Several
people across many religions expect a Messiah to come save the Believers. Some
Muslims believe that Messiah Jesus (Masih Isa ibn-e-Maryam) was raised alive
and is with God, while others assert that he died a natural death. Yet others
are in doubt. This also leads them to assert that there will be no second
coming of Jesus. Based on some ayaat of the Quran, I believe that Jesus was
raised alive and will return as the Messiah.
Full
Text
Muslims
believe that all prophets and messengers preached the same religion and foretold
the same future events. Almost all religions expect the return of a Messiah
before the end of the world.
Similarly,
almost all religions and mythologies remember a Great Flood. In Surah
Yasin, after the mention of the Believers being carried in an Ark during the
Great Flood, and before going on to discuss the moment and events of the
Hereafter, it states:
[Al-Quran 36:45] And when it is said to them, "Fear what (is) before you
and what (is) behind you so that you may receive mercy."
Some
Muslims believe that Messiah Jesus (Masih Isa ibn-e-Maryam) was raised alive
and is with God, while others assert that he died a natural death. Yet others
are in doubt. This also leads them to assert that there will be no second
coming of Jesus. However, most Muslims believe in Prophet Muhammad's ascension and return, which I think is further proof of Jesus being raised alive, and his eventual return. Based
on the following ayaat of the Quran, I believe that Jesus was raised alive and
will return as the knowledge of the Hour to fulfill his mission:
Chosen Ones
The
third surah of the Quran recounts in detail the life of Mary, the daughter of Imran, and her son
Jesus. The narration begins at Q3:33
which lists in sequence the chosen ones, and informs us that Allah has chosen
the Family of Imran:
[Al-Quran 3:33] Indeed, Allah chose Adam and Nuh, and (the) family (of) Ibrahim
and (the) family (of) Imran over the worlds.
Messenger of Allah to Bani Israel
Jesus was a Prophet (Q19:30), the Messiah (Q3:45) and a Messenger:
[Al-Quran 3:49] And (make him) a Messenger to (the) Children (of) Israel, "Indeed, I [surely] [I] (have) come (to) you with a sign from your Lord that I [I] design for you from [the] clay like the form (of) the bird, then I breath into it and it becomes a bird by (the) permission (of) Allah. And I cure the blind, and the leper, and I give life (to) the dead by (the) permission (of) Allah. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Indeed, in that (is) surely a sign for you, if you are believers.
[Al-Quran 5:111] And when I inspired to the disciples to believe in Me and in My Messenger they said, "We believe and bear witness that indeed we (are) Muslims.
[Al-Quran 10:47] And for every nation (is) a Messenger. So when comes their Messenger, it will be judged between them in justice, and they (will) not be wronged.
[Al-Quran 14:47] So (do) not think (that) Allah will fail (to) keep His Promise (to) His Messengers. Indeed, Allah (is) All-Mighty, Owner (of) Retribution.
[Al-Quran 30/47/] And verily, We sent before you Messengers to their people, and they came to them with clear proofs; then We took retribution from those who committed crimes. And it was incumbent upon Us (to) help the believers.
[Al-Quran 40:5] Denied before them (the) people (of) Nuh and the factions after them, and plotted every nation against their Messenger, to seize him, and they disputed by falsehood to refute thereby the truth. So I seized them. Then how was My penalty?
[Al-Quran 58:21, Translator: Sahih International] Allah has written, "I will surely overcome, I and My messengers." Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.
[Al-Quran 17:104, Translator: Sahih International] And We said after Pharaoh to the Children of Israel, "Dwell in the land, and when there comes the promise of the Hereafter, We will bring you forth in [one] gathering."
[Al-Quran 41:45] And certainly, We gave Musa the Book, but disputes arose therein. And had it not been (for) a word (that) preceded from your Lord, surely, would have been settled between them. But indeed, they surely (are) in doubt about it disquieting.
[Al-Quran
32:24 -
30] And certainly We gave Musa the Scripture, so (do) not be in doubt about receiving it. And We made it a guide for the Children of Israel. And We made from them leaders guiding by Our Command when they were patient and they were of Our Verses certain. Indeed, your Lord [He] will judge between them (on the) Day (of) Resurrection in what they used (to) [in it] differ.
