Page 42 - The Prophet Jesus (as) will Return

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THE PROPHET JESUS (AS) WILL RETURN
How Are Prophets' Deaths Recounted in

the Qur'an?
Examination of the stories in the Qur'an that mention how

prophets died, and the verses that describe the ascension of the
Prophet Jesus (as), reveal an important fact. In this section we
shall examine the meaning of the Arabic words used in the story
of the Prophet Jesus (as) as well as those used to describe the
deaths of other prophets, and will see how they are used in the
verses.
As we shall be seeing in greater detail later, a number of
words are used in the Qur'an to describe the deaths of prophets,
such as qataloohu (to kill), maata (to die), halaka (to perish) and sal-
aboohu (they crucified him). However, it is clearly stated in the
Qur'an that, "They did not kill him (wa ma qataloohu) and did not
crucify him (wa ma salaboohu)", meaning the Prophet Jesus (as)

was not killed in any way. It is emphasised that, in fact, someone
who resembled the Prophet Jesus (as) was put forward for the
unbelievers to see and that the Prophet Jesus (as) was raised to
the Presence of Allah.
In Surah Al 'Imran, we are informed that Allah took the
Prophet Jesus (as) back and He raised him up to Himself.
When Allah said, "Jesus, I will take you back (mutawaf-
feeka) and raise you up (wa rafi'uka) to Me and purify
you of those who are disbelievers. And I will place the
people who follow you above those who are disbeliev-
ers until the Day of Resurrection..." (Surah Al 'Imran: 55)

The following are the ways in which the words referring to
death in the Qur'an have been used.