ٌٞ ‫ب عٌ ا هلل اى سدَِ اى سد‬

The Messiah Hazrat Isa Ibn Maryam (as) was raised up alive

Prophet Isa ibn Maryam (as) was raised up alive and that he will come back again. The prophet (saw)
stated clearly that Isa ibn maryam (as) will come again before the hour. [bayhaqi and tabari]

"And (remember) when Allah said: "O `Isa! I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you
from those who disbelieve, and I will make those who follow you superior to those who disbelieve
till the Day of Resurrection.” *3:55+

Al Hasan reports that Ibn mas'ud (ra) said "Allah raised `Isa while he was asleep." [Tafsir Ibn kathir
and Ibn abi hatim]

The literal ascension and return of the messiah is believed by all pious muslim scholars.

The Messenger of Allah –may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him- said: “In every
successive century those who are reliable authorities will preserve this knowledge, rejecting the
interpretations of the ignorant, lies of the treacherous and the corruption of the extremists.”
(Sunan al-Kubra, Hadith 20911)

It is also quoted in Mishkat al-Masabih (Hadith 248). It has been classified as Sahih by Imam Ahmad,
See al-‘Alai’s (d. 761 A.H.) Bughyah al-Multamis 1/35, ‘Alam al-Kutb, Beirut 1985
Shaykh Albani also classified it as Sahih in his research on Mishkat al-Masabih.

The Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

ُ َ‫ ٗز اىؼي‬ٞ ّ ‫اى‬

“Verily the ‘ulama are the successors of the prophets.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3641)

This report has been classified as Sahih by Ibn Mulaqqan (d. 804 A.H.) in Badr al-Munir 7/587. Al-
‘Ayni also authenticated in ‘Umdatul Qari 2/40. Albani and Shu’aib Arna’ut too authenticated it.

In the 1,435 years since the blessed Prophet Muhammad ٚ‫ٔ ىٔاه ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬and his noble
Companions radhiallahu ‘anhum made Hijra, the ummah has been blessed with esteemed
personalities whom were strengthened by Allah to rejuvenate Islam beginning with the century after
the Companions radhiallahu ‘anhum. This belief is sound and found in the following hadith narrated
by Abu Hurayrah radhiallahu ‘anhu:

“Surely, Allah will send for this Ummah at the advent of every one hundred years a person (or
persons) who will tajdeed [renew, revive, restore] for it its deen [religion+.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book
37: Kitab al-Malahim [Battles], #4278

The great Imam Jalaluddin Al-Suyuti in his Mirqat al-Saud in the marginal notes of Sunan Abu Dawud
records, “It is a consensus of the Muhadditheen (Hadith Masters) that this Hadith is Sahih.” The word
“tajdeed” means the restoration of the original beliefs and practices after their being changed,
distorted or forgotten. The person who carries out this exemplary and praiseworthy task is referred
to as a mujaddid [reformer]. The definition of mujaddid is given as:

“Mujaddid: (Renewer) Muslim scholar who initiates tajdid (renewal). According to hadith, a
mujaddid is to come at the beginning of each century to renew the faith and correct the practice of
Muslims… back to the Islam of the early community as they interpret it, rejecting as innovations any
later added practices or customs.” *ibn taymiya+

1st century Ibn Abbas (ra) or Umar Bin Abdul Aziz

2nd century Imam Shafi’i; Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal
3rd century Muhammmad Al-Bukhari or Abū Al-Hasan Alī Ibn Ismā’īl Al-Ash’arī
4th century Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah al-Hakim al-Nishaburi or Qazi Abu Bakr Baqilani
5th century Imam Al-Ghazali or Abu Bakr Al Bayhaqi
6th century Ibn Qudamah or Al-Sayyid Abdul Qadir Jeelani or Fakhr al Din Al Razi
7th century Imam Ibn Taimiyyah
8th century Ibn Hajar Asqalani & Saleh Bin Umar
9th century Imam Suyuti
10th century Muhammad Tahir Gujrati or Ali Muttaqi Al-Hindi
11th century Al-Sheikh Ahmad of Sirhand; Mujaddid Alf Thani
12th century Shah Wali Allah Muhaddath Dehlavi
13th century Muhammad Shawkani
14th century Muhammad Shanqati or Ahmad Shakir or Bediüzzaman Said Nursî

1st century: Abdullah Ibn Abbas (618 – 687 AH)

“Allah (swt) raised Isa Ibn Maryam alive to the heavens.” *Bayhaqi+

2nd Century: Imam Abu ʿAbdullah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i (767/150 – 820/204 CE/AH)

“In the same way that the Prophet ‘Isa ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬ascended to the heavens at Allah’s command, he
will also return to Earth at Allah’s command and will enforce Islamic justice. People whose faith is
weak may not regard this as possible. But it is an easy matter after recognizing the might of Allah.”
(The Great Book of Scholarship of Shafi’i, Halil Günenç, expanded 2nd edition, p. 23)

3rd Century: Abū Al-Hasan Alī Ibn Ismā’īl Al-Ash’arī (874/260 – 936/324 CE/AH)

“There is a consensus among the community of the faithful *ijma' ummat+ that Jesus ٔٞ ‫اى ع الً ػ ي‬
was raised alive to the heavens.” (Al-Ash’ari, Al-Ash’ari’s al-Ibana ‘an Usul al-Diyana, (Cairo: 1986),
2:115)

4th Century: Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad ibn Abd-Allah al-Hakim al-Nishaburi (933/321 – 1012/403
CE/AH)

[He is the author of the ahadith collection Al-Mustadrak in which he states that+ “…Ibn Abbas ٜ‫ز ظ‬
‫ ػ ْٔ ا هلل‬said about the verse of the Holy Qur’an (4:159): “This verse is proof that Jesus ٔٞ ‫اى ع الً ػ ي‬,
son of Mary, will appear… All of the People of the Book will believe in him before his death.”” (Al-
Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, 2:309)

5th Century: Abū Hāmed Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Ghazālī (1058 CE – 1111/505 CE/AH)

“…then the Qur’an would be erased from hearts and not a word of it would be remembered; and the
people would return to the poetry, songs, and tales of the pre-Islamic period; then the Anti-Christ
would go forth and ‘Isa, the blessings and peace of God upon him, would descend to kill him. The
hour when all this occurs would be like the pregnant woman in travail, waiting for the moment of
her delivery.” (The Secrets of Pilgrimage, p.17)

“Out of the Prophets, Jesus Christ ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬did not marry but he will marry after his second
advent.” (The Revival of the Religious Sciences, Ihya Ulum Uddin, Secret of Marriages, p.21)

Abu Bakr Ibn al-'Arabi (1076 – 1148] reported that even though more than a thousand years has
passed since Jesus' (pbuh) birth, he is alive in body and soul in God's presence. [Commentary on jami
at-tirmidhi]

6th Century: ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (1077 – 1166 CE)

“Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬did not marry; he never took a wife. At the end of time, Allah (Exalted is He) will
send him back down to the earth, and He will then marry him to a young woman of Quraish, who
will bear him a son.” (Utterances of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (Malfuzat): Collected Sayings from
the Crown of Saints, translated by Muthar Holland, p.58)

Fakhr al Din Al Razi (1149 – 1249) states; “The verse *4:158+ “He raised him to His Presence” …
makes it clear that Jesus was raised up alive to the heavens. [Tafsir Kabir]

7th Century: Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah (1263 – 1328 CE)

“The verse *4:158+ “He raised him to His Presence” … explains that Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬was raised in
both body and soul.” (Imam Ibn Taymiyya, Majmu’ Fatawa, trans. by Abdurrahman ibn Muhammad
ibn Qasim al-Asimi an-Najdi, 4:323)

Ibn taymiya commented on the Quran ch 3 vs 55 that it states that Isa (as) did not die but rather was
raised up alive while asleep. *Majmu’ Fatawa+

8th Century: Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (1372/773 – 1448/852 CE/AH)

“The Mahdi is of this Ummah, and that Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬will come down and pray behind him.”
(Fath al-Baari, v.5, p.362)

“…there was no Prophet between Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬and our Prophet [Muhammad], on whom peace
and blessings of Allah and Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬has no grave.” (Fath al-Baari 2/160, Kitabul Salaah)

Hafiz Ibn Hajr (RA) clearly says about Jesus (PBUH):

‫طٗى‬ٞ ٔ‫س ى‬

“And he has no grave.” *Fath al bari+

9th Century: Jalaluddin Al-Suyuti (1445/849 – 1505/911 CE/AH)

“As-Suyuti says Jerusalem is specially honoured by Muslems. It was at Jerusalem that the prophets
sacrificed; that Jesus was born and spoke in his cradle; and it was from Jerusalem that Jesus
ascended to heaven; and it will be there that he will again descend.” (A Muslim Seeker After God,
Samuel M. Zwemer, p.115 and Durr al-Manthur)

In his commentary, al-Suyuti said, based on reliable hadith, that the Prophet said Jesus (pbuh) did
not die, and then continued: “In that case, Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬was raised to the skies and will return
before the Day of Judgment.” (Durr al-Manthur, 2:225-27)

“This word *kahlaan+ expresses the fact that he (Jesus ‫ ٔػو‬ٝ ً‫ )اى ع ال‬will descend from the heavens
before the Day of Judgment, because he was raised to the skies before attaining old age.” (Tafsir al-
Jalalayn, Surah al-Ma’ida (ch5):vs110, v.1: pg.447)

Imam Suyuti writes in Durr Manthur:

‫ أدَد أخسج‬ٛ‫ ٍٗ ع يٌ ٗاى خ ز‬ٜ‫ٖ ق‬ٞ ‫ ٗاى‬ٜ ‫ه ٗاى ص ف ت األ ظَ ف‬ :‫ه‬ ‫ ا هلل ز ظ٘ه‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬:
‫ف‬ٞ ‫ نٌ ّ صه ذا أّ تٌ م‬ٞ ‫ ٌ اب ِ ف‬ٝ‫ ٍس‬، ٌ‫ٍ ْ نٌ؟ ٗ ٍ ٍ ن‬

Ahmad, Bukhari, Muslim and Baihaqi in Asma wal Sifaat says: “What will be your condition when
the son of Maryam (i.e. ‘Eisa) will descend amongst you and your Imam will be from amongst
you?”

11th Century: Rabbānī Shaykh Ahmad Al-Farūqī Al-Sirhindī Mujaddid Alf Thānī (1564 – 1624 CE)

“Jesus ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬will descend from the sky and will be a member of Prophet Muhammad’s (may
God bless him and grant him peace) community. In other words, he will be one of his people and will
abide by the Divine law.” (Letters of Rabbani (Istanbul: 1977), 1:436, 545, 722, 820, 846)

12th Century: Shah Waliullah Dehlwi (1703 – 1762 CE)

“None of the People of the Book will remain without believing in him before he dies and Jesus will
remain a witness unto them” *exegetical note+ “The Jews present at the time of the descent of Jesus
Christ will definitely believe in him.” (Fath ur Rahmaan Fee Tarjumatul Qura’an, 4:159)

13th Century; Muhammad ash-Shawkani (D. 1250 A.H) (1759–1834 CE)

“The Messiah Isa ibn Maryam (as) was raised up alive to the heaven and near the end of times the
Messiah Isa (as) will return.” *Fath al-Qadir]

14th Century; Bediüzzaman Said Nursî (1878 - 1960)

THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) ALLUDED TO THIS GREAT MIRACLE OF THE ASCENSION OF JESUS
AND HIS RETRUN WHEN HE SAID: “JESUS WILL APPEAR HAVING DESCENDED FROM THE SKIES; HE
WILL ACT IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY SHARI‘A.” (The Letters, Seeds of Reality, p. 544)

Muhammad Ash-Shanqeeti (1907 – 1973)

Muhammad Ash-Shanqeeti (the reformer of 14th century) state that both the Quran and authentic
hadith are proofs that Isa (as) is alive at the moment and he will descend before the last Day.
[Adwaa-ul-Bayaan fee Tafseer-il-Qur'an bil-Qur'an]

Each one of these personalities, among them some of the most distinguished exemplars in Islam
declared their belief in the ascension or descent of ‘Isa ibn Maryam ٔٞ ‫اى ع الً ػ ي‬.

The belief with regard to Isa ibn Maryam ٔٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬and his return is firmly established in Islam
through the Holy Qur’an and many sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬and his
Companions radhiallahu ‘anhum as well the tabi’un (the generation born after the passing of the
Prophet Muhammad ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬but lived as contemporaries of the Companions
radhiallahu ‘anhum) and the tabi’ tabi’un (the generation after the tabi’un) in addition to the
mujaddids of the past and many great scholars of Islam.

This truth is indicated in a Prophetic Tradition: “Prophet Jesus will return to this world, join my
community, and follow my Sharia.” *Bukhari – book on battles, Muslim – book on Faith and Ibn
Majah – Book on trials]

Narrated Abu Huraira (RA) that Prophet, may Allah bless him, said: “It is near that one who lives
from amongst you shall meet ‘Eisa bin Maryam. He will be a rightly guided (imaman mahdiyyan]
leader and a just ruler …”

What is “Mahdi”?

What? The heading says, ‘What is Mahdi?’ not, ‘Who is Mahdi?’ Yes, indeed that is what needs to be
understood in the very first place.

Mahdi is an attribute/characteristic which means ‘rightly guided.’ And it is used for so many people
in various Hadith narrations. With a quick look I could find that following people have been called so;

Abdullah bin Jarir (RA):

In Sahih Bukhari we read that Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him, prayed for Sayyidina Jarir bin
‘Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him;

ٌٖ‫ ٗا ؼئ تٔ اىي‬ٝ ٕ ٝ‫ٍٖد‬

“O Allah! Make him firm and make him a guiding and a rightly-guided man [mahdiyyan].”(Sahih
Bukhari, Hadith 2809)
Mu’awiya (RA):

According to Jami’ Tirmidhi, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him, prayed exactly the same
way for Sayyidina Mu’awiya, may Allah be pleased with him;

ٌٖ‫ ا ؼي ٔ اى ي‬ٝ ٕ ٝ‫ٍٖد‬

“O Allah! Make him a guiding and a rightly-guided man [mahdiyyan].” (Jami’ Tirmidhi, Hadith 3842.
Classified as Hasan by Tirmidhi and Sahih by Albani)

‘Ali (RA):

In one Hadith the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him, addressing the people said about
Sayyidina ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him;

ٓٗ‫ ت جد‬ٝ ٕ ٝ‫ خر ٍٖد‬ٝ ٌ‫ ق ب ن‬ٝ‫ٌ اى طس‬ٞ ‫اى َ ع ت ق‬

“You will find him a guiding and a right-guided person [mahdiyyan] who will take you on the right
path.” (al-Isaba fi Ma’rifatil Sahaba 2/271. Hafiz Ibn Hajr said, its chain is good [jayyad])

All the Pious Caliphs:

A famous Hadith uses the word for all the pious Caliphs. It read;

ٌ‫ ن‬ٞ ‫ ف ؼ ي‬ٜ‫ِ اى خ ي ف ٗ ظ ْ ب ع ْ ت‬ٞ ٝ‫اى َٖد‬

“You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided [mahdiyyeen] caliphs.” (Sunan
Abu Dawud, Hadith 4607. Classified as Sahih by Albani)

The word ‘mahdiyyeen’ is plural of ‘mahdi.’

Thus we find that all of these great men and many others were ‘Mahdi’ i.e. rightly-guided ones.

A person from the lineage of the Prophet due to appear near the End of Times:

Just like all these people and many others, near the End of Times will appear a person from the
lineage of the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him, whose being ‘mahdi’ i.e. rightly-guided is testified
in original sources of Islam.

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him, said;

ٛ‫ ٍِ اى َٖد‬ٜ ‫ف طَ ٗى د ٍِ ػ تست‬

“The Mahdi (lit. rightly-guided) will be of my family, of the descendants of Fatimah.” (Sunan Abu
Dawud, Hadith 4284. Classified as Sahih by Albani and others)
But even he is referred to as ‘Mahdi’ not because it is his name but because he will be a rightly-
guided person.

About his name, another Hadith says;

‫ ز ال‬ْٜ ٍ ٗ‫ إٔو ٍِ أ‬ٜ‫ ت‬ٞ ‫ ٘اطئ ب‬ٝ َٔ‫ ا ظ‬َٜ‫ٔ ٗا ظٌ ا ظ‬ٞ ‫ ا ظٌ أب‬ٜ ‫أب‬

“A man who belongs to me or to my family whose name is same as my name and whose father’s
name is the same as my father’s name.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4282. Classified as Sahih by Ibn
Qayyim, Albani and others)

Why generally only a particular person is referred to as ‘Mahdi’?

Now naturally the question arises, if so many people were given the title of ‘Mahdi’ why only one
person is referred to as such? The answer is simple. ‘Eisa, may Allah bless him, is basically a Prophet,
Pious caliphs and other companions themselves are praised much by the Qur’an so they have much
greater references to be known with. However, the personality known and revered as ‘Imam Mahdi’
is so referred to as it will be his greatest position and as such makes him stand out among all other
humans after the Prophets and their companions. And that is the reason we always, retain the word
Mahdi when translating the narrations about him. And looking at the subtleties let me say that this
contention of ours springs from the very wording of the Hadith and a comparison of various
narrations.

Please note, in the narrations using the word ‘mahdi’ (as singular adjective) for ‘Eisa, may Allah bless
him, and various companions it is simply ‘mahdi’ i.e. without the article ‘al’ i.e. ‘the’ while the
narration about the person to appear near the End of the Times is ‘al-Mahdi’ which makes him stand
out among all those for whom this word is used. This is, let me reiterate, because his being rightly-
guided is an honor for him greater than any other status of him.

Miraculous ascend of isa ibn Maryam (as)

It has been plainly stated in the Qur’an that Allah did raise ‘Eisa, may Allah bless him, to Himself and
saved him from the evil designs of the Jews, the deviant cults try to confuse the simple facts by their
twisting. And same is their attitude towards the Ahadith which clearly indicate that near the End of
Times ‘Eisa, may Allah bless him, will descend from the Heavens. But as mostly Ahadith use the word
‫ ّ صه‬only which means ‘to descend’ they again twist such narrations by relating it to rather rare
usage of the word which does not even fit the context of these narrations. Taking the spirit, context
and the continuous and unanimous belief and understanding of Muslims of past 1400 years it is
evident that those Ahadith do actually mean he will descend from the Heavens above. In fact there
are many directives to this in various narrations.

Meeting the Challenge

Here are categorical Ahadith about the fact that ‘Eisa, may Allah bless him, was raised up alive to the
Heavens and will descend from the Heavens above.
Hadith 1

ِ‫ ه ػ ض اب ِ ػ‬: َ ‫ سف غ أُ ا هلل أزا ى‬ٝ ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ػ‬ٚ ‫ى‬ َ‫ خسج اى ع‬ٚ‫ ٗزف غ… أ صذ ب ٔ ػ ي‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ زٗشّ ٍِ ػ‬ٜ ‫ف‬
‫ت‬ٞ ‫ اى‬ٚ ‫اى عَ ى‬

Ibn Abbas said, “When Allah intended to raise ‘Eisa to the heavens, he went to his companions …
and ‘Eisa ascended to the Heavens through an opening in the top of the house.”
(Ibn Abi Hatim 4/431 Hadith 6266, Ibn Kathir 2/449. Ibn Kathir graded it Sahih)

Hadith 2

ِ‫ ػ‬ٞ ‫ِ أً ص ف‬ٞ ْ ٍ‫ اى َؤ‬ٜ‫ت شازت ذا م ّ ت أّ ٖ ػ ْٖ ا هلل ز ظ‬ٞ ‫ اى َ قدض ب‬، ‫ اى ص الة ٍِ ٗف سغت‬ٜ ‫اى َ عجد ف‬
ٚ‫ ص ؼدت األ ص‬ٚ‫و ػ ي‬ ‫ ت‬ٝ‫ٔ ف ص يت ش‬ٞ ‫ ٗ ى ت ػ ي‬: ‫ ٕ٘ اى ج و ٕرا‬ٛ‫ ٍ ْٔ زف غ اى ر‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ٔ ػ‬ٞ ‫ اى ع الً ػ ي‬ٚ ‫ى‬
َ‫اى ع‬

It is narrated from Ummul Momineen Safiya, may Allah be pleased with her, that when she visited
Bait Al-Maqdis (i.e. Jerusalem) and finished prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque she climbed up to Mt. Olives
and prayed there as well and said: ‘This is the mountain from where ‘Eisa, may Allah bless him, was
raised up to the Heavens.’ (Al-Tasrih bima Tawatar fi Nuzul Al-Masih Hadith 74 cf. Tafsir Fath Al-Aziz
Surah 95)

Hadith 3

ُ ‫ سة أب‬ٝ‫ ٕس‬ٜ‫ه ػ ْٔ ا هلل ز ظ‬ :‫ه‬ ‫ ا هلل ز ظ٘ه‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬: « ‫ف‬ٞ ‫ ٌ اب ِ ّ صه ذا أّ تٌ م‬ٝ‫ٍِ ٍس‬
َ‫ نٌ اى ع‬ٞ ‫ف‬

Narrated Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him: Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him, said
“What will be your condition when the son of Maryam (i.e. ‘Eisa) will descend amongst you from
the heavens…?” (Baihaqi’s Asmaa wal Sifaat 2/432 Hadith 855)

Baihaqi (RA) was recognized as a Mujaddid of 4th century A.H.

The Hadith in full along with the comments by Imam Baihaqi goes as under:

ّ‫ اىئ ػ د أب٘ أخ س‬، ‫ بِ بنس أب٘ أّ اىذ ف‬، ‫ بِ أدَد أّ ظذ‬،ٌٕٞ‫ ابِ ْ بسا‬،‫س‬ٞ‫ بن‬ْٜ ‫ دد‬، ٞ‫ ػِ اىي‬،‫ّ٘ط‬ٝ ِ‫ ابِ ػ‬، ٖ ِ‫ػ‬
،‫ ّ فغ‬ٚ‫ ٍ٘ى‬ٜ‫ ت ة أب‬ٛ‫ ه اى ّص ز‬: ُ ‫سة أب‬ٝ‫ ٕس‬ٜ‫ ه ػْٔ اىئ زظ‬: ‫ اىئ زظ٘ه ه‬ٚ‫ٔ اهلل صي‬ٞ‫ٗظيٌ ػي‬: «‫ف‬ٞ‫ابِ ّصه ذا أّتٌ م‬
ٌٝ‫نٌ اىعَ ٍِ ٍس‬ٞ‫ »ٍْنٌ ٗ ٍ ٍنٌ ف‬. ٓ‫ زٗا‬ٛ‫ اى خ ز‬ٜ‫خ ف‬ٞ‫ ػِ اىصذ‬ٚٞ‫ذ‬ٝ ِ‫ ب‬،‫س‬ٞ‫ّ٘ط ػِ خس ٗ ٔ ٍِ ٍعيٌ ٗأخس ٔ بن‬ٝ. َّ ٗ
‫ٔ اىسفغ بؼد اىعَ ٍِ ّصٗىٔ أزا‬ٞ‫ى‬

Abu Abdullah al-Hafiz (i.e. Imam Hakim) – Abu Bakr bin Ishaq – Ahmad bin Ibrahim – Ibn Bukayr –
Laith – Yunus – Ibn Shihab – Nafi’ the freed-slave of Abu Qadadah al-Ansari -- Abu Huraira, may Allah
be pleased with him – Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him, said: “What will be your condition
when the son of Maryam (i.e. ‘Eisa) will descend amongst you from the heavens and your Imam
will be from amongst you?” Bukhari narrated it in al-Sahih from Yahya bin Bukayr. And Muslim also
narrated it through another chain from Yunus (bin Yazid). And they (also) meant his descent from
the Heavens after his ascension towards it.
(Asma’ wa Sifaat 2/331 Hadith 895. Shaykh Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Hashidi has classified the
narration as Sahih)

Hadith 4

ِ‫ ػ‬ٚ ‫ سة أب‬ٝ‫ظَ ؼت ه ٕس‬ ‫اى ق ظٌ أب‬ ‫ ق٘ه اى َ صدٗ اى ص‬ٝ …ٌ ‫ ْصه‬ٝ ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ٌ ب ِ ػ‬ٝ‫ٔ ٍس‬ٞ ‫ٍِ ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬
َ‫ؤً اى ع‬ٞ ‫اى ْ ض ف‬

Abu Huraira said: I heard Abul Qasim the Truthful and Trustworthy (i.e. Holy Prophet) say: ‘… then
‘Eisa ibn Maryam, on him be the peace, will descend from the heavens...’
(Majma’ Al-Zawaid 7/349. Haithmi said, Bazzar has narrated it and all its narrators are those of the
Sahih [i.e. Sahih Bukhari] except Ali bin Munzar and he is also trustworthy)

Hadith 5

‫ه‬ ِ ‫ ػ ض اب‬: ‫ه‬ ‫ ا هلل ز ظ٘ه‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬: ‫ ْصه ذى ل ف ؼ ْد‬ٝ ٜ‫ أخ‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ٌ اب ِ ػ‬ٝ‫اى عَ ٍِ ٍس‬

Ibn Abbas narrated: the Messenger of Allah, on whom be the blessings of Allah, said: ‘And near it
(Bait al-Maqdis) will descend from the Heavens my brother ‘Eisa ibn Maryam.’
(Kanzul Ummal 14/619 Hadith 39726)

Compiler of Kanzul Ummal, Ali Muttaqi Al-Hindi (RA) was recognized as a Mujaddid of 10th century
A.H. by Muslims.

