Ahmed Deedat famously referred to the 'sign of Jonah' to show that Jesus was alive on the cross in the same way Jonah was alive in the whale. If you are a Muslim, do you believe that Jesus was alive on the cross?

Let's look at the sign of Jonah again.

Firstly, in the book of the prophet Jonah, Jonah says his soul was in the grave. He never says I am alive, he says he is in the grave.

From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God. He said: "In my distress, I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry. (Jonah 2:1-2)

Jonah prays in the grave. Islam accepts this can happen because it teaches that people do speak when they are questioned in the grave. Qur'an 15:92, 23:99-110, Sahih Bukhari 1338; vol 2, bk 23 no 422.

Secondly, Jonah did not appear to be in the whale, he actually was in the whale. Therefore, Jesus did not appear to be on the cross, he actually was on the cross. Also, Jonah was in the whale, not someone who looked like Jonah. Therefore, Jesus was on the cross, not someone who looked like Jesus. The sign of Jonah proves that it was Jesus who was crucified.

Thirdly, it seems that most Muslims do not read the Bible for themselves, but instead listen to men like Ahmed Deedat who tell them what it says. Please take a moment to read the Bible and check for yourself what Jesus means when he compares himself to Jonah.

Matthew 12:39-41 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

What is interesting is that Jesus does not mention the crucifixion in these verses. How do we know he is even referring to the crucifixion? We only know this by reading the rest of the gospel, that is, we need to read in context. Here are the verses that give the context.

Matthew 16:4&21 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away. ... From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 17:9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
Matthew 17:22-23 When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life." And the disciples were filled with grief.
Matthew 20:17-19 Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside and said to them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!"
Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Throughout the gospel, Jesus clearly says he will die and be resurrected. He used the experience of Jonah as an allegory for his own death and resurrection.

He it is Who has sent down to you the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord. (Qur'an 3:7, Yusuf Ali)

Are you going to ignore the clear teaching of Jesus?

Here is my debate on Was Jesus Crucified?    • Was Christ Crucified? Adnan Rashid & ...  
Listening to Ahmed Deedat was one of the reasons that convinced me to start learning about Islam and its arguments against Christianity. http://answering-islam.org/Green/deed...