is this a contradiction in Holy Quran?

[reza]

Asalaamu Alaykum

my questions are these:

in Quran 19:33 Jesus(PBUH) says
And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive."
but Jesus never died and he never will die when he comes on the day of judgement,but how come he said peace be upon me the day i will die?
and other thing is a friend of mine asked me about Quran 2:62
Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
and in 3:85 it says
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
he asked me is this a contradiction i told him there is no contradictions in Quran but he said,in 2:62 it says i can be a Jew or Christian and be safe but in 3:85 it says only Islam is accepted by God.could you elaborate more on this and help me with this and explain so i can make it clear to him that it's not a contradictions

and finally

Quran 70:4 it says
The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
and in 32:5 it says
He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.
the extent is a thousand years or 50 thousand years?
i would like you to explain this to me,as a muslim i believe there is no contradiction in Quran but i am confused about this.
please i really need your help with this


Wasalaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah

[Egyptian]

Asalaamu Alaykum

my questions are these:

in Quran 19:33 Jesus(PBUH) says
And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive."
but Jesus never died and he never will die when he comes on the day of judgement,but how come he said peace be upon me the day i will die?

Verse 19:33 ,is usually understood as , the day Jesus will die is someday between the end of his second coming and the day of judgment . his second coming is a sign of the day of judgment,not the day of judgment itself.

few scholars believe that death here is a reference to natural death Jesus had in his first coming, they believe that Jesus really died (not by means of crucifixion) ,some of them doubt ,others deny his second coming .
anyway ,whatever position you may held , no problem in verse 19:33 .

[Abd-Al-Rahman]

Wa Aleikum Assalam Wa Rahmat’Allah’i Wa Barakatu brother Rez,

Brother Egyptian has done a good job of dealing with the first point, and insha’Allah I will simply be slightly expanding upon it as well as dealing with the second and third point in a nutshell though as they are quite simple matters even though pages could be written responding to the matter and quoting different verses and a’hadeeths however basic responses will do.

(Also I had to separate my reply in 3 posts as it seems I had exceeded the annoying character limit of 6000, which previously was 4000, brother Osama I see you have increased the limit, still not enough though is it, let's make it into 100,000 or something   )

in Quran 19:33 Jesus(PBUH) says
And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive."
but Jesus never died and he never will die when he comes on the day of judgement,but how come he said peace be upon me the day i will die?

Jesus PBUH will actually die and so will every living soul Allah SWT created in reference first and foremost to this verse of the Quran…

“Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.” [3:185]

…and that includes Jesus PBUH and everyone else that is still living until the Day of Judgment, whether it be natural death, or death by being killed or even death by the trumpet being blown in which case every living being will die and then resurrect (the living will die and resurrect and the ones who were already dead will resurrect) in preparation for Yawm-Al-Qiyama (the Day of Judgment).

Also when I said that every living being will die that was to be taken literally, and when there will be none left but the Angel of Death even he will have his taste of death by Allah’s SWT Will who is the only eternally living One who does not die, death being his creation as well…

“[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving –“ [67:2]

and other thing is a friend of mine asked me about Quran 2:62
Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
and in 3:85 it says
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.
he asked me is this a contradiction i told him there is no contradictions in Quran but he said,in 2:62 it says i can be a Jew or Christian and be safe but in 3:85 it says only Islam is accepted by God.could you elaborate more on this and help me with this and explain so i can make it clear to him that it's not a contradictions

Yes, you could have been a Jew or a Christian, or a follower of any other religion for that matter, and have been safe, that is only in the case where you would have been a true believer, “Jews” being true followers of Moses PBUH (not the ones of today) and “Christians” being true followers of Jesus PBUH (not the ones of today either), and the same goes for any religions which any Messengers of Allah SWT had came with in their original form only which all unanimously dictated at their core no more than true submission to the One God (Allah in Arabic) which in Arabic as well is called Islam (meaning submission to God).

