'Isa (as)'s Return to Earth

Isa' (Jesus)(as) is a prophet chosen by Allah. He is one of the most talked-about prophets in the history of the world. Thank Allah that there is a source in which we can verify what is true and false out of that which has been said of him. That source is the Qur'an, the only revelation of Allah that exists unaltered and undistorted.

When we refer to the Qur'an to discover the real truth about the Prophet 'Isa (as), we see that:

Isa' (as) is the Messenger of Allah and His Word. (Surat an-Nisa': 171)

Allah gave his name as the Messiah, 'Isa (as), son of Maryam (as). (Surah Al 'Imran: 45)

He was made a sign for all the worlds. (Surat al-Anbiya': 91)

'Isa (as) spoke to people in the cradle (Surah Al 'Imran: 46), and that he performed several miracles. Another miracle is that he will come back to earth at a later time and speak to people. (Surah Al 'Imran: 46; Surat al-Ma'ida: 110)

'Isa (as) was given the Gospel. (Surat al-Hadid: 27)

Those who divinized him have committed an error and fallen into blasphemy. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 72)

The disbelievers plotted against him in order to kill him, but Allah nullified their plot. (Surah Al 'Imran: 54)

Allah did not allow the disbelievers to kill 'Isa (as), but took him up into His own presence, and announced the good news to humanity that he will come back again one day. The Qur'an provides information about 'Isa (as)'s return in several instances:

One verse says that the disbelievers who set a trap to kill 'Isa (as) did not succeed;

(And We cursed them) for their saying, "We killed the Messiah, 'Isa son of Maryam, Messenger of Allah." They did not kill him and they did not crucify him but it was made to seem so to them. Those who argue about him are in doubt about it. They have no real knowledge of it, just conjecture. But they certainly did not kill him. (Surat an-Nisa': 157)

Another verse says that 'Isa (as) did not die, but was taken from the human sphere into the presence of Allah.

Allah raised him up to Himself. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa': 158)

In the 55th verse of Surah Al 'Imran, we learn that Allah will place the people who follow 'Isa (as) above those who disbelieve until the Day of Rising. It is an historical fact that, 2000 years ago, 'Isa (as)'s disciples had no political power. Christians who lived between that period and our own have believed a number of false doctrines, the chief of which is the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, as is evident, that they will not be able to be referred to as followers of 'Isa (as), because, as it says in several places in the Qur'an, those who believe in the Trinity have slipped into denial. In such a case, in the time before the Hour, the true followers of 'Isa (as) will overcome the deniers and become the manifestation of the divine promise contained in Surah Al 'Imran. Surely, this blessed group will be made known when 'Isa (as) returns again to earth.

Again, the Qur'an states that all the People of the Book will believe in 'Isa (as) before he dies.

There is not one of the People of the Book who will not believe in him ('Isa) before he dies; and on the Day of Rising he will be a witness against them. (Surat an-Nisa': 159)

We learn clearly from this verse that there are still three unfilled promises concerning 'Isa (as). First, like every other human being, the Prophet 'Isa (as) will die. Second, all the People of the Book will see him in bodily form and will obey him while he is alive. There is no doubt that these two predictions will be fulfilled when 'Isa (as) comes again before the Last Day. The third prediction about 'Isa (as)'s bearing witness against the People of the Book will be fulfilled on the Last Day.

Another verse in Surah Maryam discusses the death of 'Isa (as).

Peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die and the day I am raised up again alive. (Surah Maryam: 33)

When we compare this verse with the 55th verse of Surah Al 'Imran, we can recognize a very important fact. The verse in Surah Al 'Imran speaks about 'Isa (as)'s being raised to the presence of Allah. In this verse, no information is given as to whether 'Isa (as) died or not. But in the 33rd verse of Surah Maryam, 'Isa (as)'s death is referred to. This second death is possible only if 'Isa (as) came to earth again and died after living here for some time. (Allah surely knows best)

Another verse that alludes to 'Isa (as)'s return to earth reads:

He will teach him ('Isa) the Book and Wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel. (Surah Al 'Imran: 48)

