How do Ahmadis justify their belief that Jesus (as) is dead?

Question

What are some of the sources Ahmadis use from Quran and Hadith to argue that Jesus (as) is dead?

Answer 1

These proofs are in two parts. 1-15 are from Quran, 16-23 from Hadith.

Hadith:

16. In all the hadith about the coming of Jesus son of Mary, nowhere is it specifically mentioned that the same Jesus Christ son of Mary (as) upon whom the Gospels were revealed who was a messenger to the Jews will come back. There is no mention of a "second" coming either. Only the same name is used "Jesus son of Mary." And nowhere does it say that he'll physically descend "from the sky." Only the word نزل Nazala is used which means descend. But in the Quran many things are also said to have descended (Iron 57:25, Clothes 7:26, the Quran 16:64, the Torah 5:44, the Holy Prophet (sa) 65:10-11). Based on the Quran which categorically makes it clear (which I've hope you've understood by now) that Jesus (as) has passed away, we would have to interpret this to mean that God will send someone in the likeness of Jesus (as) as the Messiah for the Muslims. Just like Jesus was a Jew, this Messiah for the Muslims would be a Muslim. And likewise these Hadith are not to be taken literally but have to be interpreted in a reasonable manner in accordance with the Quran. For only the Quran is flawless, and Hadith are not free of fault. It is quite possible that many Hadith about the coming of Jesus (as) are wrong. Regardless we shouldn't reject these hadith but interpret them in a way that makes sense with the Quran. And that is only when we accept that Jesus of old isn't coming back but God will send someone else in his likeness.

17. The Prophet (ﷺ) said to 'Ali: "You are to me in the position that Harun was to Musa, except that there is no Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi 3730 Book 49, Hadith 127)

Just as I've said in point 14, if Jesus comes back he will violate the finality of Prophethood. The argument that he was a prophet before is meaningless since this hadith rejects the coming of any prophet after the Holy Prophet (sa). But what about the person who is coming then? Will he not be a prophet? Well, Hadith show he will in fact be a prophet:

"The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (ﷺ). He will descent (to the earth)...." (Sunan Abi Dawud 4324 Book 39, Hadith 34)

Hadith also do not reject the idea that prophets can come:

"I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "Nothing is left of the prophetism except Al-Mubashshirat." They asked, "What are Al-Mubashshirat?" He replied, "The true good dreams (that conveys glad tidings)." (Bukhari 6990 Book 91, Hadith 9)

"Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "A good dream of a righteous man is one of forty-six parts of prophetism." (Bukhari 6983 Book 91, Hadith 2)

So prophethood is still open for the ummah. But it is not true prophethood but partial prophethood. And this is the prophethood that the coming Messiah of the Muslims would have. He would have the title, but he wouldn't be the true prophet in essence because his prophethood is nothing but a reflection of the prophethood of Muhammad (sa). Anything he gained is in obedience to him (sa). Jesus of old did not gain his prophethood through obedience of the Holy Prophet (sa) but it was granted independently by God.

18. "What will be your state when the son of Mary descends amongst you and he will be an Imam amongst you?" (Sahih Muslim 155d Book 1, Hadith 297 and Sahih al-Bukhari 3449 Book 60, Hadith 119)

When Jesus comes he will be an imam for the Muslims. As I've clarified he will be a Muslim, an Ummati, who through obedience to the Holy Prophet (sa) God will grant him the title of Prophethood, though he will not be an independent prophet and merely a reflection of the Prophet of Muhammad (sa). So, as a prophet he will be an Imam of the Muslims. Here there is the issue of the mahdi. Common belief is that they are two independent people and that Jesus will be subordinate to the Mahdi and pray behind him. However, this goes against the teachings of the Quran. God says:

"And We have sent no Messenger but that he should be obeyed by the command of Allah." (4:64).

Another Hadith explains that "he will be an Imam amongst you":

"What would you do when the son of Mary would descend amongst you and would lead you as one amongst you? Ibn Abi Dhi'b on the authority of Abu Huraira narrated: Your leader amongst you. Ibn Abi Dhi'b said: Do you know what the words:" He would lead as one amongst you" mean? I said: Explain these to me. He said: He would lead you according to the Book of your: Lord (hallowed be He and most exalted) and the Sunnah of your Apostle (ﷺ)." (Sahih Muslim 155f Book 1, Hadith 299)

Prophets and Messengers don't follow anyone except God. Or they would follow other messengers commanded by God. So when Jesus comes down people would obey him because he is sent by God. Him following some non-prophet is not something that Islam supports. As the Quran explains about the Holy Prophet (sa):

