V.43:61 Surah Zukhruf is often misinterpreted as return of Jesus, son of Maryam

[Heba E. Husseyn]

      


As-Salam Alaikum and peace dear all. 

The Hadithists think this Verse refers to the return of Jesus son of Virgin Maryam.  Certain other so-called jurists like Shaikh Imran Hosein (another fan of man-written ideologies) lost in his own turbulent perception smeared with senility has not been able to understand Verse 43:61 at all.  Over and above that, he also had the Satanic audacity to refer to V.43:61 as “beywaqoofi,” an Urdu term which Sister Zainab translated for us as “stupidity.”  Needless to say, his age-related capriciousness has turned him into an erratic savage who is now also a Covid-19 denier; he claims that entering the mosque wearing a mask is the act of "Shaitaan" and "Dajjal."  Themselves trapped in the devil's net, these are the sort of folks about whom Satan can boast of his big successes.

Here we see a wedge between the traditionalists.   Imran Hosein on one side and those who disagree with him on the other.  The former argues that the translation says "he is the sign of the Hour."  The latter argues the translation to be "he is knowledge of the Hour."   Both have missed the point.  That's because both have zero knowledge of the Quran, and that's the glaring common feature between them.

Though needless to say, before we go any further let's be clear about one thing.  Every Verse, every Word, of the Noble Quran makes plenty of sense with plenty of depth.   All praise be to Allah, The Almighty.  The fact of the matter is that Verse 43:61 is very simple to grasp and interpret.  It has NOTHING to do with the return of Jesus son of Virgin Maryam nor any other tales picked by the Hadith from the notorious, altered Old and New Testaments. 

One of the reasons why a lot of folks are misinterpreting this Verse is because of the interference of the Hadith myth on the return of Jesus son of Virgin Maryam. Several sneaky Hadith believing translators of the Quran have tip-toed this Hadith myth into their translations, spreading disinformation and distorting the Truth. 

Only Allah Almighty will deal with all such variety of miscreants.

First let us look at Verse 43:61 which is misinterpreted.

"wa-innahu laʿil'mun lilssāʿati" [Verse 43:61 Surah Az-Zukhruf] (Most Noble Quran)

It is very clear and easy to understand. In English it simply translates as:

"This [Quran] gives knowledge of the Hour:"  43:61 Translation Abdel Haleem.

"And indeed! verily there is knowledge of the Hour. 43:61  Translation Pickthall.   

In Pickthall’s translation, “knowledge of the Hour” signifies the Noble Quran.   Haleem’s translation is certainly clearer and more direct.

While some non-Hadith and sane thinkers might explain V.43:61 as reference to knowledgeable believers and punishments of Allah to the guilty collectively symbolizing knowledge of the Day of Judgment, this Verse actually refers to the Quran itself.  Subhan’Allah.  Allah Almighty states that it is His Final Message which is the symbol of the Last Day, providing knowledge or information about it.  That's the only point The Almighty mentions here.  You can read the entire Surah Az-Zukhruf (Chapter 43) which has a total of 89 Verses. Throughout the Surah, The Almighty states that He has systematically been sending His warnings and the disbelievers have constantly been rejecting the Divine warnings and His portents.

Quoting the full Verse 43:61:

"This [Quran] gives knowledge of the Hour: do not doubt it. Follow Me for this is the right path"   43:61   Translation Abdel Haleem.

"And indeed! verily there is knowledge of the Hour. So be not in doubt of it, and follow Me.  This is the right path."  43:61. Translation M.M. Pickthall.

The interpretation is so easy I don't even need to mention it.   It's a direct Verse where The Almighty refers to the Noble Quran as the knowledge in regard to the Last Day and commands us not to be doubtful about it and to follow HIM (Allah only).


Let us discuss briefly why or how is the Quran a miracle?

The idolaters of Makkah would often taunt the Prophet (pbuh) asking him if he had any miracles to show as proof of his Prophethood.   The Almighty made it clear to everyone that the Quran is the Miracle. 

The Noble Qur'an is the eternal miracle of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  The miracles of previous Prophets bestowed on them by Allah, ended after they passed from this world.  But the miracle of the Final Messenger which is the Quran is still preserved and will remain forever by Allah's Will.  No one can imitate the Noble Quran which is the greatest proof of the Final Messenger’s (pbuh) Prophethood.

