With-Love-to-Muhammad

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Death of Hazrat ‘Īsā as bin Mariam ra 185
188
فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنىِ‏ ْ كُنْتَ‏ اَنْتَ‏ الرَّقِيْبَ‏ عَلَيهْ‏ ‏ِمْ‏ ۚ
Can we interpret the word tawaffī in this verse as
meaning sleep? Would it be right to understand this
verse as meaning: Since Thou didst cause me to sleep
Thou hast been the One to watch over them? Of
course not. The only appropriate interpretation of
tawaffī in this context is the straightforward one of
death; and the context does not permit us to interpret
that death will occur after Jesus’ bodily ascent to
heaven. This is because the question put to Jesus
refers to the going astray of his people, which had
happened after his supposed bodily ascent to heaven
and had been completed before the advent of the
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon
him).
The hadīth also confirms the death of Jesus as . On
page 162 of the Commentary Ma‘ālim it is mentioned
on the authority of ‘Alī bin Talhah that Ibn-e-‘Abbās ra
interpreted the verse:
189
يٰعِيْسىٰ‏ ۤ ِ اِنىّْ‏ مُتَوَفّ‏ ‏ِيْكَ‏ وَرَ‏ افِعُكَ‏ اِلىَ‏ َّ
to mean َ ‏ُک ‏ْت ُa ِ ِ
supported by other verses like:
اِ‏ i.e., ‘I will cause you to die.’ This is
قُلْ‏ يَتَوَفّ‏ ‏ٰىكمُ‏ ْ مَّكلَ‏ ُ الْمَوْتِ‏ 190
188
‘Since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher over
them.’—Al-Mā’idah, 5:118 [Publisher]
189
‘O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and will exalt thee to
Myself.’—Āl-e-Imrān, 3:56 [Publisher]