Short answer
No. The Qur'an says Allah (﷾) raised Jesus up to Himself, and that he was not killed or crucified (4:157-158). Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian put the claim of a tomb in Kashmir in print in 1898. He set it out in a book written in April 1899. That book says the tomb was found to be Jesus' only recently. The shrine in Srinagar is called the grave of Yuz Asaf. That name sounds like Yudasaf or Budasaf, the hero of a Buddha story told in Arabic. None of the New Testament Gospels, no verse of the Qur'an and no authentic saying of the Prophet (ﷺ) puts Jesus in India. Muslims believe that Jesus will die, after his return. This page sets out the evidence for readers who love Jesus as a prophet of Allah (﷾).
Full explanation
What the Qur'an says happened
The Qur'an says that those who boasted of killing Jesus did not kill him or crucify him. It was made to appear so to them. It then says that Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself. In 3:55 Allah (﷾) says He will take Jesus and raise him to Himself. Nothing in these verses sends him on a journey, and nothing puts his grave on earth.
“That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-”
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-”
“Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.”
What the Ahmadi account says
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian wrote Masih Hindustan Mein (Jesus in India) in April 1899, and it was published at Qadian in 1908. It argues that Jesus survived the cross and travelled in search of the lost tribes of Israel. He died at Srinagar, where his tomb is in the Khanyar quarter. The book says the tomb was found to be Jesus' only recently, in the latter part of the nineteenth century. The community's pages add that Jesus was on the cross only a few hours, was taken down alive and recovered. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad read the Qur'an's "high ground" (23:50) as Kashmir.
The book was written in Urdu in April 1899 and published at Qadian on 20 November 1908 (Foreword, p. xi). Mirza Ghulam Ahmad argues that Jesus survived the cross, travelled in search of the lost tribes of Israel, and died at Srinagar, Kashmir, where his tomb is in the Khanyar quarter (pp. 15-16). He calls the tomb "recently discovered" (pp. 26 and 33) and says it was discovered in the latter part of the nineteenth century (p. 71).
The community's pages argue that mutawaffika (3:55) means "I will cause you to die", citing Ibn Abbas (they cite it from al-Bukhari), and that tawaffa is used for death in 23 of 25 places in the Qur'an. They argue that rafa' towards Allah can only be a spiritual raising, since, in their words, Allah has no place; that a barrier stands between the dead and this world (23:100); and that Jesus says in 5:117 that he was a witness over his people only while he was among them, "but since Thou didst cause me to die" (their translation). They argue that when Umar and Abu Bakr spoke after the Prophet's (ﷺ) death, no Companion said Jesus was alive, and that 5:75 says all messengers before him had passed away. Another page argues that Jesus was on the cross only a few hours, was taken down alive, and recovered, and then left to find the lost sheep of Israel. The pages number these verses one higher than this site (they cite 3:56, 5:118, 23:101 and 5:76), because they count the opening line as verse 1.
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad argues that the word rafa'a (raise) in 3:55 is to be read in the light of mutawaffika (cause you to die), which comes before it, and cites Ibn Abbas for the gloss mumituka, citing al-Bukhari. On p. 854 he writes that the Qur'an mentions Jesus as dead, that he was given refuge on high ground with springs, and that this was Kashmir, where Jesus' grave has been found.
The name on the shrine
The shrine, called Roza Bal, stands in the Khanyar quarter of Srinagar. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote in A Hidden Truth (Raz-e-Haqiqat, November 1898) that the grave there is the grave of Jesus. He said it is known as the grave of Yuz Asaf. He held that the name Yuz Asaf comes from Yasu. He set the case out at length in Jesus in India, written in 1899. So the claim that Jesus lies there comes from his writings of 1898 and 1899.
Dated Qadian, 30 November 1898. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad writes that the grave of Yuz Asaf in Mohalla Khanyar, Srinagar, is the grave of Jesus, and that the name Yuz Asaf comes from Yasu.
The book was written in Urdu in April 1899 and published at Qadian on 20 November 1908 (Foreword, p. xi). Mirza Ghulam Ahmad argues that Jesus survived the cross, travelled in search of the lost tribes of Israel, and died at Srinagar, Kashmir, where his tomb is in the Khanyar quarter (pp. 15-16). He calls the tomb "recently discovered" (pp. 26 and 33) and says it was discovered in the latter part of the nineteenth century (p. 71).