Maurice Bucaille, the French doctor of medicine wrote in his book “The Bible, the Quran and Science” 1978, p. 125:
“It is impossible that Muhammad (peace be upon him) authored the Quran. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author, in terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human-being could possibly have developed at that time, an all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject?”

Unlike the altered bibles, the Quran has tackled many scientific issues that had never been presented before e.g. the rotation of the Earth, movements of the sun and the moon with a timeframe, creation of mountains and rocks, creation of the Earth, man’s creation in the womb in stages and much more.   The Quran asserts in many Verses that the Last Day is sure to come and will arrive unawares.

The Almighty challenged the disbelievers of Arabia in the Quran several times.  These disbelievers had tremendous hatred for the Prophet (pbuh) and never stopped opposing him and questioning his credibility.

“And if you are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness beside Allah if you are truthful.  And if you do it not - and you can never do it - then guard yourselves against the Fire prepared for disbelievers, whose fuel is of men and stones.”    2:23-24  Al-Baqrah.

“And it was not [possible] for this Qur'an to be produced by other than Allah;  but it is a confirmation of that which was before it and an exposition of that which is decreed for mankind - Therein is no doubt - from the Rab of the Worlds.”  10:37  Yunus.

“Or say they: He hath invented it?  Say: Then bring a surah like unto it, and call (for help) on all you can besides Allah, if you are truthful.”  10:38  Yunus.

“Or they say: He hath invented it. Say: Then bring ten surahs, the like thereof, invented, and call on everyone you can beside Allah, if you are truthful!”  11:13  Hud.

“Say: Verily, though mankind and the jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another.”  17:88 Al-Isra.


The challenge of Allah Almighty to the disbelievers is one of the major aspects that reveal the miracles of the Quran.

The disbelievers, despite their wealth and resources, could never respond to Allah’s challenge.  After all, the words of the creation can NEVER match the Words of the Creator.   The Noble Quran has a variety in its superiority.  The Divine Expressions are beautifully articulated and perfected.  The Quran contains history, prophecies, commanding righteousness and forbidding evil, everything with an eloquence that has remained unsurpassed.  Truth and nothing but the Truth, it contains NO exaggerations and NO falsifications. 

“Alif. Lam. Ra. (This is) a Scripture the revelations whereof are perfected and then expounded. (It comes) from One Wise, Informed:”  11.1 Hud.

Whatever is asserted by the Quran never changes.  The Noble Quran as a Book must stay and none can change it.  Allah Himself has confirmed it.

“And the word of your Rab has been fulfilled in truth and in justice. None can alter His words, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing.”   6:115  Al-Anam.

The Almighty confirms that His Final Message to humanity is preserved in a “guarded tablet”  (Lawh Mahfooz)

“But it is a glorious Qur'an.  On a guarded tablet.”  85:21-22  Al-Buruj.

The only reason one can think of why the Quran could not been changed (like the previous Scriptures) and will never change appears to be nothing else other than the promise of The Almighty Himself to protect it.  A remarkable miracle and a remarkable prophecy.

Last and not least, the true inimitable Beauty of the Noble Quran that brings readers and listeners to tears comes from the original Arabic, the direct Words of The Almighty.   Accurate translations sound nice too, but does NOT match the original Words of the Creator.

All praise to HIM and HIM alone.   Glorious Quran is the most breathtaking, permanent miracle of Allah in the midst of all of us, yet such few heed because they are distracted with false beliefs.   Isn’t that tragic?


Coming back to Verse 43:61 ..

There is NO reference to Essa son of Maryam in Verse 43:61 nor any of the Verses in Surah Zukhruf nor in any other Surah of the Noble Quran. The notion about the return of Essa son of Maryam comes from altered Christianity into unauthentic Ahadith and via Ahadith and other non-Quranic sources it has crept into the Muslim community. 

For a still better confirmation, let’s go the extra mile reading the following and preceding Verses of V.43:61.

And the following Verse 43:62 mentions:

"And let not Satan turn you aside. Indeed! he is an open enemy for you."  43:62.

As we can see, V.43:62 has nothing to do with return of Essa son of Maryam either.

The mention of Essa son of Virgin Maryam is in the preceding Verses of this Surah from V.43:57-59 and then the three Verses that follow from V.43:63-65 but in a very different context, certainly NOT about his return.   I am quoting these Verses here for your direct reference, and I repeat, none of these Verses have any allusions to the return of Essa son of Virgin Maryam.