Hadith 6

ِ‫ ق٘ه } ػ ك ف إّ ٌٖ ت ؼرب ٌٖ ُ { ػ ض اب ِ ػ‬ٝ : ‫دك‬ٞ ‫} ى ٌٖ ت غ فس ٗ ُ { ب َ ق ى تٌٖ اى ؼرا ا ظ ت٘ ٘ا د ػ‬

ٛ‫ ٍٗد ٍ ٌْٖ ت سم ت ٍِ أ‬ٜ ‫ ػَسٓ ف‬ٚ‫ اى عَ ٍِ إٔ ط د ت‬ٚ ‫ ق تو األز ض ى‬ٝ ‫ اى د ه‬، ‫ٗٗددٗك ٍ ق ى تٌٖ ػِ ف ْصى ٘ا‬

About the verse, ‘If you punish them they are your servants’ Ibn Abbas said, he *'Eisa+ will say: ‘These
slaves of yours have invited your chastisement by what they said *and believed+’. ‘And if you forgive
them’ i.e. ‘those whom I left behind me and those who were there when I came down from the
Heavens to Earth to kill al-Dajjal and they turned back from what they said [i.e. Trinity] and
believed in your Oneness…’
(Durr Manthur 4/27 under Surah 5 Ayah 118)

The writer of Durr Manthur, Jalaluddin Suyuti (RA) was recognized as a Mujaddid of 9th century A.H.
by Muslims.

Hadith 7
Thalabi and Zamakhshari mentioned the Hadith from Abu Huraira that the Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ػ ي‬
ٌ‫ )ٗ ظ ي‬said;”Isa will descend from the Heavens.”
*Tafsir Qurtabi under Quran chapter 43 verse 61; “And indeed, Jesus will be a sign of the Hour, so be
not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path.”+

Note that Zamakhshari accepted the belief of Ahle Sunnah near the end of his life.

Hadith 8

Al Hasan Al Basri said; “Allah raised and lifted up Jesus alive with his body and soul.” *Tafsir Ibn Abi
Hatim on Quran 3:55]

Hadith 9

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said; “Allah (swt) raised Isa ibn Maryam (as) to the heavens.” *Bayhaqi+

Hadith 10

Hasan (RA) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to the Jews, 'Jesus the son of Mary has
not died, he will return to earth before the Doomsday.'" (Al-Tabari H.7133)

MEANING OF 'MUTAWAFFEKA' & 'TAWAFFAITANI' IN QURAN 3:55 & 5:117

Quran 3:55 informs believers that Allah will “take back” Jesus (PBUH), protect him from the
unbelievers, purify him and raise him to His presence. Many great Islamic scholars and
commentators have interpreted this verse to mean that Jesus (PBUH) did not die. As the verse
states:

‫ اىئ ه ذ‬ٝ ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ ػ‬ّٜ ‫ل‬ٞ‫ ٗزافؼل ٍت٘ف‬ٜ‫ِ ٍِ ٍٗطٖسك ى‬ٝ‫ِ ٗ ػو مفسٗا اىر‬ٝ‫ِ ف٘ ات ؼ٘ك اىر‬ٝ‫ مفسٗا اىر‬ٚ‫ً٘ ى‬ٝ ٍ ٞ‫ ٌ اىق‬ٜ‫ى‬
ٌ‫ْنٌ ف دنٌ ٍس ؼن‬ٞ‫َ ب‬ٞ‫ٔ ْتٌم ف‬ٞ‫تختيفُ٘ ف‬

“When Allah said: ‘O Isa , I am to take you in full (mutawaffeeka) and to raise you towards Myself,
and to cleanse you of those who disbelieve, and to place those who follow you above those who
disbelieve up to the Day of Doom. Then to Me is your return, whereupon I shall judge between you
in that over which you have differed.’” (3:55)

The part requiring special consideration is the sentence; “I will take you back (mutawaffeeka) and
raise you up to Me.”

And indeed Quran 5:117 also goes on the same lines.

ٍ ‫ ٍ ى ىٌٖ يت‬ْٜ‫ اىئ اػ دٗا أُ بٔ أٍست‬ٜ‫ٌٖ ٗمْت ٗزبنٌ زب‬ٞ‫دا ػي‬ٖٞ ٍ ‫ٌٖ ٍت‬ٞ‫ فيَ ف‬ْٜ‫ت‬ٞ‫ أّت مْت ت٘ف‬ٞ ‫ٌٖ اىس‬ٞ‫ ٗأّت ػي‬ٚ‫ػي‬
‫ مو‬ٜ ‫د‬ٖٞ

"I have not said to them anything but what You have ordered me to say, that is, 'Worship Allah, my
Lord and your Lord and I was a witness over them as long as I was with them. But when You recalled
me (tawaffaitani), You were the One watching over them. You are a witness over everything." [5:
117]
Ibn Abi Hatim says that: "My father told us from Hassan that the meaning of the verse 'I will take you
back...' is this: Here it means that 'I shall raise you up alive whilst you are asleep.' So God raised Jesus
(pbuh) to the heavens while he was asleep. As an incontrovertible truth, God caused Jesus (pbuh) to
sleep and then raised him to the sky, rescuing him from the Jews, who were trying to physically
harm him." [Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur’an al-‘Azim+

Abu Mansur Muhammad al-Maturidi (D. 333 A.H.) also stated that the verse does not refer to Jesus
(pbuh) dying in the familiar biological sense:

“The thing being referred to in the verse is not passing on in the sense of death, but in the sense of
the body being taken from this world.” *Abu Mansur Muhammad al-Maturidi, Kitab Tawilat al-
Qur’an (Beirut)+

Islamic scholars agree that mutawaffeeka means that Jesus (pbuh) did not die, but that he was
raised to heaven and will return to Earth. For example, the famous commentator and scholar al-
Tabari stated that mutawaffeeka is used in the sense of "removing from Earth" and interpreted the
verse in the following terms:

In my opinion, the soundest thing is to take this word in the sense of "to take into one's possession,"
"draw [away] from Earth." In that case, the meaning of the verse is: "I shall take you from Earth and
into the heavens." The rest of the verse [3:55] emphasizes the [believers'] victory over unbelievers in
the End Times, which confirms the above idea." [Tafsir al-Tabari]

Further on in his commentary, al-Tabari included other interpretations of mutawaffeeka. Islamic

scholars are in general agreement that its correct interpretation is "a kind of sleep." According to
Imam Hasan al-Basri, he stated that the verses [3:55] means: "I shall put you to sleep and raise you
to My presence as you sleep."

In his commentary, al-Suyuti said, based on reliable hadith that Jesus (pbuh) did not die, and then
continued:

“In that case, Jesus (pbuh) was raised to the skies and will return before the Day of Judgment.” Jalal
al-Din al-Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur]

Another element that attracts our attention is the expression: "God raised him to Himself. God is
Almighty, All-Wise" (Qur'an, 4:158). In all likelihood, this extraordinary situation shows God's
superior might. (God knows best.)

In their commentaries on this verse, Islamic scholars point out that these words represent an
extraordinary revelation of God's might and wisdom. For example, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi said:

“Allah reveals at the end of the verse that "Allah is Almighty, All-Wise." The intention behind
almightiness here is the perfection and immaculate nature of that might, and that behind wisdom is
the perfection and immaculate nature of knowledge. In this way, God has indicated the raising of
Jesus (pbuh) and that no matter how impossible this may seem to a person, it is not impossible
relative to His might and wisdom. A similar situation can be seen in the verse: "Glory be to Him, Who
took His servant on a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque [Masjid al-Haram] to the Further
Mosque [Masjid al-Aqsa+…" (Qur'an, 17:1). That is because no matter how much such a journey may
be impossible relative to the power of Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him
peace), it is a most easy matter relative to the might of God. Therefore Muhammad (saw) was raised
up alive during the night journey and ascension which also proves that Isa (as) was raised up alive.”
[Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb]

The Jews intended to physically kill Jesus (pbuh), but God confounded their aim by rescuing the body
of Jesus (pbuh) and raising him to the heaven alive. In order to refute the Jews' claim, this ascension
must have been a physical one.

The interpreter and commentator Fakhr al-Din al-Razi had this to say about "God raised him to
Himself," which appear in Qur'an 4:158:

With the ascension here, God refers to ascension to a place where no laws apart from that of God
apply. This verse makes it clear that Jesus (pbuh) was raised to the heavens alive. [Fakhr al-Din al-
Razi, Mafatih al-Ghayb]

In Qur’an 4:157-158 first the Jewish belief of their having killed Eisa (A.S.) is repudiated by saying ٍٗ
ٓ٘‫( تي‬and they killed him not) and then the Christian belief is denounced by saying ٍٗ ٓ٘ ‫( صي‬nor
crucify him) and then the belief of his ascension has been testified by saying ‫ٔ اىئ زفؼٔ بو‬ٞ‫( ى‬But Allah
lifted him towards Himself). Thus the Quran refutes the physical killing of Isa (as) and then states
that in contrast; Isa (as) was raised physically.

Some deviant cults may say these verses are about Isa’ (A.S.) being exalted to Allah and ask as to
where is the mention of the sky in these verses?

The fact is that as per the Qur’anic usage the verses mean ‘being raised to sky’. The following
references help in this regard;

“Have you become fearless of Him who is in the sky if He makes you sink into the Earth.” (Qur’an
67:16)

“Or, have you become fearless of Him who is in the sky if He looses a violent wind with stones
against you?” (Qur’an 67:17)

And whenever the Holy Prophet (SAAW) waited for the revelation from Allah he looked up towards
the sky;

“We have been seeing you turning your face to the heavens.” (Qur’an 2:144)

Having proved that being raised to Allah means ascension to the Heavens, will some explain if Raf’a
means a rise in rank what is the purpose of Allah saying ‘raise you towards Myself’ and the words
‘Allah lifted him towards Himself’?
In interpreting Qur'an 3:55, the famous Qur'anic commentator al-Sabuni set out his ideas on this
event:

The wisdom of God making such a declaration is His giving the glad tidings that He will save Jesus
(pbuh) from the Jews and raise him in full health to the skies, without his undergoing any suffering.
[Al-Sabuni, Safwat al-Tafasir, 1:205]

Zahid al-Kawthari stated that the ascension is so clear and certain that there is no room for any
objections. Al-Kawthari cited Qur'an 3:55 and Qur'an 4:157-58 as evidence and said that this event is
beyond doubt. He uses the word nass, which means certainty or indisputability stemming from a
Qur'anic verse or a hadith. He went on to say:

“That is because the basic meaning of the word (rafa'a in the verses) is transportation from below to
above. There is no element here that could be used to interpret the verses metaphorically.” *Al-
Kawthari, Nazra ‘Abira fi Maza‘im, 93+

Mawdudi set out his views on the subject in the following terms:

If God had willed to reveal what is expressed in the verse [Qur'an, 4:158] in the words "God made
him die" or "God raised his rank," He would have openly done so. Instead of the former, He could
have revealed the words "Certainly they neither killed him nor crucified him, but He saved him and
later on caused him to die at his own appointed hour of death." Instead of the latter, He could have
revealed the expression "They tried to humiliate him by crucifying him, but God raised him greatly in
rank." [Al-Mawdudi, Tafhimu’l-Qur’an+

As clearly seen from the verses and the Islamic scholars' comments, Jesus (pbuh) was raised alive,
with his body, to God's presence. This is a miracle of God, and a wonder that will inspire great
enthusiasm and excitement among all believers. Claims that only his soul was raised to His presence,
or that his ascension was only spiritual (in station), do not reflect the facts neither the hadith. The
invalidity of such claims has been proven by many Islamic scholars. [Harun Yahya]

Meaning of tawaffa:

1-Linguistically:

Ibn Taymiyya said:

ٚ ‫ اى ت٘ف‬ٚ ‫ ف اى ق ط ٍؼ ْ ٕ اى ؼس ى غ ف‬ٞ ‫ أددٕ اّ ٘اع ال ٔ ٗذاى ل ٗاال ظ ت‬ٚ ‫ اى ت٘ف‬ٚ ‫ اى ًْ٘ ف‬ٚ ّ ‫ٗاى ث‬
ٚ ‫ ٗاى ث ى اى َ٘ت ت ٘ف‬ٚ ‫ؼ ٗاى دُ اى سٗح ٗت ٘ف‬َٞ
"Al-tawaffa in the Arabic language means: to exact fully or take in full. It takes three forms; the first:
to take in sleep; the second: to take in death; and the third: to take the body and soul all together."
(Al-Jawab Al-Sahih 2/83)

Regarding Quran chapter 3 verse 55 ; Imam Qurtubi has explained this verse saying that the waw,
meaning and, does not require tartib (the order of occurrence), thus the import of the verse will be,
"I shall raise you to Me and clear you from those who rejected faith and I shall take you to myself
after your descent from the skies."

The first is that the word ‘Mutawaffiyka’ means "I shall take you, I shall take you away from those
people towards Myself, by raising you to Me," as the word tawaffi is used for taking and collecting, it
is said in the context of Tawaffaytu Mali i.e. "I took back my belongings."

The second view is that ‘Mutawaffiyka’ means "I shall send you to sleep," as sleep is the ‘twin sister
of death’ and the word ‘wafa`t’ i.e. death, has been used for sleep in the following verse also:

"He is the One who takes your soul by night and hath knowledge of all that you do in the day."
[Quran, 6/60.]

The word Mutawaffi in surah Al Imran verse 55 takes Tawaffi as its verbal noun with its root being
wafyun. Lexically the word means to take in full. [Mufti Shafi Usmani Maariful Quran]

The verb tawaffa means to take something in full. Thus Allah (swt) raised Isa (as) completely with his
body and soul so that the Jews could not have harmed Isa (as). This is why Allah revealed in surah al
imran verse 55; “When Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify
you from those who disbelieve…” *Tafsir Kabir by Razi+

2-Quranic usage:

The Qur’an also reveals that taking a person’s soul does not always imply death. For instance,
another verse uses tawaffaa to refer not to a person’s death, but to taking his or her soul while
asleep:

ٔ‫ اىي‬ٚ‫ت٘ف‬ٝ ‫ِ اى ّفط‬ٞ‫ ٍ٘تٖ د‬ٜ‫ تَت ىٌ ٗاىت‬ٜ‫َعل ٍْ ٍٖ ف‬ٞ‫ ف‬ٜ‫ اىت‬ٚ‫ٖ ع‬ٞ‫سظو اىَ٘ت ػي‬ٝٗ ٙ‫ اى خس‬ٚ‫ أ و ى‬َٚ‫ ُ ٍع‬ٜ‫ ت ذىل ف‬ٝ ‫ى‬
‫تفنسُٗ ً٘ىق‬ٝ

"Allah fully takes away (yatawaffaa) the souls (of the people) at the time of their death (mawtiha),
and (of) those who do not die (lam tamut), in their sleep. Then He withholds those on whom He had
decreed death (al-mawt), and sends others back, up to an appointed term. Surely, in this, there are
signs for a people who ponder." (Quran 39: 42)

The word here translated as “taking back” is the same as that used in Qur’an 3:55 and 5:117:
tawaffaa.

3-Explanation from Hadith:

Another instance in which sleep is regarded as a kind of death, but which does not refer to biological
death, is the following Hadith:

ِ‫ف ػ‬ٝ‫َ ُ بِ در‬ٞ‫ م ُ ه اى‬ٜ ْ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ ذا ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٙٗ‫ أ‬ٚ‫ أٍ٘ت ب ظَل ه فسا ٔ ى‬ٞ‫ ىئ اىذَد ه ً ٗ ذا ٗأد‬ٛ‫ ّ اىر‬ٞ‫أد‬
‫ٔ أٍ تْ ٍ بؼد‬ٞ‫اىْ ٘ز ٗ ى‬

Narrated Huzaifa: When the Holy Prophet (PBUH) moved to his bed (to sleep) he would say; ‘All
praise is for God, Who has made us alive after He made us die [sleep] (Al-hamdu li Allah illazi ahyana
ba’da maa amatana; wa ilayhi al-nushoor).’ (Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5837)

No doubt, he used these wise words not to refer to biological death when one is asleep, but rather
to a sleeping person’s soul being “taken.”

4-Jesus (PBUH) was given a kind of sleep:

Ibn Kathir, the famous Islamic scholar and commentator, used the above Hadith, along with many
other proofs in his commentary on Surah Al’-Imran, to explain that tawaffaa refers to sleep. In
addition, he indicated the word’s meaning in other verses where it appears.

Ibn Abbas (ra) said; "I shall cause you to sleep.’ So, Allah raised Jesus (PBUH) to the heavens while he
was asleep." (Ibn Kathir 2/47 and tafsir ibn abi hatim)

Infact there is a Hadith which clarifies beyond all doubt. It goes as;

‫ه‬ ‫ ا هلل ز ظ٘ه‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ٖ٘ ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬ٞ ‫ى ي‬:"ُ ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ ى ٌ ػ‬،‫َت‬ٝ ٔ ّ ٗ ‫ نٌ زا غ‬ٞ ‫و ى‬ ً٘ ٝ ٍ ٞ ‫اى ق‬

Hasan (RA) narrated: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to the Jews, 'Jesus has not died, he will
return to you before the Doomsday.'" (Al-Tabari H.7133)

5-Antonym of Hayat (Life) in the Quran?

Further we know that in the Holy Quran only the word mawt (death) is used in contrast to hayat
(life) e.g. See Quran 67:2, 25:3, 2:260, 30:19, 2:164, 16:45, 45:5, 3:49, 42:9. But not even once has
the Quran used tawaffa against hayat. This is strong evidence that to the Author of the Quran
tawaffa is not the opposite of hayat.

6-Views of leading learned scholars:

Islamic scholars agree that mutawaffeeka means that Jesus (PBUH) did not die, but that he was
raised to Allah’s presence and will return to Earth. For example;

Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari, the famous commentator and scholar , stated that mutawaffeeka is used in the
sense of “removing from Earth” and interpreted the verse in the following terms: "To me the
soundest opinion is to take this word in the sense of 'to take into one’s possession', 'draw (away)
from Earth.' In that case, the meaning of the verse is: 'I shall take you from Earth and into the
heavens.' [This is] because of the multiple ways it has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah
(PBUH) that Jesus son of Mary will descend, kill Anti-Christ (Dajjal)..." (Al-Tabari 3/51)

7-Ibn Abbas's (RA) view on Mutawaffeeka:

Narrated Az-Zahaak from Ibn Abbas that the verse 'Inni Mutawaffeka wa rafiuka' means: "I will raise
you alive to myself then I'll cause you to die near the End of Times." (Sahih Bukhari 14/149 & Durr Al-
Manthur 2/347)

The complete narration along with chain is found in Ibn kathir 2/47, Al-Tabari 6/457, Ibn Abi Hatim
3/14 Hadith 3630.

It is enough to show that even according to Ibn Abbas' (RA) view Jesus (PBUH) is alive yet and the
verse to him refers only to his death in the End of Times after his descent.

One may say how can the order be changed i.e. how can rafa (raising) precede tawaffa (death as per
Ibn Abbas' view) while it is mentioned later according to the make up of the sentence. This is no
problem as it’s common in Quran that something mentioned later in the sentence precedes what's
mentioned before it. A perfect example is Quran 3:110.

ٌ‫س مْت‬ٞ‫ت ٍسُٗ ىيْ ض أخس ت أٍ خ‬ ٗ‫ب ىئ ٗتؤٍُْ٘ اىَْنس ػِ ٗتُْٖ٘ ب ىَؼس‬

"You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men; you enjoin what is right and
forbid the wrong and believe in Allah."

One can see that belief in Allah comes first but its mentioned after the mention of enjoining what is
right and forbidding the wrong.

Taqdim & Takhir is valid:

The position of Ibn Abbas (RA) is that he believed in the physical ascension and return of Eisa (AS)
even though he understood ‘mutawaffeeka’ to mean death. Following narration clarifies this;

ِ‫ ػ ض اب ِ ػ‬ٜ ‫ { ٘ ىٔ ف‬ٜ ّ ‫ل‬ٞ ‫ } ٗزاف ؼل ٍ ت٘ف‬ْٜ ‫ ؼ‬ٝ ‫ل ٌ زاف ؼل‬ٞ ‫ ٍ ت٘ف‬ٜ ‫اى صٍ ُ خس ف‬

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas about the Ayah “I’ll take you and raise you”; “It means I’ll raise you
then will cause you to die near the End of Times.” (Durr Manthur 2/347 under 3:55)

It is thus obvious that Ibn Abbas (RA) believed in Taqdim & Takhir (advancing and delaying) in this
verse [Quran 3:55].

In wake of the reality that sole person whose reference they cite in forwarding their argument about
the meaning ‘mutawaffeeka’ made Taqdim in this verse (3:55)

Imam Al-Razi in his commentary after explaining this verse from various angles says;

ْٚ ‫ ٗاى َ ؼ‬: ٜ ّ‫ زاف ؼل أ‬ٜ‫ ِ ٍِ ٍٗطٖسك ى‬ٝ‫ل م فسٗا اى ر‬ٞ ‫ ب ؼد ٍٗ ت٘ف‬ٜ ‫ ك ّ صاى‬ٝ ٜ ‫ ف‬ٞ ّ‫ اى د‬، ٔ ‫ٍِ ٍٗ ثي‬
ٌ ٝ‫س اى ت قد‬ٞ ‫س ٗاى ت خ‬ٞ ‫ م ث‬ٜ ‫اى قس ُ ف‬
“The meaning is; I will raise you unto me and will purify you from infidels and will cause you to die
after I descend you in the word. And examples of advancing and retarding (taqdim and takhir) are
numerous in the Qur’an.” (Tafsir Al-Kabir 4/227 under Qur’an 3:55)

An example is the following verse;

ٔ‫ تؼيَُ٘ اه أٍٖ تنٌ بطُ٘ ٍِ أخس نٌ ٗاىي‬ٞ ‫ت نسُٗ ىؼينٌ ٗاى ف دة ٗاى بص ز اىعَغ ىنٌ ٗ ؼو‬

“Allah has brought you forth from your mothers‘wombs when you knew nothing, and He made for
you ears, eyes and hearts, so that you may be grateful.” (Qur’an 16:78)

Clearly the idea of Taqdim and Takhir is implied in this verse as Allah surely makes for one his ears,
eyes and heart before he comes forth from his mother’s womb though this is not mentioned in
sequence.

And Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti in his monumental work on Qur’anic sciences and knowledge, Al-Ittiqan
fi Uloom Al-Qur’an, has a complete chapter about it. He starts the chapter with the following words;

ُ َ‫ٕ٘ ع‬. ‫األٗ ه‬: ٍ ‫ ب ذ ع ٍؼ ْ ٓ أ نو‬،‫أّ ٔ ػس ف يَ اى ظ ٕس‬ ‫ ٌ ب‬ٝ‫س اى ت قد‬ٞ ‫ س ات عخ ٗاى ت خ‬ٝ‫أُ ٕٗ٘ د‬
‫ فس‬ٝ ،‫ف‬ٞ ْ ‫ ى رى ل اى ع يف ت ؼسض ٗ د ب ى ت ص‬ٜ ‫ ت ف‬ٝ

“This, the first of two sections, deals with verses that remain ambiguous on face value. But
knowing that they belong to the category known as Advancing and Delaying (taqdim and takhir)
brings clarity to them. Though some of the pious ancestors have made passing references to them,
such verses in fact, ought to have been dealt with exclusively in a separate work. “

And in the same section he writes;

‫ت ة ػِ ٗأخسج‬ ٜ ‫ ٘ ىٔ ف‬ٚ ‫ ت ؼ ى‬ٜ ّ ‫ل‬ٞ ‫ ه ٗزاف ؼل ٍ ت٘ف‬: ‫ٗاى َؤخس اى َ قدً ٍِ ٕرا‬: ٛ‫ زاف ؼل أ‬ٜ ‫ل ى‬ٞ ‫ٍٗ ت٘ف‬

“And he *Ibn Abi Hatim+ quotes Qatada as saying that the verse ‘inn mutawafeeka wa rafiyuka’
(3:55) also belongs to the said category and must be understood thus: ‘rafiyuka ilayya wa
mutawafeeka’.” (Al-Ittiqan section 44 p.1399-1400. Classified as Sahih by the research team of
Markaz Al-Dirasat Al-Qur’ania, pub. Saudi Ministry of Islamic publications)

Please note, Qatada was one of the most prominent students of Ibn Abbas’ (RA) pupils. Also note
that both Al-Razi and Suyuti have been recognized as Mujaddid.

Imam Suyuti explaining Advancing and delaying verses in Al Itqaan fi Uloomul Quran - The
Muqaddam and the Mu'akhkhar

Razi ibn Abu Hatim quotes Qatadah with reference to the verse “And let not their wealth and their
children impress you. Allah only intends to punish them through them in this world and that their
souls should depart *at death+ while they are disbelievers.” *Quran 9:85+ as saying “This verse
belongs to genre of Taqdim (advancing verses).”
Qatadah also considers the verse “And if not for a word that proceeded from your Lord, punishment
would have been an obligation *due immediately+, and *if not for+ a specified term *decreed+.”
[20:129] as belonging to the catogary of Takhir (delaying verses). [Razi ibn abi Hatim]

Qatadah explains the verse *3:50+ “When Allah said: ‘O Isa , I am to take you in full (mutawaffeeka)
and to raise you towards Myself, and to cleanse you of those who disbelieve…” as saying this means
that Allah took Isa (as) alive. [Razi Ibn Abi Hatim]

Razi quotes Ikrima as saying the verse *38:26+ “Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah
will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account.” As saying this verse belongs
to the delaying catogary since the most severe punishment for the disbleievers is in the hereafter.”
[Ibn Abi Hatim]

Ibn Abbas explained the following two verses;

“And his Wife was standing, and she smiled. Then We gave her good tidings of Ishaac and after
Ishaac, Ya’qub.” *Quran 11:71+

Ibn Abbas (ra) said that the above verse belongs to the category of advancing and delaying. This is
because the wife of Ibrahim (as) was surprised after receiving the glad tidings of a son, even though
the verse apparently shows the other way round. [Baghawi and Razi ibn Abi Hatim]

Another example of delaying and advancing is the verse of inheritance;

“Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two
females. But if there are [only] daughters, two or more, for them is two thirds of one's estate. And if
there is only one, for her is half. And for one's parents, to each one of them is a sixth of his estate if
he left children. But if he had no children and the parents [alone] inherit from him, then for his
mother is one third. And if he had brothers [or sisters], for his mother is a sixth, after any bequest he
*may have+ made or debt (been paid off).” *4:11+

The verse apparently shows bequests come first although the Islamic law requires that debts be
discharged before bequests.

Another example of delaying and advancing is the verse “And We gave understanding of the case to
Solomon, and to each *of them+ We gave judgement and knowledge.” *21:79+

From the above verse; sound judgement is mentioned therein before knowledge, although the latter
generally precedes the former.

Another example of advance and delay is the verse in surah Al Mulk;

“*He+ who created death and life to test you *as to+ which of you is best in deed - and He is the
Exalted in Might, the Forgiving.” *67:2+

The above verse apparently shows death before life although Allah created life brfore death.
“And when Allah said: O Isa, I am going to take you and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you
of those who disbelieve... [3:55]

The conjunction ‘wa’ does not imply sequence:

Imam Al-Razi, recognized as Mujaddid, says;

ٗ‫ اى ٘ا‬ٜ ‫ل { ٘ ىٔ ف‬ٞ‫ ٗزافؼل ٍت٘ف‬ٚ‫د ال} ى‬ٞ ‫ ت ف‬ٞ ‫ اى تست‬ٟٝ ‫ ت ده ف‬ٚ‫ أّ ٔ ػ ي‬ٚ ‫ ف ؼو ت ؼ ى‬ٝ ٔ ‫ األف ؼ ه ٕرٓ ب‬،
ٍ ‫ف ف‬ٞ ‫ ف ؼو م‬ٝ ، ٚ‫ ف ؼو ٍٗ ت‬ٝ ، ‫ٔ ف ألٍ س‬ٞ ‫ ٍ٘ ٘ ف‬ٚ‫و ػ ي‬ٞ ‫ اى دى‬، ‫ت ٗ د‬ ‫و‬ٞ ‫ أّ ٔ اى دى‬ٜ‫ػِ اى خ س ٗٗز د‬
ٜ ْ ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬: « ٔ ّ‫ ْصه أ‬ٞ ‫ ق تو ظ‬ٝٗ ‫ ّ ٔ ٌ » اى د ه‬ٚ ‫ ت٘ف ٓ ت ؼ ى‬ٝ ‫ ذى ل ب ؼد‬.

“The *conjunction+ ‘wa’ *i.e. and+ in the word of Allah ‘mutawaffeeka wa rafiuka’ does not imply
sequence. So the verse says the Almighty does all these things but as to how he and when, this
depends on the evidence. And it is proved with evidence that he [Eisa A.S.] is alive. There is a
saying of the Prophet, on whom be peace, ‘He [Eisa] will return and kill Dajjal’ then afterwards the
Almighty will cause him to die.” (Tafsir Al-Kabir 4/226 under Qur’an 3:55)

Explicit narrations from Ibn Abbas (RA) about ascension, life & return of Eisa (AS):

ِ‫ ه ػ ض اب ِ ػ‬: َ ‫ سف غ أُ ا هلل أزا ى‬ٝ ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ػ‬ٚ ‫ى‬ َ‫ خسج اى ع‬ٚ‫ ٗزف غ… أ صذ ب ٔ ػ ي‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ زٗشّ ٍِ ػ‬ٜ ‫ف‬
‫ت‬ٞ ‫ اى‬ٚ ‫اى عَ ى‬

Ibn Abbas said, “When Allah intended to raise Eisa (AS) to the heavens, he went to his
companions…and Eisa (AS) ascended to the Heavens through an opening in the top of the house.”
(Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2/449, Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim 4/431 Hadith 6266. Ibn Kathir classified it as Sahih)

Bukhari Kitbabus Tafseer for Surah Maida explainging verse 117 -- Ibn Abbas says “Qala Ibne Abbas
Mutawafeeka Mumetuka” That Mutwaffee means taking up fully. *Bukhari book on tafsir+

Also, among the scholars of the Companions is the great scholar, the sea of knowledge, 'Abdullah bin
`Abbas, the cousin of the Messenger of Allah, and the explainer of the Qur'an, as a result of the
blessing of the supplication of the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him. The Prophet invoked Allah
for the benefit of Ibn `Abbas,

“O Allah! Teach him Fiqh in the religion and interpretation.” [Bukhari and Fath Al-Bari]

Further, Ibn Jarir At-Tabari reported that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said, "Yes, Ibn 'Abbas is the
interpreter of the Qur'an." This Hadith has an authentic chain of narrators. [Tabari]

It must be clear to the readers that Ibn Abbas is among the most prominent people in the
understanding of Qur’an and in this regard there is a prayer of Holy Prophet (saaw) in his favour.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, "Just before Allah raised `Isa to the heavens, `Isa went
to his companions, who were twelve inside the house. When he arrived, his hair was dripping water
and he said, `There are those among you who will disbelieve in me twelve times after he had
believed in me.' He then asked, `Who volunteers that his image appear as mine, and be killed in my
place. He will be with me (in Paradise)' One of the youngest ones among them volunteered and `Isa
asked him to sit down. `Isa again asked for a volunteer, and the young man kept volunteering and
`Isa asking him to sit down. Then the young man volunteered again and `Isa said, `You will be that
man,' and the resemblance of `Isa was cast over that man while `Isa ascended to heaven from a hole
in the house. When the Jews came looking for `Isa, they found that young man and crucified him.
Some of `Isa's followers disbelieved in him twelve times after they had believed in him. They then
divided into three groups. One group, Al-Ya`qubiyyah (Jacobites), said, `Allah remained with us as
long as He willed and then ascended to heaven.' Another group, An-Nasturiyyah (Nestorians), said,
`The son of Allah was with us as long as he willed and Allah took him to heaven.' Another group,
Muslims, said, `The servant and Messenger of Allah remained with us as long as Allah willed, and
Allah then took him to Him.' The two disbelieving groups cooperated against the Muslim group and
they killed them. Ever since that happened, Islam was then veiled until Allah sent Muhammad
(saw).'' This statement has an authentic chain of narration leading to Ibn `Abbas, and An-Nasa'i
narrated it through Abu Kurayb who reported it from Abu Mu`awiyah. Many among the Salaf stated
that `Isa asked if someone would volunteer for his appearance to be cast over him and that he will
be killed instead of `Isa, for which he would be his companion in Paradise. [Sunan An-Nasa’I, Tafsir
Ibn Abi Hatim, Tafsir Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

Similar reports that state Isa (as) was raised up alive and that someonelse was on the cross are found
in Tafsir Tabari, Baydawi, Razi, Zamakshari and other mufasereen.

Commenting on the verse [Quran ch 4 vs 157] Tabari gives an isnad for the narration that Jesus was
raised alive and that somebody else was put on the cross; tabari reports from Ibn Humayd from
Ya’qub al-Qummi from Harun Ibn Antara on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih from ibn jurayj
from Mujahid and Qatadah. [Tafsir tabari]

Another isnad in Tafsir Tabari is from Ibn Humayd from Ya’qub al-Qummi from Harun Ibn Antara on
the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih from Al A’mash from Al Minhal from Said ibn Jubayr from Ibn
Abbas (ra). [Tafsir Tabari]

What explicit evidence is required after this?

ِ‫د ػ‬ٞ ‫ ب ِ ظ ؼ‬،‫س‬ٞ ِ‫ػ ض اب ِ ػ‬:”ُ ٗ ٍِ ‫إٔو‬ ‫ؤٍ ِْ ال اى ن ت‬ٞ ‫و ب ٔ ى‬ ٔ ‫”ٍ٘ت‬، ‫ ه‬: ‫و‬ ‫ ٍ٘ت‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ػ‬
ِ ‫ ٌ اب‬ٝ‫ٍس‬

It is narrated from Sa’id bin Jubair from Ibn Abbas *about+; “No one will remain from among the
People of the Book but will certainly believe in him before he dies.” He said; “Before the death of
Eisa ibn Maryam.” (Tafsir Al-Tabari 9/380 Narration 10794-5 under Qur’an 4:159. Classified as Sahih
by Hafiz Ibn Hajr in Fath Al-Bari 10/250, Kitab Ahadith Al-Anbiya, Chapter on the Descent of Eisa ibn
Maryam)

Simple implication of this narration is that Ibn Abbas (RA) believed in the return of Eisa ibn Maryam
(AS). Hafiz Ibn Hajr who authenticated this narration has been recognized as Mujaddid of the 8th
century.
We find a narration in Musnad Ahmad which says that Abu Yahya, the freed slave of Ibn Aqil Ansari,
asked Ibn Abbas about the verse;

{ ّٔ ٗ ٌ‫} ىيع ػ ىؼي‬

“And he is the sign of the Hour (the Day of Judgment)” (43:61)

‫ خسٗج ٕ٘ ه‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ٌ ابِ ػ‬ٝ‫ٔ ٍس‬ٞ‫ً٘ و اىعي ً ػي‬ٝ ٍ ٞ‫اىق‬

Ibn Abbas said: “That is the descent of Eisa ibn Maryam, on whom be peace, before the
Doomsday.” (Musnad Ahmad 3/284 Hadith 2921 Classified as Sahih by Ahmad Shakir)

Many more narrations to this effect are found in Tafsir Al-Tabari under this Ayah.

Zamakhsharī insists that sūrat al-zukhruf (43) verse 61 means that the Hour will not arrive (he
explains that ʿilm here means shart, “precondition”) before Jesus returns to Earth, at which time he
will kill al-Dajjāl, follow Quran and perform Hajj. [Al Kashaf]

Muqatil ibn Sulayman explains that with the phrase “knowledge of the Hour” the Quran means that
the imminent coming of the end times will be known by the descent of Jesus from heaven. [Tafsir
Muqatil]

(And he shall be a sign for (the coming of) the Hour.) means, sign and "One of the signs of the Hour
will be the appearance of `Isa son of Maryam before the Day of Resurrection. '' Something similar
was also narrated from Abu Hurayrah, Ibn `Abbas, `Abu Al-`Aliyah, Abu Malik, `Ikrimah, Al-Hasan,
Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others. Many Mutawatir Hadiths report that the Messenger of Allah said
that `Isa will descend before the Day of Resurrection as a just ruler and fair judge.

Ibn Kathīr states that sūrat al-zukhruf (43) vs.61 refers to the return ofJesus to this world in the end
of times, noting how many important authorities (Abū Hurayra, IbnʿAbbās, Abū al-ʿĀliyya, Abūl-
Salām, ʿIkrima, al-Hasan, Qatāda, Dahhāk and others) provide hadīths that transmit this report from
the Prophet himself. [Tafsir Ibn Kathir]

According to Abū Jaʿfar al-Tabarī (d. 310/923) the mufassirūn are in agree-ment that Jesus did not
die, that instead he ascended to heaven body and soul while someone else died in his place. [Tafsir
tabari]

Following is another explicit and categorical narration that proves that the messiah isa ibn Maryam
(as) was raised up alive.

ِ‫ه ػ ض اب ِ ػ‬ … ُ ٗ ‫ زف ؼٔ ا هلل‬،ٓ‫ ٗاّ ٔ ب ج عد‬ٜ‫ د‬، ُٟ‫س غ ا‬ٞ ‫ ٗ ظ‬ٚ ‫ ى‬ٞ ّ‫ نُ٘ اى د‬ٞ ‫ٖ ف‬ٞ ‫ ف‬، ‫ َ٘ت ٌ ٍين‬ٝ
َ ‫ َ٘ت م‬ٝ ‫اى ْ ض‬

Narrated from Ibn Abbas, he said: “… and verily Allah raised him *Eisa ibn Maryam+ with his body
while he was alive and he will soon return to this world and will be a ruler therein. Then he will die
as other people die.” (Ibn S’ad’ Tabaqat Al-Kubra 1/53)
Alhamdulillah all the above details show it beyond all doubt that Ibn Abbas (RA) and his pupils
adhered to the unanimous Islamic belief about the physical ascension and return of Isa ibn Maryam
(AS).

Meaning of (Raf’a) ascension according to leading scholars:

1- Raghib Isfahani writes;

‫ ق ه اى سف غ‬ٝ ‫ ت زة‬ٜ ‫ع ً ف‬ ‫ تٖ ذا اى َ٘ ظ٘ػ اال‬ٞ ‫ٍ قسٕ ػِ أػ ي‬

“Raf’a is sometimes used for corporeal things to mean raising or elevating it from its resting
place.” (Mufradat Al-Qur’an 1/200)

2- Al-Feyumi writes;

‫ ف ىسفغ‬ٜ‫ق اى ع ً ف‬ٞ‫ دق‬ٜ‫ ٗاى ّتق ه اىذسم ف‬ٜ‫ ٗف‬ّٜ ‫ ٍذَ٘ه اىَؼ‬ٚ‫ٔ ٍ ػي‬ٞ‫قتع‬ٝ ً ‫اىَق‬

“So Raf’a in relation to corporeal things is used properly to denote motion and removal and in
relation to ideal things it is accorded in meaning to what the case requires.” (Al-Misbah Al-Munir
3/443)

3- Edward William Lane says the same; infact he quotes the above two statements in his Arabic-
English Lexicon part.3 p.287

Raf’a in relation to Eisa (A.S.) refers to both his body and soul and not just soul:

A careful but honest look into the wording of the Qur’an shows that Raf’a is used for the body of
Eisa (A.S.) as well and not just his soul;

We see that in Qur’an 3:55;

‫ اىئ ه ذ‬ٝ ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ ػ‬ّٜ ‫ل‬ٞ‫ ٗزافؼل ٍت٘ف‬ٜ‫ِ ٍِ ٍٗطٖسك ى‬ٝ‫ِ ٗ ػو مفسٗا اىر‬ٝ‫ِ ف٘ ات ؼ٘ك اىر‬ٝ‫ مفسٗا اىر‬ٚ‫ً٘ ى‬ٝ ٍ ٞ‫اىق‬

“When Allah said: .O Isa , I am to take you in full and to raise you towards Myself and to purify you
of those who disbelieve, and to place those who follow you above those who disbelieve up to the
Day of Doom. Then to Me is your return, whereupon I shall judge between you in that over which
you have differed.” [3:55]

The above verse is mentioning the physical ascension and purification of the messiah. No deviant
Jews were close to the spiritual level to the Messiah.

Just as ‫( ٍطٖسك‬cleanse you) and ‫( ات ؼ٘ك‬follow you) refer to the whole person, body as well as soul,
‫( زافؼل‬raise you) also refers to both body and soul. There is no basis to maintain the difference
between reference of pronouns of ‫ ٍطٖسك‬,‫ ات ؼ٘ك‬and ‫زافؼل‬. And as body is a corporeal thing so in the
light of actual meaning of the word it most certainly denotes its displacement. This also leads us to
the True Islamic belief that even ‫ل‬ٞ‫( ٍت٘ف‬take you) refers to the whole person, body as well as soul
and not merely the soul.

Regarding the word Raf'a when used in salah then obviously that is completely different sitaution.
There is no link between the verses [3:55 and 4:158] with salah since salah is ibadah (spiritual act),
but the verses [4:157-158] on the contrary mentions about the Jews who were trying to do a
physical act of killing; thus Isa (as) was raised up alive since its impossible for the messiah to be
cursed or spiritually low.

If the use of the word rafa'a in Qur'an 4:158 referred solely to the "raising of the soul," this would
not cancel out Jesus' (pbuh) killing and the wisdom revealed in the verse would not apply. For
example, if the Jews had killed Jesus (pbuh), his soul would, in any case, have been spiritually raised
to God. Indeed, we know that the souls of all prophets and believers ascend to God after they die.
There is no difference in this regard between Jesus (pbuh) and all other people. Therefore, there is a
special feature in this verse: the raising of Jesus (pbuh), while still alive, in both body and soul. At the
same time, when we look at the end of this verse, we see that it manifests God's glory and wisdom.

Contrary to what some people maintain, the ascension is not a spiritual one or one of degree. God
reveals that He foiled the trap set for Jesus (pbuh). Thus, given the fact that Jesus (pbuh) did not die,
the information revealed in the verse shows that Jesus (pbuh) was raised to God with body and soul,
and not merely spiritually. The plotters were confounded by Jesus' (pbuh) ascension to God. (God
knows best.) The scholar Zahid al-Kawthari expounds on this by giving the following example:

One verse regarding Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) states: "… God
will protect you from people…" (Qur'an, 5:67). There can be no doubt that the verse means
something other than: "He raises your station before people." Our Prophet (may God bless him and
grant him peace) was attacked physically, and so God placed him under His physical protection. This
also applies to Jesus (pbuh), who was physically attacked as well. Therefore, it is impossible for the
ascension referred to in the verse [4:158] to have been merely a spiritual one. [Al-Kawthari, Nazra
‘Abira, 94+

Ibn Taymiyya also drew attention to this subject:

“Had God willed to refer to death, Jesus (pbuh) would have died like all other believers. God takes
the souls of all believers and raises them to the skies. It would thus appear that there was nothing
out of the ordinary in this. In other words, there would be no significance in God's referring to Jesus
(pbuh) in this way since Isa (as) would be raised in rank regardless of how he dies.” *Ibn Taymiyya,
Majmu‘ Fatawa, (The Collected Fatwas), 322-23]

Meaning of ‘Cleanse you’:

“And when Allah said: O Isa, I am going to take you and cause you to ascend unto Me and purify you
of those who disbelieve…” *3:55+
The above verse is extremely clear and lucid that it reveals Allah’s statement of physically raising and
purifying the messiah Isa (as).

‘Cleanse you’ in verse [3:55] refers to Eisa’ (A.S.) departure from the evil company of the Jews. The
very fact the verse reads ‘cleanse you of those who disbelieve’ shows it was physical separation and
not spiritual for disbelievers could have never been close to the Mighty Prophet Isa (A.S.) in spiritual
sense. This cannot be a reference to his being relieved from the false accusations of Jews and
Christians because context has nothing to do with it. It refers to the evil plot of the Jews (verse 54)
and Allah’s plan to save him from their dirty trick. Same is evident in light of the scholarly opinions
see e.g. Tafsir Kabir of Al-Raazi and Tafsir Kashshaf of Zamakhshari. Al-Raazi has been recognized as
Mujaddid of the 4th century.

The root of mutahhiruka is tahara, meaning "being clean." Islamic scholars regard this word as one
proof that Jesus (pbuh) was raised alive to God. According to them, the interpretation of the verse is:
"I am taking you, raising you to Me, and removing you from this environment polluted by unbelievers
and sinners."

Thus, God purified Jesus (pbuh) from the unbelievers, the unbelievers' plot to kill him was foiled and
they failed to achieve their goal. (God knows best.)

Moreover, this verse also shows that Jesus (pbuh) was purified by his physical separation from an
environment containing unbelievers. (God knows best.) Thus, the assertion that Jesus (pbuh) died
and that only his soul was raised to God is proven false. A spirit-only ascent would mean that he was
not purified.

In order for Jesus (pbuh) to have been purified in the manner revealed in the verse, he would have
to have departed from his surrounding environment in both body and soul. Furthermore, a spirit-
only purification cannot apply to a prophet with superior moral values, one who is honored in God's
presence and has deep faith, such as Jesus (pbuh).

