The Essence of Islam – Volume III — Page 198
198 Essence of Islam-III the moment of the Call and all through his life, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never used the expression Tawaffi in any connotation other than death and taking possession of the soul. . . . Imam Muhammad Ismā'īl Bukhārī has made a fine point in his compilation which indicates that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used the ex- pression Tawaffi at least seven thousand times between his Call and his death, and every time he used it in the connotation of death and taking possession of the soul. Seekers after truth should be grateful to Imam Bukhārī for this information. [Izāla-e-Auhām, Rūņānī Khazā'in, vol. 3, pp. 583-585] If anyone can cite a single instance from the Holy Qur'an or Hadith, or from ancient or modern Arabic poetry and prose, that the word Tawaffi, when applied to a human being, God being the subject, has been used in any con- notation other than death and taking possession of the soul, for instance, in the connotation of the taking the body, I bind myself on oath that I shall pay that person one thousand rupees in cash by selling some of my prop- erty and shall always hold him in high esteem as a great scholar of the Holy Qur'an and Hādīth. [Izāla-e-Auhām, Rūķānī Khazā'in, vol. 3, p. 603] The Holy Qur'ān clearly states that there never was a Prophet who did not pass away: مَا مُحَمَّدُ إِلَّا رَسُولُ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ آفَائِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ 164 164 'Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he die or be slain, will you turn back on your heels?' Āl-e-Imran, 3:145 [Publisher]