To understand the reference to the "Book" mentioned in this verse, we must look at other verses in the Qur'an that are relevant to this subject: if the Book is stated in one verse together with the Torah and the Gospel, then it must mean the Qur'an. The third verse of Surah Al 'Imran serves as such an example:

Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining. He has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what has there before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel, previously, as guidance for mankind, and He has sent down the Furqan (the Criterion of judgement between right and wrong). (Surah Al 'Imran: 2-4)

In that case, the book referred to in verse 48, that 'Isa (as) is to learn, can only be the Qur'an. We know that 'Isa (as) knew the Torah and the Gospel during his lifetime, that is, approximately 2000 years ago. Clearly, it will be the Qur'an that he will learn when he comes to earth again.

What verse 59 of Surah Al 'Imran offers is very interesting: "The likeness of 'Isa in Allah's sight is the same as Adam…" In this verse we can see there must be a number of similarities between the two prophets. As we know, both Adam and 'Isa (as) had no father, but we may draw a further similarity from the above verse, between Adam's descending to earth from Paradise and 'Isa (as)'s descent from Allah's presence in the End Times.

The Qur'an says this about 'Isa (as):

He ('Isa) is a Sign of the Hour. Have no doubt about it. But follow me. This is a straight path. (Surat az-Zukhruf: 61)

We know that 'Isa (as) lived six centuries before the Qur'an was revealed. Therefore, this verse must refer, not to his first life, but to his coming again during the End Times. Both the Christian and the Islamic world are eagerly awaiting 'Isa (as)'s second coming. This blessed guest's honored presence on the earth will be the important sign of the Last Day.

Further evidence of the second coming of 'Isa (as) can be found in the use of the word wakahlan in Surah Maida, 110 and Surah Al 'Imran 46. In these verses, we are revealed these commands:

Remember when Allah said, "'Isa, son of Maryam, remember My blessing to you and to your mother when I reinforced you with the Purest Spirit so that you could speak to people in the cradle and when you were fully grown (wakahlan) …" (Surat al-Ma'ida: 110)

He will speak to people in the cradle, and also when fully grown (wakahlan), and will be one of the righteous. (Surah Al 'Imran: 46)

This word occurs only in these two verses and only in reference to 'Isa (as). The word is used to describe 'Isa (as)'s more mature age. The word refers to the age between 30 and 50, that is, to the end of youth and the beginning of old age. Islamic scholars are agreed in translating this word to refer to a period after the age of 35.

Islamic scholars rely on a tradition related by Ibn Abbas to the effect that 'Isa (as) was raised to the presence of Allah when he was young, that is, at the beginning of his 30's, and that when he comes to earth again, he will have 40 years left to live. 'Isa (as) will progress into his old age after he has returned to earth, so this verse may be said to be a proof of 'Isa (as)'s second coming to earth.2

As mentioned, when we closely examine the Qur'an, we see that this word is used only in reference to 'Isa (as). All prophets have spoken to people and invited them to accept religion. All of them communicated their message when they were of mature age. But, the Qur'an says nothing similar about any other prophet. This word is used only for 'Isa (as), and is a miracle. The phrases "in the cradle" and "having grown older" refer to two great miracles.

It is a miracle that 'Isa (as) spoke while he was in the cradle. This was something that had never been seen before, and the Qur'an speaks several times of this miraculous event. Immediately after these words comes the phrase "and speaking to people when fully grown." These words also refer to a miracle. If the words "when fully grown" referred to his former life before he was taken up into the presence of Allah, 'Isa (as)'s speaking would not have been a miracle. And since it was not a miracle, it would not have been used after the speaking in the cradle or in the same way as this miraculous situation. In that case, an expression such as "from the cradle to when fully grown" would have been used and would have expressed communication lasting from the time 'Isa (as) began to speak in the cradle to time he was raised up to Allah. But, the verse draws our attention to two great miraculous events. The first is the speaking in the cradle; the other, 'Isa (as)'s speaking in his mature years. Therefore, the expression "when fully grown" refers to a time that would be a miracle. It is the time when 'Isa (as) will speak to people in his mature age after he has returned again to earth. (Allah surely knows best)

In the hadiths of the Prophet (saas) there is information about 'Isa (as)'s second coming. In a few hadiths, this information is given along with other information about what 'Isa (as) will do while he is in the world. You may read the hadiths relevant to this subject in the chapter of this book entitled, "The Return of 'Isa (as) After the Emergence of False Prophets." (For more detailed information, please see Harun Yahya, Jesus Will Return, Ta-Ha Publishers, February 2001.)

