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Ascension of Jesus

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Ascension of Jesus (a) refers to the ascent of Jesus (a) to heaven, an event mentioned in the Qur'an. The mainstream view among Muslims is that Jesus (a) was neither killed nor crucified but ascended directly to heaven, although some scholars believe that he may have died a natural death after being saved from crucifixion. According to Christian teachings, Jesus was crucified and ascended to heaven after his resurrection.

Muslim scholars differ over whether Jesus's ascension was spiritual or involved both his body and soul. Some narrations, including those concerning his return during the era of the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) and the Prophet Muhammad's seeing him during the Mi'raj, have been cited as evidence for a physical ascension. Jesus's return during the era of reappearance is regarded as certain, and numerous narrations concerning it have been transmitted in Shi'a and Sunni sources.

Differences between Islamic and Christian Views

The ascension of Jesus refers to his being raised to heaven and remaining alive.[1] The Qur'an refers to this event in Qur'an 4:158 and Qur'an 3:55.[2] Some sources date the event to 585 years before the Hijra of Prophet Muhammad (s).[3] It is also reported to have occurred on the night of 21 Ramadan.[4] According to one account, Jesus was 32 years old at the time of his ascension,[5] while another gives his age as 33.[6] A narration from Imam al-Baqir (a) states that the night of the martyrdom of Imam Ali (a) coincided with the night of Jesus's ascension.[7]

According to Christian teachings, Jesus was crucified,[8] died on the cross,[9] and was buried.[10] On the third day, his disciples discovered that his body was no longer in the tomb.[11] After his resurrection, Jesus met with his disciples[12] and then ascended to heaven.[13] The four Gospels recount these events in detail.[14]

In contrast, the Qur'an explicitly states that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified.[15] Qur'an 4:157 rejects the claim that he was killed or crucified.[16] According to Islamic narrations, another person was mistakenly killed in his place, leading people to believe that Jesus had been killed.[17]

Status of Jesus at the Time of the Ascension

Muslim scholars differ over whether Jesus died a natural death before his ascension or ascended to heaven without dying.[18] According to the Qur'an and the mainstream view among Muslims, Jesus was neither killed nor crucified.[19] Rather, he ascended to heaven[20] and will return before the Resurrection.[21] Some scholars, however, maintain that Jesus may have been saved from crucifixion, died a natural death later, and then ascended to heaven.[22]

Interpretations of the Term "Mutawaffīk"

The term mutawaffīka appears in Qur'an 3:55 and has been interpreted in different ways:

  • Natural death: According to this interpretation, Jesus died before his ascension and was raised to heaven after his death.[23]
  • Taking or receiving: Some understand the term as meaning "to take" or "to receive," including the taking of the soul, without necessarily implying death. According to this interpretation, it refers to Jesus's transfer from earth to heaven.[24]
  • Figurative meaning: Some interpret the term figuratively as referring to Jesus's ascension to heaven, indicating that he is no longer present on earth.[25]

Physical or Spiritual Ascension

Exegetes differ over the nature of Jesus's ascension.[26] Some interpret the apparent meaning of Qur'an 4:158 as indicating a spiritual ascension,[27] while others understand it as involving both the body and the soul.[28]

Some researchers argue that Jesus's ascension is presented as an honor bestowed upon him and that such an honor implies both spiritual and physical ascension. They reason that spiritual ascension alone is not unique to Jesus, since other souls also ascend toward God.[29] Narrations concerning Jesus's return at the time of the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a)[30] and the Prophet Muhammad's seeing Jesus during the Mi'raj have also been cited as evidence for the physical nature of his ascension.[31] Some narrations state that Jesus ascended with both his body and soul.[32]

According to a narration from Imam al-Rida (a), Jesus was raised from the earth while alive. His soul was taken between heaven and earth, after which he was taken up to the heavens, where his soul was returned to his body.[33]

Return

The return of Jesus (a) during the era of the Reappearance of Imam al-Mahdi (a) is regarded as a certain event[34] and a matter of consensus among Muslims.[35] Some exegetes interpret Qur'an 3:46[36] and Qur'an 4:159[37] as referring to this return. In Sunni sources, 28 narrations about Jesus's return have been recorded,[38] while Shi'a sources contain 30 mustafid narrations on the subject.[39]

