Sunday, March 24, 2013

There is no second coming of Jesus


Salam,

On the second coming of Jesus to this world there are several interpretations done by Muslims based on various verses stated in the Quran. Apart from the interpretation that Jesus will come as a second coming there is also the interpretation that he will not come back as he is dead.

The second interpretation that Jesus is dead is based on the same verses of the Quran as of those who interpret he will come a second time to this earth. However those who made exegesis that he will not come back to this world have other supporting verses from the Quran that dispel the second coming altogether.

The second coming of Jesus is believed by some Muslims based on the following verses of the Quran; there are two verses in the Qur'an that these Muslims believe to indicate the second coming of Jesus is firstly as stated in this verse:

"And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them".
(Surah 4:159).

According to the above verse they contended, all the Ahl-e-Kitab (Jews and Christians), will believe in Jesus before his death. These commentators state that the Arabic leuaminanna (must believe) refers to an event in the future. This they believe could only be possible should Jesus come again and live in this world till he dies.

However the above interpretation cannot be accurate considering there will be millions of Jews and Christians in the future until the end of the world whether there is or not the second coming of Jesus. Not every Jew or the Christian will have the opportunity to be with Jesus at the time of their death. The length of time that Jesus will live with them at the second coming will not be that long.

So most likely more Christians and Jews will not have the opportunity to be with him so as to believe in him. Thus the most probable meaning of the above verse is that all Jews and Christians will realize at the moment of their death that Jesus was really a Prophet of God and not an illegitimate or the Son of God as believe by the Jews and the Christians respectively. The above verse therefore did not predict the second coming of Jesus but emphasize the message about Jesus as not being God but a Prophet to those Christians and Jews as the truth before they die on this earth. These will be experienced by each Christian or Jew after the first coming of Jesus before the time of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) till the Day of Judgment.

The other verse considered as the second coming of Jesus is based on the following verse of the Quran:

"And he (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment): Therefore have no doubt about the (Hour), but follow ye Me: This is a Straight Way" (Surah 43:61).

The second verse is interpreted that Jesus is the sign of the Last Hour. So it is argued, 'How can he be a sign for Doomsday if he doesn't appear sometimes before it?' Those who do believe Jesus will come again see him in a subordinate role to that of the Prophet of Islam. Jesus will be under a Muslim Amir, leader, showing his complete adherence to Islam. Some Ahadith indicate that on his arrival Jesus will kill an impostor Messiah (i.e. the antichrist).

He will live for forty years during which he will marry, have children, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage). After his death, he will be buried beside the grave of the Prophet Muhammad (Wali ad-Din, Miskat Al-Masabih, (tr. James Robson), Vol.II, p.1159; Sahih Muslim, Vol.1, p.92).

However in actual fact in the verse referred at Surah 43:61 there is no mentioned of the name Jesus. Most of the commentators regard the Arabic pronoun “hu” in the word “innahu” which take the meaning “and he” but the Arabic word can also mean “and it”. Those commentators who believe in the second coming take the pronoun “innahu” or “and he” as relating to Jesus. Consequently it is interpreted on the above phrase as “And he (Jesus) is indeed a means to know of the coming of the last Hour.

On the contrary many other commentators relate the pronoun “hu” not to Jesus but to the Quran and understand the phrase in the sense that specific mention of the Last Hour and some of its sign were mentioned in the Quran. The following verses appear as of the signs of the final Hour with the coming of Gog and Magog being released and of the smoke and the scenario of the Last Day mentioned in the Quran:

On that day We shall leave them to surge like waves on one another: the trumpet will be blown, and We shall collect them all together. (Surah 18:99)

Then watch thou for the Day that the sky will bring forth a kind of smoke (or mist) plainly visible, enveloping the people: this will be a Penalty Grievous.
(Surah 44:10-11)

The Day ye shall see it, every mother giving suck shall forget her suckling-babe, and every pregnant female shall drop her load (unformed): thou shalt see mankind as in a drunken riot, yet not drunk: but dreadful will be the Wrath of Allah. (Surah 22:2)

Thus it is the Quran rather than Jesus that is with the knowledge of the Hour and most of the signs of the Hour were mentioned with clarity. Furthermore the Arabic “innahu” pointing more suitable to mean the Quran rather than Jesus because the next Arabic words in the verse which is “lailmun lilsaa’ti” contained the proposition “li” which is used to express the dative and denote possession “have”, or for, or to or used to denote “because of” as in English.

Therefore if the Arabic is taken word by word translation the verse would be biased more toward the Quran than to the man Jesus:

Innahu (and it “the Quran”) lailmun (have knowledge) lilsaa’ti (for the Hour) fala tamtaruuna biha (therefore do not have doubt concerning it) wattabiuuni hazaa siraatun mustaqim (and follow me this is the straight path.

