May God forgive me and guide me regarding any sign that would have been misinterpreted in this study and elsewhere. May He always guide us to a better understanding of His profound scripture so we can purify ourselves and increase our knowledge.
We will first study its origin among Christians, as well as Sunnis and Shias, and then submit this dogma to the test of the last book revealed to mankind, namely the Quran. This will allow us to conclude that the belief in the second coming of Jesus is completely unfounded from a Quranic point of view.
Table of content
1. The second coming of Jesus
1.1 Among Christians
1.2 Origin of this belief among Sunnis and Shias
2. Does the Quran prophesy Jesus’ second coming?
2.1 The controversy related to verse 43:61
2.2 Jesus proclaims the day of judgment and the afterlife in the Gospels
2.3 The Quran prophesies the return of Jesus on the day of judgment, never before
3. Jesus’ second coming before the day of judgment contradicts the fact that Muhammad is the last prophet
Conclusion
1. The second coming of Jesus
1.1 Among Christians
Christians are quite divided on the subject. We will simply focus here on the fact that the majority of them believe in his return on the Day of Judgment:
Matthew 16:27:
27 For the Son of man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to each according to his doings.
Matthew 24:31-36:
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Translation: King James Version.
Note: In Matthew 24:36, we read in most Biblical translations:
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Translation: New International Version (NIV).
The Quran warns us that Jesus is not the son of God (5:17, 5:72, 9:30) and that Jews and Christians have engaged in textual manipulations of the Torah and the Gospel (2:75, 3:78, 41:40). I mentioned 24:36 quoting the “King James version” where the above allusion to trinity (the belief that Jesus is the son of God) is absent, in accordance with the codex Amiatinus (the Latin vulgate, 700 CE), the Syriac Peshitta (the Syriac Bible) and multiple Greek fragments.
1.2 Origin of this belief among Sunnis and Shias
The hadiths prophesy the second coming of Jesus before the end of the world and mention non-Quranic figures such as the Dajjal (antichrist) and the Mahdi:
Sunan Ibn Majah, hadith 4039:
“Adhering to religion will only become harder and worldly affairs will only become more difficult, and people will only become more stingy, and the Hour will only come upon the worst of people, and the only Mahdi is ‘Eisa bin Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary).”
Sahih Al Bukhari, book 60, hadith 3449
Allah’s Messenger said: “How will you be when the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you and your imam is among you.”
Hadith Al Bukhari (Sahih) volume 3, book 43, hadith 656:
Allah’s Messenger said: “The Hour will not be established until the son of Mary (i.e. Jesus) descends amongst you as a just ruler, he will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish the Jizya tax. Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it (as charitable gifts).
Sunan Abu Dawud, book 39, hadith 20:
We were sitting in the shade of the chamber of the Messenger of Allah discussing (something) and when we mentioned the last hour, our voices rose high. The Messenger of Allah said: The last hour will not come or happen until there appear ten signs before it : the rising of the sun in its place of setting, the coming forth of the beast, the coming forth of Gog and Magog, the Dajjal (Antichrist), (the descent of) Jesus son of Mary, the smoke, and three collapses of the earth: one in the west, one in the east, and one in the Arabian Peninsula. The last of that will be the emergence of a fire from Yemen, from the lowest part of Aden, and drive mankind to their place of assembly.
Note: For the sun to rise in the west, the direction of the earth’s rotation would have to be reversed before the end of the world.
Hadiths generally describe that Jesus will assist Imam Mahdi to defeat the Dajjal (the antichrist). We also quoted a hadith reported by Sunan Iban Majah, hadith 4039 quoted above, which describes Jesus as being the only Mahdi, while Sunnis and Shias generally think it will be a different person. Neither the Mahdi nor the Dajjal (antichrist) are ever mentioned in the Quran fully detailed (7:52, 6:114, 10:37). Hadiths indicate that Jesus will reign on earth seven years (Muslim, book 54, hadith 2940, Sunan Abu Dawud, book 38, hadith 4285) and live for forty years (Sunan Abu Dawood, book 39, hadith 4324), while the Mahdi should reign seven years (Sunan Abu Dawud, book 38, hadith 4285), or “five, seven or nine years” (Jami at Tirmidi, chapter 53, hadith 2232). Shias generally believe that the Mahdi will reign for nineteen years (Nu’mani, al-Ghayba, pp. 353-354).
