Polyphony and Symphony: A Rereading of Q 4.157

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article investigates the Qur’an’s position regarding Jesus’s death. It maintains that the classical exegetes read Q 4.157 as a monophony—hearing a sole melodic voice that denies Jesus’s death and crucifixion. The exegetes cited their monophonic reading of Q 4.157 as the lens through which they interpreted Q 19.33; 3.55 and 5.117. The resulting sound is cacophonous. Allusions to Jesus’s death are rejected, surrounding context is muted, biblical subtext is ignored, and there are syntactical, linguistic, grammatical and theological inconsistencies. This article recommends that Q 4.157 be read instead as a polyphony. A polyphonic reading allows three distinct melodies to be heard: defending Jesus from the boast of the Jews, declaring the triumphant victory of rūḥ Allāh (the spirit of God) over the strength of man, and proclaiming God’s control over life and death. The resulting sound is harmonious. These melodies are accordant with the other three verses concerning Jesus’s death and, in unison, affirm rather than deny it. Reading Q 4.157 as a polyphonic symphony resolves the apparent discord between the Islamic and Christian views regarding Jesus’s death into a more profound, unexpected harmony—establishing a new opening for future Muslim–Christian dialogue.