And it (The Quran) have knowledge for the Hour, therefore do not have doubt concerning it and follow me this is the straight path (Surah 43:61)

It can be seen that when the message of God is misinterpreted or being manipulated it will not end there, various fictions were being created surrounding the information and the fabrications  become more ridiculous when the verse is wrongly attributed to Jesus.

They believe when the second coming takes place Jesus descent from heaven will be accomplished by resting his hands on the wings of two angels. He will descend onto the white minaret, situated in the eastern part of Damascus. He will invite the whole world to be Muslim including Christians and Jews. The one eyed antichrist, accompanied by seventy thousand Jews, will be killed by Jesus, at the place called Lod. The Jews will be badly defeated. Jesus will break the cross, annihilate swine and will end all wars and jizya (poll tax). His position will be like that of a judge. During this period there will be an abundance of all sorts of goods. Muslims will dominate the world and there will be an end of all religions except Islam (Mawdudi, A.A, Finality of Prophethood, pp. 58-61).

The absurdity of the above tale contradicts with the message of the Quran. It is questionable that his last effort is to destroy all the crosses in the world and if he does that he will undermine the command of God in upholding the verse of no compulsion in religion as stated in the Quran which is against the proper character of a true prophet:

Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things. (Surah 2:256)

And it is just preposterous to even think that Jesus other mission is to annihilate the swine in this world. Imagine a Prophet of God running around four corners of the globe chasing to annihilate all the pig, boars and hogs for what purpose? This is again against the virtue and morality of God’s command in the Quran. Although God prohibit eating the flesh of swine but if there is no food then it is permissible in emergency:

He hath only forbidden you dead meat, and blood, and the flesh of swine and that on which any other name hath been invoked besides that of Allah. But if one is forced by necessity, without willful disobedience or transgressing due limits then is he guiltless. For Allah is Oft-forgiving Most Merciful. (Surah 2:173)


The fabrications being created out of the second coming of Jesus

Some groups like the Ahmadiyya and the Bahai believe that their founders were the second coming of Christ. Other groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus came back at the turn of this century and took the elect with him. Even the Bible reveals that his second coming will not be in secret. When the apostles saw Jesus ascending into heaven, the angels told them: "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

Those Muslim who believe in the second coming of Jesus have various ideas about the physical descent of Jesus. Some say he will land on the Ka'ba, others claim he will land on the minaret of the Umayyad mosque in Damascus, yet others think he will descend in Jerusalem. Whether coming to Jerusalem, Damascus or Mecca, one has to think carefully where he is coming from. If he is coming from heaven, then this coming will not be an ordinary one, with an ordinary body like ours. The fictionalization in the Bible declares that he is coming in heavenly splendor. He will come in all his glory and power (2 Thessalonians 1:7). Jesus said: "as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west", so will be his coming (Matthew 24:27). In simple words, his coming will be visible to everyone. His first coming took place in obscurity, but his second coming will be universally visible. His coming will be so dramatic no-one will fail to recognize him. (Matthew 24:30; Acts 1:9,11).


There is no second coming because Jesus is dead being a normal man as that of Adam.

The Christians believe Jesus is God that is why they believe he is coming again for the second time but Muslims believe he is just a normal man like any one of us and a normal man will die.  

The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust then said to him: "Be". And he was. (Surah 3:59)

Christ the son of Mary was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth! (Surah 5:75)

Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense……(Surah 3:185)

As regards to the Christian tenet they must believe that Jesus dies on the cross and must be risen otherwise their faith is in vain as stated in the following verse of the Bible:

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. (1 Corinthians 15:14-18)

The Quran is clear that Jesus did not die on the cross but he died elsewhere on earth and resurrected only in the hereafter.

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah"; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not.  (Surah 4:157)

Jesus did not die on the cross but as a normal man he died like any other prophets of God.

Because of his death in this world it is provided in the Quran that in the hereafter
He did not even know the Christians were worshipping him. Had he been here in this world at the second coming he would surely knew that he was being worshipped as God by the Christians and he would have answer differently on the Day of Judgment as opposed to that depicted in the following verse of the Quran of which he had witnessed:

And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up (make me died) Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.)

Allah will say: "This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, their eternal Home: Allah well-pleased with them, and they with Allah: That is the great salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires). (Surah 5:116-119)

From the references in the Quran there are concrete evidences that there is no second coming as Jesus had served his duties to God and we are expected by God to do our duties and emulate the prophets of old and none of them were reported to destroy crosses or annihilate swine in their agenda.

Were ye witnesses when death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will ye worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship Thy God and the God of thy fathers, of Abraham, Isma'il and Isaac, the one (True) Allah: To Him we bow (in Islam)." That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case! (Surah 2:133-134)

In Jesus, God says in the Quran:

He was no more than a servant: We granted Our favor to him, and We made him an example to the Children of Israel. (Surah 43:59)

Those were the (prophets) who received Allah's guidance: Copy the guidance they received; Say: "No reward for this do I ask of you: This is no less than a message for the nations." (Surah 6:90)


ASAR



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