Proof #4: Prophets before Muhammad have all died

And Muhammad is but a messenger. Indeed, all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? (3:145) more translations

Two points are being made here with reference to the Holy Prophet^saw:

• Since prophets before him have all died, this prophet will also die, and his death would not indicate a defect in his prophethood.
• If it were necessary for prophets to live forever, then show us a single instance from among earlier prophets who is still alive.
  

If Jesus, who came approximately six hundred years before the Holy Prophet, was still alive, then neither of these arguments would hold.

The construct used here is similar to that used in 5:76 (discussed earlier). It begins with the statement that prophets before Muhammad have all died. The Arabic term 'khalat' is used for 'death', which means to pass away. Some argue that khalat could also mean any form of departing, including bodily ascending to the heaven while still alive. Arabic usage of khalat would resist this interpretation but presently let's not get into lexical discussion. This verse spares us that trouble as it internally provides a complete interpretation: If then he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? Thus, a prophet can pass away either by natural death or by being slain. No third possibility is mentioned, implying it doesn't exist.  If there were other ways prophets passed away, they should be listed here, otherwise, the verse would be incomplete and factually incorrect, which is not expected of God's word. To illustrate, consider a cricket analogy:

If Javed is neither bold nor caught, is he still batting?

For completeness, this statement should enumerate all possible ways an innings can end, without omission. Otherwise, it's defective and uninformative about Javed's innings. Anyone with basic cricket knowledge knows Javed's innings could end in various ways. For example, he could be out hit-wicket, run out, out for handling the ball, or simply exceeding the match's allotted time. However, the statement fails to mention these, limiting itself to only two possibilities. This leaves us with two options: we could insist there are only two ways of ending an innings—ignoring cricket laws and countless match accounts. Alternatively, we could deem this statement incomplete and defective. Anyone with basic cricket knowledge would choose the latter. This statement doesn't clarify if Javed is out, still playing, or if he will ever complete his innings. It essentially tells us nothing. Attributing such a defective statement to the Holy Quran is, to say the least, problematic.

Omission indeed implies impossibility. If any prophet had ascended to heaven, it couldn't have been omitted here. Jesus is particularly relevant when considering this verse, as he was the prophet closest in time to Muhammad, hence his fate should be addressed first. In 4:158, it's stated he wasn't slain. Therefore, he must have died a natural death.

The inclusion of "all" before "Messengers" in the translation, while not present in the original Arabic, is implied due to the conclusion drawn: the prediction and certainty of Muhammad's death. This conclusion is only logical if the premise applies to all prophets. If "all" is replaced with "some", the verse would imply that Muhammad is certain to die because some previous prophets died, which doesn't logically follow. If only some died, why should Muhammad necessarily die? Replacing "all" with "some" would only make sense if the argument was that Muhammad may or may not die, which isn't the case.

Consensus of the Companions
Is there any hadith in which the companions discuss and assert Jesus' death one way or another? The difficulty in finding such a hadith is that sane people hardly engage in arguments over the death of individuals long gone. The absence of any hadith to this effect, in fact, points to Jesus's death, not his life. For example, no one today holds discussion forums on whether George Washington, the first president of the United States, is alive or dead, which tells us that his status is not a subject of controversy, and all agree that he has died. It would reflect poorly on someone's intelligence to needlessly belabor the point that George Washington has died. Similarly, the companions of the Holy Prophet did not hold discussions on the deaths of Moses, Isaac, Abraham, Noah, Adam, nor did they discuss the status of Jesus simply because they believed him to have died and there was no reason to question it such that it became a topic of interest. However, there is one remarkable incident which leaves little doubt as to where they stood on the matter of the death of all prophets, including Jesus. That incident took place following the Holy Prophet's passing. His body was still unburied, and his companions, overwhelmed with emotion, struggled to accept his death despite his lifeless form being visible before them. The following narrative is taken from Sahih Bukhari:

Abdullah bin Abbas narrates that when Abu Bakr arrived Umar was addressing the people. He said, “O‘ Umar sit down.” Umar did not sit but people left him and turned thier attention towards Abu Bakr, who then said, “Those amongst you who worshipped Muhammad should know that Muhammad has died. Those who worshipped Allah should be satisfied that Allah is alive and is impervious to suffering death. Allah has said that Muhammad^saw is but a messenger. Verily all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? Those among you who turn back on their heels will not harm Allah a whit and Allah will reward those who are thankful.”

In another account, it's reported that Umar was so distressed that he unsheathed his sword, threatening to strike anyone who claimed Muhammad had passed away. Upon hearing this unsettling news, Abu Bakr unveiled Muhammad's face, kissed his forehead, and acknowledged that Allah wouldn't cause him to die twice. He understood Muhammad wasn't coming back. He then assembled everyone in the Masjid-al-Nabwi and recited this exact verse (3:145). Those in doubt then realized the reality. Umar reportedly felt weak and collapsed. The attendees felt as though this verse was being revealed anew. With great wisdom, Abu Bakr managed to stabilize the sensitive situation. This verse was enough to convince everyone present that Muhammad had departed like the prophets before him. If there was a common belief that any of the previous prophets were still alive, Abu Bakr's logic would have been flawed. If 'khalat' didn't mean death, Umar wouldn't have been convinced and would have argued about Jesus's case. Instead, no one protested, and everyone concluded, based on this verse, that Muhammad had died like the prophets before him.

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