Jesus' Resurrection - a Challenge for Muslims

Our discussion of Al-i İmran 3:59 so far leads to some astonishing results:

The context (Al-i İmran 3:55: 'to God') as well as the grammar of Al-i İmran 3:59 ('before God') indicates that the comparison between Jesus and Adam is not a comparison of their respective births, but that the verse is about the creation of Adam as the first earthly human being and the entrance of Jesus into a heavenly existence as the first human being.  

Just as God raised Adam, who was formed from clay, to life by the mere command 'be!', something similar happened to Jesus, who was called away from the earth, when God raised him to himself. Jesus' return to God (v. 55) and his associated re-birth under God's command 'be' (v. 59), allows only one conclusion: Jesus' existence 'before God' corresponds to the promised resurrection existence, the state of resurrected humans in the second creation. The Qur'an is therefore in agreement with the Gospel in this respect. There, as we observed above, Jesus' resurrection existence is also compared to the creation of Adam - but the comparison does not touch much on his extraordinary conception in Mary.

Al-i İmran 3:59 - and thus one of the most important Quranic statements on Christ - should therefore be understood as follows:

'Indeed, Jesus' existence after his departure and his elevation to God is comparable to the existence of Adam when he was created in the presence of God and his angels, before his descent to earth; Allah created him from earth, then He said to him, "Be!" and there he was.'

The overall testimony of the Qur'an confirms Jesus' extraordinary role in connection with the resurrection (see Cin 72:18-20, Zuhruf 43:60 and Lokman 31:28) and supports our understanding of Al-i İmran 3:59. Jesus is a 'sign' (also 'knowledge' or 'marker') for the general resurrection (Zuhruf 43:61) and 'the only soul', through which all other people will be resurrected (Lokman 31:28).

From the instructions to Muhammad (Al-i İmran 3:60), his followers and unbelieving neighbors (Al-i İmran 3:61-63), we see that the message of Al-i İmran 3:59 is addressed primarily to people from Muhammad's immediate surroundings, including Muslims. Like Muhammad, they should believe in the supremacy of Jesus in connection with the resurrection without any objections, otherwise the mutual imprecation or curse (mubahala) should provide clarity and show who is right. Above all, Muhammad expects Christians to bear witness to the correctness of Muslims' devotion to God, that is, that he and his followers live in total submission to God (Al-i Imran 3:64), and he hopes for a common confession of faith regarding Jesus with separate forms of political and societal organization.

Our previous considerations led us to the conclusion that the Christian delegation from Najran understood Al-i İmran 3:59 not so much as a challenge to their beliefs, but rather as a confirmation of them. The real challenge of Al-i İmran 3:59 therefore does not seem to concern Christians so much but challenges Muhammad and his followers. A brief look at Muslim ideas about Jesus' condition after his removal from earth illustrates the challenge that our account poses for Muslims today:

i) By far the most widespread idea regarding Jesus' departure from this earth is, that Jesus was raised alive, without dying, to God in heaven, which is paradise.1 That means, Jesus left this earth with his earthly body and spirit, and without having undergone any change, was transferred to paradise and lives there on the 2nd or 3rd floor (according to Elmalılı Muhammed Hamdi Yazır on the 4th floor2) of the seven-storey heaven.3 This view is based primarily on hadiths that describe Jesus' return to earth and his battle against the Dejal at the end of time, as well as hadiths that recount Muhammad's encounter with Jesus and John the Baptist at his Miraj (ascension).4

ii) Other commentators believe that Jesus was brought 'before God' in his sleep.5 He is there in 'Ghaiba', which means concealment or absence. Ghaiba is a level of existence in which holy people are not visible to others, but where they nevertheless continue to live.6

iii) Some commentators believe that Jesus was freed from all human desires when He was exalted before God: 'I will ... raise you to Me and purify you from the evil of the unbelievers ...' (Al-i İmran 3:55; Azhar). He now lives in an angelic state and therefore needs neither food nor drink. Although he is in paradise before God, he does not yet benefit from the food there.7

