03/25/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

The Islamic Catch-22 is one of the most devestating arguments against Islam. Here’s how the argument goes:

 

Historically Jesus predicted his own death. We know this for two reasons:

 

1. Many sources such as Mark, the earliest Gospel, show statements made by Jesus where he predicted his own death. 

 

“And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.” Mark 8:31-32 KJV

 

2. The embarrassment factor indicates the authenticity of Jesus’ statements on predicting His death. A lot of the times in which Jesus predicted His death, the disciples stated that it couldn’t happen or that they didn’t understand. If the disciples were making these statements up, then you certainly wouldn’t expect them to make themselves look foolish. Evern in the passage just quoted this event concerning Peter immediately follows:

 

“But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” Mark 8:33

 

If Mark, a student of Peter, was lying, then why would he shed Peter in this light? This indicates that Mark’s statements are authentic.

 

With this basis, if Jesus did not die a violent and imminent death, as Muslims claim, then He is a false prophet. However, the Qur’an states that Jesus is a great prophet, and so the Qur’an would be wrong and thus discredited. On the other hand, if Jesus did die a violent and imminent death, as he predicted, then he is indeed a great prophet-however this would contradict the Qur’an since it says Jesus didn’t die on the Cross:

 

“And for their saying, "We have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the Messenger of God." In fact, they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them as if they did. Indeed, those who differ about him are in doubt about it.” Quran 4:157

 

This means, that if Jesus died then the Qur’an is wrong, but if He didn’t die, then the Qur’an is still wrong