Where the name Yuz Asaf comes from
Scholars know a medieval story about a prince called Budasaf or Yudasaf. It is a Buddha story that travelled from India into Persian and then Arabic, as the Book of Bilawhar and Budasaf. In the story, an Indian prince leaves his palace and becomes a holy man, as the Buddha did. The Encyclopaedia Iranica says his name is an Arabicised form of the Sanskrit bodhisattva. Ibn al-Nadim in the tenth century knew the Arabic book. The name Yuz Asaf sounds like Yudasaf. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad read it as a form of Jesus' name.
Asmussen describes a Christianised novel of Buddhist origin. An Indian king locks his son, the prince Iosaph, in a palace. The prince sees sickness, age and death, leaves the throne and becomes an ascetic. The story came into Arabic as the Book of Bilawhar and Budasaf, which Ibn al-Nadim links with Ibn al-Muqaffa' and his circle in Abbasid Baghdad. He writes that the name Iosaph is an Arabicised form of bodhisattva, with the first letter misread.
Dated Qadian, 30 November 1898. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad writes that the grave of Yuz Asaf in Mohalla Khanyar, Srinagar, is the grave of Jesus, and that the name Yuz Asaf comes from Yasu.
What the early sources do not say
None of the New Testament Gospels, no verse of the Qur'an and no authentic saying of the Prophet (ﷺ) puts Jesus in India. His sayings say that the son of Mary will come down, and the early commentators read the verses the same way. The name on the shrine, in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's own account, is Yuz Asaf, not Jesus. His own book says the tomb was found to be Jesus' only recently. A tomb that was named as Jesus' in the late nineteenth century is a weak basis for reading the Qur'an's words another way.
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) swore that the son of Mary will soon descend among the Muslims as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine and end the jizya, and wealth will be so plentiful that no one will accept it. Abu Huraira then recited Qur'an 4:159: none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his death.
Al-Tabari records the view that "before his death" means before the death of Jesus: when he comes down to kill the False Messiah, all the creeds will become one. He gives it from Ibn Abbas through Sa'id ibn Jubayr ("before the death of Jesus son of Mary"), and from Abu Malik, Qatada and al-Hasan. Al-Hasan says: by Allah, he is alive now with Allah, and when he comes down they will all believe in him. He also records a second view, that it means before the death of each person of the Book, and gives this too from Ibn Abbas, through Ikrima. His own judgement is that the sounder reading is before the death of Jesus.
Dated Qadian, 30 November 1898. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad writes that the grave of Yuz Asaf in Mohalla Khanyar, Srinagar, is the grave of Jesus, and that the name Yuz Asaf comes from Yasu.
The book was written in Urdu in April 1899 and published at Qadian on 20 November 1908 (Foreword, p. xi). Mirza Ghulam Ahmad argues that Jesus survived the cross, travelled in search of the lost tribes of Israel, and died at Srinagar, Kashmir, where his tomb is in the Khanyar quarter (pp. 15-16). He calls the tomb "recently discovered" (pp. 26 and 33) and says it was discovered in the latter part of the nineteenth century (p. 71).
Did the Qur'an say Allah (﷾) caused him to die?
The Ahmadi pages stress the word mutawaffika in 3:55. Tawaffa means to take in full. The Qur'an uses it for the soul in sleep: "It is He who doth take your souls by night." It says the same of those who do not die: they are taken in their sleep. Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi list the views. Some read the words in transposed order: I will raise you, and cause you to die later. Some read "I will take you" up, without death. Ibn Kathir says most read it as the taking of sleep. Al-Qurtubi judges that the sound view is that Allah (﷾) raised him without death or sleep. The Ahmadi pages quote Ibn Abbas for "cause you to die". Al-Bukhari mentions this gloss in his book of commentary as a note without a chain, and Ibn Kathir gives it through Ali ibn Abi Talha. Al-Qurtubi, who records it too, judges that the sound report from Ibn Abbas is that Allah (﷾) raised him without death.
“Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute.”
“It is He who doth take your souls by night, and hath knowledge of all that ye have done by day: by day doth He raise you up again; that a term appointed be fulfilled; In the end unto Him will be your return; then will He show you the truth of all that ye did.”
“It is Allah that takes the souls (of men) at death; and those that die not (He takes) during their sleep: those on whom He has passed the decree of death, He keeps back (from returning to life), but the rest He sends (to their bodies) for a term appointed verily in this are Signs for those who reflect.”
Ibn Kathir lists the views on "I will take thee" (mutawaffika). Qatada and others: the words are in transposed order, "I will raise you to Me and cause you to die", the death coming afterwards. Ali ibn Abi Talha reports Ibn Abbas: mumituka, "cause you to die". Matar al-Warraq: a taking from the world, not a death. Most: the sleep-death of 6:60 and 39:42. He then says the "his" in 4:159 ("before his death") refers to Jesus, and that this happens when Jesus comes down to earth before the Day of Judgment.
