Az-Zukhruf (Ornaments of gold)

61. And he [Jesus (as) as he raised the dead] will be a known sign for [the coming of] the Hour [Day of Resurrection]. Therefore have no doubt concerning it [the Day of Resurrection]. And follow Me [Allah]. This is the Straight Path.

62. And let not Satan hinder you [from the Path to God]. Indeed, he is a plain enemy to you.

Against the polytheists’ false belief that regarded Jesus (as) an example for objects of worship besides God, the blessed Verse 61 makes mention of Jesus (as) as one of the signs of the coming of the Day of Resurrection.

He was born of a virgin mother that bears testimony to Divine Omnipotence to raise the dead on the Day of Resurrection as he did the same in this world and he will descend from the heaven as a prelude to Resurrection.

The Verse makes a reference to another characteristic of Jesus (as):

“he will be a known sign for [the coming of] the Hour [Day of Resurrection].”

His birth from a virgin mother indicates Divine Omnipotence in whose light there will be no room for questions concerning life after death. On the basis of numerous Islamic traditions, the descent of Jesus Christ (as) will occur in the Last Days and will serve as the coming of Resurrection Day.

The blessed Verse proceeds with the clause

“Therefore have no doubt concerning it [the Day of Resurrection].”

People are warned against neglect of Resurrection in terms of beliefs and practice:

“And follow Me [Allah]. This is the Straight Path.”

God’s Path is the straightest path treading which will make you aware of the risks and the way of deliverance from error and perils on the Day of Resurrection. The following Verse informs people that Satan wishes to keep you in ignorance and neglect.

Be alert lest

“Satan may hinder you from treading the Path to God”

and attending to your fate, since

“he is a plain enemy to you.”

He showed his animosity toward you when he tempted your parents, Adam and Eve and had them expelled from Paradise and once more, he took an oath to lead all the children of Adam, except

“sincere believers,”

into error. How could you stay dormant against such sworn enemy of yours and let him subjugate your hearts and hinder you from the Path toward God through his constant temptations?

We close the exegesis of Verse 61 with a citation from the exegetic work titled Atyab al-Bayan:

“And he will be a known sign for [the coming of] the Hour [Day of Resurrection].”

Exegets vary on the antecedent of the pronoun:

“he”

some of whom, based on the apparent meaning of the Verse, hold that the antecedent is Jesus (as), i.e., the descent of Jesus (as) from the heaven is one of the signs and prerequisites of the coming of the Hour, namely Resurrection Day.

Following the advent of Imam Mahdi (as), the Twelfth Shi’i Imam (“the Remainder of God,” Baqiyat Allah), Jesus (as) will descend from the heaven to establish prayer with the Imam, be appointed as his vizier, and slay Sufyani in Jerusalem. Four living prophets, Edris (Enoch [AS]), Jesus (as), Khidr (as), and Ilyas (Eliah [AS]) will appear at that time. “The knowledge of the Hour” (‘ilm li-’l-sa’a)

denotes the sign for Resurrection as one of the prerequisites of the advent of Imam Mahdi (as). Nonetheless, according to a number of traditions narrated from Jabir and Imam Sadiq (as), the antecedent of the pronoun

“he”

is the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali (as) and it may make a reference to the return of Imam ‘Ali (as) in the third stage in which devils will be slain.