Our primary goal here is to document that hadiths prophesy Jesus’ second coming before the end of the world, which will allow us to demonstrate later that such a belief is incompatible with the message of the Quran.
2. Does the Quran prophesy Jesus’ second coming?
2.1 The controversy related to verse 43:61
Translations of the Quran are often influenced by hadiths and Sunnis generally alter the meaning of 43:61 because it has historically been interpreted by scholars as corroborating hadiths regarding the second coming of Jesus:
وَإِنَّهُۥ لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَا وَٱتَّبِعُونِ هَٰذَا صِرَٰطٌ مُّسْتَقِيمٌ
(43:61) And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (عِلْمٌ) (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): therefore, have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: this is a Straight Way.
(Translation: Yusuf Ali)
The word “‘ilm” (عِلْم) above does not mean “sign” but “knowledge” (the word derives from the same root as the verb “to know” = عَلِمَ), as demonstrated by Yusuf Ali’s translation of 33:63:
يَسْـَٔلُكَ ٱلنَّاسُ عَنِ ٱلسَّاعَةِ قُلْ إِنَّمَا عِلْمُهَا
عِندَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا يُدْرِيكَ لَعَلَّ ٱلسَّاعَةَ تَكُونُ قَرِيبًا
(33:63) Men ask thee concerning the Hour: Say, “The knowledge thereof (عِلْمُهَا) is with Allah (alone)”: and what will make thee understand?- perchance the Hour is nigh!
Translation: Yusuf Ali.
Just like in 43:61, the word “Hour” (السَّاعَة) is used conjointly with the word “‘ilm” in “the knowledge thereof” (عِلْمُهَا). This time, Yusuf Ali correctly translated the word “’ilm” with “Knowledge”, unlike in his translation of 43:61. The word “sign” is correctly translated with word “ayat” (ايَة) in the Quran and never with the word “‘ilm” (عِلْم). The translation error in 43:61 is due to the influence of “hadiths other than God and His verses” (45:6) which constantly contradict the Quran and have no historical credibility because they were put down in writing for the first time two centuries after the death of the prophet for the oldest.
Let us now put verse 43:61 into context translating the word “’ilm” (knowledge) correctly:
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا عَبْدٌ أَنْعَمْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَجَعَلْنَٰهُ مَثَلًا لِّبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
(43:59) He (Jesus) was but a Servant whom We blessed; We appointed him as an example for the Children of Israel.
وَلَوْ نَشَآءُ لَجَعَلْنَا مِنكُم مَّلَٰٓئِكَةً فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَخْلُفُونَ
(43:60) And if We willed, We could have established among you Angels whom would have taken your place on earth.
(43:61) And verily, he (Jesus) assuredly [represents] knowledge regarding the Hour. Have no doubt about it. And follow me: This is a straight path.
In the historical context, Jesus preached the gospel in a Jewish society that had strayed off the right path to the point of denying the day of resurrection and the afterlife. To this day, the vast majority of Jews reject their existence.
2.2 Jesus proclaims the day of judgment and the afterlife in the Gospels:
The gospels, despite having been altered concerning the identity of Jesus, bear witness that he restored the truth regarding the reality of the afterlife, which is an important part of his message and illustrates that “he assuredly [represents] knowledge regarding the Hour”:
John 5:28-29:
28 Wonder not at this, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall hear his voice, 29 and shall go forth; those that have practiced good, to resurrection of life, and those that have done evil, to resurrection of judgment.