iv) After Jesus' physical death on earth, he continues to live 'before God' in a spiritual sense.8 According to the proponents of this theory, Jesus was never elevated to a geographical location such as heaven.9 Asad additionally points out, that the meaning of 'raf' 'whenever attributed to God as Executor, always includes the meaning of 'honouring' or 'exalting'.10 According to these representatives, Jesus' spirit, not body, as with all other prophets (for İdris see Meryem 19:57), 'was raised to a high place or rank' (Meryem 19:57; Paret, Rassoul).11 Mourad compares the state of Jesus before God with the state of martyrs:

‘Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord; They rejoice in the bounty provided by Allah: And with regard to those left behind, ... the (Martyrs) glory in the fact that on them is no fear, nor have they (cause to) grieve.' (Al-i Imran 3:169-170).

The variety of contrasting views regarding Jesus' state 'before God' among Muslim experst is astonishing: with or without a body, real or figurative, unchanged or changed (e.g. angelic). I was even more astonished that not a single source that I consulted took Al-i İmran 3:59 into consideration when dealing with this topic, even though the question under discussion finds an explicit answer there: 'Verily, in the sight of God [better: 'before God'], the nature of Jesus is as the nature of Adam, whom He created out of dust and then said unto him, "Be" - and he is.' (Muhammad Asad). With this clear answer in the Qur'an and our understanding of this passage, all the ideas discussed above can be easily refuted:

(i) 'Before God' Jesus is not in an unchanged state with his earthly body and spirit. Al-i İmran 3:59 leaves no doubt that Jesus state at the time of his return to God is more in agreement to a state of a new creation such as Adam experienced. In Jesus' case this 'new creation' can only mean his resurrection.

ii) Based on the same reasoning, Jesus does not sleep before God either. He is not in the Gaiba, but in a resurrection state.

iii) The state of Jesus 'before God' is as little like the state of angels, as the state of Adam at the time of his creation. The angels there are clearly distinguished from Adam and even have to submit to him in obedience (Bakara 2:34).

iv) Nor is it only Jesus' spirit that is with God. It is not the state of martyrs (Al-i İmran 3:169-170), who will only really be resurrected on the Last Day. Jesus is before God with a new body and a new spirit - in the state of a resurrected human being. God has 'recreated' him like Adam, which means an interplay of matter and spirit.

This brief overview shows how challenging the teaching of the Qur'an - in the current case the resurrection of Jesus within human history - is for Muslims today. If our understanding of Al-i İmran 3:59 is correct, the proponents of all four theories described above fall into the category of those under the curse of Mubahala. Apart from this shocking realisation, we must further ask ourselves what it means that Jesus, as the representative of all people who will eventually return to God, has already been resurrected and how our resurrection will naturally grow out of his resurrection? We have also not yet looked in depth at the question of the implications of Jesus' primacy in relation to the resurrection for Muslims' understanding of Jesus. As Al-i İmran 3:59 makes clear, 'the parable [meśele] of Jesus with God is like the parable [kemeśeli] of Adam ...' (Laleh Bakhtiar). It remains to be established which aspects of the first creation of Adam are included in this 'parable'. We want to pursue these questions in later explanations.

But first we must ask ourselves a more pressing question. Did Jesus die when he was recalled from the earth? If, as many Muslims believe, Jesus did not die, how can God bring him back to himself and resurrect him?

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1 "Regardless of whether Sunni, Shia or Mu'tazili, all Muslims usually believe that he [Jesus] was not killed, but that he was raised to heaven with his soul and body during the attempt to kill him, and that he would be lowered to the world again before the apocalypse, and that he would die afterwards after living for a while.' (Süleyman Aydın, 'Kur’ân Lügatı İlmi Açısından Hz. Îsâ’nın (a.s.) Ref’i ve Nüzûlü', p. 65 in YALOVA SOSYAL BİLİMLER DERGİSİ, Yıl 5, Sayı 9, pp. 53-112, https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/801176 (visited, 12/08/2022)).

