As in the past, when the Prophet Jesus (as) returns to Earth there may well be people who are inclined to denial around him. These people may well engage in various overt and covert activities. During his first time on Earth, in addition to waging a great struggle against unbelievers, the Prophet Jesus (as) also fought against the supposed men of religion inside the Jewish community and hypocrites around him. The presence of people with a tendency towards disbelief around the Prophet Jesus (as) is pointed to in the Qur’an in these terms:
When Jesus sensed disbelief on their part, he said, “Who will be my helpers to Allah?”…(Surah Al ‘Imran, 52)
As we can see from this verse, the Prophet Jesus (as) sensed that certain people around him were prone to disbelief and to exhibiting bad manners resembling those of disbelief, and asked who his helpers were. True believers with a sincere faith in Allah and who had submitted to and obeyed the Prophet Jesus (as) replied that they were his helpers:
… The disciples said, “We are Allah's helpers. We believe in Allah. Bear witness that we are Muslims.” “Our Lord, we have faith in what You have sent down and have followed the Messenger, so write us down among the witnesses.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 52-53)
This state of affairs indicates the difficult circumstances in which the Prophet Jesus (as) found himself as he called on people to believe in the existence and oneness of Allah and to abide by the moral values of the true faith. Allah reveals in this verse that follows that unbelievers set a trap for the Prophet Jesus (as):
They plotted and Allah plotted. But Allah is the best of plotters. (Surah Al ‘Imran, 54)
However, Allah imparts in the verse the glad tidings that He foiled the trap laid for the Prophet Jesus (as) and did not permit the unbelievers to achieve their objective.
When the Prophet Jesus (as) comes to Earth for the second time, people around him with an inclination towards disbelief may again set snares so that people do not recognize and obey him. However, by Allah’s leave, in the same way that the traps set by unbelievers in the past came to nothing, all the snares set for him when he returns will again be in vain.
