The second place where a reference to Jesus’s status appears consists of Surah An-Nisa, verses 157-158. These verses form the concluding parts of Surah An-Nisa. The discourse in the group of verses begins with verse 153. Addressing Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the verse says: ‘These People of the Book ask you to bring down directly to them a book from the heavens [instead of this Qur’ān]’ (4:153). It is clarified to the Prophet that such demands by the People of the Book are not surprising as they have made such demands in the past. Indeed, they had put even greater demand before the Prophet Moses (PBUH): to let them see Allah directly, to which Allah responded by seizing them with a thunderbolt. The discourse continues by listing the severe crimes of the Israelites and then mentions that due to these crimes, Allah has prepared a painful punishment for them. These crimes include slandering Mary (PBUH) and attempting to kill her son, Jesus (PBUH). What is more, they even falsely claimed success in this heinous act. The truth is that they failed in their conspiracy, and Allah took Jesus (PBUH) up to Himself, having made the conspirators fall into confusion. It is stated:
يَسْـَٔلُكَ اَهْلُ الْكِتٰبِ اَنْ تُنَزِّلَ عَلَيْهِمْ كِتٰبًا مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ فَقَدْ سَاَلُوْا مُوْسٰ٘ياَكْبَرَ مِنْ ذٰلِكَ فَقَالُوْ٘ا اَرِنَا اللّٰهَ جَهْرَةً فَاَخَذَتْهُمُ الصّٰعِقَةُ بِظُلْمِهِمْ ثُمَّ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ مِنْۣ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنٰتُ فَعَفَوْنَا عَنْ ذٰلِكَﵐ وَاٰتَيْنَا مُوْسٰي سُلْطٰنًا مُّبِيْنًا . وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَهُمُ الطُّوْرَ بِمِيْثَاقِهِمْ وَقُلْنَا لَهُمُ ادْخُلُوا الْبَابَ سُجَّدًا وَّقُلْنَا لَهُمْ لَا تَعْدُوْا فِي السَّبْتِ وَاَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِّيْثَاقًا غَلِيْظًا . فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِمْ مِّيْثَاقَهُمْ وَكُفْرِهِمْ بِاٰيٰتِ اللّٰهِ وَقَتْلِهِمُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءَ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ وَّقَوْلِهِمْ قُلُوْبُنَا غُلْفٌ بَلْ طَبَعَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهَا بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُوْنَ اِلَّا قَلِيْلًا. وَّبِكُفْرِهِمْ وَقَوْلِهِمْ عَلٰي مَرْيَمَ بُهْتَانًا عَظِيْمًا . وَّقَوْلِهِمْ اِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيْحَ عِيْسَي ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِﵐ وَمَا قَتَلُوْهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوْهُ وَلٰكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْ وَاِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ لَفِيْ شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا لَهُمْ بِهٖ مِنْ عِلْمٍ اِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوْهُ يَقِيْنًا ۣ . بَلْ رَّفَعَهُ اللّٰهُ اِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ عَزِيْزًا حَكِيْمًا .
These People of the Book ask you to bring down directly to them a book from the heavens [instead of this Qur’ān]. So, this is no matter of wonder. Of Moses they made an even greater demand. They had asked him: ‘Show us God face to face.’ Then, because of this rebelliousness, a thunderbolt struck them. After that, they deified the calf even when obvious signs had come to them; yet We still forgave this and had given Moses clear dominance [on them]. And We had lifted Ṭūr over them with a covenant with them and had directed them: ‘Enter the gates [of the city] bowing your heads,’ and had said to them: ‘Do not be disobedient in the matter of the Sabbath,’ and [on all these things] We had taken from them a firm covenant.
Then because they broke their covenant [We laid a curse on them] and because they denied the revelations of God and because they killed the prophets unjustly and because they said: ‘Our hearts have a covering on them.’ – no, in fact, it is God who has sealed their hearts because of their disbelief; so, [now] they will seldom embrace faith and because of their disbelief and because of their vicious accusation against Mary and because of their claim: ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ – even though neither did they kill him nor did they crucify him; in fact, the matter was muddled up for them. Those who are disagreeing in this are inflicted with doubts about it; they have no knowledge about it; they are only following conjectures. They certainly did not slay him; in fact, God had lifted him up to Him. And God is Mighty, very Wise. (4:153-158)