Does it not guide [for] them, (that) how many We have destroyed before them of the generations, they walk about in their dwellings. Indeed, in that surely, are Signs. Then do not they hear? Do not they see that We drive water to the land [the] barren, then We bring forth thereby crops, eat from it their cattle and they themselves? Then do not they see?
And they say, "When (will be) this decision, if you are truthful?" Say, "(On the) Day (of) the Decision, not will benefit those who disbelieve their belief and not they will be granted respite." So turn away from them and wait. Indeed, they (are) waiting.
More on the expected battle and 'Day of Decision' in The Prophesy
Raised Alive
In Surah Aal-e-Imran, towards the end of the narration about Mary and Jesus, God tells
Jesus:
[Al-Quran
3:55, Translation: Pickthal]
(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee
to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve
and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day
of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between
you as to that wherein ye used to differ.
In
Surah Nisaa, ayaat 157-158 state:
[Al-Quran 4:157-158, Translation: Literal
(word-by-word)] And for their saying, "Indeed, we killed the Messiah, Isa,
son (of) Maryam, (the) Messenger (of) Allah." And not they killed him and
not they crucified him but it was made to appear (so) to them. And indeed,
those who differ in it (are) surely in doubt about it. Not for them about it
[of] (any) knowledge except (the) following (of) assumption. And not they
killed him, certainly. Nay, Allah raised
him towards Him. And Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.
Similarly, in Surah Maryam we read about Enoch, whose ascension is well-known to those familiar with the Jewish scriptures:
[Al-Quran 19:56-57, Translation: Shakir] And mention Idris in the Book; surely he was a truthful man, a prophet, And
We raised him high in Heaven.
Raised or Died:
technical difference
Q3:55 uses the words ‘mutawaffeeka warafiAAuka ilayya’.
‘Mutawaffeeka’ which shares the same
root as ‘wafaat’. Q39:42clearly distinguishes
between ‘wafaat’ and ‘maut’ as two different actions:
[Al-Quran 39:42] Allah takes the souls (at the) time (of) their death, and the
one who (does) not die in their sleep. Then He keeps the one
whom, He has decreed for them the death, and sends the others for a term specified.
Indeed, in that surely (are) signs for a people who ponder.
Wafaat
means to take away, that is, it is the removal of nafs (the word translated
as ‘souls’ in the above translation) from the body which Allah removes every
time we sleep, while the nafs is not returned to that body upon
whom death (maut) has been decreed.
Another example from the Quran that mutawaffeeka means to take away or remove, and does not mean death:
[Al-Quran 6:60] And He (is) the One Who takes your (soul) by the night and He knows what you committed by the day. Then He raises you up therein, so that is fulfilled (the) term specified. Then to Him will be your return then He will inform you about what you used to do.
Among those Brought
Near to God
Surah
Al-Waqiah mentions three categories of people, among which the
foremost in faith will be those brought near. Interestingly, in the Quran, the
only human being mentioned by name as among those brought near is Jesus:
[Al-Quran 3:45] When said the Angels, "O Maryam! Indeed, Allah
gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, his name (is) the Messiah, Isa, son
(of) Maryam, honored in the world and (in) the Hereafter, and of those
brought near (to Allah).
In
Surah Nisa, Q4:172, the
angels and the Messiah are mentioned as those worshipping Allah:
[Literal
(word-by-word)] Never will disdain the Messiah to be a slave of Allah and not
the Angels, the
ones who are near (to Allah). And whoever disdains from His
worship and is arrogant then He will gather them towards Him all together.
[Shakir] The
Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant of Allah, nor do
the angels who
are near to Him, and whoever disdains His service and is proud,
He will gather them all together to Himself.
[Yusuf
Ali] Christ disdaineth nor to serve and worship God, nor do the angels, those nearest
(to God): those who disdain His worship and are arrogant,-He will gather them
all together unto Himself to (answer).
Interestingly,
in Arabic grammar, present and future tenses are both represented by the same
verb. And so, the above ayat can be understood as either in the present tense
or the future tense. I understand it in the present tense.
The Hour
[Al-Quran 43:85] Nay, they deny the Hour and We have prepared for (those) who deny the
Hour, a Blazing Fire.
