> Crucifixion in the light of the Quran

Question: Shaikh Obaid, could you please describe what does the Quran say regarding Crucifixion of Jesus (referred to as Eisa (AS) now on). Can you also explain what is Quran's position on theory of Crucifixion proposed by Shaikh Ahmad Deedat and also supported by brother Shabbir Ali?

Answer:

Brother Tanweer,

This is a good question because it is part of our Islamic faith to believe in all righteous and guided messengers of Allah (SWT).  We say,

امَنْتُ بِاللهِ وَمَلئِكَتِه وَكُتُبِه وَرَسُوْلِه وَالْيَوْمِ الْاخِرِ وَالْقَدْرِ خَيْرِه وَشَرِّه مِنَ اللهِ تَعَالى وَالْبَعْثِ بَعْدَالْمَوْتِ

"I believe in Allah, in His Angels, His Scriptures, His Prophets, the Day of Judgement, and in the fact that every thing good or bad (in the world) is pre-destined by Allah the Exalted, and in the resurrection after death."

Eisa (AS) is one of our five أُولُو الْعَزْم messengers of Allah (SWT)  - and we have a special place in our hearts for him. It is important that we go to correct sources to be able to separate the fact from fiction, especially given his persona has been shrouded by so much speculation for centuries by various religions groups, Christianity mainly.

Swoon Hypothesis:

Theory of crucifixion you referred to is called as the 'Swoon Hypothesis' or 'Swoon Theory'.  The swoon hypothesis is any of a number of ideas that aim to explain the resurrection of Eisa (AS), proposing that Eisa (AS) did not die on the cross, but merely fell unconscious ("swooned"), and was later revived in the tomb in the same mortal body. Shaikh Ahmad Deedat came up with a slight variation of swoon theory from his vast knowledge of the Bible. Brother Shabbir Ali's also supported this theory. Issue with this approach is that it relies heavily on Bible - while we need to focus our studies on the Quran's position on the issue more.

 Before we dive into your questions, let us discuss some background which will help our understanding further.

Breaking Solemn Covenant of Allah (SWT):

 Allah (SWT) mentions about taking 'solemn covenant' مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا at only three places in the Quran.

 First is covenant between Allah (SWT)  and Rasool (SAW) and other 4 أُولُو الْعَزْم messengers.

وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ وَمِنكَ وَمِن نُّوحٍ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ ۖ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا

"And [mention, O Muhammad], when We took from the prophets their covenant and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus, the son of Mary; and We took from them a solemn covenant."

(QS. Al-Ahzaab: Verse 7)

Second is covenant between husband and wife.

وَكَيْفَ تَأْخُذُونَهُ وَقَدْ أَفْضَىٰ بَعْضُكُمْ إِلَىٰ بَعْضٍ وَأَخَذْنَ مِنكُم مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا

"And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?"

(QS. An-Nisaa: Verse 21)

Third is related to our topic, and it was the solemn covenant Allah (SWT) took from Bani Israel.

وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ الطُّورَ بِمِيثَاقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعْدُوا فِي السَّبْتِ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُم مِّيثَاقًا غَلِيظًا

"And We raised over them the mount for [refusal of] their covenant; and We said to them, "Enter the gate bowing humbly", and We said to them, "Do not transgress on the sabbath", and We took from them a solemn covenant."

(QS. An-Nisaa: Verse 154)

Bani Israel broke that solemn covenant with Allah (SWT)- this is mentioned in the next Ayat.

فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِّيثَاقَهُمْ وَكُفْرِهِم بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَقَتْلِهِمُ الْأَنبِيَاءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوبُنَا غُلْفٌ ۚ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا

"And [We cursed them] for their breaking of the covenant and their disbelief in the signs of Allah and their killing of the prophets without right and their saying, "Our hearts are wrapped". Rather, Allah has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few."

(QS. An-Nisaa: Verse 155)

People who can break the covenant with Allah (SWT) undoubtedly are capable of breaking any other covenant. Nothing is left after you disregard the promise  made to Allah. Bani Israel not only disobeyed Allah, but also doubted Allah's prophets - persecuted them and killed many.