"And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah; if he were to comply with your wishes in most of the matters, you would surely come to trouble...." (49:7)

Another Hadith makes this clear:

"لا مهدي إلا عيسى: ...the only Mahdi (after Muhammad (ﷺ)) is ‘Eisa bin Maryam.” (Sunan Ibn Majah 4039 Book 36, Hadith 114)

Some have labeled this hadith to be weak. However, in the context of the hadith of Sahih Al-Bukhari and the Quranic concept of prophethood, it makes much more sense. Labelling hadith as strong or weak is done on a variety of reasons. But the foremost should be its accordance with the Quran. Hadith with stronger chains of narrators may go against the Quran and Hadith with weaker chains may be in accordance with the Quran. We must keep in mind that the Quran remains supreme. Hadith, once again, are not free of fault. Only the Quran is.

19. "None amongst the created beings would survive after one hundred years. Salim said: We made a mention of it to him (Jabir), whereupon he said: It means those who had been living on that day." (Sahih Muslim 2538e Book 44, Hadith 315)

Even if Jesus (as) was alive at the time of the Holy Prophet (sa) then he wouldn't be 100 years after that day.

There are some versions of this Hadith that use the words على ظهر الأرض, on the face of the earth. However, mufassirin of old such as Al-Alusi in Ruh-ul-Maani have used this Hadith to infer that Ilyas (as) and Khidr have passed away, even though Ilyas (as) is also argued by some to have been lifted bodily to the heavens (which is the context given by Al-Alusi as he mentions this hadith). So if this verse only applies to humans physically present on earth (and so Jesus (as) would be an exception) then how could mufassirin apply this verse to Ilyas (ra)

20. With regards to Jesus (as) there are two contradictory accounts of his appearance in Sahih al Bukhari: *At the Night of Miraj: Red-white complexion, curly hair, broad chest.

.....The Prophet (ﷺ) further said, "I met Jesus." The Prophet (ﷺ) described him saying, "He was one of moderate height and was red-faced as if he had just come out of a bathroom." (Bukhari 3437 Book 60, Hadith 108)

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I saw Moses, Jesus and Abraham (on the night of my Ascension to the heavens). Jesus was of red complexion, curly hair and a broad chest. Moses was of brown complexion, straight hair and tall stature as if he was from the people of Az-Zutt." (Bukhari 3438 Book 60, Hadith 109)

*The Messiah to come: brown/fair complexion, long lank hair

The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned the Masih Ad-Dajjal in front of the people saying, "Allah is not one-eyed while Masih Ad-Dajjal is blind in the right eye and his eye looks like a bulging out grape. While sleeping near the Kaaba last night, I saw in my dream a man of brown color the best one can see amongst brown color and his hair was long that it fell between his shoulders. His hair was lank and water was dribbling from his head and he was placing his hands on the shoulders of two men while circumambulating the Kaaba. I asked, 'Who is this?' They replied, 'This is Jesus, son of Mary.'"(Bukhari 3439,3440 Book 60, Hadith 110)

Narrated Salim from his father, "No, By Allah, the Prophet (ﷺ) did not tell that Jesus was of red complexion but said, "While I was asleep circumambulating the Ka`ba (in my dream), suddenly I saw a man of brown complexion and lank hair walking between two men, and water was dropping from his head. I asked, 'Who is this?' The people said, 'He is the son of Mary.'... (Bukhari 3441 Book 60, Hadith 111)

These Ahadith, as you can see by the references, come one after another. The mention of Jesus (as) being red/white complexion (ahmar) and curly hair is only mentioned with miraj and when mention of Jesus (as) is made as the second coming mentioned alongside Dajjal, he is said to have brown/fair complexion (udm/adam) and long hair. The conclusion is quite obvious. The Holy Prophet (sa) didn't make a mistake when he saw them. These are two different individuals: the Messiah for the Jews, and the Messiah for the Muslims. Ponder over this point. It's very powerful.

21. Aishah (ra) has given us the precedent to interpret Hadith according to Quran (even though she herself lived so much with the prophet and is the narrator of many Hadith herself). I'll present two ahadith. It shouldn't require an explanation IMO. This is common sense but nowadays Muslim gives more precedent to Hadith and mold meanings of the Quran to fit their precious Hadith.

