Background
A certain community insinuates the ascension of Jesus into Heavens as his death, only to introduce their very own alleged “messiah”. Their central argument revolves around the issue of ascension of Jesus to bring their narrative into play. And this was my reason to clarify this specific issue, so as to close all doors for further arguments once and for all. It is important to note that the matter is perfectly well established from the Qur’an and the Hadith corpus and there has been no difference of opinion about it whatsoever since the early times [[1]].
Their central argument comes from the ‘alleged Hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas in Sahih al-Bukhari’. As most of the laity don’t need further speculation after seeing someone pulling up a ‘Hadith of Sahih al Bukhari’, they get trapped. However, there are certain facts one must know before arriving to any conclusion.
Sahih al-Bukhari contains 7563 Sahih reports, and they are those which have their chains of narrations. Along with the Sahih Ahadith, there are explanatory comments of the Salaf, which are known as Mu’allaqaat. The Mu’allaqaat are those which have narrators missing from the beginning of the chain, there may be one narrator missing, or two, or even more, i.e: al-Bukhari would directly say about any companion of the Prophet ﷺ, or any Taabi’i: “he said so and so”, even though it is known to all that he hasn’t heard any report from them. The Muslims have a unanimous consensus that neither al-Bukhari, nor any scholar assumed the Mu’allaqaat as a part of the Sahih collection. Another reason is the title of his book itself, which is “Al Jaami’ al Musnad al Sahih al Mukhtasar min umuri Rasulillahi ﷺ wa sunanihi wa ayyamihi” (الجامع المسند الصحيح المختصر من أمور رسول الله ﷺ وسننه وأيامه ), the word ‘Musnad’ is indicative of reports having Isnad, or ‘chains of narrations’.
One should be aware that a ‘Hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari’, means that, which al-Bukhari reported beginning with words indicative of him hearing the report directly from his teachers. They are like – – “fulan narrated to us, or fulan narrated to me (حدثنا، حدثني)”
– or “fulan told us, or fulan told me (أخبرنا، أخبرني)”
The Mu’allaqat (literally: something hanging to another thing), are generally short comments attributed to the Prophet ﷺ or the Sahaba or the Tabieen or to al-Bukhari himself as well, and were used for the title of a section; or for the explanation of a hadith, in case the Mu’allaq report is following a Hadith. These Mu’allaqat have no chains of narrations or grades of authenticity (inside Sahih al Bukhari, although there may be other books of Hadith which would have reported these with their chains of narration). Hence Mu’allaqaat do not constitute as what we identify as a ‘Hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari’, and their Hukm is: Mardud(rejected) [[2]], speaking in general. The Mu’allaqaat inside Sahih al-Bukhari are usually in the beginning of a section – used to give a brief insight to the section which follows, rest of the times they may come as an explanation to the Hadith which precedes it. Sahih al-Bukhari contains close to 1341 Mu’allaqaat [[3]], among which there may be authentic or weak [[4]], and authenticity can only be judged if the narration was reported with its chain of narration (this is Hadith 101)
Back to the issue
The chain for this specific report can be found in Tafsir at-Tabari and Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim. The one in Tafsir at-Tabari goes on as: [[5]]
حدثني المثنى قال حدثني عبد الله بن صالح قال حدثني معاوية عن علي عن ابن عباس قوله تعالى: “إني متوفيك”، يقول مميتك.
And in Tafsir Ibn Abi Hatim: [[6]]
حدثنا أبي ثنا أبو صالح، حدثني معاوية بن صالح، عن علي بن أبي طلحة، عن ابن عباس قوله: إني متوفيك يقول: إني مميتك
There are two discrepancies in both of these reports –
1) The narrator ‘Ali who reports it from Ibn ‘Abbas, is ‘Ali ibn Abi Talha al-Hashimi (d. 143H). He never met nor heard any hadith from from Ibn ‘Abbas [[7]]. In this case too he simply attributed the narration to Ibn ‘Abbas without informing about the intermediary, if there was any. This makes it a ‘mursal’ narration (i.e: second last narrator missing).
2) Ali ibn Abi Talha al-Hashimi (d. 143H) was a weak narrator. [[8]]
The conclusions drawn from the above two points are as follows:
- The report has a disconnection,
- It can’t be attributed to Ibn ‘Abbas,
- ‘Ali ibn Abi Talha al-Hashimi was a weak narrator.
What exactly was the belief of Ibn ‘Abbas عنہؓ (d. 68H) in this regard?
Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 310H) narrates a number of reports in his great exegesis “Jaami’ al-Bayan ‘an Ta’weel Aay al-Qur’an”. Some of them are:
10794- حدثنا ابن بشار، قال ثنا عبد الرحمن، قال ثنا سفيان، عن أبي حصين، عن سعيد بن جبير، عن ابن عباس: {وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته}، قال: “قبل موت عيسى بن مريم”. [[15]]
( اسناده صحيح، [[16]] [[17]] [[18]]
Narrated to me Ibn Basshaar, who said: narrated to me ‘Abdur Rahman, who said: Sufyan said, from Abi Haseen, from Saeed ibn Jubair, from Ibn Abbas: {And there is none from the People of the Scripture but he will surely believe in him before his death}, he said: “Before the death of Jesus – the son of Mary”.