Next Ayat informs us that they slandered Maryam (AS) in matter of birth of Eisa (AS).

وَبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلَىٰ مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَانًا عَظِيمًا

"And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander,"

(QS. An-Nisaa: Verse 156)

Ayat 3:156 raises an interesting question. If Bani Israel believed that Maryam (AS) committed a sin (which she did not as per our faith), why did they not punish the crime with death by stoning - which was the law of Torah ! Or , was it that they witnessed something , something so miraculous that it affected their decision. Indeed, they had witnessed the miracle of Eisa (AS) speaking  to them as an infant (mentioned in Surah Maryam 19:30-33) exonerating Maryam (AS).

They did not kill Him , nor did they crucify Him:

Let's now go to next Ayat , which is near the heart of our topic.

وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا

"And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain."

(QS. An-Nisaa: Verse 157)

We need to talk about this Ayat in detail,

1. Boastful private conversation: Ayat starts with Bani Israel declaring 'Indeed, we have killed The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah'. This looks strange at first, because they didn't believe in any of 3 things mentioned here. They didn't believe he was a Messiah, they slandered Maryam - so doubted his miraculous birth,  and they didn't consider him to be messenger of Allah (SWT). It is not difficult to imagine what bani Israel said here was part of their private boastful conversation among themselves.  They could not say any of this in public because it would be contradicting themselves. Allah exposes  their feelings towards Eisa (AS) here. In public, they went out and said exact opposite of this to justify their actions.

2. Bani Israel's Claim: Ayat is clear about what Bani Israel claimed, they said , 'we killed Jesus'. Now- the Quran says, this was nothing new for them - they had killed Allah's prophets before (ref Surah Al-Baqra 2:91, Surah An-Nisaa 4:155). But the key thing to note here is - they did not say 'we crucified' him or 'caused him to be crucified'. In fact crucifixion was never a method used by Bani Israel for killing or as punishment, it was a Roman import. So we learn - what their precise claim was - and it was that - 'we killed Jesus'.

3. Allah Refutes their claim: In answer to their claim, Allah (SWT) says وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ. Allah(SWT) refuted their claim outright by confirming وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ 'and they did not kill him'. Allah (SWT) goes a step further, saying وَمَا صَلَبُوه 'and nor did they crucify him' - in order to clear any doubts regarding his crucifixion. Use of two ما النافية (negatives) categorically implies that he was neither killed, Nor was he put on the cross. The mention of crucifixion links the subject  to the next part of Ayat.

4. It was made to appear as such: Allah says  وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ لَهُم. Choice of words is important here. Allah says it was made to appear to them. Swoon theory says , people wrongly believed Eisa (AS) had died while he was just unconscious on the cross - so here, only the people are in doubt - but in reality Eisa (AS) is alive. In this scenario where 'people believed ' he died, more suitable words would be اشتبه عليهم -  'they suspected'. But use of شُبِّهَ لَهُم indicates not just they believing what they saw, but Allah also intentionally making whole incident appear to them as they wished - that is they thought they killed Eisa(AS) but in fact he was not killed. So who was killed in his place? Only Allah knows- it is not possible for anyone to tell from our authentic sources what really occurred and with whom. The Quran has no leads in this regards as well.

5. Allah exposes 3 issues in invented faith: Allah is referring to people who differed over the events. Bani Israel were convinced they had killed Eisa (AS), their level of confidence was high, and it is unlikely the same group of people is referred to here.  But address starting from وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ is for early Christians who came forward with stories of crucifixion of Eisa (AS). So what were they differing over?  They differed over the fact that 'Eisa (AS) was neither killed nor was he crucified'. Allah in preceding part of Ayat already refuted their theory upfront by saying - 'and nor did they crucify him'.

 Further to this,  Allah exposes 3 issues with their invention, firstly Allah says they are in 'shak' ( doubt)- secondly they have 'no knowledge' - and finally, they went to the next level of 'shak' and followed utter 'zann' (assumption). Is 'shak' allowed anywhere - it is allowed in certain occassions , for example if someone loses track while praying, in that case it is allowed. But 'shak' is not allowed in the matter of faith. There is no place for 'shak' in 'aqeeda'.