Al-Qurtubi gathers the views. Al-Dahhak and al-Farra: the words are in transposed order, since "and" does not fix an order, so the meaning is "I will raise you and cause you to die after you come down". Al-Hasan and Ibn Jurayj: mutawaffika means "I will take you" up without death. Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said mumituka. He concludes that the sound view is that Allah raised him to heaven without death or sleep, which is al-Tabari's choice and the sound report from Ibn Abbas.
In the chapter of the book of commentary on 5:103, just before hadith 4623, al-Bukhari mentions, without a chain, the words: Ibn Abbas said, mutawaffika means mumituka ("I will cause you to die"). It is a note, not a hadith with a chain of narrators.
Muslims believe Jesus will die, after his return
Muslims agree that Jesus will die. The only question is when. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that after he comes down Jesus will stay forty years, then die, and the Muslims will pray over him. He used the same verb, tawaffa, for that death. In Arabic, "and" does not fix the order of events. Al-Qurtubi gives the reading: I will raise you and cause you to die after you come down. So "cause you to die" does not help the case that he died long ago. Ibn Abbas is also reported to have read 4:159 as "before the death of Jesus", that is, after his return. In another report from him it means before the death of each person of the Book. Ibn Abbas read 43:61 as the coming down of Jesus.
Abu Hurayra reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) said there is no prophet between him and Jesus, and that Jesus will come down. He described him, and said the False Messiah will be destroyed in his time. Jesus will stay on the earth forty years, then he will die (yutawaffa), and the Muslims will pray over him.
Al-Qurtubi gathers the views. Al-Dahhak and al-Farra: the words are in transposed order, since "and" does not fix an order, so the meaning is "I will raise you and cause you to die after you come down". Al-Hasan and Ibn Jurayj: mutawaffika means "I will take you" up without death. Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said mumituka. He concludes that the sound view is that Allah raised him to heaven without death or sleep, which is al-Tabari's choice and the sound report from Ibn Abbas.
Ibn Kathir lists the views on "I will take thee" (mutawaffika). Qatada and others: the words are in transposed order, "I will raise you to Me and cause you to die", the death coming afterwards. Ali ibn Abi Talha reports Ibn Abbas: mumituka, "cause you to die". Matar al-Warraq: a taking from the world, not a death. Most: the sleep-death of 6:60 and 39:42. He then says the "his" in 4:159 ("before his death") refers to Jesus, and that this happens when Jesus comes down to earth before the Day of Judgment.
Al-Tabari records the view that "before his death" means before the death of Jesus: when he comes down to kill the False Messiah, all the creeds will become one. He gives it from Ibn Abbas through Sa'id ibn Jubayr ("before the death of Jesus son of Mary"), and from Abu Malik, Qatada and al-Hasan. Al-Hasan says: by Allah, he is alive now with Allah, and when he comes down they will all believe in him. He also records a second view, that it means before the death of each person of the Book, and gives this too from Ibn Abbas, through Ikrima. His own judgement is that the sounder reading is before the death of Jesus.
Al-Tabari records the view that the "it" in "a Sign of the Hour" is Jesus: his appearing is a sign that the Hour is near. He reports it from Ibn Abbas ("the coming down of Jesus son of Mary", and that Ibn Abbas read 'alam, a sign), and from Abu Malik, al-Hasan, Mujahid, Qatada, al-Suddi and al-Dahhak.
"Passed away" and "when Thou didst take me up"
Verse 5:75 says that messengers had passed away before the Messiah, son of Mary. It speaks of those before him, not of him. Its point is that he and his mother ate food, so neither is divine. Verse 3:144 uses the same verb for the messengers before Muhammad (ﷺ), and then asks: if he died or were slain, would you turn back? It does not list who has died. In 5:117 Jesus says he was a witness over his people while he dwelt among them. He adds that when Allah (﷾) took him up, Allah became the Watcher over them. It speaks of what followed his leaving, and says nothing of his grave. The Prophet (ﷺ) used these words too. He said he would answer on the Day of Judgment as the righteous servant said, and he gave the words of Jesus. He died, so some say the same word must mean death for Jesus. Qatada, and Ibn Kathir after him, place these words on the Day of Judgment. By then Jesus will have come back and died, so the words are true of both prophets. Al-Tabari placed them at the time Allah (﷾) raised Jesus. Then "took me" means took me up, alive. Either way, the Prophet (ﷺ) was using Jesus' words, as the righteous servant said them. He was not saying when Jesus died. The Ahmadi pages also cite a barrier between the dead and this world (23:100). That verse follows 23:99, about a person to whom death comes who asks to be sent back. The barrier is for the dead.