[Ibn Hajar graded its chain as ‘Sahih’ and this interpretation as ‘the predominant view’, Fath ul-Baari (Book of Prophets 20, section 49); Tafsir Sufyan, pg 98; Al-Haakim an-Naysaburi reported this Hadith (2/309), with Sufyan(in its chain) with the wording “… the arrival of Jesus the son of Mary peace and blessings of Allah be on him”, and (Al-Haakim) said: This Hadith is Sahih on the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim and they didn’t report it, and al-Dhahabi agreed]
Conclusion: Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is alive.
Ibn ‘Abbas (d. 68H) again, with a slightly different Isnad –
10795- حدثنا ابن وكيع، قال حدثنا أبي، عن سفيان، عن أبي حصين، عن سعيد بن جبير، عن ابن عباس {وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته}، قال: “قبل موت عيسى”.
[أقول: حسن (لعيره، بناء على رواية ابن بشار عن عبد الرحمن؛ وأخرجه ابن أبي حاتم في تفسيره برقم 6254 (ج4، ص1114)، وابن عساكر في تاريخ دمشق 14\101، (مخطوط) من طرق عن سفيان به]
Narrated to me Ibn Wakee’, who said: narrated to me my father, from Sufyan, from Abi Haseen, from Saeed ibn Jubair, from Ibn Abbas: {And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him before his death}, he said: “Before the death of Jesus”.
I say: Hasan (li ghayrihi)
[Tafsir at-Tabari #10795; Ibn Abi Hatim reported it in his Tafsir (4/1114, #6254); And Ibn ‘Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq (14/101)]
Conclusion: Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is alive.
What the other giants from the Salaf said about this?
Ibn Jarir (d. 329H) goes on to mention scholars like Al Hasan Al Basri saying the same… [[19]]
10797- حدثني المثنى قال: حدثنا الحجاج بن المنهال، قال: حدثنا حماد بن سلمة، عن حميد، عن الحسن قال: {قبل موته}، قال: “قبل أن يموت عيسى ابن مريم.”
أقول: اسناده صحيح أو حسن، فمقبول على كل حال لأن المثنى مقبول عند المحدثين كابن حجر وابن كثير.
Al Muthanna narrated to me, who said: narrated to me Al Hajjaj ibn Minhaal, who said: narrated to me Hammad, from Humaid, from Al Hasan: {before his death}, he said: “Before Jesus – the son of Mary dies”.
[I say: This Isnad is Sahih or Hasan]
Hasan al-Basri (d. 110H) again…
10798- حدثني يعقوب قال: حدثنا ابن علية، عن أبي رجاء، عن الحسن في قوله: {وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته}، قال: “قبل موت عيسى، والله إنه الآن لحي عند الله، ولكن إذا نزل آمنوا به أجمعون”.
[أقول: اسناده صحيح]
Narrated to me Ya’qub, who said: narrated to us Ibn ‘Ulayya, from Abi Rajaa’, from Al-Hasan, regarding the verse {And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will certainly believe in him before his death}, he said: “Before the death of Jesus, By Allah he is alive at this moment, and everyone will believe in him when he descends”.
[I say: This Isnad is Sahih]
Qatada (d. 117H) …
10800- حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى، قال: أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال: أخبرنا معمر، عن قتادة: {وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته}، قال: قبل موت عيسى.
[أقول: اسناده حسن؛ هذا الإسناد قوي ما خلا الحسن بن يحيى لأنه صدوق، وقيل محدث صدوق، وقيل شيخ]
Narrated to us Al-Hasan ibn Yahya, who said: Abdur Razzaq told us, who said: Ma’mar told us, from Qatada, regarding the verse {And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will certainly believe in him before his death}, he said: “Before the death of Jesus”.
[I say: This Isnad is Hasan]
Qatada (d. 117H) again…
10801- حدثنا الحسن بن يحيى قال: أخبرنا عبد الرزاق قال: أخبرنا معمر، عن قتادة: {وإن من أهل الكتاب إلا ليؤمنن به قبل موته}، قال: “قبل موت عيسى، إذا نزل آمنت به الأديان كلها”.
[أقول: اسناده حسن؛ هذا الإسناد قوي ما خلا الحسن بن يحيى لأنه صدوق، ويقال محدث صدوق، ويقال شيخ]
Narrated to us Al Hasan ibn Yahya, who said: Abdur Razzaq told us, who said: Ma’mar told us, from Qatada, regarding the verse {And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will certainly believe in him before his death}, he said: “Before the death of Jesus, when he would descend, every religion will believe in him”.
[I say: This Isnad is Hasan]
Despite being weak, how can such an extremely conflicting report creep into the Islamic corpus?