Any faith that is based on 'shak' (even with 50-50% chance of certainty), lack of knowledge and pure assumption- cannot be a true faith. One of the key elements of Christian theology is concept of 'Atonement'. (Atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin in general and original sin in particular through the death and resurrection of Eisa(AS) enabling the reconciliation between God and his creation.) So if the event of Eisa (AS) dying is  taken away, this concept is rendered to just words, perhaps unsettling rest of their beliefs. Allah does precisely that in two ways when he says  - firstly Eisa (AS) was never put on the cross, nor did he die and get resurrected as they believe- secondly , whatever they want to believe is full of doubt and assumption.  End of Ayat is powerful where Allah with much emphasis refutes killing of Eisa (AS) by any group.

Allah withheld Bani Israel from Eisa (AS):

إذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ اذْكُرْ نِعْمَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَتِكَ إِذْ أَيَّدتُّكَ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ تُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا ۖ وَإِذْ عَلَّمْتُكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنجِيلَ ۖ وَإِذْ تَخْلُقُ مِنَ الطِّينِ كَهَيْئَةِ الطَّيْرِ بِإِذْنِي فَتَنفُخُ فِيهَا فَتَكُونُ طَيْرًا بِإِذْنِي ۖ وَتُبْرِئُ الْأَكْمَهَ وَالْأَبْرَصَ بِإِذْنِي ۖ وَإِذْ تُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ بِإِذْنِي ۖ وَإِذْ كَفَفْتُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَنكَ إِذْ جِئْتَهُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ إِنْ هَٰذَا إِلَّا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ

"[The Day] when Allah will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, remember My favour upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity; and [remember] when I taught you writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you designed from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead with My permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from [killing] you when you came to them with clear proofs and those who disbelieved among them said, "This is not but obvious magic.""

(QS. Al-Maaida: Verse 110)

In Ayat above from Surah Maaida, Allah (SWT)  is foretelling a dialogue with Eisa (AS) on the day of judgement. After Allah reminds Eisa (AS) of his favours, Allah (SWT) mentions a special favour - he restrained / withheld Bani Israel from Eisa (AS). This supports the idea Allah (SWT) mentioned in Surah An-Nisaa 4:157,  that they did not kill Eisa (AS), nor did they crucify Him. Here it is said, they were withheld from getting their hands on Eisa (AS) in any way. This refutes core principle of swoon theory - if they were withheld from him, then there was no question of putting Eisa (AS) on the cross.

One might  argue - 'withholding' part might apply to the second coming and victory of Eisa (AS)- but the last part of Ayat clears it. Firstly Eisa (AS) will come for all humanity in his second coming, and this Ayat refers to bani Israel specifically - who were receivers of his first message. Secondly, he won't show them miracles to entreat them after his second coming - it will be the concluding chapter , so more direct approach is expected.

Allah (SWT) is the best of planners:

We will now talk about 2 Ayats on this subject from Surah Aal-i-Imran.

وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

"And the disbelievers planned, but Allah planned. And Allah is the best of planners."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan: Verse 54)

 إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

"[Mention] when Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allah alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan: Verse 55)

In Ayat 54, Allah (SWT) is referring to their (evil) plan - what was this plan? Allah (SWT)  mentioned this in Surah An-Nisaa 2:157 - 'Indeed, we(Bani Israel) have killed The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah'.  Here, Allah affirms supremacy of his plan by stating وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ. Going back to swoon theory, Eisa (AS) was put on the cross, was tortured and he fell unconscious - he was alive but badly injured, when they moved his body to the cave where he regained consciousness. In contrast, look at this scenario-  When they plotted to kill Eisa (AS) like they had killed their prophets before, they undertook the intended act and were convinced that they had killed him , but in reality, Allah (SWT) raised Eisa (AS) above seven heavens, without them even touching him, and the whole incident was made to look like reality to them. Which of these two scenarios sounds like a better plan? Transporting an injured unconscious person to cave, while many assumed he was dead, and then he regaining consciousness - OR Allah raising someone to himself without anyone touching him, while they were convinced they killed him at the same time !  If someone believes they touched Eisa (AS) then it raises question on Allah's  superiority of plan.

