Prayer of Eli Eli Lama Sabaqtani

A refutation of Christians who say that when Jesus (as) spoke the words Eli Eli Lama Sabaqtani because those words point to the world being saved through the crucifixion of Jesus according to the Psalm of David (as).

Introduction

What happened to Jesus (as)?

According to the Ahmadiyya Muslim belief based on the Holy Quran & Sahih Ahadith, Jesus (as) was indeed put on the cross but survived. To the Romans and Jews who had done the act of crucifixion, it seemed like Jesus (as) had died as one crucified, but this was their mistake in judgement, Jesus (as) only appeared as one crucified and survived the whole ordeal and lived a long life afterwards.

وَّقَوۡلِہِمۡ اِنَّا قَتَلۡنَا الۡمَسِیۡحَ عِیۡسَی ابۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ رَسُوۡلَ اللّٰہِ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوۡہُ وَمَا صَلَبُوۡہُ وَلٰکِنۡ شُبِّہَ لَہُمۡ ؕ وَاِنَّ الَّذِیۡنَ اخۡتَلَفُوۡا فِیۡہِ لَفِیۡ شَکٍّ مِّنۡہُ ؕ مَا لَہُمۡ بِہٖ مِنۡ عِلۡمٍ اِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّ ۚ وَمَا قَتَلُوۡہُ یَقِیۡنًۢا

And their saying, ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it; they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this conjecture into a certainty;

[Holy Quran 4:158]

The words وَلٰکِنۡ شُبِّہَ لَہُمۡ literally mean “it was made to appear to them so”, non-Ahmadi Muslims to make this Quranic verse fit into the narrative of the popular tafasir, say that another was made to appear like one crucified on the cross. They say this was Judas Iscariot, and Jesus (as) was never taken near the cross, and then he (as) was taken up to heaven from another location.

This is wholly based on popular tafasir and the substitution theory. In reality, the verse mentions no other person, only that Jesus (as) HIMSELF was made to “appear to them so” i.e. as one crucified. The words وَلٰکِنۡ شُبِّہَ لَہُمۡ also mean “the matter became confused to them”, according to the Bible the Jews themselves were unsure if Jesus (as) had really died on the cross (Matt. 27:‍62-66).

Then the Sahih Ahadith establish Jesus (as) lived to 120 years (article),

وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ نَبِيٌّ إِلَّا عَاشَ نِصْفَ عُمَرَ الَّذِي قَبْلَهُ، وَأَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ عَاشَ عِشْرِينَ وَماِئةَ سَنَةٍ وَلَا أُرَانِي إِلَّا ذَاهِبًا عَلَى رَأْسِ السِّتِّينَ

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: And he (Gabriel) told me that every successive prophet has lived to half the age of his predecessor. And verily he informed me Jesus, son of Mary, lived to 120 years. Therefore, I perceive that I may reach the age of 60.

[Al Mu’jam Al Kabir Tabarani, 1031, 22/417]

This rendering of the hadith which explicitly mention Jesus (as) living to 120 years, has been graded Sahih by Ibn Hajar al Asqalani, al-Qastallani, Imam al-Sakhawi, Al-Ajoulni, Nawab Siddiq Hasan Khan, Imam Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Shami, and al-Bayhaqi.

Other renderings of this hadith only say the part لَمْ يَكُنْ نَبِيٌّ إِلَّا عَاشَ نِصْفَ عُمَرَ الَّذِي قَبْلَهُ (there was no prophet except he lived to have the age of the one preceding him), which are also graded Sahih, from which one can easily deduce Jesus (as) lived to 120-125 years, as the Prophet (saw) lived to 60. Overall, this hadith has multiple renderings and authentic chains, it cannot simply be ignored.

Where did Jesus (as) live in these 120 years? According to the Quran and Sahih Ahadith Jesus (as) migrated from the land of Palestine (article).

قال رسول الله ﷺ أحب شيء إلى الله الغرباء قيل ومن الغرباء قال الفرارون بدينهم يبعثهم الله عز وجل يوم القيامة مع عيسى ابن مريم عليه السلام

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Dearest to Allah are the strangers (Ghurabah) who flee (their homelands) with their faith. On the Day of Judgment Allah will raise them with Isa ibn Maryam (AS).”

