The Qur’an mentions all significant events related to Prophet Jesus. These include events before his birth, during his birth, after his birth, at the time of his death, after his death, and events on the Day of Judgment. It is curious that these events are mentioned, but a very important event related to them is not. For understanding, a few representative passages are as follows:
i. In Surah Aale Imran (3:45-47), the most important aspects before the birth of Jesus are described. They indicate:
The verses are as follows:
اِذْ قَالَتِ الْمَلٰٓئِكَةُ يٰمَرْيَمُ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُبَشِّرُكِ بِكَلِمَةٍ مِّنْهُ اسْمُهُ الْمَسِيْحُ عِيْسَي ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَجِيْهًا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْاٰخِرَةِ وَمِنَ الْمُقَرَّبِيْنَ . وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلًا وَّمِنَ الصّٰلِحِيْنَ . قَالَتْ رَبِّ اَنّٰي يَكُوْنُ لِيْ وَلَدٌ وَّلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِيْ بَشَرٌ قَالَ كَذٰلِكِ اللّٰهُ يَخْلُقُ مَا يَشَآءُ اِذَا قَضٰ٘ي اَمْرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوْلُ لَهٗ كُنْ فَيَكُوْنُ .
Remind them when the angels said: ‘O Mary! God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him. His name will be Messiah, Jesus son of Mary. He shall be noble and among the favored ones both in this world and in that to come. He shall speak [in the capacity of a prophet] in his cradle and in elderly age too and shall be counted among the righteous.’ She said: ‘Lord! How can I bear a child when no man has even touched me?’ He replied: ‘In this manner, God creates what He wants.’ When He decrees a matter, He need only say to it: ‘Be,’ and it is. (3:45-47)
In the above discourse, there is ample scope for Allah to have mentioned the second coming of Jesus, if He had desired. This is an account of the circumstances before Jesus’s birth. It includes his miraculous birth and his success in this world and the hereafter.
ii. Verse 59 of Surah Aale Imran also states that the example of Jesus is like that of Adam. That is, just as Adam was created by Allah’s command ‘Be’, similarly, Jesus was born. The purpose here is to clarify that if Adam, created from dust by Allah’s command, did not become an object of worship, then how can Jesus, born by His command, be worthy of worship! The verse states:
اِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيْسٰي عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ اٰدَمَ خَلَقَهٗ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهٗ كُنْ فَيَكُوْنُ
In the sight of God, Jesus is like Adam. God created him from clay; then commanded it: ‘Be,’ so it becomes. (3:59)
This verse essentially highlights the unique exception that two figures in human history, Adam and Jesus (peace be upon them), were granted. Both were created directly by Allah’s command. Adam (PBUH) came into existence through Allah’s word 'Kun' (Be), and Jesus (PBUH) was born through the same word being cast upon Mary (PBUH). Now, if Allah has mentioned this exceptional event, what is the reason for not mentioning another exceptional event of the same magnitude, according to which Jesus will descend directly from the heavens as a unique exception among all humanity?
iii. Verses 48-51 of Surah Aale Imran describes Jesus’s mission and Messengership prior to his birth. This section also mentions the miracles granted to him. It is stated:
The verses are as follows:
وَيُعَلِّمُهُ الْكِتٰبَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّوْرٰىةَ وَالْاِنْجِيْلَ . وَرَسُوْلًا اِلٰي بَنِيْ٘ اِسْرَآءِيْلَﵿ اَنِّيْ قَدْ جِئْتُكُمْ بِاٰيَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْﶈ اَنِّيْ٘ اَخْلُقُ لَكُمْ مِّنَ الطِّيْنِ كَهَيْـَٔةِ الطَّيْرِ فَاَنْفُخُ فِيْهِ فَيَكُوْنُ طَيْرًاۣبِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِﵐ وَاُبْرِئُ الْاَكْمَهَ وَالْاَبْرَصَ وَاُحْيِ الْمَوْتٰي بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِﵐ وَاُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا تَاْكُلُوْنَ وَمَا تَدَّخِرُوْنَﶈ فِيْ بُيُوْتِكُمْﵧ اِنَّ فِيْ ذٰلِكَ لَاٰيَةً لَّكُمْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُّؤْمِنِيْنَ . وَمُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ التَّوْرٰىةِ وَلِاُحِلَّ لَكُمْ بَعْضَ الَّذِيْ حُرِّمَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَجِئْتُكُمْ بِاٰيَةٍ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْﵴ فَاتَّقُوا اللّٰهَ وَاَطِيْعُوْنِ . اِنَّ اللّٰهَ رَبِّيْ وَرَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُوْهُﵧ هٰذَا صِرَاطٌ مُّسْتَقِيْمٌ.
