TO EARTH
The subject of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) second coming is clearly
proclaimed in the Qur'an and our Prophet's (may God bless him and
grant him peace) sayings. There are certain statements pertaining to
this issue in many verses and hadiths.
Evidence from the Qur'an
"... I will place the people who follow youabove those who are
unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection..."
The first verse indicating Jesus' return is given below:
When God said: "Jesus, I will take you back and raise you up to Me,
and purify you of those who are unbelievers. And I will place the
people who follow you above those who are unbelievers until the Dayof
Resurrection. Then you will all return to Me, and I will judge
betweenyou regarding the thingsabout which you differed. (Surah Al
'Imran, 3:55)
God mentions that a group of Jesus' true followers will dominate the
unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection. Jesusdid not have many
followers during his tenure on Earth and, with his ascension, the
religion that he had brought degenerated rapidly. Over the next two
centuries, those whobelieved in Jesus were oppressed because they had
no political power. Therefore, we cannot saythat the early Christians
dominated the unbelievers in the sense indicated by the verse given
above.
At present, Christianity is so far removed from its original state
that it no longer resembles the religion taught by Jesus. Christians
have adopted the mistaken belief that Jesus is God's son (surely God
is beyond all that which they falsely ascribeto Him) and
incorporatedthe Trinity (viz., the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) into
their religion centuries ago. Given this, we cannot acknowledge
today's Christians as being true followers of Jesus. In the Qur'an,
God states more than once that those who believe inthe Trinity are, in
fact, unbelievers:
Those who say that the Messiah, son of Mary, is the third of three are
unbelievers. There is no god but the One God. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 5:73)
In this case, "And I will place the people who follow you above those
who are unbelievers until the Day of Resurrection" carries a clear
message: There has to be a group of Jesus' followers who will exist
until the Last Day. Such a group will emerge after his second coming,
and those who follow him at that time will dominate the unbelievers
until the Last Day.
This aside, the expression,"Then you will all return to Me"at the
verse's end is striking. After relating that those who follow Prophet
Jesus (pbuh) willbe superior to the unbelievers, God states that
everyone, including Prophet Jesus (pbuh), will return to Him. Here,
the expression is understood to mean their death. This may alsobe a
sign that Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will die at a time close to Doomsday,
after his second coming.
"There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe inhim
before he dies..."
In the Qur'an, we read that:
There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him
before he dies; and on the Day of Resurrection he [Jesus] will be a
witness against them. (Surat An-Nisa', 4:159)
The phrase "there is not one of the People of the Book who will not
believe in him before he dies" is very interesting. In Arabic, the
sentence reads as follows:Wa-in min ahli al-kitaabi illaa layu'minanna
bihi qabla mawtihi.
Some scholars believe that the "him/it" in this verse refers to the
Qur'aninstead of Jesus, and so understand it to mean that the People
of the Book will believe in the Qur'an before they die. However, it is
beyond dispute that the same word in the preceding two verses refers
to Jesus:
And [on account of] theirsaying: "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. Those who argue about
him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it,
justconjecture. But they certainly did not kill him.(Surat An-Nisa',
4:157)
God raised him [Jesus] up to Himself. God is Almighty, All-Wise.
(SuratAn-Nisa', 4:158)
The word "him," which isused in the verse straightafter the above two,
refers to Jesus, and there is no evidence to suggestotherwise.
There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him
before he dies; and on the Day of Resurrection he [Jesus] will be a
witness against them. (Surat An-Nisa', 4:159)
The expression "and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness
against them" is important. The Qur'an reveals that on that Day,
people's tongues, hands, and feet (Surat An-Nur, 24:24, Surah Ya Sin,
36:65), as well as their eyes, ears, and skin (Surah Fussilat,
41:20-23),will testify against them. No verse indicates that the
Qur'an will be the witness during this event. If the first part of the
verse is taken to mean "the Qur'an" - eventhough there is no evidence
in the syntax or the succession of verses for this - "him" or "it" in
the second part also would refer to the Qur'an. To accept this,
however, there should be an explicit verse confirming this view.
However, the commentator Ibn Juzayy does not mention the possibility
of the Qur'an being the "him" referred to, and Ibn Juzayy transmitted
the views of all the major commentators in his work.
In addition, the words"… God raised him up to Himself"in the
precedingverse once again shows that it is not the Qur'an that is
being indicated in this verse. The Qur'an hasbeen a guidance for the
faithful for the last 1400 years, and has not been raised up to God.
It is Jesus (pbuh) who has been raised up to Him. This is yet another
proof that the witnessing referred to in the verse isthat of Jesus
(pbuh) for the People of the Book, and that the pronoun"he" in the
verse does notrefer to the Qur'an. (And God knows the truth.)