As a devout believer and a messenger of God, Jesus' (pbuh) soul is immaculate. However, his
environment was not immaculate, due to the unbelievers' irreligious behavior and corrupt moral
values.

Therefore, purifying Jesus (pbuh) means his physical removal from their presence. Thus, God
physically purified and protected him by physically raising Jesus (pbuh) to Himself.

According to Zamakhsharī,“When God informed Jesus that He would raise him to heaven alive and
purify him *ch 3 vs 55+ from the followers of the Jews, he said to his companions: ‘Who would like to
have my likeness cast on him, to be killed and crucified,and to enter paradise?’ One of them said, ‘I
would’. *Jesus’+ likeness was cast on him and he was killed and martyred.” *Zamakhsharī, Al-Kashfʿan
haqā’iq ghawāmid al-tanzīl, ed. Muhammad Husayn Ahmad (Cairo: Matbaat al-Istiqāma,
1365/1946), 1:586–7, on ch 4 vs 153–9]

Similarly in Qur’an 4:157-158;

ٌٖ‫خ تيْ ّ ٗ ٘ى‬ٞ‫ اىَع‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ٌ ابِ ػ‬ٝ‫ِ ٗ ُ ىٌٖ ٔ ٗىنِ صي ٘ٓ ٍٗ تي٘ٓ ٍٗ اىئ زظ٘ه ٍس‬ٝ‫ٔ اختيف٘ا اىر‬ٞ‫ ف‬ٜ‫ٍِ بٔ ىٌٖ ٍ ٍْٔ ل ىف‬
ٌ‫ْ تي٘ٓ ٍٗ اىظِ ات ع ى ػي‬ٞ‫ق‬ٝ () ‫ٔ اىئ زفؼٔ بو‬ٞ‫صا اىئ ٗم ُ ى‬ٝ‫ٌ ػص‬ٞ‫دن‬

“And for their saying, .We have certainly killed the Masih Eisa the son of Maryam, the Messenger
of Allah., while in fact they did neither kill him, nor crucify him, but they were deluded by
resemblance. Those who disputed in this matter are certainly in doubt about it. They have no
knowledge of it, but they follow whims. It is absolutely certain that they did not kill him. But Allah
lifted him towards Himself. Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” [4: 157-158]

Here again just as ٍٗ ٓ٘‫( تي‬and they killed him not), ٍٗ ٓ٘ ‫( صي‬nor crucify him) and ٍٗ ٓ٘‫ْ تي‬ٞ‫ق‬ٝ (and for
a surety they killed him not) refers to the body of Eisa (A.S.); ٔ‫( اىئ زفؼ‬Allah lifted him) also refers to
the body of Eisa (A.S.) and not just his soul. Again there is no reason to drop body from ٔ‫( اىئ زفؼ‬Allah
lifted him).

Another important proof of this event is the Arabic word bal, which appears in Qur'an, 4:158, and
has the literal translation of "on the contrary." The features of its meaning and use in Arabic
linguistics indicate a very important fact: According to the rules of Arabic linguistics, the sentence
that comes after it must have a meaning that is completely opposite to the preceding statement.
That being the case, it is likely that the verses referring to Jesus (pbuh) "… They did not kill him,"
(Qur'an, 4:157) "on the contrary *bal+ God raised him up to Himself…" (Qur'an, 4:158) refer to the
state of being alive, rather than the state of being dead. (God knows best.) Sheikh al-Islam Mustafa
Sabri offered the following interpretation:

If the term bal, which appears in Qur'an 4:158 and which I have translated as "on the contrary,"
comes after a sentence expressing a negativity, then, according to the rules of Arabic linguistics, the
sentence following it must mean the exact opposite of the one preceding it. The opposite of death is
life. This is a requirement of the rules of linguistics. If we say that "the ascension here is a spiritual
one" and "Jesus (pbuh) died in the normal sense," then we are violating that rule. In that case, the
ascension following the expression "on the contrary" would not represent the opposite to the verbs
of "killing" and "crucifying" in the negative sentence preceding it. That is because it may be possible
for a person to be killed and for his or her soul to rise to the skies. Otherwise, this term would be
meaningless, and there are no meaningless terms in the Qur'an … According to those who support
the thesis that the ascension is only one of the soul, the meaning of the verse is this: "They did not
kill him and did not crucify him … on the contrary, God raised his station." There is no particular
oratory here, let alone succinctness.

The mutual compatibility between the verse's previous and later sections necessarily reveals a fact.
For example, if an Arab says: "I am not hungry; on the contrary, I am lying on my side," this is not a
correct sentence. In the same way, there is a discrepancy between the components in the sentence:
"Khalid did not die; on the contrary, he is a good man." What would be correct is to say: "Khalid did
not die; on the contrary, he is alive." To say: "The chairman was not killed; he is a man with a
superior station in God's presence" also leads to a break in meaning in the sentence, for his having a
high station in God's sight is no obstacle to his being killed. The term bal expresses a negation
between the preceding and the following words. In other words, bal cancels out a previous
statement.
The early scholar of tafsir Muqatil ibn Sulayman al-Balkhi (d.145 A.H) in his commentary Tafsīr
Muqātil explains that the phrase wa-lakin shubbiha la-hum refers to the fact that the image of Jesus
was cast onto a man having received the image of Jesus; he was killed in Jesus place. And Allah (swt)
raised Isa Ibn Maryam (as) alive to the heaven. [Tafsir Muqatil]

A tradition on the authority of Ibn Ishāq relates that Muhammad ibn ‘Alī al-Bāqir stated that Jesus
was with his disciples when he asked, “Who among you desires to be my companion in paradise by
taking on my image before the people who will kill him in my place?”A disciple called out, “I, O
Messenger of Allah.”At this he acquired the image of Jesus, while Jesus first fell asleep and then was
taken into heaven alive (thus the sequence of mutawaffīka wa-rāfiʿuka ilayya in Q 3.55 is explained).
[Tafsir Tabari on ch 4 vs 157]

“When Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those
who disbelieve….” *3:55+

Imam Qurtubi has explained this verse saying that the waw, meaning and, does not require tartib
(the order of occurrence), thus the import of the verse will be, "I shall raise you to Me and clear you
from those who rejected faith and I shall take you to myself after your descent from the skies."

The first is that the word ‘Mutawaffiyka’ means "I shall take you, I shall take you away from those
people towards Myself, by raising you to Me," as the word tawaffi is used for taking and collecting,
it is said in the context of Tawaffaytu Mali i.e. "I took back my belongings."

The second view is that ‘Mutawaffiyka’ means "I shall send you to sleep," as sleep is the ‘twin sister
of death’ and the word ‘wafa`t’ i.e. death, has been used for sleep in the following verse also:

"He is the One who takes your soul by night and hath knowledge of all that you do in the day."
Quran, 6/60.

Muslim scholars regard the above verse in surah al Imran verse 55 as clear proof that Isa (as) was
raised up alive literally since it’s impossible for prophets to be spiritually impure and also impossible
for the deviant Jews to be spiritally close to Isa (as). Also the verse suggests that God raised Jesus
physically away from the environment polluted with the disbelievers.

Scholars on Raf’a of Eisa (A.S.):

“And [for] their saying, "Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger
of Allah." And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble
him to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of
it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain. On the contrary, Allah
raised him to Himself. And ever is Allah Exalted in Might and Wise.” *4:157-158]

All the classical scholars have taken Raf’a about Eisa (A.S.) in the meaning of physical ascent. See
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Tafsir Al-Kabir of Al-Raazi, Aalusi, Shaukani’s Fath Al-Qadir, Jalalain, Durr Manthur,
Baidhawi, Khazin etc.
Imam Shafi’, Ibn taymiya, Al-Raazi, Shaukani and Jalaluddin Suyuti have all been recognized as
Mujaddids.

Even Al-Zamakhshari takes the word Raf’a to mean physical ascension of Isa (A.S.). See his Tafsir
Kashshaf 1/280 under 3:55)

Some deviant cults try to suggest that as Jews in light of Book of Deuteronomy 21:22-23 held that
the one crucified is the one accursed so to refute their belief Allah exalted Eisa (A.S.) in rank.

This again is a twisted argument;

a- Firstly seeking evidence with Biblical reference is forbidden when it contradicts the Quran and
Hadith.

b- Even according to Deut. 21:22-23 only one crucified for a sin punishable by death is accursed and
surely this was never the case with Isa (A.S.).

c- In Qur’an 4:157-158 Allah strongly rejects the notion of his death and then says that ‘But he was
raised’ this bringing in contrast to his idea of being killed. Is ‘rise in ranks’ opposite to being killed? Is
giving ones life in the way of Allah (martyrdom) as same as being cursed?

Just two verses prior to it Qur’an mentions the killing of the Prophets by the Jews;

“And for their slaying of the prophets unjustly …” (Qur’an 4:155)

If raf’a refers to ‘being exalted’ and ‘rise in ranks’ then why was the same not mentioned about
other Prophets killed unjustly? Why the personal pronoun attached with raf’a is singular? Were they
not even martyrs holding the high office of prophethood?

The sole reason raf’a was not mentioned along with earlier Prophets is that it refers to physical
ascension which happened in the case of Isa ibn Maryam (A.S.) only!

All the above details, testimonies of celebrated scholars and study into Qur’an, plainly establish the
fact that the word Raf’a with reference to Eisa (A.S.) means physical ascension and purification.

The Qur’anic usage of Raf’a:

To remove any doubts about the literal ascension of the messiah, let us briefly look into all the
instances where the derivates of the root ‘RA-FA-AYN’ are used in the Qur’an. In total the words
with the root ‘RA-FA-AYN’ are used in 29 verses and in the following lines each of these instances is
tackled with.

1- In Qur’an 3:55 and 4:158 it is used with reference to Isa (A.S.) as explained above.

2- In Qur’an 2:63, 2:93 and 4:154 it used regarding physical elevation of Mt. Tur (Mt. Sinai) like;
“And we raised (rafa’na) high above you the (Mount of) Tur.” (Qur’an 2:63)

It refers to a clear physical phenomenon as it is clear from Qur’an 7:171 and its exegesis in Tafasir of
Ibn Kathir, Al-Raazi, Al-Zamakhshari, Aalusi and in Tafsir Jalalain to mention only a few.

3- In Qur’an 2:42, 6:83, 6:165, 12:76, 40:15, 43:32 and 58:11 it is used for exaltation and raising of
ranks but in all these verses ‘ranks’ are explicitly given as the objects of Raf’a e.g..

“He has raised you in ranks, some above others.” (Qur’an 6:165)

Here and in all such references Allah has used the word Raf’a (i.e. to raise) but then He clearly
speaks of the ‫( ز ت‬ranks). If Raf’a by itself means ‘rise in ranks’ and ‘exaltation’ why would Allah
then mention ‘ranks’ separately? Infact Raf’a only means ‘raising’ and ‘elevation’ and its object is
determined by the context.

This is the argument We gave to Abraham against his people. We raise in rank anyone We will. Your
Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing. (Qur'an, 6:83)

O you who believe! When you are told: "Make room in the gathering," then make room, and God
will make room for you. And when it is said: "Get up," get up. God will raise in rank those of you
who believe and those who have been given knowledge. God is aware of what you do. (Qur'an,
58:11)

These messengers: We favored some of them over others. God spoke directly to some of them and
rose up some of them in rank. We gave clear signs to Jesus, son of Mary, and reinforced him with
the Purest Spirit. If God had willed, those who came after them would not have fought each other
after the clear signs came to them. But they differed. Among them there are those who believe and
those who do not believe. If God had willed, they would not have fought each other. But God does
whatever He desires. (Qur'an, 2:253)

The word “rafa’” has been used with “darajaat”. Allah said degree or ranks over here, because He
meant ranks.

4- In Qur’an 2:127 it is used about Ibrahim (A.S.) raising the foundations of the Holy Ka’ba.

“And when Ibrahim was raising (yarf’a) up the foundations of the House.”

As it refers to corporeal thing we find a connotation of physical change in it.

5- In Qur’an 7:176 it refers to exaltation but the context (verse 175) shows it refers to exaltation
through the revealed verses from Allah as stated by Al- Zamakhshari in his Tafsir. Thus the context
clarifies that it relates to a non-physical phenomenon as revealed verses cannot make one ascend
physically.

6- In Qur’an 12:100 it is used about the act of Yusuf (A.S.) making his parents to sit on a high seat.
“And he raised (raf’a) his parents up on the throne.”

This is clear from numerous narrations given in Tafsir Al-Tabari and Durr Manthur.

7- In Qur’an 13:2, 52:5, 55:7, 79:28 and 88:18 it is used for the physical elevation of the heavens e.g.

“Allah is the One who raised (raf’a) the heavens without pillars” (Qur’an 13:2)

8- In Qur’an 19:57 it is used about Idris (A.S.);

“We raised him (raf’anahu) to a high place.” [Surah Maryam verse 57]

Al-Raazi who holds a prominent position among the greatest exponents of the Qur’ansays;“There
are two opinions about it. First of them: that it refers to exaltation in rank … second: that rising
refers to lifting to a lofty place and this is the stronger opinion for elevation is linked to place so
it’s rise in place *of rest+ and not rank.” (Tafsir Al-Kabir 10/322)

9- In Qur’an 24:36,

“(The guided people worship Allah) in the houses that Allah has permitted to be raised (turf’a),
and where His name is recounted and His purity is pronounced, in the morning and in the
evening.”

Scholars explain that either ‘houses’ refer to the mosques in which case Raf’a has the meaning same
as in Qur’an 2:127 “And *mention+ when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and
[with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the
Knowing.”

Or it refers to the dwellings of the believers in which case it refers to their being exalted in honour.
In this later case the context i.e. ‘where His name is recounted and His purity is pronounced’
determine Raf’a to be of a spiritual connotation.

10- In Qur’an 35:10,

“Whoever desires honor, then all honor lies with Allah alone. Towards Him ascends the pure
word, and the righteous deed uplifts it (yarf’ahu).”

Here it simply means that righteous deeds lift the pure words to Allah so the object of Raf’a here is
‘pure word’ which is not a corporeal (physical) thing. This is clear from the narrations of Ibn Abbas
(cf. Al-Tabari), Hassan and Qatada (cf. Durr Manthur).

11- In Qur’an 49:2;

“O you who believe, do not raise (la tarf’au) your voices above the voice of the Prophet.”

Clearly the object of Raf’a here is voice and no corporeal thing.

I2- In Quran 56:3 it is used with reference to the Doomsday;

“It will bring low (some); (and others) it will exalt (raafi’a);”

In the preceding verse (no. 2) it is said; “And there can be no denying of its befalling.” Thus the
verse means owing to the fact that it cannot be denied so when it befalls it will bring low those who
denied it stubbornly and will exalt those who believed in it in the light of the Divine Guidance. Thus
it’s the context which determines its meaning of exaltation.

Let me also mention that some commentators have even said that this can refer to the system of the
Heavens and the Earth going topsy-turvy on that Awful Day with heavens splitting asunder, stars
falling down and mountains flying away like clouds. See the works of Shaukani, Al-Zamakhshari, Al-
Baidhawi, Aalusi etc.

13- In Qur’an 56:34 it is used as an adjective;

“And on couches or thrones, raised high (marfu’a).”

“Within it are couches raised high.” *88:13]

The height of these thrones/couches is mentioned in physical terms in Hadīth.

Abu Sa’id (RA) reported from the Prophet (SAAW) about Allah’s Words: “And couches raised high”
He said, “Their heights would be like the distance between Heaven and the Earth. And the
distance between them is a journey of five hundred years.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 11659. Shaykh
Hamzatul Zain classified it as Hasan)

14- In Qur’an 80:14 it is used in reference to the Preserved Scripts of the Holy Qur’an;

“It is (recorded) in those scripts (of the Preserved Tablet) that are honoured, exalted (marfu’a),
purified.” (Qur’an 80:13-14)

Al-Raazi says;

‫ ٍسف ٘ػ‬ٜ ‫ ػِ ٍطٖس اى َ قداز ٍسف ٘ػ أٗ اى ع ب ؼ اى عَ ف‬ٛ‫ د‬ٝ‫ِ أ‬ٞ ‫ ط‬ٞ ‫اى‬

“Placed high in the seventh heaven or raised to a such height where they remain pure from the
touch of devils.” (Tafsir Al-Kabir 16/361)

Al-Zamakhshari says;

{ ‫ { ٍسف٘ػ‬ٜ ‫اى عَ ف‬

“marfu’a : *placed high+ in the heaven,” (Tafsir Al-Kashshaf 7/234)

15- In Qur’an 94:4,

“And We raised (raf’ana) high your name.”

Clearly the object of Raf’a is the name (zikr) of the Holy Prophet (SAAW) and nothing of corporeal
nature hence it does not mean physical elevation.

Above details support our contention that Raf’a the way it used for Eisa (A.S.) can only be taken to
mean physical ascension and no other usage of the word puts to doubt the basis of the Islamic
Belief.

Meaning of tawaffa from hadith

Ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬delivered a sermon and said, “…Lo! Some men from
my followers will be brought and taken towards the left side, whereupon I will say, ‘O Lord, (these
are) my companions!’ It will be said, ‘You do not know what new things they introduced (into the
religion) after you.’ I will then say as the righteous pious slave, Jesus, said, ‘I was a witness over
them while I dwelt among them when You did take me up You was the Watcher over them, and
You are the Witness to all things.’ (5: 117) Then it will be said, ‘(O Muhammad) these people never
stopped to apostate since you left them.”
(Bukhari, Kitabul Tafsir, Hadith 4259)

When Holy Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ىٔاه ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬said, , ‘I will say just as the pious slave Jesus said..’,
clearly he sought a parallel only in the sayings and the not their whole context and implications. This
is just as if someone who has been extremely successful in debating various religions and cults on a
certain forum, when asked to comment about his achievements, pronounces; ‘I would rather say
just as Julius Caesar said, ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’ Most certainly he does not mean that he
actually won a battle against the Army of Pharnaces II of Pontus, or does he?

The word َ‫‘ م‬kama‘ between two phrases does not make them exactly same. For instance, in
another Hadith we read;Abu Waqid Laythi reported that when the Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬
went out for the Battle of Hunayn, he passed by a tree belonging to the polytheists. It was known
as Dhat Anwat. They used to hang down their weapons over it. The companions said, “O
Messenger of Allah, make for us a Dhat Anwat as there is for them a Dhat Anwat.” He said, “Glory
be to Allah! This is just as what the people of Moses (ٔٞ ‫ )اى ع الً ػ ي‬said, ‘Make for us a god as there
is for them a god.’ By Him who has my soul in His hand, you will perpetrate the practices of the
people gone before you.” (Jami’ Tirmidhi, Kitabul Fitan, Hadith 2180. Albani classified it as Sahih)

In this Hadith Holy Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬termed the wish of the pious companions to have
a tree nominated to hang weapons on, akin to the wish of the people of Moses (ٔٞ ‫ )اى ع الً ػ ي‬to have
pagan deity like a certain people. Obviously the Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬did not mean that
both wishes were exactly same rather, it only pointed to the same spirit of following the ways of
disbelievers.

In the same way the Hadith in question does not mean that both Jesus and Muhammad, peace be
upon them both, experienced same kind of ‘tawaffa’. It rather points out to the fact that both were
not present among their people when they deviated.
Further, it is NOT necessary that ‘tawaffaitani’ means the same everywhere. According to linguists
and scholars e.g. Abu Al-Baqa and Ibn Taymiya ‘tawaffa‘ has various meanings i.e. 1) To take in full,
2) Sleep and 3) Death. And the fact that one word may have different meanings for different subjects
is proved from Quran. Infact in Surah Ma’ida’s same passage we read that Jesus (ٔٞ ‫ )اى ع الً ػ ي‬will
say;

‫ ٍ تؼيٌ ػيَتٔ فقد‬ٜ‫ ف‬ٜ‫ ٍ أػيٌ ٗى ّفع‬ٜ‫ّفعل ف‬

“You know what is in my heart, though I know not what is in You *heart+.” (Quran 5:116)

Here same word i.e. ّ‫ فط‬, translated as heart or mind, is used for Allah (ٔ ّ ‫ ٗ ظ ذ‬ٚ ‫ )ت ؼ ى‬and Jesus
(ٔٞ ‫)اى ع الً ػ ي‬. Does that mean that ‫( ّفط‬i.e.heart/mind) of Allah (ٔ ّ ‫ ٗ ظ ذ‬ٚ ‫ )ت ؼ ى‬and Jesus (ٔٞ ‫ػ ي‬
ً‫ )اى ع ال‬is exactly of same nature? Ofcourse not since Allah (swt) said in the Quran;

“There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” *Quran 42:11+

Or as we read in Quran 33:43;

ٕ٘ ٛ‫ اىر‬ٜ‫صي‬ٝ ٌ‫ن‬ٞ‫ٍٗي نتٔ ػي‬

“He it is who sends salat (His blessings) on you, and his angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive
you)”

Most certainly here ‫ ص الة‬has different meanings with regards to Allah (ٔ ّ ‫ ٗ ظ ذ‬ٚ ‫ )ت ؼ ى‬and the
angels. Ibn Kathir writes:

‫ ْ ؤٓ ا هلل ٍِ ٗاى ص الة‬ٚ‫ ػ ْد اى ؼ د ػ ي‬، ‫سٓ ٗ ه … اى َ ال ن‬ٞ ‫غ‬: ‫ا هلل ًُ اى ص الة‬: َ‫ٍِ اى ص الة ٗأٍ … اى سد‬
، ‫ اى َ ال ن‬ْٚ ‫ٗاال ظ ت غ ف ز ى ي ْ ض اى دػ ف َ ؼ‬

“Allah’s Salah means that He praises His servant before the angels …others said: “Allah’s Salah
means mercy.” … Salah from the angels means their supplication and seeking forgiveness for
people.” (Ibn Kathir 6/436 under Surah 33 Ayah 43)

Similarly the word ‘tawaffa‘ does not mean exactly same for Jesus (ٔٞ ‫ )اى ع الً ػ ي‬and Holy Prophet
(ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬. This goes perfectly in line with the fact that same word can have different
meanings in different contexts and concerning different persons.

As to the fact that Holy Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬has used the past tense, it is because Holy
Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬will say this on the Day of Judgment and as the saying of Jesus (ٔٞ ‫ػ ي‬
ً‫ )اى ع ال‬has already been told in the Quran so it was in his and the listeners prior knowledge when he
uttered these words.

The Holy Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬will recite this verse as the implication is exactly same i.e.
neither Jesus (ٔٞ ‫ )اى ع الً ػ ي‬was present among his people when they got involved in heresies (Trinity
etc) nor was Prophet Muhammad (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬present while some from his Ummah
deviated and some even if went out of the pale of Islam by believing in false prophets. Both went
away from their people before they were lead astray.

The Messiah Isa (as) was raised up alive according to Islamic literature

Another proof of the literall ascension of jesus is found in The incident of the delegation of the
Christians of Nejran coming to the Holy Prophet (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ) ظ يٌ ٗ ػ ي‬and their mutual dialogue is
recorded in a number of Tafsir (Commentaries of the Holy Quran). Normally if one wishes to quote
it, he would certainly quote it from a much better and widely known Tafsir and the one which gives
the complete chain of narratfors for the narration.

Naturally we would like to know as to whom all among the commentators before wahidi have
related this narration authoritatively i.e. have given the complete chain. When we search, we find
that they were Ibn Jarir Al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim. And it was actually on their authority that the
incident got reported in later Tafasir like Asbaab Al-Nuzul, Durr Manthur and Tafsir Kabir of Al-Raazi.