One of the daughters of Uthman died at Mecca. We went to attend her funeral procession. Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas were also present. I sat in between them (or said, I sat beside one of them. Then a man came and sat beside me.) Abdullah bin Umar said to Amr bin Uthman, "Will you not prohibit crying as Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) has said, 'The dead person is tortured by the crying of his relatives.?" Ibn Abbas said, "Umar used to say so." .... Ibn Abbas added, "When Umar died I told all this to Aisha and she said, 'May Allah be merciful to Umar. By Allah, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did not say that a believer is punished by the weeping of his relatives. But he said, Allah increases the punishment of a non-believer because of the weeping of his relatives." Aisha further added, "The Qur'an is sufficient for you as Allah has stated: 'No burdened soul will bear another's burden.' " (35.18). Ibn Abbas then said, "Only Allah makes one laugh or cry." Ibn `Umar did not say anything after that." (Bukhari 1286 Book 23 Hadith 46)

Aishah (ra) questioned the hadith's validity and gave a different interpretation if accepted to be true.

Narrated Ibn Umar: "The Prophet (ﷺ) stood at the well of Badr (which contained the corpses of the pagans) and said, "Have you found true what your lord promised you?" Then he further said, "They now hear what I say." This was mentioned before `Aisha and she said, "But the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Now they know very well that what I used to tell them was the truth.' Then she recited (the Holy Verse):-- "You cannot make the dead hear... ...till the end of Verse)." (30.52) (Bukhari 3980, 3981 Book 64, Hadith 32)

Once again Aisha (ra) questioned the Hadith and gave a different interpretation. So, we should follow this example and instead of being firm and stubborn on taking Hadith literally and bending the Quran to suit its meanings we should be doing the other way around.

22. It is on the authority of Ibn Abbas that he said "موتفيك مميتك" in relation to verse 3:55. So he himself translated it as "I will cause you to die." This is in Bukhari Kitab-ut-Tafsir (Book 65) under Sarah Al-Maidah at the start of Bab/chapter 13. You'll have to open the chapter and scroll down until you find it. Or do control+f and search مميتك. But it's there nonetheless. Very enlightening.

23. From there scroll down a tiny bit to bab 14 to get this hadith:

"Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) delivered a sermon and said, "O people! You will be gathered before Allah barefooted, naked and not circumcised." Then (quoting Qur'an) he said:-- "As We began the first creation, We shall repeat it. A promise We have undertaken: Truly we shall do it.." (21.104) The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "The first of the human beings to be dressed on the Day of Resurrection, will be Abraham. Lo! Some men from my followers will be brought and then (the angels) will drive them to the left side (Hell-Fire). I will say. 'O my Lord! (They are) my companions!' Then a reply will come (from Almighty), 'You do not know what they did after you.' I will say as the pious slave (the Prophet (ﷺ) Jesus) said: And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them. When You took me up. You were the Watcher over them and You are a Witness to all things.' (5.117) Then it will be said, "These people have continued to be apostates since you left them."(Bukhari 4625 Book 65 Hadith 147)

Here, the Holy Prophet (sa) says that on the Day of Judgement he will say the same thing Jesus said in (5:117) to show that he was innocent as to what his ummah would do after him. Though God informed him within his lifetime of how his ummah would deteriorate towards the end times. Interestingly, here Sunnah.com translates it the same way common translators do: "You took me up." So did God physically raise Muhammad (sa) to the heavens and allow him to escape death like Jesus? Of course not. Muhammad (sa) passed away on Earth. So, let's do justice and apply the same meaning to Jesus (as). Stop giving different interpretations to Jesus (as) than you do to Muhammad (sa). They were both humble and noble prophets of God and they both passed away as all prophets do. If anyone was dear enough to God to escape death and live with his physical body in the heavens it would've been our Holy Prophet (sa). Not the Messiah for the Jews (as).

This should be enough for someone with a rational mind to start thinking and pondering over the Quran and the Hadith and to understand what Islam teaches.

Answer 2

As an Ahmadi I will answer my own question. The following points are from Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's (as) book Izala-e-Auham: The answer will be in two parts, Quran and Hadith:

Quran:

1. "The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a Messenger; surely, Messengers like unto him had indeed passed away before him. And his mother was a truthful woman. They both used to eat food. See how We explain the Signs for their good, and see how they are turned away." (5:75).

In this verse Allah is refuting the notion that Jesus (as) is divine with two arguments. A) Messengers before him passed away and B) he and his mother used to eat food. Now, what's the point of mentioning that messengers before Jesus (as) passed away if he's an exception and he is still alive? It is pointless to mention a rule if Jesus is a glaring exception. The only reason why this would be mentioned is to show that Jesus (as), like all those before him, passed away.

