Did Ibn Abbas (R.A) refer to Isa’s (A.S) death in 4:159 (Qabla Mautihi)?

07 Dec, 2022 Misquotes 3

Introduction

وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ ۖ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا

And there is none among the People of the Book but will believe in it before his death; and on the Day of Resurrection, he (Jesus) shall be a witness against them.
[Quran 4:159]

حدثنا ابن بشار قال، حدثنا عبد الرحمن قال، حدثنا سفيان، عن أبي حصين، عن سعيد بن جبير، عن ابن عباس: ﴿ وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته ﴾، قال: قبل موت عيسى ابن مريم.

Saʿīd bin Jubayr reported: Ibn ʿAbbās said regarding ﴾ And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him before his death. ﴿ : before the death of ʿĪsá bin Maryam.
[Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr with the taḥqīq of Sāmī bin Muḥammad 2/452 pub. Dār Ṭayyiba 2nd edition, and Tafsīr aṭ-Ṭabarī with the taḥqīq of at-Turkī 7/664]

This verse and narration is used by non-Ahmadi Muslims to argue that Hadhrat Isa(as) is still alive and that this was the belief of Ibn Abbas (RA) as he supposedly claimed that the two prepositions of “hi” used in the verse are in reference to Hadhrat Isa (as) and since the Ahlul Kitab have not all brought belief in Hadhrat Isa (as) it must mean that he has not passed away yet, instead such an event will only take place during his return¹. This article will seek to dismantle this argument.

What does the Quran say?

The view that all of the Ahlul Kitab must believe in Hadhrat Isa (as) before his death is one that is erroneous on three grounds. Firstly it is categorically mentioned within the Qur’an that Jews and Christians will remain till the day of Judgment. In two verses Allah the Almighty states:

وَمِنَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّا نَصَارَىٰ أَخَذْنَا مِيثَاقَهُمْ فَنَسُوا حَظًّا مِمَّا ذُكِّرُوا بِهِ فَأَغْرَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ وَسَوْفَ يُنَبِّئُهُمُ اللهُ بِمَا كَانُوا يَصْنَعُونَ (۱۵)

And from those also who say, ‘We are Christians,’ We took a covenant, but they too have forgotten a good part of that with which they were exhorted. So We have caused enmity and hatred among them till the Day of Resurrection. And Allah will soon let them know what they have been doing.
[Quran 5:15]

وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ يَدُ اللَّهِ مَغْلُولَةٌ ۚ غُلَّتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَلُعِنُوا بِمَا قَالُوا ۘ بَلْ يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ يُنْفِقُ كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ ۚ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ مَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ رَبِّكَ طُغْيَانًا وَكُفْرًا ۚ وَأَلْقَيْنَا بَيْنَهُمُ الْعَدَاوَةَ وَالْبَغْضَاءَ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۚ كُلَّمَا أَوْقَدُوا نَارًا لِلْحَرْبِ أَطْفَأَهَا اللهُ ۚ وَيَسْعَوْنَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَسَادًا ۚ وَاللهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (۶۵)

And the Jews say, ‘The hand of Allah is tied up.’ Their own hands shall be tied up and they shall be cursed for what they say. Nay, both His hands are wide open; He spends how He pleases. And what has been sent down to thee from thy Lord will most surely increase many of them in rebellion and disbelief. And We have cast among them enmity and hatred till the Day of Resurrection. Whenever they kindle a fire for war, Allah extinguishes it. And they strive to create disorder in the earth, and Allah loves not those who create disorder.
[Quran 5:65]

Within these two verses not only does it mention that Jews and Christians will remain till the Day of Judgment, but that enmity and hatred will be cast among them during this time. Such enmity and hatred cannot exist if they all accept and believe in Hadhrat Isa (as) upon his arrival and enter the united fold of Islam. Similarly in another verse Allah the Almighty states:

إِذْ قَالَ اللهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ (۵۶)

When Allah said, ‘O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and will exalt thee to Myself, and will clear thee from the charges of those who disbelieve, and will place those who follow thee above those who disbelieve, until the Day of Resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, and I will judge between you concerning that wherein you differ.
[Quran 3:56]

It is evident that the clause “those who disbelieve” is in reference to the Jews as Hadhrat Isa (as) was sent to these very people (i.e the Bani Israel)². The phrase following it lends support to the fact that there will remain those who disbelieve in Hadhrat Isa (as) till the Day of Judgment.

