Those sects that maintain this position often quote verse 43:61 as proof of Jesus returning and its twin implication of crucification and ascension (Christian version) or just ascension, Hmm there is only one small detail missing from the verse, "Jesus" :) so there is no mention of Jesus in the verse 43:61, neither in the previous verse and nor in the subsequent verse. Jesus is mentioned in Verse 43:59 with the pronoun هو (he) and the subject matter concluded with clear reference to to Children of Israel. Similarly when the subject matter was established as son of Mary in 43:57, Jesus is once again referred to in the following verse 43:58 as هو (he).
It is interesting to note that the verse 43:60 talks about the possibility of Angels among people if God wanted it to be so and then the mention of the word وانه in the beginning of the following verse 43:61 should in all probability and rules of logic refer to this very fact of angels, hence in the absence of a clear form هو in verse 43:61as was the case in 43:58 and 59, وانه should be translated as "And that" or "and it" but not "he", barring that Asad and others have this take as explained by Asad, " Whereas most of the commentators regard the pronoun hu in innahu as relating to Jesus and, consequently, interpret the above phrase as "he is indeed a means to know [i.e., an indication of the coming of] the Last Hour", some authorities - e.g., Qatadah, Al-Hasan al-Basri and Said ibn Jubayr (all of them quoted by Tabari, Baghawi and Ibn Kathir) - relate the pronoun to the Quran, and understand the phrase in the sense adopted in my rendering. The specific mention of the Last Hour in the above context is meant to stress man's ultimate responsibility before the Creator and, therefore, the fact that worship is due to Him alone: and so this parenthetic passage follows logically upon the mention of the false deification of Jesus. "
Coming back to the establishing the subject in the series of verse, verse 43:57 has firmly established the identity of Jesus and then refers to Jesus with هو (he) in the two subsequent verses 43:58-59. Then the message deviates for the next three versus and picks on the subject of Jesus in the verse 43:63 hence the need for reestablishing the identity of Jesus as the subject with the word ''Jesus''.
The point is there is no consensus on this verse pointing to Jesus's return, when in doubt stick to the default meaning of words and not embark upon a never ending series of bracketed implications. This is yet another case where a notion that is not mentioned in the Quran with clear terms exist in some other sources and subsequent confirmation sort in the verses of the Quran through mental gymnastics.
And then this; Quran 5:117
Asad: Nothing did I tell them beyond what Thou didst bid me [to say]: `Worship God, [who is] my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer.' And I bore witness to what they did as long as I dwelt in their midst; but since Thou hast caused me to die, Thou alone hast been their keeper:'°° for Thou art witness unto everything.
Once again the twisting of the words continue in sect centric translations, the word form tawaffaytanī (تَوَفَّيْتَنِى) a verb can only be translated as "You made me die" or "took me" as per the dozens of uses in the Quran and not "you raised me" and even if it would say that it still means "You made me die". I repeat, when no consensus stick to the default meaning of words.
In any case how on earth would one deduce the ''return of Jesus" from the verse 43:61 which was the original question to begin with. And what benefit would hundreds if not thousands of generation between the time of Jesus and the time just before the Judgment Day get from this notion of Jesus returning.
And then this; And peace is on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I am raised alive." Quran 19:33
This is how I see it as far as the Quran goes, I am well aware of the secondary sources but once again they lack the standards set-forth in the Quran for important theological matters, readers are welcome to comment and refute my take :)
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