[Al-Quran 19:75] Say, "Whoever is in [the] error, then surely will
extend for him the Most Gracious an extension, until when they see what they were
promised, either the punishment or the Hour, then they
will know who [he] (is) worst (in) position and weaker (in) forces."
[Al-Quran 30:55] And (the) Day will (be) established the Hour
will swear the criminals not they remained but an hour. Thus they were
deluded.
[Al-Quran 30:47] And verily, We sent before you Messengers to their
people, and they came to them with clear proofs; then We took retribution from those who
committed crimes. And it was incumbent upon Us (to) help the believers.
[Al-Quran 54:43-46] Are your disbelievers, better than those, or for you (is) an exemption in the Scriptures? Or (do) they say, "We (are) an assembly helping (each other)?" Soon will be defeated (their) assembly, and they will turn (their) backs. Nay, the Hour (is) their promised time, and the Hour (will be) more grievous and more bitter.
Knowledge of the
Hour
In
Surah Zukhruf, the discourse about Isa ibn-e-Maryam begins at Q43:57. Q43:61 is variously translated
to mean that either there is no doubt about the Hour, or that Jesus is/will be
the knowledge
of the Hour. I am inclined to believe that Jesus will be the knowledge, the sign
which will inform us, that the Hour is imminent or has come upon us. Then Q43:66 again mentions the Hour
that it will come suddenly or unexpectedly. Q43:85 literally states that
the knowledge of the Hour is with God:
[Al-Quran 43:85] And blessed (is) the One Who - to Whom (belongs the)
dominion (of) the heavens and the earth and whatever (is) between both of them
and with
Him (is the) knowledge (of) the Hour, and to Him you will be
returned.
Note
that both Q43:61(لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ) and Q43:85 (عِلْمُ السَّاعَةِ) mention the knowledge (عِلْمُ) of the Hour and not command (أَمْرُ). Of
course the Hour will occur when God commands it (Q16:77 أَمْرُ السَّاعَةِ), but the word knowledge
indicates that these ayaat are conveying where Jesus is presently, and that when Jesus returns, Believers will know that the promised Hour is imminent.
In 7:187, the word '
knowledge' is emphasised twice:
[Al-Quran 7:187] They ask you about the Hour, when will be its appointed time? Say, "Only its knowledge (is) with my Lord, no (one) can reveal [it] its time except Him. It lays heavily in the heavens and the earth. Not will it come to you but suddenly." They ask you as if you (were) well informed about it. Say, "Only its knowledge (is) with Allah, but most (of) the people (do) not know."
People of the Book &
Belief in Jesus
Jesus
was born in the bani Israel tribe, who are one of the People of the Book:
[Al-Quran 43:59, ]Not
he (was) except a slave, We bestowed Our favor on him and We made him an
example for (the) Children of Israel.
Even
though Jesus was born miraculously, spoke when a baby, performed wondrous
miracles in his youth, yet most people did not believe in him:
[Al-Quran 3:55, Translation: Pickthal]
(And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee
to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve
and am
setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of
Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall
judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ.
Quran
4:157 is quite clear that
they neither killed nor crucified Jesus.
As
discussed above, Q43:61
goes on to state that Jesus will be the knowledge of the Hour. When Jesus returns, and before he dies a
natural death, all People of the Book will believe that he is the Messiah and a
Slave and Messenger of God:
[Al-Quran 4:159] And (there is) not from (the) People (of) the Book but
surely he believes in him before his death. And (on the) Day
(of) the Resurrection he will be against them a witness.
Childhood and
Maturity
It
is believed that Jesus died when he was in his thirties. According to Q46:15, the age of maturity is
forty years. Two ayaat of The Quran state that Jesus will speak both from the
cradle and in maturity:
[Al-Quran 3:45-46] When said the Angels, "O Maryam! Indeed, Allah gives you
glad tidings of a word from Him, his name (is) the Messiah, Isa, son (of)
Maryam, honored in the world and (in) the Hereafter, and of those brought near
(to Allah). And he will speak (to) the
people in the cradle and (in) maturity; and (he will be) of the
righteous."
