No. The objection treats a general Arabic statement as though it were an exhaustive declaration that every single messenger before Muhammad (PBUH) had already died, with no exception. But Quran 5:75 is not speaking about Jesus' own death, and Quran 3:144 must be read together with the Quran's specific statement that Jesus was not killed or crucified and that Allah raised him.
What the verses actually say
Quran 3:144 says:
Muhammad is only a messenger; messengers have passed on before him. If he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels?
Quran 3:144
The verse addresses the believers: their faith must not depend on the continued earthly presence of even the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). If he dies or is killed, Islam remains the truth. Earlier messengers had already come and their missions had passed; the death or departure of a messenger does not invalidate his message.
Quran 5:75 says:
The Messiah, son of Mary, was only a messenger; messengers had passed on before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They both used to eat food.
Quran 5:75
Here, "before him" means before Jesus, not before Muhammad (PBUH). The verse is not saying that Jesus had died. Its argument is that Jesus and Mary were servants of Allah, not divine beings: Jesus was a messenger like messengers before him, and both he and his mother had ordinary human needs.
The Arabic wording should not be overstated
The verb khala means to pass, pass away, go by, elapse, or depart. When used about people, it can include death, and many translators render the phrase in Quran 3:144 as "messengers have passed away before him." That general meaning is not a problem.
However, khala is not the same as the explicit verb mata, "he died," and the verse itself then separately says, "if he dies or is killed." More importantly, a general statement about messengers must be read with the specific texts about Jesus. The Quran does not say in 3:144, "Jesus died"; it gives the specific ruling about Jesus elsewhere.
The specific text about Jesus
The Quran says about the claim that Jesus was killed:
And for their saying, "Indeed, we killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah." But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but it was made to appear so to them. Those who differ concerning him are surely in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it, only following assumption. They certainly did not kill him. Rather, Allah raised him to Himself. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.
Quran 4:157-158
This is the direct text about Jesus' attempted killing and crucifixion. It denies both killing and crucifixion, then states that Allah raised him. Therefore, Quran 3:144 cannot be used to cancel or contradict Quran 4:157-158. The general is understood in light of the specific.
The authentic Sunnah also teaches the descent of Jesus before the end of time:
By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the son of Mary will surely descend among you as a just ruler. He will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish the jizya.
Sahih al-Bukhari; Sahih Muslim
This confirms the Sunni understanding: Jesus was raised by Allah and will return before the Last Day.
Jesus is mortal, not divine
Jesus is an exception to having already died before Muhammad (PBUH), but he is not an exception to human mortality. The Quran denies everlasting earthly life to any human being:
We did not grant everlasting life to any human before you. So if you die, will they live forever? Every soul will taste death.
Quran 21:34-35
Jesus himself is quoted as saying:
Peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised alive.
Quran 19:33
So the Islamic position is consistent: Jesus was not killed or crucified; Allah raised him; he will return; and he will die at the time Allah has decreed. He remains a mortal servant and messenger of Allah, not divine.
The conclusion
The objection fails because it overreads "passed on" as though it must mean that every messenger before Muhammad (PBUH), including Jesus, had already died. It also misuses Quran 5:75, which refers to messengers before Jesus, and it isolates Quran 3:144 from the Quran's explicit statement about Jesus in 4:157-158.
The verses affirm the humanity and mortality of messengers. They do not deny the special case of Jesus being raised by Allah. For related topics, see the discussions on the crucifixion claim and the return of Jesus before the Last Day.