We granted not everlasting life to any human being before thee. If then thou shouldst die, shall they live here forever? Every soul shall taste of death; (21:35-36) more translations
This verse asserts that individuals who existed before Muhammad, peace be upon him, were not granted an extended lifespan beyond natural limits, indicating that those from earlier times have indeed departed. The question then arises whether Jesus, who came 600 years before Muhammad, could be an exception to this verse's implication. The claim is that Jesus, who was reportedly alive in the heavens when this verse was revealed, doesn't violate its principles as the verse only refutes the concept of eternal life, and 600 years is well short of eternity! Upon his return and the resumption of his natural aging process, he would eventually pass away. Although he might live for a few thousand years, it's far from being eternal, hence there's no contradiction. This argument has issues: the term 'everlasting' should be interpreted as 'unnaturally prolonged', not 'eternal'. Eternity makes little sense because eternity cannot exist before a specific point in time. When a limit is set on the timeline, such as the birth of the Holy Prophet in this context, the concept of eternity becomes invalid as it cannot exist within defined boundaries. No one could have existed in eternity, before Muhammad. The subsequent part of the verse builds on this, asking “If then you should die” implying that the Prophet will also pass away in the normal course, just like everyone before him.
The claim that 'everlasting' here means 'eternal' creates a conundrum for the Prophet. It poses a question to him which he cannot answer. From his perspective, eternity hasn't arrived, nor can it ever arrive for him or anyone else. Thus, it's impossible for him to judge if someone 'before him' is still alive when eternity 'happens'. Projecting this scenario into the future is also unhelpful for two reasons: firstly, eternity is unreachable, and secondly, he is mortal, which this verse also concludes. The Holy Prophet can only bear witness to and corroborate the absence of abnormal life spans before him, including that of Jesus.
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