With Love to Muhammad (sa) - The Khatam-un-Nabiyyin — Page 185
Death of Hazrat ‘ Ī s ā as bin Mariam ra 185 ْ ﻋَﻠَهيِْﻢ َ اﻟﺮَّﻗِﻴْﺐ َ اَﻧْﺖ َ ﻛُﻨْﺖ ِْ ﺗَﻮَﻓَّﻴْﺘَىن ۚﻓَﻠَﻤَّﺎ 188 Can we interpret the word tawaff ī 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 tawaff ī 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 All ā h be upon him). The had ī th also confirms the death of Jesus as. On page 162 of the Commentary Ma‘ ā lim it is mentioned on the authority of ‘Al ī bin Talhah that Ibn-e-‘Abb ā s ra interpreted the verse: ََّ اِىل َ وَرَاﻓِﻌُﻚ َ ﻣُﺘَﻮَﻓِّﻴْﻚ ِّْ اِىن ٰۤ ﻳٰﻌِﻴْىس 189 to mean َ ْتُکiِdُG a ْ ِّHِا i. e. , ‘I will cause you to die. ’ This is supported by other verses like: ِ اﻟْﻤَﻮْت َُ ﻣَّكل ُْ ﻳَﺘَﻮَﻓّٰﯩمك ْ ﻗُﻞ 190 188 ‘Since Thou didst cause me to die, Thou hast been the Watcher over them. ’—Al-M ā ’idah, 5:118 [Publisher] 189 ‘O Jesus, I will cause thee to die a natural death and will exalt thee to Myself. ’— Ā l-e-Imr ā n, 3:56 [Publisher]