According to the Qur’an and the Gospels: The Death, Ascension, and Second Coming of Jesus (PBUH)

This study examines the Qur’ānic and Gospel accounts of Jesus’ (ʿĪsā’s) birth, life, death, and ascension, with a focus on the theological question of his supposed bodily return (nuzūl al-Masīḥ) before the Day of Resurrection. Its purpose is to determine whether the Muslim understanding of Jesus—shaped largely by narrations on the signs of the Hour—aligns with the Qur’ān. Methodologically, it engages in comparative textual analysis of Gospel narratives, Qur’ānic verses, classical and modern exegetical interpretations, and relevant ḥadīth reports. The paper first outlines the diverse and often contradictory Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension, noting their differences in sequence and detail. It then examines Qur’ānic verses employing the terms tawaffī and rafʿ, assessing classical exegetical views that affirm Jesus’ bodily ascension and modern interpretations that reject it, arguing instead for spiritual exaltation and death like other prophets. Special attention is paid to the reliability of āḥād reports on the nuzūl, their isnād weaknesses, and their tension with explicit Qur’ānic statements about the suddenness of the Hour, the universality of death, and the finality of prophethood. The study concludes that the Qur’ān contains no explicit statement supporting Jesus’ bodily ascension or pre-Resurrection return; such beliefs are rooted in Christian theology and later Muslim narrations, not in definitive Qur’ānic proof. Therefore, building a belief based on non-mutawātir hadith reports is not sound from the perspective of kalām methodology; rejecting the nuzūl view likewise cannot justly be equated with modernism or sectarian deviation.