This excerpt is taken from the book by Fazilat-ul-Sheikh Abdul Salam Rustami From Denial of Hadith to Denial of Quran.
Twenty-third Doubt: The Life and Descent of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him
All Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'ah and the pious predecessors unanimously agree that Jesus (peace be upon him) was taken up alive to the heavens and that he is alive there. He will descend near the Day of Judgment, rule according to the Muhammadan religion, and then after some time, he will pass away.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani's belief is that Jesus (peace be upon him) has died, and he has claimed through his revelation that his grave is in Kashmir. According to him, the Jesus (peace be upon him) mentioned in the hadiths regarding the descent is not Jesus himself but his likeness and image, who will abolish jihad and will be a non-legislative shadowy prophet.
There is a difference between these two groups regarding the death and life of Jesus (peace be upon him). There is also disagreement about his being taken up to the heavens. The people of the second group outwardly consider his likeness to be a non-legislative prophet. But when they say he will abolish jihad, it becomes clear that he will be a legislative prophet, and according to the Mirzaiyyah, the actual example of this likeness of Jesus is Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani himself.
The deniers of hadith believe that Jesus (peace be upon him) was neither taken up to the heavens nor is he alive; rather, he died his death, and all talk of his descending again from the heavens is mere superstition.
When I was writing this book, a person brought me a book titled "Aqeedah Khatam al-Nabiyyin," authored by Muhammad Hadi, who claimed to be a graduate of religious sciences from Taleem al-Quran, Rustam, District Mardan. I estimated from the false attribution of the author to the Taleem al-Quran madrasa that the book titled "Khatam al-Nabiyyin" was also used to prove some falsehood. I said: Ask this author how long he spent acquiring knowledge at this Dar al-Uloom? Then ask him if he has a certificate of completion from the Dar al-Uloom because a graduate of religious sciences is one who has a certificate of completion. Then ask him if any teacher at the Dar al-Uloom taught him the issue mentioned in the treatise and if he can prove the denial of the life, ascension, and descent of Jesus (peace be upon him) with reference to any teacher. He cannot do so at all. This oppressive author began the treatise with outright lies and tried to defame our Dar al-Uloom Taleem al-Quran. From the title of the treatise, it was clear that there must be falsehoods written inside, summarized as an open denial of the hadiths regarding the descent of Jesus (peace be upon him) and abandoning the belief of the pious predecessors in favor of imitating some unreliable later scholars. Therefore, I will specifically address this liar in this discussion.
On the advice of companions, this discussion will be somewhat lengthy so that Muslims may be saved from the deception and misrepresentation of this person.
This discussion will have two chapters.
First Evidence:
Allah Almighty said:
وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ ﴿۵۴﴾إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ
"And they (the Jews) planned, and Allah also planned, and Allah is the best of planners. When Allah said: O Jesus!"
Reference: (3-Al Imran:54-55)
The method of reasoning is that the Jews made various plans to kill Jesus (peace be upon him), including crucifixion, but Allah Almighty saved him from being killed through a secret plan, which was that He said: O Jesus! I will take you fully into My custody. The explanation of "taking fully into custody" is mentioned in the next sentence that I will raise you up to Myself.
Second Evidence:
Allah Almighty said:
بَل رَّفَعَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ
"But Allah raised him (Jesus) up to Himself."
Reference: (4-An-Nisa:158)
In this verse, the method of saving from killing and the cross and the complete taking up is explained with the interpretation of raising. If the phrase مُتَوَفِّيكَ is taken to mean causing death and raising is taken to mean elevating in ranks, as the deniers interpret, then how can Allah's plan be considered successful? In that case, the Jews would appear to have succeeded in their goal, as they got rid of Jesus, and as a result of their efforts, Jesus died, whereas this did not happen.
Here, the true meaning of raising is intended, that is, to take up above. The root of raising (رفع) is mentioned 29 times in the Holy Quran, out of which in 12 instances it means elevating in ranks, and in most of these instances, the indication of ranks is also mentioned. In 17 instances, the true meaning of raising, i.e., lifting up, is intended. Some of these verses are:
وَرَفَعْنَا فَوْقَكُمُ الطُّورَ
"And We raised the Mount over you."
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:63)
Also He said:
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ
"And when Abraham (and Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House."
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:127)
Also He said:
وَرَفَعَ أَبَوَيْهِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ
"And he (Joseph) raised his parents upon the throne."
Reference: (12-Yusuf:100)
Also He said:
اللَّهُ الَّذِي رَفَعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ بِغَيْرِ عَمَدٍ تَرَوْنَهَا
"Allah is the One who raised the heavens without pillars that you see."
Reference: (13-Ar-Ra'd:2)
The author Muhammad Hadi does not see these verses in the Holy Quran and does not remember this rule that as long as the literal meaning is possible, the metaphorical meaning is not taken, while many scholars even deny the existence of metaphor in the Quran. Therefore, in this verse بل رفعه الله إليه "But Allah raised him up to Himself," only the literal meaning is intended.
It should also be kept in mind that where raising means elevating in ranks, the preposition إِلَى (to) is not used, but here the words إلى and إليه are clear evidence that raising in ranks is not intended. Therefore, the author of this treatise should not consider himself a great scholar but should properly humble himself before a true scholar.
