“It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the world view that is based on the truth to manifest it over all other world views, although they who rely upon other than or associate partners with Allah dislike it.” (Qur’an 9:33)
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Ali Erbaş Turkish Islamic scholar and President of Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) in Turkey says Jesus is dead and will not return. He also has stated that there is no Mahdi that will come. This is quite a huge deal because Ali Erbas is in essence the Mufti of Turkey.
These positions (especially concerning the Mahdi) are part of a de-shificiation process we see happening among Sunni Muslims.
It is interesting that more and more learned scholars around the round are coming to the Ibadi school’s position on these points. I wonder how many more actually hold such views but are not so bold as to proclaim them for fear of reprisal?
In the comment section you see threats, emotions and not proofs and evidences.
Here we look at the verse in the Qur’an 43:61 often quoted and used to affirm the second coming Jesus (as).
The following examines the word ‘tawaffa’ Yet, the Qur’an itself offers no cause for confusion. Tawaffā appears in twenty-five passages in the Qur’an, and twice in relation to Christ Jesus (Q 5:117 and Q 3.55).
For twenty-three of those passages the Muslim commentators generally follow the standard definition of this term, that is that Allah (swt) separates the soul from the body or makes someone die.
Think about this Muslim brothers and sisters. For those passages that are not tied into ahadith about Jesus(as) coming back they are translated and understood as per usual.
What about all those hadith that speak about some second coming of Jesus? Aren’t they tawatur?
Al Ma’rij Imam Abu Muhammed Abdulllah Al- Salimi (r) Volume 1. It is actually is a fiqh book. Many times in our school when our scholars write a book about fiqh they will start with a short section on aqidah.
The coming of Isa Ibn Maryam 1) There is no Prophet after Muhammed (saw). 2) That which is narrated from the people (Ahl Sunnah) about Jesus (as) coming back it is not sound. 3) Even if it was sound, the time of Isa Ibn Maryam has already passed. 4) Same have said that Khidr and Elias (as) they are still alive then their status would be like angels. Their live would be veiled from the seen world. They would not eating drinking indulging. These things are not correct with our school. 5) If he comes he will come in the Shari’a of the Prophet (saw), which Ahl Sunnah has conceded. They have conceded he cannot come back as a prophet.
Source: (The Ascents of Hope in the Stages of Perfection, in the Introductions by Imam Abu Muhammed Abdullah Al-Salimi -may Allah have mercy on him)
“He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous.” (Qur’an 3:46)
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Shaykh Imran Hosein has recently used the following as evidence for the return of Nabi ‘Isa — Christ Jesus the following:
“He will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be of the righteous.” (Qur’an 3:46)
So what is this all about? It is really about those who believe that Jesus (as) will return again before the end of times being so desperate that they will clutch at straws to try and exegetically extract such an idea from the Qur’an.
Listen to the lecture from the 22 minute mark.
Shaykh Imran Hosein
@ 23:18 Shaykh Imran says, “But the Qur’an went on to say something more. Remember that this is Surah Al Maidah, ‘ tukallimun Nasa fil mahdi wa kahlan.”
“Twice, twice, you will speak. The first time is as a baby in the cradle and the second time is as an adult.” -Shaykh Imran Hosein
“But uh, even in London adults speak. There’s nothing big, there’s nothing miraculous about that. That’s normal. If you are an adult, and you don’t speak you’re dumb.” — Shaykh Imran Hosein
“But if you are an adult, and you are not dumb, then it is normal for an adult to speak. So where is the need for the ‘ruh al qudus’?” “Answer: The Qur’an is saying that you will speak miraculously twice.” -Shaykh Imran Hosein
“You will speak miraculously as a baby in the cradle, and you will speak miraculously again as an adult.” — Shaykh Imran Hosein
“C’mon, put on your thinking caps.” -Shaykh Imran Hosein
Prima Qur’an comments: At this juncture let us stop and do exactly as the Shaykh asks us to do.
Now, this is important because Shaykh Imran Hosein is one of those people who have as his entire focus eschatology, the Mahdi, Dajjal, and the so-called 2nd coming of Christ Jesus.
Someone who holds such views should be able to provide evidence for them, and the fact that Shaykh Imran Hosein has to make such exegetical stretches of the Qur’an shows the patently false nature of such beliefs.
A few minutes into his lecture, Shaykh Imran Hosein has some words for the Ahmadiyyah movement as well as for Muhammed Asad. However, Shaykh Imran’s misinterpretation of the Qur’an is equally bad.
It is amazing how the crowd gathered around Shaykh Imran soaked up all these words he had to say, and we just hope that they did indeed: ‘put on their thinking caps.’