Eisa (AS) did not die, but Allah (SWT) raised him alive:

Note: Swoon theory also says he did not die, so this explanation is intended mainly  to address the other theories based on his death and resurrection  (eg. Mainstream Christian belief) .

Let us start with easier and more obvious part of Ayat 55, Allah (SWT) said he would raise (Eisa (AS)) to himself, and purify him from disbelievers.

In this Ayat, the Interpretation of word  مُتَوَفِّيكَhas been subject of much discussion and debate. A minority of scholars believe مُتَوَفِّيكَ means death, which would imply Eisa (AS) did die.

Let us test their belief against the Quran itself,

• Surah Al-An'aam 6:2 refers to two terms Allah (SWT) decreed upon us,

 اجل مقضى and  اجل مسمى. Death is referred to as اجل مسمى.

هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن طِينٍ ثُمَّ قَضَىٰ أَجَلًا ۖ وَأَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى عِندَهُ ۖ ثُمَّ أَنتُمْ تَمْتَرُونَ

"It is He who created you from clay and then decreed a term and a specified time [known] to Him; then [still] you are in dispute."

(QS. Al-An'aam: Verse 2)

• Now referring to مُتَوَفِّي, there are two places in the Quran where we find  مُتَوَفِّي does not mean death. Just for the sake of argument, if we decide to take  the beginning of Ayat 6:60 literally, it would imply that we die only in night, which is not true. Rather , Allah refers to the fact that he 'takes our consciousness' away during the night and 'revives us - until time of our death comes' , referred to as   أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى.

Ayat 6:60 below clearly describes مُتَوَفِّي.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَتَوَفَّاكُم بِاللَّيْلِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا جَرَحْتُم بِالنَّهَارِ ثُمَّ يَبْعَثُكُمْ فِيهِ لِيُقْضَىٰ أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيْهِ مَرْجِعُكُمْ ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ

"And it is He who takes your souls by night and knows what you have committed by day. Then He revives you therein that a specified term may be fulfilled. Then to Him will be your return; then He will inform you about what you used to do."

(QS. Al-An'aam: Verse 60)

Ayat 39:42 below helps further to establish  مُتَوَفِّيdoes not mean death. Allah says he 'takes away soul, not to be returned, when death decreed by Allah comes to us', but he 'takes our soul during our sleep , but releases it back until the decreed time of our death' , again referred to as  أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى.

اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الْأَنفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا ۖ فَيُمْسِكُ الَّتِي قَضَىٰ عَلَيْهَا الْمَوْتَ وَيُرْسِلُ الْأُخْرَىٰ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

"Allah takes the souls at the time of their death, and those that do not die [He takes] during their sleep. Then He keeps those for which He has decreed death and releases the others for a specified term. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought."

(QS. Az-Zumar: Verse 42)

Based on Ayats above, we derive that when Allah (SWT) said to Eisa (AS) -  'I will take you' (مُتَوَفِّيكَ), this 'taking' is not  أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى, rather this is likened to taking of soul during our sleep resulting into state of unconsciousness.

• Going further, we see that the Quran makes clear distinction between 'death' and 'killing/murder'. Murder is  اجل مقضى, while death is أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى.

In 3 Ayats below , Allah (SWT) consistently draws distinction between the scenarios of 'death' or 'killing' of  Rasool (SAW). Difference between  death  موت and killing قتل can be explained with an example. Suppose the house that you live in is your body, and you are the soul of that body. Death موت  is when you leave the house- that is our soul leaving the body , while state of body is unchanged. On the other hand,  killing قتل  is when your house is destroyed and because you cannot live there anymore, you leave the house.