Matthew 25:31-46:
31 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty. 32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left. 34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: 36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me. 37 Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? 39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? 40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me. 41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? 45 Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. 46 And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
Another aspect of Jesus’ ministry which corroborates that “he certainly [represents] knowledge regarding the Hour (43:61) is that he had, by God’s leave, the ability to resurrect the dead, a fact proven by the miracle of the raising of Lazarus (John 11:1-44), and acknowledged by the Holy Quran (3:49). This prodigious miracle was intended to provide irrefutable evidence to the Jews that we will all be resurrected on the Day of Judgment.
2.3 The Quran prophesies the return of Jesus on the day of judgment, never before:
إِذْ قَالَ ٱللَّهُ يَٰعِيسَىٰٓ إِنِّى مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَىَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ
ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ وَجَاعِلُ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ
يَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ ثُمَّ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
(3:55) (Remember) when Allah said, “O Jesus, surely I will end your [earthly] life, raise you up to Me, get rid of those who disbelieve, and place those who follow you above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then, it is to Me that your return will be, and I will judge between you regarding your disputes.”
وَقَوْلِهِمْ إِنَّا قَتَلْنَا ٱلْمَسِيحَ عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ
رَسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَلَٰكِن شُبِّهَ
لَهُمْ وَإِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فِيهِ لَفِى شَكٍّ مِّنْهُ مَا
لَهُم بِهِۦ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِلَّا ٱتِّبَاعَ ٱلظَّنِّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ يَقِينًۢا
(4:157) And because of their saying: “We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God”. And they neither killed nor crucified him but it appeared to them [that it was the case]. Indeed, those who differed about him are certainly in doubt regarding this matter. They have no knowledge about it other than based on conjecture. Most certainly, they did not kill him.
بَل رَّفَعَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا
(4:158) But God raised him to Him. God is Almighty, Most Wise.
وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ
مَوْتِهِۦ وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا
(4:159) And there will not be among the people of the book anyone who does not fully believe in him (Jesus) before his death. And on the day of resurrection, he [Jesus] will be a witness against them.
Note: The way I understand this above verse is that right before the angel in charge of putting us to death takes our soul (32:11), it is immediately clear to us if the outcome in the afterlife will be positive or negative (6:93, 8:50-51, 16:28, 23:99-100, 47:27, 79:1-2). Believing or rejecting messengers and prophets implies embracing or rejecting God’s revelations. Therefore, whoever rejected Jesus and his message among the people of the book (Jews and Christians) knows it right away before his or her passing when the angel of death presents himself; Jesus will then be a witness against them on the Day of Judgment.
مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَآ أَمَرْتَنِى بِهِۦٓ أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ رَبِّى
وَرَبَّكُمْ وَكُنتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَّا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِى
كُنتَ أَنتَ ٱلرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنتَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ شَهِيدٌ
(5:117) I [Jesus] said nothing to them except what You commanded me therein (in the book): “Worship God, my Lord and your Lord; and I was a witness against them as long as I was in their presence, then, You called me back, You were fully aware of them, and You are a witness of everything.”
In summary, the Quran never mentions, nor makes the slightest allusion to the return of Jesus before the day of judgment. Rather, he was a witness to his people during his lifetime (5:117), and he will be a witness against the people of the book who rejected or idolized him on the day of resurrection (4:159).
The messengers and prophets will be witnesses against their people on the day of judgment:
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جِئْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍۭ بِشَهِيدٍ وَجِئْنَا بِكَ عَلَىٰ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ شَهِيدًا
(4:41) And what will happen when We bring a witness from among every nation and take you (O Muhammad) as a witness against them?
وَيَوْمَ نَبْعَثُ فِى كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْهِم مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ
وَجِئْنَا بِكَ شَهِيدًا عَلَىٰ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْكِتَٰبَ
تِبْيَٰنًا لِّكُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً وَبُشْرَىٰ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ
(16:89) And on the day We will resurrect among every nation a witness against them among their own souls, and We will bring you (O Muhammad) as a witness against them; We revealed the book to you to clarify everything, as well as a guidance, mercy, and good news for Muslims.