First the preceding Verses 43:57-59

"And when the son of Mary is quoted as an example, behold! the folk laugh out,"  43:57. (Similar mention also about Prophet Moses in same Surah V.43:47).
"And say: Are our gods better, or is he?  They raise not the objection save for argument. Nay! but they are a contentious folk."  43:58.
"He is nothing but a slave on whom We bestowed favor, and We made him a pattern for the Children of Israel."   43:59.

And now the succeeding Verses 43:63-65

"When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me."  43:63.
"Indeed!  Allah, He is my Rab and your Rab.  So worship Him.  This is a right path."   43:64.
"But the factions among them differed.  Then woe unto those who do wrong from the doom of a painful day."  43:65.

As you can clearly assess, none of the above Verses have any connections with the topic on the return of Essa son of Virgin Maryam.

Many translators have crossed all limits mistranslating V.43:61 by stating the name of "Essa" (or "Jesus") even outside of brackets which amounts to changing the Words of Allah in the translations.  That in the category of a major sin!   This huge transgression has been committed even by the Sahih International by wrongly translating Verse 43:61 adding the name of "Jesus" outside brackets when the Words of Allah in the original does NOT contain the name of "Jesus" nor is there any references to the event of Essa's return  in the following nor preceding Verses of this Surah.  Let me quote some of those wrong translations here.  In the beginning I will quote the original Words of Allah in Arabic so you will know the Truth and in comparison, how these hadith following translators are playing games by distorting the Divine Words through phony translations only to promote the concept of Hadith.  We are very fortunate that we have our Original Quran intact so we can catch the Hadith adhering tricksters.


The original V.43:61 Az-Zukhruf:

وَإِنَّهُ لَعِلْمٌ لِلسَّاعَةِ
Transliteration: "wa-innahu laʿil'mun lilssāʿati"


Now let’s check the English translations intentionally distorted by dishonest translators.

Word to word translation by Sahih International in English: "And indeed, it surely (is) a knowledge of the Hour."

Despite the fact that Sahih International's word by word translation correct and did not (rather could not) mention the name of "Jesus" because it is directly from the original, the general English translation by Sahih International goes completely wrong as follows:  "And indeed, Jesus will be [a sign for] knowledge of the Hour,"   43:61 Translation Sahih International.


Other translators who are playing the same game:

"And (Jesus) shall be a Sign (for the coming of) the Hour (of Judgment):"  43:61 Translation Yusuf Ali.

"(Muhammad), tell them, "Jesus is a sign of the Hour of Doom."  43:61  Translation M. Sarwar.

"And he ['Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)] shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour (Day of Resurrection) [i.e. 'Iesa's (Jesus) descent on the earth] ."   43:61  Translation Mohsin Khan.

“And he is, in fact, a Sign of the Hour”  43:61 Translation A. A. Maududi.


The reason these translators are playing such tricks is to support the following forged Ahadith which are totally inconsistent with the contents of the Noble Quran.  These forged Ahadith start with those irritating damn “Dajjal” stories as follows:

"While he (Dajjāl-the Anti- Christ) will be engaged in all of this, Allāh will send the Messiah, the son of Mary (peace and blessings upon him). He will descend by the white minaret in the east side of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed in saffron placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he will lower his head [water] will drip [from it] and when he will raise it, drops like pearls will scatter from it. Every disbeliever who will come in contact with his breath will die and his breath will reach as far as he can see."  (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

“Jesus/ ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (peace and blessings upon him) will surely descend as a just judge and a fair leader. He will travel through the mountain passes [of Arabia] as a pilgrim for Ḥajj or `Umra and will definitely come to my grave and greet me [with salām] and I shall respond to him.”  (Hākim: 4162)

“ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (peace and blessings upon him) will descend to the earth. He will get married and have children. He will remain in the world for 45 years. Thereafter he will pass away and will be buried with me in my grave.”   (Al Wafā)


If you rummage through the Hadith garbage, you will find more such rubbish as the ones quoted above. 

The only few translators who have been conscientious enough not to mistranslate Verse 43:61 and have not added the name of "Jesus" are Abdel Haleem, M.M. Pickthall, M. Shakir and A. Arberry.  Haleem’s translation is undoubtedly the best and closest to the original, explaining this Verse most accurately.