[Consequently, it will happen thus] and God will instruct him in law and in wisdom i.e. teach him the Torah and the Gospel, and send him forth as a Messenger to the Israelites. [Consequently, this is what happened and he called upon the Israelites saying:] “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: from clay I make for you the likeness of a bird, then I breathe into it; then by God’s directive it actually becomes a bird. And I heal the born-blind and the leper, and by God’s directive raise the dead to life. And I can tell you what you eat and what you stock in your houses. Surely in it is a great sign for you, if you are ones who believe. And I have come to confirm the Torah which preceded me and have come to make lawful for you some of the things forbidden to you and [look] I bring for you a sign from your Lord: therefore, fear God and obey me. Surely, God alone is my Lord and yours also; hence, serve Him only. This alone is the straight path. (3:48-51)
Here, all the matters that Jesus (PBUH) is to accomplish by the command of Allah are mentioned. These represent the duties assigned to him by Allah and the components of his worldly role. The event of the descent of Jesus is also a divine occurrence and a manifestation of certain significant decisions of Allah before the Day of Judgment. Its absence from this list raises a point of contention.
iv. The birth of Jesus (PBUH) from Mary without a father is a miraculous event. It occurred directly by the command of Allah. For this reason, Allah declared both Mary and her son, Jesus, as signs. This is stated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-Mu’minun:
وَجَعَلْنَا ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ وَاُمَّهٗ٘ اٰيَةً
And We similarly made the son of Mary and his mother also a great sign… (23:50)
In Surah Al-Anbiya, these two personalities (Mary and Jesus) are described as ‘a sign for the worlds’ (a miracle for all people). The verse states:
وَالَّتِيْ٘ اَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَنَفَخْنَا فِيْهَا مِنْ رُّوْحِنَا وَجَعَلْنٰهَا وَابْنَهَا٘ اٰيَةً لِّلْعٰلَمِيْنَ
And on that woman also who had kept herself chaste. So, We blew into her Our Spirit and made her and her son [Jesus] a sign for the people of the world. (21:91)
Therefore, it is clearly mentioned in Surah Maryam that the fatherless birth of Jesus was a miraculous event, which Allah presented as His sign. For this purpose, Allah deviated from the normal law of creation and directly commanded with His word ‘Be’, establishing the fetus in the womb, and breathed His spirit into it. This sign will remain prominent evidence for [God’s power] to create man [for the first time] and reenact the same act until the end of time. The verse says:
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتٰبِ مَرْيَمَ اِذِ انْتَبَذَتْ مِنْ اَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا . فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُوْنِهِمْ حِجَابًاﵴ فَاَرْسَلْنَا٘ اِلَيْهَا رُوْحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا . قَالَتْ اِنِّيْ٘ اَعُوْذُ بِالرَّحْمٰنِ مِنْكَ اِنْ كُنْتَ تَقِيًّا . قَالَ اِنَّمَا٘ اَنَا رَسُوْلُ رَبِّكِﵲ لِاَهَبَ لَكِ غُلٰمًا زَكِيًّا . قَالَتْ اَنّٰي يَكُوْنُ لِيْ غُلٰمٌ وَّلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِيْ بَشَرٌ وَّلَمْ اَكُ بَغِيًّا . قَالَ كَذٰلِكِﵐ قَالَ رَبُّكِ هُوَ عَلَيَّ هَيِّنٌﵐ وَلِنَجْعَلَهٗ٘ اٰيَةً لِّلنَّاسِ وَرَحْمَةً مِّنَّاﵐ وَكَانَ اَمْرًا مَّقْضِيًّا .
