Page 118 - The Glad Tidings of the Messiah

unbelievers 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 and
the word tawaffa in Surah Al 'Imran are used:

1) Tawaffa: To Cause To Die, To Take in

One's Sleep, or To Take Back

The word tawaffa used in Surah Al 'Imran 3 and
translated as "taking back" here and "causing to die"
in some Qur'an translations, has various connota-
tions. Examining the Arabic verses clearly reveals that
these connotations of the word should be considered
while applying it to the Prophet Jesus' (pbuh) situa-
tion. Allah describes his being taken back to Allah in
the words that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) will say on
the Day of Judgment:

[Jesus said], "I said to them nothing but what
You ordered me to say: 'Worship Allah, my
Lord and your Lord.' I was a witness against
them as long as I remained among them, but
when You took me back to You (tawaffa), You
were the One watching over them. You are the
Witness of all things." (Surat al-Ma'ida, 117)