“Christ the son of Mary was no more than a messenger; many were the messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make His signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!”
“Muhammad is no more than a messenger: many Were the messenger that passed away before him. If he died or were slain, will ye then Turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude.”
“"Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.”
Ibn Abbas reports a sermon in which the Prophet (ﷺ) described the Day of Resurrection. Some men of his community will be led away. He will say: my companions. It will be said: you do not know what they did after you. He says he will answer as the righteous servant said, and he gives the words of Jesus in 5:117: "I was a witness over them while I dwelt among them, and when You took me (tawaffaytani), You were the Watcher over them."
Ibn Kathir says Allah speaks these words to Jesus on the Day of Resurrection, as Qatada and others said. He reports that al-Suddi said the question and answer were in this world, when Allah raised him, and that al-Tabari chose that view. Ibn Kathir answers al-Tabari's two arguments and judges Qatada's view the clearer.
Al-Tabari gives two views on when Allah asks Jesus whether he told the people to take him and his mother as gods. One is that it was said when Allah raised Jesus to Himself, from al-Suddi (report 13028). The other is that it will be said on the Day of Resurrection. He judges the first view the more correct.
“(In Falsehood will they be) Until, when death comes to one of them, he says: "O my Lord! send me back (to life),- "In order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected." - "By no means! It is but a word he says."- Before them is a Partition till the Day they are raised up.”
Raised to Allah (﷾)
The Ahmadi pages read "raised him up unto Himself" as an honour of rank only, since, in their words, Allah (﷾) has no place. All Muslims agree that nothing in creation contains Allah (﷾). Yet the Qur'an still says that the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him, and that good words mount up to Him. So "raised him up unto Himself" can be a real raising without putting Allah (﷾) in a place. In 4:157-158 the contrast is between what his enemies planned for his person and what Allah (﷾) did: they killed him not, but Allah (﷾) raised him. Al-Qurtubi records that al-Tabari chose the reading that Allah (﷾) raised him alive.
“That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";- but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not:-”
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-”
“The angels and the spirit ascend unto him in a Day the measure whereof is (as) fifty thousand years:”
“If any do seek for glory and power,- to Allah belong all glory and power. To Him mount up (all) Words of Purity: It is He Who exalts each Deed of Righteousness. Those that lay Plots of Evil,- for them is a Penalty terrible; and the plotting of such will be void (of result).”
Al-Qurtubi gathers the views. Al-Dahhak and al-Farra: the words are in transposed order, since "and" does not fix an order, so the meaning is "I will raise you and cause you to die after you come down". Al-Hasan and Ibn Jurayj: mutawaffika means "I will take you" up without death. Ibn Abbas is also reported to have said mumituka. He concludes that the sound view is that Allah raised him to heaven without death or sleep, which is al-Tabari's choice and the sound report from Ibn Abbas.
The "high ground" of 23:50
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad read the "high ground, affording rest and security and furnished with springs" as Kashmir. The verse itself names no place. Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi list what the early scholars said: Egypt, Damascus, al-Ramla in Palestine, and Jerusalem. Ibn Kathir prefers Jerusalem, because its stream is the one named in the other verse about Mary (19:24), and the Qur'an explains itself. Neither names Kashmir or India. Ahmadi editions of the Qur'an count the opening line as verse 1 of each surah that has it. That line is "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful". So their numbers run one higher. What they call 23:51 is 23:50 here.
“And We made the son of Mary and his mother as a Sign: We gave them both shelter on high ground, affording rest and security and furnished with springs.”
Ibn Kathir reads "a place of high ground" (rabwa) as raised land with water. He lists where the early scholars put it: Egypt (Ibn Zayd), Damascus (Ibn al-Musayyib, Ibn Abbas and others), al-Ramla in Palestine (Abu Hurayra), and Jerusalem (al-Dahhak, Qatada). He judges Jerusalem the clearest, because its stream is the one named in the other verse about Mary (19:24), and the Qur'an explains itself.
Al-Qurtubi explains rabwa as raised ground and lists the places named for it: Palestine and al-Ramla (Abu Hurayra), Damascus (Ibn Abbas, Ibn al-Musayyib, Ibn Salam), Jerusalem (Ka'b, Qatada) and Egypt (Ibn Zayd).