Al-Wahidi gives the particular sentence in the narration of both Al-Tabari and Ibn Abi Hatim the
wording is:

ٌ‫ زبْ أُ ت ؼ يَُ٘ أى ع ت‬ٜ‫ ال د‬،‫ َ٘ت‬ٝ ُ‫ ٗأ‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ػ‬ٜ ‫ ت‬ٝ ٔٞ ‫اى ف ْ ؟ ػ ي‬

“Do you not know that Our Lord (Allah) is ever living but death will come to Jesus?”

(Tafsir Al-Tabari 6/154 Narration. 6544, Ibn Abi Hatim 9/408. Both have brought it under verse 1 of
Surah 3)

Moreover Nizamuddin Qumi quoted the same narration in his Tafsir Gharaib Al-Qurān generally
known as Tafsir Nishapuri, with reference to Wahidi, he says;

‫ه‬ ٛ‫ اى ٘ادد‬: ‫ دً أّ ٔ اى َ ف عسُٗ ّ قو‬ٚ‫ ا هلل ز ظ٘ه ػ ي‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ّ جساُ ٗف د ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬

‘Wahidi said: Mufassirin have recorded that a delegation from Nejran came to the Messenger of
Allah (ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫‘)ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬

And quoting the discussion on the authority of Al-Wahidi he writes;

‫ه‬ : ٌ‫ أّ ٔ ت ؼ يَُ٘ أى ع ت‬ٜ‫ َ٘ت ال د‬ٝ ُ‫ ٗأ‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ػ‬ٜ ‫ ت‬ٝ ٔٞ ‫اى ف ْ ؟ ػ ي‬

‘He (the prophet) said: ‘Do you not know that He (Allah) is Ever-living, the Eternal and death will
come to Jesus?’

(Tafsir Nishapuri 2/199 under surah 3 ayah 1)

And as matter of fact even in Suyuti’s Durr Manthur (2/276) and Tafsir Kabir of Al-Raazi (4/93)
exactly the same wording is quoted i.e. word ٜ ‫ ت‬ٝ (future tense) is used and not ٚ ‫( أت‬past tense).
Not to forget both Al-Suyuti and Al-Raazi have been recognized as Mujaddids.

When the Christians came for delegation from najran, Muhammad (saw) preached monotheism and
that Jesus escaped death on the cross, that instead God raised him body and soul to heaven, and
that God will send him back to earth in the end times. [Seerah ibn ishaq]

To summarize; Al-Tabari (d. 310 A.H.) and others quoted it with complete chain and the wording
they give uses the future tense. Nizamuddin Qumi (d. 728 A.H.) who quoted it from Wahidi (d. 468
A.H.) also gives the wording with future tense. Suyuti and Razi quote it and they also use the word
ٜ ‫ ت‬ٝ (future tense). Thus Isa Ibn Maryam (as) is still alive since his death will be in the future when
he returns to earth.

Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (PBUH) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is,
Jesus (PBUH). He will descend (to the earth). When you see him, recognize him: a man of medium
height, complexion inclined to red and white…” (Abu Dawud, Kitabul Malahim, Hadith 4324.
Classified as Sahih by Albani)

Sunan Abu Dawud

Book 37, Number 4310, Narrated Abu Hurayrah:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus
(peace be upon him)… He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and
then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.”

Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “Jesus did not die, and he will return to you before the Day of
Resurrection” (Suyuti, Darul Manthur and Tafsir Ibn Abu Hatim)

The prophet (saw) also said, “Do you not know that Our Lord (Allah) is ever living but death will
come to Jesus?” (Tafsir Al-Tabari 6/154 Narration. 6544, Ibn Abi Hatim 9/408)

How about when on the Miraj, the Hour was discussed and Isa ibn Maryam (AS) said, “…(Allah)
promised me before Qayamah… I will descend and will kill him (Dajjal).” (Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitabul
Fitan Hadith 4079 and Musnah Ahmad – reported by Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud)

Ibn Masud reported that the Prophet (S) said, "On the night of the Isra (night journey), I met my
father Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and they discussed the Hour. The matter was referred first to
Abraham, then to Moses and both said, 'I have no knowledge of it'.
Then it was referred to Jesus, who said, 'No one knows about its timing except Allah; what my Lord
told me was that the Dajjal [antichrist] will appear and when he sees me he will begin to melt like
lead. Allah will destroy him when he sees me. The Muslims will fight against the Kafirs, and even the
tress and rocks will say "O Muslim, there is a kafir hiding beneath me - some and kill him!” Allah will
destroy the kafirs, and people will return to their own lands. Then Gog and Magog will appear from
all directions, eating and drinking everything they find. The people will complain to me so I will pray
to Allah and He will destroy them, so send rain which will was their bodies into the sea. My Lord has
told me that when that happens, the hour will be very close, like a pregnant woman whose time is
due, but her family do not know exactly when she will deliver'" [Ahmad, Musnad 1/375. Ibn Majah,
Kitba al Fitan. Sourced from Ibn Kathir's The Signs before the Day of Judgement, Dar al Taqwa, 200,
p75]

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) with whom he went over the meaning of the Holy Qur’an thirty-three times,
states, “They crucified a man who was a disciple of Jesus, and God raised Jesus to Himself, living”.
(Mujahid b. Jabr, Tafsir Mujahid, ed, ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Tahir b. Muhammad al-Surti (Qatar: Matabi’
al-Duha al-Haditha, 1395/1976), p.180

Hasan al-Basri (RA) who was the best student of Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (ra) and who grew up in the
house of Umm Salama (RA) the wife of the Prophet (SAW) and the mother of the believers. He met
many companions, including thirty from the battle of Badr. He states, “I swear by Allah that Jesus
(AS) is at this moment alive in God’s presence, and that everyone (who is open minded) will believe
in him when he returns.” With regard to the Holy Qur’an 4:159, he said, “God raised Jesus (AS) to His
presence. He will send him before the Day of Judgment as a holder of rank. And the righteous will
believe in him.” (Al-Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur, 2:284 and Tafsir Ibn Abu Hatim)

Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Karīm ash-Shahrastānī (1086–1153 CE) narrated that Umar bin al-Khattab
said, “Whoever said that Muhammad has died I will kill him with this sword of mine and he has been
raised to the heavens as was raised ‘Eisa ibn Maryam –may Allah bless him.” (al-Milal wal Nahl
p.9)

Muhammad bin Sa’d quoted more narrations on the issue:

ِ‫ ػ‬ٜ ‫ ه اى سدَِ ػ د ب ِ ظ يَ أب‬: ٌ‫ اى ْ ض ا تذ‬ٚ‫ ػ ي‬،ٜ ْ ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ػ ي‬،ٌ‫ ٗ ظ ي‬ٜ ‫ت ف‬ٞ ‫ب‬ ‫ػ‬
ُٗ‫ ْظس‬ٝ ٔٞ ‫ف ق ى ٘ا ى‬: ‫ف‬ٞ ‫ َ٘ت م‬ٝ ٕ٘ٗ ‫د‬ٞ ٖ ْ ٞ ‫ ٖدا ّٗ ذِ ػ ي‬ٚ‫م َ زف غ ٗى ن ْٔ ٍ ت ٍ ٗا هلل ال … اى ْ ض؟ ػ ي‬
‫ زف غ‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ب ِ ػ‬،ٌ ٝ‫ ٍس‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ٗ ظ يٌ ػ ي‬

Narrated Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd al-Rahman: The people rushed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him,
in the apartment of ‘Aisha to look at him. They said: “How can he die since he is a witness to us
and we are witnesses to other people? … No! by Allah! He has not died; but he has been raised as
‘Eisa ibn Maryam was made to ascend.” (Tabaqat al-Kubra 2/271)

The narration at first place proves that not merely ‘Umar but other companions too referred to
ascension of ‘Isa –may Allah bless him and be pleased with them all.

Lest one say, ‘Eisa’ –may Allah bless him- ascension was not physical because the companions said
that while the body of the Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him- was present in front of them, the
response is that they said it out of the shock and inability to believe in the death of the Holy Prophet.

We read:

ٌ‫ صه ف ي‬ٝ ‫ ت ن يٌ ػَس‬ٝ ، ٚ‫د ٓ أشب د د ت‬

“’Umar continued speaking till the edges of his mouth were filled with foam.” (Kanzul ‘Ummal,
Hadith 18773)
This was surely due to him being much affected by the tragedy.

Moreover ‘Umar and other companions alluded to ‘Eisa’ –may Allah bless him- ascension to contend
against the death of the Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him- which also shows they belief in the life
of ‘Eisa –may Allah bless him.

It further proves that at the back of their minds the blessed companions had the idea that ‘Isa ibn
Maryam – may Allah bless him- was alive and has been raised to the heavens and will return.

Anas bin Malik –may Allah be pleased with him- reported:

َ ‫ ى‬ٜ ‫ ز ظ٘ه ت ٘ف‬، ‫ اهلل‬ٚ‫ٔ ا هلل ص ي‬ٞ ‫ ػ ي‬،ٌ‫ ٗ ظ ي‬ٚ‫ اى خط ب ِ ػَس ف ق ً اى ْ ض ب ن‬ٜ ‫ اى َ عجد ف‬ٞ ‫ف ق ه خط‬:
‫ ق٘ه أددا أ ظَ ؼِ ال‬ٝ: ُ ‫ د ٍذَدا‬،‫ٔ أز ظو ٗى ن ْٔ ٍ ت‬ٞ ‫ أز ظو م َ ى‬ٚ ‫ ى‬ٚ‫ػَساُ ب ِ ٍ٘ ظ‬ ‫ٍ٘ٔ ػِ ف ي‬
ِٞ ‫ ي أزب ؼ‬ٞ ‫ى‬

When the Messenger of Allah –may Allah bless him- died, people wept. Thereupon ‘Umar bin al-
Khattab stood as a preacher in the mosque and declared, “I should not hear anyone saying that
Muhammad was dead. He has only been summoned (by Allah) as Musa ibn ‘Imran had been
summoned and he had remained away from his people for forty nights …” (Kanzul ‘Ummal, Hadith
18772)

Can one say that even Musa Ibn ‘Imran was summoned to Mt. Sinai (al-Tur) for forty days only
spiritually or metaphorically?

These narrations are solid evidence that companions had firm belief in the ascension of ‘Eisa ibn
Maryam very much like in the fact of Musa Ibn ‘Imran being summoned by Allah to Mt. Sinai – may
Allah bless them both. And it was just the overwhelming moment of shock that was making them to
relate these things with the Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him.

Below is a passage from the 8th century reformer Hafiz Ibn Hajr’s Fath al-Baari along with
translation;

‫ ذمس اظت نو ٗ د‬ٙ‫ٔ اىْص ز‬ٞ‫ٖ٘ ى ُ ؛ ف‬ٞ‫ ىٌٖ اى‬ٞ ّ‫ بخي أ‬ٙ‫ط اىْص ز‬ٞ‫ِ في‬ٞ‫ ب‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ِ ػ‬ٞ‫ْ ٗب‬ٞ ّ ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٜ ّ ٓ‫س‬ٞ‫ط غ‬ٞ‫ٗى‬
ٔ‫ س ى‬، ‫ٌٖ م ُ أّٔ ٗاىج٘ا‬ٞ‫ ف‬ٞ ّ‫ع أ‬ٝ‫س ىنٌْٖ أ‬ٞ‫ِ غ‬ٞ‫ِ ٍسظي‬ٞٝ‫ٌ م ىذ٘از‬ٝ‫ ٍٗس‬ٜ‫ ٘ه ف‬، ٗ‫ اىجَغ أ‬ٜ‫ ٌٖ ” ٘ىٔ ف‬ٞ ّ‫بإشا ” أ‬
‫ٖ٘ ٍِ اىَجَ٘ع‬ٞ‫ اى‬ٙ‫ ٗاىْص ز‬، ‫ َسا ٗاى‬ٞ ّ ‫ أت ػٌٖ ٗم ز اى‬ٚ‫ برمس ف متف‬ٞ ّ ‫ اى‬، ٓ‫د‬ٝ‫ؤ‬ٝٗ ٔ‫ ٘ى‬ٜ‫ ف‬ٝ‫ق ٍِ ٍعيٌ زٗا‬ٝ‫” ْد طس‬
‫تخرُٗ م ّ٘ا‬ٝ ‫ ٌٖ ٘ز‬ٞ ّ‫ٌٖ أ‬ٞ‫ أفس ىَ ٗىٖرا ” ٍع د ٗص ىذ‬ٙ‫ اىْص ز‬ٜ‫ ف‬ٝ‫ اىذد‬ٛ‫ٌٖ ٍ ت ذا ” ه ئ اىر‬ٞ‫ٗىَ ” اىص ىخ اىس و ف‬
‫ٖ٘ أفس‬ٞ‫ اى‬ٜ‫ ف‬ٝ‫ اىذد‬ٛ‫ ٌٖ ٘ز ” ه بؼدٓ اىر‬ٞ ّ‫ ” أ‬، ٗ‫نُ٘ أُ ٍِ أػٌ ب ى تخ ذ اىَسا أ‬ٝ ‫ ات ػ أٗ ابتداػ‬، ٖ٘ٞ‫ابتدػت ف ى‬
ٙ‫ ات ؼت ٗاىْص ز‬، ‫ ٗى‬ٝ‫ أُ ز‬ٙ‫س ٘ز تؼظٌ اىْص ز‬ٞ‫ ٍِ مث‬ٞ ّ ‫ِ اى‬ٝ‫ٖ٘ تؼظٌَٖ اىر‬ٞ‫ اى‬.

“Query has been raised regarding the mention of Christians here for, Jews had many prophets but
not so the Christians as there was no Prophet between Jesus (PBUH) and our Prophet [Muhammad],
on whom peace and blessings of Allah and Jesus (PBUH) has no grave. So the answer to this is, they
[the Christians] also had prophets among them but they were not Messengers [sent by Allah], like
the Disciples and Mary according to one saying. Or in the word ‘Prophets’ are included all those
[holy men] who rose among the Jews and the Christians. The reference is to Prophets and the
ancestors whom they followed but only the Prophets have been mentioned. And this is supported by
the narration of Muslim from Jundub which says “[those before you] used to take the graves of their
prophets and righteous men as places of worship.” (Muslim H.827). And it is for this reason that only
the Christians are mentioned in the preceding Hadith which says “When any religious man dies
amongst those people *they would build a place of worship at his grave+” (Bukhari H.409). And for
the same reason only the Jews are mentioned in the following Hadith that says; “May Allah destroy
the Jews [for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets+.” (Bukhari H.418). Or it
may be to include all those who innovated and those who followed. The Jews innovated and the
Christians followed [the innovation] for certainly Christians revered the graves of many of the
Prophets who were revered by Jews *as well+.”
(Fath Al-Baari 2/160, Kitabul Salaah)

Hadith literature and the works of Muslim scholars prove that Jesus was raised up alive and he will
return. Ibn hazm states that the reports of the physical ascension and return of Jesus are reliable.
[Ibn Hazm – ilm al qalam]

Abu Ja’far Al tahawi declared that the Muslims unanimously agreed that Isa (as) was raised up alive
and that he will return to earth as himself before the Last Day. [Aqeedah – Al Tahawi]

Qurtubi stated that the hadith are clear that Jesus will return from the sky with his body and soul.
"The belief of Muslims is this: Jesus (pbuh) was neither crucified nor killed, but was raised alive in
body and soul to the heavens. He will continue to live in the heavens for as long as God so wills…"
[Tafsir qurtubi]

Al-Qurtubi: "The interpretation of the verse [3:55] is: 'I shall raise you to Myself without you dying,
cleanse you from the blasphemers, and give you death after your descent from the heavens.'"[Al-
Qurtubi, al-Jami‘ li Ahkam il-Qur’an, (Cairo : 1967)+

Muhammad Ash Shanqiti (the reformer of 14th century) state that both the Quran and authentic
hadith are proofs that Isa (as) is alive at the moment and he will descend before the last Day. [Al
Bayaan Al Quran]

“And indeed, Jesus will be a sign of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a
straight path.” *43:61+

Ibn Abbas, Abu Huraira, Qatada and Ibn Mas’ud (ra) said regarding the above verse; “Isa (as) second
coming is a sign of the Hour.” *Ibn Qutayba, Tafsir Tabari, Shawkani+

When one looks at the verses in Surat az-Zukhruf, one can see that the Qur'an is not being referred
to in either the verses immediately preceding or following the reference to "a Sign of the Hour." The
verses are referring to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Therefore, the pronoun in question also refers to
the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). In fact, based on both the verses and on reliable hadith, great Islamic
scholars state that in this case, hu does refer to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). Abu Hurayra, Ibn `Abbas,
Qatada, Malik ibn Dinar, Thabit ibn al-Dahhak, Abu Razin, Abu `Ali `Abd al-Rahman, Humayd, and Ibn
al-Muhaysin say that the Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) second coming is a sign of the Day of Judgment. [Al-
Sa'ani, Tafsir 'Abdul-Raziq, 2:163; Ibn Qutayba, Gharib al-Qur'an, 400]
Many commentators, such as al-'Alusi, al-Shawkani, al-Sabuni, al-Ghumari, Omar Nasuhi Bilmen,
Sayyid Qutb, and Hasan Basri Cantay interpreted the verse thus in their commentaries:

“The appearance of Jesus (pbuh) is a sign of the approach of the Day of Judgment because his
appearance is a sign of the Last Day. His descent to Earth is proof that the end of the world has
come, and of the beginning of the Hereafter.” *Al- 'Alusi, Ruh al-Ma'ani fi Tafsir al-Qur'an, 25:95;
Mohammad al-Shawkani, Fath al-Qadir, 4:562; Al-Sabuni, Safwat al-Tafasiri, 3:162; Sayyid Qutb, Fi
Zilal al-Qur'an (In the Shade of the Qur'an)]

The meaning of this verse [43:61] is that Jesus (pbuh) is a sign of the Day of Judgment. We can
confidently say that this verse indicates his return, because he lived six centuries before the Qur'an's
revelation. Therefore, we cannot consider his first life as a sign of the Day of Judgment because the
berse states it in future tense. The verse indicates that he will return toward the End Times or, in
other words, right before the Day of Judgment. In that context, his return is a sign of the Hour's
imminent arrival. (God knows best.)

Some say that the pronoun hu (he/it) in this expression refers to the Qur'an. However, when one
looks at other verses, it appears that whenever hu stands for the Qur'an, the Book is inevitably
referred to in either the preceding or following verse. Alternatively, other expressions show that the
Qur'an is the subject.

When one looks at the verses in Qur'an 43, one can see that the Qur'an is not being referred to in
either the verses immediately preceding or following the reference to "a Sign of the Hour." The
verses are referring to Jesus (pbuh). Therefore, the pronoun in question also refers to Jesus (pbuh).
(God knows best.) In fact, based on both the verses and on reliable hadith, great Islamic scholars
state that in this case, hu does refer to Jesus (pbuh). Abu Hurayra, Ibn `Abbas, Qatada, Malik ibn
Dinar, Thabit ibn al-Dahhak, Abu Razin, Abu `Ali `Abd al-Rahman, Humayd, and Ibn al-Muhaysin say
that Jesus' (pbuh) second coming is a sign of the Day of Judgment. [Al-Sa‘ani, Tafsir ‘Abdul-Raziq,
2:163; Ibn Qutayba, Gharib al-Qur’an, 400+

Ibn Kathir said: "There are reliable hadith of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)
that Jesus (pbuh) will descend to Earth before the Day of Judgment as a just head of state and just
ruler," thus depicting the verse [43:61] as evidence for Jesus' (pbuh) second coming.

Many hadith regard Jesus' (pbuh) descent to Earth prior to the Day of Judgment. Indeed, the verse,
"He is a Sign of the Hour" also indicates this. In other words, Jesus (pbuh) will descend to Earth at a
time close to the Day of Judgment. In a second style of reading, the verse reads "wa innahu la 'ilmun
li al-saa'ati." In other words, his descent is a sign, a sign of the Day of Judgment. Both styles of
reading express the same meaning. His descent from the skies is a news of the Unseen World,
spoken of by the right-speaking and trustworthy Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace)
and indicated in the glorious Qur'an.

Qatadah stated about Qur'an 43:61 thus: "The appearance of Jesus (pbuh) is an indication of the Day
of Judgment." [Al-Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur]
Al-Hasan al-Basri made the following comment: "I swear to God that Jesus (pbuh) is at this moment
alive in God's presence, and that everyone will believe in him when he returns." With regard to
Qur'an 4:159, he said: "God raised Jesus (pbuh) to His presence. He will send him before the Day of
Judgment as a holder of rank. Good and bad, all will believe in him." [Al-Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur]

Hasan also made a similar comment regarding Qur'an 43:61, saying that the meaning of the verse
was that Jesus (pbuh) would return to Earth. [Al-Suyuti, Durr al-Manthur]

Ibn 'Abbas said: "In Qur'an 43:61, God indicates that Jesus (pbuh) will appear before the Day of
Judgment." [Khasmiri, al-Tasrih and Ibn Hazm, ‘Ilm al-Qalam]

Many hadith regard Jesus' (pbuh) descent to Earth prior to the Day of Judgment. Indeed, the verse,
"He is a sign of the Hour" also indicates this. In other words, Jesus (pbuh) will descend to Earth at a
time close to the Day of Judgment. In a second style of reading, the verse reads "wa innahu la 'ilmun
li al-saa'ati." In other words, his descent is a sign, a sign of the Day of Judgment. Both styles of
reading express the same meaning. His descent from the skies is a news of the Unseen World,
spoken of by the right-speaking and trustworthy Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
and indicated in the glorious Qur'an. [Qutb, Fi Zilal al-Qur'an]

Jesus' (pbuh) Followers Will Be Superior to the Unbelievers

“*Mention+ when Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you
from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allah alone] superior to
those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge
between you concerning that in which you used to differ.” *3:55+

The above verse indicates that there will be a community that will follow Jesus and be superior over
the disbelievers. This will occur when Jesus returns to earth from heaven.

In this verse, God reveals the existence of a group of people who will sincerely follow Jesus (pbuh)
and who will be superior to the unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection. The number of his
followers during his lifetime was very small, and the message that he brought underwent a rapid
degeneration after his ascension to God. Throughout the next two centuries, his followers were
subjected to severe persecution. Therefore, it is out of the question to say that those followers living
at the time were superior to the unbelievers and that they are the ones being referred to in this
verse.

That being the case, the expression "I will place the people who follow you above those who do not
believe until the Day of Resurrection" has a very clear meaning: There needs to be a community that
will follow Jesus (pbuh) and exist until the Day of Resurrection. Such a community will emerge when
Jesus (pbuh) returns. At that time, his followers will be made superior to the unbelievers until the
Day of Resurrection.

Jesus' (pbuh) Adult Ministry

The following 2 verses also prove that Jesus is alive since he will reach age of maturity.
“Allah will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I
supported you with the Pure Spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle and in maturity…”
[5:110]

Imam Suyuti concludes from the above verse that Jesus was raised up alive and he will return before
the Day of Judgment since Jesus didn’t reach the age of old age because Jesus was raised whilst still
young. [Tafsir al jalalayn]

“He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous." *3:46]

The word for maturity is kahlaan which means an age of about 40. Abdullah Ibn Abbas (ra) said that
Isa (as) was raised up alive at the age of early thirty and that he will live for 40 more years when he
comes again. [Tafsir tabari]

Although all of the prophets spoke with their people, invited them to the true religion, and
communicated their message at a mature age, the Qur'an does not use such expressions when
talking about them. Rather, they are used only to voice a miraculous situation, because the
expressions in the cradle and when fully grown, when used one after the other, refer to two
miraculous events.

