Refutation of the claim that Imam Malik said ʿIsa عليه السلام died

Ibn ʿAbd al Barr transmits the wording attributed to Imam Malik from al ʿUtbiyyah, including the phrase that ʿIsa ibn Maryam died at thirty three.

He does not deny that this wording is narrated, but he rejects the inference drawn from it. He explicitly says that there is no proof in this report for the one who claims that ʿIsa عليه السلام died, because the wording is ambiguous and can carry another meaning.

He explains that the statement “he lived one hundred and twenty years” can mean that ʿIsa عليه السلام lived among his people for that length of time before he was raised.

He applies the same explanation to the other expressions in the report, such as “he lived half the life of the one before him,” clarifying that these phrases refer to how long he remained among people on earth prior to the raising, not to the end of his life.

Once this meaning is accepted, the report can no longer be used as clear proof that ʿIsa عليه السلام truly died during his first mission, because it speaks about the duration of his presence among people, not about a completed death.

Refutation of the Ahmadi claim that ʿIsa عليه السلام doing Hajj is not proof he is alive

The Ahmadi objection is refuted by the clear hadiths that explicitly place the death of ʿIsa عليه السلام after his future descent. These reports state that ʿIsa عليه السلام will descend near the end of time, carry out his mission, remain on earth for a period, and only then die. This sequence makes it impossible to claim that he already died in his first life in a final sense.

The narration that he will announce the talbiyah at Rawha identifies him plainly as the son of Maryam, leaving no room to argue that a different Messiah is intended.

When his future descent, actions, and later death are established in this order, the claim that his performing Hajj disproves his being alive collapses entirely.

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Ibn ʿAbd al Barr does not try to deny the wording that is narrated from Malik in al ʿUtbiyyah. He quotes it, then he attacks the argument people build from it, some may also use the backing of Ibn Rush to support the claim that Isa died, but all he says it that it is possible.

He says, that some people used this report as proof that ʿIsa عليه السلام died, but “there is no proof in this hadith for the one who claims that he died, because it is ambigious.”

His first refutation is that the report is not a decisive proof, because its wording can be understood in another way.

Then he gives the exact alternative meaning he wants you to take.

He says the line “he lived 120 years” can mean “he lived among his people before he was raised.”

He takes the same approach for the other similar phrases like “he lived half the life of the one before him.”

So he says the meaning of this report from the Imam is about how long ʿIsa عليه السلام stayed among people on earth before the raising.

Once you accept that, the report can no longer be used as a clear proof that he truly died at thirty three, because Ibn ʿAbd al Barr says that this report is about his time among people before being raised, not about the end of his life.

After that, he brings proof that this meaning (he did not die) is correct.

He says the proof is what is firmly established from the Prophet ﷺ about three things:

• The descent of ʿIsa عليه السلام
• His killing of the Dajjal
• His performance of Hajj.

Then he gives specific reports, and the key detail he uses is that these reports place ʿIsa’s death after the future descent, not during the first life among his people.

The clearest report he uses for this is the narration he brings from Abu Hurayrah in Sunan Abi Dawud. In it, the Prophet ﷺ says ʿIsa عليه السلام will certainly descend, and he describes him. Then it says he will kill the Dajjal and “he will stay on the earth for forty years, then he will die, and the Muslims will pray over him.” (Sunan Abi Dawud 4324).

This directly refutes the claim “he died at thirty three” as a final death in the first mission, because Ibn ʿAbd al Barr is using a report that mentions his death, after his descent and 40 years of coming back to earth.

He then adds more supporting reports that all point to the same future return. He mentions the hadith where the Prophet ﷺ says there is no prophet between him and ʿIsa عليه السلام, (Bukhari 3442) and he brings the report that ʿIsa عليه السلام will announce the talbiyah at Rawha, meaning he will come and perform Hajj or ʿUmrah. (Sahih Muslim 1252a)

He also brings the hadith of al Nawwas ibn Samʿan describing the descent near Damascus and killing the Dajjal at the gate of Ludd. All of this is used to make one point: ʿIsa عليه السلام is coming back, so the claim of his real death at thirty three cannot be taken from that report as a settled matter.

He also uses the verses. When he mentions “O ʿIsa, I will take you fully and raise you to Me” (Aal ʿImran 3:55), he lists different sayings, then he says the correct view with him is that “mutawaffika” means Allah seized him from the earth, and he says he chooses this “because what is authentic from the Prophet ﷺ about his descent.”

I was informed that Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus son of Mary) lived one hundred and twenty years. In the hearing of Ashhab and Ibn Nafi from Malik, in the book of al Utbi, Imam Malik said: Isa ibn Maryam used to say: O son of thirty, thirty years have passed, so what are you waiting for? He said: And he died when he was thirty three years old.

