Page 52 - The Prophet Jesus (as) will Return

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THE PROPHET JESUS (AS) WILL RETURN
He raised the Prophet Jesus (as) to His Presence:

"… [I will] raise you up (rafi'uka) to Me and purify you
of those who are disbelievers. And I will place the peo-
ple who follow you above those who are disbelievers
until the Day of Resurrection..." (Surah Al 'Imran: 55)
On the contrary [bal] Allah raised him up to Himself.
Allah is Almighty, All-Wise. (Surat an-Nisa': 158)
Allah protected and rescued the Prophet Jesus (as) by rais-
ing him to His Presence. The words rafiu'ka and rafa'ahu that
appear in the verses come from the Arabic root rafa'a, which
means "to rise".
There is a consensus among Islamic scholars, based on these
verses, that the Prophet Jesus (as) did not die but was raised to
Allah's Presence, and that this ascension took place in both body
and soul.
The Islamic scholar, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, interpreted Surah
Al 'Imran 55 together with Surat an-Nisa' 158, and wrote that:
"There is a consensus among the community of the faithful [ijma'
ummat] that the Prophet Jesus (as) was raised alive to the heavens." 9
(Ijma' ummat refers to the agreement on this issue of those Islam-
ic scholars who expounded upon Islamic law and lived during
the same century).
In his commentary, Hasan Basri Cantay interpreted rafiu'ka
as meaning "raising and lifting up to Himself," and wrote that
"Allah raised and lifted up the Prophet Jesus (as) in both body and
soul." 10
Imam Ibn Taymiyya opined: The verse "He raised him to His
Presence" … explains that the Prophet Jesus (as) was raised in both
body and soul. 11
Zahid al-Kawthari stated that the ascension is so clear and