# Does the verse about Jesus speaking 'in maturity' mean he will come back?

*Speaking in the cradle and in maturity, and 'before his death': no proof of a return*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/b1ooltqtptw/s/32/
- Date: 2021-03-02 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #204 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (2:23:16–2:28:09)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1OOltqtPTw&t=8596s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/b1ooltqtptw/

**Topics:** Jesus in the Quran; The second coming of Jesus; Tafsir and verse study

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Neither verse proves a return: 'in the cradle and in maturity' refers to the people Jesus addresses, the return reading began with a late transmitter of strange reports, and 'before his death' has several readings.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that in the verse on speaking in the cradle and in maturity it is the people Jesus addresses, the child and the mature man, who are meant, not Jesus speaking at an older age.

**Evidence, his words at 2:23:53:** “it's not jesus who's going to be speaking like that it's the people he will address he will address the child in the crib and he will address the old man or the mature man” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1OOltqtPTw&t=8633s)

## Longer summary

On the verse in Al Imran 46 and al-Ma'idah 110, which Qadhi calls a clear indication of the return because Jesus must speak to people as a mature man, Mufti Abu Layth says many past scholars held that Jesus had already reached maturity in this world, and that the phrase concerns the people Jesus addresses, the child in the crib and the mature man, not Jesus speaking at those ages. It is mentioned, he says, because the Jewish high priests of the time disparaged children and found Jesus addressing them on religion at around the age of ten, as in the Gospel of Luke, almost blasphemous. He says the books of tafsir show that the reading as a return came from none of the Prophet, the companions or the generations after them, but from al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl al-Bajali [?] (d. 282 AH), who was asked whether he finds the coming of Jesus in the Quran and pointed to this verse, and of whom al-Hakim says he transmitted bizarre hadith, some of them fabricated, citing al-Baghawi and al-Tabarani. On 'before his death', he says Qadhi cites the reading of Ubayy and Ibn Abbas, but that reading is 'before their death', meaning the People of the Book, and the commentators, among them al-Tabari, al-Nasafi and the Tafsir al-Mazhari [?], say the pronoun could refer to Jesus, the Prophet, the truth or Allah, a plurality Qadhi does not highlight.

## Sources and names cited

- Yasir Qadhi
- Quran 3:46: https://quran.com/3/46
- Quran 5:110: https://quran.com/5/110
- Quran 4:159: https://quran.com/4/159
- kahl
- Gospel of Luke
- al-Husayn ibn al-Fadl al-Bajali [?]
- al-Hakim al-Naysaburi
- al-Baghawi
- al-Tabarani
- Ubayy ibn Ka'b
- Ibn Abbas
- al-Tabari
- al-Nasafi
- Tafsir al-Mazhari [?]

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:23:16–2:28:09)

[2:23:15] these are biddah now here he brings the first verse of the quran which is in two places ali imran in 46 and surah maeda 110 that uh about jesus now note um he says this is clear indication that jesus is coming back yeah because how else is he going to speak to people

[2:23:53] uh as a as a kahal as a as a mature man even though first of all many scholars in the past said that kahal he already reached kahula in this dunya that said this verse of the quran it's not what i've highlighted is it's not jesus who's going to be speaking like that it's the people he will address he will address the child in the crib and he will address the old man or the mature man and why is this being mentioned because the jews at the time especially the high priests had this kind of disparaging

[2:24:32] outlook towards children which they would never address children hence they found jesus addressing them when he was at the age of 10 i think in the gospel of luke to be almost blasphemous that how did he address us as not just addresses as in excuse me can i have that but as in anything religious but here it's mentioning so here nasa film film is to do with a nas and it's not to do with jesus that said now his interpretation that this is coming from jesus who was the first person to ever say

[2:25:11] this we have it documented in the books of the seed was it the prophet no was it the companions no was it the tabe no the atapa uttaba no people after them no what about after them along comes a man called hussain ibn nafadal al-bajali anisapori who dies in 282 hijri he dies at over 270 years plus after the prophet this man was the first person to come up with this interpretation for this verse he was asked brings it brings it other

[2:25:50] people bring it brings it that he was asked that have you er tabarani and bhagawi definitely bring it i'm not so sure but they he was asked do you find the coming of jesus in the quran and he says yes this verse is also somebody that people said transmitted strange hadith al-haqim says not only did he transmit at times bizarre hadith at least some

[2:26:26] were fabricated that is this person hussein that is whose interpretation he is following here you can see there at the bottom i've got from baghwa antabrani that his quote so he brings a second verse

[2:26:55] now first of all since he's including other recitations he says this is clearly about jesus in the recitation of obey radhiallahu and since he's quoting of the recitations he quotes ibn abbas and so since he's quoting other recitations it says qabala multihim before their death as in the people of the book before their death okay they also go on to say most mufasirin highlight that this could have yes they say it could have been talked about jesus they say he could have been talking about the prophet muhammad sallallahu alaihis they say he could have been talking about the truth and

[2:27:33] allah as you can see here that you know and many tafasir i just cited here that tabari nisafi al-asidi mentions that it was the truth and allah pani pati ma mazhari and tafsir al-madhari and transmissions now he does say there's some difference on this but he doesn't highlight the plurality that several people were saying that now he mentions the strongest verse there is

[2:28:08] 61 that it is a sign for the hour do not be doubtful about it he says this verse is the strongest verse in the quran leaves no doubt right now okay well first of all why doesn't he highlight the he he does say one person disagreed he says hassan well for his information not just hassan japan all of these people mentioned it was the quran that it's speaking about that the quran is a sign since revelation will end with it

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment b1OOltqtPTw/s/32. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/b1ooltqtptw/s/32/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.