Abu Umar said: Some people used this hadith as proof for the view that Isa, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, died, and that he was made to die a real death. There is no proof in this hadith for the one who claims that he died, because it can mean something else.

What it says in this hadith, “he lived one hundred and twenty years,” can mean he lived among his people before he was raised. The same applies to what it says, “he lived half the life of the one before him,” and “he lived half the life of the one before him,” meaning he lived among his people and was among them, or on the earth, and similar expressions.

The proof that this meaning is correct is what is firmly established from the Prophet ﷺ about his descent, his killing of the Dajjal (the False Messiah), and his performing Hajj to the House, with chains that have no flaw in them.

We were told by Abdullah ibn Muhammad, who said: Muhammad ibn Bakr told us, who said: Abu Dawud told us, who said: Muawiyah ibn Khalid told us, who said: Hammam ibn Yahya told us, I think from Qatadah, from Abd al Rahman ibn Adam, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Prophet ﷺ said: There is no prophet between me and Isa, and he will certainly descend. When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height, leaning towards a reddish white complexion, as if his head is dripping, though no wetness has touched him.

He will fight the people for Islam, he will break the cross, kill the pig, and remove the jizyah. In his time all religions will perish except Islam. He will kill al Masih al Dajjal (the False Messiah), and he will stay on the earth for forty years, then he will die, and the Muslims will pray over him. (See Sunan Abi Dawud, 2/433.)

We were told by Abdullah, who said: Ibn al Sakan told us, who said: Muhammad told us, who said: al Bukhari told us, who said: Abu al Yaman told us, who said: Shuayb informed us, from al Zuhri, that Abu Salamah informed him from Abu Hurayrah, who said: I heard Allah’s Messenger ﷺ say: I am the closest of people to the son of Maryam. There is no prophet between me and him, and the prophets are brothers from one father with different mothers. (Al ʿalat means co wives, and what is meant here is brothers from one father while their mothers are different.) (See Sahih al Bukhari with Fath al Bari, 7/298 and 7/199.)

And he ﷺ said: The son of Maryam will surely announce the talbiyah at Rawha, as a pilgrim for Hajj or Umrah, or combining both. (It was narrated by Ahmad. See al Musnad, 2/240.)

And in the hadith of al Nawwas ibn Saman, from the Prophet ﷺ, when he mentioned the Dajjal and mentioned how long he will remain on the earth, then he said: Isa, may peace be upon him, will descend at the white minaret to the east of Damascus. Then he will catch him at the gate of Ludd and kill him. (Ludd is a town near Bayt al Maqdis.) (It was narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud, al Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah. See Dhakha’ir al Mawarith, 2/133, number 0479.)

And from the authentic hadith of al Zuhri, from Sa’id ibn al Musayyib, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, it is very near that the son of Maryam will descend among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the pig, and remove the jizyah. Then Abu Hurayrah said: Read, if you wish: “And there is none from the People of the Book except that he will surely believe in him before his death.” (Surah al Nisa 4:159) (A hadith agreed upon. See Fath al Bari, 7/203.)

And Abdullah ibn Nafi al Sa’igh, the companion of Malik, narrated from Uthman ibn al Dahhak ibn Uthman al Asni, from Muhammad ibn Yusuf, from Abdullah ibn Salam, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: Isa, may peace be upon him, will be buried with the Prophet ﷺ and his two companions, and there will remain the place of a fourth grave.

As for the difference of the ulama about the saying of Allah, the Most Mighty and Majestic:

يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ
O Isa, indeed I will take you fully and raise you to Me. (Surah Aal Imran 3:55)

A group said: The meaning is, I will raise you. And “I will take you fully” is His saying “مُتَوَفِّيكَ” (mutawaffika, I will take you). They said: This is allowed in the letter waw, and the meaning with them is that it is taking by death, except that he has not died yet.

Zayd ibn Aslam and a group said: “مُتَوَفِّيكَ” (mutawaffika) means “قَابِضُكَ” (qabiduka, I will seize you) without death, like when it is said: I took the wealth fully and I received it fully, meaning I seized it.

Al Rabi ibn Anas said: It means a death of sleep, meaning the taking of sleep, because Allah raised him while he was asleep. (It was narrated by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim from al Hasan. See al Durr al Manthur, 2/16.)

And Ali ibn Abi Talhah narrated from Ibn Abbas that “muttawafika” means “I will cause you to die.” (It was narrated by Ibn Jarir, Ibn al Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim through Ali ibn Abi Talhah. See the same source.) (Click on this paragraph for the refutation to this report)

And it is said from Wahb: Allah took him for three hours of the day. (In the original wording it says Ibn Wahb, and the correct form is from al Durr al Manthur.) (What al Hakim narrated from Wahb is that Allah took him for seven hours. See al Durr al Manthur, 2/862.)

