Page 144 - The Glad Tidings of the Messiah

142 The Glad Tidings of the Messiah (pbuh)

the verse. However, since the preceding verses speak only of the
Prophet Jesus (pbuh), it is far more realistic to accept that hu refers
to him, as in the preceding verses. The great scholars of Islam in-
terpret this pronoun as referring to the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), an
opinion that they base on other Qur'anic verses and hadiths. In his
commentary, Elmalili Muhammad Hamdi Yazir writes that:
No doubt he [the Prophet Jesus] is a sign of the Hour, one that de-
clares that the Hour will come, that the dead will be resurrected and
stand up, because the miracle of Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) second com-
ing and his miracle of resurrecting the dead, together with his reve-
lation that the dead will rise, prove that the Day of Judgment is real.
According to the hadiths, his arrival is a sign of the Last Day." 8
Sayyid Qutb, a contemporary Islamic scholar, notes that this
verse is one of the important evidences that the Prophet Jesus
(pbuh) will return to Earth. In Qutb's interpretation this is related
thus:
There are many hadiths relating that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will
come to Earth before the Day of Judgment. Indeed it is also referred to
in this verse: "He is a Sign of the Hour." In other words, it is known
that the Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) coming to Earth and the Day of
Judgment are close in time. A second read of the verse is as follows:
“Wa-innahu laailmun lilsaati." That is, his coming is a portent of the
Day of Judgment. Both of the ways the verse is read delivers the same
meaning. The Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) coming is knowledge of the un-
seen that our reliable Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace), who always told the truth, referred to and that is indicated in
the Qur'an. There can be no words that can be said by another person
apart from the information originating from these two sources that
will remain unchanged until the Day of Judgment. (Sayyid Qutb, Fi
Zilal al-Qur'an [In the Shade of the Qur'an])