"The man who has died today is without an equal in many respects. He had none like him either amongst his predecessors or among his successors. When the Holy Prophet sent him to battle, he had Gabriel on the right and Michael on the left to assist him. He never returned from a battle except as victor. He left seven hundred Derhams as bequest. He had saved this to purchase a slave's freedom. He died during the 27th night of the month of Ramadhan, the same night was the spirit of Jesus raised to Heaven." (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'ad, Vol. 3)From this remark of Imam Hassan it appears that even according to the family of the Holy Prophet, Jesus died in the ordinary way. Unless they believed so, Imam Hassan could not have said that Hazrat Ali died the same night that Jesus' spirit ascended to Heaven.
Besides the Companions of the Holy Prophet and his family, later doctors of religion also have testified to the death of Jesus. They were devotees of the Holy Quran, of the utterances of the Holy Prophet, of opinions held by the Companions and by the family of the Holy Prophet. It seems, the question whether Jesus had died did not strike them as a very important question. Therefore, they did not pronounce on the question as such. Nor have their views on the subject been preserved. But as far as the recorded opinions of the later doctors of Islam go, they leave no doubt that even they believed, Jesus had died. It is recorded in Majma-al-Bahar that, according to Imam Malik, Jesus died in the natural way.
In short, the Holy Quran, the Traditions, the consensus of opinion among the Companions and the family of the Holy Prophet and the opinions of the doctors of Islam are all at one in supporting belief in the death of Jesus. All of them teach that Jesus died like all mortals. It is wrong, therefore, to say that by attributing death to Jesus we dishonour Jesus and that, therefore, by implication we deny the Holy Quran and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet. We do not dishonour Jesus. Instead of dishonouring Jesus, we hold a genuine conception of the Oneness of God and point to the high spiritual rank to which our Holy Prophet belongs. We serve Jesus, because Jesus himself would not have subscribed to a belief which is derogatory to the conception of the Oneness of God; which helps shirk (associating others with God), and detracts from the spiritual status of the Holy Prophet.
Now, dear reader, you can see for yourself who is in the right. We or our opponents? Is it for them to be offended against us, or for us to be offended against them? They set up a man as the equal of God. They propose a belief which entails indignity to the Holy Prophet; they who lend support to the enemies of Islam; they who weaken Islam.
