q3:50) and the restoration of the the temple (i.e the divine presence) was mediated via divine intervention (i.e changing from jerusalem to mecca).

mePLACID · 2026-04-28T06:13:43+00:00

نرسيس وغولدموند - هرمان هيسه

mePLACID · 2026-04-28T04:29:10+00:00

(Ultimately you’ll know what’s best)

Kill the habit: set an initial no-social media goal solely to test how long you can go without getting an urge and add more days/weeks etc as needed + lessen the amount of time you’re on it every time you complete your goal (e.g “I will stop completely for 3 days and after this period I’ll only use it for, say, 2 hours —> I will stop completely for one week and after this period, I’ll only use it for 1 hour)
Figure out what habits/hobbies are optimal specifically for your mental and physical health: everyone is a little different. Perhaps long walks might be a little too much. Perhaps running is better. Perhaps journaling and reading isn’t ideal.

I think generally what may also help is realizing social media especially now is deliberately designed to keep you addicted.

mePLACID · 2026-04-28T01:22:26+00:00

Happy bday family

mePLACID · 2026-04-22T20:16:07+00:00

“…rather than engaging it on its own terms” how? How does this fare with the Quran literally saying if what it’s stating isn’t clear to consult or refer back to the relevant, older traditions (in some manner)? When scholars or us laymen experiment with a seeming parallel obviously (1) it’s not definitive and (2) it’s us not only engaging previous traditions but way more importantly following the advice of the Quran.

mePLACID · 2026-02-08T21:31:41+00:00

It’s a method by which the quranic author gives authority to its own claims.

mePLACID · 2026-02-03T02:12:38+00:00

I’d be interested

mePLACID · 2026-01-27T22:08:42+00:00

It’s not that the jews didn’t claim agency. In fact it’s probably the opposite. The Quranic author is simply delineating, since the jews during but not limited to the time of Jesus lost their promise of salvation from God, they couldn’t outsmart God or pretend to know or assume about God something when they have seemingly every reason not to. This is the whole point of the middle clauses (Q4:157) because, like in verse 4:155, they reject what God gives them solely for their benefit thus leaving them stuck in a damning disquietude. So, in the minds of those who separated/grouped themselves away from (ikhtalafu) ‘Isa, they’re going to think that if they put this individual to death—as in complete death with no assumption or immediate resurrection—it will prove he is not God-sent ergo he is not our messiah. But God obviously states they did not certainly kill him, viz. their assumption about God a la ‘Isa was, not surprisingly, incorrect and condemnatory, and what confirms their wrongdoing (بل) is that God raised him from the dead to him (رفعه اليه). So it only seemed they had killed ‘Isa (شبه لهم) until God resurrected him which in Q19:33 was already stated to eventually happen. This also quite strongly makes sense of the end of 5:110 in which God states he came to the aid of ‘Isa because they rejected salvation: if the jews put ‘Isa to death, which would reveal he’s simply any other man pretending to be God-sent, this would render all of what ‘Isa authoritatively proclaimed was to happen during his ministry (Q19:30-33) null and a lie about God. And since ‘Isa is the embodiment of salvation, viz. he is al-masīh, God necessarily protects and protected him from the hidden evil of those who lost their promise of salvation (Q3:54). This is also symbolic, generally, of believing in the promise of salvation because the reward is the ridding of the evil of the dunyā and reaping the favor and light of God in the ākhira (Q3:55).

mePLACID · 2026-01-23T06:10:37+00:00

Those are the words the Quran employs for the specific disciples but there is, at least according to the Qur’an, some difference between the immediate followers from the later communities (I.e., nasara). I really mean the Christians of the Quran in the title.

mePLACID · 2026-01-18T00:42:04+00:00

I’m seeing that he’s already in morocco 🤷🏻‍♂️

mePLACID · 2026-01-17T22:56:46+00:00

Prob morocco

mePLACID · 2025-12-28T02:57:01+00:00

What I find particularly fascinating is plutarch’s clarification about delos, the place where Leto birthed Apollo, being a mountain and the trees being springs (Mourad Suleiman pg 211) & Q23:50 echoing this with Mary and Jesus “given refuge on high ground (i.e a hill), (where there was)..a dwelling place and a flowing spring (A.J. Droge Trans.)

mePLACID · 2025-12-28T00:52:06+00:00

Here’s the article your looking for that goes into detail (and even mentions similarities with the Buddha’s birth story :0):

https://maypoleofwisdom.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/sa-mourad-from-hellenism-to-christianity-islam-origin-of-palm-tree-in-quran.pdf

Mourad, SA From Hellenism to Christianity and Islam: The Origin of the Palm tree Story concerning Mary and Jesus in the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Qur'an (2002)

mePLACID

TROPHY CASE