Furthermore, Jesus (as) is grouped with his mother and it is said that they both used to eat food. Mary cannot eat food now because she is dead. So Jesus (as) too must be dead. He lived as his mother lived. So, either you say that both Mary and Jesus were normal humans, or you ascribe superhuman beliefs to them both.

2. "And We did not give them bodies that ate no food, nor were they to live for ever." (21:8)

Jesus is not special, and he must be eating food. Let's assume that the verse quoted in proof 1 doesn't show that Jesus doesn't eat food anymore. So, while he awaits his descent in the heavens, he must be eating food. So there is a kitchen for him in the heavens that he eats from. And there is a bathroom that he goes to relieve himself. But last time I heard there are no bathrooms or kitchens in heaven. Another verse also adds:

"And We never sent any Messengers before thee but surely they ate food and walked in the streets. And We make some of you a trial for others. Will you then be steadfast? And thy Lord is All-Seeing." (25:20)

3. "And Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he die or be slain, will you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels shall not harm Allah at all. And Allah will certainly reward the grateful." (3:144)

Like the verse quoted in proof 1, contemporary translations say "some Messengers" while the meaning is "all Messengers." And the companions all agree upon this:

All Muslims should be familiar with the death of the Holy Prophet (sa). At this time the Muslims were hurt so much that they couldn't even accept him (sa) to be dead. Hazrat Umar (ra) even went to the point to say that if anyone claims that Muhammad (sa) is dead I'll take their head. Many had the belief that, like Moses (as) went away from his people for 40 days, so did Muhammad (sa).

In these circumstances. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) kissed the body of the Holy Prophet (sa) and then went out to gather the rest of the companions and he recited the verse quoted above.

Upon hearing this verse, all the companions came to the realization that the Holy Prophet (sa) has passed away. He was a prophet just like all others. True, he is the best prophet. But no prophet is free from death. So, he too, has passed away. Every single companion present agreed with this fact. So this is the Ijma' of the Companions.

Not a single companion even mentioned the possibility that Jesus (as) was alive. The only thing close was mentioning Moses's (as) retreat towards God away from his people. If they all believed Jesus (as) to be alive, then they would've clamored at that fact and would have lost their minds that Jesus (as) is sitting alive in the heavens while our Khatam-un-Nabiyyin (sa) has passed away. But no one said a word of that sort. Hence, they believed that all prophets, including Jesus (as), passed away.

4. "When Allah said, ‘O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and will exalt thee to Myself, and will clear thee from the charges of those who disbelieve, and will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, and I will judge between you concerning that wherein you differ." (3:55)

The point of contention is the word متوفيك. Most contemporary translations take it to mean "I will take you up." However, this word توفى appears nearly 30 times in the Quran, and it always means death. In two cases it also means sleep, but even then it is only used as a metaphor to compare sleep to death. Otherwise everywhere this word means death. You can check even sunni translations. Yet when it comes to Jesus (as) contemporary translators will make new meanings for this word. This is literally what the Jews do, change the meaning of the scriptures. It pains me to see the same done to the Quran.

Now, what about God raising Jesus (as) to himself? Well, it is very obvious. Once tawaffa is understood, then إني متوفيك ورافعك إلي would accurately mean: "I will cause you to die and exalt you to myself." This raising of the soul to God happens to all prophets, all believers for that matter. Everyone after death is raised to their spiritual station near God. After death Jesus was raised to the 2nd heaven as seen by Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). In fact, in one narration (Bukhari 7517 Book 97 Hadith 142) when Muhammad (sa) ascended passed Moses he cried out and said: "رب لم أظن أن يرفع علي احد" My God I never thought that anyone would be RAISED over me.

The reason why the Rafa (ascension) of Jesus (as) is mentioned specifically in the Quran is to counter the Jewish and Christian belief about Jesus (as) – that he (nauzu billah) is accursed. Being cursed means simply put to be away from God, far removed from Him. Jews believe this to prove that he (nauzu billah) that he wasn't a prophet, and Christians believe this as it is the basis for atonement and their entire religion. So God decisively rejects this notion and clears Jesus (as) of this heinous allegation and says that no, after his death he was raised towards Me and is the opposite of accursed.

So in this verse God is assuring Jesus (as) that he will be safe from the harmful designs of the Jews. By saying "I will cause you to die" it implies that Jesus's (as) life and death is in the hands of God alone and no one will be able to interfere with the designs of God. So no one else will kill Jesus (as) except for God who will cause him to die at his appointed time. So the meaning would hence be "I will cause you to die (the natural death I will ordain for you)."

