Shaykh Muhammad Ṭāhir ibn ʿĀshur āl-Māliki's Belief on the Raising of ʿIsā (AS) and His Second C

Did Shaykh Muhammad Tahir ibn Ashur al-Maliki Believe that Isa (AS) Died and Will Not Return?

Shaykh Ahmad Saad al-Idrisi al-Azhari al-Shafi’ said Shaykh Muhammad Tahir Ibn Ashur simply states all the opinions regarding a verse in his tafsir, as he prefers to take a "school textbook" approach to his work, and he mentions the weak opinions to note their weakness, the goal for the reader is to know that there are other, lesser and weaker opinions out there. This is the reason he places the weak opinions such as the opinion from Wahb ibn Munbah and others in his discussion regarding the raising of Isa (AS).

In regards to the raising of Isa (AS) he says:

وَالَّذِي يَجِبُ اعْتِقَادُهُ بِنَصِّ الْقُرْآنِ: أَنَّ الْمَسِيحَ لَمْ يُقْتَلْ، وَلَا صُلِبَ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ رَفَعَهُ إِلَيْهِ وَنَجَّاهُ مِنْ طَالِبِيهِ، وَأَمَّا مَا عَدَا ذَلِكَ فَالْأَمْرُ فِيهِ مُحْتَمَلٌ. وَقَدْ تَقَدَّمَ الْكَلَامُ فِي رَفْعِهِ فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ فِي سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ

"And what one must believe in is according to the text of the Qur'an - that Isa (AS) was neither killed nor crucified but Allah has raised him to Himself and saved him from those who were pursuing him. And anything else is a matter of doubt.”

(At-Tahrir Wa-Tanwir. Dar Sahnun. Tafsir of Ayah 157 of Surah Nisa’)

As for the second coming of Isa (AS), He says,

“A group of the companions of the messengers of Allah narrate ahadith about the second coming of Isa, and there is nothing in the Quran that goes against the 2nd coming of Isa in the last days.”

(At-Tahrir Wa-Tanwir. Dar Sahnun. V3. Pg 259)