Page 86 - The Prophet Jesus (pbuh) Did Not Die

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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 (pbuh) 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. 31

Islamic scholars agree that mutawaffeeka means that the
Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not die, but that he was raised to
Allah's Presence and will return to Earth. For example, the
famous commentator and scholar al-Tabari stated that mu-
tawaffeeka is used in the sense of "removing from Earth" and
interpreted 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 emphasizes the [believers'] victory over unbe-
lievers in the End Times, which confirms the above idea." 32
Further on in his commentary, al-Tabari included
other interpretations of mutawaffeeka. Islamic scholars are in
general agreement that its correct interpretation is "a kind

of sleep." According to Imam Hasan al-Basri, the Egyptian
scholar Muhammad Khalil Herras stated that the verse
means: "I shall put you to sleep and raise you to My Pres-
ence as you sleep." In his commentary, al-Suyuti said, based
on reliable hadith, that the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) did not die,
and then continued: