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So, if anyone claims that only the soul was raised, it would be
incorrect, as is shown from the two following perspectives.
FIRSTLY, Allah made a mention of this raise in the context of
refutation of the claim of the Jews that they killed the Christ.
So, if it were that only the soul was raised, then that would
actually mean an acknowledgment of the claim of the Jews that
they killed the Christ - which is to remove his soul!
SECONDLY, if it were true that only his soul was raised, there
would remain no distinction for Jesus above the rest. For all
Prophets (peace be upon them), and in fact all believing
Muslims, have their souls raised to the sky upon their death.
So, does there remain anything that distinguishes Jesus, for
which Allah makes a special marked mention in the Quran that He
raised him?
After establishing this point, another Quranic verse follows in
the same context of the ones that preceded. This one clearly
bears evidence on another return of the Christ (peace be upon
him) to the earth and that he will descend from the sky. The
purpose of this is the crucial role he will play upon his return
to the earth. Allah, the Exalted, says, "And there is none of
the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) but must
believe in him (Jesus son of Mary as a Messenger of Allah and a
human being) before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection,
he will be a witness against them." [an-Nisaa’ 4:159]
The verse presents the message in a future tense, so it is with
regards to the events to come after the raising of the Christ.
It informs that some of the People of the Book will believe in
the Christ. But when will that be? It will be upon his descent,
his return and coming onto the earth once again. Imam Tabari,
the renowned scholar of the Quranic exegesis (may Allah cover
him in mercy), explained this. He said, “The meaning of the
verse ‘And there is none of the people of the Scripture but must
believe in him’, that is: in Jesus, ‘before his death’, that is:
before the death of Jesus. It is explained as follows: that all
of them will affirm and acknowledge him when he descends to kill
the Antichrist, thereafter, all the religion will give way to
only the one, which is the pure upright religion of Islam - the
religion of Abraham (may the peace be him)." [See Tafsir at-Tabari
4:356-357].
THE SECOND REFERENCE in the Noble Quran to the imperative nature
of the descent of Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, in order to
complete the task that must be done on the earth, is found in
Surah Zukhruf in the Quran. Allah, the Exalted, says in it, "And
when the son of Mary is quoted as an example (i.e. Jesus
worshipped like their idols), behold, your people cry aloud
(laugh out at the example). And say: Are our gods better or is
he (i.e. Jesus)? They quoted not the above example except for
argument. Nay! But they are a quarrelsome people. He (i.e.
Jesus) was not more than a slave. We granted Our Favor to him,
and We made him an example for the Children of Israel (i.e. his
creation without a father). And if it were Our Will, We would
have (destroyed you all, and) made angels to replace you on the
earth. And he (i.e. Jesus) shall be a known sign for (the coming
of) the Hour (i.e. Day of Resurrection). Therefore have no doubt
concerning it. And follow Me (i.e. Allah)! This is the Straight
Path." [az-Zukhruf 43:57-61]. In another recitation, it is
recited as "And he shall be a mark". It means, a symbol, a
portent, a sign of the Hour. [See Fathu-l Qadeer of Shawkaani,
(4/562) for references of those who read it so.]
How can Jesus son Mary, be a sign of the Hour (Doomsday)? It
cannot be except with his descent being in the last stage and
period. His descent would then be a great sign and one of the
major portents of the Hour - a sign that announces the closeness
of its occurrence. This is how the verse has commonly been
explained by the scholars of Tafsir (exegesis of the Quran).
Amongst them are Mujahid, Suddee, Qatada, Hasan al-Basri,
Dahhaak and Ibn Zayd. It is also the saying of Ibn Abbas (may
Allah be pleased with him). They all have stated this
explicitly, that Jesus son of Mary is one of the signs of the
Hour in the sense that he will descend and rule the earth and
dwell therein for forty years, as is mentioned in the authentic
hadith, that will be mentioned shortly. And his descent will be
one of the great signs of Allah and one of the supreme portents
of the Hour.
THE THIRD REFERENCE TO IT IN THE QURAN The deduction from this
text is indeed remarkable. One notes that there is hardly ever a
mention of the story of Jesus (in the Quran) except that it is
mentioned along with it that, "He will speak to the people in
the cradle and in manhood" [Aal `Imraan 3: 46, and al-Maa’ida
5:110]. In this, Allah mentioned two remarkable and rare events,
that are also two dazzling signs (proofs) of Allah found in the
character of Jesus Christ.
THE FIRST MATTER is that he spoke in the cradle while still an
infant. This does not occur except as a miracle from Allah, the
Mighty, and the Magnificent. That is why it has never occurred
except with three people as has been established in the
authentic hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased
with him). [See Saheeh Bukhari (4/201-202)]. So the speaking of
Jesus (peace be on him) in the cradle was indeed a sign, and
there was a need, and the circumstance called for it as the
mother of Jesus came to be held in suspicion due to the birth,
`how can a woman give birth without a husband?' They even voiced
this explicitly, as reported in the Quran, "Your father was not
a man who used to commit adultery, nor your mother was an
unchaste woman." [Maryam 19:28]
So, a miracle was required to prove her innocence and to prove
that the birth was another such a miracle. Thus the infant spoke
in the cradle, an extraordinary, unaccustomed event. But the
verse couples this miraculous event, with the mention of another
event - of him speaking as a middle-aged adult. But every one
speaks at that age. So where is the miracle in that? The Arabic
word used in the verse that refers to that stage of his life, is
Kuhoola, which is used for a person past the age of forty and up
to the age of fifty or sixty years. Is it at all remarkable that
one speaks at the age of sixty or even seventy?! So where is the
miracle that is alluded to in this section of the verse which
mentions that Jesus speaks as a middle aged man?
This shows that just as his speech in the cradle as an infant
was a miracle, likewise he will descend and speak to the people
as a middle aged man in the last stages of this world, making
his descent and speech thereupon, also a miracle. Otherwise,
there is no miracle in a sixty or seventy year old communicating
by speech!
So the evidence from this section of the verse in the Quran that
he will speak to the people as a middle-aged adult is from the
following two perspectives.
FIRSTLY, some of the scholars of Islam, amongst them is ibn
Musayyab, stated that Jesus son of Mary, was raised to the sky
while he was at an age of thirty three years, in the prime of
his youth (referred to in Arabic as Shabaab, which is a stage
prior to the one mentioned in the Quran, Kuhoola). So he had not
yet reached the stage of Kuhoola.
SECONDLY, here comes the aspect of amazement, marvel and the
miracle. The aspect, which bears evidence on the point, is that
he speaks to the people as a middle-aged man (in Kuhoola) after
having been raised, and his being raised is indeed an
astonishing event. And he will descend, and his descent is also
another astonishing, remarkable event. He will then speak to the
people and will live after his descent for forty years. This
forty added to the thirty years makes him someone who would have
reached the age of Kuhoola, and having spoken at that age. He
will then have spoken to the people as he spoke to them in the
cradle. This is a clear and unambiguous indication that he
(peace be upon him) will certainly complete his role and his
part, and will descend towards the last stages and speak to the
people as a middle-aged man, just as he spoke miraculously as an
infant. Imam Tabari related from Abdurahman ibn Zayd that he
said, ‘Jesus did indeed speak to them in the cradle, and he will
speak to them when he kills the Antichrist, he will then be a
kahl (middle-aged person)." [Tafsir Tabari 3/271]
Source: Islaam.com
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