Page 46 - The Prophet Jesus (as) will Return

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THE PROPHET JESUS (AS) WILL RETURN
was taken and raised to the sky, then one must think of a meaning
beyond that of ordinary death. 5

Abu Mansur Muhammad al-Maturidi, regarded as one of
the first Qur'anic commentators, also stated that the verse does
not refer to the Prophet Jesus (as) dying in the familiar biological
sense:
The thing being referred to in the verse is not passing on in the sense
of death, but in the sense of the body being taken from this world. 6
The famous commentator and scholar, al-Tabari, stated that
the verb is used in the sense of "removing from earth" and inter-
preted the verse in the following terms:

In my opinion, the soundest thing is to take this word in the sense of
"to take into one's possession," "draw [away] from earth." In that
case, the meaning of the verse is: "I shall take you from earth and into
the heavens." The rest of the verse emphasises the [believers'] victory
over unbelievers in the End Times, which confirms the above idea." 7

In his commentary, Hamdi Yazir of Elmali stated that the
verse in question means:
In my view, a summary of this interpretation and belief is as follows:
The soul of the Prophet Jesus (as), described as a "word from Allah"
and reinforced with the "Purest Spirit", has not yet been taken. His
soul has not come to the hour of death. "The Word" has not yet
returned to Allah. He still has work to do in this world. 8

We can conclude from these extensive reference sources
that the Prophet Jesus (as) was placed in a condition similar to
sleep and then raised to Allah's Presence. The Prophet Jesus (as)
did not die, but was merely removed from this dimension by His
will and Allah knows the truth.