They said, “We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the apostle of God ” 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 a surety they killed him not. Nay, God raised him up unto Himself. (Quran 4:157,158)
157] dan karena ucapan mereka: “Sesungguhnya Kami telah membunuh Al Masih, Isa putra Maryam, Rasul Allah”, padahal mereka tidak membunuhnya dan tidak (pula) menyalibnya, tetapi (yang mereka bunuh ialah) orang yang diserupakan dengan Isa bagi mereka. Sesungguhnya orang-orang yang berselisih paham tentang (pembunuhan) Isa, benar-benar dalam keragu-raguan tentang yang dibunuh itu. Mereka tidak mempunyai keyakinan tentang siapa yang dibunuh itu, kecuali mengikuti persangkaan belaka, mereka tidak (pula) yakin bahwa yang mereka bunuh itu adalah Isa.
[158] Tetapi (yang sebenarnya), Allah telah mengangkat Isa kepada-Nya. Dan adalah Allah Maha Perkasa lagi Maha Bijaksana.
Surah 4:157 does not deny Jesus’ crucifixion, but simply denies that it was the Jews who were responsible for the crucifixion. The Jews thought they had crucified Jesus, but they were wrong, God was the One who crucified Jesus. He had caused Jesus to die using the Jews as His Instrument. There is Quranic precedent for this interpretation – the victory in the battle of Badr is ascribed to God, not to the actual participants.
“Ye (Muslims) slew them not, but Allah slew them. And thou (Muhammad) threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him.” S. 8:17 Pickthall
[17] Maka (yang sebenarnya) bukan kamu yang membunuh mereka, akan tetapi Allah-lah yang membunuh mereka, dan bukan kamu yang melempar ketika kamu melempar, tetapi Allah-lah yang melempar. (Allah berbuat demikian untuk membinasakan mereka) dan untuk memberi kemenangan kepada orang-orang mukmin, dengan kemenangan yang baik.
Hence, it wasn’t the Jews who crucified Christ but God’s set purpose that allowed Christ to be crucified. This is precisely what the Bible teaches:
“this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.” Acts 2:23 RSV
ACTS 2:23 Dia yang diserahkan Allah menurut maksud dan rencana-Nya, telah kamu salibkan dan kamu bunuh oleh tangan bangsa-bangsa durhaka.
“But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.” Acts 3:18 RSV
“for truly in this city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever thy hand and thy plan had predestined to take place.” Acts 4:27-28 RSV
“but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake.” 1 Peter 1:19-20 RSV
“… whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8 NKJV