One of the most merciful features of the Qur’an is that it does not merely narrate the history of previous nations. It explains why they succeeded and why they failed. Their stories become more than historical accounts—they become “solved past papers” for every generation that follows. Allah shows us the very cracks in their thinking that Shayṭān exploited so that we might recognise them within ourselves before it is too late.
One of the clearest examples of this appears in Sūrah al-Nisāʾ, where Allah addresses the claim that Prophet ʿĪsā (as) was crucified.
وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَـٰكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ لَفِي شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ ۚ مَا لَهُم بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًا بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
"And their claim: 'We killed the Messiah, ʿĪsā son of Maryam, the Messenger of Allah.' But they neither killed him nor crucified him; rather, it was made to appear so to them. Those who differ concerning it are certainly in doubt about it. They have no certain knowledge of it, only the pursuit of conjecture. And certainly they did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise." (Qur'an 4:157–158)
What is particularly striking about these verses is that Allah does not simply deny the claim. He exposes the foundation upon which the claim came to rest.
The Difference Between ʿIlm and Ẓann
The pivotal statement in the passage is:
مَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ
“They have no certain knowledge of it; they follow nothing but conjecture.”
The Qur’an deliberately contrasts two concepts that appear repeatedly throughout its pages.
ʿIlm is knowledge founded upon certainty.
Ẓann is conjecture, assumption, speculation, or conclusions that fall short of certainty.
The distinction is profound because the issue is no longer confined to one historical event. The Qur’an is teaching a principle: matters of faith should be built upon certainty, not upon assumptions that gradually become accepted as unquestionable truth.
From Uncertainty to Theology
The passage also invites reflection upon how religious ideas develop over time.
Even the Gospel accounts record that when the authorities came to arrest Jesus, his closest disciples fled the scene.
Matthew records:
“Then all the disciples left him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56)
Likewise, Mark writes:
“Then everyone deserted him and fled.” (Mark 14:50)
The Qur’an’s observation therefore reaches beyond the event itself. It describes a matter over which people later came to differ while lacking ʿilm, possessing instead only ẓann.
What followed is perhaps even more significant.
An event that the Qur’an describes as resting upon conjecture eventually became the foundation of an entire theology of salvation. The crucifixion and resurrection came to occupy the very centre of Christian belief. Paul expresses this with remarkable clarity:
“And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)
The historical claim became the foundation upon which an entire understanding of salvation was constructed.
The Anatomy of Self-Deception
There is, however, a deeper lesson hidden within these verses.
Usually, when a person fabricates something, he knows that he has fabricated it. He may deceive others, but he does not deceive himself.
The Qur’an describes something far more subtle and far more dangerous.
Over time, repeated fabrications begin to displace revelation itself. A claim is repeated often enough, defended passionately enough, and passed from one generation to the next until those who inherit it no longer recognise it as a human construction. The fabrication becomes so deeply embedded that it is received with the same confidence as revelation.
The remarkable expression:
وَغَرَّهُمْ فِي دِينِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَفْتَرُونَ
“…they were deceived in their religion by what they used to fabricate.” (Qur’an 3:24)
describes precisely this phenomenon.
The fabrications no longer remain external additions to religion. They gradually become religion itself in the minds of those who inherit them.
False Confidence
Perhaps the greatest danger created by this process is the false sense of security that accompanies it.
The people described by the Qur’an believed that the Fire would only touch them briefly. Their confidence was not rooted in submission to revelation, but in assumptions they had accepted about their own special status.
Once a person becomes convinced that his ultimate salvation is guaranteed regardless of his response to Allah’s guidance, he no longer feels the urgency to examine himself. Correction becomes unnecessary. Realignment with revelation becomes optional.
In many ways, false confidence is one of the greatest barriers between a person and guidance. It creates a heart that is comfortable, settled, and ultimately unteachable.
A Reflection
The value of these verses lies not only in what they say about earlier religious communities, but also in the questions they force every believer to ask.
Are the beliefs we confidently hold actually grounded in revelation, or have some of them become accepted simply because they have been repeated for generations?
Are there ideas we defend passionately that rest upon clear evidence from Allah, or have we inherited assumptions without ever examining their foundations?
The Qur’an consistently calls believers back to ʿilm—knowledge rooted in revelation and certainty. It warns against allowing ẓann to become the foundation of faith, because history shows how easily speculation can mature into doctrine, and doctrine into unquestioned certainty.