5. "I said nothing to them except that which Thou didst command me — ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them, but since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher over them; and Thou art Witness over all things." (5:117).

This verse also uses tawaffa as توفيتني, ie. you caused me to die. Naturally, here contemporary translators also change the meaning of the Quran and use "you raised me up" though here it makes even less sense.

In this verse Jesus (as) is showing that he is unaware of what his people did after his passing. He says that all he did was tell his people to worship God, and that as long as he was with them he made sure they didn't do otherwise. Now, if Jesus (as) is to come back, and inform all the Christians of their falsehood, then Jesus (as) talking as he does in this verse makes no sense. Since in this verse there is no mention of Jesus (as) knowing what happened to his people after his passing. In fact, if he did know, he would say here that, Oh God, my people started to worship me – but don't worry You sent me back and I stopped them from this and brought them back to the truth. But this is nowhere mentioned. Not in this verse nor anywhere else in the Quran. How could the Quran be blind to such a glaring fact?

6. "And him whom We grant long life — We revert him to a weak condition of creation. Will they not then understand?" (36:68).

This is the law of nature that the longer someone lives, the more old and frail their body becomes. So even if Jesus were to come back he would be such a frail old man that it wouldn't matter. Where is it said that Jesus (as) is an exception to this clear eternal law? Likewise in other verses of the Quran this eternal law is mentioned without exception.

"...And there are some of you who are caused to die prematurely, and there are others among you who are driven to the worst part of life with the result that they know nothing after having had knowledge..." (22:5)

"All that is on it (earth) will pass away." (55:26). etc.

7. "We granted not everlasting life to any human being before thee. If then thou shouldst die, shall they live here for ever?" (21:34).

Everlasting life doesn't necessarily mean literally forever. According to Arabic idiom it also refers to extraordinarily long lives otherwise impossible. Here, the Prophet (sa) is addressed that you like every other human being will die but no one will remain forever. Jesus (as) is in clear violation of this rule. Compared to us a lifespan of 2000+ years is basically forever.

8. "He said, ‘Therein shall you live, and therein shall you die, and therefrom shall you be brought forth.’" (7:25).

Humans are to live on earth, die on earth and be raised on earth. They are not to live in heaven with their physical bodies. No mention of Jesus the exception.

9. "Return to thy Lord well pleased with Him and He well pleased with thee. So enter thou among My chosen servants, And enter thou My Garden." (89:28-30)

People enter into Heaven at the time of death with the pious souls of the believers. Holy Prophet (sa) saw Jesus (as) with all the other prophets of Miraj in Heaven. So, if Jesus (as) is living with them in Heaven, he must be died and his soul is in heaven with a new spiritual body (as is the case with everyone). If Jesus (as) had his normal physical body, the Holy Prophet (as) would've noticed something different about him compared to the other prophets. But no, he did not.

10. ​ "And those on whom they call beside Allah create not anything, but they are themselves created. They are dead, not living; and they know not when they will be raised." (16:20-21)

Since Jesus (as) is worshipped besides Allah, he is included in this verse. He is but a created being, and he is dead, not living. I find this verse especially interesting, as if it were untrue then Christians would be praying to a being besides Allah who is alive and might actually hear their cries and intercede for them. But no, this verse disproves that idea very clearly.

11. "And their saying, ‘We did kill the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah;’ whereas they slew him not, nor crucified him, but he was made to appear to them like one crucified; and those who differ therein are certainly in a state of doubt about it; they have no definite knowledge thereof, but only follow a conjecture; and they did not convert this conjecture into a certainty; On the contrary, Allah exalted him to Himself. And Allah is Mighty, Wise. And there is none among the People of the Book but will believe in it before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection, he (Jesus) shall be a witness against them." (4:157-4:159)

This verse is often used as an argument for Jesus being alive. Though nothing could be further than the truth. The argument goes that this verse means that every Jew/Christian will believe in Jesus before Jesus's death. Ok. Then that would mean that every Jew up to this point that has passed away believed in Jesus before passing away? Well, in that case they wouldn't be Jews and they'd be Christians? Most commentators do not make this claim and say that this only refers to Jesus's second coming when at that stage all Jews will believe in him. But there is nothing in this verse that even remotely hints at a second coming.

