The Crucifixion and the Qur'an: A Study in the History of Muslim Thought - Hardcover

"Todd Lawson offers his readers the most thorough study ever of the two Qur'anic verses appearing to deny the crucifixion of Jesus. Some of his conclusions are as startling but all of them are thoroughly researched and documented." --Mathias Zahniser, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary

"With admirable lucidity the book takes us chronologically through all the main interpretations of the key verse where crucifixion is explicitly mentioned." --Michael Carter - Professor of Medieval Studies and Arabic, University of Sydney

"Compelling reading for all those interested in comparative Christian-Muslim theology and its implications for contemporary inter-faith relations. This important, thought-provoking book harbingers fruitful new trajectories for conversations between Christians and Muslims." --Asma Afsaruddin - Associate Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame

According to the majority of modern Muslims and Christians, the Qur'an denies the crucifixion of Jesus, and with it, one of the most sacred beliefs of Christianity. However, it is only mentioned in one verse - 'They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, rather, it only appeared so to them' - and contrary to popular belief, its translation has been the subject of fierce debate among Muslims for centuries. This innovative work is the first book devoted to the issue, delving deeply into largely ignored Arabic sources, which suggest that the origins of the conventional translation may lie within the Christian Church. Arranged along historical lines, and covering various Muslim schools of thought, from Sunni to Sufi, "The Crucifixion and the Qur'an" unravels the crucial dispute that separates the World's two principal faiths.