Notice the slyness of his approach here:
“But uh, even in London adults speak. There’s nothing big, there’s nothing miraculous about that. That’s normal. If you are an adult, and you don’t speak you are dumb.” — Shaykh Imran Hosein
This subtle point is where he slowly lures his audience. In almost a trance-like state fixated upon his words, they can’t help but agree. After all, there is nothing miraculous about adults speaking, is there?
This is where he slips in his suggestion and whispers to the subconscious.
First the agreement of the negative: adults speaking is nothing miraculous. [everyone is now on the same page].
Then comes the delivery: The mixture of truth with falsehood.
“Answer: The Qur’an is saying that you will speak miraculously twice.”
As the subconscious is now primed, the reader will understand that Jesus will speak while in the cradle and as an adult. So there is already a bias confirmation: Ah, so Jesus does speak twice. Then comes the falsehood attached: miraculously twice.
wayukallimu l-nāsa fī l-mahdi wakahlan wamina l-ṣāliḥīna -which of these Arabic words means miraculously?
The answer: None of them, of course.
“And do not mix the truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].” (Qur’an 2:42)
Now it is a given that if a person speaks like a baby in the cradle that this is indeed miraculous, but even the Shaykh himself said: “Adults speak. There’s nothing big, there’s nothing miraculous about that.”
Thus, what Shaykh Imran has done is to mix the haqq that-Jesus will speak as a baby and in maturity with batil -that both events would be miraculous.
Then you will see how he needs to interpolate such falsehood in the Qur’an in order to get you to buy into his concept of some messianic figure coming later.
So now, after establishing his false premise that he has convinced his audience into accepting, he continues the rest of his speech.
Wake up dear Muslim brothers and sisters. You are being deceived.
What about kahl and kahlan in the Arabic text of the Qur’an.
If people want to say kahlan means 70 years old or even 800, let them roll with it, because no matter how old Nabi ‘Isa Christ Jesus was, we have the following text:
“[The Day] when Allah will say, “O Jesus, Son of Mary, remember My favor upon you and upon your mother when I supported you with the Pure Spirit and you spoke to the people in the cradle[wakahlan]and in maturity; and [remember] when I taught you writing and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and when you designed from clay [what was] like the form of a bird with My permission, then you breathed into it, and it became a bird with My permission; and you healed the blind and the leper with My permission; and when you brought forth the dead with My permission; and when I restrained the Children of Israel from [killing] you when you came to them with clear proofs and those who disbelieved among them said, “This is not but obvious magic.” (Qur’an 5:110)
So, whatever these people want to say, the context of the above verse makes it abundantly clear that Jesus was wakhalan when he was being taught the Torah and the Gospel and dealing with the children of Israel.
Also, those who want to say that Jesus (as) did not reach maturity before he had the chance to speak, thus he must come back. This idea is based upon what? What verse in the Qur’an tells the age in which Jesus (as) died? Even those who say he did die but was taken bodily alive into heaven. Tell us his age? The New Testament is not a proof text for Muslims.
Are we really going to say that Allah [swt] is teaching Nabi ‘Isa—Christ Jesus the Torah and the Gospel upon his return? Why? What for?
So, even if you want to be extremely, and we do mean extremely charitable and go against references like:
Lisan Al Arab or Al Razi in Tafsir al Kabir, just remember to remind them that this 50+-year-old Jesus, this 80+year old Jesus was doing all the above as mentioned in Qur’an 5:110 before ANY SO-CALLED BODILY ASCENSION.
“This day those who disbelieve have despaired of [defeating] your religion; so fear them not, but fear Me. This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (Qur’an 5:3)
“Allah said, O Jesus, I shall cause you to die and will raise you up to Me and shall purify you of the ungrateful disbelieving people, and shall place those who follow you above those who deny the truth, until the Day of Judgement; then to Me shall all return and I will judge between you regarding your disputes.” (Qur’an 3:55)
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Shaykh Hamza Yusuf states in the interview with Kim Iversen: “What Islam Really Says About Jihad, Martyrdom, and Women’s Rights“, which has been shortened to: “What Islam Really Says About Jihad.“
@17:27 minute mark, Shaykh Hamza says: “The vast majority of Muslims believe in the second coming.”
