Ibn Hazm and Death of Jesus Explained

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الصلاة والسلام على رسوله الكريم

Ibn Hazm al-Zahiri (d. 456 H) was of the view that Jesus of Nazareth is deceased. He wrote:

مَسْأَلَةٌ وَأَنَّ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَمْ يُقْتَلْ وَلَمْ يُصْلَبْ وَلَكِنْ ‌تَوَفَّاهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ثُمَّ رَفَعَهُ إلَيْهِ وَقَالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَا قَتَلُوهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوهُ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ وَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنْتَ أَنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ وَقَالَ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ يَتَوَفَّى الأَنْفُسَ حِينَ مَوْتِهَا وَالَّتِي لَمْ تَمُتْ فِي مَنَامِهَا فَالْوَفَاةُ قِسْمَانِ نَوْمٌ وَمَوْتٌ فَقَطْ وَلَمْ يُرِدْ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ بِقَوْلِهِ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي وَفَاةَ النَّوْمِ فَصَحَّ أَنَّهُ إنَّمَا عَنَى وَفَاةَ الْمَوْتِ وَمَنْ قَالَ إنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قُتِلَ أَوْ صُلِبَ فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ مُرْتَدٌّ حَلَالٌ دَمُهُ وَمَالُهُ لِتَكْذِيبِهِ الْقُرْآنَ وَخِلَافِهِ الْإِجْمَاعَ

Jesus peace be upon him was neither killed nor crucified. Rather Allah took him then raised him to Himself. Allah said “they did not kill him nor did they crucify him” (4:157) and He Most High said: “I shall take you and raise you to Myself” (3:55) And He Most High said, from him that he (Jesus) said: “When You took me You became Watcher over them and You are a Witness over everything” (5:117) And Allah Most High said: “Allah takes the souls at the time of their death and those that die not in their sleep” (39:42). So there are two types of Wafat: sleep and death only. And Jesus did not intend with his statement “when you took me” (5:117) the wafat of sleep. So what is correct that for him is the wafat of death. And whoever says he (Jesus) peace be upon him was killed or crucified is a disbelieving apostate, his blood is permissible (to shed) and likewise his wealth is permissible (to take) for he has belied the Quran and opposed the concensus. (al-Muhalla bil-Aathar; v.1, p.43):

Two important points are derived from this written statement of Ibn Hazm. First, Ibn Hazm confirms that the wafat or “taking” of Jesus has already occurred at the beginning of this statement when he writes “rather Allah took him then raised him to himself”. Second, Ibn Hazm explains that there are only two types of wafat, namely, sleep and death. There is no third type. This refutes those who claim the wafat of Jesus was neither sleep nor death, rather the taking of him whole in both body and soul. Ibn Hazm is clear that the wafat which Jesus experienced as mentioned in several passages of the Quran was not sleep but rather death. Therefore, we have no choice but to conclude that Ibn Hazm affirmed the death of Jesus, although he denied that Jesus died by means of killing or crucifixion.