“But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;”
In a footnote Mirza Ghulam Ahmad writes that the Prophet (ﷺ) was given the seal for conveying spiritual excellence, so that obedience to him bestows the excellences of prophethood. On p. 119 he writes that others read the Seal of Prophethood in a way that belittles the Prophet. He also writes there that the Qur'an testifies that Jesus is dead and buried in Srinagar, Kashmir, citing the verse about a high mountain with springs, which he numbers 23:51. It is 23:50 here, because Ahmadi editions count the opening line, "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful", as verse 1 of each surah that has it.
Where this leaves the reader
Ahmadi readers honour Jesus as a prophet and love him. So do all Muslims. The Qur'an gives one account: Allah (﷾) raised him, he was not killed or crucified, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said he will return. A tomb named as his in the nineteenth century does not stand against that. The next pages show who will return.
“Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise;-”
Abu Huraira reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) swore that the son of Mary will soon descend among the Muslims as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine and end the jizya, and wealth will be so plentiful that no one will accept it. Abu Huraira then recited Qur'an 4:159: none of the People of the Book but will believe in him before his death.
Perspectives
The Ahmadi view
Ahmadis hold that Jesus survived the cross and travelled east to find the lost tribes of Israel. They hold that he died a natural death in Kashmir, where his tomb is at Roza Bal in Srinagar. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian set this out in a book written in 1899.
Jesus was taken down from the cross alive, and recovered.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an says they did not crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them. It does not say he was nailed up and survived. It says Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself.
The Qur'an says Allah caused Jesus to die (3:55, 5:117), so he cannot have been raised alive.
Rebuttal
Tawaffa means to take in full, and the Qur'an uses it for sleep. In 3:55 it comes with "raise thee to Myself". Muslims agree that Jesus will die, after his return (Abu Dawud 4324), so "cause you to die" does not help the case. Al-Qurtubi gives the reading: I will raise you and cause you to die after you come down. He names the sound view: Allah (﷾) raised him without death or sleep.
The Prophet (ﷺ) used the words of 5:117, "when Thou didst take me up", of himself, and he died. So the words mean death for Jesus too.
Rebuttal
Qatada, and Ibn Kathir after him, place these words on the Day of Judgment. By then Jesus will have come back and died, so the words are true of both prophets. Al-Tabari placed them at the time Allah (﷾) raised Jesus. Then "took me" means took me up, alive. Either way, the Prophet (ﷺ) was using Jesus' words, as the righteous servant said them. He was not saying when Jesus died.
"Raised him up unto Himself" means a raising of rank only, since Allah has no place.
Rebuttal
The Qur'an says the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him. That phrase does not put Allah (﷾) inside His creation. In 4:157-158 the raising answers what his enemies planned for his person.
Verse 5:75 says all messengers before the Messiah had passed away. So, they say, he died too, and no Companion said he was alive.
Rebuttal
The verse speaks of messengers before him, not of him. Abu Hurayra, a Companion, recited 4:159 after reporting that the son of Mary will come down. In one report Ibn Abbas read the verse as before the death of Jesus.
The "high ground" of 23:50, with its springs, is Kashmir.
Rebuttal
The verse names no place. Ibn Kathir and al-Qurtubi list Egypt, Damascus, al-Ramla and Jerusalem, and neither names India. Ibn Kathir prefers Jerusalem, since the stream in 19:24 is the same.
The tomb at Roza Bal is the tomb of Jesus, and Yuz Asaf was his name in the East.
Rebuttal
The name Yuz Asaf sounds like Yudasaf or Budasaf, the hero of a Buddha story already told in Arabic by the tenth century. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's own book says the tomb was found to be Jesus' only recently. Nothing in the Qur'an or the Prophet's (ﷺ) words puts Jesus in India.
The Islamic perspective
Allah (﷾) raised Jesus up to Himself. He was not killed or crucified, and he did not die in Kashmir. He lives with Allah (﷾), he will return before the Last Day, and he will die after his return.
The Qur'an says they killed him not, nor crucified him, but Allah (﷾) raised him up to Himself.
In 3:55 Allah (﷾) says He will take Jesus and raise him to Himself.
The Prophet (ﷺ) swore that the son of Mary will come down. Ibn Abbas read 43:61 as his return, and in one report 4:159 too.
The Kashmir claim dates from the late nineteenth century, by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's own books.
The story of Budasaf, whose hero's name comes from bodhisattva, was told in Arabic by the tenth century. The name Yuz Asaf sounds like it.