Jesus
spoke ‘from the cradle’ in
his past coming, and he will ‘speak
in maturity’ when he comes again as expected:
[Al-Quran 5:109-110] (The) day Allah will gather the Messengers and He will say,
"What was (the) response you received?" They said, "(There is)
no knowledge for us. Indeed You, You (are the) Knower (of) the unseen." When
Allah said, "O Isa, son (of) Maryam! Remember My Favor upon you and upon
your mother when I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit*, you spoke (to) the people in the cradle and (in) maturity.
And when I taught you the Book and the wisdom and the Taurat and the Injeel;
and when you make from the clay like the shape (of) the bird by My permission
then you breath into it and it becomes a bird by My permission, and you heal
the born blind and the leper by My permission, and when you bring forth the
dead by My permission. And when I restrained (the) Children (of) Israel from
you when you came to them with the clear proofs then said those who disbelieved
among them "This is not but clear magic."
* Holy Spirit: The actual Arabic term is بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ which should be translated as The Holy Command.
As discussed in Human: Body or Soul? the term Ar-RUH, generally translated as spirit (Q32:9, Q97:4) or soul (Q17:85), is from the AMR (commands, decrees) of Allah.
As discussed in Virgin Birth, the Quran 3:45 informs us that the angels gave Mary glad tidings of a Word (command) from Allah. Quran 19:17 and 66:12 both use the word ruh-hinna (Our Spirit) to convey what was breathed into her.
The Table spread with Food from Heaven
[Al-Quran
5:75] Not (is) the Messiah, son (of) Maryam but a Messenger, certainly had passed before him the Messengers. And his mother (was) truthful.
They both used to eat [the] food. See how We make clear to them the Signs, then see how they are deluded.
After clarifying that all the miracles that Jesus was able to perform were a favour from Allah and with Allah's permission, and mentioning '...
And when I restrained (the) Children (of) Israel from you ...', as quoted above (Q109-110), Surah alMaidah (The Table Spread) goes on to recount the event of the table spread with food - which I think may be the true account of The Last Supper, and therefore another proof of Jesus being saved alive!
[Al-Quran
5:111-
115, Translator: Pickthal] And when I inspired the disciples, (saying): Believe in Me and in My messenger, they said: We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered (unto Thee) "we are muslims".
When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to Allah, if ye are true believers. (They said:) We wish to eat thereof, that we may satisfy our hearts and know that thou hast spoken truth to us, and that thereof we may be witnesses. Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of Sustainers. Allah said: Lo! I send it down for you. And whoso disbelieveth of you afterward, him surely will I punish with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any of (My) creatures.
Note: From Christian history, we come to know that (almost) all the disciples embraced martyrdom because they bore witness to having seen Jesus after his supposed crucifixion. The Christian historians take it as their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus, while according to The Quran, I believe they bore witness to Jesus being saved alive.
Did Jesus claim Divinity?
After mentioning the table spread with food that was sent as per the disciples' request, Surah alMaidah concludes thus:
[Al-Quran
5:116-
120, Translator: Sahih International]
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. If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them - indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
Allah will say, "
This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness." For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with them, and they with Him. That is the great attainment. To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is within them. And He is over all things competent.
Lessons in Faith,
Wealth, Knowledge and Power
In
Surah Al-Kahf, Q18, one
of the opening statements of the surah is that it is intended to warn those
who say that God has a son (Q18:4).
The miracle of long
sleep of the Ashab-e-Kahf is discussed at length, followed by the statement
that there
is no doubt about the Hour (Q18:21). Also related in detail
are the voyages
of Dhu-al-Qarnayn, his containment of the Gog and Magog [Yajuj Majuj],
followed by the statement that when the promise of God undoubtedly occurs (Q18:98), they will be let loose
again.
It
is popularly believed that we should recite/study Surah Al-Kahf weekly as it
will help us face the fitna of the Dajjal, who is expected to be a great trial
before the arrival of the Messiah. The surah contains important lessons
in faith, wealth, knowledge and power.
Most translations of The Quran quoted here are the first translation of the page listed as Literal (Word by Word). To compare 50+ English translations of any ayat, please click on the link to go directly to ayat, or go to Quran index of this website and choose Surah and Ayah: http://islamawakened.com/index.php/qur-an
References
and Links
