Malfuzat – Volume X — Page 579
25 May 1908 579 The Meaning of Tawaffi What I mean by this is that all these matters are such that they are easily refuted. Just consider the word ْ ِّی تَوَف ْ ِّی تَوَف [ tawaffi ] in the Holy Quran and see if there is any place where it has been used in meanings other than death , or has it been used for ascen- sion to Heaven with the physical body ? This very same word, ْ ِّی تَوَف ْ ِّی تَوَف [ tawaffi ], has been used by Allah the Exalted for the Holy Prophet s as. Ponder over the verse and see: 1 اَّمِا َكَّنَيِرُن َضْعَب ْيِذَّلا ْمُهُدِعَن ْوَا َكَّنَيَّفَوَتَن۠ اَّمِا َكَّنَيِرُن َضْعَب ْيِذَّلا ْمُهُدِعَن ْوَا َكَّنَيَّفَوَتَن۠ Then this same word occurs with regard to Joseph as. So I cannot understand why Jesus as is given this special treatment in contra- vention to the Quranic dictum and to all the other Prophets as. The same word, ْ ِّی تَوَف ْ ِّی تَوَف [ tawaffi ] appears nearly 300 times in the books of Hadith and nowhere does it mean ascension to Heaven with the physical body. Wherever you look it has always been used to denote death. In fact, I sense a stench from someone who is not a seeker after truth and makes such a request just to brag and show his superiority in some fashion. I do not wish to waste my time on such a person who does not thirst for the truth and whose anguish is not for God and God’s religion; rather, he is a slave of his ego, and he lives and dies for the honour and glory of his own self. And I sense a fragrance emanating from the one who comes to me in search of the truth and with a thirst and sincere fer- vour to reach God. So for such a one I stretch out my arms and receive him with honour and consider it an honour for myself 1. If We make you witness a part of what We promised them or cause you to die before that ( S u rah Y u nus, 10:47). [Publisher]