Notes

  1. ↑ Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-kabīr, vol. 11, p. 262; Qarāʾatī, Tafsīr-i nūr, vol. 2, p. 207.
  2. ↑ Riḍāʾī, Barrasī-yi taṭbīqī-yi miʿrāj-i Payāmbar (s) wa ʿurūj-i ʿĪsā (a), p. 157.
  3. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, vol. 1, p. 585.
  4. ↑ Qummī, Waqāyiʿ al-ayyām, p. 79.
  5. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, vol. 1, p. 585.
  6. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 2, p. 95.
  7. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 457.
  8. ↑ Luke 23:32–34.
  9. ↑ Matthew 27:50.
  10. ↑ Luke 23:50–54.
  11. ↑ Luke 24:1–3.
  12. ↑ Matthew 28:16–20.
  13. ↑ Mark 16:19.
  14. ↑ Bīgdilī, Muqāyisa-yi dīdgāh-i ʿurūj wa rajʿat-i Ḥaḍrat-i ʿĪsā (a) dar Islām wa Masīḥīyyat, p. 34.
  15. ↑ Maʿrifat, Shubahāt wa rudūd ḥawl al-Qurʾān al-karīm, p. 102.
  16. ↑ Qur'an 4:157.
  17. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 5, p. 132; Mudarrisī, Min hudā l-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 248.
  18. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 2, p. 759.
  19. ↑ Maʿrifat, Shubahāt wa rudūd ḥawl al-Qurʾān al-karīm, p. 106.
  20. ↑ Bīgdilī, Muqāyisa-yi dīdgāh-i ʿurūj wa rajʿat-i Ḥaḍrat-i ʿĪsā (a) dar Islām wa Masīḥīyyat, p. 37.
  21. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 2, p. 759.
  22. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, vol. 2, p. 72.
  23. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, vol. 2, p. 71; Zamakhsharī, al-Kashshāf, vol. 1, p. 366.
  24. ↑ Bīgdilī, Muqāyisa-yi dīdgāh-i ʿurūj wa rajʿat-i Ḥaḍrat-i ʿĪsā (a) dar Islām wa Masīḥīyyat, p. 37.
  25. ↑ Mughniyya, al-Tafsīr al-kāshif, vol. 2, p. 71.
  26. ↑ Sayyid Quṭb, Fī ẓilāl al-Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 802.
  27. ↑ Marāghī, Tafsīr al-Marāghī, vol. 6, p. 15.
  28. ↑ Maʿrifat, Shubahāt wa rudūd ḥawl al-Qurʾān al-karīm, p. 106.
  29. ↑ Saʿdī, Sharḥ al-Nasafiyya, p. 322.
  30. ↑ Saʿdī, Sharḥ al-Nasafiyya, p. 322.
  31. ↑ Marāghī, Tafsīr al-Marāghī, vol. 6, p. 15.
  32. ↑ Riḍāʾī, Barrasī-yi taṭbīqī-yi miʿrāj-i Payāmbar (s) wa ʿurūj-i ʿĪsā (a), p. 159.
  33. ↑ Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā (a), vol. 1, p. 215.
  34. ↑ Qazwīnī, Imām Mahdī (a) az wilādat tā ẓuhūr, p. 678.
  35. ↑ Kūrānī, ʿAṣr al-ẓuhūr, p. 245.
  36. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i namūna, vol. 2, p. 550.
  37. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 5, pp. 134–135; Ṣādiqī Tihrānī, al-Furqān, vol. 7, p. 439.
  38. ↑ Kūrānī et al., Muʿjam aḥādīth al-Imām al-Mahdī (a), vol. 2, pp. 399–493.
  39. ↑ Bakhshī, Barrasī wa tabīn-i naqsh-i Ḥaḍrat-i ʿĪsā (a) dar dawrān-i pas az ẓuhūr-i Imām Zamān (a), p. 116.

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