Ascension of Jesus to Heaven

 

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعدى

In the Name of Allah, the Rahman, the Merciful

Prayers of blessings and peace upon the one after whom there is no prophet

The established Sunni Islamic belief that the Messiah Jesus عليه السلام was raised by Allah and shall descend in person from Heaven in the End Times is not only rejected by Qadianis and other modernist and materialist sects and individuals, but also by some older sects like the Ibadis, Isma’ilis and Zaidis.

The ascension of the Messiah Jesus عليه السلام is proven from two separate Verses of the Holy Quran:

بَلۡ رَّفَعَہُ اللّٰہُ اِلَیۡہِ

Rather, Allah raised him (Jesus) to Himself

(Surah 4, Ayah 158)

اِذۡ قَالَ اللّٰہُ یٰعِیۡسٰۤی اِنِّیۡ مُتَوَفِّیۡکَ وَرَافِعُکَ اِلَیَّ

When Allah said, “O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself”

(Surah 3, Ayah 55)

*The word متوفّي is derived from the root which connotes taking or receiving in full. There are examples of that in the Quran, for example:

وَوُفِّیَتۡ کُلُّ نَفۡسٍ مَّا کَسَبَتۡ

Every soul will receive in full what it has earned

(Surah 3, Ayah 25)

وَاَمَّا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَعَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ فَیُوَفِّیۡہِمۡ اُجُوۡرَہُمۡ

And as for those who believe and do good works, He will give them their reward in full

(Surah 3, Ayah 57)

This Ayah, which occurs so close to Ayah 55 under discussion seems to be a divine indication of the correct meaning of متوفّي as one who takes in full rather than one who gives death as far as that Verse is concerned.

While it is true that متوفّي may also mean مميت or “one who gives death” in a figurative sense, and there are many examples of this, the Ayah 55 interpreted in this way would still not prove that Jesus عليه السلام has already died. It would mean, as sayyidina Ibn Abbas رضى الله عنهما explained, that Allah would cause Jesus to die at a future date subsequent to having raised him to Himself:

وَأخرج اسحق بن بشر وَابْن عَسَاكِر من طَرِيق جَوْهَر عَن الضَّحَّاك عَن ابْن عَبَّاس فِي قَوْله إِنِّي متوفيك ورافعك ‌يَعْنِي ‌رافعك ‌ثمَّ ‌متوفيك ‌فِي ‌آخر ‌الزَّمَان

Ibn Abbas said about His Saying “I will give you death and raise you” that is “I will raise you then give you death in the End of Time” (Durr al-Manthur; v.2, p.226)

This is a phenomenon known as Taqdim wa Ta’khir, in which Allah may mention in the Quran a sequence that is not intended to be in chronological order. Here I shall present some examples:

اَلرَّحۡمٰنُ

عَلَّمَ الۡقُرۡاٰنَ

خَلَقَ الۡاِنۡسَانَ

The Rahman

He taught the Quran

Hc created the human

(Surah 55, Ayat 1-3)

*Allah created humanity before He revealed and taught the Quran through the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

وَاللّٰہُ اَخۡرَجَکُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بُطُوۡنِ اُمَّہٰتِکُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ شَیۡئًا ۙ وَّجَعَلَ لَکُمُ السَّمۡعَ وَالۡاَبۡصَارَ وَالۡاَفۡـِٕدَۃَ

And Allah brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers while you knew nothing, and made for you ears and eyes and hearts

(Surah 16, Ayah 78)

*Allah made the ears, eyes and hearts of humans before He caused them to come out of their mothers’ wombs.

With regard to the ascension of Jesus عليه السلام up to Allah سبحانه وتعالى the misguided sects argue that it means Allah elevated his rank and not his person. However, the context and wording of these two Verses (3:55 and 4:158) render such an interpretation far-fetched. Some cite the follow Ayah:

وَاذۡکُرۡ فِی الۡکِتٰبِ اِدۡرِیۡسَ ۫ اِنَّہٗ کَانَ صِدِّیۡقًا نَّبِیًّا

وَّرَفَعۡنٰہُ مَکَانًا عَلِیًّا

ِAnd relate Idris in the Book

Verily, he was a truthful man, a Prophet

And We raised him to a high place

(Surah 19, Ayat 56-57)

There is a difference of opinion among the Scholars concerning Idris. Some identify him with the Prophet Elias (Elijah) and some with Enoch عليهما السلام. Yet either way it is indicated in the Bible that both figures were taken away or raised up by God without experiencing death:

And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him (Genesis 5:24)

By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and was not found, because God had taken him (Hebrews 11:5)

Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11)

And concerning the ascension of the Messiah Jesus عليه السلام

He was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God (Mark 16:19)

And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven (Luke 24:51)

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:9-11)

Furthermore, the Verses in the Holy Quran and the mass-transmitted Ahadith which indicate the Second Coming of the Messiah عليه السلام only serves to strengthen the belief in his ascension to Heaven.