The correct view with me is the view of those who said: “I will take you fully” means I will seize you from the earth, because what is authentic from the Prophet ﷺ about his descent. (It was narrated by Abd al Razzaq, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn Abi Hatim from al Hasan. See the earlier reference.) If the narration of Ali ibn Abi Talhah from Ibn Abbas is understood as wording that is advanced and delayed, meaning “I will raise you and cause you to die,” then it does not go against what we mentioned.

As for His saying, the Most Mighty and Majestic: “And there is none from the People of the Book except that he will surely believe in him before his death,” Abu Hurayrah and Ibn Abbas said: before the death of Isa, may peace be upon him. This is also the view of al Hasan, Ikrimah, Abu Malik, and Mujahid. This is the narration of Sa’id ibn Jubayr from Ibn Abbas. (It was narrated by Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim through routes from Ibn Abbas. See the same source.)

Mujahid narrated from Ibn Abbas: “before his death” means before the death of the person from the People of the Book. Ibn Abbas was asked: even if he is struck? He said: even if his neck is struck. (It was narrated by al Tayalisi and Sa’id ibn Mansur. See the same source.) It was also narrated from Mujahid and Ikrimah with the same meaning.

And Ma’mar narrated from Thabit al Bunani, from Abu Rafi, who said: Isa, may peace be upon him, was raised while he was wearing a woollen cloak and the leather socks of a shepherd, and he had a sling with which he struck birds. I do not know what this is. It can mean that this was his appearance and his clothing when he was raised, and he was raised in whatever way Allah willed after that. The benefit of this report is only that he was raised alive, and Allah knows best.

And Sunayd mentioned, from Hajjaj, from Ibn Jurayj, from Mujahid, regarding the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted: “They did not kill him, and they did not crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them.” He said: They crucified a man made to look like Isa, may peace be upon him, thinking he was him, and Allah raised Isa alive. (It was narrated by Abd ibn Humayd, Ibn Jarir, and Ibn al Mundhir from Mujahid. See the same source.)

Sunayd said: Isma’il told us, from Abu Raja, from al Hasan, about the saying of Allah, the Most Mighty and Majestic: “And there is none from the People of the Book except that he will surely believe in him before his death.” He said: before the death of Isa, may peace be upon him. By Allah, he is alive right now with Allah, but when he descends, they will all believe in him. (It was narrated by Ibn Jarir from al Hasan. See Jami al Bayan, 6/14.)

Abu Ja’far al Tabari said: The verse “And there is none from the People of the Book except that he will surely believe in him” is specific to the People of the Book in the time of Isa, may peace be upon him, and not the rest of the times. (See Jami al Bayan, 6/18.) Allah knows best.

Kitab At-Tamheed (Sharh al-Muwatta) by Imam ibn Abdul-Barr (14/200-205)

Refuting Ahmadis on Their Dismissal Of Isa Doing Hajj Being Proof He Did Not Die

Now I will address the terrible “objections” from the Ahmadis to claim that the Messiah performing Hajj is not proof that he is alive, then I will quote Imam Ibn Abdul Barr’s refutation of the claim Imam Malik said that Isa (Jesus) عليه السلام died. Their usage of Ibn Rushd’s statement is a weak attempt at best because if they actually read his works they would know that it is common for him to say “it is possible” in many of his works when he talks about different views of the madhhabs or when he’s commenting on hadiths and athar.

Their first claim from their website (https://whiteminaret.org/doj/imam-malik-rh/)

“The Messiah who does Hajj or Umrah is not the same as Isa ibn Maryam because the descriptions differ”

They just blatanlty lied on the hadith, because it does not just say “the Messiah.” It names him clearly as Ibn Maryam and says he will say the talbiyah for Hajj or Umrah at Rawha. That is one person, not a different Messiah (Sahih Muslim 1252a)

Also, the Prophet ﷺ explicitly uses the word “Messiah” for Isa ibn Maryam himself. In the Kaaba dream report, the Prophet ﷺ asked who the man was and the answer was “the son of Mary” and in another wording “al Masih son of Mary.” This shows that “Messiah” is a title used for Isa ibn Maryam, not a different person. (Bukhari 7026)

Differences in description does not mean there is  two different people, because the same reports keep naming him as “the son of Mary” and “Isa ibn Maryam,” and they place him in the same end time events. (Click this paragraph to see the article reconciling the apparent contradictions on the description of Isa عليه السلام)

Their second point: “This does not negate Imam Malik’s literal statement that Isa died”

Even if someone brings a report about a supposed death age, that report cannot override multiple clear, authentic hadith where the Prophet ﷺ says that Isa ibn Maryam will descend in the future. This is not vague. The Prophet ﷺ said “the son of Mary will descend amongst you.” (Sahih Muslim 155d)

So the hadith based refutation is simple: the Prophet ﷺ put Isa’s future descent and his later death as a sequence. Any claim that he already died and finished his story before the end times clashes with those explicit texts.