"wa-innahu laʿil'mun lilssāʿati" Verse 43:61 Surah Az-Zukhruf (Most Noble Quran)

"This [Quran] gives knowledge of the Hour:"  43:61 Translation Abdel Haleem.   

So please remember, while reading and understanding V.43:61,  just stick to the translation Abdel Haleem, and of course read the entire Surah alongside Haleem’s translation for those who do not follow Arabic. 



ADDENDUM  (March 17, 2022) :

I would like to quote Sister Zainab's post at the end of this thread which completes the topic with no scope for any more wrangling.

Quoting Sister Zainab

I was reading Surah Az-Zukhruf today and I found further proof that of the fact in discussion. 

First just a brief re-cap what we have already agreed on as elucidated by Sister Heba: 

In V.43:61 quote "wa-innahu laʿil'mun lilssāʿati"  .. The Almighty refers to the Noble Quran itself.  “knowledge of the Hour” signifies the Noble Quran because it provides information about the Last Day.  The correct translation is "This [Quran] gives knowledge of the Hour:"  V.43:61 translator Abdel Haleem.   It refers to the fact that only Allah has knowledge of the Final Hour.

If you continue reading Surah Az-Zukhruf ahead of V.43:61, in V.43:85 Allah Almighty states directly "Exalted is He who has control of the heavens and earth and everything between them; HE HAS KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOUR; you will all be returned to Him"  Alhumdulilah.  That leaves no room for any further arguments.

Unquote:[/size]



Related post:
-  Does the Quran forbid suicide?

[N. Truth Seeker]

Walaykom Salam.    Thank you so much for this Sister Heba.   

I especially requested Sister for a careful analysis on this topic as it was becoming an issue of hot argument between us, the Quran alone followers, and the Hadithists who are insisting V.43:61 alludes to the Christian myth picked by Hadith on the return of Essa (Jesus) son of Virgin Maryam.   No Verses in the Quran refer to that.  These folks forget there are no myths, tales, hype nor anything untrue in the Noble Quran. And they have little idea of the worth of the Quran that it is itself the biggest miracle bestowed on the Prophet  (pbuh), a miracle that will remain until the Day of Judgment. 

Insh'Allah, I'll print this very helpful work and discuss it point-wise with those guys in our next virtual meeting.

Thanks again Sister.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Welcome brother  ..

[Zainab_M]

Very well explicated.  I request our readers to please focus on it and send it around. 

V.43:61 of Surah Az-Zukhruf and V.4:29 of Surah An-Nissa have been enthusiastically touted by Hadithists as references to return of Essa (son of Maryam) and prohibition of suicide, respectively.  These two hadith notions, among many others, are in immediate need for correction and must be brought in line with the actual concept of the Noble Quran.

Big thanks Sister Heba.  Very educative post.  Alhumdulilah again and again.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

You're welcome Sis.  And glad you reminded me about V.4:29.  I will Insh'Allah post a link to that as well.

[Zainab_M]

Thank you Sister.

[Ruhi_Rose]

It just shows how fortunate we are that Allah Almighty has preserved the original for us, so each time these translators lie with incorrect translations, we can immediately catch those cheats by having recourse to the original Words of Allah The Greatest.   Shukr Alhumdulilah ya Rab.

Well done Sister Heba.  Walaykum Salam.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Right sisters Zainab and Ruhi ..

[Zainab_M]

Exactly ..........

[N. Truth Seeker]

Several years ago Imran Hosein put up a political presentation on the hidden history of the Khazars.  That was true and sensible.  But his sensibility ended there.   Unfortunately over the passing of years he began to deviate into ignorance.  His over indulgence in traditionalism never allowed him to acquire much knowledge of the Noble Quran.  Additionally his age related senility hasn't helped him either.  As Sister mentioned, presently he is immersed in utter illiteracy as an ardent Covid19 denier.
~ sigh ~

As a Quran-only Muslim, I am both disappointed and shocked at Imran Hosein's brazenly dismissive stance towards the Final Message of The Almighty, The Greatest.   Additionally, his sneaky disclaimers only heighten his deceit. 

[Zainab_M]

You're right brother TS.  His detailed presentation on the Khazars, the ancestors of today's Zionist occupiers of Palestine, has been his only positive contribution in the sphere of politics.  He was never knowledgeable about the Quran.  His attachment to Hadith was always overwhelming until he began finding some Ahadith offensive.  Yet he did not return to the Quran.  Instead he deviated to other man-written books and ideologies.  As a result his mental capacity has been reduced to the size of a peanut. 