Mention [now] in this Book the name of Mary, when she had left her family and had stationed herself in isolation on the eastern side [of the Temple], and had kept herself in seclusion from them. Then We sent to her Our angel and he appeared before her in the form of a full-grown man. [When] Mary [saw him,] she said: ‘I seek refuge from you with the Merciful God, if you fear him.’ He said: ‘I have been sent only by your Lord and have been sent that I grant you a noble son.’ Mary said: ‘How can a boy be born to me; neither has a man touched me nor have I ever been of loose character?’ He said: ‘This is what will happen. Your Lord says: ‘This is very easy for Me. We shall do this so that he be Our messenger and so that We make him a sign for people and a mercy from Us. And this has been decreed.’ (19:16-21)
The above passage clarifies that Jesus (PBUH) was a sign among the signs of Allah. His personality and qualities were made a symbol for people by Allah. The question arises: if the Qur’an has described all aspects of his being a divine sign, why did it not mention the extraordinary aspect of his second coming? In one way, this is a greater sign than his birth. His miraculous birth could be and has been denied due to slander, but the descent of an ancient person directly from the heavens, witnessed by people two thousand years later, is an event that cannot be denied.
Therefore, reason demands that the greatest evidence of Jesus (PBUH) being a sign from Allah should be mentioned along with the other evidence. If this is not mentioned, then it is also a rational requirement to question its occurrence.
v. Verses 32-33 of Surah Maryam details the birth of Jesus and his speaking from the cradle, both being highly unusual and unique events in human history. Surah Maryam narrates that by Allah’s command, Mary conceived and subsequently she left her community. When the time of childbirth came, Allah’s angel visited to comfort her and caused a spring to flow for her. She was instructed to return to her people with the newborn. If they questioned or objected, she was to indicate that she had vowed silence. Therefore, she returned to her community. On returning, when people questioned her chastity seeing the baby, she pointed to him. People wondered how they could speak to a newborn. Then, the baby began to speak. He told them that:
The Qur’an states:
فَحَمَلَتْهُ فَانْتَبَذَتْ بِهٖ مَكَانًا قَصِيًّا . فَاَجَآءَهَا الْمَخَاضُ اِلٰي جِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِﵐ قَالَتْ يٰلَيْتَنِيْ مِتُّ قَبْلَ هٰذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَّنْسِيًّا . فَنَادٰىهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهَا٘ اَلَّا تَحْزَنِيْ قَدْ جَعَلَ رَبُّكِ تَحْتَكِ سَرِيًّا . وَهُزِّيْ٘ اِلَيْكِبِجِذْعِ النَّخْلَةِ تُسٰقِطْ عَلَيْكِ رُطَبًا جَنِيًّا . فَكُلِيْ وَاشْرَبِيْ وَقَرِّيْ عَيْنًاﵐ فَاِمَّا تَرَيِنَّ مِنَ الْبَشَرِ اَحَدًاﶈ فَقُوْلِيْ٘ اِنِّيْ نَذَرْتُ لِلرَّحْمٰنِ صَوْمًا فَلَنْ اُكَلِّمَ الْيَوْمَ اِنْسِيًّا . فَاَتَتْ بِهٖ قَوْمَهَا تَحْمِلُهٗﵧ قَالُوْا يٰمَرْيَمُ لَقَدْ جِئْتِ شَيْـًٔا فَرِيًّا . يٰ٘اُخْتَ هٰرُوْنَ مَا كَانَ اَبُوْكِ امْرَاَ سَوْءٍ وَّمَا كَانَتْ اُمُّكِ بَغِيًّا . فَاَشَارَتْ اِلَيْهِۗ قَالُوْا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا . قَالَ اِنِّيْ عَبْدُ اللّٰهِﵶ اٰتٰىنِيَ الْكِتٰبَ وَجَعَلَنِيْ نَبِيًّا . وَّجَعَلَنِيْ مُبٰرَكًا اَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُﵣ وَاَوْصٰنِيْ بِالصَّلٰوةِ وَالزَّكٰوةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا . وَّبَرًّاۣ بِوَالِدَتِيْﵟ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِيْ جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا . وَالسَّلٰمُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدْتُّ وَيَوْمَ اَمُوْتُ وَيَوْمَ اُبْعَثُ حَيًّا .