The truly believing Jews and Christians of the time of Moses PBUH and Jesus PBUH were all Muslims as well as they all submitted in obedience to the pure message their respective Messengers had came with in their pure form without any corruption or man-made alterations…

“Say, "O People of the Scripture, you are [standing] on nothing until you uphold [the law of] the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord." And that which has been revealed to you from your Lord will surely increase many of them in transgression and disbelief. So do not grieve over the disbelieving people.” [5:68]

…”what has been revealed to you from your Lord” here is Allah SWT telling those so-called “Jews” and “Christians” that until they truly follow what had been sent earlier in the Torah of Moses PBUH and the Gospel of Jesus PBUH in their pure state only (which in the time this verse was being recited to them had both been corrupted and changed, hence the new revelation to which we are getting now), and finally the final eternal message to them that will go uncorrupted, the Quran which denounces many of the false man-added doctrines from the “Jews” and “Christians” of that time even up until now that include “Jews” not recognizing Jesus as being a Messenger of God nor believing in what he had came with alongside many other things, and the “Christians” who idolized and turned Jesus PBUH into a God of his own, and those other "Christians" as well who turned him into the son of God, and then again those other "Christians" too who also turned him as being part of a triune God separated in three but still being one (if that even makes any sense at all) who they define as the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost and on and on…

http://quran.com/5/14-20

…applying exactly to your question above regarding the current “Jews” and “Christians” as well as those going back to Prophet Muhammad’s PBUH time.

[Abd-Al-Rahman]

This question along with all the other ones you have asked have been extensively dealt with in the past as everything is clear and the Quran on its own explains and completes itself. More can be said and provided for reference as well however I will hold off with what has been said for now so as to not spend the whole night doing so , and also because I think that what has been said deals well enough with the questions raised.

and finally

Quran 70:4 it says
The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
and in 32:5 it says
He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count.
the extent is a thousand years or 50 thousand years?
i would like you to explain this to me,as a muslim i believe there is no contradiction in Quran but i am confused about this.
please i really need your help with this

The subject of angels is a largely dealt with one upon which entire volumes have been written and lectures presented, the belief in them being an important part of the Deen of Islam (way of life of Islam), however your question is a pretty simple one that won’t require much complicated detailing.

Both of the verses are referring to two completely different phenomenon and as can clearly be seen as well different timeframe comparisons, the first one referring to the angels and the Spirit ascending to Allah SWT, and the second referring to all matters/actions arranged/decreed by Allah SWT in the heaven and on earth.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir does a fine simplified job of explaining both verses properly.

For the first verse:

(He directs the command from the heavens to the earth; then it will go up to Him,) means, His command comes down from above the heavens to the furthest boundary of the seventh earth. This is like the Ayah,

(It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof. The command descends between them, ) (65:12) Deeds are raised up to the place of recording above the lowest heaven. The distance between heaven and earth is the distance of five hundred years traveling, and the thickness of the heaven is the distance of five hundred years. Mujahid, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak said, "The distance covered by the angel when he descends or ascends is the distance of five hundred years, but he covers it in the blink of an eye.'' Allah says:

(in one Day, the measurement of which is a thousand years of your reckoning. That is He, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen,) meaning, He is controlling all these affairs. He sees all that His servants do, and all their deeds, major and minor, significant and insignificant, ascend to Him. He is the Almighty Who has subjugated all things to His control, and to Whom everybody submits, and He is Most Merciful to His believing servants. He is Almighty in His mercy and Most Merciful in His might. This is perfection: might combined with mercy and mercy combined with might, for He is Merciful without any hint of weakness.

[Abd-Al-Rahman]

And then the second:

(The angels and the Ruh Ta`ruju to Him) `Abdur-Razzaq reported from Ma`mar from Qatadah that Ta`ruju means to ascend. In reference to the Ruh, Abu Salih said, "They are creatures from the creation of Allah that resemble humans but they are not humans.'' It could be that here it means Jibril, and this is a way of connecting the specific to the general (other angels). It could also be referring to the name of the souls (Arwah) of the Children of Adam (humans). For verily, when they (the human souls) are taken at death, they are lifted up to the heavens just as the Hadith of Al-Bara' proves.
Concerning Allah's statement,

(in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.) This refers to the Day of Judgement. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Ibn `Abbas that he said concerning the Ayah,

(in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.) "It is the Day of Judgement.'' The chain of narration of this report (to Ibn `Abbas) is authentic. Ath-Thawri reported from Simak bin Harb from `Ikrimah that he said concerning this verse, "It is the Day of Judgement.'' Ad-Dahhak and Ibn Zayd both said the same. `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported from Ibn `Abbas concerning the Ayah,

(The angels and the Ruh ascend to Him in a Day the measure whereof is fifty thousand years.) "It is the Day of Judgement that Allah has made to be the measure of fifty thousand years for the disbelievers. '' Many Hadiths have been reported with this same meaning.