When we examine the Qur'an's verses, we see that when the same
personal pronoun refers to the Qur'an, there is generally mention of
the Qur'an before or after that specific verse as in the cases of
27:77 and 26:192-96. If the Qur'an isnot mentioned before, after, or
in the verse, saying that the pronoun refers to the Qur'an couldbe
mistaken. The verse clearly speaks of the belief in Jesus and that he
will be a witness for those who believe.
Another point we need to make here has to do with the interpretation
of "before he dies." Somebelieve that this stands for the People of
the Book "having faith in Jesus before their own death." According to
this view, everyone from the People of the Book will definitely
believe in Jesusbefore he or she dies. Arabic linguistics, however,
shows that this claim is not correct.
The plural suffixhumis used in all those verses ofthe Qur'an that
refer to the People of the Book (as in Surat al-Bayyina 1 and 6, Surat
al-Hadid 29, and Surat al-Hashr 2). Yet the singular suffixhuis
employed in this verse. This means that the versereports that the
People of the Book will believe in Jesus (pbuh) before hisdeath – in
other words, before his biological death at his second coming. (And
God knows the truth.)
Furthermore, at the time of Jesus, most of the Jews(who are members of
thePeople of the Book) not only refused to believe inhim, but also
plotted his death. Then, believing him to be dead, they continued to
deny him. In general, the same circumstances are true for the Jews of
our own time, as they do not recognize Jesus as a Prophet. As a
result, millions of the People of the Book have lived and died without
ever believing in Jesus. Therefore, the verse doesnot speak of the
death ofthis group, but rather of the death of Jesus. In the end, the
reality revealed by the Qur'an is this:"Before Jesus dies, all People
of the Book will believe in him."
When the verse is regarded in the light of its true meaning, several
clear facts emerge. First, it becomes apparent thatthe verse refers to
the future, because it speaks of Jesus' death. As explained earlier,
he never died but was raised to God's presence. Jesus will return to
Earth, where he will live and die like all other people. Second, it
says that all People of the Book will believe in him. Obviously,this
has not yet happened. And so, given the context, "before he dies"
refers to Jesus. The People of the Book will see and recognize him,
and then become Muslim followers of Jesus, as will be explained
shortly. In turn, he will be their witness on the Last Day. (God knows
best.)
"He is a Sign of the Hour..."
In Surat az-Zukhruf, we are informed of Jesus' return and some other
facts, as follows:
When an example is made of the son of Mary [Jesus], your people laugh
uproariously. Theyretort: "Who is better then, our gods or him?" They
only say this to you for argument's sake. They are indeed a
disputatious people. He is only a servant on whom We bestowed
Ourblessing and whom We made an example for thetribe of Israel. If We
willed, We could appointangels in exchange for you to succeed you on
Earth. (Surat Az-Zukhruf, 43:57-60)
The next verse states thatJesus is a sign of the Day of Judgment:
He [Jesus] is a Sign of theHour. Have no doubt about it. But follow
me. This is a straight path. (Surat Az-Zukhruf, 43:61)
Ibn Juzayy says that the first meaning of this verse is that Jesus is
a sign or precondition of the Last Hour. We can confidently say that
this verse indicates his returnat the End Times, becausehe lived six
centuries before the Qur'an's revelation. Therefore we cannot consider
his first life as a sign of the Day ofJudgment. The verse says that
Jesus will return toward the end of time or, in other words, during
the last period of time before the Day of Judgment. In that context,
his return is a sign of the Hour's imminent arrival. (God knows best.)
In Arabic, the expression"He is a Sign of the Hour"isInnahu la `ilmun
li as-saa`ati.
Some say that the pronoun hu (he/it) in thisexpression refers to the
Qur'an. However if this pronoun is used to denote the Qur'an, we would
expect other words to be present, whether before, after, or in the
verse, that speak of the Qur'an. The wordhucannot denote the Qur'an
when the subject is altogether different. Furthermore, the preceding
verse clearly refers to Jesus with the word hu:
He [Jesus] is only a servant on whom We bestowed Our blessing and whom
We made an example for the tribe of Israel. (Surat Az-Zukhruf, 43:59)
Those who say thathurefers to the Qur'an rely on the expression "Have
no doubt about it. But follow me," which continues the verse. However,
since the preceding verses speak only of Jesus, it is far more
realistic to accept that hu refers to him, as in the preceding verses.
The great scholars of Islam interpret this pronoun as referring to
Jesus, an opinion that they base on other Qur'anic verses and hadiths.