So, Mary became pregnant with that child and [leaving the Temple] went away from everyone with what she bore to a distant place. Then [the time also arrived when] labor pains made her come to the trunk of the date-palm. [At that time, in utter helplessness] she said: ‘Alas! Would that I had died before this and had been totally forgotten.’ At this, an angel from below Mary called her and said: ‘Grieve not! Your Lord has made a stream to flow from below you. And shake the trunk of the date-palm towards yourself; fresh dates will drop on you. So, eat and drink and soothe your eyes [when you see the child]. Then if you see some person [who wants to ask you something], gesture to him: I have vowed to fast for the Merciful God; so, today I shall not converse with any human being.’ After that, she came over to her people with the child in her lap. [When they saw her,] they remarked: ‘Mary! You have done a very grave thing. O Sister of Aaron! Neither was your father an evil person nor was your mother a harlot.’ In reply, she gestured towards the child [that he will respond to them]. People said: ‘What should we say to him who is a mere child in the lap?’ The child spoke: ‘I am a servant of God. He has bestowed the Book on me and made me a prophet and made me a fountainhead of blessings wherever I be. He has directed me to be diligent in the prayer and in zakah as long as I am alive, and made me obedient to my mother; not someone who is rebellious and wretched. And [glad tidings of] peace are on me the day I was born and the day I shall die and the day I shall be raised to life.’ (19:22-33)
In these verses of Surah Maryam, the final part of Jesus’s speech as an infant is highly significant for our discussion. The Qur’an makes it clear that every individual of Adam's progeny, i.e., all of humanity, will undergo three stages: birth, death, and resurrection on the Day of Judgment. An exception to this, mentioned in the Qur’an, is the incident of Jesus reviving the dead. However, the details of this event are not elaborated in the Qur’an. If the narratives of Jesus’s second coming are correctly attributed to the Prophet Muhammad, Jesus holds a unique exception among all humanity. Instead of the usual three stages, he experiences five:
It is perplexing that if such a notable exception in human history is indeed true, it is conveyed through narratives of lesser certainty instead of being stated definitively.
Additionally, when Jesus spoke from the cradle and described all phases of his life up to the Day of Judgment, it is curious why he did not mention his return to Earth. Given the context and the nature of his speech, it would logically follow that such an event would be clearly stated if it were indeed to occur.
vi. In the verses 154-155 of Surah An-Nisa, Allah enumerates the crimes of the Israelites that rendered them deserving of His curse. The foremost among these was that they broke their covenant with Allah. Their second crime was to reject His signs. The third crime was unjust killing of His prophets, and the fourth crime was their disobedience and disbelief. The fifth crime was their slander against Mary, and the sixth was their false claim of having killed Jesus. The Qur’an specifically takes up the sixth crime and refutes it. Regarding this claim, Allah Almighty clarifies:
The verse reads:
...وَقَوْلِهِمْ اِنَّا قَتَلْنَا الْمَسِيْحَ عِيْسَي ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِﵐ وَمَا قَتَلُوْهُ وَمَا صَلَبُوْهُ وَلٰكِنْ شُبِّهَ لَهُمْﵧ وَاِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ اخْتَلَفُوْا فِيْهِ لَفِيْ شَكٍّ مِّنْهُﵧ مَا لَهُمْ بِهٖ مِنْ عِلْمٍ اِلَّا اتِّبَاعَ الظَّنِّﵐ وَمَا قَتَلُوْهُ يَقِيْنًا ۣ. بَلْ رَّفَعَهُ اللّٰهُ اِلَيْهِﵧ وَكَانَ اللّٰهُ عَزِيْزًا حَكِيْمًا.
… and because of their claim: ‘We have killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God.’ – even though neither did they kill him nor did they crucify him; in fact, the matter was muddled up for them. Those who are disagreeing in this are inflicted with doubts about it; they have no knowledge about it; they are only following conjectures. They certainly did not slay him; in fact, God had lifted him up to Him. And God is Mighty, very Wise. (4:157-158)
Here, the intent is to refute the claim made by the Jews that they succeeded in killing Prophet Jesus (PBUH). To counter this claim, if the ascension of Prophet Jesus (PBUH) was mentioned, then it would have been appropriate to also mention his second coming. That is, it would have been in line with the context of the discourse to state that their claim is false—namely, that they did not succeed in killing Prophet Jesus (PBUH). Instead, Allah raised him up, and before the Day of Judgment, He will send him back down. Upon his return, he will eradicate every one of them, purging the earth of their presence.