The word kahl in the verse is directed toward the word mahd, which precedes it and is an adverb of
place. In the absence of a special clue, it continues to carry the same meaning of the word before it.
Therefore, in the same way that Jesus' (pbuh) speaking immediately after his birth is a miracle, so the
same miracle needs to take place in his adulthood. Otherwise, there is nothing miraculous in a
person speaking in adulthood and the wisdom of its revelation in the verse could not be understood.
However, if Jesus (pbuh) speaks after returning to Earth from heaven, that would be a miracle.

The famous Islamic scholar al-Ghumari stated that one piece of wisdom here is that Jesus' (pbuh)
speaking in the cradle and then in adulthood show that he has a miraculous life. He wrote that just
as Jesus' (pbuh) speaking as an infant is a miracle from God, there has to be a miraculous aspect to
his speaking as an adult to people:

“It is for a divine purpose that our attention is drawn to Jesus' (pbuh) speaking in the cradle and in
adulthood. At the same time, this indicates an extraordinary phenomenon. Jesus (pbuh) was raised
to the heavens (at a young age). He disappeared for many years. He was transported to a world in
which the laws of corporeal change do not apply. It is something extraordinary for such a person to
descend and speak to people.” *Al-Ghumari, Al-Burhan, 87-96]

Imam al-Tabari gave the following explanation of these verses:

These statements [Qur'an 5:110] indicate that in order to complete his lifespan and speak to people
when fully grown, Jesus (pbuh) will come down from the heavens, because he was raised to the
heavens when still young ... In this verse [Qur'an 3:46], there is evidence that Jesus (pbuh) is living.
The Ahl al-Sunnah share that view, because this verse states that he will speak to people when fully
grown. He will be able to grow fully only when he returns to Earth from the heavens. [Tafsir al-
Tabari]
This verse [3:46] indicates that after the raising up of Jesus (pbuh), he will descend again and speak
to people, because he will have entered the age of maturity after being raised up.

More evidences that prove Isa (as) is alive

Hadith scholar Abu Talib al-Makki (d. 386 AH) wrote:

” … the first systematic Islamic work was the book of (‘Abd al-Malik) Ibn Jurayj (d. 150/767)
concerning the traditions, and the exegetical texts of Mujahid and ‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah and the
companions of Ibn ‘Abbas in Mecca. Then there was the book of Ma’mar ibn Rashid as-San’ani (d.
152/769) in Yemen, in which he gathered widely dispersed sunnas according to thematic chapters.
Then came Abdul Malik ibn Anas’ Book of the Level Path (Kitab al-Muwatta’) in Medina,
concerning religious law …” [Muhammad bin ‘Ali Abu Talib al-Makki, Qut al-Qulub fi Ma’amlah al-
Mahbub, Dar al-Kotob al-Ilmiyya, Beirut, 2005, vol.1 p.273]

Hadith about return of ‘Eisa in al-Jami’ of Ma’mar bin Rashid

In this work of Imam Ma’mar we find reports about the return of ‘Eisa –may Allah bless him- in a
dedicated chapter. The chapter about the descent of ‘Eisa –may Allah bless him- has seven
narrations.

Here for the sake of brevity we quote only the first narration of the chapter.

ٌ‫ «وانذي َفسً بٍدِ نٍوشكٍ أ‬:‫ قبل رسول اهلل صهى اهلل عهٍّ وسهى‬:‫ أَّ سًع أبب ْزٌزة ٌقول‬،‫ عٍ سعٍد بٍ انًسٍب‬،‫عٍ انزْزي‬
»‫ وٌفٍض انًبل حتى ال ٌقبهّ أحد‬،‫ وٌضع انجزٌت‬،‫ وٌقتم انخُزٌز‬،‫ ٌكسز انصهٍب‬،‫ وإيبيب يقسطب‬،‫ٌُزل فٍكى ابٍ يزٌى حكًب عدال‬

(Ma’mar narrates) from Al-Zuhri – Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib that he heard Abu Huraira saying: The
Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: “By Him in Whose Hands my
soul is, (‘Eisa) the Son of Maryam will soon descend amongst you as a just ruler and leader and will
break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish Jizya. There will be abundance of money and no-one will
accept charity.” *Al-Jami of Ma’mar included in Musannaf ‘Abdul Razzaq, vol.11+

The Quran states "The Messiah by no means disdains that he be a servant of Allah,” [4: 172]

Here present tense "disdains" (yastankifa) is used implying that he is living. Otherwise, if he were
dead then past tense would be used. The Qur'an is clearly indicating that Isa Ibn Maryam (as) is
currently alive.

“There is not one of the People of the Book but that he must believe in him before his death; and on
the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them.” (Qur'an, 4:159)

The great majority of commentators and scholars agree that the pronoun his in the term qabla
mawtihi (before his death), points to Jesus (pbuh). Arabic linguistics also agree with this view. The
plural suffix hum is used in all the Qur'anic verses concerning the People of the Book (e.g., Qur'an,
98:1 and 6, and 59:2). In this verse, however, the singular suffix hu is used. This means that the
People of the Book will believe in Jesus (pbuh) before his biological death after he returns to Earth.

The Qur'an reveals that "There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him
before his death" only in the case of Jesus (pbuh). Moreover, the Qur'an does not use such an
expression for any prophet who came before Jesus (pbuh) and in whom the People of the Book
believed.

Al-Qurtubi interprets the verse [4:159] in the following terms:

“When the signs of the Day of Judgment draw near, when Jesus (pbuh) returns alive from the sky to
Earth, all members of the People of the Book who are alive must believe in him.” *Al-Qurtubi, Al-
Jami‘ li Ahkam al-Qur’an+

Al-Tabari interprets the verse [4:159] thus in his Commentary:

“When he returns to Earth to preach Islam, make the Antichrist ineffective, every one of the People
of the Book will believe in Jesus (pbuh) before his death. At that time Muslims will be dominant. [Al-
Tabari, Jami‘ al-Bayan]

Muhammad ibn 'Ali Abi Talib (also known as Ibn Hanafiyya), explained Qur'an 4:159 in these terms:
"He will descend before the Day of Judgment. All Jews and Christians will believe in him." [Al-Suyuti,
Durr al-Manthur]

Thus the meaning of the verse [4:159] clearly states that the Messiah Isa (as) will die in the future
near the end of times and that all the people of the book who are not arrogant will believe in Isa (as)
as messenger of Allah during the blessed time of Isa’s (as) caliphate.

TRUE MEANING OF ‘QAD KHALAT’ IN QURAN 3:144

Regarding the verse in surah al baqarah;

"Muhammad is not but a messenger. There have been messengers before him. So if he was to die or
be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will
never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful." [Quran 3:144]

Transliteration of ch 3 vs 144
Wama muhammadun illa rasoolun qad khalat min qablihi alrrusulu afa-in mata aw qutila inqalabtum
AAala aAAqabikum waman yanqalib AAala AAaqibayhi falan yadurra Allaha shay-an wasayajzee
Allahu alshshakireena

Here the actual Arabic word is 'qad khalat' which comes from the word 'khala'.

About 'khala' Raghib Isfahani says:

٘‫ ع ت ؼَو ٗاى خ ي‬ٝ ٜ ‫ ت ص٘ز ى َ ى نِ ٗاى َ ن ُ اى صٍ ُ ف‬ٜ ‫ اى صٍ ُ ف‬ٚ‫ب ق٘ى ٌٖ اى صٍ ُ خ ال اى ي غ إٔو ف عس اى َ ع‬

ٚ‫ٗذٕ اى صٍ ُ ٍ ع‬
"Al-Khallu (the root of khala) is used for for both time and space and but as there is a nuance of the
past in (its usage of) time so linguists take it to refer to the past." (Mufradaat al-Quran 1/158) .... and
then he gives Quran 3:144 and 13:6 as its examples.

Thus he makes it clear that the verse does not refer to the death of the Prophets before Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH).

Khalat does not mean death as proven by the following verses;

In Surah al-Fath we read;

ْ‫ اىئ ظ‬ٜ‫ي اىئ ىعْ تجد ٗىِ و ٍِ خيت د اىت‬ٝ‫ت د‬

“The consistent practice of Allah that went on since before (qad khalat), and you will never find a
change in Allah‘s consistent practice.” (Qur’an 48: 23)

No sane person would ever say that here ‘khalat’ can mean death by any stretch of imagination.

It’s also wrong to say that when used for persons the word khala means death for we read in the
Quran:

‘...and there never were a people, without a Warner having lived (khala) among them (in the past)’
(Quran 35: 24)

In Surah Aali Imran verse 137 Allah says:

Qad khalat min qablikum sunanun faseeroo fee alardi faonthuroo kayfa kana AAaqibatu
almukaththibeena.

"Surely, there have been many dispensations before you; so proceed throughout the earth and
observe how the end of those who denied was." [3:137]

"And when they meet those who believe, they say, "We believe"; but when they are alone with their
evil ones, they say, "Indeed, we are with you; we were only mockers." [2:14]

"Waitha laqoo allatheena amanoo qaloo amanna waitha khalaw ilashayateenihim qaloo inna
maAAakum innama nahnu mustahzioona." [2:14]

In this verse we see the word khalaw, the plural of khalat. This verse says: wa idha khalaw ila al-
shayateen meaning and when [they] go to their devils. Again in this verse Allah (swt) uses the word
Khalat to mean go away, not death.

Quran 5:75 goes as:

ٍ ‫خ‬ٞ‫ٌ ابِ اىَع‬ٝ‫اىسظو ئ ٍِ خيت د زظ٘ه ى ٍس‬

we know that while hazrat Isa Ibn Maryam (PBUH) walked this Earth Prophet Yahya (as) was alive. So
the correct translation of this verse is:

“The Masih, son of Maryam, is no more than a Messenger. There have been messengers before
him…” *5:75+

A very important point:

Abu Bakr’s speech and Qur’an 3:144: Question remains as to the intent and implication of Abu Bakr’s
speech on the occasion. Abu Bakr –may Allah be pleased with him- recited Qur’an 3:144 on this
occasion.

ٍٗ ‫ اّقي تٌ تو أٗ ٍ ت أفإُ اىسظو ئ ٍِ خيت د زظ٘ه ى ٍذَد‬ٚ‫أػق بنٌ ػي‬

‘And Muhammad is but a messenger, there have been messengers before him. So, if he dies or is
killed, would you turn back on your heels?’ (Qur’an 3:144)

It is well known that Qur’an 3:144 was revealed about the happenings during the Battle of Uhud
which took place in the year 3 A.H. and it was certainly all about the Holy Prophet –may Allah bless
him- alone. In the year 9 A.H. when a deputation of the Christians of Nejran came to the Holy
Prophet –may Allah bless him- during argumentation with them he (saw) said.

ٌ‫ زبْ أُ ت ؼ يَُ٘ أى ع ت‬ٜ‫ ال د‬،‫ َ٘ت‬ٝ ُ‫ ٗأ‬ٚ‫ ع‬ٞ ‫ ػ‬ٜ ‫ ت‬ٝ ٔٞ ‫اى ف ْ ؟ ػ ي‬

“Do you not know that Our Lord (Allah) is ever living but death will come to ‘Eisa?”
(Tafsir Al-Tabari 6/154 Narration. 6544, Ibn Abi Hatim 9/408. Both have brought it under verse 1 of
Surah 3)

Thus Prophet Muhammad (saw) explicitly stated that the messiah Isa (as) did not die but his death
will occur in the future.

The verse that Abu Bakr (ra) used to remind Umar (ra) when Prophet Muhammad (saw) passed
away; was revealed in the year 3 A.H. and in the year 9 A.H. Prophet –may Allah be bless him- said
that death had yet to come to ‘Eisa –may Allah bless him. Thus the Islamic belief is that Isa (as) did
not die during his time with bani israil but that Isa (as) will return to earth and then die after the
promised signs.

What did Abu Bakr refute?

What was the notion that Abu Bakr –may Allah be pleased with him- exposed? This is what is to be
considered with due attention.

‘Umar (ra) and other companions in that moment of extreme grief and distress were awestricken
and in that mode they make wrong analogies. They tried relating the case of Holy Prophet –may
Allah bless him- with that of Musa’ visit to Mt. Sinai (al-Tur) and of Isa’ ascension –may Allah bless
them both. So the cases of Musa and Isa –may Allah bless them both- were the objects of their
analogies while Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him- was the subject.

Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Karīm ash-Shahrastānī (1086–1153 CE) narrated that Umar bin al-Khattab
said, “Whoever said that Muhammad has died I will kill him with this sword of mine and he has been
raised to the heavens as was raised ‘Eisa ibn Maryam –may Allah bless him.” (al-Milal wal Nahl p.9)

Muhammad bin Sa’d quoted more narrations on the issue: Narrated Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd al-
Rahman: The people rushed to the Prophet, may Allah bless him, in the apartment of ‘Aisha to look
at him. They said: “How can he die since he is a witness to us and we are witnesses to other people?
… No! by Allah! He has not died; but he has been raised as ‘Eisa ibn Maryam was made to ascend.”
(Tabaqat al-Kubra 2/271)
The narration at first place proves that not merely ‘Umar but other companions too referred to
ascension of ‘Isa –may Allah bless him and be pleased with them all.

Umar and other companions alluded to ‘Eisa’ –may Allah bless him- ascension to contend against the
death of the Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him- which also shows they belief in the life of ‘Eisa –
may Allah bless him.

It further proves that at the back of their minds the blessed companions had the idea that ‘Isa ibn
Maryam – may Allah bless him- was alive and has been raised to the heavens and will return.

While the verse he recited speaks that there were Prophets before him, it relates death to Holy
Prophet –may Allah bless him- in person alone. So all Abu Bakr –may Allah be pleased with him-
wanted to clarify was that the Prophet had died. He showed how the subject itself did not fit into the
analogies and this has nothing to do with the object i.e. either the visit of Musa to Mt. Sinai or the
ascension of the Iisa –may Allah bless them both.

Rather, the fact that ‘Umar and other companions –may Allah be pleased with them all- related the
happening to Isa’ ascension itself shows that they held the same belief as is the unanimous belief of
the whole Ummah. On it they were as certain as about Musa’ visit to Mt. Sinai.

This shows even Abu Bakr –may Allah be pleased with him- was at par with other companions about
the life and ascension of ‘Eisa ibn Maryam –may Allah bless him. He just did not agree that
something of the similar had happened to Holy Prophet Muhammad–may Allah bless him.

Summary:

1. ‘Umar and other companions referred to ascension of ‘Eisa –may Allah bless him- which shows
they did believe that he was alive and had ascended to the heavens.
2. The fact that he referred to ascension of ‘Eisa –may Allah bless him- while denying the death of
the Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him- shows he meant it literally for only physically alive ascension
does away with the idea of death.

3. ‘Umar –may Allah be pleased with him- also referred to Musa’ –may Allah bless him- going to Mt.
Sinai (al-Tur) which proves, to him all he referred to including the ascension of ‘Eisa -may Allah bless
him- was literal. It refutes the notion of spiritual ascension in ranks.

4. The word ‘khalat’ in Qur’an 3:144 does not mean death and merely refers to something having
been in the past.

5. Nearly 6 years after the revelation of Qur’an 3:144 Holy Prophet –may Allah bless him- confirmed
that Isa Ibn Maryam had not been countered by death.

6. Statement of ‘Umar and other companions and the reaction of Abu Bakr and no further objection
on it from any other companion is an evidence of ijma’, albeit a tacit one, on the life of ascension of
‘Eisa –may Allah bless him- as much literal like Musa’ visit to Mt. Sinai (al-Tur).

Regarding the description of the messiah Isa (as)

Following are the two Ahadith translation;

ُ‫ ػَس بِ اىئ ػ د أ‬ٜ‫ اىئ زظ٘ه ه ه ػَْٖ اىئ زظ‬ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ْ ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٞ‫ ّ ٌ اأُ ب‬ْٜ‫ت‬ٝ‫زأ‬ ٘‫ظ ط ً ز و فإذا ب ىنؼ أط‬
‫ِ اى ؼس‬ٞ‫ِ ب‬ٞ‫ْطف ز ي‬ٝ ٔ‫ٌ ابِ ى٘ا ٕرا ٍِ فقيت ٍ زأظ‬ٝ‫ٍس‬

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar: Allah’s Messenger (PBUH) said, “While I was sleeping, I saw myself
performing the Tawaf of the Ka’ba. Behold, there I saw a wheatish-lank-haired man (holding himself)
between two men with water dropping from his hair. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ The people replied, ‘He
is the son of Mary.’ (Bukhari, Kitabul Ta’beer, Hadith 6508)

Though normally the English translators have translated the words in red as ‘whitish-red’ but I have
given the literal translation. The thing will be hopefully clarified in the lines below;

ِ‫ ػَس ابِ ػ‬ٜ‫ ه ه ػَْٖ اىئ زظ‬ٜ ْ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ت ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٝ‫ زأ‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ ػ‬ٚ‫ٌ ٍٗ٘ظ‬ٕٞ‫ ف ٍ ٗ بسا‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ط ؼد ف دَس ػ‬ٝ‫ػس‬
‫اىصدز‬

Narrated Ibn Umar: The Prophet said, “I saw Moses, Jesus and Abraham (on the night of my
Ascension to the heavens). Jesus was of red complexion, curly hair and broad chest.” (Bukhari,
Kitabul Ahadith al-Anbiya, Hadith 3183)

As to the complexion, apparently there seems to be a contradiction but there isn’t any. One Hadith
of Ibn Umar (RA) above says that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) described Jesus (PBUH) to be of red
complexion while other narration from him says he was described to be of wheatish complexion.
This apparent contradiction is resolved considering other narrations.

ِ‫ٔ ػِ ظ ىٌ ػ‬ٞ‫ ه ٍ ٔٗاىي ى ه أب‬ٜ ْ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫َْ ه ٗىنِ أدَس ىؼ‬ٞ‫ّ ٌ أّ ب‬ ٘‫ظ ط ً ز و فإذا ب ىنؼ أط‬
‫اى ؼس‬

1) Salim reports from his father (i.e. Abdullah bin Umar), he said: “No, By Allah, the Prophet did not
say that Jesus was of red complexion but he said, “While I was asleep circumambulating the Ka’ba (in
my dream), suddenly I saw a man of brown complexion and lank hair.” (Bukhari, Kitabul Ahadith al-
Anbiya, Hadith 3185)

2) Considering the fact that Ibn Umar (RA) himself so emphatically repudiates the idea that Holy
Prophet (PBUH) described Jesus (PBUH) to be of red complexion so we have to believe, the narration
which attributes to Ibn Umar (RA) the report of Holy Prophet describing Jesus as such is perhaps a
mistake by some later narrator. Jesus (PBUH) was not purely of red complexion. Infact this is
generally not true for the Semitic people.

3) The rightful description of Jesus (PBUH) is as narrated by Ibn Abbas (RA):

ِ‫ ضػ اب‬ٜ‫ ػِ ػَْٖ اىئ زظ‬ٜ ْ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ت… ه ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٝ‫ زأ‬ٚ‫ع‬ٞ‫ اىخيق ٍسب٘ع ٍسب٘ػ ز ي ػ‬ٚ‫ ض اىذَسة ى‬ٞ ‫ظ ط ٗاى‬
‫اىسأض‬

Narrated Ibn Abbas: The Prophet said, “On the night of my Ascent to the Heaven, … I saw Jesus, a
man of medium height and moderate complexion inclined to the red and white colors and of lank
hair.” (Bukhari, Kitabul Bad’ al-Khalq, Hadith 3000)

4) Infact his complexion was neither white as lime nor purely red but something between these two
as described in the Hadith above. And the same complexion was sometimes referred to as ‘wheatish’
or ‘wheat-colored.’

Al-Nawawi has written the same in his commentary to the Hadith that speaks of red complexion of
Jesus (PBUH):

ّٗٔ‫ ا ت ٔ أ‬ٚ‫ ػي‬ٛٗ‫ج٘ش اىسا‬ٞ‫ت ٗه أُ ف‬ٝ ‫ اى دَس‬ٚ‫ اى ً ػي‬، ‫نُ٘ ٗى‬ٝ ‫ق اىَسا‬ٞ‫زبٖ ٍ بو ٗاىذَسة اى ٍ دق‬

“And this is confusion on the part of the narrator and perhaps he took red to be wheat-like and it
does not mean tan or red but what is near to it.” (Sharah Al-Nawawi on Sahih Muslim 1/302, Kitabul
Iman)

5) The fact of the matter is that it’s not easy to describe ones complexion. The same is evident from
the fact that Anas (RA) in one narration says Holy Prophet (PBUH) was wheatish in complexion and in
another narration says he was not wheat-colored. (Shamail Tirmidhi Hadith 1 & 2. Both
authenticated by Albani)

General verses and verses of exceptions

If some were to argue how Isa (as) is alive in heaven when Allah (swt) said in the Quran; “Allah is He
Who made the earth a resting-place for you…” *40:64+ and “And We did not grant to any man before
you eternity so if you die - would they be eternal?” *21:34+
Then the counter argument is that the Quran has general verses and some verses of exceptions. This
is indeed true regarding the messiah. Also no Muslim believes that Isa (as) is immortal since he had a
beginning and the messiah will pass away after his return.

Below is a list of verses that states clearly that Allah (swt) created human from sperm emitted.

“And that He creates the two mates - the male and female From a sperm-drop when it is emitted.”
[53:45-46]

“Indeed, We created man from a sperm-drop mixture…” *76:2+

“We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging.” *23:13+

Now the above verses show that generally human are created from male sperm when it is emitted
into the female womb.

But the Quran gives us an exception of the messiah Isa (as) because the Messiah did not have a
biological father.

“*And mention+ when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah gives you good tidings of a word from
Him, whose name will be the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary - distinguished in this world and the
Hereafter and among those brought near [to Allah].He will speak to the people in the cradle and in
maturity and will be of the righteous."She said, "My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has
touched me?" [The angel] said, "Such is Allah; He creates what He wills. When He decrees a matter,
He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.” *3: 45 - 47]

“Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam. He created Him from dust; then He said
to him, "Be," and he was.” *3:59+

“And *mention+ the one who guarded her chastity, so We bestowed into her [garment] through Our
angel *Gabriel+, and We made her and her son a sign for the worlds.” *21:91+

“And *the example of+ Mary, the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into *her
garment] through Our angel, and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of
the devoutly obedient.” *66:12+

In Qura'nic Sciences we have what is known as takhsees (specification) in which you can have a
general statement somewhere, but evidence from another verse or authentic Prophetic tradition
could limit the meaning of the verse.

A claim made by those who do not believe in Jesus' (pbuh) second coming is based on Qur'an 21:34-
35. These read as follows:

We did not give any human being before you immortality. And if you die, will they then be
immortal? Every self will taste death. We test you with both good and evil as a trial. And you will be
returned to Us. (Qur'an, 21:34-35)
The verse does not oppose the Islamic belief of Isa (AS) being alive for all Muslims believe he will die
after his descent. He will taste death and the one who dies is not eternal.

Some people cite these verses as proof that Jesus (pbuh) is dead. However, by doing so they ignore
the many clear verses and hadith that proclaim that God protected and rescued Jesus (pbuh) from
the unbelievers' traps. The great majority of Islamic scholars agree with this interpretation.
Moreover, the fact that Jesus (pbuh) did not die and was raised to God's presence does not mean
that he is immortal. Furthermore, such a mistaken idea is never proposed when dealing with his
second coming. All of the evidence focuses on the facts that Jesus (pbuh) has not died yet, that he
will return to Earth, and that his death will take place after that.