Secondly, “wa in min ahlul kitab” refers to all the people of the book, whether it be from during the time of Hadhrat Isa(as) or during the time at which the verse was revealed. Grammatically there is nothing to suggest that the group being referred to is limited in any capacity (i.e only those people of the book that will be present during Isa’s (as) second coming). So according to the non-Ahmadi understanding, all the people of the book must believe in Hadhrat Isa (as) before his death, but what about the millions of Jews who have passed away without accepting him?³ The only option left would be for all of them to be resurrected during the time of Hadhrat Isa (as) re-advent, but this is a baseless assertion as according to the Qur’an the dead are not brought back to this world physically and instead will be raised up on the day of resurrection⁴.

Thirdly, it states at the end of the verse that “on the Day of Resurrection, he (Jesus) shall be a witness against them”. The question that now arises that if all are to believe in Hadhrat Isa (as) during his second advent, then why is it mentioned that he will be “witness against them”. Prophets, through the permission of God almighty, mainly intercede on behalf of their believers⁵ but in this verse the opposite is being shown. This just goes to show that the belief of the people of the book in Hadhrat Isa (as) will come when their faith would bring them no gain (i.e prior to their death)⁶.

Fourthly, all People of the Book would not believe in Isa (A.S) before their death because according to the beliefs of Sunni Muslims themselves, Isa (A.S) will kill people for not converting to Islam⁷. This belief is mentioned by Ibn Kathir in his Tafseer of verse 4:158-159 also.

‘Eesa ibn Maryam will descend there and then kill the pig, break the cross, and refuse to accept their Jizyah. But whosoever accepts Islam from them, it will be accepted from him; otherwise, he will be killed. The same ruling applies to all the disbelievers of that time.”
[Book of the end. Great Trial and Tribulations, pg 151]⁸

Imam Nawawi also says the same as quoted by the famous Sunni website IslamQ/A⁹.

“Rather he will not accept anything but Islam or death.”

Lastly, Sunnis believe the Dajjal will emerge from among the Jews of Isfahan and with him will be seventy thousand Jews all of whom including the Dajjal will die fighting Isa(as) without ever believing in him¹⁰. Not only do the non Ahmadis contradict the Quran but they also contradict their own theological standpoints with this interpretation.

Ibn Abbas (RA): “qabla mauthihi” refers to Death of the People of the Book

What the Sunnis forget is that there are various stronger and more numerous narrations attributed to Ibn Abbas (RA) and his students that state that ‘qabla mautihi’ refers to the death of Kitabi (i.e People of the Book). Another point that lends support to ‘qabla mautihi’ referring to the Ahlul Kitab is the qira’ah of Ubai bin Ka’b (ra). In Tafsir al-Tabri there is a narration of Ibn Abbas(RA) through Syed bin Jubair mentioning the qira’ah. All references are provided below.

Narration 1: Ibn Abbas (RA) through Ali bin Abi Talha

It is narrated by Abdullah bin Saleh, he said: Mu’awiya narrated from Ali ibn Abi Talha, from Ibn Abbas regarding: {وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}. He said a Jew will not die until he believes in Isa (as)
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 667]

Narration 2: Mujahid

Ibn Waki’ narrated to us, he said Jarir reported, from Mansoor, from Mujahid {وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا {لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ. He said: his soul will not leave until he believes in Isa (as), even if he drowns or gets thrown off a wall, or whatever death it may be.
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 667]

