A decisive statement about the life or death of Jesus and where he is now
Questions:
- Is ‘Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary) alive or dead What is the evidence from the Qur’an or the Sunnah in this regard?
- If ‘Isa (Jesus, peace be upon him) is alive or dead, where is he now and what is the evidence from the Qur’an and the Sunnah?
Answer:
Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) is alive; he has not died yet and the Jews neither killed nor crucified him, although it appeared so to them. In fact, Allah raised him up to the heavens, both his body and soul, and he is now in the heavens. The evidence for this is the following Ayah (Qur’anic verse) in which Allah (Exalted be He) refutes the falsehood of the Jews: “And because of their saying (in boast), “We killed Messiah ‘Isâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allâh,” - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but it appeared so to them [the resemblance of ‘Isâ (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man)], and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. ‘Isâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary) عليهما السلام]: But Allâh raised him [‘Isâ (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he عليه السلام is in the heavens). And Allâh is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.” [al-Nisa: 157-158]
So Allah (Glorified be He) refutes the Jews’ claim of having killed and crucified ‘Isa and says that He raised ‘Isa up to Him. He (Glorified be He) did this out of mercy and to honor him. The ascension of `Isa is one of the signs that Allah grants to whomever He wills of His Messengers, and He granted many of them to ‘Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him). The word “But” that is used in the following Ayah: “But Allâh raised him [‘Isâ (Jesus)] up (with his body and soul) unto Himself (and he عليه السلام is in the heavens).” [al-Nisa: 158] Shows that Allah (Glorified be He) raised ‘Isa (peace be upon him) with his body and soul in order to refute the claims of the Jews regarding the crucifixion and death of ‘Isa.
This is because crucifixion is inflicted upon the body, and if it was only his soul that was raised, it would not have refuted their claim of having crucified him. Using the name of ‘Isa (peace be upon him) confirms that it is both his body and soul that are being referred to; it cannot be used to just refer to his body alone or his soul unless there is evidence, and there is no evidence in this case. In addition to this, the raising of both his body and soul shows the Perfect Glory of Allah, His Wisdom, Honor, and Support of whomever He wills from among His Messengers, as is mentioned at the end of this Ayah: “And Allâh is Ever All-Powerful, All-Wise.” [al-Nisa: 58] This issue will be discussed in more detail in the answer to the third question, if Allah (Exalted be He) wills.
May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
- Shaykh Abdul-'Aziz ibn 'Abdullah ibn Baz , Shaykh Abdul-Razzaq al-Afify , Shaykh Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan , Shaykh Abdullah ibn Qa'ud
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- Estimated reading time :3 Min read
- Source:Fatawa Al-Lajnah Ad-Da'imah no. 1621
- Prophets
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