2 Yazır, 2008: 2/480-481 mentioned in Yasin Öner, Kuran’da Hz. İsa’nın Ref’i Konusu, p. 220, in Tefhimü’l-Kur’an, Spring 2020/1, pp. 211-231.

3 E.g. Taberi, Camiu ‘l-beyan, III, pp.289-291, mentioned in Hz. İsa’ya ne oldu?, p. 113. Taberi interprets Al-i İmran 3:55 as follows: "Once God said to Jesus: "O Jesus, I will take you alive from the earth and lift you up to myself. ...' (Taberi Tevsiri, Al-İmran 3:55, p. 273 in https://ia803103.us.archive.org/21/items/taberitefsiri3_201912/Taberi%20Tefsiri-2.pdf (visited: 11/08/2022).

4 The opponents of this view doubt that the transmitters of these hadiths - Vehb b. Munebbih ve Ka'hu'I.Ahbar'dan - are trustworthy or argue that the hadiths are only witnessed by one person (Ahad hadis) and therefore cannot be used as the basis of a belief. Şeltut understands the hadises to Muhammad's Miraj allegorically, not literally (see Mahmut Şeltut, 'İsa’nın Refi', p. 516, in er-Risale Cilt: 10. Nu.: 462, pp. 515-517 translated by Doç. Dr. E. Ruhi FIGLALI).

5 Z.B. Zemahşeri, el-Keşşaf, I, p. 360, mentioned in Hz. İsa’ya ne oldu?, p. 114. 'According to Rebi' b. Enes and Hasan-i Basri, the meaning of this expression is: "I will put you to sleep and lift you up to me while you sleep." (Taberi Tefsiri Çılt II, zu Al-i İmran 3:55, p. 273, in https://ia803103.us.archive.org/21/items/taberitefsiri3_201912/Taberi%20Tefsiri-2.pdf (visited: 11/08/2022)).

6 E.g. Razi, Mefathu ‘l-gayb, VIII, pp. 67f. mentioned in Mahmut Aydın, Hz. İsa’ya ne oldu?, p. 114. „According to one view, it means: "I will save your soul (ruhunu) to sleep, I will exalt you while you sleep, so that you will rise without fear and wake up safe and close (to me) in heaven.” (Zemahşeri, Keşşaf, p. 950, in https://archive.org/details/TefsirZemahseriTRElKessafc01v02/page/n949/mode/2up?view=theater (visited, 11/08/2022)). This view is based among other things on Zümer 39:42: ‘It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death  (yatawaffaa); and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.’

7 Razi mentions this possibility as an explanation for Jesus dying to earthly desires: 'This is the view expressed by Abu Bakr al-Wasiti: "What is meant by this expression is: "Verily, I will kill you for your lustful desires and the affectation of your soul ..." Allah Almighty then said, "And I will raise you to Myself." Because every person except Allah is mortal, no one can attain the rank of marifetullah [the rank of full knowledge of God]. And again, when Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was elevated to heaven, his situation became like the situation of angels in terms of the absence of lust, anger and bad habits.'. (Fahreddin Razı, Mefathu ‘l-gayb, p. 1812) Or as 'Ibn Kathir said that when Jesus was raised by Allah to His station, he was clothed in a garland, got rid of his desire to eat and drink and flew with the angels. According to him, Jesus is now a human being in the form of an angel, a native of heaven." (Yasin Öner, ‚Kuran’da Hz. İsa’nın Ref’i Konusu’, p. 218, in Tefhimü’l-Kur’an, Spring 2020/1, pp. 211-231).