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّهَ شَيْئًا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّهُ الشَّاكِرِينَ

"Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan: Verse 144)

وَلَئِن قُتِلْتُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَوْ مُتُّمْ لَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَحْمَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ

"And if you are killed in the cause of Allah or die - then forgiveness from Allah and mercy are better than whatever they accumulate [in this world]."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan: Verse 157)

وَلَئِن مُّتُّمْ أَوْ قُتِلْتُمْ لَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

"And whether you die or are killed, unto Allah you will be gathered."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan: Verse 158)

Death موت  can occur only by the permission of Allah, and same is no true for killing قتل  .

وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَن تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُّؤَجَّلًا ۗ وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا وَمَن يُرِدْ ثَوَابَ الْآخِرَةِ نُؤْتِهِ مِنْهَا ۚ وَسَنَجْزِي الشَّاكِرِينَ

"And it is not [possible] for one to die except by permission of Allah at a decree determined. And whoever desires the reward of this world - We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter - We will give him thereof. And we will reward the grateful."

(QS. Aal-i-Imraan: Verse 145)

When we look further, in fact Allah says, do not call those who were 'killed' in his way as 'dead'. Allah has not given them 'death' yet, though they have been 'killed'.

وَلَا تَقُولُوا لِمَن يُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتٌ ۚ بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ وَلَٰكِن لَّا تَشْعُرُونَ

"And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah, "They are dead." Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not."

(QS. Al-Baqara: Verse 154)

• To conclude the discussion about مُتَوَفِّي, let us look what Eisa (AS) said about himself.

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا

"And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive.""

(QS. Maryam: Verse 33)

Isn't it amazing that Eisa (AS) is referring to his death موت  that will only come at the end of his mission after his second coming!  He will have his  أَجَلٌ مُّسَمًّى only once.

Read this in conjunctionwith Ayat 4:157 where Allah (SWT) says  وَمَا قَتَلُوه 'and they did not kill him'.  So we  can derive 3 conclusions

1. Death موت   and Killing قتل  have different meanings- they are not the same.
2. مُتَوَفِّي is not death , but state of lack of consciousness

3. Eisa(AS) will die only once , and it will be after his second coming, and Allah says 'they did not kill him' - so he was 'taken' by Allah alive and he is alive.

We can't tell for sure from the Quran if his state of مُتَوَفِّي remains until he returns to Earth, or it was just the state when he was raised by Allah (SWT) to himself.

Allah protected Eisa (AS) from aggressors:

As per swoon theory , Eisa(AS) was captured , tortured , put on the cross to suffer from the injuries for hours, and fell unconscious - before he regained consciousness in the burial chamber.

Prophets of Allah (SWT) consistently faced torture from their people -  mental, verbal, physical  - all sorts of trials came to them. Allah (SWT) tested some of his prophets more severely than others, and whom he tested - at the decided time he saved them and delivered them to safety.

The Quran tells stories of various prophets and how Allah (SWT) saved them from the aggression of people, or calamity sent by Allah (SWT) on disbelievers.

 Ibrahim (AS) was saved from the fire, and Allah (SWT) used word -  فَأَنجَاهُ

 فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا اقْتُلُوهُ أَوْ حَرِّقُوهُ فَأَنجَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

"And the answer of Abraham's people was not but that they said, "Kill him or burn him," but Allah saved him from the fire. Indeed in that are signs for a people who believe."

(QS. Al-Ankaboot: Verse 24)

Yunus (AS) was saved from the belly of fish , and Allah (SWT) used word -  وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ

فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْغَمِّ ۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُنجِي الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

"So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers."

(QS. Al-Anbiyaa: Verse 88)

Nooh (AS) and his family was delivered from the deluge, and Allah (SWT) used word - وَنَجَّيْنَاه

وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ

"And We saved him and his family from the great affliction."

(QS. As-Saaffaat: Verse 76)

Moosa (AS) , Haroon (AS) and bani Israel were saved from the chasing army , and Allah (SWT) used word - وَأَنجَيْنَا

وَأَنجَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ

"And We saved Moses and those with him, all together."