Now look at this:   In regard to Verse 43:63, the crux of the argument is that traditionalist Imran Hosein  argues that V.43:61 says "he (Essa son of Maryam) is the sign of the Hour" while the rest of the traditionalists uphold that the Verse says "he (Essa son of Maryam) is the knowledge of the Hour.   Both are WRONG.   Their differences are only over one word, 'sign' or 'knowledge.'  Both words have a similar connotation so there's really nothing to fight on that.  But the real big oversight from both sides is that neither of them have yet been able to think that it is NOT "he" which is the symbol or knowledge of the Hour, it is the Quran.

"wa-innahu laʿil'mun lilssāʿati" [Verse 43:61 Surah Az-Zukhruf] (Most Noble Quran)

"This [Quran] gives knowledge of the Hour:"  43:61.   Subhan'Allah.  It's as simple as this.

There is NO mention of the tale of return of Essa son of Virgin Maryam anywhere in the Noble Quran.  That's confirmed because the Quran deals with Truth, not myths like the altered bibles and the hadith.   

All praise to YOU, ya Allah;   love, peace and blessings on the beloved Final Messenger.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Absolutely sister, this is a great summary.   Alhudmulilah.

[Ruhi_Rose]

And on what basis does this man reject the Quran?   Or does it have anything to do with his feeble aging mind?

[Zainab_M]

He alludes to a commonplace expression referring to the Noble Quran as kaan ki baat ('heard by the ears'), as if it is hearsay ensuing from tea-shop gossip mongers.  The Glorious Quran was revealed via Angel Jibreel on the Orders of The Almighty, and this does NOT make it "kaan ki baat."  Such impertinence can only come from the empty boast of an arrogant fourth rater. 

Each time a Divine Revelation would descend, it would immaculately remain in the memory of the Final Messenger (on whom be peace), and from his memory would be preserved in writing by his (pbuh) closest family and companions on fragments or scraps of scrolls, leather, leaves and various other items suitable for the purpose in those times.  There was no white paper in any part of the world back then.  The preservation of something as precious as the Divine Revelations was done with the utmost of care and eventually, after the passing of the beloved Prophet (pbuh) and his close comrade and first righteous Caliph, Abu Bakr Siddiq, the preserved Divine Revelations began being compiled in the form of a Book by the 2nd righteous Calip, Omar b. Khattab, who safeguarded it as a Trust.  After his tragic assassination, the task of compilation was smoothly continued by his successor and 3rd righteous Caliph, Osman b. Affan, and this is the period when the compilation and arrangement of Chapters (Surahs) were completed.  That was the first and final assemblage / putting together of the Quran.  Even now some of the earliest copies of the Quran available in Topkapi Museum and certain other Islamic centers in the early Kufic print are known as the most marvelous work of calligraphy.  The text and content of the Noble Quran remains in exactly the same form today as it was when recited by the beloved Prophet and preserved by his close ones.  Even Western critics have not been able to deny this fact.  But Imran Hosein does not the know the difference between text and font of the contents of a book.

The other senseless pick by him is his ridiculous claim that the dialetical marks and phonetics in Quranic writings can change the interpretation of words.  This is the absurdest claim ever as until now over 1,400 years plus, not a single word of the Quran has been disputed for it's literal definition.  Dialectical marks and phonetics  are present in the writings of every language and have NO bearing on the identity of the word itself, NO bearing on the authenticity of the text and neither does that make the words any different.   When the preserved Quranic contents began being written on paper in the form of a Book, it needed to be written in the correct Arabic script.  Thus the dialectical marks and phonetics were inserted for proper pronunciation and easier reading / understanding.   This completely insignificant point has apparently risen in Imran Hosein's mind because additionally his knowledge of the Arabic language is also almost nil.

Purportedly he has strongly denied that he's a Quran rejecter.  But everything he has said (either in a fit of senility or while on dope) is on record and on camera exposing loud and clear where he's coming from.   

[Ruhi_Rose]

Whoa!  🤢   I never knew this guy was so far gone.  It puts him more or less on the same level as Irshad Manji, Ayan Hirsi Ali, Imam Tawhidi and N. Albani etc. 

Thank for these details Sister.  Will Insh'Allah share it with my husband.