Some queries

Some deviant cults misinterpret verses of the Quran to reject the Islamic belief of the literal asension
of Isa (as). Amongst those verses are;

“And *beware the Day+ when Allah will say, "O Jesus, Son of Mary, did you say to the people, 'Take
me and my mother as deities besides Allah?'" He will say, "Exalted are You! It was not for me to say
that to which I have no right. If I had said it, You would have known it. You know what is within
myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is Knower of the unseen.I
said not to them except what You commanded me - to worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. And I
was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the
Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.” *Quran 5:116-117]

The above verses are related to the questioning on Day of Judgment and the questions asked to
Hazrat Isa (as) was specifically about those people from bani Israil who took Isa (as) as God.

Another allegation from the deviant cults is that how can the Messiah be in heaven when the earth
is the place of living.

“And for you there is an abode on the earth and a provision for a time, He said, therein shall you live
and therein shall you die and therefrom shall you be brought forth.” (The Holy Quran, 7:25-26)

Ofcourse Isa (as) will return to live on earth and die on earth. If a man has a permanent residence
somewhere, he may go temporarily anywhere. People have gone even to space and moon. Is it
contrary to the verses of the Holy Quran? If Hazrat Isa Alaih-i-Salam has been lifted temporarily, it
does not mean that he has died. He will come to earth at due time and will die like other people and
will be buried in the earth.

Another verse that the deviant cults misuse is the following;

“The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; messengers have been before him. And his
mother was a supporter of truth. They both used to eat food. Look how We make clear to them the
signs; then look how they are deluded.” *5:75+
The context of the verse proves that Isa (as) is not God since he used to eat; thus refuting
Christianity. Also this does not negate that Isa (as) is in heaven alive since the system in where Isa
(as) is different from earth therefore the Messiah does not need to eat in heaven.

Some deviant cults also misuse another verse to doubt the possibility of the Messiah returning to
earth for humanity. The heretics use the verse;

“And will make him a Messenger to the children of Israel…” (3:49)

The whole context of the verse refers to the initial responsibility of Isa (as) which is preaching the
message of Islam to bani Israil. This verse does not negate the return of Isa (as) to whole of humanity
because near the end of time the messiah’s responsibily is different as based upon the promises of
Muhammad (saw).

Another claim made by those who disbelieve in the literal ascension and return of the messiah is
that "The return of Jesus (pbuh) would eliminate the element of testing."

The answer to the above question is the following; not everyone will immediately accept this event,
as the people in question maintain. At first, Jesus (pbuh) will be met with skepticism, especially from
those who do not live by true religious moral values or those who have weak faith. After the second
coming, Jesus (pbuh) will wage a great intellectual struggle against all atheistic and polythiest
systems and ideologies, and return the religion to its pure form by eliminating all of its corrupted
elements and beliefs. At the end of this struggle, the true religion's moral values will rule the world.
Indeed, the great Islamic scholar Said Nursi (D. 1960 C.E) showed that the great majority of people
will greet Jesus (pbuh) with skepticism, but that sincere believers will recognize him by the light of
his faith and immediately obey him:

“God, the All-Wise and the Generous, Who every time sends angels to Earth from heavens;
sometimes renders them in the form of a human being (as in the case of Gabriel, who appeared in
the form of Dihya [one of the Prophet's (may God bless him and grant him peace) followers]; sends
spirits from the universe of spirits, making them appear in the form of human beings; and Who even
sends the spirits of the dead saints in their former bodies to Earth, sends Jesus (pbuh) (whose body
is in the heavenly world and is alive) to Earth, even if he had really died and gone to the remotest
edge of the life of the Hereafter, making him wrapped in a body, for the safe occurrence of the most
important issue of the religion of Jesus (pbuh) … Out of his divine purpose, He promised, and
because He promised, He will surely send. When Jesus (pbuh) comes, not necessarily everyone will
know that he is really Jesus (pbuh). Those who are close to him and those with profound faith will
recognize him, thanks to the light of their faith. Otherwise, not everyone will clearly recognize him.”
[Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Risale-i Nur Collection: The Letters, 59]

As this great teacher reported, when Jesus (pbuh) returns, not everyone will recognize and believe in
him. Moreover, it must not be forgotten that most of the prophets sent throughout history
performed miracles by God's will in order to call people to faith. However, a great many people still
refused to believe, despite these miracles. On the contrary, they became arrogant and persisted in
their unbelief, as did Pharaoh and his court, who refused to believe, despite Moses' (pbuh) miracles
(e.g., turning his staff into a snake, and his hand becoming as white as snow). The people's response
to these miracles is revealed in the following terms:

They said: "No matter what kind of sign you bring us to bewitch us, we will not believe in you." So
We sent down upon them floods, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood, signs, clear and distinct, but they
proved arrogant and were an evil-doing people. (Qur'an, 7:132-33)

God also reveals that, unless He wills otherwise, those who refuse to believe will not change their
minds even if they witness great miracles:

Even if We sent down angels to them, the dead spoke to them, and We gathered together
everything in front of them right before their eyes, they would still not believe unless God willed.
The truth is that most of them are ignorant. (Qur'an, 6:111)

Therefore, regardless of the miracle performed, humanity's environment of testing will never be
eliminated. Jesus' (pbuh) second coming will be a means through which sincere believers will be
distinguished from those who do not believe. With the reason, clear-sightedness, and foresight
imparted by faith, sincere believers will recognize Jesus (pbuh), obey him wholeheartedly, and
support and protect him. Unbelievers or those with weak faith will remain skeptical and doubtful.
(God knows best.) However, their groundless doubts and skepticism will not alter the facts, for God's
promise of Jesus' (pbuh) return to Earth will be fulfilled, regardless of anyone's plan to prevent this
great miracle.

Another claim made by those who believe that Jesus (pbuh) is dead is that the Qur'an reveals that
Prophet Idris (pbuh) was also "raised up." According to this claim, Jesus (pbuh), just like Idris (pbuh),
was only "raised up" in the sense of station or rank. When the relevant verses are examined in
detail, however, this deduction is shown to be inaccurate. The relevant verses are given below:

Mention Idris in the Book. He was a true man and a prophet. We raised him up to a high place.
(Qur'an, 19:56-57)

… *I will+ raise you *Jesus+ up to Me and purify you of those who are unbelievers. And I will place the
people who follow you above those who do not believe until the Day of Resurrection… (Qur'an, 3:55)

And [on account of] their saying: "We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, messenger of God."
They did not kill him and they did not crucify him, but it was made to seem so to them... God raised
him up to Himself. God is Almighty, All-Wise. (Qur'an, 4:157-58)

Clearly, there is a great difference between these two states. Since the other prophets' superior
moral values and faith are praised in the preceding verses, as is the case with Idris (pbuh), it is
revealed that he has been raised in station. However, the verses that precede the one mentioning
Jesus' (pbuh) ascension discuss the unbelievers' plot against him and how God protected him by
raising him, body and soul, into another dimension unbounded by space and time. Thus, Idris (pbuh)
was raised in station, whereas Jesus (pbuh) was physically purified and removed from this dimension
and raised to heaven. (Harun Yahya)
Another unfounded assertion made by some people is that "Since Prophet Muhammad (may God
bless him and grant him peace) was the last prophet, Jesus (pbuh) will not return." This has no basis
in fact. First, it needs to be made clear that our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) is
"the messenger of God and the Final Seal of the prophets" (Qur'an, 33:40).

Khatam (seal) in the verse [33:40] clearly means that Muhammad (saw) is the last appointed prophet
with the last Shariah. Thus the return of the messiah does not contradict the belief of Muhammad
(saw) being the last prophet.

Other people with baseless doubts about Jesus' (pbuh) exact status and return ask: "Why is Jesus
(pbuh) being sent to cause religious moral values to prevail, and not Prophet Muhammad (may God
bless him and grant him peace)?" Taking these concerns as a pretext, they then raise all sorts of
objections.

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the best Prophet, an honored and trustworthy messenger
in God's sight. God revealed His last Book to this greatest man, who is a role model of abiding by
proper moral values, spiritality and closeness to God, a friend of God, and one superior in His sight.
He is also the friend, and protector of all believers. Throughout his life, the Prophet (saw) waged an
exemplary struggle in the path of God and enlightened Arabia, which was buried in spiritual darkness
and ignorance, with Islamic moral values. When the time appointed by God came to an end, his life,
like that of many other prophets, came to an end.

However, God ordained a different destiny for Jesus (pbuh) and promised him that he would return
to Earth. This is our Lord's discretion, and surely there is great wisdom behind it. One element of
that wisdom that Jesus' (pbuh) return and spreading of the message of the true religion among
people will make it easier for these people to turn to Islam in a more rapid fashion. When their own
prophet tells them that some of their beliefs (e.g., the Trinity and Jesus' [pbuh] atonement for
humanity's sins) are mistaken, that God is the only deity and that the Qur'an really is God's final
revelation to humanity, Christians will sit up and listen to him. This event will free them from
ascribing partners to God and other corrupt beliefs, and they will enter Islam in great waves.

Let’s not forget that Allah (swt) said; “He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be
questioned.” *21:23+

Some deviant cults will try to misinterpret some hadith such as the one below;

The Hadith infact relates to only those who lived on earth.

ِ‫ق٘ى اىئ ػ د بِ بس ػ‬ٝ ‫ ظَؼت‬ٜ ْ‫ اى‬ٚ‫ٔ اىئ صي‬ٞ‫ق٘ه ٗظيٌ ػي‬ٝ … ٍ ٚ‫ ٍْف٘ظ ّفط ٍِ اى زض ػي‬ٜ‫ٖ ت ت‬ٞ‫ػي‬ ٍ ْ‫ظ‬

Jabir bin Abdullah narrates that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “None upon the earth, the created beings
(from amongst my Companions), would survive at the end of one hundred years.”

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 4606. Kanz al-Ummal 14/191, H.38336)

In Sahih Muslim same has been narrated in the reports of, 1) Abdullah bin Umar (Hadith 4605, Kanz
al-Ummal 38344) and 2) Abu Said (Hadith 4608 Kanz al-Ummal 38341).

All these narrations have the words ٚ‫( اى زض ػي‬On the earth). This no way supports the deviant cults’
belief against the Islamic belief because we Muslims do not hold that Jesus (PBUH) is alive on earth,
we say Jesus (PBUH) is in the Heavens.

Incident of Mi’raj raised up

Some deviant cults try to use the night journey Of Muhammad (saw) to reject the ascension of the
Messiah Isa (as).

The various hadith about the Holy Prophet’s Mi’raj record:

“Adam is in the first heaven … Joseph is in the second heaven, and his cousins Yahya (John the
Baptist) and Jesus are in the third heaven, and Idris is in the fourth heaven” (Kanz al-Ummal, vol. VI,
p. 120).

Regarding the incident of the holy Prophet Muhammad’s (saw) night journey and ascension, We
cannot take the affairs of the Heavenly domain on the lines we take the things here on this Earth for
we do not know the exact nature of the affairs of the Other World.

“Then the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) descended in Jerusalem, along
with all the other prophets. At the time of prayers, he led them all in prayer.” (Tafisir Ibn Kathir)

The Truth:

1) There are just two possibilities, when the Holy Prophet (PBUH) met the Prophets in Jerusalem
during his miraculous night journey either all of them were present there in their bodily forms or he
just met their spirits. But one thing is established, all of them were in similar condition and form as
there is no evidence to say that Jesus (PBUH) was an exception in any way.

2) If he simply met their spirits i.e. he met the spirit of Jesus (PBUH) it doesn’t mean he was dead
because we do know from Quran and Hadith that even when a person is not dead his soul can move.
As in sleep;

ٔ‫ اىي‬ٚ‫ت٘ف‬ٝ ‫ِ اى ّفط‬ٞ‫ ٍ٘تٖ د‬ٜ‫ تَت ىٌ ٗاىت‬ٜ‫َعل ٍْ ٍٖ ف‬ٞ‫ ف‬ٜ‫ اىت‬ٚ‫ٖ ع‬ٞ‫سظو اىَ٘ت ػي‬ٝٗ ٙ‫ اى خس‬ٚ‫ أ و ى‬َٚ‫ ُ ٍع‬ٜ‫ ت لذى ف‬ٝ ‫ى‬
ً٘‫تفنسُٗ ىق‬ٝ

“Allah fully takes away the souls (of the people) at the time of their death, (and (of) those who do
not die, in their sleep. Then He withholds those on whom He had decreed death, and sends others
back, up to an appointed term. Surely, in this, there are signs for a people who ponder.” (Quran
39:42)

3) Even if the Prophets were physically present, there is no issue still because the ayah about ‘Rafa’
i.e. Ascension talks of one particular instance and about Jesus (PBUH) only. It does not rule out the
possibility of the same thereafter and that too at an event in which he was no exception. [Waqar
Akbar Cheema]

Regarding the hadith about Musa (as) mentioned with Isa (as) in tafsir ibn kathir;

‘If Moses and Jesus had been alive amongst you, they would have no choice but to follow me.’
[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, under verse 81 of AI Imran]

This narration with a mention of Jesus (PBUH) along with Moses (PBUH) has absolutely no chain
recorded anywhere, thus it’s totally baseless.

Ibn Kathir himself stated that it’s a weak and munkar report. Let’s not forget that ibn Kathir was a
Sunni Muslim scholar who also believed that Isa (as) was raised up alive and that he will literally
return before the hour. His books titled the beginning and the end and also stories of the prophets
clearly states that Isa (as) was raised up alive and that he did not die.
It’s really bizarre that deviant cults use Sunni Muslim scholars' books to prove their case when in
reality all these classical scholars believed in ahle Sunnah theology and clearly believed that the
messiah Isa (as) was raised up alive. They also believed that there is only one messiah and that Isa
Ibn Maryam (as) will return physically.

Now back to the report abt musa (as) mentioned with Isa (as); the report does not have authentic
isnad and is not considered reliable by ibn kathir, dhahabi, Muhammad shawkani and albaani.

Infact there are reliable narrations but they mention Moses (PBUH) only and not Jesus (PBUH). The
Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:

٘‫ م ُ ى‬ٚ‫ ٍ٘ظ‬ٞ‫ِ د‬ٞ‫ أُ ى ىٔ دو ٍ أ ٖسمٌ ب‬ْٜ‫ت ؼ‬ٝ

“If Moses were alive amongst you, he would have had no option but to follow me.”
(Musnad Ahmad 14104. Musnad Abu Ya’la Hadith 2081. Tafsir Ibn Kathir 2/68. Shaykh Hamztul Zain
classified it as Hasan in his classification of Musnad Ahmad 11/500 pub. Dar al-Hadith Cairo, 1995)
(also ahmad shakir classifies it as hasan saheeh)

Now even if we consider Jesus (PBUH) along with Moses (PBUH) in the above narration it still doesn’t
go with the deviant cults’ belief. The Hadith clearly uses the words ِٞ‫ أ ٖسمٌ ب‬i.e. ‘Amongst you’. This
implies that if Moses (PBUH) and Jesus (PBUH) were alive amongst us, they would have no choice
but to follow our Last Holy Prophet (PBUH). This way it has nothing to say if either of them is alive
anywhere or not. It can only be taken to mean that they are not alive ‘amongst us’ which needs no
further proof. Moreover, it is an established belief among Muslims that once Jesus (PBUH) will
descend from the Heavens and live ‘amongst us’ he will only follow the Law brought by the Holy
Prophet (PBUH).

Refutation of those who disbelieve in miracles

Chapter 13 verse 38: “And it was not for a messenger to come with a sign except by permission of
Allah. For every term is a decree.”

The Quran informs us about many miracles/evidences (aya/beyyinat) given to previous messengers,
as extraordinary evidences for their extraordinary claims. However, many dogmatic sceptics or
dogmatic followers of a particular teaching always managed to find excuses to blind themselves to
those evidences and are too embarrassed to believe in miracles even though they believe in the
hereafter, angels, jinns and revelations. They considered the miracles given to prophets to be magic,
tricks, illusions or mythology. Some sects, perhaps because of their lack of appreciation of God’s
power, tried very hard to deny the existence of miracles; they tried to transform them into natural
events, or symbolic statements. Those who believe in the Quran will have no problem in accepting
the examples of miracles given in the Quran. Miracles remove the doubts of those who sincerely
seek for truth, and strengthen those who already acknowledged the message of Allah.

The purpose of the miracles mentioned in the Quran makes sense: to support their missions in their
lifetime and to show us the ultimate goals of scientific and technological progress, and to inspire us
to repeat them by acquiring the knowledge of divine laws embedded in nature.

The Quran repeatedly informs us that Allah does not change His Sunnah (law); and sending
messengers with supporting miracles/signs has been God’s law.
Below is a list of miracles/signs mentioned in the Quran:

• Some of the Children of Israel are resurrected on

Earth after being killed (2:56).
• Moses causes 12 springs to gush forth (2:60).
• A man dies and is resurrected after 100 years (2:259).
• Abraham kills four birds and brings them back
to life (2:260).
• Zechariah’s wife gives birth while infertile (3:40).
• Mary gives birth while being a virgin (3:47).
• Jesus heals the blind, lepers (3:49).
• Angels descend to fight alongside the
prophet (3:125).
• God speaks to Moses (4:164).
• Moses turns his staff into a serpent (7:107).
• Moses’ hand becomes pure white (7:108).

"When Allah said, "O Jesus, son of Mary! Recount My favour upon you and your mother, when I
strengthened you with the Holy Spirit, so that you may speak to the people in childhood and in
maturity and I brought you the book and wisdom and Torah and Injeel. Behold! When you would
make, out of clay, the figure of a bird, with my permission you breathed into it so that it became a
living bird, by My Leave." [5/110]

The Quran has also recorded Jesus’ statement when he was recounting his miracles to his people:
‘I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, I that I make for you, out of clay, the figure of a
bird and I breathe into it, so that it becomes a live bird by Allah’s Leave.’ 3/49.

Imam Tabari (d.310/888) stated that once Jesus was sitting in the company of those disciples who
would write the holy scripture. Jesus took a handful of clay and said to his disciples, "Shall I make for
you, a live bird from clay?" They replied, "Are you capable of doing so?" He said, "Yes! By the Will of
my Lord." He then took the clay and shaped it to resemble a bird. He then blew upon it saying, "Be a
living bird, by the Will of Allah!" It became a live bird and flew away in the sky spreading its wings,
and once it disappeared from the public eye, turned back into clay.

Imam Qurtubi says in explanation of this verse, that the people demanded that Jesus should create
an owl from clay, and they challenged him to it, as a sign to prove his truthfulness and as evidence of
being a prophet. They (the people) thought Jesus would not be able to carry out their order, but Isa
(Jesus) proved himself truthful by shaping an owl from clay, blowing upon it and thus causing it
to live so that it flew away.

"And you heal those who were born blind and the lepers by My Leave and when you bring the
dead back to life by My Leave."5/110

"By Allah’s Leave I heal those who were born blind and the lepers and I bring the dead back to life
again." 3/55

Imam Tabari (d.310/888) has stated in his tafsir that the method of quickening the dead, by Jesus,
was that he would sit by the dead and supplicate to his Lord and that his Lord would accept his
supplication and the dead person would become alive.

Imam Qurtubi says by way of interpretation of these verses, that the science of medicine was seen
as the ultimate achievement during the time of Jesus, thus he was given miracles of that category
and parallelism, thus making them suitable for the people of that age. Although Jesus had cured
people from many different sicknesses, the Quran has mentioned only two of these, because these
were the miraculous ones, they were the most amazing achievements of that period.

Imam Ibn Kathir (d.774/1352) has stated in his tafsir that, Jesus was sent in the age when the science
of medicine was at its peak. Thus, the prophet brought such cure and remedies which the experts of
that age could not compete with. Therefore the people understood that these were indeed divine
miracles, as the scientists of medicine could never bring the dead back to life or cure those who
were born blind.

The Quran states clearly that isa ibn maryam healed those born blind; hence Isa healed those who
were physically born blind because nobody is born spiritually blind as based upon hadith that
everyone is born pure on his/her fitra (innate disposition to believe in one God).

So it’s easy for Allah to have raised the messiah alive and return him to earth near the end of time.
Never did the Prophet (saw) say someone else by the character of isa will come but rather the
messiah isa ibn maryam himself will return.
Still some people maintain that Jesus (pbuh) was saved from the unbelievers' trap but then died at
an unknown time in a different country. Not only does this claim lack any logical foundation, it also
raises a number of unanswered questions to which these people offer no logical explanation. God
caused Jesus (pbuh) to disappear suddenly while he was still alive. After this, nobody saw or spoke to
him ever again. This is an extraordinary situation. If, as these people maintain, Jesus (pbuh) had lived
for a while longer, surely some people would have seen him or spoken to him. Yet we have no such
information that such a thing actually happened. Of course, it would have been impossible for him to
have lived without moving among the people, speaking to anyone, or communicating his message,
for doing so was the sole reason for his creation and being sent to the Children of Israel. Also there is
no proof for such a bizarre claim in the Quran, hadith or athar.

In addition, those who claim that Jesus (pbuh) has already died have to bear in mind the loss they
will suffer when Jesus (pbuh) does return. Many of the signs regarding this event, as revealed in the
Qur'an and the hadith, have already occurred. It is also great news that his second coming is at hand.
(God knows best.) That being the case, believers need to experience the excitement, enthusiasm,
and joy of that event, and to compete with one another to make the best possible preparations to
greet him. Therefore, those who have become caught up in this erroneous belief that Jesus (pbuh)
has already died need to abandon their preconceptions, listen to their consciences, and again study
in detail what the Qur'an has to say. Only by doing so will they see the truth and be freed from their
error.

In his commentary, Ruh al-Ma'ani fi Tafsir al-Qur'an, the great Islamic scholar Sayyid al-Alusi cited
examples of the views of other Islamic scholars and said that the community is agreed on the return
of Jesus (pbuh), and that these statements were so well known as to attain the level of consensus.
He also stated that belief in the coming of Jesus (pbuh) was obligatory. [Al-Alusi, Ruh al-Ma‘ani+

Isa Ibn Maryam (as) was a law bearing Prophet

“Indeed, We sent down the Torah, in which was guidance and light. The prophets who submitted [to
Allah] judged by it for the Jews, as did the rabbis and scholars by that with which they were
entrusted of the Scripture of Allah, and they were witnesses thereto. So do not fear the people but
fear Me, and do not exchange My verses for a small price. And whoever does not judge by what
Allah has revealed - then it is those who are the disbelievers.” *Quran 5:44+

It is true that the messiah Isa (as) came to confirm the Torah. But, consider Surah Ale ‘Imraan verse
50, where Isa bin Maryam ‫ عهٍّ انسالو‬says:

ِ‫ض انَّذِي حُ ّزِوَ عَهَ ٍْ ُكىْ وَجِئُْتكُى بِآٌَتٍ يٍِّ رَّّبِ ُكىْ فَبّتَقُو ْا انهَّّ وَأَطِيعُون‬
َ ْ‫ٍ انتَّوْرَاةِ وَنِؤُحِمَّ َنكُى َبع‬
َ ِ‫يَ ي‬
ّ َ‫َويُصَدِّقًب ّنًَِب بٍٍََْ ٌَد‬

“And I come fulfilling that which is before me, namely, the Torah; and to allow you some of that
which was forbidden unto you, and I come to you with a Sign from your Lord; so fear Allah and obey
me.”*Quran 3:50+

Some of the scholars of Islam, such as Ibn Kathir, comment that this means he allowed certain foods
that were previously impermissible and made work permissible on their Sabbath. Either way, he was
authorized to modify law. This would effectively make him a “law-bearing” prophet.
Also the above verse in chapter 3 indicates that `Isa (as) abrogated some of the Laws of the Tawrah
and informed the Jews of the truth regarding some issues that they used to dispute about. [Tafsir Ibn
Kathir]

Suyuti said regarding the verse *3:50+; “Thus Isa (as) made lawful some foods which were previously
forbidden and Isa (as) allowed working on Sabbath.” *Tafsir Jalalayn+

Consider that in the Islamic legal system there are two sources of law: the Qur’an and the Sunnah of
the Prophet ‫صهى اهلل عهٍّ و سهى‬, preserved through the books of hadith. The obligation to obey the
Prophet ‫ صهى اهلل عهٍّ و سهى‬is outlined in dozens of verse, such as Surah Alee ‘Imraan verse 133 where
Allah says:

ٌَ‫َوَأطِيعُواْ انهَّّ وَانزَّسُولَ َنعَّهَ ُكىْ تُزْحًَُو‬

And obey Allah and the Messenger that you may be shown mercy.