Their third point: “Bukhari shows Masih circling the Kaaba with Dajjal, so by their logic Dajjal can enter Mecca and do Umrah or Hajj”

There are two answers to this claim: 

The prevention of the Dajjal from entering Mecca will be after the appearance of his trial. As for before that, or in the past, there is nothing in the texts of the Sharia that shows he was prevented from entering it.

Ibn Hajar said: “It was reported by Ahmad and others. In it there is proof that his saying, “Indeed the Dajjal will not enter Madinah or Makkah,” means at the time of his emergence. It was not meant to deny that he may have entered them in the past. And Allah knows best..” Fath al Bari (12/248-249).

What further supports this is that the hadiths clearly state that the prevention of the Dajjal from entering Mecca and Madinah will be at the time of his trial.

From Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:

“The terror of the False Messiah will not enter Madinah. On that day it will have seven gates, at each gate there will be two angels.” (Bukhari 1879).

His terror will only exist at the time of his emergence and the appearance of his trial.

Second response:

This was a dream vision. Although the dreams of the Prophet ﷺ are revelation and truth, that does not mean they must always be taken exactly as they appear. Sometimes they come in the form of examples and symbols, not upon their apparent meaning.

Al Qadi Iyad said: As for the circumambulation of ʿIsa around the House, if it was a vision seen with the eyes, then ʿIsa ﷺ did not die. But if it was a vision seen in sleep, as Ibn ʿUmar explained in his hadith, then it is possible. This is because of what was mentioned earlier and because dreams are open to interpretation.

On this basis, what is mentioned about the Dajjal circumambulating the House is also understood as a dream. This is because it is reported in the authentic collections that he will not enter Makkah or Madinah. Along with this, in the narration of Malik, the circumambulation of the Dajjal is not mentioned at all, and Malik is more reliable than those who reported his circumambulation, for the reason we have mentioned.

It may also be said that the prohibition of his entering Madinah applies only at the time of his trial.” Ikmal al Muallim (1/522–523).

The meaning of this is that dreams are open to interpretation and explanation.

For the sharh of this hadith, narrated by Abu Huraira he said: We were sitting with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ), he said, “While I was sleeping, I saw myself in Paradise. Suddenly I saw a woman performing ablution beside a palace. I asked, “For whom is this palace?” They (the angels) replied, “It is for `Umar bin Al-Khattab.” Then I remembered Umar’s ghira and went back hurriedly.” On hearing that, `Umar started weeping and said, ” Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you. O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)! How dare I think of my Ghira being offended by you?

Ibn Hajar said: “The visions of the prophets are true, and the evidence for this is taken from the jealousy of ʿUmar. However, it does not follow from a dream being true in its apparent meaning that every part of it does not require interpretation. The statement that the visions of the prophets are true means that they are not confused dreams, whether they occur exactly as they are seen or symbolically. And Allah knows best.” Fath al Bari (22/498).

Examples of this include:

From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “While I was sleeping, I was brought the treasures of the earth, and two bracelets of gold were placed in my hand. They became heavy upon me, so it was revealed to me to blow on them. I blew on them and they disappeared. I interpreted them as the two liars whom I am between, the one from Sana and the one from Yamamah.” (Bukhari 4375 and Muslim 2274.)

And from Abu Saeed al Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “While I was sleeping, I saw the people being shown to me, and they were wearing shirts. Some reached the chest, and some were shorter than that. Umar ibn al Khattab was shown to me wearing a shirt that he was dragging.”

They said, “How did you interpret that, O Messenger of Allah?”

He said, “The religion.” (Bukhari 23 and Muslim 2390).

Based on this, it is possible that the vision of the Prophet ﷺ of the Dajjal circling the House was a dream that is open to interpretation, and not to be taken upon its apparent meaning.

Their fourth point: “breaking the cross and killing pigs are metaphors, so you cannot treat descent as literal”

The hadith in question says in the same sentence also says he will abolish the jizyah, and that is a legal ruling in real life governance. If the Ahamadis says “break the cross” is only metaphor, they must then explain how “abolish the jizyah” is also metaphor, which makes no sense. (Bukhari 2476)