Surah Al-i-‘Imrân 3:55

إ إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَىٰ إِنِّي مُتَوَفِّيكَ وَرَافِعُكَ إِلَيَّ وَمُطَهِّرُكَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ

3:55 Ibn ‘Abbâs has translated the word Mutawaffî-ka مُتَوَفِّيكَ as mumitu-ka مُميتك, meaning, “I will cause you to die a natural death” (Bukhârî 65/12). Abû al-Qâsim Mahmûd ibn ‘Umar Al-Zamakhsharî, says that Mutawaffî-ka مُتَوَفِّيكَ means “I will grant thee full leave and cause you to die a natural death, not being killed by any other mean” (Kashshaf). Outstanding scholars and commentators like Imâm Mâlik, Bukhârî, Ibn-Hazm, Ibn Quyyim, Qatada, Wahhâb, Muftî ‘Abduhu of Egypt, and others are of the same view - (see Bukhârî; Chapter on Ba’d ul Khalq; Majm‘a Bihâr Al-Anwâr by Sheikh Muhammad Tâhir of Gujrat; Zâd Al-Ma‘âd by Muhammad Ibn Abû Bakr al-Dimashqî; Durr al-Manthûr by Sayyutî; Tafsîr al-Kabîr (unabridged) by Ibn al Kathîr; and Tafsîr by Muftî ‘Abduhu. This word has been used in no less than twenty-five different places of the Holy Qur’ân, and in these instances the meaning is twenty times “to take away the soul at the time of death.” Only in two places is the meaning “to take the soul away at the time of sleep,” but there the qualifying word “sleep or night” has been added (6:60; 39:42). According to Lisân al Arab, the expression tawaffah-Allâh means, “Allâh took his soul or caused him to die.” The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “Had Moses and Jesus now been alive they would have followed me” (Kathîr). In some traditions, he even fixed the age of Jesus at 125 (lunar) years (Kathîr). Not a single instance from the Holy Qur’ân, from the sayings of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) or from the Arabic literature, can be cited to show that this expression can be used in any other sense than that mentioned above. Some modern translators have defined a different meaning to the one above while translating this verse. However, according to Fath al-Biyân, those commentators who have tried to put other meanings into the word tawaffî نوٌفي have done so in accordance with their belief that Jesus was transported to heaven alive. The word Mutawaffîka مُتَوَفِّيكَ possesses no other meaning than that of taking away the soul or causing to die (cf. 7:37; 32:11).

The word Râfi‘u-ka رَافِعُكَ, “will exalt you,” is the active participle from rafa‘a رَفَع, which signifies raising, elevating, exalting, or making honourable (Tâj; Lisân, Lane). Where the rafa‘a of a human being is mentioned, it is always in the sense of making him honourable and not in the sense of “raising him to heaven with his body.” The Holy Qur’ân says, “In houses which Allâh has commanded to be exalted” (24:36), and “All good words go up to Him” (35:10). We read about the father of Joseph, wa rafa’a abwaiha (رفع ابويه) meaning, “they raised his parents (in honour and took them to the royal court)” (12:100). “The Mount (of Sinai) was towering above you” (rafa‘aرَفَع; 2:63) and "there are some of them, the Prophets, Allâh has exalted them above the others” (2:253). The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “He who truly humbles himself for the sake of Allâh, Allâh would exalt him”. In our daily prayers we pray, Rabbî rafa‘nî ربٌي رفعني - “O my Lord! Exalt me! “No one supposes that in this place we pray for our physical ascension to the heavens. Râzî writes while commenting on this verse that rafa‘aرَفَع is exaltation in degree and in praise, not in place and direction. In addition, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) says that Allâh will, by means of this Qur’ân, ‘exalt some people and humble others’ (Ibn Mâjah). We read about the Prophet Idrîs in the chapter 19, “We [Allâh] raised him (رفعنه) to an exalted position” (19:57), but no translator has ever suggested that Idrîs was physically lifted to heaven.

These examples illustrate, that when the rafa‘aرَفَع of a person is spoken, the meaning is invariably his spiritual elevation. The rafa‘aof Jesus is mentioned in the verse being discussed in reply to the false assertion of the Jews that he was accursed for having died on the cross or of illegitimate birth. Raising a human being in his body to God implies that the Divine Being is limited to a place and time. Jesus himself denied the possibility of his rising physically to heaven: “and no man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the son of man which is in heaven” (John 3.13).

The root word waffa وفئ occurs sixty-six times in the Holy Qur’ân and rafa‘a رَفَع more than thirty times. It is a curious fact that some translators systematically adopt the meaning of physical ascension for these words in verses related to Jesus, whereas in other contexts they use different meanings. It demonstrates a lack of integrity on the part of these translators simply because this translation suits their own preconceptions and fancies.

This verse has been linked with the preceding one with the word idhإذ - “When”, and contains a prophecy. It relates to the occasion when Jesus was the object of a plot by Jews to have him crucified and thereby prove him to have died an accursed death. But in the present verse, Allâh says that He will cause Jesus to die a natural death and will exalt him, and free him of the accusations against him, and that his enemies will not be able to kill him on the cross and neither therefore to sully his spiritual reputation.

This verse contains yet another great prophecy (وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ) - Allâh will make the followers of Jesus prevail over those who disbelieve him. The Christians and the Muslims claim to be the followers of Jesus; the Jews are the rejecters of Jesus. Thus according to this prophecy, the Jews will never prevail over the Christians or the Muslims, no matter how hard they try. Either they will always depend on the Muslims or the Christians for their security (cf. 3:112). Not only this, as the following verse (3:56) tells us, the rejecters of Jesus will experience continuous and repeated calamities in this world in the form of persecution, and their punishment will continue in the Hereafter. In verse 3:112, this prophecy has been elaborated on once again. We read there, “Smitten are they (the Jews) with ignominy wherever they are found unless they have a bond of protection from Allâh (the Muslims) or a bond of protection by the people (the Christians, the Romans or the Persians). They have incurred the displeasure of Allâh and have been condemned to humiliation.” The end of the verse along with verse 4:160-161 give reasons for this Divine punishment.