(QS. Ash-Shu'araa: Verse 65)

Loot (AS) escaped the great punishment sent on his cities, and Allah (SWT) used words - فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ , وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ and لَنُنَجِّيَنَّهُ

فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ

"So We saved him and his family, all,"

(QS. Ash-Shu'araa: Verse 170)

وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَلُوطًا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا لِلْعَالَمِينَ

"And We delivered him and Lot to the land which We had blessed for the worlds."

(QS. Al-Anbiyaa: Verse 71)

قَالَ إِنَّ فِيهَا لُوطًا ۚ قَالُوا نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِيهَا ۖ لَنُنَجِّيَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ إِلَّا امْرَأَتَهُ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ

"[Abraham] said, "Indeed, within it is Lot." They said, "We are more knowing of who is within it. We will surely save him and his family, except his wife. She is to be of those who remain behind.""

(QS. Al-Ankaboot: Verse 32)

Hood (AS) was saved from harsh punishment- Allah (SWT) used word -  نَجَّيْنَا

وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا هُودًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَنَجَّيْنَاهُم مِّنْ عَذَابٍ غَلِيظٍ

"And when Our command came, We saved Hud and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us; and We saved them from a harsh punishment."

(QS. Hud: Verse 58)

Salih (AS) and his followers were delivered from disgraceful day - Allah (SWT) used word - نَجَّيْنَا

فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا صَالِحًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَمِنْ خِزْيِ يَوْمِئِذٍ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ الْقَوِيُّ الْعَزِيزُ

"So when Our command came, We saved Salih and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us, and [saved them] from the disgrace of that day. Indeed, it is your Lord who is the Powerful, the Exalted in Might."

(QS. Hud: Verse 66)

And , Shuaib (AS) was and his followers were saved - and Allah (SWT) used word  - نَجَّيْنَا

وَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَمْرُنَا نَجَّيْنَا شُعَيْبًا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِّنَّا وَأَخَذَتِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا الصَّيْحَةُ فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَ

"And when Our command came, We saved Shu'ayb and those who believed with him, by mercy from Us. And the shriek seized those who had wronged, and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone"

(QS. Hud: Verse 94)

----

We know that Allah (SWT) protected our Rasool (SAW) from the  Quraysh when their men came searching for him to the mouth of cave they were hiding in. Allah (SWT) refers to this event in the Quran as below,

إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدْ نَصَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِذْ أَخْرَجَهُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ثَانِيَ اثْنَيْنِ إِذْ هُمَا فِي الْغَارِ إِذْ يَقُولُ لِصَاحِبِهِ لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَنَا ۖ فَأَنزَلَ اللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَيَّدَهُ بِجُنُودٍ لَّمْ تَرَوْهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا السُّفْلَىٰ ۗ وَكَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

"If you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And Allah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."

(QS. At-Tawba: Verse 40)

Allah (SWT) was with Rasool (SAW) and Abu Bakr (RZ), he sent down upon them tranquillity and supported them with his army of angels .With the Quraysh so close to discovering their hiding place, Abu Bakr (RZ) became very tense about the Rasool's (SAW) safety. Rasool (SAW) reassured him, “How can you be apprehensive about two with whom is a third, especially when the third one is Allah?”

Allah did not use the same word نَجَّيْنَا for them like he did for all prophets and their companions who he saved before. This is because Rasool (SAW) and Abu Bakr (RZ) were never within the reach of their enemy - they were in Allah's protection all the time. There was no capture, escape at the nick of time, no close shave,  no confrontation with enemy - even smallest. So it is befitting that Allah did not use the same expression here.

And finally, if we believe swoon theory - then what happened to Eisa (AS) appears to be almost same situation to that of Ibrahim (AS) when Ibrahim (AS) was captured and put in to the fire. If we go by this theory, it would be equally befitting for Allah to use the same expression نَجَّيْنَاه   if Eisa (AS) were saved from the people who captured him, tortured him, put him on the cross so that he can die a painful death!  The fact that, nowhere in the Quran Allah uses the very same expression - goes on to suggest that Eisa (AS) was untouched, like our Rasool (AS) who was untouched in cave of Thaur. They could not touch Eisa (AS) at all - he was raised to Allah himself , alive, safe and sound.