People of the Book will disbelieve until the Day of Judgement

Introduction

وَ اِنۡ مِّنۡ اَہۡلِ الۡکِتٰبِ اِلَّا لَیُؤۡمِنَنَّ بِہٖ قَبۡلَ مَوۡتِہٖ ۚ وَ یَوۡمَ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ یَکُوۡنُ عَلَیۡہِمۡ شَہِیۡدًا

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

[Quran 4:159]

The non-Ahmadi Muslims use this verse to prove that Isa (A.S) is alive. They claim that “his” in the above verse refers to Isa (A.S) and since all the People of the Book have not believed in him yet, he must be alive.

This argument is extremely wrong and the “his” does not refer to Isa (A.S) at all. It goes against the Quran, ahadith, statements of the Sahaba (R.A), and Salaf-us-Saliheen. Read the complete refutation here and the view of Ibn Abbas (R.A) here.

In this article, we will even refute the idea that all People of the Book will believe in Isa (A.S) in the latter days. We will show that even if the “his” refers to Isa (A.S), the view of non-Ahmadis is still contradictory to Quran and ahadith.

Refutation

The below verses and ahadith will show that the all People of the Book will not believe in Isa (A.S) before the Day of Judgement because disbelievers and People of the Book will exist until Qiyamah.

Quran

اِذۡ قَالَ اللّٰہُ یٰعِیۡسٰۤی اِنِّیۡ مُتَوَفِّیۡکَ وَرَافِعُکَ اِلَیَّ وَمُطَہِّرُکَ مِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِیۡنَ اتَّبَعُوۡکَ فَوۡقَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡۤا اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ۚ ثُمَّ اِلَیَّ مَرۡجِعُکُمۡ فَاَحۡکُمُ بَیۡنَکُمۡ فِیۡمَا کُنۡتُمۡ فِیۡہِ تَخۡتَلِفُوۡنَ

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 3:55]

This proves that disbelievers of Isa (A.S) will exist until the Day of Judgement since they will be placed below those who have accepted him.

Similarly, the next verse proves that enmity and hatred will exist between both groups until the Day of Judgement. If everyone is supposed to believe in Isa (A.S) on his second coming, then there must not be any disbelievers, which means that no enmity and hatred must exist between them.

وَمِنَ الَّذِیۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّا نَصٰرٰۤی اَخَذۡنَا مِیۡثَاقَہُمۡ فَنَسُوۡا حَظًّا مِّمَّا ذُکِّرُوۡا بِہٖ ۪ فَاَغۡرَیۡنَا بَیۡنَہُمُ الۡعَدَاوَۃَ وَالۡبَغۡضَآءَ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ وَسَوۡفَ یُنَبِّئُہُمُ اللّٰہُ بِمَا کَانُوۡا یَصۡنَعُوۡنَ

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 5:14]

وَقَالَتِ الۡیَہُوۡدُ یَدُ اللّٰہِ مَغۡلُوۡلَۃٌ ؕ غُلَّتۡ اَیۡدِیۡہِمۡ وَلُعِنُوۡا بِمَا قَالُوۡا ۘ بَلۡ یَدٰہُ مَبۡسُوۡطَتٰنِ ۙ یُنۡفِقُ کَیۡفَ یَشَآءُ ؕ وَلَیَزِیۡدَنَّ کَثِیۡرًا مِّنۡہُمۡ مَّاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَیۡکَ مِنۡ رَّبِّکَ طُغۡیَانًا وَّکُفۡرًا ؕ وَاَلۡقَیۡنَا بَیۡنَہُمُ الۡعَدَاوَۃَ وَالۡبَغۡضَآءَ اِلٰی یَوۡمِ الۡقِیٰمَۃِ ؕ کُلَّمَاۤ اَوۡقَدُوۡا نَارًا لِّلۡحَرۡبِ اَطۡفَاَہَا اللّٰہُ ۙ وَیَسۡعَوۡنَ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ فَسَادًا ؕ وَاللّٰہُ لَا یُحِبُّ الۡمُفۡسِدِیۡنَ

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 5:64]

Moreover, this verse proves that the Hour will come suddenly on the disbelievers. This further supports the above verses.

وَلَا یَزَالُ الَّذِیۡنَ کَفَرُوۡا فِیۡ مِرۡیَۃٍ مِّنۡہُ حَتّٰی تَاۡتِیَہُمُ السَّاعَۃُ بَغۡتَۃً اَوۡ یَاۡتِیَہُمۡ عَذَابُ یَوۡمٍ عَقِیۡمٍ

And those who disbelieve will not cease to be in doubt about it until the Hour comes suddenly upon them or there comes to them the punishment of a destructive day.

[Quran 22:55]

Ahadith

Just like the verses, we quoted, below hadith proves that the wicked people will last until the Day of Judgement and would not have believed in Isa (A.S) on his second coming.

وَاللِّقْحَةَ مِنَ الْبَقَرِ لَتَكْفِي الْقَبِيلَةَ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَاللِّقْحَةَ مِنَ الْغَنَمِ لَتَكْفِي الْفَخِذَ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ بَعَثَ اللَّهُ رِيحًا طَيِّبَةً فَتَأْخُذُهُمْ تَحْتَ آبَاطِهِمْ فَتَقْبِضُ رُوحَ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَكُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ وَيَبْقَى شِرَارُ النَّاسِ يَتَهَارَجُونَ فِيهَا تَهَارُجَ الْحُمُرِ فَعَلَيْهِمْ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ

… Allah would send a pleasant wind which would soothe (people) even under their armpits, and would take the life of every Muslim and only the wicked would survive who would commit adultery like asses and the Last Hour would come to them.

[Sahih Muslim 2937a]