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My question falls under the 'those interested in learning more about Islam' category, so please forgive any naivety in my question here.

I've read the majority of the Quran, and I've always been struck by the prophecy of the infant Jesus shorty after his birth in Sura 19:

Sura 19 Maryam, Ayat 30-33

He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; "And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; "So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"!

My question is regarding the last line. I do not believe that, in the Quran, Jesus dies; he ascends to heaven without ever dying. Maybe the 'raised up to life' is referencing the resurrection of the dead at the divine judgment? But how is he to be raised if he never died?

What am I missing here?

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  • my brothers have already answered your questions, but only to complete their answers we have in Ahadeeth some more details about his return. He will come to the Earth, live with Christians until they will unite with Muslims and the verse [4:159] settles in time, then he will pass away and Imam Mahdi will pray for him at his grave, peace be upon both of them.
    – owari
    Commented Jan 2, 2013 at 22:50
  • and this is not special about Jesus --peace be upon him-- who is alive, any prophet or else who has been martyred is consider as alive in Islam, they MUST come back to this life at least for once, for them to experience death before the Resurrection.
    – owari
    Commented Jan 2, 2013 at 22:51
  • @owari when a Prophet dies, he is dead like any other human (Physically), if you are referring to the earth not eating them, well is that a miracle? or did they get buried alive?
    – مجاهد
    Commented Jan 2, 2013 at 23:17
  • @AlUmmat, that's what Allah has mentioned in his book that the martyrs are alive although being killed, see [3:169]. Put that beside the verse that says "Every soul shall have a taste of death ..." and for someone who is alive to be died he/she must come back to this life and experience death. This is called Rij'ah. Martyrs are only one group of such people who will come back, even some very bad guys will come back to this life but they will never ever believe in what they have denied in their previous lives, and these claims all have Quranic reasons ;)
    – owari
    Commented Jan 2, 2013 at 23:32
  • @AlUmmat, and I didn't mean any prophet but at least certainly those who have martyred, like John the Baptist, peace be upon him.
    – owari
    Commented Jan 2, 2013 at 23:33

3 Answers 3

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The traditional understanding of these ayaat (verses) is referring to the natural death that we will all have, and the resurrection that we will all experience. Jesus (may the peace and blessings of God be upon him) has not died yet; he is not in this earth at the moment, but Islamic theology specifies that he is to return near the end of times and die a natural death then. It is possible to look at these verses as a firm reiteration of the humanity (i.e. not divinity) of Jesus (peace be upon him).

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The Islamic belief is that Jesus (عليهم السلام) will return in the tribulation, after the emergence of the Dajjal. He will live on the earth for a period of time and then die.

بلل فيقاتل الناس على الإسلام فيدق الصليب ويقتل الخنزير ويضع الجزية ويهلك الله في زمانه الملل كلها إلا الإسلام ويهلك المسيح الدجال فيمكث في الأرض أربعين سنة ثم يتوفى فيصلي عليه المسلمون

He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.

— Sunan Abi Dawud

The same is alluded to in the Quran in:

وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته ويوم القيامة يكون عليهم شهيدا

And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in Jesus before his death. And on the Day of Resurrection he will be against them a witness.

— Quran 4:159

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Yes Jesus (Peace be Upon Him) was never crucified, as is clear in this Ayah, but in Islam we believe that Isa/Jesus (Peace be upon Him) will come down and kill the Dajjal, as is clear in multiple Ahadeeth like this one. We also believe that everything will die/taste death as is clear in Surat Al Imran, Ayah 185.

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  • O but if in the breath of thought I defeat the breath of error, then stands before you the superiority of the thought.
    – Decrypted
    Commented Dec 14, 2014 at 10:58

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