Third Argument:
In بل رفعه الله إليه, the letter بل also proves the raising of Messiah because there is contradiction and incompatibility before and after the letter بل. Here too, وما قتلوه وما صلبوه first said that He neither killed him nor crucified him, then through بل it was conjoined. Therefore, it is understood that he was neither killed nor crucified (and none among the Jews and Christians believe in his natural death), so it is said that Allah Almighty raised him to Himself.
Fourth Argument:
The Divine command is:
وَإِن مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا
"And there is none of the People of the Scripture but will surely believe in him before his death, and on the Day of Resurrection he will be a witness against them."
Reference: (4-An-Nisa:159)
Among them, Ibn Abbas, Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنهم, Hasan, and Abu Malik have stated that the pronoun in موته and به refers to Jesus عليه السلام, and the evidence for this statement is the following hadith. Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"By the One in Whose hand is my soul! Surely, Jesus عليه السلام will descend among you, he will judge with justice, break the cross, kill the pig, abolish the jizya, and there will be an abundance of wealth until no one will accept charity. Until a prostration will be better than the world and whatever is in it."
Then Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه said that if you wish, recite this (above) verse.
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari, Ahadith al-Anbiya, Chapter: The Descent of Jesus son of Mary عليهما السلام, Hadith: 3448
From this, it is clear that Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه interpreted this verse with this hadith and deduced from it that Jesus عليه السلام will descend.
Although there are two other interpretations of this verse transmitted from Ikramah, Mujahid, and Dhahak (Tabi‘in), but a raised narration and a companion’s narration which is authentic in terms of chain of transmission will not be rejected in favor of a Tabi‘i’s statement. The first opinion is also supported by the last sentence of the verse. It says:
وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا
"And he will be a witness against them on the Day of Resurrection."
Reference: (4-An-Nisa:159)
The mention of this testimony of Jesus عليه السلام is also found at the end of Surah Al-Ma'idah. The author of the treatise Muhammad Hadi, after comparing all the commentators and Sahih hadiths, only quoted the opinion of Imam Nawawi رحمه الله and issued a fatwa that people unjustly oppress the Book of Allah without thinking. Then he expressed happiness by refuting some implications of this interpretation through deception. He wrote: When people believe in Jesus عليه السلام after his descent, then these people become followers of Jesus عليه السلام and not of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.
From where does believing in someone necessarily mean becoming his follower? Faith means to affirm and accept the matter. Will heedless people who accept Muhammad Hadi’s treatise become his followers?
Secondly, it has been said that testimony is given against criminals, not believers. This is a statement of complete ignorance. Has Hadi Sahib not come across this verse?
لِّتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا
"That you may be witnesses over the people and the Messenger of Allah may be a witness over you."
Reference: (2-Al-Baqarah:143)
Here, the address "over you" عليكم is to the noble companions رضي الله عنهم and the believers. Were they criminals in your view?
Fifth Argument:
The Divine command is:
وَإِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِّلسَّاعَةِ فَلَا تَمْتَرُنَّ بِهَا
"And indeed, it is a sign of the Hour, so do not doubt it."
Reference: (43-az-Zukhruf:61)
Imam Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, has narrated from Abu Hurairah, Ibn Abbas, Abu Al-Aaliyah, Abu Malik, Ikrimah, Hasan, Qatadah, Suddī, and Dhahak, may Allah be pleased with them, and Ibn Jarir, may Allah have mercy on him, has narrated from Hasan, Mujahid, Qatadah, Dhahak, Ibn Zaid, and Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, that the pronoun in انه refers to Jesus, peace be upon him, and it means his descent to earth before the Day of Judgment. Here, علم means "proof" and this meaning has been used many times in the Holy Quran. Thus, the meaning of this verse is that the descent of Jesus, peace be upon him, from the heavens before the Day of Judgment is a proof of the Hour. This is the opinion of those commentators who say that here 'knowledge' means 'sign' because every proof is a sign for the claimant. No commentator has altered this, so this caused great anger to the honorable Hadi. He says: "Who is it that changes the words of the Quran? Here, the meaning of knowledge is taken as sign and indication. However, some commentators have made the pronoun in انه refer to the Holy Quran, but Ibn Kathir said that this statement is very far from the truth."
The phrase واتبعون in this verse indicates that after the descent, Jesus, peace be upon him, will be obedient to our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who can also be called his follower. After the descent, he will be a follower and a member of the Ummah of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, with the attribute of prophethood. There is no contradiction between these two attributes. Our Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was a prophet and messenger, but if he ever prayed behind one of his companions as a follower, his attribute of prophethood was not nullified at that time.
◈ Note: If two, three, or more opinions are established in the interpretation of a verse, it is not befitting for a commentator or scholar to pick one according to personal preference and leave the others. Rather, the prevailing meaning should be taken based on evidence and proof.
Sixth Argument:
The Divine command is:
وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا
"He (Jesus, peace be upon him) will speak to the people in childhood and in old age."
Reference: (3-Al Imran:46)
Ibn Jarir narrated from Ibn Zaid, and Sahib al-Lubab narrated from Husain bin al-Fudail that the old age of Jesus, peace be upon him, did not pass before he was raised to the heavens, but rather after his descent, he will speak to people in old age. Although every person can speak in old age, the special characteristic of Jesus, peace be upon him, is that after his descent he will be in old age. The time he spent in the heavens is considered an extraordinary age and therefore is not counted as part of worldly life. These are the Quranic evidences that indicate the true raising of Jesus, peace be upon him, and then his descent.