[Al-Zuhd, p. 123, #809, Kitabul Fitn (Hadith #167)]

وَجَعَلۡنَا ابۡنَ مَرۡیَمَ وَاُمَّہٗۤ اٰیَۃً وَّاٰوَیۡنٰہُمَاۤ اِلٰی رَبۡوَۃٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَّمَعِیۡنٍ

And We made the son of Mary and his mother a Sign, and We rescued them and helped them reach an elevated land, a restful place with springs of running water.

[Holy Quran 23:51]

Where they eventually reached is another matter, as that’s based on historical evidence and theory. Ahmadi Muslims say this place is Kashmir, and this is based on historical evidence and interpretation. However, we are establishing here that we do know with certainty that Isa (as) survived, migrated to an elevated restful land, and lived a long life according to authentic religious authority, where that place is not what we are currently concerned with.

Christian Narrative

Christians wish to prove Jesus (as) openly wanted to sacrifice himself on the cross for the world. To refute this Ahmadi Muslims mention the fact that Jesus (as) – on the cross – yelled out, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabaqtani?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?). This is a clear indication that Jesus (as) did not want to be put on the cross or die there, and refutes the Christian narrative.

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is to say, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”

[Matthew 27:46]

It seems there are two answers from Christians as to why Jesus (as) said this

1. In that moment Jesus (as) was made to bear the sins of the whole world, and thus felt separation from God, urging him to cry out “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabaqtani?” – he felt separation from the Father
2. In that moment Jesus (as) was directly quoting Psalm 22, which contains visible prophecies about the event of the crucifixion, and was turning people’s attention to that Psalm to prove his truth

For both these answers, the fact that Jesus (as) was quoting the Psalm is usually not disputed.

The prophecies about Jesus (as) in the Pslam 22 according to Christians are bolded:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?
My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, but I find no rest.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the one Israel praises.
In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast.
From birth I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted within me.
My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.

Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
The poor will eat and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!

[Psalm 22]

Basically, according to the Christians, the Psalm outlines Jesus (as) being despised, mocked and tortured, eventually being crucified according to the verse “All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me.” but then Jesus triumphs over his enemies with his resurrection.

Refutation

To refute both of these answers from Christians, we only need to refute the second answer, which is that Jesus (as) was turning the world’s attention the Psalm 22. Christians quote the parts that support them in the Psalm, yet ignore the vast majority of it! Let us assume Jesus (as) was quoting the Psalm 22, this only strengthens the Ahmadiyya view.

Psalm 22 is not about being resurrected, it is about life being saved from the enemies. And the victory of the Prophet over his foes who inflict suffering upon him. Let us review some of the Psalm:

The Psalm begins with anguish:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?

then it mentions that God has always listened to the praying person in the past:

In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
To you they cried out and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

then it mentions the enemies who mock the one who puts their trust in God:

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads.
“He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

Then the Psalm outlines the fact that the enemies have completely surrounded the person:

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
Roaring lions that tear their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

Dogs surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce my hands and my feet.
All my bones are on display;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.

Then the Psalm turns into a heartfelt prayer to be saved from the enemies, for the life of the person being delivered from them!

But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Deliver me from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

Why is it the Christians ignore this literal prayer of the life of the person being saved from the enemy? If Jesus (as) was indeed quoting this Psalm, then the only possible conclusion is that he (as) wished for his life to be saved from the surrounding enemies.

The Psalm then goes unto the fact that God never leaves the praying person, He always answers and comes to the aid of the praying one:

Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

According to Christians, the so-called “triumph” of Jesus being prophesied in this Psalm is him carrying the sins of the world rather than being resurrected, however, the Psalm is praying for the delivery of the person from death at the hands of the enemy and declares that God will listen to this prayer. The triumph at the end of this chapter is celebrating that God will listen to this prayer of being saved.

So the Christians’s answer to “Eli, Eli, lama Sabaqtani” in fact supports Ahmadi Muslims further, as Christians are not unbiasedly looking at the words of the Psalm.

Conclusion

There are two conclusions now, which support Ahmadi Muslims and Islam:

1. Jesus (as) was saying these words, “Eli, Eli, lama sabaqtani?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) to show his sadness at the event of the crucifixion unrelated to the words of Psalm 22, that he wished not to be crucified.
2. Jesus (as) was saying these words “Eli, Eli, lama sabaqtani?” (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) to quote Psalm 22, and in this case, these words were a prayer to God to save Jesus (as) life – that he does not die on the cross, and is delivered from death on the cross.

From these Jesus (as) quoting the Psalm seem like the likely conclusion, as Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) has written: