Re: Hazrat Isa A.S.
Context for Ascension:
a) Bible - Popular Christian belief remains unchallenged in any Islamic reference ... rather Qur'an affirms and defends it, by saying he was "taken up" ... It does so by refuting the killing or crucifixion of Jesus (AS).
b) Nothing shall harm Jesus (AS) as per Bible also not refuted in Islam - so any vain attempt to say he even went near the cross is on dodgy grounds. In fact it is a "promise" made to Isa (AS) and one of the derivatives of the root of tawaffee - i.e. wafa - is promise - and to fulfill something.
c) Plenty of hadith say that he (AS) will descend ... Isa (AS) will descend because he first ascended ... context is as per Qur'an and hadith.
d) Tawaffee the word used in the Qur'an has appeared with matters regarding Isa (AS) ... the translation of this word is not discrete - i.e. it takes metaphoric meaning most of the time. As a result the word itself cannot be used as proof for or against and other information is necessary.
e) It is established as a critical element of the Sunni 'aqeedah to believe that Isa (AS) is still alive and shall descend.
f) It is recognised that certain signs of the Day of Judgement precede the coming of Isa (AS) these signs are only just occurring.
g) The grave site in the Roza (Madinah) is empty - Isa (AS) is to be buried there.
h) If you look closely at the verses that include "mawt" and "tawaffee" in them ... they prevent you from rendering the meaning of "tawaffee" as death ...
a) christian belief that he went to heavens bodily alive, whereas jews claim they put him to death. Quran refuses both this. Quran challenges christian belief by telling them that He did not go up to heavens alive, but rather God raised his soul (gave him death). Jews claim is also refuted by Quran that it was not them who killed him nor crucified him.
b) Jesus(as) was put on cross but not crucified by Jews and was not killed by them. Quran says every prophet was humiliated by non believers. All were mocked at. Muhammad PBUH was humiliated by the people of quraish. So were other prophets at every stage when Allah sent them. Jesus is no exception. He was being hurt by jews. The process of him going through all the humiliation and still remained steadfast in the way of Allah is why Allah raised his status.
c) Poor analogy. Quran does not confirm his ascension in the first place. Hadith does say he will descend but, no where does it say descend as in bodily alive. Allah use the word descend when he creates or bring forth something on earth. Mann o salwa is one thing i could think of from the top of my head. Messengers are also descended from heaven. It merely means.. from Allah. Not bodily descend.
d) the word tawaffee can very well be used in favor of his death. I presented you various verses in which it means 'taken ones soul', death. You're confusing yourself.
e). Ahl e sunnah or whoever. Whats wrong is wrong. You believe in ahl e sunnah, whereas I believe in what Quran and hadith teaches me. Whichever aqeedah is wrong from the view point of Quran, is not to be believed in. Plain and simple.
f) You dont know when the day of judgement is to come. If i were to tell you that Zaid will marry twice before he dies. Does it mean he will die right after he marries someone else , or does it mean death will not come to him until he marries twice. Once hes married twice, death can come anytime, whether hes 50, 60 or 90 years of age. Same with day of judgement. Judgement day is not to come until Jesus(as) comes.. now when he comes, it can be tomorrow, a year from now, century from now or 1000 years from now. That is not for us to know. Only thing was, judgement wont occur UNTIL he comes. Thats all.
g) it is taken literally. Your own belief contradicts it. You say a prophet is to be buried where he dies.
h) mawt comes before the word tawaffee in 6:61. Makes it absolutely clear that after mawt, tawaffee takes place, which is taking the soul to heaven. Remember , only 2 ways of Allah taking souls. Death and sleep. No other possibility is available for you as per Quran. You die, and thus your soul is taken by angels.. or when soul is taken by angels.. it is only if a person is dead or is sleeping. See it from both angles.
"tawaffee" is a verb ... "mawt" is a noun ...
Now in Arabic ... A verbal sentence needs (a verb, a doer, and sometimes an object - if it is transitive) ... In the Holy Book we can see various things being in the position of the "doer".
Allah does tawaffee
Angels do tawaffee
Death (Mawt) does tawaffee
Notice all the "doers" are nouns ...
The sleep state is a tawaffee because the souls are taken - but they are not severed from the body - the state that a person is in during the severance is called death and the "action" of death - is that severance - a different kind of tawaffee from the ones of the angels ... Souls are taken up after judgement - this is many years after a person dies ... they will be grouped with other souls and taken in classes to paradise or to more sinister places - these are again different types of tawaffee happening ...
For sure when death "takes" a person - it takes their body and soul ... but it does so by severing the two from one another ... However, in the case of Isa (AS) again his body and soul was taken by Allah (SWT) not by "death" and hence we cannot assume death in this case. Also, it befits the verses ... how can Allah (SWT) refute the killing of Isa (AS) and yet still assert that he died? That would not be fulfilling the promise.
Allah does tawaffee. Angels are under Him. They obey the commandments of Allah. Angels dont do tawaffee without asking Allah. Death does tawaffee, sure.. and so does sleep. Both of these occasions, the body itself remains on the Earth. Whats the problem there?