In his commentary, Elmalili Muhammad Hamdi Yazir writes that:
No doubt he [Jesus] is a sign of the Hour, one thatdeclares that the
Hour will come, that the dead will be resurrected and stand up,
because the miracle of Jesus' second coming and his miracle of
resurrecting the dead, together with his revelation that the dead will
rise, prove that the Day of Judgment is real. According to the
hadiths, his arrival is a sign of the Last Day." 1
"He will teach him the Book and Wisdom, andthe Torah and the Gospel."
Other verses indicating Jesus' second coming is the following:
When the angels said:"Mary, your Lord gives you good news of a Word
from Him. His name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, of high esteem
in this world and the Hereafter,and one of those brought near [to
God]. He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully
grown, and will be one of the righteous." She asked:"My Lord! How can
I have a son when no man has ever touched me?" He said: "It will be
so. God creates whatever He wills. When He decides on something, He
just says to it: 'Be!' and it is. He will teach him the Book and
Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel." (Surah Al 'Imran, 3:45-48)
The last verse reveals thatGod will teach Jesus the"Book," the Torah,
and the Gospel. Obviously, this book in question is very important.
The sameexpression is also used inthe verse given below:
Remember when God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing
toyou and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit
so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were
fully grown; and when I taught you the Book andWisdom, and the Torah
and the Gospel." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 5:110)
When we examine how"Book" is used here, we see that it refers to the
Qur'an in both cases. The verses reveal that after the Torah, the
Psalms andthe Gospel, the Qur'an is the final divine book. Some other
verses use"Book" to denote the Qur'an, after mentioning the Torah and
the Gospel,such as the following:
God, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He has
sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what was there before
it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel previously. (Surah Al
'Imran, 3:2-4)
Other verses also call the Qur'an the "Book":
When a Book comes to them from God, confirming what is with them -
even though before that they were praying for victory over the
unbelievers - yet when what they recognize comes to them, they reject
it. God's curse is on the unbelievers. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:89)
For this We sent a Messenger to you from among you to recite Our Signs
to you, to purify you, to teach you the Book and Wisdom, and to teach
you things you did not know before. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:151)
In this case, the Qur'an is the third book that Jesus will be taught.
But this will be possible only when he returns to Earth,for he lived
600 years before the Qur'an's revelation. As we will see in great
detail in the following chapters, the hadiths reveal that Jesus will
rule with the Qur'an, not the Gospel, on his second coming. This
corresponds with the verse's meaning.
"The likeness of Jesus in God's sight is the same as Adam."
The verse above (Surah Al'Imran, 3:59) could also indicate Jesus'
return. Muslim scholars who have written Qur'anic commentaries point
out that this verse indicates the fact that both Prophets did not have
a father, for God created both of them with the command "Be!"
However,the verse could also have another meaning: Just as Adam was
sent down to Earth from God's presence, Jesus will be sent down to
Earth from God's presence during the End Times.
As we have seen, the verses regarding Jesus' return are very clear. As
the Qur'an does not use such expressions for any other Prophet, its
meaning is fairly obvious.
"... The day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised up
again alive..."
Surah Maryam also mentions Jesus' death in the following verse:
[Jesus said,] "Peace be upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and
the day I am raised up again alive." (Surah Maryam, 19:33)
When this verse is considered in conjunction with Surah Al `Imran 55,
an important reality emerges: While Surah Al `Imran states that Jesus
was raised up to God's presence and does not mention that he died or
was killed, Surah Maryamspeaks of the day on which he will die. This
second death can only bepossible after he returns and lives on Earth
for a period of time. (Only God knows for certain.)
"... You could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown…"
Another piece of evidence for Jesus' returnis the word kahlaan, used
Surat al-Ma'ida 110 and Surah Al `Imran 46. These verses say:
Remember when God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing
toyou and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit
so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were
fully grown [kahlaan]…" (Surat al-Ma'ida, 5:110)
He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully grown
[kahlaan], and will be one of the righteous. (Surah Al 'Imran, 3:46)
Kahlaan, which is used only in these two verses, only in reference to
Jesus, and to express Jesus' adulthood means"someone between the age
of 30 and 50, someone who is no longer young, someone who has reached
the perfect age." Islamic scholars agree that it denotes the age of 35
or above. They base their views on a hadith reported by Ibn 'Abbas
that Jesus was raised up to God's presence in his early 30s, and that
he willlive for 40 years when hecomes again. Therefore, they suggest
that this verse is evidence for Jesus' return, since his old age will
occur following his second coming. 2(Only God knows for certain.)
Close study of the relevant verses easily shows how right Islamic
scholars are on this question. For example, this expression is used
only with regard to Jesus.Although all of the Prophets spoke with
their people, invited them to 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.