8 E.g. Reşid Rıza, Menar, III, p. 320; mentioned in Hz. İsa’ya ne oldu?, p. 121. Süleyman Ateş: „If heaven means the material heaven, it consists of stars. So was man lifted up to one of these stars? If the spiritual heaven is meant, it is not the corpse that goes there, but the spirit. Because it is not material there.' (Süleyman Ateş, 'HZ. ÎSÂ’NIN YÜKSELTİLMESİ VE GÖKTEN İNECEĞİ SORUNU', https://www.suleyman-ates.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=36 (visited, 11/08/2022)).

9 Supporters of this view argue that 'müennes/dişi zamiri, yani ha zamiri' would have been used for a physical existence of Jesus before God in the text. Instead, in Nisa 4:158 one finds the hu zamiri (ileyh(i)), which according to these representatives clearly indicates that Jesus was exalted only in the spiritual sense, i.e. 'to God', who is in every place at the same time, not 'to heaven'. See e.g. Mehmet Okuyan, Kuran’da Vucuh ve Nezair – 'Çok Anlamlı Kelimeler ve Edatlar', Samsun: Etüt Yayınları, 2007, p. 563. mentioned in Hz. İsa’ya ne oldu? p. 122. Süleymnm Ateş bunu sunuyor: ‘Kur’ân-ı Kerîm, Îsâ’nın göğe yükseltildiğini değil, Allah’a yükseltildiğini söylüyor. Allah’a yükselmek başka şey, göğe yükselmek başka şeydir. Allah’a yükselmek, O’nun katında yüksek derece kazanmak anlamına gelir. İdrîs Aleyhisselâm hakkında da: “Biz onu, yüce bir mekâna yükselttik” buyurulmuştur. (Süleyman Ateş, 'HZ. ÎSÂ’NIN YÜKSELTİLMESİ VE GÖKTEN İNECEĞİ SORUNU', https://www.suleyman-ates.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=36 (visited, 11/08/2022)).

10 ‘The verb “rafa ahu” (lit., "he raised him" or "elevated him") has always, whenever the act of “raf” ("elevating") of a human being is attributed to God, the meaning of "honouring" or "exalting". Nowhere in the Qur'an is there any warrant for the popular belief that God has "taken up" Jesus bodily, in his lifetime, into heaven. The expression "God exalted him unto Himself" in the above verse denotes the elevation of Jesus to the realm of God's special grace – a blessing in which all prophets partake, as is evident from 19:57, where the verb “rafa nahu” ("We exalted him") is used with regard to the Prophet Idris.’ (Muhammad Asad, The Message of the Quran, p. 192 (Note 172) in http://www.muhammad-asad.com/Message-of-Quran.pdf (visited 10/08/2022)). How Asad progresses from the mention of the prophet Idris in connection with 'rafa nahu' to the inclusion of all prophets remains a mystery; moreover, Idris was merely elevated to "an exalted position / or lofty station", whereas Jesus was elevated to God himself. It is therefore not correct to compare the two events.

11 "It is clear that 'ref' (resurrection) after death does not mean an elevation of the corpse, but an elevation in degree. Especially because immediately after this statement ['I will raise you to Me'] follows the addendum that Allah will 'make Jesus pure so that' he will be 'raptured from the disbelievers' (Al-i İmran, 55). This shows that it is about spiritual honor and exaltation.“ (Mahmut Şeltut, 'Isa Refi', p. 516, from er-Risale, Vol: 10. Nu.: 462, pp. 515-517 translated by Assoc. E. Ruhi FIGLALI). Süleyman Ateş agrees with this interpretation: „According to this, the meaning of the verse, as Ibn Cureyc says, is that Allah exalts the spirit of Jesus, increases his glory, and bestows honors upon him in His presence. ... That which is elevated is his spiritual degree, it is his spirit that ascends to Allah.” (Süleyman Ateş, 'HZ. ÎSÂ’NIN YÜKSELTİLMESİ VE GÖKTEN İNECEĞİ SORUNU', https://www.suleyman-ates.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14&Itemid=36 (visited, 11/08/2022).