It will be beneficial to remind the reader here of a very important matter: Allah sent the Prophet Muhammad (saas) to humanity as the last prophet. Allah revealed the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad (saas), and holds all people responsible for obeying the Qur'an until the Day of Judgment. 'Isa (as) will miraculously return to the world in the End Times but, as the Prophet (saas) has said, he will not bring a new religion. The true religion that the Prophet (saas) taught to humanity is Islam, to which 'Isa (as) will be subject when he comes to the earth again.

THE SPLITTING OF THE MOON

The 54th Surah of the Qur'an is called "Surat al-Qamar." In English qamar means moon. In several instances, this Surah tells about the destruction that befell the people of Nuh, Ad, Thamud, Lut and Pharaoh, because they rejected the warnings of the prophets. At the same time, there is a very important message stated in the first verse, concerning the Last Day.

The Hour has drawn near and the moon has split. (Surat al-Qamar: 1)

The word "split" used in this verse is the Arabic shaqqa, which in Arabic it has various meanings. In some commentaries on the Qur'an, the meaning "split" is preferred. But shaqqa in Arabic can also mean "ploughing" or "digging" the earth.

As an example of the first usage, we can refer to the 26th verse of Surat al-Abasa:

We pour down plentiful water, then split the earth into furrows. Then We make grain grow in it, and grapes and herbs and olives and dates. (Surah 'Abasa: 25-29)

It can be clearly seen that the meaning of shaqqa here is not to "split." It means to plough the earth in order to grow various plants.

If we went back to the year 1969, we would see one of the great wonders of the Qur'an. The experiments carried out on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, may be hinting at the fulfilment of news given 1,400 years ago in Surat al-Qamar. On that date, American astronauts set foot on the moon. Digging at the lunar soil they carried out scientific experiments and collected samples of stones and soil. It is surely very interesting that these developments are in complete agreement with the statements in the verse.

The exploration of the moon is identified with the words Neil Armstrong said upon setting foot on the moon: "One small step for [a] man; one giant leap for mankind."3 This was an historic moment in space research; it was an event documented by cameras, and everyone from that time to this has witnessed it. As it is stated in the first verse of Surat al-Qamar, this great event may also be a sign of the Last Day. It may be a sign that the world is in the End Times before the Judgment. (Allah surely knows best)

Finally, let us point out that there is a very important warning following these verses. There is a reminder that these signs are an important opportunity for people to turn from error, and that those who do not heed these warnings will be disappointed when they will be brought back to life on that Day of Judgment which is described in the Qur'an as "something unspeakably terrible":

The Hour has drawn near and the moon has split. If they see a Sign they turn away, saying "There is no end to this witchcraft!" They have denied the truth and followed their whims and desires, but everything has its time. News has come to them which contains a threat: consummate wisdom - but warnings are profitless. Turn away from them then. On the Day the Summoner summons them to something unspeakably terrible, they will emerge from their graves with downcast eyes, like swarming locusts, necks outstretched, eyes transfixed, rushing headlong to the Summoner. The disbelievers will say, "This is a pitiless day!" (Surat al-Qamar: 1-8)

We must make this clear, however: The phenomenon of the splitting of the moon is, of course, one of the miracles vouchsafed by Allah to our Prophet (saas). This miracle is revealed as follows in one hadith:

The people of Mecca asked Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hiram' mountain. (Bukhari)

The miracle described above is the phenomenon of splitting of the moon revealed in the verse. However, since the Qur'an is a book which addresses all times it is also possible that it is referring to the landing on the moon in our own age. (Allah surely knows best)