In The Commentary of at-Tabari, Imam at-Tabarigives the following
explanation of these verses:
These statements [Surat al-Ma'ida 110] indicate that in order to
completehis lifespan and speak to people when fully grown, Jesus will
come down from heaven. That is because he was raised to heaven when
still young. In this verse [Surah Al 'Imran 46], there is evidence
that Jesus is living, and the Ahl al-Sunnah share that view. That is
because in this verse it is stated that he will speak to people when
fully grown. He willbe able to grow fully onlywhen he returns to Earth
from heaven. 3
The meanings ofkahlaan, as well as the other information provided by
the Qur'an, indicate Jesus' second coming in the End Times and that he
will guide people to the true religion of Islam (only God knows for
certain). No doubt, this is good news and a grace and gift of God for
those who believe. The believers are responsible for supporting and
defending him in the most appropriate way, and for living
wholeheartedly the Qur'anic morality to which he calls them.
Comparable Events Mentioned in the Qur'an
The Qur'an mentions similar events, such as a person being
resurrectedafter being dead for a long time and sleeping for hundreds
of years that are comparable to Jesus' situation. Some of these are as
follows:
The man resurrected after one hundred years
One of these examples is that of a man who had been dead for one hundred years:
Or [consider such example as] the one who passed by a town that had
fallen into ruin. He asked: "How can God restore this to life when it
has died?" So God caused him to die for a hundred years, and
thenbrought him back to life.Then He asked: "How long have you been
here?" He replied: "I have been here a day or part of a day." He
said:"Not so! You have been here a hundred years. Look at your food
and drink-it has not gone bad-and look at your donkey, so We can
makeyou a Sign for all mankind. Look at the bones-how We raise them up
and clothe them in flesh." When it had become clear to him, he said:
"Now I know that God has power over all things."
(Qur'an, 2:259)
As we mentioned earlier, the Qur'an say that Jesus' soul was "taken
back." Inthe above verse, on the other hand, true death (mawt) is
revealed. Therefore, the Qur'an reveals that God willed the
resurrection of someone who had truly died.
Awakening the"Companions of the Cave" after many years
Another example is the narrative of the"Companions of the Cave." God
relates the story of a group of youngpeople who sought refuge in the
cave from their anti-religious ruler's despotism. Their awakening is
described in the following terms:
When the young men took refuge in the cave and said: "Our Lord, give
us mercy directly from You and open the way for us to right guidance
in our situation." So We sealed their ears with sleep in the cave for
a number of years. … You would have supposed them to be awake, whereas
in fact they were asleep. We moved them to the right and to the left,
and at the entrance, their dog stretched out its paws. If you had
looked down and seen them, you would have turned from them and run and
have been filled with terror atthe sight of them. That was the
situation when we woke them up so they could question one another. One
of them asked: "How long have you been here?" They replied: "We have
been here for a day or part of a day." They said: "Your Lord knows
best how long have you been here. Send one of your number into the
city with this silver you have,so he can see which food is purest and
bring you some of it to eat. Buthe should go about withcaution, so
that no one is aware of you." (Qur'an, 18:10-11, 18-19)
The Qur'an does not reveal how long they remained in the cave.
Instead, the duration of this period is implied by the words "for a
number of years." People guessedthat they stayed there for309 years,
for:
They stayed in their cavefor three hundred years and added nine.
Say:"God knows best how long they stayed. The Unseen of the heavens
and Earth belongs to Him. How perfectly He sees, how well He hears!
They have no protector apart from Him. Nor does He share His rule with
anyone." (Qur'an, 18:25-26)
Obviously, the duration of their stay is not the point here. What this
narrative reveals is that God took some people back from this life,
eitherby making them sleep or by taking their lives, and then restored
them to life, just as people wake up from sleep. Jesus is one such
person. When the appointed time comes, he will live on Earth once
again, fulfill the honorable responsibility given to him by God, and
then dieonEarth in the normal manner, for
He said: "On it you will live and on it you will die, and from it you
will be brought forth."
(Qur'an, 7:25)
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1. Elmalili Muhammad Hamdi Yazir, Kuran-i Kerim Tefsiri (Qur'an
Tafsir); www.kuranikerim.com/t elmalili/zuhruf.htm.
2. Muhammed Khalil Herras, Fasl al-Maqal fi raf`i `Isa hayyan wa
nuzulihi wa qatlihi ad-Dajjal,
(Cairo: Makatabat as-Sunnah, 1990), 20.
3. Imam at-Tabari, The Commentary of at-Tabari,(Istanbul:Umit
Yayincilik),2:528; 1:247.
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