There is absolutely nothing odd or conflicting about that narration (even if it was authentic). It only becomes problematic when it is used in the wrong context. This report was not an answer about Jesus being dead or alive, rather an answer to the ‘how’ of Jesus’ ascension, as the report itself states the verse it is talking about. The verse uses the word “توفى”, (literal meaning: sleep [[20]], take, seize, recover) which is the centre of the discussion since this term has a wide range of meanings and a diverse usage [[21]].
The verse starts as:
{إذ قال الله يا عيسى إني متوفيك ورافعك إلي…}
{[Mention] when Allah said: O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself…}
The point of discussion in the classical scholarship was the ‘how’ of the event, more specifically: what is the meaning of “توفى” here. Ibn Jarir at-Tabari (d. 310H) mentions all the opinions concerning it [[22]], which are as follows:
- The first opinion: That here wafaat means sleep, i.e: Allah caused him to sleep and then raised him towards the heavens.
- The second opinion: That here wafaat means Allah took (or seized) him, and raised him to the heavens
- The third opinion: That here wafaat means Allah caused him to die, then raised him. (the alleged opinion of Ibn ‘Abbas)
- The fourth opinion: That here wafaat and raf’a occurred in the opposite order, i.e: Allah raised him, then took(seized) him.
Then he (Ibn Jarir) summarized all the four opinions and declared the most authentic and predominant view by stating that: Allah seized (or took) him and then raised him to the Heavens. [[23]] .
Conclusions: The alleged report of Ibn Abbas is unattributable to him and is inauthentic, rather the opposite is proven from him, and even if we assume it to be authentic and the predominant opinion for a moment, it still has no relation with the death of Jesus (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).
Sidenotes: The Sahifa of Ali ibn Abi Talha is a known weak source of transmission from Ibn Abbas among the Muhaddithun. Suggested reading: https://jamharah.net/showthread.php?t=25791
(And Allah knows best)
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REFERENCES
[1] ابن عطية نقل الإجماع في المحرر الوجيز (ج1، ص444، ط. دار الكتب العلمية)
[2] نزهة النظر في توضيح نخبة الفكر في مصطلح أهل الأثر لابن حجر، ص98
[3] هدي الساري مقدمة فتح الباري شرح صحيح البخاري لابن حجر
[4] Read more about this here: https://www.faouaid.com/2019/05/moualaqat-boukhary.html
[5] تفسير الطبري، الرواية 7141 (ج5، ص450، ط. التركي)
[6] تفسير القرءان العظيم لابن أبي حاتم، الرواية 3580، (ج2، ص661)
[7]وقال أبو حاتم: عن دحيم: لم يسمع من ابن عباس التفسير. (الجرح والتعديل: ج6، الترجمة 1031)
قال ابن طهمان عن ابن معين: لم يسمع من ابن عباس شيئا، فروى مرسلا (سؤالاته: الترجمة 260)
وقال يعقوب بن إسحاق بن محمود، وسئل يعني صالح بن محمد عن علي بن أبي طلحة ممن سمع التفسير، قال: لا أحد. (تاريخ بغداد: ج11، صفحة 428-429)
[8] وقال أبو الحسن الميموني: عن أحمد ابن حنبل: علي بن أبي طلحة له أشياء منكرات، وهو من أهل حمص. (ضعفاء العقيلي، الورقة 150)
وقال يعقوب بن سفيان الفسوي: ضعيف الحديث ليس بمحمود المذهب، ومرة: ليس هو بمتروك ولا هو حجة. (تاريخ بغداد: ج11، صفحة 429)
ابن حجر: صدوق قد يخطئ، أرسل عن ابن عباس ولم يره. (تقريب التهذيب)
[9] اسئلة ابن طهمان لابن معين، الترجمة 260
[10] ضعفاء العقيلي، الورقة 150
[11] الجرح والتعديل: ج6، الترجمة 1031
[12] تاريخ بغداد: ج11، صفحة 428-429
[13] تاريخ بغداد: ج11، صفحة 429
[14] تقريب التهذيب
[15] تفسير الطبري: الرواية 10794، ج7، ص664، ط. التركي
[16] صحّح إسناده ابن حجر في فتح الباري، كتاب الأنبياء 20، باب 49
[17] وأخرجه الحاكم 2\309 من طريق سفيان به بلفظ: “خروج عيسى ابن مريم صلوات الله عليه”، وقال حديث صحيح على شرط الشيخين ولم يخرجاه، ووافقه الذهبي
[18] تفسير سفيان، ص 98
[19] تفسير الطبري: الرواية 10797، ج7، ص665، ط. التركي
[20] Dr. Fadel Saleh Al Saamerrai on “توفى” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWicbdXgVcQ
[21] See: Surah al-Baqarah (2, 281); Surah Aal Imran (3, 161), Surat az-Zumar (39, 42)
[22] تفسير الطبري، ج5، ص447، ط. التركي
[23] تفسير الطبري، ج5، ص451، ط. التركي