I am sure other brothers and sisters will/may have other points to add as there are many other things that can be said as well regarding your three points, and hopefully this clears any confusion you had in regard to them as I tried keeping this as simple as possible.

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EDIT: One last thing I forgot in regards to what brother Egyptian mentioned in the second part of his post:

few scholars believe that death here is a reference to natural death Jesus had in his first coming, they believe that Jesus really died (not by means of crucifixion) ,some of them doubt ,others deny his second coming .

To explain it to brother Rez, it is clearly understood that Jesus (Isa) PBUH never died at the time of his first coming to the Jews even though they had planned to kill him, and that he was saved from their plans and raised up to Allah SWT (literally, not in dying or whatever) and that he will come back a second time as one of the major signs of the arrival of the Hour and the Day of Judgment...

"[Mention] when Allah said, "O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allah alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that in which you used to differ." [3:55]

...and also http://quran.com/4/156-159 which supports the former verse even more.

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Wassalamu Aleikum.

[Final Overture]

"The angels and the Spirit will ascend to Him during a Day the extent of which is fifty thousand years.
and in 32:5 it says
He arranges [each] matter from the heaven to the earth; then it will ascend to Him in a Day, the extent of which is a thousand years of those which you count."

Well, if you actually look at the context, you will see that they describe different situations. Time is relative. 1400 years ago.

Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.
and in 3:85 it says
And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.

Maybe this could help you. Qur'an 4:150-151

Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish to discriminate between Allah and His messengers and say, "We believe in some and disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between - Those are the disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.

So, believing in Allah means to believe in His messengers. So there is no problem.

[Antiaparteid]

So it means that Islam believes in reincarnation?

[QuranSearchCom]

So it means that Islam believes in reincarnation?

As'salamu Alaikum sister in Islam,

No, in Islam, death only happens once to each person.  Please visit: http://www.answering-christianity.com/reincarnation.htm to see the Noble Verses that claim this.

Take care,
Osama Abdallah

[Antiaparteid]

So Islam doesn't believe that John was Elija reincarnate?

What about the natural cycle of life and death? What about viruses that die then reproduce themselves? What about the fact that we turn into soil and that soil feeds plants and those plants feed people? So we literally evolve physically from one state of life to another.

[QuranSearchCom]

So Islam doesn't believe that John was Elija reincarnate?

What about the natural cycle of life and death? What about viruses that die then reproduce themselves? What about the fact that we turn into soil and that soil feeds plants and those plants feed people? So we literally evolve physically from one state of life to another.

As'salamu Alaikum sister in Islam,

No, we do not believe that John the Baptist (Yahya, peace be upon him) was Elija reincarnate.  The Bible's New Testament also doesn't say what you said above either.

Now as to evolution, I am afraid you have it all misunderstood.  Evolution isn't feeding your dead body as nutritients to soil, so in return the soil can feed it to plants, and in turn other humans eat it.  This is a life and death life cycle, and the Glorious Quran talked about it.  Allah Almighty Said in the Glorious Quran that He brings the dead from the living and brings the living from the dead.  Visit:

http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_81.html
http://www.miraclesofthequran.com/scientific_76.html

Also, visit: http://www.answering-christianity.com/ac20.htm#links, and go to Main Section #1.

Now in regards to evolution, there is a difference between our bodies going through changes but keeping their main human properties preserved, and the claim that we were fish or monkies and then evolved into more intelligent animals.  Islam 100% agrees with the first statement that I mentioned, which is that our bodies went through changes, but kept their human properties preserved.  We weren't animals and evolved into humans.  Our sizes used to be much greater than what they are now.  Both Islam and Science have claimed this and proven this, respectively.  Please visit:

http://www.answering-christianity.com/adam_90_feet_tall.htm (Because of the increase in earth's size, and the increase in its gravity as a result, our sizes decreased as a result of the gravity increase).

There are many proofs for the changes in our sizes.  A personal example for you and me is the removal of the wisdom teeth.  Our Jaws used to be bigger and broader than what they are now, and there was enough realestate for all of the teeth to grow in it.  But today, since our bodies are decreasing in size, our jaws also decreased, and as a result, our teeth became over crowded.  This is why many people end up removing their wisdom teeth, because the over crowding of the teeth causes pain on the teeths' nerves.

Take care,
Osama Abdallah