Narration 3: Mujahid

Muhammad bin Umar narrated, he said: Abu Aasim narrates, from Isa, from ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid regarding: { إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}. He said: All the people of the book will certainly believe {بِهِ}: with Isa (as), {قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}: [before] the death of the people of the book.
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 667-668]¹¹

Narration 4: Mujahid and Ibn Abbas( RA)

It is narrated by Abu Huzaifa, He stated: Shabl narrates, from Ibn abi Najih, from Mujahid: { لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ}: All the people of the book will believe in Isa (as), {قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}[before] the death of the people of the book. Ibn Abbas stated: If he is struck in the neck, his soul will not leave until he believes in Isa (as).
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 668]

Narration 5: Ibn Abbas (RA) through Ikramah

It is narrated from Abu Tamilah Yahya bin Wadeh, He said: Al-Hussain bin Waqid narrates from Yazid Al-Nahwi, from Ikramah, from Ibn Abbas (ra), he said: A jew will not die until he bears witness that Isa (as) is the servant of Allah and his messenger, even if it is hurried upon him with weapons. (و لو عجّل عليه بالسلاح.)
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 668]

Narration 6: Ibn Abbas (RA) through Sai’d bin Jubair

It is narrated by Ishaq bin Ibrahim bin Habib bin Al-Shaheed, He stated: Atab bin Bashir narrates from Khusaif, from Sai’d bin jubair, from Ibn Abbas (ra) {وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}. He said: It is in the Qira’t of Ubay (قبل موتھم): A Jew will not die ever, until he believes in Isa (as). It was said to Ibn Abbas (ra), have you seen if he fell from above a house? He said: He speaks it in the air. So it was said: Have you seen one of them was struck in the neck?قال: یُلَجُلِجُ بھا لسانہ
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 668]¹²

Narration 7: Ibn Abbas (RA) through Ikramah

It is narrated from Abu Naim Al-Fadl bin Deakin, He stated: Sufyan narrates, from Khusaif, from Ikramah, from Ibn Abbas: {وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}. He said: A Jew will not die until he believes in Isa (as) ibn Maryam. He said: و ان ضرب بالسیف تکلّپ به قال: و ان ھوی تکلّم بہ و ھو یھوٰ
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 668-669]

Narration 8: Ibn Abbas (RA) through Ikramah

Muhammad bin Ja’fir narrated, he said: Shu’bah narrates from Abi Harun Al-Ghanwi, from Ikramah, from Ibn Abbas, that he has said regarding this ayah: {وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}. He said: If a Jew were to fall from above this house he would not die until he believes in him, meaning Isa (as).
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 669]¹³

Narration 9: Ad-Dahak

Ibn Waqi’ narrated to us, He said: Abu Kalid Al-Ahmar narrates, from Jubair, from Ad-Dahak, He said: not one of the Jews will leave this world until he believes in Isa (as)
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 670]¹⁴

In hadith science, if one narration contradicts stronger ones or a multitude of narrations, it is referred to as ‘shaadh’ (irregular)¹⁵. Scholars regard the narrations from Ali b. Abi Talha to be the strongest when it comes to Tafsir Ibn Abbas¹⁶. If there is another chain which is authentic, it has to be interpreted in light of that which is more authentic or rejected due to contradiction.

When we look at all the evidence from the Qur’an such as Jews and Christians remaining till Judgement Day, ‘Inn Min’ referring to all People of the Book, Isa (as) being a witness against them, and the alternative reading of Ubayy b. Ka’b, we can safely say that this narration is a mistake.

Non-Ahmadi scholars agree

With the above references, it becomes clear that the majority opinion that the students of Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (RA) had with regard to this verse is that the pronoun in ‘mautihi’ goes to the People of the Book.