Allah used the word ْ‫أَطٍِعُوا‬, the command form of the word obey, and from this one can gather that it
is legally incumbent upon all Muslims to obey his commandments. Next, consider that this same
root-word is used with regards to Isa bin Maryam ‫عهٍّ انسالو‬. He tells the Bani Isra’eel to fear Allah and
ٌِ‫( َأطٍِعُو‬obey me). The obligation upon Bani Isra’eel to obey Isa bin Maryam ‫ عهٍّ انسالو‬makes him a
“law-bearing” prophet just as the obligation upon the Muslims to obey the Prophet Muhammad ‫صهى‬
‫اهلل عهٍّ و سهى‬, in addition to the Qur’an, makes him a “law-bearing” prophet.

This analysis is not specific to Isa bin Maryam ‫عهٍّ انسالو‬. Even if not all prophets were given revelatory
scriptures, all prophets gave orders, and their commandments were incumbent upon their
communities, thus making them all “law-bearing” prophets.

“And We have sent no Messenger but that he should be obeyed by the command of Allah. And if they
had come to thee, when they had wronged their souls, and asked forgiveness of Allah, and the
Messenger also had asked forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah Oft-Returning
with compassion, and Merciful.”
- *Surah Nisa’ Verse 64+

Allah (swt) revealed to the messiah Isa (as) a new kitab called Injeel.

“Then We sent following their footsteps Our messengers and followed *them+ with Jesus, the son of
Mary, and gave him the Gospel.” *57:27+

Thus Isa (as) received a divine book that supersedes the Tawrah. Therefore the messiah Isa (as) was
indeed a messenger that modified some laws for the children of Israel.

Our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) Gave Muslims the Glad Tidings
That They Will Be Jesus' (pbuh) Helpers

The Qur'an, the hadith, and the works of great Islamic scholars reveal that Jesus (pbuh) was raised to
Heaven and will return to Earth. His second coming is widely described in al-Hafiz ibn al-Dayba' al-
Shaybani's Taysir al-Usul ila Jami` al-Usul, and such esteemed hadith collections as Imam Malik's Al-
Muwatta', the Sahihs of Ibn Khuzayma and Ibn Hibban, and the Musnads of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and
Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi. Some of these hadith are as follows:

By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the son of Mary (Jesus [pbuh]) will shortly descend among you
people as a just ruler. [Bukhari]

Hazrat Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (PBUH) of God said: "I swear by Him Who has power
over my life, the son of Mary shall descend among you as a Just ruler. He will break the cross and kill
the swine and he will put an end to war." (Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith al-Anbiya; Bab: Nuzul 'Isa Ibn
Maryam; Muslim, Bab: Bayan Nuzul 'Isa; Tirmidhi, Abwab-al-Fitan; Bab Fi Nuzul 'Isa; Musnad Ahmad,
Marwiyat Abu Huraira)

Notice the holy Prophet (saw) sweared by Allah (swt) that the messiah Isa (as) will descend from
heaven, thus clearly indicating that the descent of Isa (as) will be literal. Prophet Muhammad (saw)
emphasised and stressed the fact that the messiah Isa (as) will return thus it shows that Isa (as) will
physically return to earth from heaven. Any statement that is stressed upon and taken oath by is to
be taken at apparent value hence again proving that the Messiah Isa (as) will literally return, If not
then the value of oath and emphasise is lost.

The implication of "breaking the Cross" is that Christianity will become defunct as a religion.

A thorough study of the Hadiths on the subject of I`sa’s descent would reveal to the reader that the
prophet has used four different types of words, (1) Ba’th, which means ‘send’. (2) Ruju’, which
means ‘return of I`sa (Jesus)’. (3) Nuzul, which means ‘descent’. (4) Khuruj, which means ‘appear’.

The second word clearly proves that this descent will be the second coming and return of a person
who had arrived before, which is I`sa , Son of Mary, and no other metaphorical prophet or replica. It
is a peculiar distinction of Islamic sacred scripture, and Hadith that it has avoided the usage of
complicated metaphors, figurative and far fetched similes. Clarity and precision of expression are the
inevitable features of this final and complete religion on Earth.

Jesus (pbuh), son of Mary, will definitely descend near the end of times. [Imam Nawawi,
Commentary on Sahih Muslim, 2:192; Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-‘Ummal, vol. 14, hadith no. 332+

Another tradition reported by Hazrat Abu Huraira says, "The Doomsday shall not be established
before the descent of Jesus, son of Mary." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Muzalim: Bab: Kasr-ul- Salib Ibn Majah,
Kitab-ul-Fitan al-Dajjal)

Hadrat Abu Huraira reports that the Apsotle (PBUH) of Allah observed: "What will you be like when
the son of Mary shall descend among you and a person among you will discharge the office of Imam
(Imam Mahdi)."(Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith Anbiya, Bab: Nuzul Isa; Muslim, Nuzul Isa; Musnad Ahmad,
Marwiyat Abu Huraira)
Some members of my community will be reunited with Jesus (pbuh), son of Mary, and will witness
his war against the Antichrist. [Al-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak]

Islamic scholars consider this miraculous event to be tawatur (unanimously agreed upon), and the
relevant hadith are considered to be of indisputable veracity. All hadith scholars agree that those
who transmitted these hadith are completely reliable, are not to be doubted, and that no
completely reliable hadith is to be questioned. [Harun Yahya]

Imam Abu Hanifa heads the list of those who discuss the literal return of the Messiah Hazrat Isa Ibn
Maryam (as). In the final chapter of his book Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, Abu Hanifa states:

The emergence of the Antichrist and of Gog and Magog is a reality; the rising of the Sun in the west
is a reality; the descent of Isa (as) from the heavens is a reality; and all of the other signs of the Day
of Resurrection, as contained in the authentic traditions, are established realities. [Imam Abu Hanifa,
Al-Fiqh al-Akbar]

Prophet Muhammad (saw) informed us of such matters as Jesus' (pbuh) descent, his struggle, and
what the world will be like at that time. Each of these reports is good news for all Muslims. For
example, Prophet Muhammad (saw said that when Jesus (pbuh) returns to Earth, Muslims will enjoy
the honor of being his valuable helpers:

“I swear to God, Who sent me as a true prophet, that of course Jesus (pbuh), son of Mary, will find in
my community people to replace his disciples when he returns close to the period of the End Times.”
[Al-Tirmidhi, Nawadir al-Usul fi Ma‘rifat Ahadith al-Rasul]

Abu Hurayra narrated that Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "There are three things that, when they
are manifested, will be of no benefit to the faith of a person who did not have faith before: the
Antichrist, the Beast, and the Sun rising in the west." [Al-Tirmidhi hadiths; Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-
Rasul Barzanji, Al-Isha‘ah li Aashrat al-Sa‘ah+

Abu Hanifa said this about the hadith that refer to the Antichrist and other signs:

“The emergence of the Antichrist and of Gog and Magog is a reality; the rising of the Sun in the west
is a reality; the descent of Jesus (pbuh) from the heavens is a reality; and all the other signs of the
Day of Resurrection, as contained in authentic traditions, are established realities.” *Imam Abu
Hanifa, Al-Fiqh al-Akbar]

Some of the hadith reveal how Jesus (pbuh) will eliminate the Antichrist, as follows:

As the Dajjal spreads evil through the world, God will send the Messiah, Jesus (pbuh) son of Mary
Jesus (pbuh) will meet the Antichrist at the gate of Ludd [near Jerusalem] and make him ineffective.
[Sahih Muslim; Saim Gungor, Buyuk Fitne Mesih-i Deccal (The Great Wickedness, the Messiah
Antichrist)]

Hadrat Abu Huraira reports the Apsotle (PBUH) of Allah having said: "Christ, son of Mary, will then
kill the swine and remove the Cross. A congregation for prayer will be held for him. He will distribute
such an enormous quantity of goods that none will be left in need of anything. He will encamp at
Rauha (a place situated at a distance of 35 miles from Medina) and from there, set out to perform
Hajj or Umrah or both." (Musnad Ahmad, Silsila Marwiyat Abi Huraira; Muslim, Kitab-ul-Hajj; Bab
Jawaz-ul- Tamatttu fil-Hajj wa-al-Qir'an)

Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him) as narrating from Allah's Apostle (‫ )ﷺ‬who said: “By Him
in Whose Hand is my life. Ibn Maryam (Jesus Christ) would certainly pronounce Talbiya for Hajj or for
Umra or for both (simultaneously as a Qiran) in the valley of Rauha.” *Sahih Muslim – book on Hajj]

The above authentic hadith clearly proves that Isa (as) is alive and that he will return because Hajj is
an ibadah and not an abstract. Thus Isa (as) will literally perform Hajj when he returns as promised
by our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said; “Isa (as) will lead you according to the Book of your Lord and my
Sunnah. [Sahih Muslim]

Prophet Muhammad (saw) promised; “'Isa (as), son of Maryam (as), will descend, rule for 40 years
with the book of Allah and my Sunnah, and then pass away in Al Madina.” (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-
Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman)

What verse 59 of Surah Al 'Imran offers is very interesting:

'The likeness of 'Isa in Allah's sight is the same as Adam...'

In this verse we can see there must be a number of similarities between the two prophets. As we
know, both Adam (as) and 'Isa (as) had no father, but we may draw a further similarity from the
above verse, between Adam's (as) descending to earth from Paradise and 'Isa (as)'s descent from
Allah's presence in the End Times. [Harun Yahya]

Another hadith; “There is no prophet between him (Jesus *pbuh+) and me. He will certainly descend.
Recognize him when you see him. He is of medium height, of a wheat color. He will wear two sets of
yellow dyed clothing. Water will fall from his hair even if it does not rain. He will strive for Islam. He
will slay the Antichrist and then remain for exactly forty years on Earth. Then he will die, and
Muslims will perform the prayers for him. [Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim]

Hazrat Nawas bin Samain (Razi Allah-o-Anho) relates that the Holy Prophet has said when God sends
Hazrat Isa Alaih-i-Salam, he will descent on the eastern white minerate of the ‘Jamay’ mosque of
Damascus. He will be wearing two yellow sheets and his two arms will be on the hands of two
angels, etc. Then he will go out to seek ‘Dajjal’ (anti-Christ) ultimately he will find him at Bab-e-Lud.
He will kill him.” [Sahih Muslim]

“Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Razi Allah-o-Anho) relates that the Holy Prophet SallAllah-o-Alaihi Wa Aalihi
Wasallam has said that ‘your pleasure knows no bounds when Isa Alaih-i-Salam, the son of Maryam
will descend from heavens and your Imam (leader) will be from you.” *Kitabul Asma’ wal Sifat,
p.301]
Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal (Rahmatullah Alaih) quotes from Abu Hurairah (Razi Allah-o-Anho) that the
Holy Prophet SallAllah-o-Alaihi Wa Aalihi Wasallam has said that ‘though the ‘Shariat’ of every
religion is different, but the principles of all the ‘shariat’ (divine law) are the same. And I am the
closest to Isa Alaih-i-Salam because there is no Prophet between him and me. He will appear. If you
see him, recognize him. He will be of middle height. His colour will be a mixture of red and white. He
will be wearing clothes of two colours. Drops of water will be falling from his head though it will not
be wet. He will break the cross and abolish ‘Jizia (tax liened on non-Muslims). He will invite all the
people towards Islam. God will remove all the religions except Islam. ‘Dajjal’ will be murdered in his
age. After it peace will prevail in the whole world. Isa Alaih-i-Salam will remain on earth for forty
years. After it he will die and the Muslims will say his funeral prayer. [Musnad Ahmad, Tafsir Ibn
Kathir and Ibn Hajr Fath al Bari]

Imam Hasan Basri (Rahmatullah Alaih) relates that the Holy Prophet SallAllah-o-Alaihi Wa Aalihi
Wasallam said: Hazrat Isa Alaih-i-Salam is not dead yet but alive and he will come again in the
world.” [Tafsir Tabari and Ibn Kathir]

Abdullah bin Umar (Razi Allah-o-Anho) relates that the Holy Prophet said: “In future Isa Alaih-i-Salam
will descend on earth (it means that Hazrat Isa Alaih-i-Salam was not on earth before. On the other
hand, he was on heavens). He will be buried beside me. On the day of Judgement, I will rise from the
grave with Christ, the son of Mary and I will be between Abu Bakr (Razi Allah-o-Anho) and Umer
(Razi Allah-o-Anho).” (Rawah Abnel Jozi Fe Kitabal Wafa, p.177-Mishqat, p.480. chapter Nazool Isa
Ibn Maryam)

Ibn Attiyah said; “The whole Muslim Ummah has the consensus of opinion that Isa Alaih-i-Salam is
alive on sky (heaven) and near the time of the Day of Judgement, he will appear and pray behind
Imam Mahdi in Jerusalem.

The son of Mary will return and kill the Antichrist. Then you will live for 40 years in prosperity. [Al-
Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi `Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, 90]

Hadrat Abu Huraira reports that the Apostle (PBUH) of Allah affirmed: "No Prophet shall come
during the period between me and Jesus (PBUH). And Jesus shall descend. Recognize him when you
see him; he is a man of medium height and of a fair complexion. He will be dressed in two pieces of
yellow garment. The hair of his head will appear as if water is trickling out of them, though his hair
would not be wet. He will strive for the cause of Islam. He will break the Cross into pieces. He will
slay the swine. He will abolish the Jizya on non-believers. In his time God will put an end to all other
faiths except the religion of Islam. And Christ will kill Dajjal. He will live on this earth for a period of
forty years and at the end of this period he will pass away. The Muslims will offer the funeral prayers
of Christ (PBUH). (Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Malahim, Bab: Khuruj-ul-Dajjal; Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat
Abu Huraira)

Jabir b. Abdullah relates that while narrating the episode of Dajjal, the Holy Prophet (PBUH)
observed: "At that time Christ, son of Mary, will suddenly descend among the Muslims. A
congregation will be assembled for prayer and he shall be asked: "O Spirit of God, come forward and
lead (us in Prayer)." But he will say, 'No, your own Imam shall step forward and act as the leader.'
Thus when the Muslims will have offered the Morning Prayer, they will set out to do battle against
Dajjal. When that liar will look on Christ (PBUH), he will start melting like salt in water. Christ (PBUH)
shall advance towards him and slay him. And it will come to pass that every stone will cry out: 'Spirit
of Allah, this Jew is hiding behind me.' Not a single follower of Dajjal will escape slaughter." (Musnad
Ahmad, Basissila Riwayat Jabir b. Abdullah)

Prophet (saw) said; “Allah would send Christ, son of Mary, and he will descend at the white minaret
in the eastern side of Damscus wearing two garments lightly dyed with saffron and placing his hands
on the wings of two Angels. When he would lower his head, there would fall beads of perspiration
from his head, and when he would raise it up, beads like pearls would scatter from it. Every non-
believer who would smell the odour of his self would die and his breath would reach as far as he
would be able to see. He would then search for him (Dajjal) until he would catch hold of him at the
gate of Ludd and would kill him. Then a people whom Allah had protected would come to Jesus, son
of Mary, and he would wipe their faces and would inform them of their ranks in Paradise…” *Sahih
Muslim – Book on Trials]

The above hadith clearly states that the Mesiah Isa (as) will descend in Damascus by placing his
hands on the wings of two angels thus proving that he is alive now and that he will literally descend
from heaven. This is because Angels are reality and not a metaphorical abstract.

It is reported by Thauban, the freed slave of the Holy Prophet that the holy Prophet (PBUH)
observed: "God will grant protection from Hell-fire to two groups from among the people of my
Ummah. One group consists of those who will invade India; the other group will consist of those who
will align themselves with Christ, son of Maryam (PBUH)." (Nasa'i, Kitab ul-jihad; Musnad ahmad,
Bisilsila Riwayat Thauban)

Mujamme b. jaria Ansari reports: "I heard the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as saying: Christ, son of Mary will
slay Dajjal at the gate of Lod (Lydda)." (Musnad Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abwab-ul-Fitan)

The above hadith clearly proves that Isa (as) is still alive because the dajjal is yet to appear. Also the
specific details evidently prove that it’s a literal hadith.

Another factor is the number and reliability of the hadith narrators regarding the second coming of
the Messiah Hazrat Isa ibn Maryam (as). Among these people are Abu al-Asas al-Sanani, Abu Rafi',
Abu al-Aliya, Abu Umama al Bahili, Abu al-Darda', Abu Hurayra, Abu Malik al-Khudri, Jabir ibn
'Abdullah, Hudhayfa ibn Adis, Safina, Qatada, 'Uthman ibn al-'As, Nafi' ibn Kaysani, Al Walid ibn
Muslim, 'Ammar ibn Yathir, and 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, may God be pleased with all of them. [Ibn
Hazm, ‘Ilm al-Qalam]

Given this, Islamic scholars regard belief in Jesus' (pbuh) second coming and his causing true
religious moral values to prevail as major articles of faith.

The information considered thus far shows that the relevant hadith are sahih (reliable) and
mutawatur (trustworthy). The information that they contain, as well as the accounts narrated by the
Companions and analyses of Islamic scholars, leave no doubt that Jesus (pbuh) will return to Earth.
By God's will, this great miracle will occur and all people will, as a direct result, experience a most
miraculous and beautiful period.

The hadith reported by Jabir ibn 'Abdullah: "He who denies the appearance of the Mahdi is
inevitably blaspheming against what was revealed to the Prophet (saw). He who denies the
appearance of Jesus (pbuh), the son of Mary, has become an unbeliever. Someone who denies that
the Antichrist will appear is also inevitably an unbeliever," is another important piece of evidence.
This hadith appears in such important Islamic sources as Sheikh Muhammad Parisa's Fusul-i Sitta, Ibn
Ishaq's Kitab al-Ta`aruf li Madhhab Ahl al-Tasawwuf, Imam Suhayli's al-Rawd al-Unuf, and Imam
Suyuti's Alamat al-Mahdi. Moreover, Abu Bakr explained the hadith in these terms: "It was revealed
to us from Muhammad ibn Hasan, to him from Abu 'Abdullah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad, to him
from Ibn Uways, to him from Malik ibn Abas, to him from Muhammad ibn Munkadir, and to him
from Ibn Jabir.” *Al-Suyuti, Al-Hawi li al-Fatawa]

We saw earlier that the great Islamic scholar Imam al-Suyuti stated that Jesus (pbuh) is alive in God's
presence and will return in the End Times, at which time religious moral values will prevail over
Earth. In his book Al-Hawi li al-Fatawa and the collection Nuzul 'Isa ibn Maryam Akhir al-Zaman, he
considered all of the relevant hadith, after which he stated that these were trustworthy:

It cannot remain concealed from those who have studied the hadith at great length that all of the
relevant hadith have achieved the level of trustworthiness. Therefore, just as the hadith about the
awaited Mahdi are trustworthy and those concerning the Antichrist have attained the level of
trustworthiness, the hadith about the coming of Jesus (pbuh) are also trustworthy. [Al-Suyuti, Al-
Hawi li al-Fatawa]

After analyzing and explaining these hadith, the scholar Ibn Kathir outlined his thoughts:

“The prophetic hadith reliably report when and where Jesus (pbuh) will return … The reliable and
trustworthy hadith about when Jesus (pbuh) will return to Earth in his physical body cannot be
interpreted in any other manner. Therefore, everyone who has the slightest faith and conscience
must believe that Jesus (pbuh) will return to Earth.” *Tafsir Ibn Kathir+

Furthermore, many great Islamic commentators and scholars share the view that the hadith dealing
with Jesus (pbuh) being alive in God's presence and his return, as well as those dealing with the
Antichrist and the Mahdi, are trustworthy. Among them are Ibn 'Atiyya, author of Al-Bahr al-Muhit;
Imam al-Hafiz ibn Hajar, author of Fath al-Bari; Sheikh al-Ghumari, author of 'Aqidat Ahl al-Islam fi
Nuzul 'Isa 'alayhi al-Salam; and Ja'far al-Kattani, author of Nazm al-Mutanathir fi al-Hadith al-
Mutawatir.

All Muslims who feel a deep devotion to and love for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) also love, respect, and honor the Prophet Jesus (pbuh). In a hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah,
our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“The prophets are brothers of different mothers, but their religion is one. Of all men, I am the most
deserving to be the brother of Jesus son of Maryam, for there was no prophet between me and
him.” *Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Kanz al-'Ummal]
In the final chapter of his book Al-Fiqh al-Akbar, Abu Hanifa states: “The descent of Jesus, upon
whom be peace, from the heavens is a reality; and all of the other signs of the Day of Resurrection,
as contained in the authentic traditions, are established realities.” *Imam Abu Hanifa, Al-Fiqh al-
Akbar]

Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said that when the Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) returns to Earth, Muslims will enjoy the honor of being his valuable helpers:

“I swear by Allah, Who sent me as a true prophet, that of course Jesus (pbuh), son of Maryam, will
find in my community people to replace his disciples when he returns close to the period of the End
Times.” *Al-Tirmidhi, Nawadir al-Usul fi Ma'rifat Ahadith al-Rasul]

Sa’id Nursi Bediuzzaman said;

“At the end of time, Jesus (pbuh) will come and act in accordance with the Sunnah of Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace)," indicates that at that time, the Messiah Isa (as)will
destroy polytheistic and atheistic thought.” *Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Risale-i Nur Collection: The
Letters, "First Letter."]

Our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) reveals in one hadith how the Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) will pray behind Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh):

“When Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is performing the morning prayer with the faithful at the Bayt al-
Maqdis, he will introduce Jesus (pbuh) who has appeared, and Jesus (pbuh) will place his hands on
his shoulder and say, "The call to the prayer has been issued for you, so you must lead it." [Al-Qawl
Al-Mukhtasar Fi alamat Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar, p. 25]

Sa’id Nursi Bediuzzaman said; “The descent of Jesus (pbuh) and that he himself is Jesus (pbuh), can
only be known by the light of faith; not everyone will know.” *The Rays, The Fifth Ray]

Sa’id Nursi Bediuzzaman said; “Jesus (pbuh) will come and will perform the obligatory prayers
behind hazrat Imam Mahdi (pbuh) and follow him," alludes to this union, and to the sovereignty of
the Qur'an and its being followed.” *The Rays / The Fifth Ray - Second Station - p.109]

This promise of Allah's is revealed as follows in a verse:

Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors
in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion
with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. "They worship Me, not
associating anything with Me." Any who disbelieve after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-
Nur: 55)

This blessing (Caliphate of Imam Mahdi and the return of the Messiah) of Allah's upon believers is a
promise of our Lord's, as revealed in the verse:
"As for those who make Allah their friend, and His Messenger and those who believe: it is the party
of Allah who are victorious!" (Surat al-Ma’ida, 56)

The fact that Allah will certainly make good His promise is revealed as follows in the Qur'an:

That is Allah's promise. Allah does not break His promise. But most people do not know it. (Surat ar-
Rum: 6)

... Allah will not break His promise. (Surah Al 'Imr'an:9)

... Allah will not fail to keep His promise. (Surat ar-Ra'd:31)

“And say: “Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound
to perish.”" (The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Isra (17), Ayah 81)

“Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy.
Indeed, You are the Bestower.” *Quran ch 3 vs 8+