They pleaded, “O Zul-Qarnain! Surely Gog and Magog are spreading corruption throughout the land. Should we pay you tribute, provided that you build a wall between us and them?” (Qur’an 18:94)
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He said, “This is a mercy from my Lord. And when the Promise of my Lord comes, He will crumble it to dust. And the Promise of my Lord is true.” (Qur’an 18:98)
“And We shall leave them, on that Day, to surge against one another like waves. And the trumpet shall be blown, and We shall gather them together.” (Qur’an 18:99)
First we will share a clip in which the Mufti of Oman, the Islamic Scholar, the Sword on the Neck of the Munafiq, His Imminence, Shaykh Ahmed Al Khalili (h) touches upon two topics:
The emergence of Gog and Magog and the so-called second coming of Jesus (as). For those of you conversant in Arabic, you may follow along. Otherwise, a translation in English is provided below: insh’Allah.
First question about Juj & Majuj
Grand Mufti was asked if there are some signs in the Qur’an about Juj & Majuj. Can you share with us your view on this issue? Have they already come or are they yet to come later?
Grand Mufti replies: “This depends upon the research of the scholars. As there are many scholars who have agreed that they have already come forth. And this is not far away from reality, because it is possible that between their coming and the day of judgement there is a lot of time in between these events. Time is different from how we measure time. It is like the time on the day of judgement would be like 50,00 years of our time.”
Dr. Saif AlHadi asked what is meant in the Qur’an:
“Until he reached ˹a pass˺ between two mountains. He found in front of them a people who could hardly understand ˹his˺ language.” (Qur’an 18:93) and than the following verse:
“They pleaded, “O Zul-Qarnain! Surely Gog and Magog are spreading corruption throughout the land. Should we pay you tribute, provided that you build a wall between us and them?” (Qur’an 18:94)
So Dr Saif AlHadi is asking how we join these verses? Because if you take the apparent text of the Qur’an without approach to interpretative measures, it may not make sense. At first, they find a people who scarcely understands any word, and then suddenly, in the next verse, are those people able to communicate their issue with him?
So, to this, the Grand Mufti replies: There are two possibilities. 1) “That the majority of them do not understand anything but this would not mean all of them do not understand. So it is possible they have learned among those who understand but not the masses of them. “
2) “The other possibility is the use of another language common between the two.”
Now the question comes to the: The Coming of Jesus.
Grand Mufti replies: “There is a difference of opinion among scholars. This revolves around the (Qur’an 3:55) “I will give you death and I will raise you up to me.” and how one understands it. As well as: Rather, “Allah raised him up to Himself. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise” (Qur’an 4:158) as well as the various narrations on the matter. Yet these hadith for us are not tawatur. We also have to take into account that the Prophet is the last prophet and no prophet is coming after him. The Messenger of Allah and seal of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, The Knowing. (Qur’an 33:40) So as we understand this Jesus (as) will not come. The narrations are not mutawatir and thus we cannot take on this matter.
Prima-Qur’an comments:
Thus, dear readers, when one reads the Qur’an, you can see that Juj (Gog) & Majuj (Magog) were real people, real nations or tribes that would accost and harass some people. Zul-Qarnain was asked to erect a barrier to keep those people out. They were not supranatural peoples.
wanufikha fi l-suri (AND) will be blown the Trumpet. As Shaykh explained, he is of the mind that this event (The coming of Gog and Magog) has already happened. Now in English it is easy to get caught up in the flow of the language. Yet, the WA (And) is not something that indicates immediately after. We saw this in our article here:
In the above article, the respected Shaykh understood the WA(And) in Qur’an 3:55 as a vast period of time. Allowing him to believe that a lapse of time of more than 2000 years has passed.
The Shaykh also mentioned that it is possible we are in those end times now. However, we should understand that how Allah (swt) views and measures time is quite different from our vantage point.
“And they ask you to hasten on the punishment, and Allah will by no means fail in His promise, and surely a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you count.” (Qur’an 22:47)
Next, another verse not brought up in the discussion above, but the other place we am aware of in the Qur’an speaking of Gog and Magog is the following:
“Until ˹after˺ Gog and Magog have broken loose ˹from the barrier˺, swarming down from every hill, ushering in the True Promise. Then—behold!—the disbelievers will stare ˹in horror, crying,˺ “Oh, woe to us! We have truly been heedless of this. In fact, we have been wrongdoers.” (Qur’an 21:96-97)
The above verse simply reinforces the point made here:
“And We shall leave them, on that Day, to surge against one another like waves. And the trumpet shall be blown, and We shall gather them together.” (Qur’an 18:99)
Which, again, is not on the day of judgement but at a time before it.
Conclusion: In the Ibadi school. Juj(Gog) and Majuj (Magog) have already come. Jesus (as) has died, and he will not come back.
In the end, we defer our matter to the masters of the Arabic language. May Allah (swt) guide us to what is beloved to Allah (swt).
If you would like, perhaps you would be interested in reading the following:
Prima Quran 