Imam Nawawi

Similarly, Imam Nawawi has commented regarding the majority opinion of scholars pertaining to this verse stating that they take the pronoun to go to the people of the Book. He states:

“And many, or most, argued that the pronoun goes to the People of the Book, and its meaning: and there is not one from the People of the Book, that death will come to him except that he believes, during the state of death before his souls depart, in Isa(as), and that he is the servant of Allah, and the son of his mother, but this faith will not benefit him because it is in the presence of death and the state of discontent, And in this state, there is no ruling on what is done or said in it, neither Islam nor unbelief is valid in it, and there is no will, nor sale, nor عنق, nor any other words/sayings. Allah the Almighty has stated: {وَلَیۡسَتِ التَّوۡبَۃُ لِلَّذِیۡنَ یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ السَّیِّاٰتِ ۚ حَتّٰۤی اِذَا حَضَرَ اَحَدَہُمُ الۡمَوۡتُ قَالَ اِنِّیۡ تُبۡتُ الۡـٰٔنَ}.and this doctrine is shown, because the first is related to the people of the book, and the apparent meaning of the Qur’an is general for all people of the book in the time of Jesus and before his nuzul. And the qira’ah from qira’ (قبل موتھم) supports this and it is said that the pronoun in (به) goes to the Holy Prophet(sa) and the pronoun in (موته) goes to the people of the book, and Allah knows best.”
[Sharh Muslim Imam Nawawi; v.17, p.202]¹⁷

Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj (d. 922 CE)

Furthermore, the famed grammarian, Abu Ishaq al-Zajjaj (d. 922 CE), refuted the interpretation of 4:159 that the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) will all believe in Jesus before Jesus’s death:

Some of them say: ‘except they will believe in him’ that is, they will believe in Jesus when he descends and kills the Antichrist. But this is far-fetched linguistically, because He said ‘and there is none from the People of the Scripture except will believe in him before his death’ while they who remain at that time will only be a fragment from among them [the People of the Scripture]. But if it means that all of them say ‘Verily, Jesus will descend and kill the Antichrist and we believe in him’ then this [meaning] would be permissible. And Allah knows best its reality
[Ma’ani al-Quran; v.2, p.130]¹⁸

Maulana Thana’ullah sahib of Panipat

Maulana Thana’ullah sahib of Panipat makes a similar claim in Tafsir-e-Mazhari, refuting this very interpretation. He states:

“How can it be correct when ان من اهل الكتب includes all of the people who were present during the time of Hadrat Muhammad (sa). Whether it is specific to them or not, because the time of the revelation of these words refer to the present tense. There is no argument to say that it means that group from the People of the Book who would be present during the descent of Hadrat Isa (as).”
[Tafsir-e-Mazhari; v.3, p.28]¹⁹

Sanaullah Amritsari

Famous Sunni scholar and one of the leading figures of the Ahle Hadith movement in the subcontinent, Sanaullah Amritsari accepts qabla moutihi refers to the death of Ahle Kitabi this is found in Tafseer Sanai²⁰.

Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi

Naeem-ud-Deen Muradabadi, a prominent Barelvi scholar and Quranic exegete wrote Khaza’in-al-Irfan, which is the Tafsir (Exegesis) of Kanz al-Iman based on a translation of the Qur’an by Ahmed Raza Khan Barelvi (Founder of the Barelvi sect) in Urdu²¹. In it, it says that qabla moutihi refers to the death of Ahle Kitabi, not the death of Isa A.S i.e every ahle kitabi will accept Isa A.S before their own death.

Ashraf Ali Thanwi

Ashraf Ali Thanwi, one of the most prominent and main scholars of the Deobandi sect stated the same in his famous three volume tafsir Bayan Ul Quran²².

Qiraat of Qabla mautihim

Now as already referenced before, another point that lends support to ‘qabla mautihi’ referring to the Ahlul Kitab is the qira’ah of Ubai bin Ka’b (RA). In Tafsir al-Tabri there is a narration of Ibn Abbas(RA) through Syed bin Jubair mentioning the qira’ah.