And the Quran also says that Jews and Christians are destined to remain until the Day of Judgement:

"And from those also who say, ‘We are Christians,’ We took a covenant, but they too have forgotten a good part of that with which they were exhorted. So We have caused enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection. And Allah will soon let them know what they have been doing." (5:14)

"And the Jews say, ‘The hand of Allah is tied up.’ Their own hands shall be tied up and they shall be cursed for what they say.... And We have cast among them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection..." (5:64)

"When Allah said, ‘O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and will exalt thee to Myself, and will clear thee from the charges of those who disbelieve, and will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection..." (3:55).

So if Jews and Christians are all supposed to become Muslims, then these verses will be meaningless. Yes, Islam is to be supreme above all other religions. But for these verses to remain true a small group of Jews and Christians would have to remain until the Day of Judgement, no matter how small or insignificant they may be.

So what does this verse mean then? Two main ways to make sense of it. The actual arabic is: وَاِنۡ مِّنۡ أهلِ الۡکِتٰبِ اِلَّا لَیُؤۡمِنَنَّ بِہٖ قَبۡلَ مَوۡتِہٖ

A) The به would refer to not Jesus (as) but the previously mentioned account of crucifixion, and موته would refer to the death of the Jew/Christian. This becomes very clear. In order for a Jew to remain a Jew and a Christian to remain a Christian it is imperative to believe in the account of crucifixion and that Jesus (as), God forbid, died an accursed death. And they have to remain on this belief until their last breath.

B) وإن من اهل الكتاب refers to not all the Jews but some from each group of the them. So it would be translated as "And there is none from (among the various groups of) the people of the book except that will believe in Jesus before Jesus's death." And this also makes sense since Jesus (as) claimed to be sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. At the time of Jesus there were only 2 tribes of Jews in Judea (Judah and Benjamin), the rest exiled at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar mainly being scattered across Asia Minor reaching up to Afghanistan, India, and Kashmir. It was Jesus's (as) mission to preach towards all the Jews, not just the 2 tribes in Judea, so he must have left Judea in search of these tribes after the crucifixion event. And hence the Quran confirms that he was successful in this mission as each tribe had those who accepted him.

For some information on the lost tribes you can check out this Wikipedia article for a quick summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Lost_Tribes#:~:text=These%20are%20the%20tribes%20of,not%20have%20its%20own%20territory).

Taking this verse to mean that Jesus (as) is still alive doesn't make sense and goes against all the other verses and Hadith that say otherwise. So Muslims should let go of this belief.

12. "[Disbelievers say we will not believe unless....] Or thou have a house of gold or thou ascend up into heaven; and we will not believe in thy ascension until thou send down to us a book that we can read.’ Say, ‘Holy is my Lord! I am not but a man sent as a Messenger.’" (17:93).

In this verse and the previous few the disbelievers say that they will not believe in Muhammad (sa) unless he performs certain miracles that they ask, one of which is ascension to the sky. Muhammad (sa) is commanded to say that he is just a human messenger. So he does not have the ability to go into the heavens with his physical body. So how would a miracle that Muhammad (sa) claim inability to perform be ascribed to Jesus (as)?

This verse would also mean that the Isra and Miraj weren't physical events but were extraordinary, realistic, powerful visions seen by the Holy Prophet (sa). But that's a separate debate.

13. "...But thou wilt never find any change in the way of Allah; nor wilt thou ever find any alteration in the way of Allah." (35:43)

There are no exceptions to the ways of Allah. So stop making Jesus (as) an exception to everything.

14. "Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allah has full knowledge of all things." (33:40)

If Jesus comes back he will be an independent prophet after Muhammad (sa). This will violate his being Khatam-un-Nabiyyin.

15. "And they say, ‘Why has not an angel been sent down to him?’ But if We had sent down an angel, the matter would have been settled, and then they would not have been granted a respite. And if We had appointed as Messenger an angel, We would have made him appear as a man; and thus We would have made confused to them what they are themselves confusing." (6:8-9)

God does not show such obvious signs like the sending down of angels because in that point no one has the option to disbelieve. Islam teaches Iman bil-Ghaib, belief in the unseen. If He wanted God could've made everyone believe. But he doesn't and wants people to believe in Him through free will. God does show signs to have people believe in God. But every sign, no matter how strong or obvious, still leaves room for someone to disbelieve. In this way those who believe are rewarded for their struggles by God.

But if Jesus descends from the sky as most Muslims allege, then this law is broken. Seeing someone descend from the sky with his hands on the shoulders of angels is one of those signs that leaves absolutely no room for doubt. And those signs have never been manifested since the beginning of time. Islam is against such illogical and ridiculous beliefs.