| "There is not one of the
People of the Book who will not believe in him
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 la yu'minanna bihi qabla
mawtihi.
Some scholars believe that the
"him/it" in this verse refers to the Qur'an instead
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] 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. Those who argue about him
are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge
of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did
not kill him. (Surat An-Nisa', 4:157)
God raised him [Jesus] up to Himself. God is Almighty,
All-Wise. (Surat An-Nisa', 4:158)
The word "him," which is used
in the verse straight after the above two, refers
to Jesus, and there is no evidence to suggest
otherwise.
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" - even though 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.
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 is not mentioned before, after, or in the
verse, saying that the pronoun refers to the Qur'an
could be 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." Some believe 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 Jesus before he or she dies. But at the time
of Jesus, most of the Jews (who are members of
the People of the Book) not only refused to believe
in him, 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
does not speak of the death of this 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 that the 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. They retort: "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
Our blessing and whom We made an example for
the tribe of Israel. If We willed, We could
appoint angels in exchange for you to succeed
you on Earth. (Surat Az-Zukhruf, 43:57-60)
The next verse states that Jesus
is a sign of the Day of Judgment:
He [Jesus]
is a Sign of the Hour. 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 return at the
End Times, 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.
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" is Innahu la
`ilmun li as-saa`ati.
Some say that the pronoun hu
(he/it) in this expression 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 word hu cannot 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 that hu
refers 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 that declares
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, and the
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 that
God will teach Jesus the "Book," the Torah, and
the Gospel. Obviously, this book in question is
very important. The same expression is also used
in the verse given below:
Remember when
God said: "Jesus, son of Mary, remember My blessing
to you 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
and Wisdom, 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 and the 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
Maryam speaks of the day on which he will die.
This second death can only be possible 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' return is 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
to you 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 will live for 40 years when he
comes 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-Tabari gives the following explanation
of these verses:
These statements
[Surat al-Ma'ida 110] indicate that in order to
complete his 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 will be able to grow
fully only when he returns to Earth from heaven.3
The meanings of kahlaan,
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 resurrected after 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 then brought 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 make you 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." In the 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 young people 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
at the 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. But he should go about with
caution, 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 guessed that they stayed there for 309
years, for:
They stayed in their cave for
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,
either by 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 die onEarth 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)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1.
Elmalili Muhammad Hamdi Yazir, Kuran-i Kerim Tefsiri
(Qur'an Tafsir); www.kuranikerim.com/telmalili/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.
BACK
|