وَأَشْرَقَتِ ٱلْأَرْضُ بِنُورِ رَبِّهَا وَوُضِعَ ٱلْكِتَٰبُ وَجِا۟ىٓءَ
بِٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَقُضِىَ بَيْنَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
(39:69) And the earth will shine with the light of its Lord. The book will be delivered, and the prophets and witnesses will be brought; it will be judged among them equitably, and they will not be wronged.
3. Jesus’ second coming before the day of judgment contradicts the fact that Muhammad is the last prophet:
The Quran states that Jesus is a prophet (3:84, 33:7…) but decrees in 33:40 that Muhammad is “the seal of the prophets” (خَاتَم النَّبِيِّين = khatam alnabiyyin):
مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَا أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن رَّسُولَ
اللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمًا
(33:40) Muhammad was not the father of anyone among your men. He was the messenger of God and the seal of the prophets. And God is Cognizant over all things.
In other words, the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus blatantly contradicts the solemn proclamation that Muhammad is the “seal of the prophets”. If Jesus were to return before the end of the world, he would be the seal of the prophets.
Conclusion:
The majority of Christians believe that Jesus will return on the day of judgment, which concurs with the Quran which states that all prophets will be brought as witnesses against their people.
The doctrine of the Second Coming of Jesus in Sunni and Shia Islam is solely derived from hadiths and has absolutely no Quranic foundation. Sunnis and Shias almost systematically place hadiths and sunnah above the Quran and have historically misinterpreted the meaning of 43:61 in an attempt to imply that the Quran corroborates the hadith based doctrine of the second coming of Jesus before the day of judgment. Sunnis often translate the word “‘ilm” (عِلْم) by the word “sign” in 43:61 to infer that Jesus “shall be a Sign (عِلْمٌ) (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment)” (we are quoting here Yusuf Ali’s translation ) and conjecture that he will return before the day of judgment.
The word “‘ilm” (عِلْمٌ) derives from the same root as the verb “to know” (عَلِمَ = ‘alima) and therefore consistently means “knowledge” throughout the Quran (2:32, 2:120, 2:145, 2:247, 2:255, 3:7, 3:18, 3:19, 3:61…) and never “sign”, as evidenced by verse 33:63 which, like 43:61, also establishes a correlation between the two words “‘ilm” (knowledge) and “hour” (i.e. of judgment):
(33:63) Men ask thee concerning the Hour: Say, “The knowledge thereof (عِلْمُهَا) is with Allah (alone)”: and what will make thee understand?- perchance the Hour is nigh!
Translation: Yusuf Ali.
The Quran prophesies Jesus’ return on the day of judgment (4:159) just like any other prophets (39:69), but never before.
Jesus “assuredly [represents] knowledge regarding the Hour” (43:61) because he will return on the day of judgment to testify against his people and the people of the book (Jews and Christians). He established the truth concerning the day of resurrection to his people who denied it (Matthew 16:27, 24:31-36) and continue to deny it to this very day. The miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11:1-44, Quran 3:49) was also intended as an allegory to confirm that Jesus represents “knowledge regarding the hour” by providing physical evidence to the Jews that souls do not die and that we will all be resurrected physically on the day of judgment.
Finally, the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus blatantly contradicts verse 33:40 which proclaims that Muhammad is “the seal of the prophets” (خَاتَم النَّبِيِّين = khatam alnabiyyin). If Jesus returned before the end of the judgment, he would be the seal of the prophets.
Once we rely on the literal meaning of 43:61 and understand that Jesus will not return until the day of judgment just like all other prophets, what remains of the doctrine of the second coming of Jesus before the day of resurrection from a Quranic standpoint? Strictly nothing.
Once again, we witness the abyss which separates the purity of the Quran from the conjecture of hadiths which are nothing but oral traditions put in writing, for the oldest, two hundred years after the death of the prophet, and therefore have no legitimacy whatsoever.
Article published on 8/10/2020