Similarly, this qira’ah is mentioned in Tafsir kashaaf and in Sharh Muslim by Imam Nawawi as all referenced before. Maulana Thana’ullah in Tafsir-e-Mazhari also mentions it through a different narration:

The correct interpretation is what has been mentioned before which is supported by the Qira’at of Ubay bin Ka’b. Ibn Mundhir narrated from Abu Hashim and Urwa that both said that in the Mushaf of Ka’b, موتهم is written instead of موته”
[Tafsir-e-Mazhari Urdu; v.3, p.214]²³

It must also be noted that the Holy Prophet(saw) had included Ubai bin Ka’b among the four companions from which the Qur’an should be learned. The Holy Prophet (saw) stated:

`Abdullah bin `Amr mentioned `Abdullah bin Masud and said, “I shall ever love that man, for I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, ‘Take (learn) the Qur’an from four: `Abdullah bin Masud, Salim, Mu`adh and Ubai bin Ka`b.’
[Sahih al-Bukhari 4999]²⁴

Refutations of Non-Ahmadi arguments

Can non-canonical Qirats be used to understand the Qur’an?

Some may argue that the qira’ah of Ubai bin Ka’b is not part of the “10 Authentic Qiraat”. What must be understood is that the qira’ah is a Shadh Qiraat of a Sahabi, and scholars have agreed that Shadh Qiraat can be used as an explanation for understanding verses. Imam al-Zarkashi in Al-Burhan fi ‘Uloom al Qur’an, an extensive book detailing Qur’an sciences, has a chapter dealing with the Qira’ats, within it, he quotes a passage from Abu ‘Ubayad in the eighth issue of his book Fadhaa’il al-Qur’an, he states:

“One point behind a non-canonical recitation of the Qur’an is to act as an explanation of a well-known canonical recitation and to clarify its meaning.”
[Al Burhan fi Uloomal Qur’an, vol.1 ,pg.336]²⁵

Al-Zarkashi then goes on to reference the Shadh Qira’at of various Sahabis to explain how they are used to understand or make clear the meaning of a verse.

Qabla Mautihim is weak?

Some may argue that the narration of ‘Qabla Mautihim’ by Khusayf and Atab bin Bashir is weak. This narration is also correct and regarding Khusayf bin Abdur Rahman it is written in tahzib ul tahzib that Ibn Muin said he is acceptable and once said he is reliable and Ibn Sad also says he is reliable and as-saji said he is truthful. Those who raised objections against khusayf hold that any narration that Abdul Aziz bin Abdur Rahman reports from him is unreliable because it is written that the shortcoming is with Abdul Aziz and not with Khusayf [Tahzib ul Tahzib vol 3, p. 144]²⁶

The second narrator of this narration is Atab bin Bashir who is also trustworthy and reliable and in Tahzib ul Tahzib it says Ibn Muin, Ibn Habban, and Dar Qutni said that he is trustworthy [Tahzib ul Tahzib vol 7, p. 91]²⁷

Ibn Jarir in his Tafseer has also narrated another narration regarding the qira’ah of Ubay bin Ka’b, it is stated:

It is narrated from Eshaq, He stated: Ya’la narrated from Jubair in his saying {وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ}. He said: in the qira’ah of Ubay: (قبل موتھم)
[Tafsir al-Tabri, Volume 7, pg 671]²⁸

Furthermore, for those that object to this narration, Maulana Thana’ullah in Tafsir-e-Mazhari has also recorded the qira’ through two different narrators as referenced before.

Conclusion

The argument that “all must believe in him” is refuted by the Quranic verses referenced above (5:16, 5:65, 3:56) explicitly demonstrating that the people of the Jews and those that disbelieve in Hadhrat Isa (as) will remain till the day of Judgment

From the majority of narrations from Ibn Abbas (RA) and his students (including the most authentic narrator of Ibn Abbas (RA), ibn Ali Talha) that the People of the book will believe in Isa (AS) prior to their death during a state where their faith will bring them no benefit. This was the majority opinion of scholars too, pertaining to this verse (4:160), stating that they take the pronoun to go to the people of the book.

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